can leave this?’
Alyssa wrinkled her nose. ‘There’s a dumpster round back,’ she said, pointing. ‘Just be sure and close it up after or the racoons’ll get in.’
Leaving Jack with Olly and Bella, Lara went outside and round the building. On the other side of the large dustbin she could see two actors, a man and a woman, sitting on an old sofa by what must be the stage door. They were leaning against one another, smoking. Lara crouched down slightly, so she couldn’t be seen.
‘Well I don’t give one shit,’ the woman was saying. ‘I’ve told my agent I’m never going to come up here again, even if they did manage to pay me properly.’
‘I know, honey, I know. But we’ve got to give it our best now we’re here. It wouldn’t be professional otherwise.’
‘How dare she tell me I got fat. Did I get fat, Brian?’
‘June. You know you aren’t fat. You have a beautiful body. You know I love your beautiful body.’
‘Oh Brian.’ June blew away her smoke and leaned in towards him, cupping his head in her hand and pulling his face towards hers. They locked mouths and Brian’s hand worked its way into June’s dressing gown, exposing the most enormous, round and rigid breast Lara had ever seen. He twirled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, as if he were one-handedly rolling a short cigar.
A tall good-looking boy appeared in the stage doorway and coughed into his fist to alert them to his presence. They unglued their faces to look up at him, but Brian’s hand remained firmly on June’s exposed breast.
‘Yes Sean?’ June asked, drawing on her cigarette and looking up at him.
‘Just to let you know, June and Brian, that the house is now open and this is your fifteen-minute call. I guess you didn’t hear it over the tannoy.’
‘I believe it’s customary for stage management to address us as Miss Tarpin and Mr Weinberg,’ June said, flaring her nostrils. ‘For our calls.’
‘Now you two get your asses inside and into costume.’ Betty appeared behind Sean, moving him aside. ‘I have loosened the dress for you tonight, Miss Tarpin, so you have absolutely no excuse for bum notes. And Mr Weinberg, I would thank you mightily if you removed your hand from Miss Tarpin’s appendage and – uh – ceased from corrupting my sweet innocent assistant here.’
‘Ain’t nothing he ain’t seen before.’ Another actor – thirty-something and all Italian handsomeness – sauntered past Sean and ruffled his hair. He threw himself on the sofa, nearly on top of June, and lit a cigarette.
‘Please, ladies,’ Betty cried. ‘Are we going to do any acting tonight, or are we simply going to smoke?’
‘This is a genuine choice you’re offering?’ The Italian leaned back and exhaled, squinting his eyes up against the smoke.
Betty sighed deeply and shook her head. ‘I expect you to be standing by, with your costumes on, at the five.’
She turned and went back into the theatre.
‘You told him, Tony,’ Brian said, finally taking his hand away from June’s breast.
‘Asshole,’ Tony said to Brian. Then he took one last drag on his cigarette, stamped it out on the bare earth and disappeared inside the building.
‘Come on, honey,’ June said, getting up and adjusting her dressing gown. In doing so, she managed to flash everything she had at the stage manager. It looked to Lara like a deliberate move, but the young man remained remarkably composed.
He watched the pair go inside, then he moved smartly around the sofa, picking up the empty drinks cans, cigarette butts and plastic cups that the actors had just left there. Lara felt like she had stooped behind the dumpster for too long, so she lifted the lid and threw her bundle in, where it landed with a clatter.
‘Oh, hi,’ Sean said, looking over at her.
‘Hello,’ Lara said. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to—’
‘No, that’s fine. You have to be Bella’s mom.’
‘I am. How did you—?’
‘I met her in the shop
Alyssa wrinkled her nose. ‘There’s a dumpster round back,’ she said, pointing. ‘Just be sure and close it up after or the racoons’ll get in.’
Leaving Jack with Olly and Bella, Lara went outside and round the building. On the other side of the large dustbin she could see two actors, a man and a woman, sitting on an old sofa by what must be the stage door. They were leaning against one another, smoking. Lara crouched down slightly, so she couldn’t be seen.
‘Well I don’t give one shit,’ the woman was saying. ‘I’ve told my agent I’m never going to come up here again, even if they did manage to pay me properly.’
‘I know, honey, I know. But we’ve got to give it our best now we’re here. It wouldn’t be professional otherwise.’
‘How dare she tell me I got fat. Did I get fat, Brian?’
‘June. You know you aren’t fat. You have a beautiful body. You know I love your beautiful body.’
‘Oh Brian.’ June blew away her smoke and leaned in towards him, cupping his head in her hand and pulling his face towards hers. They locked mouths and Brian’s hand worked its way into June’s dressing gown, exposing the most enormous, round and rigid breast Lara had ever seen. He twirled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, as if he were one-handedly rolling a short cigar.
A tall good-looking boy appeared in the stage doorway and coughed into his fist to alert them to his presence. They unglued their faces to look up at him, but Brian’s hand remained firmly on June’s exposed breast.
‘Yes Sean?’ June asked, drawing on her cigarette and looking up at him.
‘Just to let you know, June and Brian, that the house is now open and this is your fifteen-minute call. I guess you didn’t hear it over the tannoy.’
‘I believe it’s customary for stage management to address us as Miss Tarpin and Mr Weinberg,’ June said, flaring her nostrils. ‘For our calls.’
‘Now you two get your asses inside and into costume.’ Betty appeared behind Sean, moving him aside. ‘I have loosened the dress for you tonight, Miss Tarpin, so you have absolutely no excuse for bum notes. And Mr Weinberg, I would thank you mightily if you removed your hand from Miss Tarpin’s appendage and – uh – ceased from corrupting my sweet innocent assistant here.’
‘Ain’t nothing he ain’t seen before.’ Another actor – thirty-something and all Italian handsomeness – sauntered past Sean and ruffled his hair. He threw himself on the sofa, nearly on top of June, and lit a cigarette.
‘Please, ladies,’ Betty cried. ‘Are we going to do any acting tonight, or are we simply going to smoke?’
‘This is a genuine choice you’re offering?’ The Italian leaned back and exhaled, squinting his eyes up against the smoke.
Betty sighed deeply and shook her head. ‘I expect you to be standing by, with your costumes on, at the five.’
She turned and went back into the theatre.
‘You told him, Tony,’ Brian said, finally taking his hand away from June’s breast.
‘Asshole,’ Tony said to Brian. Then he took one last drag on his cigarette, stamped it out on the bare earth and disappeared inside the building.
‘Come on, honey,’ June said, getting up and adjusting her dressing gown. In doing so, she managed to flash everything she had at the stage manager. It looked to Lara like a deliberate move, but the young man remained remarkably composed.
He watched the pair go inside, then he moved smartly around the sofa, picking up the empty drinks cans, cigarette butts and plastic cups that the actors had just left there. Lara felt like she had stooped behind the dumpster for too long, so she lifted the lid and threw her bundle in, where it landed with a clatter.
‘Oh, hi,’ Sean said, looking over at her.
‘Hello,’ Lara said. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to—’
‘No, that’s fine. You have to be Bella’s mom.’
‘I am. How did you—?’
‘I met her in the shop
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