Selling Out by Dan Wakefield

game?”
    â€œDelighted. Lead the way.”
    Gurney drove them out of the Valley, smoothly and efficiently, without the idiosyncratic flair or urgency of Archer Mellis. Perry relaxed, enjoying Gurney’s driving style, as well as the comfortable dark-blue Cadillac Seville, not a chic car in this world of Mercedes and sleek foreign sports jobs. They went to a restaurant in Westwood that reminded Perry of Boston.
    â€œIt’s kind of like the Copley Plaza,” Perry said.
    â€œThe food’s all right, nothing gourmet, but what the hell, it’s civilized.”
    Whatever Gurney really liked he conferred on it the judgment of “civilized.”
    He loved Perry’s script, he thought it was really a rarity for television because it was not only funny and warm and real, it was “civilized.”
    â€œYou can’t believe the drek they send me to read,” he told Perry over the glass of white wine each had. “What’s already on the tube is bad enough, but this stuff is poor imitations of it. Nothing original. Hell, I’m tired of sitting on my can waiting for this feature to get put together, but I’d rather be bored than do drek. When Archer Mellis called me and said he had just the thing for me, I’d heard it all before, but when he mentioned your name I perked up.”
    Perry perked up himself.
    It turned out Gurney had read one of his stories—in the Hudson Review , of all places!
    â€œYou really read the Hudson Review? ” Perry asked.
    â€œWhat the hell,” said Gurney. “I’m a civilized man.”
    Perry agreed. He also agreed with the producer’s few suggestions for changes in the first hour of the script.
    â€œIt’s the second hour that’s got me stymied,” Perry confessed. “I hadn’t even thought about expanding the story that way till a couple days ago, and I was kind of waiting to talk it over with Archer today, hoping he could help me come up with something.”
    â€œ What if —” Ned said.
    Aha. He too was a “what if” man. Perry leaned forward, intently.
    â€œWhat if,” Ned continued, “instead of Laurie and Jack resolving that little squabble and falling into each other’s arms as you have it now, the argument escalates and Laurie splits.”
    â€œShe leaves him? Then there’s no show.”
    â€œOnly for a while. Only till she realizes how much she loves him and comes back. In the meantime, Jack is stuck with living with his in-laws, and he and they are blaming each other for Laurie’s leaving.”
    â€œThat’s marvelous! My God, I can’t wait to start writing it.”
    â€œThe sooner the better. I hope to get the director I want approved tomorrow, and begin casting right away for Jack and Laurie.”
    â€œ Casting? My God, man, I can’t get the second hour written overnight!”
    â€œWe don’t need that for casting. It’s still Jack and Laurie’s story in the second hour, isn’t it?”
    â€œWell, sure, but—”
    â€œAnd you’re not going to change their looks or personalities, are you?”
    â€œOf course not.”
    â€œSo, we can start casting them.”
    â€œYou sure don’t waste any time,” Perry said admiringly.
    â€œI’m learning that in television we don’t have any to waste,” Ned said. “Decisions on new pilots are made by the networks in May. This is February. We’re already running late.”
    Perry slugged down the rest of his coffee as Ned waved for the check.
    â€œYou’re going to love this guy we got for executive producer,” Perry proudly told Jane when he called her that night in Vermont.
    â€œWhat’s he like?” she asked.
    Perry thought a moment.
    â€œHe’s civilized,” he said. “He’s truly a civilized man.”
    â€œI can’t wait to meet him.”
    â€œI can’t wait for you to get back. Can