notice disappointment flicker across his face as he saw
Dustin standing at her doorway. It was easy for Kate to understand why Charlie
would be disappointed in her for even thinking about letting Dustin in,
especially after everything she’d confided to Charlie when he’d come to fix her
sink. She wanted to be strong enough to resist Dustin’s charms, but then again,
he had claimed an urgent reason for being there. Maybe this timing wasn’t as
awkward as it seemed, she reasoned. Maybe it was meant to be.
Dustin plopped onto Kate’s bed and leaned
back against her headboard. “I completely tanked. My first callback for a
national and I fully reeked.”
Kate stood just inside the door. A glance
at her nightstand confirmed the clock’s advance toward the time she had set up
with Brad. “Maybe it wasn’t that bad.”
Dustin grabbed a piece of candy from
Kate’s dish and popped it into his mouth. “They liked me quirky from the first
call where I was wearing this floofy kind of vest I bummed off some granny,
which of course I didn’t have today. So, I had to do something to set myself
apart and I thought—I know, a twitch.” Dustin’s eyes lit up as he reenacted his
own ingenuity. “Yeah, a twitch could not only be quirky, get it? It’s also a
possible side effect of their medicine.”
Kate couldn’t help marveling to herself
that, apparently, this was Dustin’s definition of urgent. “So, what did they
say?”
“Thank you,” Dustin spat. “Don’t you hate
that?”
“Back home thank you means they
appreciate you.”
Dustin shook his head. “Yeah, well, it’s
the kiss of death here. Wissy barely spoke to me. She said she’s going to call
you, though.”
There was something almost amazing to
Kate that anything about this conversation had to do with her. “Wissy is
calling me? Why?”
Dustin rolled his eyes. “Some other commercial
they’re casting Monday. She said you’re perfect. But trust me on this: whatever
she says about wardrobe, still wear a shirt.”
Kate nodded, covering how oddly this
struck her, let alone how surreal this entire conversation was beginning to
feel. “Dustin, why did you come over?”
Dustin crumpled his candy wrapper into a
little ball and put it on Kate’s desk. “I needed to talk to you. You wouldn’t
believe how bad my day was.”
Kate reeled, struggling to fathom what
she’d ever seen in Dustin.
“She’ll never call me in again,” he
pouted.
Kate cocked her head quizzically. “Oh, I
don’t know. She seemed fairly into you in class.”
“That was acting,” he corrected.
“Remember?”
Exasperated, Kate headed for the door.
“Dustin, I’ve gotta go.”
Dustin sat up, a look of shock on his
face. “What, you’re kicking me out? I’m having a crisis here.”
“Which you can feel free to have without
me.” Kate offered. “Stay, go, do what you have to do. I’ve just gotta... Bye.”
With that, Kate bolted out the door.
As Kate flew down the apartment
building’s stairs, she kicked herself for having stayed at all. How long
would Brad wait for her? She could only pray that she wasn’t too late.
Charlie was near the foot of the
apartment stairs, refilling the swimming pool with a hose. “Kate, hi. Where’re
you going?”
Kate picked up speed. “Where I should
have gone half an hour ago.”
Kate blasted by. Charlie whipped around
with the hose, dousing the walk with water. As Kate quickly sidestepped the
flood, Charlie dropped the hose, which, taking on a life of its own, curled up
and thrashed about, spraying water everywhere.
“Sorry!” Charlie called after her as she
disappeared into the garage.
It wasn’t so often that Kate stalled out
her old manual transmission, but this night, of all nights, was an exception. “ Come
on ...” Quickly Kate restarted the car and motored down Ocean Avenue toward
the pier. The sun had long since set and the bright lights of the Ferris Wheel
beckoned her. “ I’m coming, Brad!
Dustin standing at her doorway. It was easy for Kate to understand why Charlie
would be disappointed in her for even thinking about letting Dustin in,
especially after everything she’d confided to Charlie when he’d come to fix her
sink. She wanted to be strong enough to resist Dustin’s charms, but then again,
he had claimed an urgent reason for being there. Maybe this timing wasn’t as
awkward as it seemed, she reasoned. Maybe it was meant to be.
Dustin plopped onto Kate’s bed and leaned
back against her headboard. “I completely tanked. My first callback for a
national and I fully reeked.”
Kate stood just inside the door. A glance
at her nightstand confirmed the clock’s advance toward the time she had set up
with Brad. “Maybe it wasn’t that bad.”
Dustin grabbed a piece of candy from
Kate’s dish and popped it into his mouth. “They liked me quirky from the first
call where I was wearing this floofy kind of vest I bummed off some granny,
which of course I didn’t have today. So, I had to do something to set myself
apart and I thought—I know, a twitch.” Dustin’s eyes lit up as he reenacted his
own ingenuity. “Yeah, a twitch could not only be quirky, get it? It’s also a
possible side effect of their medicine.”
Kate couldn’t help marveling to herself
that, apparently, this was Dustin’s definition of urgent. “So, what did they
say?”
“Thank you,” Dustin spat. “Don’t you hate
that?”
“Back home thank you means they
appreciate you.”
Dustin shook his head. “Yeah, well, it’s
the kiss of death here. Wissy barely spoke to me. She said she’s going to call
you, though.”
There was something almost amazing to
Kate that anything about this conversation had to do with her. “Wissy is
calling me? Why?”
Dustin rolled his eyes. “Some other commercial
they’re casting Monday. She said you’re perfect. But trust me on this: whatever
she says about wardrobe, still wear a shirt.”
Kate nodded, covering how oddly this
struck her, let alone how surreal this entire conversation was beginning to
feel. “Dustin, why did you come over?”
Dustin crumpled his candy wrapper into a
little ball and put it on Kate’s desk. “I needed to talk to you. You wouldn’t
believe how bad my day was.”
Kate reeled, struggling to fathom what
she’d ever seen in Dustin.
“She’ll never call me in again,” he
pouted.
Kate cocked her head quizzically. “Oh, I
don’t know. She seemed fairly into you in class.”
“That was acting,” he corrected.
“Remember?”
Exasperated, Kate headed for the door.
“Dustin, I’ve gotta go.”
Dustin sat up, a look of shock on his
face. “What, you’re kicking me out? I’m having a crisis here.”
“Which you can feel free to have without
me.” Kate offered. “Stay, go, do what you have to do. I’ve just gotta... Bye.”
With that, Kate bolted out the door.
As Kate flew down the apartment
building’s stairs, she kicked herself for having stayed at all. How long
would Brad wait for her? She could only pray that she wasn’t too late.
Charlie was near the foot of the
apartment stairs, refilling the swimming pool with a hose. “Kate, hi. Where’re
you going?”
Kate picked up speed. “Where I should
have gone half an hour ago.”
Kate blasted by. Charlie whipped around
with the hose, dousing the walk with water. As Kate quickly sidestepped the
flood, Charlie dropped the hose, which, taking on a life of its own, curled up
and thrashed about, spraying water everywhere.
“Sorry!” Charlie called after her as she
disappeared into the garage.
It wasn’t so often that Kate stalled out
her old manual transmission, but this night, of all nights, was an exception. “ Come
on ...” Quickly Kate restarted the car and motored down Ocean Avenue toward
the pier. The sun had long since set and the bright lights of the Ferris Wheel
beckoned her. “ I’m coming, Brad!
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