Exercise #2
We were supposed to create a scene with three characters, an insider, an outsider, and an eavesdropper spying on them. Each needed a unique characterization.
Scene:
I got dressed in the locker room.
There was a note in my locker. “Someone big is coming to dinner.” What the hell? I had no idea. There was the head chef, Gustavo. His horde was a lone sous chief tonight. “Anything I should know? Gustavo?”
“We’re bought out tonight.”
Not sure who would do that. I straightened the tables, chairs, and place settings. The table man was missing. I took his spot and waited. After a wait, I got answers.
A man walked in with a woman. I’d never met the man, but I knew him on sight. Mike Andrews. He starred in enough movies to make me giggle. It was disgusting. I didn’t recognize the woman. She wasn’t anyone famous. What was Mike doing with her?
“Reservation for Johnson — I think it’s right there in your book.”
“Sorry. What’s it under?” I flipped open the reservation book. There was a single name. Stop with the stupid already, Nona. “Follow me.” I seated them in the center.
Mike rubbed his beard. What did that mean? I gave them menus. Behind the register, I heard them.
“Is it always like this, Mike?”
“I’d have it different Sam, honestly I would, but that’s impossible now. I got lucky, being here with you after all these years as if nothing had changed at all.”
“Wine looks good to me.”
Mike waved for me.
I took his order.
“We’ll have two glasses of Riesling 01’ if you have it or your house white.”
“01’ Riesling then.” Wine poured. I stood away to wait.
“Sam, how’s life been treating you? I feel we’re so completely different now.”
“I’m happy. Everything has been great.”
“Glad to hear that’s so. My life lies plastered over the news and airways.”
“Breaking up with Gina Skarsgard. She was so pretty. And the buzz about Aforementioned.”
He waved for me and I came over.
A rub of the beard. “Gina wasn’t for me as I wasn’t for her. We diverged where it mattered most, the things we could never agree upon fueled our infatuations. It could never last Sam, nor should it. What would you like Sam, from the menu?” His bright blues eyes turned to me.
My heart beat fast. Sweat wet my palms.
“I’ll have the quail with the roasted vegetable medley as your menu presents it. And you Sam, what meets your appetite?”
“The fish, please.”
I told the chef the order. With my phone on record, I listened in. Why were they having dinner?
“I’ve always dreamed of dating you, Sam and in as many years, I never believed we would. You were the cheerleader, pretty and confident as you should be. I cowered backstage, rehearsing lines of Shakespeare and drowning my sorrows with fast food. We were never meant to be in days gone by.” Tears came to his eyes.
Sam took his hand. “We’ll never go back there.” She kissed him.
It made my lips tingle. The plates weighted my hands. I set them down.
“What’s your name, our lovely waitress?”
“It’s Nona.”
“Thank you for attending to us this evening.” Ultimate guilt trip.
I walked away. Snapping a picture, took a second. It covered the rent. It was horrible.
“What do you do with your days, Sam?”
“Work. Retail.”
“I can’t imagine how that must be for you — never had that experience myself. Worked in coffee shops while I was waiting to make it acting. So many things could’ve stopped me from making it. In the end, it was all worth it.”
“I can’t believe it’s you. You’re the Mike Andrews. And you have a crush on me? How did that happen?”
“I’m still the same person underneath this artifice that makes a famous actor. That theatre nerd is still me. Without him, there is no Mike Andrews. There was never anything there between us, and now after I’m a famous actor, you can’t keep your hands off me. It makes me think—“
“Hold on a minute. You’re using me too, baby. You want to conquer your past. You want closure. You’ve surpassed that theatre nerd. You want the Queen to prove it. I’m using you. You’re using me. Are we going to do this?”
“Sam, there’s something about you that turns me off. Maybe we’d not, hook up for old time’s sake. Ne’er-do-wells would exploit any weakness and deliver me to the public as a suckling pig to be devoured and cast as the bad boy. Serious roles wouldn’t become me. I’m sorry, but this cannot and will not work out. Nona!”
I came over.
“Can I have the bill for the dinner, Nona?”
“Coming up.” I went to get the bill, and Mike followed me.
“Wait, Mike, please.” Sam ran over. “I’ve wanted you from the seventh grade.”
“How could that have even been possible, Sam? I transferred in ninth grade, after the point you claimed to start wanting me. How do you expect me to trust you after such a bold and ridiculous lie? Come Nona, I’ll take you out for drinks, the present company excluded of course.”
Sam fumed.
I walked to the limo with Mike.
Mike waved down a cab. Sam was put inside. We walked back inside for drinks and dinner at the Chef’s table.
Mike caught me deleting the picture and recording.
“I’d rather you didn’t delete those, Nona. Allow yourself the luxury of recording on and keeping them for posterity. If not for you, then please give it over.”
“You talk like you’re two-hundred years old. Why, Mike?”
“Really, must you?”
“Exactly.”
Mike laughed.
GK
Girish Karthikeyan 