Chapter 99

It was after five in the morning by the time I got home. Dead tired, I threw myself into bed. I was sleeping so soundly I guess I didn’t hear my phone the first couple of times that it rang, but I staggered to it when I finally did. Myrna said, “Finally! I know you were out late last night, but you have to come to the studio. They want to shoot the scene with Erin today. Take a quick shower, but don’t shave and be here ASAP!”

She sounded like she was a little annoyed, so I showered, threw my clothes on and made a beeline to the studio. I was ushered to makeup when I got to the set, where they told me to take my shirt off and two older women began to work on me. They covered my chest and arms with a spray that made me look like I was tanned, then they put some gel on my hair and finally put something on my beard. My hair is so light that my beard doesn’t really show until it’s two or three days old, but the stuff made it look darker and I looked like I had that short growth that’s so popular today when I looked in the mirror. They then worked on my eyes for a while. I wanted to see what I looked like, but they were in a hurry and insisted that I follow them. They took me to a room where one wall had a large blue screen. One of the women pointed to a metal lawn chair and said, “Have a seat, but don’t lean back or you’ll screw up the makeup. They’ll be here in a few minutes.” They left and I was alone.

Uncomfortably perched on the chair, I began to think about last night. It was an amazing night and one that I wouldn’t soon forget. Someone once told me that I fall in love with the girls I’ve been intimate with. I’m not in love with Cindy, but I feel a lot closer to her than before, and I began to think about what it must have taken for her to come to me as she did. She knew what she wanted and I saw how determined she was to make it happen, but I bet that she was terrified inside.

I then thought about how she looked and acted when we made love. The rather plain-looking, slightly awkward girl came alive. She was enthusiastic about everything we did, didn’t hold back at all, and she was very caring. She came to me with no experience, but she tried her best to make sure that I enjoyed things as well. I knew that we couldn’t continue to be lovers. I’m sure that she wanted more from me than I could give her, and it wouldn’t have been fair to her. I hoped she realized it, because I really liked having her as a friend. I almost wished that I was in love with her. I knew that she’d make someone a great girlfriend and much, much more.

I thought about Monique next, and I was immediately confused. Where was she? Why hadn’t she tried to contact me? There was something wrong and I didn’t know what it was. On top of everything else, there was Nell. She was doing a lot for me and she told me that I can date whoever I pleased as long as I could be with her on occasion. I found that hard to believe.

These thoughts and more were running through my head when the director, Meg, and a bunch of guys showed up. Meg came over and said hello, but the director seemed not to notice me. I’m sure that he saw me sitting here, but he didn’t even say hello. I asked Meg about it and she said, “He’s concentrating. This guy is a pain in the ass, but he’s good. You’re going to be surprised at the outcome when he gets what he wants.”

“It’s hot in here and I’m getting a backache sitting in this damn chair.”

“Don’t be a wimp! Erin went through the same thing this morning and she didn’t complain.”

“How long is this going to take?”

“At least another hour, then we’ll have lunch and start on the dance sequence. We probably won’t finish until late tonight. Myrna wants everything to be done by tonight, but I don’t think that it’s going to happen. I see at least one more day.”

I watched the director spend over half an hour having people move lights around and setting up camera shots. He finally came to me and I stood with my hands on the mower for the next hour. I looked right, I looked left, I stared at fixed objects, and he spent part of the hour getting me to look serious, happy, or sad. The hardest one of all was when he wanted me to stare at the chair that I’d been sitting in and, as he put it, “Pretend to make love to it.”

I tried, but it apparently wasn’t working. He finally went to Meg, and said something to her. She nodded, came over to me, leaned in and quietly asked, “Would you still like to fuck me?”

I was caught completely off guard, and I stuttered, “Uhh, Y-Yeah.”

She said, “Good. Pretend that it’s going to happen,” and she went over and stood by the chair.

It took me a second to realize what just happened. She’d set herself up as the object instead of a chair. I wanted to laugh, but a quick look around at all the people who were waiting for me to do something made me realize that this was serious business, so I tried to concentrate on her. I tried to think of what it might be like to actually have sex with her. I hadn’t seen her naked, but I’d seen her in a bathing suit that had left little to the imagination on two different occasions, so I knew that she had a great body. The thought of making love with her was exciting, and it must have showed on my face as I thought about it, because the cameraman began moving around me and the director said, “That’s it ... cut,” a few minutes later, and everyone started packing things up.

I went to Meg and asked, “Well, was it good for you?”

She raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh yeah, that was the best lay I ever had. C’mon, let’s go eat,” and headed for the door.

I caught her before she got there. “I’m half naked, you want me to go outside like this?”

“Yes. Don’t put a shirt on just yet or you’ll ruin your makeup. They’re reviewing things now and they may want you to come back.”

I’d seen people walking around in full makeup before and I’d wondered what it would be like.

I got several looks from girls on the way to the lunch room, and I winked at a really pretty one when she looked at me.

Meg joked when she saw it. “Fine! You had your way with me and now you’re looking for greener pastures.”

“The only ‘way’ I’ve had with you so far, has been me standing at the fence watching you and another bull frolic in the pasture.”

She grinned and came back with, “Maybe I didn’t want to be just another heifer in your herd.”

“My herd may be thinning out. Have you talked to Marla or Tammy today?”

“Is it about Monique?”

“Yes, have you heard anything?”

“I talked to Marla this morning. She says that she hasn’t heard a word from her.”

“I haven’t either.”

“That’s strange, I hope that she’s okay.”

I agreed that it was strange, and I made a mental note to call Mom at the office to see if they’d heard from her.

Myrna and Erin were just leaving when we got to the lunch room. Myrna caught Meg and said, “Take him to stage six and see Calvin when you get finished with lunch. We have a dress rehearsal scheduled for three o’clock; get him to Calvin no later than two fifteen.”

They left and I noticed that Meg just had a salad and iced tea when we got our lunches. She hung her head when I asked what was going on and said, “None of your business.”

I stared at her for a minute before it hit me. I grinned as wide as I could and said, “You have a boyfriend now, and you want to keep your girlish figure!”

“Shut up!”

“Wait, there’s more! You finally got laid and you’re so happy about it that you’re afraid that you’ll get fat.”

She blushed, waved her plastic fork at me, and said, “Shut up or you’ll be sorry.”

I held my hands up and said, “I surrender, I never argue with a girl who’s armed,” then I grabbed her hand, kissed it, and said, “I couldn’t be happier for you. Lane seems like a good guy. I hope he knows that he’s found a terrific girl.”

She dropped her eyes and mumbled, “Thanks, I think that he’s pretty terrific too.”

“Good, now who’s Calvin?”

“He’s in wardrobe. I’ll take you to him when we’re done here, and he’ll dress you.”

We finished lunch and we had plenty of time, so we were taking a leisurely walk to wardrobe when my cell phone vibrated. A woman’s voice said, “Hello, Dear,” when I answered. It took me a second to realize who it was before I asked, “Aunt Kate?”

“So I’m ‘Aunt Kate’ again, huh? Well, your mom tells me that you’re going to Cantil this weekend.”

“Yeah, I’m going to take Denise to the dance.”

“When are you leaving?”

“I thought I’d go up Saturday afternoon. Why?”

“And you’re planning on coming home late Saturday night?”

“I guess so.”

“Why don’t you stay until Sunday? Ben and I haven’t been there much lately because of the baby, and the horses could sure use a workout.”

“Doesn’t Jose exercise them?”

“Not as much as he should. His wife is pregnant again and I guess that there are some complications. He and his family are living in the outbuildings now and he stays pretty close to her. The main house is empty. Why don’t you bring some friends? There’s plenty of room and the kitchen is well-stocked.”

“That sounds like fun, let me get back to you.”

I turned to Meg and asked, “What are you doing next weekend?” when I hung up.

“I’m not sure. I know that Lane wants to get together, but we don’t have plans yet.”

I explained to her about Denise and the dance, then I told her about the ranch and the horses. She perked up the minute I mentioned horses, and told me how much she loved to ride. She said that she’d check with Lane and let me know.

Meg introduced me to Calvin when we got to wardrobe. He was about five foot three and couldn’t have weighed than one-thirty. He took one look at me and gushed, “Oh my God, nobody told me that you were a giant!” Then he walked all around me, said, “Go wash that nasty makeup off and meet me back here,” and he flitted away.

I looked at Meg and made a face. She grinned, “I know, but don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I’ll kick his ass if he tries to make a pass at you.”

We both laughed, then she pointed to a room. “That’s the locker room. Go shower and put your pants back on, put your wallet and the rest of your clothes in a locker, and take the key when you come out, then come back here. He’ll have everything that you need.”

I did as she asked and Calvin was waiting when I came back. He handed me a white shirt and insisted on helping me put it on. It felt like silk. It was form-fitting and it felt pretty good after he pulled and tugged at it for a while, then he handed me a pair of pants and stood there waiting for me to put them on. They were some kind of smooth material and were heavier than I expected. I looked around us and we were alone, so I put them on a chair, turned my back to him, and took my pants off. He said, “No shorts. We want a smooth line,” when I reached for the pants he brought.

I glanced at Meg, frowned, and I was about to say something when Meg stepped between us, leaned close, and said, “Don’t be such a baby. Drop the shorts and put the pants on.”

She had a little grin on her face and I thought to myself ‘She’s doing this to tease me’, so I turned toward her, pulled my shorts down, and let them slide to the floor.

She was looking at my face, but I saw her eyes flicker. I knew that she wanted to look down but she kept her eyes glued to mine when she saw me watching her. I reached over and grabbed the pants and they were kind of tight as I was putting them on, so I had to tuck everything in before I could zip them up. I looked away from her for a second and I caught her staring at my crotch when I looked back. I remembered that she had seen my naked butt in La Jolla when she’d come into my room and caught me on top of Marla, so I leaned toward her, “Well, you’ve seen both sides of me now, which one do you like better?” She gave me a dirty look and turned away, but I noticed that her face was flushed.

Calvin asked, “How do they feel?”

“They fit okay, but they seem heavier than I thought they’d be.”

“Move around a little.”

“I did and I was surprised that I had no trouble moving even though they were tight. Calvin asked, “You’re going to be dancing, aren’t you?” when I described it to him.

“A little bit, I guess.”

“They’re satin-lined. You won’t have any trouble moving even if you perspire. Try these.”

He handed me some calf-high black socks and a shiny pair of what appeared to be brand new patent leather shoes. I put the socks on and it was like stepping into a well worn pair of old friends when I slipped the shoes on. They fit perfectly.

I said to him, “Everything fits great, and you didn’t even measure me. How did you do that?”

He stuck his nose in the air and said, “It’s what I do! Now take the shirt off and go to makeup. Come back here when you’re finished.”

Meg stayed to make a phone call and I went back to makeup. They trimmed my hair a little and worked on my face and eyes this time. I went back to Calvin when they finished and Meg said, “I left a message for Lane about this weekend,” as I was putting the shirt on.

I was about to answer her when Calvin glared at us, so we got quiet as he pulled and tugged everything into place, then told me to hold my arms out wide and twirl around a few times. I felt silly doing it, but he nodded, “You’re as ready as you’re ever going to be,” after I did, and he just walked away. Meg looked at me for a minute and said, “Not bad, take a look.” She took me to the corner of the area where there was a full-length mirror.

I couldn’t believe the image looking back at me. I looked at least twenty five. The tight black pants made my waist look thin and the white shirt with the three top buttons undone, made my chest look huge.

I turned to Meg, “I thought that I was going to dance with Erin. This getup makes me look like a body builder, not a dancer, and I sure as heck don’t look like a high school kid.”

“I know. Everyone’s been complaining about how big you are, but that’s the way it is and they’ll work around it. The script has you as the next door neighbor; it doesn’t say that you’re in high school.”

I followed her to another area that was blocked off next. The director’s assistant was standing outside a closed door when we got there. Meg went to him, then said, “We can’t go in right now, follow me,” after a short conversation. We went outside and she led us to a lunch cart that was serving coffee and soft drinks.

I asked, “What’s happening?”

“Erin is in there right now. It’ll be a few minutes.”

“Can’t we go watch what she’s doing?”

“No, and you’ll find out why in a little while. Have a Coke or something. They’ll call me when they’re ready.”

I ordered us a couple of soft drinks and walked over to a bench. I was about to sit down when Meg cried, “No! Don’t sit down or you’ll wrinkle the pants.”

“You mean I have to stand here until they’re ready?”

“Yes, and don’t complain, they’re paying you a lot of money for this.”

She was right, but last night was catching up with me and I was getting tired, so I went over to lean against a light pole. Meg immediately said, “No! You’ll get the shirt dirty!”

So I stood there like a statue, trying not to fall asleep. It was a half hour before Meg’s phone buzzed. She said, “They’re ready for us,” after hanging up, and we made our way back to the set.

The room was quite large, at least thirty feet square, and the walls were that same familiar shade of blue. The director was there with several other people, including a tall, very attractive brunette. She was dressed in jeans, her hair was in a ponytail, and she had a killer body.

The director introduced her as Carmen when we walked up, and said that she was going to help me with something called ‘placement’. There were taped ‘Xs’ on the floor, and she led me from one spot to another for the next hour while the director made comments and had an assistant move the tape around. How slowly things went was exasperating. She would take me to a spot, I would stand there, and she would go back to the director and they would discuss lighting, flow, and a dozen other things. I probably should have been nervous, but I was so tired that I just stood there until she came back, then she would take me to another spot and the whole thing would start over.

The director came to me when they decided that things were where they wanted them, and said, “You look more relaxed than I expected. Here is what we’re looking for. You enter a room and a girl comes in a moment later. You know her because you’ve seen her next door, but she’s never looked like she does now and you’re suddenly absolutely floored by her. You might even be in love. You go to her and take her hands, then the two of you circle each other for a while as the feeling for each of you builds, and you finally stop, pull her to you, and kiss her. I know that she’s your sister. Can you do it and make it look convincing?”

“Yes, Sir. Erin and I talked about it and I’m sure that we can.”

“Okay, let’s practice.” He nodded to the girl and she took me to the spot with the biggest X, then one of the assistants went to a table where a tape player was sitting and touched a button. A slow tune filled the room and the director said to me, “Walk toward her,’ when Carmen went to one of the other Xs. “Do it slowly and take her hands when you get there.”

I took three steps before he said, “Stop!” He nodded to one of his assistants who came over next to me, and when the director nodded, he took three slow steps, two quick ones and four more slow ones. He was at the girl by then, and he reached for her hands.

The director said, “Again,” and he came back and did it again.

The way he moved looked like something out of an old movie that Mom loved to watch whenever it came on TV. The actor was a guy named Gene Kelly, and I think that it would have looked effeminate if someone else had done it that way, but he pulled it off, so I gave it a try.

It didn’t work.

I tried it several times and it just didn’t feel right so the next time I eliminated the stutter step. I started slow and gradually increased my stride until I got close to her, then I slowed and took her hands. I saw Meg out of the corner of my eye and she seemed surprised and a little nervous, but the director said, “Okay, good.”

The way I did it must have been okay because Meg seemed relieved when I looked at her now.

The director then told us to dance around in circles, so we began circling each other while still holding hands. It didn’t seem to be working, and the director said to me, “Pay attention to where you are in the room, but remember that you are supposed to be in love. Look like you mean it.”

It was strange looking at a stranger and pretending I was in love, especially when the girl was more interested in our dance routine than she was with me, but I tried.

It bothered me a little. She was an attractive girl and I had tried to turn the charm on, but all she did was look down to see where we were on the floor and she harshly would tug me into position when I misunderstood where we were headed.

We circled around for a while until the director said “Okay, that’s enough,” and he turned to his assistants. They began pointing to us and saying things. I couldn’t hear what it was, but it looked like they didn’t like what they saw, so I went over to him and said, “Carmen seems to be angry, am I doing something wrong, Sir?”

“No, you’re doing fine and so is Carmen. Her job is to show you where you need to be on the floor for the best lighting and camera angles.”

“Why aren’t Erin and I doing this?”

“We’re after something special. You’ll see what it is in a few minutes. Now do it again with Carmen and try to remember where you are on the floor. The tape won’t be there because we’re using low-level smoke.”

I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but Carmen came back and we did the same thing over and over, stopping at each different tape mark. I began to get what she wanted, and I started to line the marks up with different parts of the room, and I was able to lead her there without looking at the marks very often once I did. The director must have noticed it, because he said, “Okay, one more time and forget about the marks this time. Remember where you’re supposed to be and just look at each other.”

They started the music again and we went into the routine. I had it down by the second time around and I began staring at her like the director suggested, but she was still busy concentrating. We were almost to the end of the third sequence when I noticed that she mistakenly tried to turn the wrong way. I caught it and she gave me a dirty look when I turned her back the proper direction, but we finished okay and the director seemed satisfied and told us to take a break.

I went to Meg and asked, “Why did you look so strange when I talked to the director about changing that stutter-step?”

“He must like you because nobody changes things when he’s directing. I’ve seen him walk away from an entire picture when someone changed so much as a simple thing.”

“What about Carmen, why does she seem so hostile?”

“She’s an actress, but she also thinks that she’s a dancer. She was up for a part in a movie recently, and they chose someone else. The director gave her this gig as a favor. She doesn’t know how well you dance, and she doesn’t know how important you’ll soon become. I guess that she thinks it’s beneath her to try and teach a nobody like you how to move.”

I said, “She does, huh,” and I went to director and asked, “How long will it be before you need me again?”

“About fifteen minutes. There’s time if you need the rest room?”

I went to the tape player, reset it, and turned the volume up a little. Then I walked over to Carmen and stood with my arm out in the classic dance pose. She looked at me and rolled her eyes, but she came over to me. I know that she thought I was asking her to show me how to dance, but I swept her into a waltz the second she was in my arms. It took her a second to realize what I was doing and she started to follow me. I slightly exaggerated some moves, and she tried to follow, but it soon became evident that she wasn’t very good. We’d only been dancing for a couple of minutes when I felt a tap on the shoulder and someone said, “Hold it.” We stopped and Delores Rio shouldered Carmen aside and said, “C’mon, Pete, let’s show them how it’s done.” Delores is a really good dancer and I was having fun until the director shut the tape player off and said that I had to stop because he didn’t want me all sweaty.

I asked Delores, “What are you doing here?”

“I heard that you were shooting today, and I thought I’d come by and watch. Is Erin Swan really your sister?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you’re going to do a love scene with her?”

“It’s not a love scene; all we’re going to do is kiss.”

“This should be interesting; everyone is talking about it.”

Things started to move fast just then. Myrna and the twins showed up, and some guys came in with smoke canisters. A makeup girl came to me, led me over to where the starting X was, and began touching things up.

There were two cameras today. One was shoulder-mounted and the guy carrying it was off to the side with the camera pointed at me. The other one was on a dolly and it was behind me on my right, pointed at the entry door in front of me.

There now was a smoke layer a few inches high on the floor, and the director came to me as it started to get higher, and said, “This is a dream sequence. You’ve seen the girl next door and you’re attracted to her, but she’s always been dressed casually with her hair in a ponytail. She’ll be in full makeup when she comes in the door, and I want you look surprised. You’ll go to her, take her hands and swing around with her just like you rehearsed, and you’ll look at each other for a while when I say stop, then you’ll take her in your arms and kiss her. I’ll be talking to you the whole time. You’ll have some dialog, but we’ll dub it later. Are you ready?”