Chapter 6

KATHY WEAVER

"This is your stop miss," said the kindly old bus driver to the attractive eighteen year old.

"Thank you," smiled the long blonde haired, cobalt blue eyed beauty fresh from the plains of Nebraska. "Uh, excuse me, sir but where do I apply to be in the movies?"

"Honey, it isn't as simple as that. I don't know a whole lot about the movie industry but I do know there are hundreds of young women just like yourself who come here every week to be movie stars. Used to be that stars were discovered, maybe working in a restaurant or such but nowadays you have to have an agent. You may want to look up some in the phonebook. Be careful though, a lot of them are just rip off artists."

"Gosh, an agent. I bet that costs money."

"I would imagine. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Uh, no. I thought I'd stay at a motel or something."

"The Starlight. Two blocks down and left for another two. It's cheap but clean."

"Thanks, I appreciate your help."

"One last bit of advice."

"Yes?"

"Get you a job as soon as you can. You can starve to death waiting to be discovered or for an agent to find you something."

"I ... I will. And thanks again."

Kathy Weaver grabbed the small suitcase holding her entire life's possessions and began the four block walk. A couple of skateboarders whistled as they went by and with good reason. Having placed second in the Miss Winona County Fair Contest, Kathy was not only lovely of face but had actually won the swimsuit competition. If only her talent had been a bit better she thought but she had to admit that country singers were a dime a dozen these days and there had been that high note that had eluded her. Well, even second prize had been a hundred dollars and bus fare to Hollywood. The prize had actually been intended as a see-the-sights vacation, but Kathy had been determined since graduating high school to become a movie star. Her parents had argued against it but Kathy was determined and so she bid them a tearful adieu and headed for tinsletown, and now at last she was here. The suitcase, being stuffed full made for slow going but after turning a few more heads along the way she finally saw the huge weathered starry icon with its permanently lit vacancy sign underneath. As she made her way into the office of the second rate motel she failed to notice the late model metallic gold Cadillac pull into one of the parking spaces. She was also unaware it had been following her since she got off the bus.

She approached the balding middle aged man behind the counter and inquired about a room.

"Thirty a day or one-eighty a week," he replied while looking away from his racing form only long enough to give her an appreciative once over.

"But I was hoping to find something a little less expensive," she replied fingering her purse where the last few dollars of her prize money resided.

"Miss, in Hollywood this is dirt cheap," said the man.

"But ... but ... I've come here to be in the movies. All I have is..."

"Yeah, you and a thousand other girls. Sorry little lady but it's thirty a night or one-eighty for the week."

"Maybe I can help," came a voice from behind her.

She turned to find a smartly dressed, rather handsome black man wearing a kindly smile.

"Who... ?"

"My friends call me Spiker. I couldn't help but hear you say that you want to be in the movies."

"That's right."

"Well, I'm not exactly an agent but I do know a few people around town. A pretty girl like you should at least have a shot at being a star. Maybe I can help."

"Oh would you? I'd be so grateful."

"Sure. So you're staying here?"

"I ... I don't think I can afford it."

"Look," said Spiker pulling out a roll of bills and plopping down enough for a couple of weeks room rent, "why don't I help you out?"

"Oh, I couldn't..."

"It's okay. You can pay me back when you get that first acting job."

Kathy was torn. The man was a complete stranger but she needed a place to stay tonight and he seemed so nice, so sincere.

"All ... all right, but only if you let me pay you back."

"Sure, sure. Now you're gonna need a little to live on too," he added peeling off two more hundred dollar bills.

"No, this is too much," she protested.

But he pressed the bills into her palm and despite the fact that Kathy had grown up in a predominantly white town and gone to a virtually all white school, she was taken by the warmth of the man and his casual, friendly manner.

"Hey, we all need a little help to get started. Like i say you can pay me back after you hit it big."

"And if i don't -- hit it big?"

"Then at least you'll have had a chance to try -- and I'll have had dinner with a lovely young lady."

"Oh, but you've done so much already."

"Oh, come on. It isn't often I get to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman."

"Well, all right. I guess I certainly owe you that."

"Great. I'll be by to pick you up at eight."

"Eight it is -- and thank you..."

"Spiker."

"Thank you, Spiker."

With that the handsome young man exited and she watched as he drove away in the expensive car.

"Careful, Miss," said the desk clerk as he made change for the first week's room rent, "there are a lot of guys who try to take advantage of young woman like yourself."

"But he seems so nice," she mused as she took the room key, picked up her bag and headed for her room.

Any reservations Kathy might have had were allayed for Spiker was very much the gentleman that evening at dinner. Yes, there were a few slips of his grammar and a less than tactful remark or two but all in all she was impressed with him. The truth be known she found him rather cute and his sense of humor very enjoyable. More than that was his sincerity when he talked about her future in the film industry and the fact that he had some connections and would be willing to call in a few favors to get her an audition.

"Now understand I don't have any connection with the actual production, but after I met you this afternoon I called an acquaintance of mine who's a producer of independent films who's about to go into production on a film. We're not friends or anything," he lied, "but I did him a favor once and he owes me. He's casting parts right now. It's not a major film or anything like that, but it might be a start for you. Here's the address," he said handing her a slip of paper. "He said to be there at one o'clock sharp for the audition."

"Oh my goodness, how wonderful! How can I ever thank you?"

"Oh just remember me when you're a big star."

She laughed, then bent across the table and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're so sweet, Spiker."

"Just let me know how the audition goes," he said. "Now how about some dessert?"

Later that night as she lay in bed, sleepless because of the excitement surrounding her upcoming audition, Kathy's thoughts again went to Spiker and her extreme good luck in running into such a sweet and caring guy. She wondered honestly how she would ever repay his kindness, first the loan of the money and now getting her an audition which, despite her naivety, she knew was rare, especially for a small town girl from Nebraska with no acting experience. At last she drifted off, her dreams filled with contracts, movie sets and, above all, the smiling face of Spiker, her new found friend.

"Mr. Thompson, I'm Kathy Weaver."

Kathy had climbed the stairs to the second floor of the time ravaged building since the elevator no longer worked. She had found the office door with "Charles Thompson - Producer" in cheap, stick on letters.

"Oh yeah," said the bald, pot bellied man of fifty or so, his double chins shaking as he chuckled, "your the girl Spiker sent over."

"Yes. He said you had a part I might audition for."

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do."

The small office was plastered with movie posters of famous films from the past along with a couple of rather ribald posters advertising films Kathy had never heard of. She remained standing while he sat behind the desk, smoke from a cheap cigar curling upward toward the ceiling.

"It's a small part, only a few lines."

"I understand."

"You play the part of a sorority girl in a dorm. You and two other girls get bound, raped and your throats slit by a serial killer."

"Oh, a slasher movie."

"Yeah. By the way, you okay with nudity?"

"Nudity?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, taking your clothes off."

"All of them?"

"That's what nude means. But it's going to be an R rated film so no crotch shots or anything like that. Boobs and ass mainly."

Kathy felt offended by the man's crudity.

"I'm sorry, I don't do that sort of thing."

"Look, sweetheart, you walk in here with a cute face and nice body and no acting experience and expect to get an academy award role. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. Every actress has to start somewhere. Many of them get their start doing porn. This may not be a major studio film but it ain't porn. Your nude scenes probably won't be more than a half minute, maybe as much as a minute. The rest of the time you'll be covered in stage blood and laying in a pile of bodies with the other girls."

"I ... I'm just not sure."

"How bad do you want to be in movies?"

"What do you mean?"

"Every actress has to have a first credit. Once your name appears on screen you get yourself an agent and you start getting calls."

"But to be naked."

"Along with three other girls. About all you have to do is act scared to death and run. Then die convincingly when he pulls the knife across your throat and the fake blood spurts out everywhere."

"Can I think about this?"

"Sure, take thirty seconds. I got twenty-five other girls who'll audition for the part if you don't."

"Audition?"

You want this part you got to audition for it."

"Do you want me to read for the part?"

He laughed. "Sweetheart, it's all of three lines. No, if you want the part you strip and I see if you've got what it takes."

"You mean here?"

"Of course here. Or would you rather go out in the hall and take your clothes off?"

Again Kathy was torn. On the one hand she was outraged at the thought of taking her clothes off for this total stranger, yet she knew many even famous actresses had done nude scenes early in their careers. And then there was Spiker. After all he had done for her how could she bring herself to tell him she had backed out on a paying part in the film because of her prudishness. It would only reinforce his concept of her as the little naive girl from Nebraska. And she certainly didn't want to admit failure to her parents.

"Is there a dressing room?" she asked.

"What for? Am I going to see anything while your stripping that I won't see once your nude?"

"I ... I guess not. Well ... okay then."

Hesitantly she slipped off her shoes. Then came the frilly print dress leaving her only in bra and panties since she wore no hose.

"Not bad," he commented. "Now lose the bra and panties."

Kathy was ready to walk out but she knew if she got the job she would have to do this all over again and in front of a camera and film crew. So hesitantly she reached behind, undid the hook and felt the bra begin to fall. Her upbringing surfaced and she caught the cups and held them in place.

"Well?" he said impatiently.

Biting her lip in angst, Kathy let the bra fall to the floor.

"Nice tits. Not large, but good dark nipples," he observed.

Kathy blushed.

"All right kid, ditch the panties and let's see what you got."

Already embarrassed beyond belief, Kathy felt her face burning and her heart in her throat as her thumbs caught the waistband of the bright blue sateen garment and began to pull downward. The producer tried to keep a bored "I've-seen-it-all-before" look on his face but despite those efforts a slight leer spread across his face as the garment fell around her ankles.

"Well, don't just stand there. Turn around. Let me see you!" he ordered.

Feeling she would absolutely die of embarrassment, Kathy turned slowly as Thompson ogled her sensuous figure.

"Nice ass as well. All right, maybe I can use you."

"Maybe?" asked Kathy.

"Look kid. I'm a busy producer with beautiful women coming and going all day long, begging for a part in one of my movies. You want the part you got to show me how much you want it."

"I don't..."

He smiled and pointed to the couch.

"Oh no, I won't do that!" she cried picking up her clothes and starting to dress.

"You will if you want the part."

"I don't want it that badly."

"Suit yourself. Look, you're a good looking babe and I think you might have something, something that could maybe make you a star."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so I'm gonna do you a favor. I'm gonna hold the part for a day. You go home and think about it. Believe me there's not one in a thousand woman who come to Hollywood who get a part in a movie as soon as this. It just may be the chance of a lifetime, a start in the movies. Just what you came here for."

"To take my clothes off and get killed on screen?" she quipped.

"Not this movie, sweetheart. This movie is just to get you an on-screen credit. Then you can get an agent. No agent is going to handle someone with no on-screen experience and no training. You don't know what you're passing up."