by Rowe, Brian
“Standing would be great.”
Garrett stood up straight, his hands at his sides.
Everybody looked ready, except for Derek. He clearly wasn’t as versed in camera operating as Vivien had hoped.
“Brandon,” he said. “The camera’s not turning on.”
“Did you put the new battery in?”
“Oh crap.” Derek turned around and started digging through a large camera bag.
Brandon turned to the actor and smiled. “Sorry about that. Will just be a moment.”
Garrett, a young man barely over the legal drinking age but with more auditioning experience than seasoned character actors, nodded and sat down in a chair.
He stared at the floor, and then peered up at Vivien. “Thanks for bringing me in on this.”
“Of course,” Vivien said.
He nodded at her. “You look good.”
Vivien responded to his flattery by drawing a large star next to his name on the session sheet. He could charm her all he wanted, but he was going to have to bring the talent. She wasn’t attracted to him. She liked men closer to her age. She knew this now.
Christopher, I miss you.
“Thank you, Garrett.”
“When’s the big day?” he asked.
She turned to her right and glared at Derek, slowly but finally turning the camera on. He started sweating, and Vivien undesirably got a glimpse in her head of what he and Brandon did behind closed doors.
She turned back to Garrett. “Soon,” she said.
Derek hit a button and a red light started blinking. “OK, I got it.”
“All right,” Vivien said. “Is everyone ready?”
Lila, her legs crossed in a revealing manner, nodded to her with a smile, as did both Derek and Brandon.
Garrett stood back up and moved the chair to the side. It was time to begin.
“OK,” Vivien said.
She leaned forward and felt the sensation for the third time today. She wanted to tell every member in the room what was happening, but she didn’t. She put her right hand on her belly, which in the last couple of months had grown to the size of a basketball.
She’s kicking again.
Vivien zoned in on the actor and clicked her pen for good luck. “Garrett?”
“Yes?”
“Slate your name.”
# # #
About the Author:
Brian Rowe graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where he studied English & Film. His fiction has appeared in The Absent Willow Review, Mobius Magazine, and Wilde Oats Magazine. Slate is his first novel. He lives in Reno, Nevada.
Connect with Brian Online
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrbrianrowe
Brian’s Blog: http://mrbrianrowe.blogspot.com
