STORY "A Pretty Face" - Chapter Five

Zoe Waits

Zoe is watching Mike and Todd Marin from behind a bush. She can see them but she cannot hear them speaking. She sees todd Marin open the door, and she sees Mike follow him into the house.

Zoe smiles. “Right he’s in the house.” She thinks. “Now lets wait for Todd Marin to throw him out!”

Todd Marin takes Mike to his study. There are hundreds of books in the room, and a big desk, Todd goes and sits behind the desk.

“Thank you for telling me the truth.” He says to Mike. “I can see you’re an honest young man. You can ask your questions. But not for Yes! magazine. You’re right. It is a stupid magazine. I hate gossip magazines. Why do people write for the?”

“Because they pay a lot of money, I believe,” Mike says.

Todd Marin laughs. “Yes, you’re right again.” He says. “But you can write about me for the Newport Weekly News, is that ok?”

“Yes, that’s ok,” Mike says, and he smiles at Todd Marin happily.

“I like to help young writers with ideas when I can,” Todd says kindly. “Sit down.”

Mike sits down, puts his notebook on Todd’s desk, and opens it.

“I read your reviews in the newspaper sometimes.” Todd says. “They’re very good.”

“Well. I think they’re ok,” Mike says. “But I want to write for the theatre, for tv, and for movies. I’m writing a play now.”

“Are you? Tell me about it.” Todd says.

“Can I?” Mike says. “Well, it’s about a boy and a girl.”

“A boy and a girl?”

“That’s rigth. They…”

Todd Marin sits back in his chair to listen and Mike tells him the plot of his play. Mike is very nervous, but Todd Marin does not speak. He smiles at Mike and he listens to him very carefully.

When at last Mike stops speaking, todd says, “Thanks you. That’s very interesting. It’s a good story, and it’s funny too. But there are one or two things you can do to make it better. To begin with…

Zoe stays behind the bush and waits. An hour goes by and nothing happens. She is getting impatient.

“What are they doing in there?” she thinks, “Todd Marin never gives interviews to gossip magazines, so what are they talking about?”

She remembers Mike Morrison’s review of Romeo and Juliet in the newspaper. She remembers his words about her acting and she wants to see his face when Todd Marin throws him out of the house.

“How long must I wait?” she thinks impatiently.

_to be continued