Page 8 of Beauty and the Beach
Chapter Four
Ana was so exhausted, she collapsed on her bed and almost slept through the start of rehearsal. She had to bribe her Uber driver to go fast and take risks to get her to the theater in time. The last thing she wanted to do was pull on that stupid fish tail, but all actors had to suffer for their art. She was paying her dues.
She brightened a little as she thought about Makoa. He had been so kind to her. She was looking forward to their date tomorrow. Sneaking into the dressing room, she saw Maud was already dressed and lounging in her wheelchair as if it were a throne.
“You’re late,” Maud said, with ill disguised glee.
“Don’t worry about it,” Candice said, hoisting herself up into her chair. “So’s Don.”
Ana tried to hide her relief, knowing Maud would use it against her. “Why aren’t you in the pool?” she asked Maud.
“The other girls wanted to practice the ballroom scene.”
Today must be her lucky day. Ana wasn’t in that scene. Stowing her clothes in the locker, she quickly changed into her costume. Wincing as the top of the fish tail pressed into the red marks on her hips and belly, she tugged over her wheelchair and hopped on board. Reversing out of the dressing room, she wheeled back stage, being careful not to get too close to the edge of the pool.
Looking down, she saw the five other girls practicing their twirls and dance moves. Kari kept missing her cue, and Leila was sucking on the air hose like she was afraid of drowning. That wasn't good. They were going to be a while. She pushed herself down the ramp and into the hallway to the breakroom. After some shuffling, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a yogurt that she had placed in there. Ana hadn’t had time to eat today, but she figured this wouldn’t give her cramps if she had to suddenly dive in the water for her scenes.
She wasn’t surprised to see Maud roll in a few minutes later. For some reason, Maud had decided it was her job in life to make Ana worry and feel bad about herself. Ana knew her type from Hollywood. Maud would slice her own sister’s throat if they were up for the same part. Maud resented that Ana had a bigger part than she did and tried to sabotage her every chance she got.
“Don wasn’t happy with your performance yesterday. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few last minute changes.”
Ana shrugged. If there were, there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She would learn the new routines. It wasn’t as if they had speaking parts. As long as Ana’s performance was noteworthy, that was all she was concerned about. Maud may be in this long term, but Ana was hoping for a singing waitress job or a shot at a dinner theater after this.
“My commercial aired yesterday,” Maud said, obviously unhappy at Ana’s lack of response.
“Was that the hemorrhoid cream one?” Ana tossed her empty yogurt cup in the trash and stretched to wet a paper towel in the sink.
“No, the sunscreen one,” Maud said between her teeth.
Wiping her face and hands, Ana balled up the paper towel and tossed that as well. Two points! “Good for you.” She could tell Maud that she got a call back for a walk on role in the new Magnum PI remake. The one upmanship, though, didn’t solve anything and only added tension to the ensemble.
Don burst into the breakroom, staggering and reeking of booze and stale pot. Maud and Ana rolled back in their chairs away from him. “You two. Come with me.”
They exchanged a look, but rolled down the ramp following him to the auditorium where the audience would be seated. Right now, it was a darkened room with folding chairs lined up facing the floor to ceiling aquarium. At least, it was air conditioned.
Don barely glanced at the mermaids in the floor to ceiling tank who frolicked in the choreographed movements he drilled into their heads. “I think we need to set up a concession stand in the back. Sell popcorn, shave ice, and beer.”
One of these things was not like the other.
“O-kay,” Ana said slowly, not sure why he was telling them this.
“I need all you girls to bring in a baked good every day. We’ll sell them as mermaid cookies or mermaid cakes.”
Ana refused to look at Maud. “My apartment doesn’t have a stove,” she lied. She wasn’t Betty freaking Crocker. She was a serious actress.
“No problem,” Maud said. “I make the world’s best chocolate chip cookies.”
Ana tried not to roll her eyes.
“You can buy cookies and pretend their yours,” Don said to Ana, clapping his hands together as if that solved everything. “We’re going to sell eight by tens of you girls too. You’re going to sign them. I figured at $5 a pop that’s sheer profit.” He turned to the aquarium. “No, no, no. That’s all wrong.” Running up to the tank, he banged on it until the dancing stopped and the mermaids swam up for air. Ana could hear him bellowing as he took the stairs up to backstage. “You look like manatees waddling around in there. You’re supposed to be graceful.”
“I make the world’s best chocolate chip cookies,” Ana mimicked Maud’s kiss ass voice.
“I don’t have a stove,” Maud whined back at her in a nasally voice.