Show business was full of cattiness, and Jillian couldn’t wait to kiss it good-bye.All she had to do was take care of her family’s financial woes, which meant finding a way to hand over the bag of money to the thugs her father owed, and finish her present movie contract.
One more month… One more month…she chanted under her breath.
Jillian sat and reached for bottled water.While Margo disappeared outside with Keith, Jillian sipped her drink and waited.The catering van pulled up outside the makeup trailer.She’d hoped to be gone before lunch, but they were behind schedule, which meant eating between scenes.
Less than an hour later, Margo stormed into the makeup area.“I’m going to my trailer.Donotdisturb me until that oaf remembers his lines,” she snapped to no one in particular, snatched up the script, and marched out again, her assistant racing after her.
Silence followed, no one making eye contact.One of the wardrobe people waved Jillian over.She changed her outfit without speaking and headed back outside for her next scene.
What would have taken a couple of takes took nearly five before they got it right.She wasn’t sure what had happened between Margo and Keith, but his concentration was shot, which made for terrible acting.Chris also seemed to be pissed.Nothing they did pleased him or the director.
By the time they yelledstoptempers were frayed.Keith stormed off.
“Don’t leave,” Chris told her.“We’ll redo that last scene after lunch.”
Great!Margo throws a fit and everyone suffers.
Jillian headed to the trailer, removed the black and purple wig, and shook her hair.The makeup would have to stay.She unbound her breasts and sighed.Spending the next several hours feeling like a mummy was not her idea of fun.Eating with people who stared and whispered was just as bad, but she refused to starve.
Voices came from outside her door, and then there was a knock.Probably one of the assistants coming to tell her she was needed.She yanked open the door and came face-to-face with Lex’s mother.
“There you are, my dear,” she said.“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Jillian took a mental step and pasted on a smile.“Of course not, Mrs.Fitzgerald.Come in.”
“Estelle, Jillian, or I’m taking this food back,” she said, raising a tray with covered silver dome lids.
Jillian smiled.“Thank you, Estelle.”Except the dome-covered lunch was Margo’s.Poetic justice.With consequences.She often requested special sandwiches from a nearby restaurant and no one was allowed to see what they were.
“They didn’t seem to have a variety and the catering people weren’t sure what you liked, so I went for the most appetizing sandwiches I could find.”
Jillian took the tray from Mrs.Fitzgerald and invited her inside.As she glanced around, Jillian tried not to wince.The trailer she shared with Chris was old, not particularly comfortable, and had shelves of his personal special effects paraphernalia.Not exactly the perfect place to entertain Mrs.Fitzgerald with her designer clothes and jewelry.Jillian pushed makeup containers aside and created room for the tray.
“Sorry, the place is a mess,” Jillian said, pulling up the only two chairs in the room.
Lex’s mother dismissed her apology with a wave.“No need to apologize, my dear.”She looked around with interest.“I always assumed a stunt coordinator would have a lot of special effects things in their trailer.You know, grotesque alien and monster masks, fake body parts…”
Jillian chuckled.“We do physical stuff like fight, jump from high places, roll over cars, and leap from burning buildings.”
Mrs.Fitzgerald laughed.“Sounds like fun.”
“It is.The grotesque masks are by makeup artists.Although they’re more Computer Generated Imagery than real these days.”
“CGI,” Mrs.Fitzgerald said, sitting down.
“That’s right.”She got bottled water from the mini fridge while Mrs.Fitzgerald lifted the silver dome lid off the plate.Shrimp salad sandwiches, yummy.There were enough sandwiches for two, which meant Margo was expecting a guest.Screeches came from outside followed by thuds.Margo.She probably chucked something at her poor assistant.
“Uh, that girl,” Mrs.Fitzgerald murmured and sighed.“How can you stand working with her?”
Jillian shrugged.“I do my parts and disappear in here until they need me again.She’s very talented, and the fans love her.”
Mrs.Fitzgerald harrumphed, leaned forward, and said, “And I took her lunch.”
Jillian’s eyes widened.“You knew it was hers?”
“Of course.A nice young man told me, but I figured she can eat whatever everyone else is eating.It’s a small price to pay for nearly ruining my party with her shenanigans.I’m not nice like you, my dear.”She passed Jillian a sandwich.“Barbs told me there aren’t any pool stunts scenes in the script, so this”—she lifted the second sandwich—“will go a long way to make things even.”She took a healthy bite.
Jillian joined her.
