"Yes, Lewis."
She marched toward me.
"Hello," she said. "Step over there. We don't have a dressing room."
"Dressing room? Why would we need a dressing room?" Lewis Parker said and Harris and the cameraman laughed. "We're all friends here."
"I don't understand," I said, shaking my head and stepping back. The half-naked young woman sat up and suddenly took interest in me. "What is th
is? What kind of a movie are you making?" I asked.
"What's she talking about?" the woman asked, looking at Lewis Parker.
"What is this? What kind of a movie are we making? This is Live Wire Studios," Lewis Parker said. "You're Melody . . . somebody, right? You were in a blue film before, something called . . . what's it called, Harris?"
"Cherry Blossom. She was the lead," Harris said.
"Right. So. You know what to do. We're on a tight schedule."
Lewis Parker started back toward his chair. The cameraman looked my way and stopped fiddling with the equipment. I shook my head again and took another step back.
"No, I don't do things like this," I said. "I never did."
"What?" Mr. Parker spun around as quickly as his heavy legs allowed. "What do you mean, you don't do things like this?"
"I don't know what Richard told you but . . . but I can't do this," I cried.
Hey!
I turned and ran out the door, down the short corridor and burst out to the parking lot. For a moment 1 stood there, confused, undecided as to which direction to take. Then I hurried down the driveway to the busy city street, my heart thumping. When I reached the sidewalk, I started in one direction and then another, unsure of my
surroundings. I took a step off the sidewalk as cars whizzed by, and one driver blared his horn, sending me flying back, my stomach almost in my throat. Tears streaked down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Richard must not have known what kind of assignment he'd gotten me. He just couldn't have expected me to actually take the job. . . .
"Get hold of yourself," I ordered my frantic body. When I opened my eyes again, I saw a phone booth by the gas station across the street. I thought I might call Dorothy and ask her to have Spike pick me up. This time I waited until the light changed and then I hurried across to the booth and dug into my purse to find some change. It wasn't until I took off the receiver and started to put in the coins that I realized I couldn't call Holly's sister. Her husband would be furious with her, especially if she got involved in something like this. It wasn't fair for me to do this to her after all she had done for me, I thought.
But I didn't know where I was and I had no way to get back to the apartment. I thought a moment and then dialed information and asked for Mel Jensen's phone number. There were three Mel Jensens, but I knew I had the right one when I mentioned The Egyptian Gardens. I got the number and dialed. Someone picked up after only one ring.
"Hello."
"I'm looking for Mel Jensen," I said.
"Oh," the voice said, dripping with
disappointment. "Just a minute. Someone for you," I heard him say and Mel got on.
"Hello."
"I'm sorry to call you, but I didn't know who else to call. My sister is working at a mall and--"
"Melody?"
"Yes," I said.
"Where are you? I hear a lot of traffic."
"I'm on a street corner. I'm lost and . . . I don't know how to get back and I thought--"
"What's the address? Where are you?"