I need your opinion...should I continue this, or let it drop as hopelessly redundant and stupid? I don't know that much about the acting and film world, so my plan would be to focus more on the characters than the technical aspect of the story.
I stared across the closed casket at him, waiting for him to speak. Waiting for him to say something that would touch my heart. Surely a man so beautiful on the outside would have a beautiful soul, as well.
"She looks so natural."
The deep voice issuing from his mouth made my already sinking heart sink down below my ankles. Inane. Inane, stupid, asinine, mundane...unworthy.
"No she doesn't. She looks dead," I answered, staring back at him.
His beautiful blue eyes opened wider and he looked at me quizzically.
"But that's all right. She's supposed to look dead. After all, she is," I continued gravely, staring at him.
"Oh, but...well, she's gone to a better place, anyway," he continued, floundering like a fish out of water.
I held my hand over my heart and wrinkled my eyebrows in a mournful manner.
"Well, one can always hope, but I wouldn't bet on it. Sometimes she beat her children, and she drank, and on some days she even went to parties and had sex with guys she didn't know and certainly wasn't married to."
I continued to solemnly look right at him. His mouth began to tremble slightly, and then his eyes lost their mournful expression and started to twinkle. I heard a sigh behind me, followed by the word,
"CUT!"
I turned to face the many cameras and the man with the narrow, dark beard who was staring at me in exasperation.
"Very funny, Mel. You're way off the script. How is Jeremy supposed to say his next line when it follows a statement like that?"
I rolled my eyes.
"It's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, though! My stomach always threatens to overthrow itself whenever I hear that: 'She looked so natural.' Come on! Dead people don't look natural!"
My director sighed.
"Melanie, if you don't stick to the script we're going to have to find another Miss Tanquis. Miss Tanquis is supposed to be a lucid, beautiful, rather simple person. We can't have her making witty remarks at funerals! I'm sorry, Jeremy, and thank you for your patience. Let's try that again."
Jeremy, the beautiful man on the other side of the casket, laughed and winked at me.
"That's all right, I quite understand. I'm the one saying the terrible lines, after all."
I grinned.
"I'll try to restrain myself, if you can."
We heard the clicking, whirring, countdown and then..."Action!"
"She looks so natural," he said.
I bowed my head in acquiescence.
"Thank you, sir. She was beautiful in life and she is beautiful in death."
He nodded.
"Well, she's gone to a better place."
I swallowed heavily, but forged on. Sniffing and wiping my eyes, I fumbled in my pockets for a handkerchief. I didn't have one, of course, so after a little fumbling the man walked over to me and gravely held out his hanky.
"Oh...thank you. Thank you."
I looked up at him and widened my eyes, as if seeing him for the first time.
"What is your name, sir, that I might know who to thank for the gracious loan of the handkerchief?"
He smiled his heart-stopping smile and bowed low.
"Gabriel Smith, at your service."
I dabbed at my eyes.
"I'm Emily Tanquis."
He bowed again.
"CUT!"
The cry came over the scene and I relaxed. Simpering and smiling I held the handkerchief to my eyes and batted them at Jeremy.
"Oh, Mr. Smith, sir, I think I'm about to swoon. The sight of your manly strength and beautiful blue eyes has weakened my limbs and I feel a faint coming on. My smelling salts!"
Jeremy laughed and shook his head. Deepening his voice and putting a tender look on his face:
"My dear Miss Tanquis, it would grieve me deeply to see you fall, although I would enjoy the feel of you in my arms. Let us have wild sex together immediately!"
I laughed again. We looked at Jim, the director, who was glaring at us in frustration.
"Excuse me, you two! That was an all right take, but we'll film a couple more, just to be sure."
I swallowed heavily, placing one of my hands on my stomach. Jeremy grinned encouragingly.
"It's all right. It'll be over soon, and then I'll take you to dinner to make up for it," he said. Jim frowned.
"You're acting like it's some tonic you have to take. You tried out for this show, remember?"
I groaned.
"Yes, but I tried out for the part of the librarian, who has an extremely sharp wit to her name! Remember? But no...you said I had the 'lustrous black eyes' and 'beautiful, silky, waist-length hair' for Miss Emily Snooty Tanquis. Usually I welcome complements, but in this case I would have appreciated red, curly hair and freckles."
Jim rolled his eyes.
"I didn't ask for you opinion on the script. Our librarian does an excellent job. It's your fault for being so beautiful. Now shoot that scene again! Let's go!"
I heaved a huge sigh and returned the handkerchief to Jeremy, who gave me a sympathetic look. In truth, he was a much better person than me. This was our second day of shooting together, and not once had he complained of the absolute corniness and cheesiness of our lines. We were shooting for a new TV show that would no doubt appeal to those elderly ladies who were still dreaming of romance but didn't have the...motivation, appeal, ability - something - to actually go out and get a good guy. So this wacky guy named Jim Hurdle decided to get a really good-looking guy who had perfect, old-fashioned manners and always did the right thing. That was 'Gabriel Smith,' who was played by the absolutely gorgeous Jeremy Thatcher. Jeremy was in his thirties, and at the peak of his acting career. He was in real life a lot like his TV character. He was always a gentleman, and in the two days that we'd known each other, I already had a good opinion of him. He never reprimanded me for my biting wit that slipped out no matter what I told myself in front of the mirror each morning.
[/i]
