Free The Waitress by Melissa Nathan

done! I knew you could do it.’
    ‘I just wanted to ask you a bit more about how I can improve things at audition.’
    ‘Darling, it’s not about improving things, you’re a – oh hold on, I just have to let the cats out – you’re a natural. It’s about redefining what auditions
are
.’
    ‘Right. Re-defining.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘I just wondered if there was anything else I can do,’ repeated Sukie. ‘I mean, seeing as I haven’t got any auditions next week and the voice-over’s only one afternoon.’
    She could hear Greta fiddling with papers in the background.
    ‘I tell you what, my dear,’ said Greta after a pause. ‘I’m just reading your CV. Now that we’re re-inventing you as a telly actress, it could do with changing.’
    ‘Oh. How?’
    ‘Well, TV directors don’t really need to know that you can jazz dance and fence. You don’t see many jazz-dancing fencers in your average sitcom.’
    ‘What do they want?’
    ‘They want to know things like whether you’ll do nudity and what your measurements are.’
    ‘You don’t get many naked scenes in your average sitcom either.’
    ‘I know darling, but you know what I mean. Take a look at your CV.’ More rustling. ‘Ooh, and your letter, darling. It needs to be
completely
rewritten.’
    ‘Right. Completely rewritten.’
    ‘When you’ve got those to me, we’ll get you back on the audition road.’
    ‘You mean, you won’t put me forward for auditions until I’ve done my CV and letter?’
    ‘Well, darling, once you’ve re-read them, you won’t want me to. I’m
so
glad you phoned. Now we can really get the ball rolling.’
    By the time Sukie put down the phone, she had already promised herself never to phone Greta at home again. That would teach her to be so undisciplined. She pinned a note to her fridge saying ‘Only phone Greta when happy.’ Then she phoned her mother for some utterly biased support.
    ‘I think you should change your agent,’ said her mother helpfully.
    ‘No, Greta’s wonderful,’ replied Sukie wearily. How was it possible to be so supportive that it made things worse?
    ‘But she’s not helping you at all,’ argued her mother, ‘and she’s making you depressed. I think she’s harmful.’
    ‘No she’s not. She’s trying to advance my career.’
    ‘Yes, but are you
happy
?’
    When she got off the phone, Sukie added to her fridge note, ‘And Mum.’ Then she phoned Katie’s mobile and left a message saying she needed to talk. Then she texted Katie’s mobile saying ‘
Agent and Mum mad. Am going to yours via offie
.’ Then she went round to Katie’s flat in the hope that Jon was in so that she could wait for Katie to get home.

5
    Katie always found it so much easier getting back to London, so just three hours later, she was trying to find a parking space within a five-mile radius of her flat. She only had one hour before her date with Dan to get the feeling back in her bottom.
    She very rarely used her car, for two very sensible London reasons. One, it was cheaper to walk or get public transport, and two, it meant she didn’t have to faff around trying to find a parking space once she got to her destination. Some bastard must have seen her set off on Saturday and nipped into her spot. He probably wouldn’t move for a month. She carefully balanced her weight from one numbed buttock to another.
    Suddenly, she heard a front door bang shut. Then she saw someone leave a flat further up the road and walk to their car. She was there in an instant, her indicator clicking territorially as he drove away. Within seconds she was in his space, never to leave again. Hah. That would teach him to go out on a Sunday evening.
    She turned off her engine and sat in the dark car. Oh dear. She knew the signs. She was almost unbearably nervous about this date. It hadn’t been many days since Dan asked her out, but it had been enough for it to turn into a Terrifying Prospect. Day One it had just been a nice tingly feeling