Free G'Day USA by Tony McFadden

over.
    I pulled into the parking lot, turned off the engine and sat back and took a breath. Only six hours to go.
     
    F orty-five minutes later and I was putting a dress box with the nicest piece of girl-clothes I’d ever owned in the back of my little car. I punched the button on my steering wheel. ‘Call Cathy’.
    It rang through to voicemail. ‘ Sorry. Can’t take your call. Hit me after the beep .’
    ‘ Cath, Ellie here. You ducking me? Been trying to reach you all week. Big night tonight. Was hoping I could get you to tag along. I’ve got a couple of extra tickets. Thought you and Bernie might like to join me.’ I drummed the steering wheel. ‘Look, I’ll leave the tickets at the cashier under your name.’ I hung up. I had some ugly history with Bernie and didn’t really like that my best girlfriend had gone back to him, but it was her life. And I had my life and was determined to enjoy it.
    Hair and makeup for tonight was being done by the same lady who took care of me in the movie. Appropriate, I guess.
    Jane was an old pro. Really old. She must have been fifty, at least. She had unflagging energy, like a force of nature. She had invited me to her house in Glendale, where I was just arriving. She met me at the door with a smile and a glass of sparkling water with a slice of lime.
    ‘ Ellie, dear. Right on time.’
    ‘ Thank the GPS. I had no idea where I was going.’
    ‘ You do your dress yet?’
    ‘ It’s in a box in the car. It looks fantastic.’
    ‘ Let’s see it. I need to do a makeup match. A subtle touch, but it could go awfully wrong if I don’t do it right. You better bring it into the studio.’
    ‘ I’d rather not put it on until the last minute.’
    ‘ Oh, honey, you don’t need to wear it. I just need to see it. To see the color, specifically.’
    ‘ It’s red.’
    ‘ Red?’ She smiled. ‘Would that be carnation? Cardinal? Cerise? Amaranth? I need my eyeballs on it. Takes just a minute and I’ll have it locked in my head. You go grab it and I’ll get the stuff ready in the studio. And you need to think about what you’d like done to your hair. Go. I’ll be waiting.’
    I said a force of nature, right?
    I showed her the dress. She gently lifted it out of the box and held it against my skin at my chest, my arms and my face.
    ‘ This is a beautiful dress. Interesting counterpoint between your tan and this color. I hardly need to do anything. It’s almost embarrassing charging you. Almost. But not quite.’ She handed the dress back. ‘Spectacular. You’re going to be beautiful. You already are beautiful. So I have a big challenge. Put it down over there and sit.’
    She had a setup identical to the one she had on set and, like on set, I zoned out to my surroundings. She asked a few questions about what I wanted to do with my hair. I resisted telling her to cut it all off, even though the maintenance of it was becoming a huge time-waster.
    When the hair was finished (thin braids along the sides tied back in a cluster - very Topanga Canyon-ish) she spun the chair around to get my attention.
    ‘ Are you thirsty? I’d ask if you’re hungry but that dress is going to be snug enough without any more food.’
    ‘ Not really, why?’
    ‘ Nothing touches your lips after I’m finished. Not until after the media after the premiere. Understand?’
    ‘ Yeah, yeah. I understand. Apply the paint.’
    ‘ I am an artist. Sit still.’
    Fifteen minutes or so later - it’s difficult to judge time when you’re sitting in a chair with your eyes closed while a woman paints your face - she stepped back.
    ‘ Beautiful.’ She turned the chair to face the lit mirror. ‘What do you think?’
    I opened my eyes. I looked like I had a fresh summer tan, a beach glow that looked real. ‘How do you do that? It doesn’t look like I’m wearing makeup, but I know I am. It’s like you Photoshopped my actual face.’ I moved a hand toward my cheek and had it slapped down faster than a Sergio