CATWALK DREAMS
1008 Words
“I see. Still, I’m afraid we can’t accept ca..."
“I was noticing that the paint’s beginning to peel out there on your gazebo, and some of the pillars are rotten out front." He paused. “Appearance is important, don’t you think?”
“Well I...”
“I’d be happy to fix things up around here on Saturdays." Herbert smiled easily. “I’m good at that sort of thing."
* * *
The first day at Sherriad was a nightmare for Jade. She made the mistake of telling the girls where she lived. There was a great deal of snobbery. She instantly became “the girl from Garfield” with the construction-worker father. His pickup truck was visible somewhere on the campus practically every Saturday, Herbert in his jeans and T-shirt, somewhere nearby painting or sawing or standing on a ladder and repairing a gutter.
Herbert went out of his way to be friendly and helpful to all the students, knowing how important this was for Jade. He could speak in a passable Irish brogue, and he would say, “Top a de marnin’ to ya, gershas!” or “I saw a leprechaun hidin’ in de gerden!” They would all giggle.
Eventually they accepted him, and they accepted Jade.
As Jade grew up, Herbert lost all interest in his wife. To Scattergood Brownie, it seemed that her only purpose in life had been to bring her husband’s beloved "Jady" into this world.
Scattergood found herself more and more jealous of the constant attention he gave their daughter. Scattergood was from Beaumont, Texas, and the high point of her life had been when she had been named prom queen at her high school. Her natural blonde hair and model-like figure had always made her the center of attention when men were around.
Scattergood hated herself for being jealous of her own daughter, yet the feelings were so intense at times she couldn’t control herself. One Sunday night after Herbert had spent the entire weekend with Jade, she said, “Maybe you would rather little Jady sleep in our bed and I can sleep in her room?”
Herbert slapped her so hard it knocked her off her feet. Pointing his shaking finger at her as she lay on the floor, her lip bleeding, he said, “You ever say anything like that again, I’ll kill you."
Two weeks later, Scattergood Brownie ran away to Florida with a twenty three year old check out clerk from the supermarket.
She was never seen or heard from again.
* * *
"Have you ever done any modeling?” the man asked.
Jade was sixteen years old and had a summer job at a Pittsburgh shopping mall to help save money for college. She was on break, looking at a window display, when he approached her from behind.
When she turned around, he said, “My name is Walter,” and shook her hand. He had an easy, disarming manner. A professional looking camera was hanging around his neck. “I work for the Next Superstar Modeling Agency." He gave Jade a business card. “We’re doing scouting for new models right now. You’ve got a fresh look. You should drop by our office."
When she got off work, Jade took the bus straight downtown to the Next Superstar Modeling Agency. There were dozens of beautiful young girls walking in and out of the sleek offices, which were on the third floor of a fancy office building. The walls were covered with posters of glamorous looking models in designer clothing. She didn’t recognize any of them, but she was sure they were top fashion models.
A chain smoking, middle aged woman named Ms. Cynthia interviewed her. She studied Jade’s face, asked Jade to turn around.
Jade was tall, almost 5’ 10”, and had her mother’s figure - modest breasts, a flat stomach, and long, slim legs.
“I think you have a lot of potential. Do you have a computer card?”
“A what?” Jade said.
The woman sighed as if she were dealing with a total amateur. “A computer card is a piece of paper that has your photos with different poses and tells potential clients all about you - your height, weight, dress size, shoe size. Like this." She showed Jade one. “No agency will hire you as a model until you have a computer card."
Jade blushed, embarrassed by her own naivety. “How do I get a computer card?”
“You start by getting some top quality photos. You can use whatever photographer you want, but I can only recommend Walter. A computer card costs two hundred dollars."
“Two hundred dollars!” Jade gasped. It was a small fortune to her.
Ms. Cynthia sighed. “Look, honey, do you want to be a model or not?”
Jade emptied her bank account and paid the two hundred dollars. Posing in different outfits under the bright lights and with all the colorful props was thrilling. Jade felt a heady rush when she picked up the computer cards. She looked spectacular in all the different photos. Now she was a real model!
She gave the cards to Ms. Cynthia and went home, waiting for the phone to ring.
Ms. Cynthia did not call. Two days passed, then a week, then ten days.
Jade finally decided to go talk to Ms. Cynthia and see what was wrong.
When she reached the agency, Ms. Cynthia was standing next to the open window, smoking, talking on the phone. She seemed to talk forever. Finally, she hung up and looked at Jade. “Yes, dear?”
“I...I was wondering if there were any modeling jobs for me yet."
“And you are...?”
“Jade Brownie. I left my computer cards with you almost two weeks ago."
“Oh. Yeah. I thought you looked familiar. You’re C list, right?”
“C List...?” Jade didn’t know what she was talking about.
- Writer
