1000 Memories

Chapter eight

It is a bright Saturday morning, and today is the day of the auditions. I have been practicing my lines for the past five days, and by now, I can say all of them by heart. So today, I wake up and prepare for the day while Maggie still sleeps in a little. I put on a denim skirt and white tank top that I bought at the mall because the temperatures are already hitting a high and because Maggie and I will be out all day visiting places in the city. I can't believe I will see the Hollywood sign for the first time and not just in a movie! ”Yaay!” I jump up and squeal at the thought of that. I’ve always wanted to see and even touch that sign.

Today I also decide to put on some white sneakers and carry a black monkey bag. After making my bed and cleaning my room, I head into the kitchen and start making eggs for breakfast. Maggie wakes up when I am almost done. “Good morning, look who slept in today.” I say to her as she sits across the island and yawns loudly.

“Are you ready for the auditions?” she asks and goes on to answer herself. “I know you are, you have been practicing your lines every single day for the past five days. You’ll do good. “She says, trying to encourage me.

“Yeah it probably wont be as difficult as I imagine it to be.”  Hopefully. Since I’ve already gotten the opportunity, all I can do is my absolute best and hope for the best.

I serve some eggs on a plate and pass it over to Maggie, who immediately starts to fill her mouth with it. I also put some on my plate then pour myself some orange juice that I have freshly squeezed. Maggie finishes her food first and goes to shower. I finish up and clean the dishes as I wait for Maggie because she had promised to drive me to the auditions and stay there until I finish.

We leave the house after about thirty minutes. It is a short drive, and as soon as we get there, we see a big crowd of people waiting in line to audition for their part. There are almost five hundred people here who look like they know what they are doing or have some sort of experience in the acting industry.

I lower my hand to my stomach as I immediately start to feel the butterflies in my stomach.

Maggie notices this and pulls me into a hug.

“Don’t be nervous, you are going to do great. You’ll go in, it will be a quick ten or fifteen minutes and then you’ll be out and all we have to do is wait for the results, okay?” She looks at me comfortingly. I wanted her to come because she always knows how to comfort someone.

"Fine, let's go inside," I say as I get out of the car, and she follows. We head over into the lobby, and I get an auditioning form from the receptionist that I have to fill in.

The lobby is already packed with people, but we find a place to sit amidst all the others who are already practicing their lines. I wish we’d find a better place to sit because all this noise is making me anxious, but oh well, I guess it will have to do.

Maggie tries to talk to me about random stuff to make me less nervous. I did not think that this many people would already be here by 8:00 o’clock. I'd hoped to be among the first people to audition and get it done, but unfortunately, I was given the number 543, which means I have to wait for more than five hundred people to finish up.

I look at the door and watch as people are called in one person at a time into a separate room where they audition for approximately ten minutes, and they are done. The lobby is filled with people of different ages and races. There are many teenagers, middle-aged and a few older men and women waiting for their turn. I guess this must be a popular play, and for a moment, I start to doubt if I can get the position, but Maggie convinces me otherwise.

It takes about three hours before they get to my number. “Cindy Baker, number 543," a lady in a skirt suit calls from the doorway, and I take a deep breath before getting up. Maggie squeezes my hand and says, quick good luck, as I head over to the lady. She ushers me into a theatre where there is a spot marked X on the floor, and the judges are sitting across from it. Behind them, there are many rows of empty seats.

Lorrain Hansberry is seated amongst three other male and one female judge. I shortly introduce myself after standing on the X spot, and the stage lights focus on me.

"Okay Cindy, you can proceed." one of the judges says, and I start to act out my lines, putting in all the emotion and the right level of drama required. The judges keenly watch me as I use hand gestures and facial expressions. I have only ever watched this on television, but I am determined to do my absolute best. It takes precisely eight minutes before I am done, and the judges tell me to wait for communication about a callback. I leave the room and let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Maggie comes up to meet me as the next person is called in. We go outside and head to the car.

“How was it?” she excitedly asks.

“ It was pretty great. They told me to wait for communication about a call back.” So we drive off, and this time, I am the one talking non-stop about the judges, the stage, and the lights, and Maggie laughs at how excited I am.