Sellevision - Augusten Burroughs [51]
Max nodded his head, pretended to understand.
The engineer said, “And this is take one.”
Max cleared his throat and was shocked by how loud and detailed it sounded in his earphones. He took a deep breath and let it out, then he read.
“His name was Pogo. And he was the Killer Clown. Executed for his heinous sex and torture crimes, John Wayne Gacy was himself tortured—a tortured artist. Now the Weidenbacher gallery is pleased to announce the exclusive world premier of his work—Gacy: The Death Row Retrospective. Join us next Friday at the Weidenbacher gallery for a champagne debut. Prices for the artist’s most infamous works begin at just ten thousand dollars. Gacy: The Death Row Retrospective, only at the Weidenbacher gallery. Where art is brought to life.”
Max looked out the window, saw Buzz on the phone. He waited.
The engineer’s voice filled his headphones. “Nice, Max. That was good. Hold on a sec while I get Buzz.” He turned, said something, and Buzz looked up from the phone.
Then the engineer told Max, “Okay, that was great, you can come out now.”
That’s it? thought Max.
When he entered the main room, Buzz hung up the phone.
“Thanks for stopping by, that was great.” Then, standing, he said, “Here, let me walk you back to the elevators.”
As they walked through the twisting hallways, Max asked, “So was I okay? I mean, is that it?”
“You were fine, absolutely. We’ve got a lot of people to audition, so it’s gonna be a crazy day.”
Max stopped. “No, I’m serious. I mean, I didn’t get the job, did I?”
Buzz stopped, looked at Max. “The thing is, your voice is a little too—how should I put this—soft for this spot. For something else, I’m sure it’s right. But it’s not right for this. Sorry, but that’s the truth.”
They reached the elevators and Buzz pressed the down button. Then Buzz looked at Max. “Personally, I like your voice. A lot. It’s just that, well, you know how clients are.”
Max hid his disappointment and smiled. “Sure, no problem,” he said. And wondered, Soft?
“But I wouldn’t mind getting together again, maybe talking about some other projects, if you know what I mean. You like sushi?” he asked, and then raised one eyebrow. “Or do you prefer beef?” Buzz was actually leering.
The elevator arrived and Max stepped into it, pressed L and said, “Actually, I’m a vegetarian.”
No matter how desperate, he was not going to fuck his way into a voice-over.
A
fter the family came home from church, Peggy Jean’s husband went directly into his office to work. The boys headed upstairs to their rooms and Peggy Jean took two Valium. The funny thing about Valium was that sometimes it worked, and sometimes she had to take two. Lately, it seemed she always had to take at least two.
That day’s sermon had been especially meaningful to her, and she thought about what Father Quigley had said as she unloaded the dishwasher.
Family is what gives us strength. Sometimes we may feel the world has turned against us. Perhaps our health fails. Or perhaps we are struggling financially. But it is with our family that we can find strength and comfort.
How true, Peggy Jean thought as she placed a spatula in a drawer. Without her own family, how would she ever have coped with all the stress from work? The thought of having to face that Zoe monster, her own hormonal problems, and then that awful rat on her own was just beyond comprehension. Thank God she had a close and loving family to turn to. And thank God she had her faith.
Taking the silverware basket to the drawer, she placed the forks, knives, and spoons in their proper places, admiring how spotless each piece looked. “And yet with all of this—a family, a demanding career, and a stalker