Melinda’s Journal
Thursday, March 8
A swipe of mascara and some blush
Purple mousse through my hair with a brush
Now Melinda can hide
Mae stands at Patrick’s side
Ready for paparazzi to rush
Melinda’s Story
I was eating breakfast when Pat joined me in the kitchen the following morning. He was dressed for swimming and had a tablet in his hand. I knew he had probably already eaten, but he sat beside me anyway, kissing the top of my head.
“So, what are your plans for today?”
I shrugged. “Figured I’d see what you were up to.”
“I need to learn my lines for tomorrow. Would you like to practice them with me?”
“I guess. But why are you in your bathing suit?”
“I thought we could practice by the pool. Swim some laps in between scenes.”
I smiled. “Sounds fun. Give me a while to get changed.”
I finished my breakfast and went upstairs. I changed into a bathing suit, lathered myself in sunscreen, and threw on a sundress before heading down to the pool. Pat was waiting for me in one of the deck chairs. I sat in a neighboring one, but he got to his feet.
“Nope. Auditioning is done standing. So is practicing lines.” He held out a hand and helped me to my feet before passing me his tablet. “So, this first scene is between me and the coach.”
I smiled. “Who should I be?”
Pat didn’t answer. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before looking at me. “You wanted to see me, Coach?”
I looked at the tablet. “Yes. Sit down.”
“Look, if this is about Rick —”
“Patrick, I just found out that a talent scout is coming to this week’s race.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He sighed. “There’s no way I’ll be able to go to college.”
“He’s from the Olympics committee.”
“The . . . the Olympics?” He choked out the last word, making me smile.
“They say you’ve got a shot at the Montreal games.”
“There’s cross-country at the Olympics?”
“They think you can run the 10K in under thirty minutes.”
Pat held up his fingers like he was trying to count on them. He looked very frustrated before he eventually shook his head in aggravation. “How many laps is that?”
“Twenty-five. It’s a little over a lap a minute.”
Pat gave a low whistle. “I bet I could do it.”
“It would mean training every day.”
Pat waved a dismissive hand. “I already run every day.”
“Not running. Training. You would be doing cal, cal.” I frowned. “Shunk. I can’t pronounce this word.”
Pat glanced over my shoulder. “Calisthenics?”
“I know that word. That’s how you spell it? I would have spelled it a lot differently. Anyway, where was I?”
Pat shook his head. “It’s okay. I know this scene pretty well. We can just start it one more time.”
“Should you try it sitting?”
Pat shook his head. “No. Usually, I just stand facing the camera or the person auditioning with me.”
“But what if the other person is sitting?”
“He won’t be.”
“But maybe the coach is like sitting at a desk and you should walk into the room.”
“Sweetheart, they don’t bring props to a screen test. Just a bunch of cameras.”
I shrugged. “You never know.”
Pat sighed. “Fine. You can sit down.”
Even though Pat seemed to know the lines, I had him practice them with both of us sitting as well as me sitting and him standing. Although he didn’t seem to think it necessary, I thought he sounded a little more confident by the time he switched scenes.
Pat sat by the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water. “Okay. So, this next scene, I barely know the words, so I just want to focus on that for now. I’m not really sure about the emotions yet.”
I sat beside him as I glanced at the tablet, skimming through the scene: the main character learning his wife is pregnant. I could almost picture it in my head.
“If I were filming this, like if I were the director, I would have them sitting on the living room floor in their trailer.”
“I like that. I’m going to think about how to incorporate that into my audition.”
We ran through most of the scene and although Pat seemed to know the words, I could see he was having trouble putting emotions behind them. Eventually, I interrupted him.
“Why do you look so happy?”
Pat shrugged. “He just found out he’s going to be a dad. He should be joyful, right?”
“How old was Patrick? When he died?” I knew the answer, but I was hoping Pat could figure out what was bothering me.
“Eighteen and change?”
“So, only a little older than you?”
“Yeah, so?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. It was so obvious, but Pat didn’t seem to get it. I decided to spell it out for him. “What if I just told you I was pregnant?”
“Sweetheart, you can’t be. Do I need to explain how it works?”
“Pat, think about it. He’s your age. He’s got no job, no savings. His entire life depends on winning this race. His wife is earning all their money working as a waitress and a babysitter. And she basically just said she needs to stop working in nine months. And then they’ll have no money. So, if he doesn’t win this Olympics, they’ll be homeless. How would you feel if it were you?”
I could see Pat hadn’t considered this. We rehearsed the scene a few more times, but Pat was still struggling. Eventually, he got frustrated enough to call an end to the rehearsal, and we played in the pool until Shelia called us in for lunch.
“Would you like to go for a hike this afternoon?” Pat asked as we ate our sandwiches.
I sent him a quizzical look. “I thought you needed to practice your lines.”
Pat shrugged. “I know the words. Now I just need to focus on the presentation, and I think I need to step back from it for a little while.”
“And hiking will help you do that?”
“It’s a distraction.”
“I don’t have hiking gear.”
Pat raised his eyebrows. “It’s just a walk along a paved road. You’re fine in sneakers.”
“Okay. Then, let me get changed.”
“Are you going to make your hair pink again?”
I made a face. “It depends on what I want to wear.”
The park entrance was only a mile from the house, but Pat insisted on driving because the road was not very pedestrian friendly. After stashing some bottles of water into our backpacks, we headed onto the trail.
I glanced at one of the many signs. “Rattlesnakes? There are rattlesnakes? Maybe we shouldn’t go.”
Pat laughed. “I’ve been coming here for years. I think I’ve seen one snake, and I don’t even think it was a rattler. You’ll be fine.”
He took my hand, leading me to a dusty path on the right. I pointed toward the other trail.
“I thought you said we were going to take the paved path.”
“That one’s longer. We’ll save that for Sunday when Walter can join us. Besides, I think you’ll like this one.”
We walked hand-in-hand up the hill, encountering very few people as we went. After about ten minutes, Pat paused near the side of the trail and pointed in the distance.
“I know it’s kind of far away, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it.”
I looked around. In front of me was the tower for some high-power electric lines. Beneath me was another part of the trail. Beyond that, I could see the hills and some of the LA skyline. I turned back to Pat.
“It’s nice.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t see it. Look.” He took my shoulders, turning me until I was almost looking back up the path. He pointed over my shoulder, but he didn’t need to. I had seen it. On a distant hill, under some sort of communications tower, were nine bright white letters.
“That’s the sign! Like, the actual sign!”
Pat smiled. “Thought you’d like it.”
Speechless, I looked between him and the sign a few times. “I wasn’t really sure it was real.” Digging through my bag, I unearthed my phone and took a few pictures. Then, I turned around and tried to get a selfie of myself near the Hollywood sign. After returning my phone to my bag, I stepped close to Pat.
“This is so cool. Thank you for bringing me here.”
Our faces were inches apart when I heard a dog barking nearby. Pat stepped away and tried to avoid making eye contact with the jogger who had fastened his dog’s leash to a belt-loop. The man nodded at me as he passed, the shepherd giving a quick bark before trotting away with its master. Pat took my hand, and we continued walking along the hill.
When we returned to the car, Pat handed me his tablet. “Hey. Can we run those lines one more time?”
“What here?”
“Yeah. I just think I figured it out. I want to see what your thoughts are.”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. Which scene?”
“The one with the girlfriend.”
I scrolled through the script until I found the beginning of the scene, then nodded for Pat to begin. His face suddenly became very serious and his tone very somber. He took my hands in both of his and looked me straight in the eye.
“So, Coach said he can scrape together enough money for me to get to Montreal. I’ll be staying in Olympic Village. But, if you come, you’d have to stay in a hotel and you need airfare and, baby, we just don’t have that kind of money right now.”
I quickly glanced at the tablet on my lap before returning my gaze to Pat. “It’s okay. I’m probably not going to want to travel, anyway.”
Pat cocked his head to the side, his face full of concern. “What do you mean?”
“Junior will only be a few weeks old. I don’t think he’ll be ready to travel yet.”
Pat dropped my hands and sat back a little, his face wrinkled in obvious confusion. “What are you talking about? Who’s Junior? Is that the kid you’re babysitting?”
“No. He’s your baby.”
“My baby? I don’t have a baby.” Pat’s disbelief was almost comical, yet not enough to break the serious tone of the scene.
“You will. Junior is due in June.”
Pat’s eyes widened in shock, and genuine fear showed on his face. He looked from my face to my belly a few times before meeting my gaze. “You . . . mean, you’re . . . we’re?”
I nodded as the script instructed me to do. Pat put his fist to his mouth, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply. When he opened them again, he was trembling. He took my hands again as a tear formed in the corner of his eye. He spoke in a low, shaky voice.
“I’m gonna win this race. And Junior’s going to have every advantage that you and I never got to have. That’s my promise.”
Pat wiped a tear from my eye and kissed my hand.
I blinked a few times as I returned the tablet to Pat. “I know you’re an incredible actor, but that was just like—How? How did you even do that?”
Pat laughed and played with my hair. “Well, while you were turning into a pomegranate, I asked Dad what it was like when he found out Mom was going to have a baby.”
“You did explain it was for the movie, right?”
Pat shrugged. “Eventually. When he could breathe again, he gave me some really helpful advice.”
I giggled. “Oh, man. Can you imagine what he’s going to tell your mom later?”
Pat’s Story
“So, what are your plans for today?” Mom asked as she came into the kitchen on Thursday morning.
“I’m working,” Walter said with a mouth full of egg.
I wished I were sitting next to him so I could smack him. “She knows that already, doofus. She was asking me.”
“Hey. You’re not allowed to insult me when Mom’s here.”
Mom gave an exasperated sigh. “Boys. I have to go get ready for work. Pat, what are your plans for today?”
I shrugged. “I’m going to run lines today. Have Melinda help me.”
“Are you two staying here or are you going out?”
“Wasn’t planning on going out. But I can pick up Walter if you want.”
“Your father is staying home, so he can bring your brother. If we stick to the schedule, I may finish my scenes early today. But you know how directors are.”
After breakfast, I grabbed my tablet, threw on my swimsuit, and headed to the pool. I found Melinda in the kitchen. Although I wasn’t hungry, I figured I’d keep her company. I slid into the table beside her.
“So, what are your plans for today?”
“Figured I’d see what you were up to.”
“I need to learn my lines for tomorrow. Would you like to practice them with me?”
“I guess. But why are you in your bathing suit?”
“I thought we could practice by the pool. Swim some laps in between scenes.”
Melinda smiled. “Sounds fun. Give me a while to get changed.”
While she headed upstairs, I grabbed some towels from the mudroom. I collapsed into a deck chair and began reviewing the lines on my own.
Growing up, Meghan and I did a lot of movies together, so she and I always practiced our lines together. When he learned to read, Walter joined us, reading all the other parts. That was probably why he was such an amazing voice actor today.
As I sat by the pool, I realized this was the first time I was practicing my lines with someone who wasn’t in my family or one of my costars. For my last few movies, I practiced most of my lines with Walter, saving the more intimate scenes for my pillow.
It felt so natural working with Melinda, except, of course, that the coach’s voice was a little too soprano. Not that it mattered.
For the screen test, I would perform a longer version of the scene I had auditioned the day before. I knew the lines pretty well already, but Melinda helped me really feel them. Although I told her it wasn’t necessary, she thought I should practice them in a couple of different ways to make them sound natural.
First, we practiced the scene standing up, because I explained to her that’s how I usually auditioned. But she also wanted to try it with the coach sitting at a desk and me walking into the room. She made me do it sitting facing the coach and standing while the coach remained sitting. I didn’t think all this was necessary, but she seemed to have fun, so I humored her. By the time we were done, I really felt I knew exactly how I wanted to portray the lines.
Eventually, we moved on to the more difficult scene. I understood why the director chose it for the audition. It was a pivotal moment in the movie, but I couldn’t draw on personal experience for this one.
Melinda and I sat by the edge of the pool. She said that if she were filming the movie, she would have the two characters sitting on the living room floor in their trailer. As I pictured it, I realized she was right. I made a mental note to incorporate her advice into my audition if I could.
I looked at the script, then turned to Melinda. “So, Coach said he can scrape together enough money for me to get to Montreal. I’ll be staying in Olympic Village. But, if you come, you’d have to stay in a hotel and you need airfare and, baby, we just don’t have that kind of money right now.”
“It’s okay. I’m probably not going to want to travel, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Junior will only be a few weeks old. I don’t think he’ll be ready to travel yet.”
“What are you talking about? Who’s Junior? Is that the kid you’re babysitting?”
Melinda shook her head. “No. He’s your baby.”
“My baby? I don’t have a baby.”
“You will. Junior is due in June.”
I smiled. “You mean, you’re? We’re?”
Melinda broke character and frowned at me. “Why do you look so happy?”
I shrugged. “He just found out he’s going to be a dad. He should be joyful, right?”
“How old was Patrick? When he died?”
“Eighteen and change?”
“So, only a little older than you?”
“Yeah. So?”
“What if I just told you I was pregnant?”
I smiled. “Sweetheart, you can’t be. Do I need to explain how it works?”
Melinda rolled her eyes. “Pat, think about it. He’s your age. He’s got no job, no savings. His entire life depends on winning this race. His wife is earning all their money working as a waitress and a babysitter. And she basically just said she needs to stop working in nine months. And then they’ll have no money. So, if he doesn’t win this Olympics, they’ll be homeless. How would you feel if it were you?”
I didn’t have an answer. Although I had been acting all my life, I had done very few dramatic roles. It amazed me that Melinda could get into the head of my character so well when I was still struggling.
We rehearsed the scene a while longer. Although I knew all the words, I was struggling to figure out how I wanted to express them. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed to talk to someone who had gone through something similar. As uncomfortable as it was, I knew exactly who to ask.
After lunch, I knocked on Dad’s office door. “Hey. Can I talk to you a sec?” At his nod, I came in and sat down. I had no idea how to ask this, so I figured I would just jump into the question. “When you guys found out you were pregnant with Meghan, were you like excited or scared?”
Dad’s jaw dropped, and I could see him struggling for words. I figured I would help him a little. “See, I thought everyone is always joyful when they find out they’re having a baby, but Melinda said she thought they would be scared because they were so young. And that made me realize I have absolutely no idea.”
Dad looked thoroughly confused. “Pat, start over. Who is having a baby?”
“Patrick Barrett.”
“A classmate?”
I shook my head. “No. The guy I’m auditioning for.” I held up my tablet.
“Okay. So, just to be clear, nobody is actually pregnant?” At my exasperated sigh, Dad continued. “Okay. So, tell me the story again?”
“The scene I’m auditioning tomorrow? My character’s wife tells him they’re going to have a baby. They’re eighteen and have no money. And I thought when she tells him, he’d be happy. But Melinda said he’d be freaking out because how’s he going to support her? And then I thought, you and Mom weren’t that much older when you had Meghan. And I know it’s not exactly the same, but I was wondering how you guys felt.”
Dad sat back. “We were scared out of our minds.”
I was a little shocked to hear this. “Really?”
“You have to understand. We were still in school. Your mom knew she wanted to go back to acting. She was already worried that taking off four years for college was going to set back her career. Suddenly, she had to figure out how to balance her career and a baby and school. Your uncles and I were just getting started. We were scheduled to spend the summer touring, opening for a pretty big-named band. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. But going on tour meant I wouldn’t be home when your sister was born. It took us a long time to tell our families. When we did, Granny and Pop-Pop told your mother that if she wanted, she would always have a home on Broadway. We both relaxed a little after that, giving me the courage to break the news to my brothers.”
“Were they upset you had to cancel the tour?”
Dad started tearing up. “They were overjoyed. Vinny went and talked to the band we were headlining for. Turns out, family was really important to them and were incredibly supportive of us taking time away from the tour. They told us that they wouldn’t hold it against us, and we could join them the following summer instead. So, your mother and I ended up putting our careers on hold for a year, but it was worth it.”
That afternoon, I took Melinda on a hike of the canyon. We didn’t go on the longer trail. We figured we would save that for Sunday when Walter could join us. Instead, I took her to the spot where she could see the Hollywood sign. As I expected, she loved the view.
As we walked, I rolled Dad’s story around the back of my mind. I tried to match the emotions he had described with the lines in the scene I had to perform. By the time Melinda and I climbed back into my car, I was sure I had figured it out.
I handed her my tablet. “Hey. Can we run those lines one more time?”
“What here?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I think I figured it out. I want to see what your thoughts are.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. Sure. Which scene?”
“The one with the girlfriend.”
Melinda found the scene, nodding when she was ready. This time, I thought about what it would have been like if Melinda hadn’t come with me to my premiere. I hadn’t realized until that night how much I needed her there with me. With that in mind, I tried to imagine what it would be like if I told Melinda she couldn’t come to the next premiere. I channeled those emotions as Patrick Barrett told his wife he couldn’t afford to bring her to the Olympics. Then, Cat dropped her bombshell, and I thought about how devastated I would be if I couldn’t work anymore. I thought about the emotions my dad showed, even just telling me his story. And I channeled all that. By the end of the scene, Melinda and I both had genuine tears in our eyes. And I knew I had nailed it.
Melinda placed the tablet in my lap. “I know you’re an incredible actor, but that was just like—How? How did you even do that?”
With a laugh, I told her about the awkward conversation with Dad.
She giggled. “Oh, man. Can you imagine what he’s going to tell your mom later?”
I shook my head. “Oh, I hope he never does.”
Attention Hammerheads
Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.
Hartfield Chronicles 