Page 60 of Big Sexy Love
‘He was a stand-up comedian,actually.’
I raise my eyebrows. ‘That’s evencooler.’
Seth smiles, almost to himself more than to me. ‘It was. He wasamazing.’
‘Would I have heardofhim?’
‘Nah. But he was pretty popular around Manhattan, at the Comedy Cellar and Dangerfield’s. He even did a spot on the Lettermanshowonce.’
‘Wow.’
‘Yep. But he never quite made it big.’ Seth shrugs. ‘And now he’s in a nursing home upstate, making the other residents laugh in theiroldage.’
A short, stocky dark-haired fella treads over to the booth and plonks down two bottles of beer so enthusiastically that they foam up, spilling out of thebottleneck.
‘Thanks, Sonny!’ Seth says, giving the man abiggrin.
‘How’s it going, hotshot? How’s the fancy life? Clearly treating you pretty well.’ Sonny nods in my direction. I give him asmile.
‘Yeah, it’s all right!’ says Seth, his cheeks turning alittlered.
‘Will we actually see you on TV at any point? Or they still keeping you locked up behind the scenes. Ain’t no one wanna put your ugly mug on screen!’ The guy punches Seth’s shoulderjokily.
‘I have an audition tomorrow actually,’ Seth tells him. ‘For a cast memberposition.’
Sonny’s eyes widen. ‘Oh wow! Seth, that’s amazing.’ He clears his throat, his face turning serious. ‘Your pops would beproud.’
Seth shrugs a shoulder. ‘We’ll see… Keep your fingers crossedforme.’
When Sonny has returned to the kitchen to get our food, I look at Sethcuriously.
‘You have an audition tomorrow?’ I ask. ‘Shouldn’t you be preparingrightnow?’
Seth waves me away. ‘Ah, I’ve auditioned a gazillion times before,’ he tells me. ‘I never get it. They like me as a writer, but I always flake out on thestage.’
‘Flakeout?’
‘I forget my lines.’ He pushes his glasses up his nose with his forefinger. ‘Which is crazy because it’s the same routine I’ve been doing foryears.’
‘Well, do you prepare? Do youpractise?’
Seth laughs. ‘That’ll take all the fun outofit!’
I shake my head, horrified. ‘Do you even want to be a castmember?’
‘SureIdo.’
‘Maybe you should prepare. So you won’t flake outthistime?’
Seth puts his arms behind his head and leans back against the booth. His top rides up a little, revealing a tiny bit of stomach. I think of James McAvoy and Keira Knightly in the library. I swipe the image quickly away. ‘What will be will be, I guess.’ Sethsighs.
‘What will be will be?’ I say incredulously. ‘That sounds like an awful way to live.’ I shudder at the very thought. ‘I like to know exactly what’s going to happen. In the words of Radiohead,No surprises,please.’
‘Where’s the excitement in that?’ Seth argues, taking a gulp ofhisbeer.
‘Who says I’m looking forexcitement?’
‘Aren’tweall?’
