22 The Pre-Show Nerves

The Pre-Show Nerves Will you please loosen this rope?" asked Gloria. "Acting is impossible without the use of extravagant hand gestures!" They were about five minutes from the theater. Bethany was still scootering at the slowest speed, which meant that several cars overtook them. They were even overtaken by the orphanage bus, filled with Timothy and the other children. Usually, Gloria would have kicked up a big fuss about such a thing, but she was in a

dreamy mood because of what Bethany had told her. "Did Mummy and Daddy really say they wanted to see me?" asked Gloria as they continued to zoom toward the theater. "What words did they use?" "One of them said they wanted to see you, and the other said, 'Yeah okay,'" said Bethany. "Yeah okay… what a nice thing for them to say," said Gloria with a sigh. "What about their faces? How did they look when they said they wanted to see me?" "I dunno. They looked like normal people saying normal things," said Bethany, who was still struggling with the pangs of guilt. "Stop asking stupid questions about it." "Don't take that tone with me. Need I remind you that I am the talent, and you are

the driver?" said Gloria. "There's no need to be bitter just because your parents died in a fire." "I'd rather have dead parents who loved me than alive ones who don't care," said Bethany. She immediately regretted saying this, because sometimes it's better to lose an argument than win it. Bethany wished that Gloria would respond with something even nastier, but all she received in return was silence. "You deserved that," said Bethany. She tried to look at Gloria's eyes, but her face was turned away. "I deserve nothing but standing ovations and bouquets of flowers from my adoring fans!" cried Gloria.

"Nah. You deserve a lot worse," said Bethany. She was trying to convince herself that she was still doing the right thing. "If you were nicer to the people at the orphanage, maybe you'd have more adoring fans." "What are you talking about? The other children love me!" said Gloria. "Yeah, about as much as your parents love you," said Bethany. Once again, Bethany felt rotten with regret. Being cruel to one's enemies is like chopping off your arm just so you can hit them with it—in the end, all you do is cause more damage to yourself. "I had no idea you were so unpleasant," said Gloria. "Actually, up until recently, I was trying to become a better person," said Bethany.

"It's not working," said Gloria. "And what do you mean the children don't like me? I'm wonderfully generous with my time. There aren't many stars who would let their audience play such an important role in their careers." "You chase them around the orphanage with a catapult," said Bethany. "That's method acting!" "You make them carry you around the place on a throne." "I'm involving them in my artistic process!" "They've all injured their hands clapping and preparing your ridiculous costumes." "It's not my fault they haven't learned to sew or applaud, and I would say they are receiving valuable skills for life."

Bethany wondered whether it was possible that Gloria didn't know how much everyone hated her. Bethany began to pity her, but then she remembered why she was driving her to the theater in the first place. "My apology party… You didn't even bother coming," said Bethany. "What party?" asked Gloria. "Don't try that trick on me," said Bethany. "I'm not trying anything on you," said Gloria. "I never get invited to parties. I think it's because people think I'm too much of a big star to come. Whereas the truth is that I would happily attend as many as possible, because the crowds that gather there offer me a perfect chance to practice my song-and-dance numbers."