Some Kind of Angel by Shirley Larson Read Free Book Online

dialogue, I have to change the female character into a woman who has, you should excuse the expression, balls.”
    “Well, then do it.  You’re just using sticky notes on the script, you’re not actually rewriting anything.  Melville’s going to read your changes first.  Do what you think is right to give the character,” she paused and smiled, “ character.”
    “Changing the character will change the outcome.  The whole plot, as this guy has written it, will be trashed.  They are already in production.  How’s that going to work?”
    “Not real well, I should think.”
    “Yeah.  I’m beginning to wonder if Melville is using me as a sort of hatchet man.  He knows the script is bad, but he doesn’t want to be the one to tell the writer.  I guess this writer is some guy’s nephew.  The uncle has a ton of money and is financing the production.”
    “Talk about your worst case scenarios.”  Marian toyed with her teacup.  “Speaking of worst case scenarios…when are you going to let your brother know he has a little niece or nephew on the way?”
    “When Hell freezes over?”  I gave Marian a rueful smile.  “It’s not something I’m going to be able to hide for very long, is it?  I wish I were in one of those TV movies where the heroine gets herself in big trouble, and this tall, handsome…oh, yes, let’s not forget rich, man swoops in and sweeps her off her feet.  He doesn’t actually solve her problems, we are more modernized than that these days, but he helps her see her way through them.”
    “I’ll take a guy like that, I’m not proud.  He can solve my problems, too, while he’s at it.  Speaking of which,” she paused dramatically, “what about tall, dark and please-let-me-see-him-naked next door?”
    “He’s certainly not rich.  He wouldn’t have offered to take over my job if he had money.  And he wouldn’t be looking for an Armani suit in my second hand antique store.  But heaven knows, he looks like an angel in it.  Come to think about it, he looks like an angel in jeans, too.”
    “That’s an odd thing to say.  Usually we say men are handsome, or hot, not that they look angelic.”
    “I know.  He does look hot and handsome, but he looks angelic, too, as though he has never done anything wrong in his life.”
    “No man reaches his ripe old age of…how old do you think he is?”
    “I don’t know.  Maybe thirty six?”
    “Well, anyway, I doubt there’s a male past the age of fourteen who hasn’t been up to some kind of mischief.  It’s in their DNA.”
    “That’s a pretty cynical outlook toward the opposite sex.”
    “Says she who is with child and no father in sight.”
    When Leslie turned her face away in an obvious attempt to hide her reaction, Marian said, “Oh, honey.  I’m a complete jerk.  Don’t listen to me.  Any other woman in your position would have been to an abortion clinic by now.  I gotta give you credit for refusing to do that.”
    “I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t kill a child who was part of Adam...and myself.”
    Marian began to wish heartily that she had not ventured into this territory of discussion. But she worried about Leslie.  Despite what had happened to her, Leslie still retained an innocence of the world and its foibles.  Leslie had that air of naiveté that was both endearing and dangerous.
    “You think that’s silly.”
    “I don’t think it’s silly.  It’s…” Marian searched for the word, determined not to say anything more to hurt Leslie.  “It’s problematical.”
    Leslie gave a wry laugh.  “It is that.  I think we’d better stop talking about my problems and let me get to the oversized eggs in this script.”
    “All the while you’re hatching yours.”
    “Ha, ha.  You’re so funny.”  I should be annoyed with Marian.  But it was hard when Marian’s quips were so dead on.  “Wait a minute.  That’s what this heroine needs.  A smart mouth.”
    “I’m glad I could be an