SPIN CYCLE - Chapter Five
March 1998
"C'mon, baby. We've got a three-hour drive. We've got to get movin'.”
Savannah's mom stood over her bed, seemingly oblivious that her nine-year old daughter had just gone to bed four hours before. The sun was no match for her daughter's cheap, gauzy bedroom curtains and cast a shower of light over the small twin bed.
"Mommy, I'm soooo tired!" Savannah said, as she pulled the pillow from behind her head and used it to cover her face. "Can I sleep one more hour?"
Kristy hated to do this to her. Her poor little girl hadn't had eight hours sleep all week. "I'm sorry, honey. We've got to go do that commercial!" She said it like a cheerleader so that Savannah might sense her optimism. "At least you get to eat pizza!"
It was 5:30 a.m. and in exactly three hours, Savannah would be biting into frozen pizza and smiling as if it was food prepared for the Queen. Kristy had found the audition notice in Variety and after driving down and auditioning last weekend, her little prodigy had landed the job. This was a big break. It was not only an in to the L.A. commercial market; it was three thousand dollars up-front and a chance at some serious “mailbox money”, what the pros called residuals; cash that came in months and even years after a commercial campaign spread across the country.
Savannah rolled halfway off the bed, hanging her head over the side and rubbed her eyes. She'd been at a Barstow steakhouse the night before, singing until midnight. It was supposed to be only three songs but the crowd loved her. "Can I still go to school tomorrow?" Savannah knew it was Sunday and jobs on Sunday usually meant travel on Monday and no school.
"I'll do my best to get you back on time, baby," Kristy said. Savannah didn't need to know that she had already been scheduled for three more auditions in Los Angeles.
The single mom and her daughter were into their third year of this great adventure. It started when Savannah was barely six, holding a hose and proclaiming the wonders of California Water Service Group. At first, it was a way to make some much needed money with a child that everyone said was cute enough to be in the movies. Then, Savannah caught the bug and was constantly working in community plays, musicals, and local commercials. She had a singing voice that betrayed her age and she just seemed to know what to do on stage. She was fearless. Together, they were partners in crime. Savannah loved performing and her mother loved seeing her perform. It wasn't lost on Kristy that every bit of this talent came from her father; a bohemian wanna-be who couldn't even imagine monogamy, let alone practice it.
It wasn't easy being a single mom. Kristy had her share of suitors who stuck around just long enough to find out she had a pre-pubescent daughter. All the running around with Savannah had compromised her workouts, and now with a few extra pounds, she was getting less and less attention. It had become obvious to her that she was going to have to go at this alone. Banking on Savannah was the only thing that kept her going. She’d banked on less. Kristy knew one thing. She wasn't one of these moms who forced show business onto her child, no matter what anyone said. The jobs seemed to find Savannah, not the other way around. There was that time at the Gap Outlet on Linwood when that young woman from out of nowhere asked if she could take a picture of Savannah and then wrote down her name and address. That turned into a commercial for Hershey's chocolate and subsequently, more money than Kristy had ever made in a year. That opened her eyes real quick.
Savannah loved the attention and the acting came natural. She sure didn't get it from her mother. Kristy would rather crawl through broken glass than perform in front of people. It was all she could do to make a five-minute speech for her travel company at the visitor’s bureau. No, this all came from dad. Worthless husband that he was, he gave her a gift. "If you get up right now, I'll take you to McDonalds," Kristy promised. To be honest, she didn't know if McDonalds held any cache at all for her daughter, but at this point she'd try anything to get her up and moving."Do I have to eat the pizza?" Savannah asked, eyes wide open. “If I have to eat pizza I’m going to barf all over the camera.” Kristy smiled. With Savannah, the drama didn’t end when the cameras were off. She turned away and briskly walked towards the door. "Whatever you want, baby. Now, hurry!”
"C'mon, baby. We've got a three-hour drive. We've got to get movin'.”
Savannah's mom stood over her bed, seemingly oblivious that her nine-year old daughter had just gone to bed four hours before. The sun was no match for her daughter's cheap, gauzy bedroom curtains and cast a shower of light over the small twin bed.
"Mommy, I'm soooo tired!" Savannah said, as she pulled the pillow from behind her head and used it to cover her face. "Can I sleep one more hour?"
Kristy hated to do this to her. Her poor little girl hadn't had eight hours sleep all week. "I'm sorry, honey. We've got to go do that commercial!" She said it like a cheerleader so that Savannah might sense her optimism. "At least you get to eat pizza!"
It was 5:30 a.m. and in exactly three hours, Savannah would be biting into frozen pizza and smiling as if it was food prepared for the Queen. Kristy had found the audition notice in Variety and after driving down and auditioning last weekend, her little prodigy had landed the job. This was a big break. It was not only an in to the L.A. commercial market; it was three thousand dollars up-front and a chance at some serious “mailbox money”, what the pros called residuals; cash that came in months and even years after a commercial campaign spread across the country.
Savannah rolled halfway off the bed, hanging her head over the side and rubbed her eyes. She'd been at a Barstow steakhouse the night before, singing until midnight. It was supposed to be only three songs but the crowd loved her. "Can I still go to school tomorrow?" Savannah knew it was Sunday and jobs on Sunday usually meant travel on Monday and no school.
"I'll do my best to get you back on time, baby," Kristy said. Savannah didn't need to know that she had already been scheduled for three more auditions in Los Angeles.
The single mom and her daughter were into their third year of this great adventure. It started when Savannah was barely six, holding a hose and proclaiming the wonders of California Water Service Group. At first, it was a way to make some much needed money with a child that everyone said was cute enough to be in the movies. Then, Savannah caught the bug and was constantly working in community plays, musicals, and local commercials. She had a singing voice that betrayed her age and she just seemed to know what to do on stage. She was fearless. Together, they were partners in crime. Savannah loved performing and her mother loved seeing her perform. It wasn't lost on Kristy that every bit of this talent came from her father; a bohemian wanna-be who couldn't even imagine monogamy, let alone practice it.
It wasn't easy being a single mom. Kristy had her share of suitors who stuck around just long enough to find out she had a pre-pubescent daughter. All the running around with Savannah had compromised her workouts, and now with a few extra pounds, she was getting less and less attention. It had become obvious to her that she was going to have to go at this alone. Banking on Savannah was the only thing that kept her going. She’d banked on less. Kristy knew one thing. She wasn't one of these moms who forced show business onto her child, no matter what anyone said. The jobs seemed to find Savannah, not the other way around. There was that time at the Gap Outlet on Linwood when that young woman from out of nowhere asked if she could take a picture of Savannah and then wrote down her name and address. That turned into a commercial for Hershey's chocolate and subsequently, more money than Kristy had ever made in a year. That opened her eyes real quick.
Savannah loved the attention and the acting came natural. She sure didn't get it from her mother. Kristy would rather crawl through broken glass than perform in front of people. It was all she could do to make a five-minute speech for her travel company at the visitor’s bureau. No, this all came from dad. Worthless husband that he was, he gave her a gift. "If you get up right now, I'll take you to McDonalds," Kristy promised. To be honest, she didn't know if McDonalds held any cache at all for her daughter, but at this point she'd try anything to get her up and moving."Do I have to eat the pizza?" Savannah asked, eyes wide open. “If I have to eat pizza I’m going to barf all over the camera.” Kristy smiled. With Savannah, the drama didn’t end when the cameras were off. She turned away and briskly walked towards the door. "Whatever you want, baby. Now, hurry!”
Comment
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Comment by Michelle Boucher on January 5, 2009 at 1:32pm - So far so good.....
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