Play It as It Lays

5

"JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW I'M thinking of you,"

Freddy Chaikin said on the telephone. "I'll be frank, I was surprised to hear you wanted to work again. After that debacle with Mark Ross, I just naturally thought—"

"I've always wanted to work." Maria tried to keep her voice even.

Freddy would be sitting in his office with the Barcelona chairs and the Giacometti sculpture and anything he wanted to say Maria would have

to hear.

“—an actress walks off a set, people tend to think she doesn't want to work.”

"That was almost a year ago. I was sick. I was upset about Kate. I haven't walked off any more sets, you know that, Freddy."

"You haven't had any sets to walk off."

Maria closed her eyes. "What are you doing right now, Freddy," she said finally. "You sitting there playing with a Fabergé Easter egg?

Or what?"

'Calm down. Actually I talked to Morty Landau about you today at lunch. I Said, Morty, you know Maria Wyeth, and he did—'

"I should think so. I had the lead in two features." Right, Maria, of course you did. You know that. I know that. And they were very interesting little pictures. Carter parlayed those two little pictures, one of them never distributed, into a very nice thing. Carter's in the enviable position now where he wants to do something, it's just a question of working out the numbers. I'm proud to represent him.

I'm proud to represent both of you, Maria. Maybe I could arrange for Morty Landau to see some film, you give me your word that you really want to work."

"See some film."

'Where's the problem, Maria? There's something so unusual about wanting to see some film? I show film on talent getting two, two-fifty a picture."

"Morty Landau makes television."

"Let's get to the bottom line, Maria, if Carter were around he'd say the same thing. You want to work, I'd arrange for Morty Landau to see film."

"Carter is around."

There was a silence, and when Freddy Chaikin spoke again his voice was gentle. "All I meant, Maria, was that Carter's on location.

All I meant."