LIFE AS SHE SEES IT : EVERYDAY PT 2 .........By Adesuwa

(If you are yet to read Everyday 1 please click HERE!)

SOURCE: delphinevb.chez.com

Walking briskly with an air of purpose and hope, he approached the building. ‘The Center’ he nodded at the sign-post on the building and went in. After the bomb blast and so much reflection on his relationship with Maria he felt weak, so much he could not think straight. He laid awake all night in the dark and pondered about his life. Then Wole called.

“Guy! I don’t have much airtime but there is this audition to be held tomorrow! It's for a movie…word has it that it would be shown in series on TV after it is premiered. The audition is at the Centre, Kado. That big building near chummies…where Amina did her birthday…Jide!?”

“I am listening...”

“Okay, I know job-hunting has been hard on you, I heard about this audition and I you instantly came to mind. You are a great actor”

“That was at school…on stage. We are talking about real sets and cameras here…”

“See, just go..”

There was a small pause like Wole had ended the call “Wole!”

“Jide! MTN has just warned me, bye” and the call ended.

Jide stared at his phone, audition? all he wanted was to work in an office and earn a good salary. Money! That is what he needed.

So today, He got up at 5am, got ready and made his way to ‘The Centre’. Wole did not mention the time the audition was to start, but then he left that early because he had only 800 naira on him…home and abroad. He had psyched himself up from the time the call from Wole ended to this morning, to walk for the most part of the journey to ‘The Centre’. Not like it was not a normal occurrence, always in a bid to reduce cost of transportation.

He got to the venue at 6.45 am and was directed to the hall where the audition is to hold. He entered and stopped at his tracks. There were no less than about 300 people in the hall. Picking his steps, he walked further into  the hall, found a seat and settled in. How was he to get lucky amidst all these people here?

“Good morning...” he greeted the lady by his side and noted she was reading a book.

“Good morning” she didn’t look up.

“Please how many roles are to be filled?” he looked round taking in the crowd.

“I hear 5, they held auditions before, but needed to do another to pick 5 more people”

“5? only?” His apprehension was obvious

The lady looked at him and smiled “don’t worry, just pray. We are not even so many here. I went for an audition last week and we were over a thousand people! I spent the whole day and when the 489^th person was interviewed we were asked to leave, because they had gotten the people they wanted and would select from them, I was so mad! Yet, here I am today and early too.”

“I should leave then” He muttered.

“Just relax, we came early so hopefully we get to be tried.” She reached into her bag and brought out another book “here, you like to read?” He stared at the book, “Sons of Fortune by Jeffery Archer, nice read. Soak it in and pretend your are in it…its part of acting” She winked.

“Thanks”. No be book I con find! He sighed and collected it. It was 7am at this time.

“307!”

“307!”

“Bros! No be you be 307? Or make I go for you?” someone nudged Jide’s arm.

Jide woke up looking alarmed. He remembered dozing off after the lady collected her book, he actually did enjoy the book. She went in about an hour ago to be auditioned and came out some minutes later, walking up to him and frowning she snapped “my book!”, he swallowed the questions he had and quickly handed her the book then she walked away. Two ladies sitting behind him burst out laughing… “that one failed obviously!, no need to wait for selection!” one of them snickered. It was about 5pm now, auditions started at around 9am. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath, He thought one didn’t get to know if he or she was selected or not, until they had all been auditioned and the selection process concluded. So why were these ladies laughing? Ignorance.

“307!”

“I am here!” He shouted and made his way forward.

After about thirty minutes, he came out and let out a long breath. It was like he stopped breathing from the time he went into panellists, he was not sure what such group of people are called, this was not an interview else, he would conveniently term them interviewers. He met the producer, casting director, assistant director and the director of photography. ‘Ha!’ he sighed, they were mean. They made him act scenes from five different scripts and he did two monologues. When the producer told him “Mr Jide, your acts are quite impressive I must say! So let me tell you here, you wouldn’t have to wait till selection… congratulations! See you on set...”

Jide instantly felt high…Maria would be proud of him. He had rehearsed all the things he would do if he turned out to successful at this audition, but now that it happened, he just felt too overwhelmed to show his joy. He went up to the attendants at the corner of the hall and gave them further details of himself, while asking for other basic information. It was like an exchange. After he was done with them, he turned to leave and then remembered…

“Please do you have an idea of how much would I be paid?” he asked one of the ladies

She studied him for a while and sighed. “ about N30, 000 or so”

“For a scene or for the whole…”he was confused

“For all the scenes you would appear on, for about four weeks or five... You are one of the newbies, You have no experience. You should see this as an opportunity to sell yourself...like a sort of reference point. It is that or nothing. You are lucky sef! you did not have to wait till selection to know if you would be on the cast or not.” That said she picked up the bottle of water on the table and took a gulp.

He turned away from her “N30, 000 ke? For a four-week shoot?” Maria would definitely leave him now.

TO BE CONTINUED