I Spy

Chapter 4

YOU DIDN'T GET HER AUTOGRAPH?'

"You didn't get her autograph?"

"You DIDN'T get HER autograph?"

Filly was pacing frantically and flapping about while smoking on her thin cigarettes.

"It was a business meeting, it would have been very inappropriate to ask for her autograph." I tried to reason with her by giving a sensible, logical response; hoping this would penetrate through the haze of celebrity induced hysteria.

But no.

"Did you know that in 1982 she played Anna on "Die Klein Dorpie?"

"The what, who, what now?" I'd never head of it. But I did know that translated from Afrikaans into English, she'd just said 'The Small Town.'

I could see the exasperation on Filly's face, but I also knew that she secretly took pleasure in educating me on all things soapie.

"Dorpie was South Africa's first ever soap opera, and Sharaz was only 20 years old when she played the pastor's niece who came to live with her aunt and uncle in the small town. She came from the big city after her mother and father died in a freak avalanche."

"An avalanche in the city. How realistic." I nodded and sat down, bracing myself for what was to come next.

"So...." Filly sat down and leaned forward conspiratorially, as if she was telling me a terrible secret about a mutual acquaintance, "So anyway, Sharaz's character Anna fell in love with her cousin, but she didn't know it was her cousin at the time because they had never met."

"Nothing like a spot of incest." I said sarcastically, but Filly silenced me with another stink-eye look.

"Anyway... they had an affair and she fell pregnant but when her aunt and uncle found out and they were so ashamed that they killed her and buried her in the field behind their farm."

"Wow! Sounds like real family viewing."

"But wait, there's more. Then her character's ghost came back to haunt them and drove her aunt insane. It was brilliant! Her aunt went mad and was locked up in an asylum where the doctors started using her in these brain washing experiments."

"Mmmm," I nodded again, "Sounds fascinating."

"It was! And Sharaz was amazing. It launched her singing career when she sang on the show and a producer spotted her and signed her to his label."

"You seem to know a lot about her."

"Well, I've been following her career for thirty years now. I just can't believe that husband of hers is cheating on her," Filly seemed genuinely upset by this.

"Well, you have to admit that the age gap makes it a bit of an unusual relationship."

"I suppose." Filly flattened her skinny cigarette in the ashtray and then looked up at me very seriously, "You have to get this guy, Liz."

I smiled at her, "I always do!"

"I just wish I could do something." Filly reached for another cigarette, and I tossed the paper clip I was playing with at her box. My aim was perfect (as usual) and it hit the box just as her hand was about to grab one. She looked up at me with a defeated look.

"I know. I know. But those Nicotine patches don't work."

"What you need is a distraction." I said, swiveling around in my chair. "Do me a favor...while I'm away, I want you to do as much research as possible on this swimwear model. Find out everything about him."