Stand-Ups in New York

Chapter 9 - Lady in Red

Lorne had asked Hank to alert his assistant, May, when Pete Davidson arrived at Temple Garden and if he came with a young lady in red. When May received word, she told Lorne, who then looked out to the bar to find the two twenty-somethings.

The girl in the red dress was holding Pete's arm, looking around the restaurant in awe. He could tell even from a distance that she was taking in the scene. As she looked around, Pete glanced at her. Lorne thought that it looked like he smiled at his companion. Lorne wondered if this was another fling that would fizzle before it could go anywhere. He loved Pete like a son, but that boy fell hard fast, every single time.

"Would you like me to get the two of them, sir?" May asked.

"If you don't mind, that would be great," Lorne said, leaning on the railing of the upper deck of the restaurant. "May." The woman turned back to him as she approached the stairs. "Just bring the young lady up."

May nodded and descended the stairs. He watched his assistant make her way to the pair. The girl, Lynn, looked up at him after a moment. He waved a hand. She waved back. When May led Lynn up the stairs, Lorne made his way back to his private table.

Lorne felt in a very unique position. He wasn't sure how to feel about what had happened that night on the show, but he hoped that speaking with this young woman would give him some clarity. "Lynn Reynolds," he said as she walked in, putting his hand out. The young girl immediately shook it, a surprisingly firm handshake despite her small hands.

"Mr. Michaels, it's a pleasure," she said, with eye contact so direct it felt like she might bore a hole through his head. He broke the handshake and motioned to a seat. Lynn sat immediately. Lorne nodded to May, who reciprocated and took her drink to an empty table a few feet away. Lorne sat in his seat and put his drink down on the table. Lynn took a sip of her drink and got a napkin from the center of the table before setting hers down.

Lorne smiled. A young lady with manners. Sweet. "I'm happy to meet you. Pete has spoken very highly of you."

Lynn blushed. "He's been talking about me?"

"Non-stop, yes. Ever since he saw your set at The Pit he's been telling me you belong on the show. He even had John Mulaney come in and sing your praises. And after your impromptu audition tonight, I am inclined to believe them."

The girl laughed, brushing some of her long blonde hair out of her blue eyes." Impromptu audition?" she asked. "I don't know if being thrown into Weekend Update counts as an audition."

"It usually doesn't," Lorne said. Lynn stopped laughing for a moment, looking into his eyes once again. "And don't think you wouldn't still have to prove yourself with more than just a two-minute guest appearance on Update. But Pete told me that you should be hired because your material was good, and that it could translate well into the show. And I have to say, it did."

Lynn looked at Lorne, her eyes wide. "You liked my material?" she asked.

"I did," Lorne said. "I liked your material, and I liked your back and forth with Pete. You two work well off of each other."

Lynn nodded. "I felt like we did, too."

Lorne leaned back in his chair, regarding the young woman across from him. He didn't get the impression that she was looking for fifteen minutes of fame. From what Pete had said, she wasn't even trying to do stand-up as a career. But there was something Lorne liked about this girl.

"You know, you're the first person Pete has ever brought to me for consideration."

Lynn furrowed her brow. "Really? Hasn't he worked here for like four years?"

"He has. And up until now, he has struggled to find a writing partner. He does great work with Colin and Michael, but they're so busy with Update they have a hard time working with him on sketches. When Pete first brought your name to me, he said that you were sharp and funny, and unexpected but real. He thought that you were someone he could create sketches with."

Lynn smiled. "He really said all that?" she asked. Lorne nodded, and she continued, "I mean, we really clicked, I guess. I didn't realize that being on the show and working with someone could feel like that. It was so easy being up there with him." Lynn paused for a moment, then added, "And Colin! Colin was also great to work with."

Lorne cracked a small smile. Maybe she fell hard fast as well. "Listen, kid, I've never allowed anything like this to happen the whole time I've run this show. A performer has never just gone over my head and put a comedian on the live show to prove that they have the chops to make it here. And trust me, Pete would have been in deep shit if his plan backfired. But he was right, you were great. Now, this is not a job offer, just a question. Would you want to come onto this show as a writer?"

Lynn's face was beet red. She took another sip of her drink. "You mean like work here every week instead of going back to my regular job?" Lorne nodded. Lynn thought for a second, then replied, "Yes, I would love that."

"Okay, if that's the case, stay here this week as a guest writer. You're on vacation, right?" She nodded. "Perfect, then you'll try it out for a week, and if it works out I'll get you a real audition. And if that works, you will be on as a writer next season."

"So this is like step one in an extended interview?" Lynn asked.

Lorne nodded. "And this is all very in flux, okay? There are no guarantees."

"Completely understood," Lynn said, smiling big enough that Lorne could have sworn she showed every single one of her teeth. "Thank you so much," she said.

Lorne picked up his drink. "Don't thank me. Just don't fuck it up."