The Entanglement [Charlie Barber]

Chapter 1: Good girl, Dirty mind

"C'mon! We gotta go! I can't be late!"  Ben shouted from the living room as you rushed to finish your makeup. You rolled your eyes as you straightened your top once more trying to perfect your look.

You grabbed your jacket and purse as you hurried to the front door where Ben was now standing with it wide open for you.

"Sorry, babe. I'm just nervous." You said as you both walked out to the Uber. It was the first day of rehearsal for the Broadway play you'd been dying to be a part of, and not only were you in it, you were the lead actress. Ben was the assistant director which was also a big deal. He had directed plenty of smaller plays before but this was Broadway, and he was working with the well respected theater director, Charlie Barber.

"There's no need to be nervous, honey. It's not like I'm going to fire you." He smirked as he climbed into the backseat with you. Ben had helped you get the audition but you wanted to believe that your talent landed you the role, and not your relationship. You needed to know that you earned this for yourself, fair and square.

You started dating Ben five years ago during your senior year in college. He was the perfect boyfriend; caring, attentive, funny, and your families loved each other. You lived together in a small apartment just east of Brooklyn Heights for the past year and things had been generally good. Friends and family seemed to be asking more frequently when the two of you would get engaged. You would brush it off like you didn't mind waiting but a part of you worried if he would ever propose. You had talked about it before and Ben would always assure you that once you were both financially stable, it would happen.

You worked as a massage therapist and Ben worked nights at a popular local pub as a side gig to make ends meet as you both chased after your dreams. If things went well with this play, it had the potential to turn everything around for you both so that you could actually make a living doing what you loved.

You stood on the stage with your scene partners, script in hand, as you reviewed your lines for 'Jenna'. Your intro into the scene was an emotional one in which Jenna is sitting on the dirty floor of the bathroom in the diner she works at, hunched over the toilet vomiting as her fellow waitresses stand near her and wait for the results of her pregnancy test. Jenna fears that she could be pregnant by her abusive husband.

JENNA
Come on, negative.

  WAITRESSES (BECKY/DAWN)
- Come on!
- Dear Lord, please protect our Jenna
from the hell of unwanted pregnancy.

  JENNA
I don't need no baby.
I don't want no trouble.

I just want to make pies.

That's all I want to do, make pies.

  (BECKY/DAWN)
I thought you weren't sleeping
with your husband no more.

 
He got her drunk one night.

JENNA
I should never drink.
 
I do stupid things when I drink,
like sleep with my husband.

"Stop right there." Charlie's voice echoed from the third row of the theatre seats where he'd been observing. He stood and slowly approached the stage in deep thought, ready to give some artistic direction.

He gestured to the actress playing Becky. "I think your southern accent sounds a bit... forced. I need you to try less on that, and focus more on being genuinely nervous for Jenna's situation."

Ben watched Charlie critiquing the cast and felt like he should also be offering up creative advice. Although he thought your acting was fine, he decided to approach you anyway and suggest some ideas in order to look good in front of Charlie.