Page 110 of Men or Paws

He glanced at me, thinking about it. “I don’t know . . .”

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s just see what happens. It can’t hurt to try, right?” I rubbed him on the side of the arm, hoping he would take me up on my offer. Anything that would make him feel better. “Let me help you. Please.” I smiled. “Obviously, I’m not a professional, but I promise I won’t be horrible. I did take a year of drama in high school.”

Rocco arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Don’t look so surprised,” I said. “I got a B in the class, not stellar, but not bad. Okay, come on, let’s do this before I get self-conscious and change my mind.”

Rocco hesitated, then nodded. “Thank you, I really appreciate it. Hang on a second.”

I felt good that he was allowing me to help.

You never knew when men’s egos were involved.

He printed another copy of the script, handing it to me. “Here you go.”

“Great,” I said, flipping through the pages again. “So, do you want to tell me a little bit about the story or should we just go for it?”

“Actually, that’s a good idea,” Rocco said. “The sitcom is about an affable, clueless guy named Luke, that’s me. The show starts off with me being diagnosed with a terminal illness.”

I held up my hand. “Okay, wait a minute. You told me you were looking to do a comedy. This sounds like a total downer.”

Rocco chuckled. “I know, I thought the same thing at first, but he’s actually misdiagnosed and then falls in love with the doctor who misdiagnosed him. Her name is Daphne, that would be you.”

“I don’t know, if I were Luke, I would want to kill Daphne after that misdiagnosis,” I said, laughing.

“On the contrary, he keeps faking illnesses to visit her again, hoping one day she’ll see him as more than just a patient,” Rocco said. “Isn’t that cute?”

I smirked. “Isn’t that illegal? I shook my head. “Describing him as affable and clueless is being generous. Luke sounds like a sociopath and a stalker. Are you sure you really want this part? What if you get type-casted and have to play the same role for the rest of your life?”

“I don’t see that happening.”

“I do. You’ll be the American version of Hugh Grant, a charming yet befuddled British bloke with a slight moral compass deficiency, but instead of capturing the hearts of women like he does, you’ll be creeping them out and doing lots of jail time. What a chick magnet.” I laughed.

Rocco smiled, amusement clearly written on his face. “Okay, obviously my description of the show is not doing it justice. Remember, this is a comedy, so you need to suspend your disbelief a tiny bit. Why don’t we just read a little? Maybe that will change your mind.”

I smiled. “I’m up for the challenge.”

“Great. Let’s start at the top of page eleven where Daphne breaks the news that she applied for a job at a hospital in another city.”

I nodded. “Can’t blame her, really. Get out, Daphne, while you’re still alive.”

Rocco laughed.

“Hang on.” I flipped through the script to page eleven, then read the first line. “Luke, I have some bad news and I . . . uh . . . don’t know how to tell you.” I smiled, proud of the way I delivered the first line.

Rocco lifted his script to read it. “Please don’t beat around the bush, Daphne. Is it about the pain in my stomach?”

I shook my head. “No, you’re just gassy, most likely from the two cans of baked beans you had for lunch.” I threw my hand over my mouth and laughed.

Rocco laughed with me, then crossed his arms. “You’re supposed to stay in character. No laughing or it’ll throw me off. And follow the stage directions, if you can. Take it from the top again.”

I nodded and got rid of the smile from my face. “Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “No, you’re just gassy, most likely from the two cans of baked beans you had for lunch.” The stage direction said I had to take a step toward Luke, so I moved toward Rocco. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I applied for a job at another hospital. It’s a promotion with a significant pay raise and a private parking spot. There’s a good chance I’m going to get it.”

“I don’t see how that’s bad news,” Rocco said. “Am I missing something here?”

I frowned and continued reading the script. “The hospital is five hours away, Luke. I would have to move.”

Rocco stared at me, in character, looking distraught. The look of pain on his face and the intensity of his eyes made me feel as if the news was genuinely hurting him.