No reply.
I crouch low, squatting, in the middle of the restroom floor, my heeled boots and the taut knees of my skinny jeans making things unnecessarily difficult. I duck my head low until I can just about see under the closed door, my ponytail skimming the bleached floor.
Behind me the main restroom entrance bangs open and the Rose who was just staring at me in the waiting room is suddenly confronted with the vision of me squatting, legs akimbo, in the middle of an abandoned restroom. Excellent.
I rise with slightly more difficulty than a woman of my age should be experiencing. The Rose looks at me with a frown etched deep into her brow.
“Hey,” I offer, hoping that saying something normal like hey will convince her I’m not completely insane. She looks unconvinced.
“Um, hey. Are you all right? Should I get someone?” she asks carefully.
“No, just looking for someone. She’s probably outside,” I reply as breezily as I can.
“Oh, okay. Then can I just get past?” She gestures to the cubicles beyond me and I realize I’m entirely blocking her way. I give her a wide berth and she heads for the closed cubicle on the end, pushes it open easily, and slides the lock firmly behind her.
There was no one in here. I’ve been talking to myself.
I check my watch and head back outside hopefully. The sunlight makes me squint after the darkness inside. This is really weird. Could she still be in her audition?
I get a sudden burst of annoyance, partly due to the time this is taking and partly due to the look I just got in the restroom. This is all starting to get a bit silly now. I definitely do not need this today. I turn on my heels, head straight back into the casting office, and march up to the willowy receptionist with purpose.
“Hi,” I blurt. “Is there a girl called Emily in there?” I point unambiguously toward the Marcus audition room.
“Excuse me?” she bites back at me, incredulous.
“Are the casting directors seeing actresses in both rooms?” I clarify. The receptionist frowns, my meaning escaping her, so I continue. “Listen, I’m looking for a girl who was here before. Emily. I was sitting with her. You saw us. I have her car keys and her wallet. I need to give them back to her. Is she in there?” I gesture to the Marcus room again.
“No,” the receptionist answers, her eyebrows high. “They’re only seeing guys in there.”
Fuck.
“Oh right. Okay.” Faltering, I scan the waiting room faces again. Gazes scatter away like pigeons. I’m clearly making a scene.
It suddenly occurs to me that Emily might be waiting for me by her car, and I kick myself for being such an idiot. I give no one in particular a nod and stride back out into the sunshine.
Outside I let out an exasperated sigh. This situation is really starting to stress me out. I check my watch. It’s 1:32. My next meeting is at three in Burbank and I need to eat before I go or my lines might not come out.
Down on the sidewalk there’s no sign of Emily.
Fuck.
Out of options, I stand at a complete loss on the empty pavement, casting my eyes impotently in both directions. She could have popped into a convenience store or a café along the block to grab something quickly but there aren’t any shops or cafés in sight, just office buildings. But I have her wallet, so she wouldn’t be able to buy anything anyway. I look back at the car, just as it was before, and root out its keys from my pocket. Just generic rental keys and an Avis fob with the number plate details. Where the hell would she go without her wallet and keys?
There must be a rational explanation. She mentioned a Skype call; perhaps it came early. She definitely seemed concerned about it. Perhaps it was much more important than her audition and she had to find a quiet spot to take it?