A String of Pearls

   Misty Carter opened her jewelry box as she sat on the edge of the bed. The string of pearls she wore so frequently around her neck wasn't the most expensive item in her collection, but it was her most treasured. It was a gift from Ed, and that made it special. Misty removed the string and placed it gently in the box before closing it and returning the box to it's place on the stand next to the bed. Then she began to remove her stockings.

   Misty slipped into the sunken tub, now overflowing with bubbles which threatened to push over onto the floor. Misty wasn't as interested in washing up as she was just lying there and relaxing after another day at the studio. Becoming a producer as well as an actress had been a good move financially, but she didn't enjoy the free time she used to. Misty made a point of making up for that whenever possible. She leaned back and rested her head against the rim of the tub, then closed her eyes as she let the soapy water comfort her.

   Ed stepped into the bedroom and tossed his jacket onto the bed. Then he looked at the article as it rested on the luxurious covers and noticed how out of place it was. Misty liked to keep a neat house, and it wasn't asking too much of her husband to hang the jacket in the closet where it belonged. As he reached for the jacket, he could see the neat pile of clothing which Misty had removed. Each little item had been neatly folded and stacked. This was the work of a woman fit for a producer's chair. Everything in order, neatly placed where it would be out of the way and allow for maximum foot traffic.

   After hanging up his jacket and tie, Ed pushed open the door to the bath and leaned against the door frame. He smiled to himself as he just watched his wife. Only her head and shoulders were exposed through all the foam. She looked so glamorous. Misty felt she was being watched and partly opened her eyes. Ed smiled and motioned to her. She grinned as she closed her eyes again.

   "Wanna join me?" She giggled.

   "I have to leave in a few minutes. Otherwise..."

   "You're going out?" Misty opened her eyes fully and watched as Ed stepped over to the sink and checked the mirror.

   "Not for long, I hope. Steve just phoned and he wants me to come over. He has some scripts he wants me to look at, some pictures he felt we might want to produce."

   "Thank you for fielding that stuff for me," Misty closed her eyes again and relaxed, "you've got a good eye for scripts."

   "There's nothing to it, really, you just consider what you'd want to watch if you were buying the ticket."

   "That's why I trust your judgement," Misty looked at Ed again, "and why I don't trust my own as much when it comes to that part of the process."

   "Can you elaborate on that?" Ed rested against the sink and looked quizzically at his wife. She shrugged.

   "Nothing too complicated about it. I spent so much time around producers and studio heads that I don't trust my judgement to know what the real audience wants. Producers don't make movies for their audience, they make them for each other. It's like a game of approval or something. That's why I love C.B.I.P. so much. The Boss puts the audience before everything else."

   "I guess my experiences could be said to be a bit more grounded," Ed mused, "I never met a producer until you took me to one of those Hollywood parties. They're not all creeps, but I did meet a few that night that I thought didn't know the first thing about the people who were actually watching their movies."

   "It's like a social club at most studios. I honestly think you rescued me from getting in too deep."

   Ed smiled as Misty looked up at him with those big beautiful eyes. "A real Grace of God moment, when a beautiful society doll like you accepted my invite to the carnival."

   "You looked so dashing in your uniform. How could I possibly have refused?"

   "We were quite a sight strolling by the bumper cars, a bell-bottom and a sharp number like you. I'll never forget that outfit. Jade green satin with a pink scarf, and that string of pearls around your neck."

   "That's what finally won me, you know?"

   "What?"

   "When I got my pearls caught and the string broke, and then they ran out the floor of the Ferris wheel. I was so upset, and you were determined to replace them for me. So you grabbed that hammer and hit the little bell and won that string of plastic pearls for me. I was so touched."

   "What gets me is you kept 'em. They couldn't have cost more than a penny."

   "They meant the world to me. You were so sweet and didn't want me to go home without my pearls. I have to admit, some of my girlfriends at the time would've sneered at such a corny scene, but I was so moved. That's the moment I fell in love with you."

   Ed reached into the tub and pulled Misty up by her hands. They embraced and kissed. In the bedroom, on the nightstand, in Misty's jewelry box, was the string of plastic pearls she'd kept all those years. She'd worn them almost every day since that night at the carnival. She wore them to social engagements, movie premiers, her own wedding. Sitting in a mass of diamonds and other precious stones, in a place of honor right in the center of the box was a penny string of plastic pearls. It was the most valuable thing that Misty owned.