21.4.09

the real deal

Dayton hadn't thought it would come up so suddenly, but it had. The commercial.

"Shouldn't I be, you know, put through more coaching or whatever?" God, he didn't know what to say. It was just lights. Camera. Action. Take off your shirt. Again and again.

Was this really a spot for staying drug-free? He had to wonder. He didn't have to say anything.

"Just act natural." The director started barking after awhile. Dayton seriously wished he'd done a part or two. Even played an extra in one of Tony's plays. Something to get him ready for this. He really felt a bit insulted, but he didn't let it show. He just kept trying to do his best.

Don't look at me. Just act like you're high.

This was making Dayton moody. He just wanted to get it over with. After awhile, he thought it best not to listen at all, but to remember. Remember how it used to be. When he did smoke pot. When things were better off then, when he was alone and didn't have so much to worry about.

But there he was with all those stupid T-shirts on. Taking one layer off at a time, getting down to the last one and putting on the hoodie with the arrow pointing up.Then walking out the door.

"Hadn't this been done before," he winced after the final take was done.

"Yeah, but we wanted to do a local one, you know, for the personal recognition." Somebody told him on the set at the University where the commercial was filmed.

"Personal recognition?" Shit, he thought, what did they have planned for him next? He looked at the folder they handed him. He'd have to give a talk at schools about the perks of being drug-free.

"Its just a start, you know." The lady with the thick reading cat glasses told him. "You might even move on to other things."

"Other things?" Dayton winced.

"Anything else you're willing talk about?"

Did he really want her to know? Dayton sucked in a breath wondering if he should keep his mouth shut about that. In fact, he'd almost forgot about it, himself.

"I have herpes," he then said.

"We could work with that. We need more PSA's on STDs." She told him.

Dayton just nodded. This wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to be the poster boy for.

3 comments:

simion n josh said...

Oh..this was a good one. It made me smile.

Natalie said...

Haha! Lights, camera, action, take off your shirt :D

Ohhh, it's one of those "above the influence" commericials? I can so picture Dayton in one of those!

I was surprised that he admitted to having herpes! I almost forgot about it, too.

ellie said...

I can see him doing this. What a poster boy. Ha!