at the market.’ ” Russian. “ ‘He has a pretty face and good manners.’ ”
Enjoying herself, Cate gestured with her glass. “About this time, yet another neighbor—this guy who lives down the hall—comes out of the elevator with his little mop of a dog, George. George sees the first neighbor and starts . . .” Cate let out a series of high-pitched yips. “Because she always gives him a little dog biscuit. She pulls one out of her pocket, tosses it to George, and keeps talking about her nephew with the other one rooting for the guy at the market. So then George’s dad, hearing all this, chimes in.
“ ‘Leave da girl alone.’ ” She used deep, gravely New York now. “ ‘She oughta play da field. Pretty young girls got oats to sow, too, amirite? Sow dose oats, girlie.’ ”
With an eye roll, Cate stabbed a grape tomato. “All this just because I took out the trash.”
“Excuse me.”
A man stepped up to the table. Somewhere in his middle thirties, Cate gauged, with a pleasant face made intellectual by horn-rimmed glasses.
“I’m going to interrupt. I was sitting just behind you, and heard. You have a serious talent with voices.”
“I . . . thanks.”
“Sorry, I should introduce myself. Boyd West.” He looked at Darlie. “We actually met once, briefly. I don’t expect you’d remember.”
“Yes, I do. You’re married to Yolanda Phist. I met you when we were working on Everlasting.”
“That’s right. Nice to see you. If I could just sit down for one quick minute.”
He did, and turned his attention back to Cate. Shoving his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he talked fast, a kind of whirlwind of words.
“I’m directing an animated short—a small but important project for me. We’ve cast most of the roles, but I haven’t found anyone who works for me for the key. It’s about a search for personal identity, finding your place in a chaotic world, and making that place matter. Have you ever done voice work?”
“No, I—”
“Sorry, I keep interrupting, but I just recognized you. You’re Caitlyn Sullivan.”
Her shoulders wanted to hunch, but he grinned, so open and delighted, she felt herself relax again.
Before she could speak, he plowed on.
“This is, well, kismet. I’ve admired your work, but I had no idea you had this kind of voice talent. I’d love to send you the script. In fact, I’m going to give you the script. I was just having lunch with my producers, and going over some things. Wait.”
He got up, went back to the table where a man and a woman sat, grabbed a script, came back.
“Take this one, and my card.” He pulled out a card case, scribbled on one of the cards. “That’s my personal line. It’s a small project, and I could only pay you scale, but it’s an important one. I won’t keep you, but read it. Just read it, and get back to me. Great meeting you, nice seeing you.”
When he started back to his table, the other two rose. They glanced back at Cate before they left.
“That was . . . very surreal.”
“Don’t say no. Read the script,” Darlie insisted. “He comes off a little jumpy and intense, but Boyd West has a solid reputation. He directs small, vibrant jewels. And you do have talent, Cate. You’ve had some really shitty runs, but that doesn’t mean you waste what you have.”
“But I don’t know anything about voice work.”
“You’ve got an amazingly fluid voice, you can act. West is a good director. If the script has any appeal for you, what have you got to lose?” Smiling, Darlie nibbled on another leaf. “Kismet.”
Cate didn’t know about kismet, but she knew a good script when she read one. And her life shifted again, with her at the wheel, when she took the role of Alice in the animated short Who Am I Anyway?
She found her place in sound booths, with headphones, in the closet she soundproofed and set up as a studio in her apartment. And in time she converted the second bedroom in a new apartment as work rolled in.
She found her place, her own Who Am I Anyway? in voice-overs for commercials, animated films and shorts, in audiobooks, in video game characters.
She found her identity, her independence.
She found her joy again.
The turn, the direction, the self-knowledge, and the years between made her a different person when she ran into Noah again.
Walking home with a market bag after a long day in the booth, she heard