In Need

I had just gotten my wig on when my phone began to ring, the number belonged to the limo company.

"Hello?" I asked, carefully applying my fake beauty mark.

"Just calling to let you know I've arrived, Ms. Opal," Barney, the driver I always requested. I'd gotten to know him over the last year and a half outside of work, I'd had dinner with him and his wife on multiple occasions, but when it came to work, Barney tried to remain as professional as possible.

"Thank you, Barney," I said, "I won't keep you waiting too long, I've just got to get my coat on." We said goodbye and I sealed the new mark on my face, ensuring it wouldn't smudge. After a final look in the mirror and an adjustment or two, I turned the light in the bathroom off and headed to the front hall closet where my coat and scarf were waiting for me. I pulled the sheer scarf over my wig, just like she would have and put my sunglasses on, despite it being dark outside.

Outside on the street, Barney was waiting for me so he could open the door of the limo. I greeted him with a hug before slipping into the black town car. As we drove across town, we spoke about his wife and daughters before the conversation turned to the event for tonight.

"It's a birthday party," I said as we passed by Central Park.

"Anyone famous?" He asked, glancing back at me in the mirror.

"He's an actor," I answered, "Sean Flannery."

"Never hearda 'im," Barney responded, "We're just about there, Ms. Opal." I nodded and closed my eyes, preparing myself to get into character. The party was being held at The Pour House, a high end bar that celebrities often frequented and a place I'd been many times. We pulled down a back alley, to the delivery entrance, so my presence would remain a secret. Barney stopped the car and walked around to my door, he opened it and when I stepped out, I was her.

"Thank you," I said, my voice was softer and higher. Barney shut the car door and pulled open the door to the building.

"You have a goodnight, honey," Barney said, "Be careful. I'll be around, just call when you're ready."

"It will be a while," I said, her voice was coming easier now. I bid Barney farewell before finding my way to the manager's office where the oversized, fake cake was hidden. The plan was for me to pop out of the top, amidst a shower of glitter and confetti. I would step out of the back and take to the stage to sing happy birthday to Mr. Flannery; Afterwards, I would make my rounds, talking with guests and meeting people until just after midnight, then I would make my exit and head home two thousand dollars richer. I shrugged out of my coat and hung it upon the hook on the back of the oak door, my scarf followed. The gold dress I wore was a perfect replica of the dress Marilyn had donned to serenade President Kennedy on his birthday and that was the exact reason I used it for birthday parties.

I looked at the pictures decorating the large desk opposite the door, the manager was a short, plump man who looked very similar to Danny Devito. The pictures were of him with various celebrities in the bar: Bradley Cooper, Jaimie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Kardashian sisters, and finally, Me. Marilyn. Me as her. It had been another birthday party, I was wearing the same gold frock, the same blonde wig, the exact same makeup.

There was a knock at the door and I turned around in time for it to open, a woman entered. She was average height with long dark, curled hair. She wore a gorgeous black and gold sequin trimmed dress, on her feet she had classic, black peep toe Louboutin's.

"Oh wow," She said, looking me over, "You look just like her. I'm Katie," She held her hand out with her introduction. I met her in the middle of the room, my own hand extended.

"Marilyn," I offered with a smile, "It's great to be here to help you celebrate."

"Thank you again," She flattened out her dress. "Is there anything I can get you before we start?"

"No, thank you," I say, "Does your boyfriend have any idea about his party?"

"Yeah, he found out about it through a friend." She glared at the floor thinking of her ruined surprise, no doubt. A smile quickly returned to her face as she looked back to me, "But you're still a surprise."

"That's a lot of pressure on me, did you uninvite the friend?" I joke, glancing up at the clock. I was supposed to start at seven.

"If only I could have," She laughed, "They're connected at the hip. If you didn't know any better, you'd think they were real brothers or something," She shook her head, "I'm glad you made it, though. I'm real excited to see the show, myself."

"Well, I hope you both enjoy it," I say, "It's just about showtime." I gestured up to the clock which read five minutes til seven.

"Good luck Evelyn," Katie offered, then quickly covered her mouth when she saw my reaction to my name, "I mean, Marilyn." I gave her a wink before she turned to leave. After Katie exited the office, a few members of the bar staff came in to help me into the cake and wheel me out to the stage.



I popped out of the cake as planned amidst the falling glitter, surprising Sean and all of the party guests. I sang to him in a sweet and sultry voice, keeping the attention of everyone in the room on me as I swayed subtly at the mic stand. Afterwards, I met Sean and spoke with Katie a bit before mingling around with the party guests. I made my rounds, taking pictures and speaking with everyone, I had a few glasses of champagne and a small slice of cake before bidding everyone adieu. I walked out of the party at a quarter after midnight, with two thousand dollars in my purse.

As I stepped outside I called Barney to come pick me up, he let me know he was just a block away and we hung up. I pulled my coat around me tighter as a cool Autumn breeze swept up the streets, it was shaping up to already be a cold season.

"Taxi!" A voice to my left called as yet another yellow car zipped by, "Ah, fuck." I looked over to see a man I recognized from the party. He stood about 5'10 with shaggy brown hair; he wore a pinstriped shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark jeans. I noticed his lack of a coat and shivered. I watched as he tripped off the curb, he managed to stay on his feet, but had lost his sunglasses; he'd been drinking rum and cokes inside and had obviously had one too many. Barney pulled up in front of me as I thought about how many cabbies would drive past this drunk man. I racked my brain for his name.

"Excuse me," I said, still in character, He looked over at me sluggishly, "Would you like a ride?" He looked at the limo, then back to me. In that moment, his name came to me. His name was Norman.

It turned out that Norman lived just a few blocks away from me. He'd spoken to me for just a few moments once we were in the limo, asking if he could photograph me and if I'd ever done any modeling before he dozed off. We arrived in front of an original brownstone and Barney looked at me in the rearview mirror.

"You want some help?" The older man asked from the front seat.

"I think I can handle it," I said, "Do you mind waiting?" Barney shook his head no as I worked on waking Norman. I helped him out of the car and up the front steps of his home. He was handsome, sure. He had been nice to me in the party and had been conversational, but I wasn't going to sleep with him.

"S'this one," He murmured, going through his keys and picking the correct one. He fumbled to get the key in the door before finally getting it open and stumbling in. I watched as he pulled his boots off and kicked them in the corner, "You gonna come to bed with me?" I smiled and closed the door behind myself. I followed him through the house, to his bedroom where he began stripping, "What's your real name?"

"Norma Jean," I lied as he got down to his underwear. He crawled into his bed, under the covers and looked at me, waiting.

"You coming?" he murmured, pulling the blankets back on the other side of the bed. I sat down beside him.

"I don't think you're up for it," I said quietly, in my own voice, brushing some hair back from his forehead. He looked up at me with hazy blue eyes, "Sleep if off, Norman."

"Not even a kiss?" He smirked, it was obvious that his eyes were growing heavier. I smiled at him and bent down to press a kiss against his cheek, leaving a perfect red print of my lips. When I pulled back, he was sleeping.

I looked around his bedroom, it was warmly furnished and cozy. The pictures on the wall were of Norman and the same blond woman. I glanced over at him sleeping on the bed and wondered where was she tonight? On his dresser he had pictures of them in Paris. I rolled my eyes, she was holding out her left hand to the camera, showing off a large square cut diamond engagement ring. He was engaged and asked me to come to bed with him. Beside the picture was a rose gold watch with a rich, black leather strap. I looked back to check that Norman was still sleeping before taking the watch and slipping it into my coat pocket.

I walked out of his house and locked the door behind me.