A Fitting Response

Ella was taken for granted – but she wasn’t going to allow her dreams to be gone with the wind

Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. ’Ella muttered the famous quote under her breath. It fitted her mood perfectly.

She was tired of being at everyone’s beck and call.

Three years at drama school hadn’t prepared her for this job. Her voice coach had been amazing, her dance teacher inspiring and, despite plum roles in college productions, she had ended up working in a backstreet theatre in a provincial town, but only as a wardrobe mistress.

‘My skirt doesn’t fit…’ ‘The seams of my blouse are coming undone…’ ‘My cloak’s the wrong colour…’

Moan, moan, moan. That was all the principal actors did. Every day there was a queue at her door, demanding alterations. They strutted around like prima donnas. They hardly acknowledged her presence until they needed something. She felt about as valued as a doormat.

She felt sure that, given an opportunity, she could outshine them all. She’d been told she had the look of her all-time favourite, Vivien Leigh. Those glamorous Hollywood stars of the past were her idols. She had watched Gone with the Wind so many times she knew most of the dialogue by heart.

She dreamed of starring in a film. She could imagine walking down the red carpet in Leicester Square for the premiere. If she had her name in lights, everyone would take notice of her.