How Much? Is The Floor Exercise Worth?

Long before streaming services brought things privately into the home, across the strip mall parking lot, a young girl wearing dance attire hopped out, leaving the car and secured her father’s hand. “Daddy,” Frankie could hear enjoying her recreational athletic sun setting hour, “this is a recital, not competition,” the child continued clarifying allowing the adult to open the Kinder Gym Dance Studio entrance.

“I wonder if they are paying by the hour,” the well-known successful area gymnast pondered accomplishing a pocketbook cleaning mission, finding and retrieving postal envelopes.

Flipping through the mailings which were all bank issued credit cards solicitating new customers and one bill. “This is from my feminine needs health care provider, the one that tends to my private parts,” she commentated as a young gentleman, a little bit older approached, seeming to have trusted charming qualities.

“Oh, Mr. Beanstock,” Frankie stood up.

“Please, Jack,”

“That is right you plant the seeds and watch my professional financial portfolio grow,” Frankie greeted, “now Jack this new opportunity, you told me about over the phone.”

“Can we go inside where it is quieter? Do not want the future over there hearing,”

“Sure,” Frankie responded entering the meeting place taking control, holding the door.

As they found a small back table Jack started, “yesterday a European film group contacted me, requesting you to showcase your floor exercise in their latest slasher film, ‘The Para-Limbs Puzzle’, apparently a psycho pathic physician is killing off American collegiate athletes leaving a different body part as a clue.”

“Sounds original,” Frankie acted impressed.

“It is almost finished, shot mostly throughout Spain,”

“I guess they really wanted that stars and stripes setting,” Frankie independently declared.

“There is just one more thing to do and that is the lure to get everybody to watch the whole picture,”

“And I assume I am victim number one,”

“Yes, they loved seeing your routine performed on ‘The Sporting Exhibition Report’ last month and they wondered ‘if you could do your signature move?’, ‘The golden arch’,”

“I do not know why not,” Frankie proudly smiled, “my sponsor Clown Castle relished that ‘golden arch’ hot dog gimmick, they even created a Christmas themed ‘Merry Meal’, sold the fast-food promotion as ‘you can have it any way you want, cheese extra’,”

“They are more than happy to use your high school as a location,”

“Awarded my first National Champion, when we hosted the event,” Frankie paused, “after doing the arch.”

“I remember, I signed you to do the television show ‘Fake It, Make It, Oh Just Take It, It’s Yours’,”

“Ran three seasons on cable, I may add, and sometimes I get a check,”

“Oh, there is one thing I almost forgot, the routine, they want you to do it without the uniform leotard, your character at the time is alone, vulnerable, and”

“And how does she get it?”

“Decapitated,” Jack grinned, “they say they are going to market with the tagline, ‘Podium Medalists Last Bust’,”

“Market my bust? The Interlocking Rings Games Hall of Fame tried that,” Frankie informed.

“Well, did they?”

“No, lost the display to the gymnast who went on to write a soap opera theme, you know she never worked a day in her life, lives off the royalties every episode it plays she gets a check, that is around 260 to 264 times, minus the episode not shown on New Year’s Eve due to college football.”

“Well, are you in? They want to get these scenes inserted as soon as possible.”

“Let’s talk the bottom line,” Frankie changed the subject.

“At this point it looks very nice.”

“I know my bottom line is fine, but I meant payment for services rendered,”

Jack Beanstock presented her an attractive figure and it had a luring tease value enticing a twenty something gaining real world experience, “Wow,” Frankie honestly stated, “where do they think they will make a profit?”

“Video sales,”

“Hmm,” Frankie rose and stood tall, “excuse me,”

Retreating into the bathroom the youthful game player found a mirror and gave it a dramatic reflective moment, “let me get this straight the competitor’s country wants to see me do my floor exercise in my old scholastic haunt, where no one wanted to ask me to dance, perform my signature move, ‘the golden arch’, only wearing a sparkling bracelet and imitated pearl necklace.”

Repeating her adolescent days regimen, no response except an innocent internal revengeful giggle. Coming to a decision Frankie strutted a marching attitude, finding a military state of mind. “Only stipulation, I choreograph the routine.”

“I think they will agree to that,”

“Great,” she shook his hand and watched him leave.

Once Jack left the euphoria wore off and Frankie went back to being the small-town admired image. “I need the money,” she told the blank wall.

Folding arms Frankie headed outside observing dark clouds overpowering bright sunlight. Noticing a different small exhibitor leave the Kinder Gym Dance Studio holding a blue ribbon, “you see Daddy I won the recital.”

At that moment she wondered if the money-making decision hammered out inside the café was right.

Months later the movie sequence production seemed like a distant memory except for a lucrative check delivered by her dedicated letter carrier. After being deposited, all Frankie’s bills were paid fully. Unlike a gigantic premiere, no red-carpet expense, only an acknowledgement in the trade magazine stating “The Para-Limbs Puzzle” release date. Frankie braved a thunderstorm on that scheduled evening visiting the mom-and-pop video store. Heading to the just arrived shelf she searched, and the film was not on display. Walking over towards the horror section the same results.

Finally surrendering she went to the counter, “don’t you have ‘The Para-Limbs Puzzle’ film?”

“Let me check,” the clerk started typing on a keyboard, “we have three copies, and they were rented at 3:15 pm, 3:30 pm and 3:45 pm, all granted parental approval.”

“How much did you charge the young boys?” Frankie gave a glare.

Signaling to the ‘All Horror Movies $1.00’ poster the clerk referenced, “that is exactly what they will throw on the stage at the club for Gentlemen when they reach maturity.”

“But to buy it’s $20.00.” He added

“Why would anyone buy ‘The Para-Limb Puzzle’?”

“To study all your moves before the next Interlocking Rings Games,” the clerk explained taken in the natural weather elements scenic dampen blouse view presented when Frankie made a stance.

Taking the reasoning respectfully, Frankie went back into the rainstorm, finding herself drenched before opening the car door when two adolescents screamed. “That’s her, that is who is in ‘The Para-Limb Puzzle’”

“Excuse me,” the pair shouted, “can we have your autograph?”

Abruptly stopping seeing the wet shirt, Frankie realized where their eyes were fixated, “only thing your out of luck,” she said pulling out a pen, “all three copies are rented.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” one replied, “we got what we came for.”

“I do not know how much you will get for this signature,”

“It’s the thought that counts,” his friend cordially remarked.

Finally, getting dry turning the car heat on, Frankie watched the kids head over to the overhang and she started thinking, “I did not do this for the money, did I? I did it knowing someone on an ugly rainy Friday night who had a tough week and no other pleasurable outlet except seeing something beautiful ending with an airborne head flying due to a grinding chainsaw axe plot, needed a feel-good emotional moment.”