screenwriter mystery

Chapter 49 Arthur【Recommendation for collection】

New York, on the bar counter.

Arthur is doing his best, doing all kinds of funny performances with extremely exaggerated expressions.

His face is haggard and sunken, with simple clown makeup painted on it, the corners of his mouth are pulled to try to put on a cheerful expression, and he tries to show the funny and exaggerated sense of the clown in every move.

Apparently, though, Arthur doesn't have much talent for comedy.

On stage, he tried his best to perform funny plays.

The guests in the bar below the stage reacted coldly.

"Hey, get off, clown!"

Putting down the wine glass in his hand, a man with a beard shouted at Arthur.

"You're wasting our time, I didn't come here to watch your clumsy show!"

The words of the bearded man obviously expressed the aspirations of many guests in the bar.

"Go down, go down!"

"Go down, woo, go down..."

They booed in unison, and Arthur was on the stage.

In the face of the guests' booing, Arthur's antics became stiff, and he tried to maintain a cheerful expression by pulling the corners of his mouth, but found that he couldn't do it at all.

"Your show time is over, Arthur!"

Noticing the reaction of the guests in the bar, the boss immediately yelled at Arthur on the stage.

"but I……"

Hearing the bar owner's voice, Arthur looked backstage with a pleading expression on his face.

He wants to continue his acting.

"No but, you get off the stage for me now."

However, without giving Arthur any explanation, the bar owner interrupted him roughly.

He waved his hand to the staff behind the stage, and accompanied by intense music, a group of scantily clad dancers waited on the stage, and began to provoke a seductive dance amidst the whistles of the guests.

But Arthur was pushed to the edge of the stage by the movements of these dancers.

It was incompatible with the frenzied atmosphere on the stage.

……

"This is the first time, Arthur."

Backstage, the boss looked at the atmosphere of laughter and laughter on the stage, turned his head to look at Arthur's skinny figure in front of him, and couldn't help saying.

"You screwed up again."

"My place is a bar, not a charity place."

"I'm very sorry."

Holding the performance props that have not been put down in his hand, Arthur begged: "Please give me another chance, I really need this job, please!"

Facing Arthur's begging, the bar owner finally stopped speaking.

He knew something about the situation of the other party's family, who was poor and took care of his sick mother.

If you lose your job in the bar, it may indeed make the other party's already miserable life even more miserable.

"..."

Thinking of this, the boss sighed.

Looking at Arthur in front of him, he said, "Okay, I'll give you one last chance, Arthur, I hope you don't screw up this time."

"I promise."

Hearing the boss's softening, Arthur nodded hastily, with an ugly smile on his haggard face.

"Perhaps you should consider another job, Arthur."

Looking at the skinny man in front of him due to long-term malnutrition, the bar owner made a rare suggestion.

"There is still a lack of a cleaner in the bar. If you want, I can give you a chance to try."

"I promised my mother that I would be a good comedian and make her laugh."

Facing the boss's proposal, Arthur fell into a long silence.

He knew very well that the current life would not last long, but thinking of his sick mother at home, he still gritted his teeth and shook his head and rejected the job proposal.

"This is the last chance Arthur, if you still can't accept the guests tomorrow, I can only ask you to leave."

Seeing that Arthur rejected his proposal, the bar owner suddenly lost his intention to continue communicating with him.

After giving the ultimatum, he turned around and went to do more important things.

Backstage, Arthur silently watched everything on stage.

He saw that the bearded guest who scolded him before was showing an excited expression to the performance on stage.

Those guests who knocked him off the stage lingered on the gaudy performance on the stage.

……

"Did you see that guy just now, his eyes have never left your body..."

"Perhaps, you should try and ask him out. I think he will be willing to spend money on you."

"I don't like that guy, he has too much beard on his face."

"Who took my costume away, I will use it tomorrow!"

"I don't know, maybe... I saw her..."

In the bar, the curtain came down with the lights.

Backstage, the performers left the dressing room in twos and threes.

Sitting in the far corner of the room, Arthur removed the clown makeup on his face in front of the broken mirror, revealing his haggard and sad face.

He took off his colorful and large performance costume, and his bony body appeared in distinct shadows under the dim light of the dressing room.

Putting on his old old-fashioned shirt, Arthur stuffed the costume into the iron cabinet in the room, and tore off the mocking stickers on the cabinet.

Bang!

Turn around and leave.

With the sound of closing the door, stickers slowly floated down in the trash can in the dressing room.

A line of distorted text was revealed.

"You're not funny at all, Joker!"

……

"I'm thinking too much, or the world is too crazy."

"You know, the environment is not good, Arthur."

"New York has always been one of the regions with the highest unemployment rate in the United States. People living here are more or less depressed. No one has a smooth life these years."

Hospital, office.

To Arthur's question, the doctor responded with standard responses.

This year, America elected an unprecedented black president.

However, the new president's appointment did not bring much change to them. After the election, life continues. The poor will not become rich because of an election, they are still poor.

"How about you, Arthur, how have you been recently? Would talking to someone help you?"

"It's still the same as before."

Facing the doctor's question, Arthur had a bitter face.

"Perhaps doctor, you should prescribe a heavier medicine for me."

Hearing Arthur's request, the doctor looked down at the medicine list in his hand.

"Arthur, you are already taking seven medicines, I think this will help you to some extent, besides, you can't afford to pay more for better medicines."

"..."

The doctor's straightforward answer undoubtedly hit Arthur's biggest dilemma.

He has no money.

He silently lowered his head, looked at his skinny hands, and said in a hoarse voice, "I just don't want to be so sad all the time."

　Thanks to Senzhong Wu for the 100 starting coins and Jun Xiaoyao for the 1500 starting coins.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)