Final Draft: Convincing Fraternity Boys to Act

“Hello I am Elizabeth Waldeck- and I am with the Acting Warehouse Company, downtown.” I looked into the crowd, wondering why I was assigned to give a speech to 19-year-old fraternity boys on why they should act. All they want to do is drink and have fun, like I did at that age. I scanned the primacies only seeing muscular boys in khaki shorts, button up t-shirts, and baseball caps turned around. Why am I here, this makes no sense? I just kept repeating this in my nervous head. I suddenly blurted out, “ So, I am guessing you guys would all be great actors.” Then, I see a hand shoot straight up into the dead air- oh no, I thought to myself. He had a Corona Beer t-shirt shirt on, shorts and of course a baseball cap on. He shouted from the back of the room crowded room- “ Why are you giving us a speech on acting? I don’t mean to be rude- I’m just not sure why we are here.” I responded, “ That’s a good question, I don’t know why either. I was assigned to try to convince you men on why you should act. We wanted to have several people take a class at our company downtown.” He blatted out, “ Oh ok, well... you can keep going.” So, here I am standing at a podium in a black blazer, a forty-year old single mom preaching about why teenagers should act. Not a very convincing way to get boys to want to act at our company downtown. So, after a fifteen-minute speech, I had a sign up sheet go around. I had about four lonely names printed on the line. I ended the speech with a, “ Hope school goes well and we will back soon for a follow-up.” My eyes began to tear because I had a feeling of failure inside. I have always been known to convince people of something I want, even as a child. I went to my office to drop off the quota sheet and took the rest of the day off. The next morning, I got up bright and early to get into the office.
About a week had passed, before I visited Landen College again. I got up that morning and slipped on some dark jeans and a button up white blouse. I slipped on my new J-Crew ballet flat shoes on. I gulped my last sip of coffee and wishing the boys would want to sign up. I drove to the college seeing toilet paper hanging from the trees, broken beer bottles in the drive way and a few lonely t-shirts hung on the fence posts. I should have known Sunday would not be the right day to go to visit a college after a Saturday night of all day partying. Though, this is when the college office assigned me to be there. I got into the room and all of the boys were there in a line- sighing the sheet to take my acting class downtown. I was very confused at why all of a sudden the boys took an interest in the Acting Warehouse Company. This is a mystery I still do not know to this day. It just seems that the boys may have felt bad for me, seeing my big brown eye watering last time. So, from now on I tell my son to, sometimes when someone looks upset- try to make them feel better by doing an act of kindness.