ABSTRACT
Etta Jenks (early 30s) has come to Los Angeles with the dream of becoming a movie star. She has neveractually trained orworkedas an actress. She hashada series ofjobsincludingtwo-and-a-halfyearsasan usherette and a couple ofmonthsworkingbehinda luncheonette counter. Shehasan unconventionalfamily background: herparents werebrother and sister and shewas born outofwedlockand in incest. Etta alsohada child but sheput it up for adoption at birth.She lives in thepresent and thinks only of the future; for Etta her unusual background is merely historical fact which has no place in her new life. She is without emotions. When shearrives by train in Los Angelesshehas no place to stay and only a couple of hundred dollars in her pocket. She asks a luggage handler, Burt, who is deaf, to help herfind somewhere to stay. He takesherto thehouse ofhisblindtwin brotherShermanwhorents out rooms. After severalweeks hermoney is beginning to run out and sheis finding it much harderthan sheexpected togetwork. 'She spends hours making up. Even when there's noplacetogo. She likestolookherbest.' She hatessex but knows that she is goodat it. She seduces Burt on her firstnight in Los Angeles. In thisscene Etta is wearinga slipand as she sets her hair with hot rollers she talks toBurt.
