Laura shot up in an instant when she heard the National Anthem
begin. She couldn't remember where she was for a minute. She then
blinked her eyes into focus.
That was when her memory kicked in. She was at Mr. Steele's
apartment. They had had a minor disagreement-- ok, a large misunderstanding
earlier the previous day. Laura had felt bad, so she stopped by
Remington's apartment with some Chinese food as a peace offering.
Things had been tense until Steele found something for them to
watch on TV.
Notorious was one of his absolute favorites. The twists,
turns, and McGuffin worked as a salve for his hurt ego and Cary
Grant helped Laura to forget about hers.
She wondered where Steele was now. They had both drifted off before the end of the movie. She got up from the couch and looked off to the dining room.
That is where she saw one of the most amusing sights
she had ever been witness to. Mr. Steele was sitting at the table
with his bunny slipper clad feet up on its surface. In one hand,
a pair of cold egg rolls from the night before, one half devoured.
On the table a red Silly Putty egg with its contents spread across
a color section of yesterday's paper.
"Morning Laura! Would you like something to eat? I'm
just finishing last night's delicacies," he demonstrated
by holding his egg rolls high and grinning like a small child
with a treasure, "and having a bit of fun."
He reached over and pulled up the putty and showed Laura,
"See? Dick Cavett. I love this stuff!"
Trying to keep her composure, while looking at a highly
respected man
and Mr. Steele, Laura bit her lip and tried
her best to keep a straight face.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Steele, but I have to get going,"
she almost broke out as Dick Cavett's face started drooping to
the left, "Nero needs to be fed before I go to the office.
I'll see you later," she smiled and walked out.
"Too bad no one will ever believe this," she chuckled
outside the door. She shook her head and went off to start her
day.
*Note: McGuffin is what Alfred Hitchcock called the element of the plot that held the most importance to the characters, such as the uranium in the wine bottles in Notorious, but it really had no significance to the audience other than as a reason to pull the characters together.