Most Wanted Man In The World
by Angus Shoor Caan
Description: Sometimes it doesn't matter if you lack ambition.
Josie Bradman treated his body like a temple by eating all the right foods and working out five nights per week at his cousin's gym. Not a vanity thing as such, more of an exercise in healthy living. His labouring job on the building site kept him pretty fit but he liked to train all muscle groups. Added to that, the gym was the place to meet the ladies and he had all the excuses he needed.
He shunned the pubs and clubs for health reasons, too much smoke, besides, he wasn't that much of a drinker. A couple of pints of Guinness on a weekend was his limit, he liked the taste but not enough to get involved in any kind of a session.
At twenty years of age, he was surprisingly content. Friends wanted fast cars and faster women, Josie had a driving licence but preferred to walk where possible, also, he preferred ladies who looked after themselves.
He did alright in that department, never anything serious, always able to let it go after a couple of weeks or so.
He shared his father's passion for greyhound racing. Between them they looked after and ran three dogs at the local track, with a decent strike rate to brag about for their efforts.
When his father fell ill, Josie kept up the work with the dogs on his own, running them in the morning before work and again when he got home from the gym.
His father passed away quite suddenly, one day diagnosed with cancer and dead three weeks later. Josie had no choice but to rid himself of the animals, selling the older dog to stud and the pups to another racer who had been eyeing them for a while.
The feeling of loneliness was almost overpowering at first, it was summer, the season he spent most time with his dad. Now there was a huge hole in his life. He spent more and more time at the gym, helping others to train when he had finished his own workout.
One girl, Karen Moon, a new member and a minor film star, asked him to be her personal trainer, she would pay him by the hour. Josie agreed, what the hell, he had all the time in the world and nothing to fill it.
After a couple of weeks of putting Karen through her paces, she asked him to escort her to an audition in the city. The last time she had auditioned for the same director he had given her a hard time, offering her the part for a return of favours. The girl who actually secured the role ended up in the porn industry soon afterwards, a result of the director's influence.
Josie liked Karen and said he'd look after her, strictly business though, he'd need payment for his time. They shook hands on it and made their travel arrangements for the weekend.
Karen looked stunning when he met her on the station platform, he had never laid eyes on her dressed to kill before and was mightily impressed. Usually it was gym gear, baggy shit for freedom of movement, now she looked the part and his heart missed more than the one beat.
He himself had made the effort, new blue jeans and a roll-on T-shirt which did little to disguise his powerful physique. Karen ran an eye over him and he could tell she too was impressed.
The train ride took about forty minutes and they chatted all the way, Karen admitted to being nervous earlier but she felt oddly at ease now.
There were hundreds of girls at the audition. Josie had a good look at them all and told Karen she had nothing to worry about, if it was up to him the role was hers.
A photographer busied himself taking mugshots of all the hopefuls and soon it was Karen's turn to read. Josie gave her arm a reassuring squeeze then patted her backside to send her on her way. She threw him a cheeky grin just as the photographer snapped her and went on to read the part faultlessly.
About thirty girls, including Karen, were asked to stay behind and read again after lunch, the rest were sent home.
This was to be a behind closed doors reading with the director. Josie knew Karen was a hot favourite from talking to an assistant and decided to stack the odds in her favour. Following the director to the gents, he let it be known Karen was thinking of joining a convent if she didn't get this part, now wouldn't that be a great loss to the acting profession?
Karen was number seven on the list, lucky seven. After her second reading the others were thanked and sent home, the role was hers.
She threw her arms around Josie's neck and kissed him full on the mouth, he was her lucky charm.
Over the next two weeks he trained Karen as usual, waited until she had her shower then read through the script with her in the gym's tiny office. One night Karen asked him if he had any interest in acting, the photographer at the audition had taken his photo and submitted it to an agency. The agency traced him through Karen, there was good money to be made as an extra, maybe even a bit of modelling.
With nothing to lose, Josie went along to see them, posed for a few more shots and ended up on the set with Karen. Three weeks work as an extra which mainly involved him wandering around in his swimmers got him noticed. The cast was mostly female and they were like bees round a honey pot. From that he scored an advert for television. All he had to do was spray deodorant for the cameras, easy money. His naked torso was then used to promote sun cream, a health farm and razor blades. Over the next couple of months he appeared in all the magazines, made the front cover of two and was profiled in another. Small roles in television plays, a talking part in a commercial and his face was everywhere. Scripts were landing on his doorstep from anyone who was anyone and that's when Karen, who had kept in touch, advised him to take an agent on. The three leading women's magazines ran simultaneous popularity polls worldwide, Josie topped all three. Suddenly, Josie Bradman was the most wanted man in the world.
Angus Shoor Caan is in his 50s, an ex-seaman and rail worker. Born and bred in sunny Saltcoats, he returned to Scotland after many years in England and found the time to begin writing. He is inspired by the Ayrshire coast and likes what he calls "real music". He also enjoys pool, snooker and is a big fan of rugby league side, Wigan Warriors. He has written several novels and one poetry collection and says that writing gives him "endless pleasure". His two ebooks can be viewed by clicking on the images below.
Angus tells us that all his stories on McStorytellers have been inspired by the titles of songs written by Paul Kelly, who is often described as the poet laureate of Australia.