That night, Mum, Richard, Mary Anne and I sat around the kitchen table eating Chinese food for dinner. All through the meal, I tried to tell them about the modeling, but I couldn't get a word in, as Richard was explaining about some meeting he'd been in that day.

'…yes, it was quite productive. So, how was everyone else's day?' He asked. Mary shot me a Look. This was my chance.

'Um…Well, you know how I went to the mall with Stacey and Claudia today?' I asked, looking at my plate.

'Did you have fun?' Mum asked.

'Yeah. Anyway, while we were in this store, a guy came up to me and asked if I'd like to be a model. I think I'd like to give it a go,' I said in a rush. I flicked the business card Rufus gave me across the table, and dared to look up.

Mum and Richard both looked quite surprised, but neither of them said anything. They just looked at the card.

'The Artistic Modeling Company,' Mum said. 'I've heard of them. What exactly did he say, Dawn?'

'That if I wanted to give a go have one of my parents call him,' I replied. 'Please! I really want to do this!'

'We'll think about,' Mum said, and put the card on the pin-up board next to the fridge.

'You're actually considering letting her do this?' Richard cried.

'Yes,'

'But she's too young! She's only thirteen,' Richard pointed out.

'She'll be fourteen next month,' Mary Anne said.

'Dawn, Mary Anne, please go and do your homework. Richard and I will discuss this while we clean up the kitchen.' Mum started putting dishes in the sink, and, Richard, bewildered that Mum was voluntarily cleaning up, turned on the tap and started rinsing the dishes.

Mary Anne and I went up to our rooms.

Around nine o clock, nearly three hours later, Mum came up to my room.

'Dawn,' she said, 'Can I please talk to you for a minute?' I nodded, and Mum sat down on my bed. I was sitting at my desk, but I turned to face her.

'Dawn, I rang Rufus. He seems very nice, and they have studios located in Stamford, California and Texas,'

'CALIFORNIA?' I shrieked. 'Perfect! I can visit Dad and Jeff while I'm shooting up there!'

'Dawn! Calm down. I haven't said yes yet. Now, you'll need to get some head shots done, which costs over $500,' Mum said, sighing.

'But I'll earn that back on my first job!' I protested.

'That's what Rufus said. But, Dawn, I'll support you if this is really what you want to do, but you need to think about this carefully. Do you want to be a model?'

I thought for all of ten seconds. 'Yes,' I said firmly. 'I really want to give it a go.'

'Ok, then. I'll ring the place tomorrow and book you in for some head shots.' Mum left the room, and went back downstairs. I was ecstatic. I ran down the hall to Mary Anne's room, and struck a pose in her doorway.

'They said yes?' She cried.

'Move over, Elle McPherson. It's time for Dawn Schafer to take the world by storm!'