by Patricia Mar
“I honestly don’t know what to tell you right now.”
“Well, let me do the talking then,” said Tony, and he began singing the praises of his project in an attempt to engage and motivate him as well as he could. Daniel, though, wasn’t listening. He looked around at the dozens of framed movie posters, magazine articles, awards and plaques that covered the walls. They were completely full. There wasn’t a single square inch of space left.
Marc was still trying to make conversation with Tony, discussing the details of the contract and trying to wrangle an even better deal for them. Daniel was aware that he’d better listen to them, and yet he couldn’t help feeling that he should never have accepted that invitation. There must be a good reason if all he wanted was to fly back to Italy as soon as possible, right?
“We’ll be there, won’t we, Daniel?”
Marc’s voice cut through the fog that filled Daniel’s mind and brought him crashing back down to reality. He looked at the other two and couldn’t decide if they were the ones who belonged in a UFO or he was.
“Sure, of course,” he replied. What the hell was it Marc had asked him anyway?
“Great. And now that I have your word, I’ll take you for a tour. I’ll show you our studios and some of the sets that we’re most proud of. Give you a taste of some real cinema magic,” said Tony. He got to his feet and headed out of the office with the other two in tow. As they went through her office, Price waved to his secretary, who, with her flaming red lips and her glossy curly hair, looked like a cartoon from the forties.
Daniel slowed down and pulled Marc’s sleeve. “Where did I agree to go?”
Marc gave him an annoyed look. “You could have paid a bit more attention instead of sitting there with your head in the clouds,” he muttered quietly, his face now looking quite tense. “That way you would know,”
“So where is it I have to go?” Daniel asked again, impatiently.
“To the very exclusive and private party Ms Marquez is organising tomorrow evening at her place.”
“Right. Okay. I suppose we might as well, seeing as we’re already here.”
“Try and show a bit more enthusiasm and you’ll see that all this will turn out to be a big success for us,” said the agent, before accelerating to catch up with Tony.
Daniel sighed, put his hands in his pockets and followed them. He wasn’t a dead man walking just yet, but the verdict was on its way.
*
Sara was sitting on her sofa in her baggy Looney Toons hoodie with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She had put her phone on the coffee table and was now staring at it.
“Do you think you can make it ring telepathically?” Virginia teased her as she sat down next to her, a bowl of ice cream in her hands.
“If I had supernatural powers, I would teleport myself to Los Angeles right now.”
“Oh, come on, he left only two days ago…”
“I know, but I just can’t relax knowing that he is in Hollywood…”
“I get it, I would teleport myself there too, but for a different reason: to meet Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill! Do you think Daniel will introduce me to them when he becomes a famous actor?”
Sara leaned back on the sofa, switched the TV on and started flicking between channels. “Wasn’t Alessandro the object of your wildest desires?”
“I have a very big heart,” laughed Virginia as she tucked into her ice cream. “I can love more than one man at the same time! I’m not selfish!”
“And what if Daniel agrees to do it?”
“Then he’ll become even more popular and rich. God you were so lucky to meet him!”
“Come on, Virginia, I’m being serious,” replied Sara thoughtfully.
“Don’t you look at me with those doe eyes! You have nothing to act hurt about.”
“I’m not hurt, actually. I’m just worried, and a little paranoid.”
“Again? I thought you’d already been through that phase.”
“It’s different this time. I’m not thinking of buying millions of magazine and burning them for a start…”
“Ah, really? Well that’s something, I guess.”
“Yes… But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried. Wouldn’t you be worried too, if you were in my position?”
Virginia’s face grew dark. She finished her dessert and put the empty bowl down on the coffee table, just by the silent smartphone.
“Do you want me to be totally honest? Maybe, at least a little. On the other hand, you’re in love and you’re going to be married soon. I think you should start getting used to all this.”
“You’re right, and I am trying my best, but it’s hard to be so far from him. I feel stupid for worrying so much… But I’m wondering what kind of marriage it’s going to be? Will our love for each other be enough?”
“Love helps, but I doubt it’s enough. Sara, do you realise that your life is about to change completely?”
Sara sat up straight and looked at Virginia, a confused expression on her face. “I do, and I’m really scared about it. I keep repeating to myself that everything is going to be fine and that our life together will be fantastic, but…”
“You have to believe all that too, and be committed to making it happen.”
“What do you think I should do? I’m trying to accept the things I don’t like about his job and I am making a huge effort to hide the jealousy that devours me constantly. What else should I do?”
“You are used to having a very balanced and normal life: work, home and a deathly dull social life. Nothing will be like that with Daniel, you’ll have to learn to take life as it comes. You won’t be able to organise every minute of your day beforehand. Your little world will be turned upside down. On the other hand, your life will be full of passion, sex, love, luxury, fame… All things you can’t have now. So stop trying to hold on to your old life. Let go of it.”
“Are you sure you want to be an economist? I think you’d make a pretty good psychologist.”
“You’re right, I could have been a great psychologist, but the problem is that other people’s problems are just too damn boring! I have enough trouble putting up with all your dumb paranoias…”
“Thanks a lot!”
“You’re welcome. Anyway, you know I’m right.”
“Maybe.”
“Definitely!”
“Well then, my dear Eric Fromm, what are you suggesting I should do?”
“Just let yourself go! You’ll soon be Mrs Gant, and that will allow you to have a ton of new experiences. You won’t be in your bubble any more and your life won’t be anything like the life you’ve lived with him in Rome – especially when he becomes a famous Hollywood actor.”
Sara turned pale, it was as though Virginia had read her most intimate and frightening thoughts. She was absolutely right, as usual. Sara had lived out her relationship with Daniel as if it was a fairy tale, ignoring all the big decisions she would eventually have to take. She hadn’t thought much about their future together, not even when she had accepted his proposal. Part of her, though, was reluctant. She was afraid that marrying him would be the end of her, and she didn’t want to lose her independence. They had talked about buying a house more than once, but she knew that they would often be apart, and that scared her. They knew that they should talk about a lot of things but that they were putting it off for fear of ending up arguing. They both preferred pretending everything was totally fine and hiding their worries behind dreams, smiles and sex. But that wasn’t enough.
Her phone suddenly began ringing and she jumped, startled. Virginia gave her an affectionate look and left the room.
Sara took a deep breath before answering the call. “Hola amigo.”
“Hola chica, como estas?”
“Bien – and that’s all the Spanish I know!”
Daniel laughed, and all of her doubts and sadness vanished instantly. “Did you have a bad day?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, everything was just fin
e until my sister decided to psychoanalyse me. I really wouldn’t recommend trying it, it’s a pretty awful experience!”
“Ah! So what did you talk about?”
“About you, obviously. About the way my hormones go crazy whenever you’re around… The usual stuff.”
Daniel laughed again and then went quiet.
“And how are things going over there?” asked Sara, trying to compensate for his silence. “How did the interview go?”
“First of all, I want you to know that I’m missing you a lot.”
“Hmm… I sense bad news coming.”
“No, it’s true, I really miss you.”
“I miss you too, Daniel. You have no idea how much.”
“We’re getting ridiculous,” he joked. “I only left two days ago.”
“Ridiculous and cheesy… All this soppiness is almost making me sick.”
“I love you.”
“So do I. But now that we’ve cleared that up, will you tell me how your meeting with the super Hollywood producer went?”
“Argh, I feel trapped. Marc and this Tony guy won’t leave me alone. They keep making very tempting offers, taking me for tours of the studios…”
“Don’t be silly, if you don’t want to accept their proposals, you can just say no.”
“I don’t know. I’m not thrilled at the idea of being an actor, but I’m not sure that I don’t want to act either. My biggest worry is that I’ve got no background in this. People go to acting schools and study for years… They act in theatres to hone their skills. I’ve only ever been a model.”
“I can understand that,” she replied honestly. “I’d feel the same way if it were me.”
“I just don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. What if I turn out to be absolutely terrible?”
“Okay, but there’s also a chance that you might be naturally talented.”
“Whose side are you on now?” he said with a chuckle.
“Yours, of course. When is the actual audition anyway?”
“Tomorrow. There’s going to be the director, Delia Marquez, who plays the main female lead, the screenwriter, and Tony, of course.”
“Wow. Delia Marquez is a very beautiful woman.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Nah, I’m the new, improved version of the old Sara De Michele. Don’t give me any reason to be jealous, and nobody will get hurt.”
Daniel burst out laughing. “You’re totally nuts.”
“You’ve already told me that. It must be part of my irresistible charm.”
“I almost forgot. I’m going to have to go to some stupid party.”
“What party?”
“One that Delia Marquez is having at her villa in Beverly Hills. Marc and I will have to attend it.”
“Is it going to be one of those things full of Botoxed-up A-listers?”
“You’re not helping me get into the right frame of mind for going!”
“I should be your plus one,” Sara couldn’t help saying.
“You know that I would love that, too!”
“Yes…” And it’s my own fault that I’m not there, she thought. “Do you promise that you’ll tell me everything afterwards? And that you won’t drink too much?”
She’d suddenly started feeling extremely anxious. Why was she feeling that way? Was it just because her fiancé was going to a party full of famous people, including plenty of gorgeous women clad in revealing dresses made by the most prestigious designers in the world?
“Honey, you have nothing to be worried about. I would much rather spend the evening on your sofa watching old episodes of Friends and eating popcorn. Or maybe undressing you and…”
“Is this about to become an erotic phone call? Not that I wouldn’t want it to.”
“By the way, how did your friend’s hen party go? What was her name? Giada?”
“It went pretty well, I guess,” she replied. “I don’t remember much about the stripper, though. I have a sneaking suspicion they spiked my cocktail.” She didn’t remember if she had decided to tell him about it or not… Anyway, she hadn’t done anything wrong, right?
“There was a stripper?”
“Yeah, one of the Village People.”
“The Village…?”
“A guy dressed as a policeman. He had one of those fake uniforms on. He wasn’t a real policeman though, obviously, seeing as he was a stripper.” She couldn’t help laughing, as though she were still drunk from the previous evening. She realised then that she had a hangover.
“So you’re living it up, then,” he said, sounding slightly miffed.
“Who’s jealous now?” she said, teasing him with some satisfaction. “I hope you’re not afraid of the competition!”
“I am absolutely not scared of the competition, dear girl, as I’ll demonstrate to you as soon as I get back.”
“I can’t wait! I’m always ready to put my theories to the test first hand.”
Daniel burst out laughing again. “Do you still want to turn this into an erotic phone call?”
“Sure. I do – it would be part of my research, of course. I’m quite willing to sacrifice myself for the sake of science.”
They carried on chatting away happily, each enjoying the sound of the other’s voice. They joked, flirted and talked about their wedding like two people who are in love with each other and have nothing to be afraid of.
Or at least, that was what they wanted to believe.
19
Surprise Visit
A fine rain was falling on the city, causing thousands of colourful umbrellas to appear everywhere.
All the archaeological sites in Rome were soaking wet that day, which gave Sara an excuse to wear a pair of flat rubber boots instead of her usual uncomfortable high heeled shoes. She had taken some tourists to visit the Temple of Venus Genetrix and was now telling them, in her perfect English, everything she knew about it, describing the architecture of the place and it history. The people in the group seemed genuinely interested in hearing what she had to say and took millions of photos.
After she’d been talking for a while, she noticed a very familiar face in the little crowd in front of her. Sara frowned at the man she had recognised, but he smiled back at her, evidently happy that he’d managed to surprise her.
It was Giovanni. He was wearing a very tight jacket and couldn’t stop smiling. Sara tried not to allow herself to become distracted while she explained the origins of the ruins, though she couldn’t help but wondering when Daniel’s cousin would finally go away. He didn’t seem in any rush though, and appeared to be as interested in the visit as the others. She remembered that he had told her he would sneak onto one of her tours that evening at Daniel’s… But why had he actually done it?
Sara broke off with her explanations and the tourists took advantage of the break to take even more pictures of themselves in weird poses. She went over to Giovanni and noticed that it wasn’t raining any more. She closed her umbrella, saying, “Now there’s a face I wasn’t expecting to see today.”
“I did tell you that I’d be coming.”
“Oh, so can I deduce that you didn’t just happen to be walking past here by chance, then?” she asked, worried about what the answer might be.
“I certainly did not! I actually called your agency to find out where you were taking your group today. I told them that I had a message for you from your fiancé and that it was urgent.”
Sara almost let her umbrella slip out of her hand. “Has something happened to Daniel?” she asked, her heart pounding.
“Oh, no, nothing like that, don’t worry!” replied Giovanni, looking guilty. “It was just a lie I had to tell them, otherwise they wouldn’t have let me know where you were! Daniel is fine, as far as I know.”
Sara felt relieved – and furious. “That wasn’t funny, Giovanni. For your information, you almost gave me a heart attack.”
Giovanni looked sheepish. “I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to scare yo
u. I should have said that it was a lie right away. I’m sorry, really.”
“Why were you in such a rush to see me, anyway? It’s even raining today.”
“I love the rain, and it makes the city look so romantic, don’t you think?”
“So why are you here?” asked Sara again.
“You don’t need to be so suspicious! The truth is that I was bored to death. I’m out of work, my place is still being done up and I am trapped in Daniel’s chic apartment. I thought I could either slit my wrists or come on one of your tours.”
“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said, managing not to smile even though she wanted to.
Giovanni noticed that she was trying to appear annoyed on purpose and burst out laughing. “Ok, full disclosure: I sent my CV to some potential employers, then I read the news, I listened to some music and then I decided to go for a tour of the city with my friend Sara.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Come on, there’s nothing wrong with helping me spend a couple of relaxing hours! I’m planning to get busy very soon, but at the moment I have nothing to do and you have no idea how frustrating it is for me! I’m not used to having so much free time, I’ve always been travelling and working.”
“Ok, I’ll allow you to stay, but only because I’m sorry that you’re unemployed. But you mustn’t mess around and, most importantly, you mustn’t interrupt me for any reason, okay?”
“Are you this strict with Daniel, too?”
Sara gave him a mean look and he laughed. “I’m just kidding!” he said, taking a couple of steps backwards.
“Good boy, stay there.” The situation was so surreal that Sara could barely stop herself from smiling. Giovanni really was completely brazen – not only was he quite happy to show off his intimate parts with all the nonchalance of a porn star, he was also an expert at making her lose her cool. She turned her back on him and called the rest of the group over: the tour was about to resume.