The Cinema at Starlight Creek

by Alli Sinclair

  ‘I doubt you’ve changed much from the time you arrived here. You seem very down to earth.’

  ‘I like to think I am but who’s to say? This is a cutthroat business and sometimes we have to do things we’d rather not.’ She paused for a moment. ‘How long have you been here?’

  Reeves glanced sideways and took some time before replying. ‘I’ve been here long enough to realise that people like you are a breath of fresh air.’

  She waited for more, but nothing was forthcoming. ‘And?’

  ‘And?’

  Good grief. It was like extracting teeth. ‘And what is your background? Where do you come from? Have you always wanted to be an actor? What are your plans?’

  Reeves held up his hand and laughed. ‘You do like to ask questions, don’t you?’

  Smiling, she said, ‘I guess I do.’

  ‘I suspect it will take some time to answer everything. How about you accompany me for dinner this evening?’

  All this playful banter came to a screeching halt. ‘I’m not available.’

  ‘Tomorrow night?’

  ‘Sorry. I can’t.’

  ‘The next evening?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘When can we have dinner?’

  Lena stood once more, this time determined to leave. ‘We can’t. Ever.’

  * * *

  After her hasty exit from the bar, Lena caught the bus. She concentrated on the familiar scenery whizzing past—Kirk’s Car Garage, Curly’s Dime Store, Kozlowski Sports—but it became a blurred mess as she tried to hold back the tears. Though she had no idea if they were tears of frustration, disappointment, sadness or anger. Perhaps a combination of them all.

  It didn’t sit right refusing Reeves’s offer of dinner. He had been so very kind to her on a day that had turned from wonderful to horrendous in a matter of hours. But Lena couldn’t accept his invitation even though he craved company. She wasn’t ready, even if it was an innocent dinner date.

  The bus pulled up and she alighted. The doors slammed shut and a haze of pollution spewed onto the street as the bus took off. On the second floor across the road she could see her bedroom window in the apartment she shared with Yvonne. It was tiny, but it was a space she loved—her sanctuary from the craziness of the world.

  Lena looked through the windows of Roy’s Diner. The lights around the sign had a few blown bulbs yet to be replaced. Inside the diner Meryl bustled from table to table, her energy never waning, no matter how long the shift. A sudden longing for some motherly company overcame Lena and she opened the door. The bell tinkled as Lena entered and an air of warmth enveloped her.

  ‘Miss Lena Lee!’ Meryl’s smile quickly vanished and she walked over and put her hand on Lena’s shoulder. ‘Honey? What’s wrong?’

  The tears she’d managed to hold back for the past few hours now came out in a steady stream. Meryl guided Lena to a booth and sat down next to her and put her arm around Lena’s shaking body. Roy arrived a moment later with a banana milkshake, gave it to Meryl and promptly disappeared.

  Meryl put the shake in front of Lena. ‘This will help you feel better.’

  Lena’s bottom lip trembled as she tried to force the words past the lump in her throat. ‘Nothing will make me feel better. It’s horrible. Just so, so horrible.’

  ‘What is, honey?’

  The kindness in Meryl’s voice and the caring in her eyes made it worse but Lena had to get it out because if she didn’t, she feared she’d explode with the intensity of her confusion.

  ‘My role got cut today and I have nothing new coming up. Then Reeves Garrity was really nice to me.’

  ‘Someone being nice to you is horrible?’

  ‘Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know!’ She rested her forehead on the table. Meryl’s gentle touch on Lena’s back helped her shoulders relax and she took a deep breath and sat up. Her eyes stung and felt swollen, but she didn’t care. ‘I feel like every time I catch a break, something squashes it. This time, it’s the censorship board.’

  ‘All studios have that problem.’

  ‘I know. It just feels personal because my big role has been ripped away. Then Reeves Garrity asked me out for dinner.’

  ‘Oh.’ Meryl sat back. ‘I can see why that would upset you.’

  ‘Are you being sarcastic?’

  ‘Lena, I know you don’t want to hear this, but don’t you think it’s time you gave yourself a chance? If this Reeves Garrity wants to be nice to you, let him.’

  ‘I can’t.’ She nearly choked on the words.

  ‘Sweetheart, why are you punishing yourself? What happened with Charlie wasn’t your fault. He wasn’t a good person and you suffered because of it. Not all men are the same.’

  Lena bit her lip.

  ‘That’s not all, is it?’ asked Meryl.

  Shaking her head, Lena said, ‘No.’

  ‘Home?’

  ‘I miss my family so very much. I know I haven’t lived with them for over a decade but lately I’ve been thinking that my parents aren’t getting any younger and now I have nieces and nephews I’ve never even met.’ She sipped the milkshake and her nerves calmed a fraction.

  ‘You know you have a different kind of family here.’ Meryl squeezed Lena’s hand.

  ‘I do, and I love you all dearly.’

  ‘Though it’s not the same,’ said Meryl. ‘Would you ever go back?’

  Lena shook her head. ‘Sadly, no. I’m too far down this road now. And I love this work. I really can’t imagine doing anything else. No one in my family can relate to my life here and I can’t relate to their world—my old world—anymore.’

  ‘I truly believe that even though people are changed by experiences and circumstances, we are essentially the same in our heart. And you, my dear girl, have a beautiful heart, which is why Hollywood can break people like you.’

  ‘I won’t let it,’ she said, determination creeping in. ‘I’m strong.’

  ‘That you are, but you have your feet in both camps—strong but vulnerable.’

  Lena closed her eyes for a moment. ‘Why can’t I be like Jeanne Harris? She doesn’t care what people think and that gets her everywhere. We started at the studio at the same time, the same chorus line, yet …’

  ‘Would you really like to be like Jeanne?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘This is your story to write, no one else’s.’ Meryl wrapped her arms around Lena and squeezed her tight. ‘And it’s a story I love.’

  Lena rested her head on Meryl’s shoulder. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘It’s nothing. If I had a daughter, I imagine she’d be just like you. Now drink your shake before it gets warm.’

  * * *

  Lena had spent all night tossing and turning, replaying the conversation with Meryl in her head. Every so often images of Reeves Garrity crowded in on her, with his large brown eyes, dark wavy hair and kind smile. And every time, she made a concerted effort to shake him from her thoughts.

  She shuffled into the kitchenette where Yvonne sat at the table, sipping freshly brewed coffee.

  ‘Want one?’ Yvonne held up her mug. ‘There’s still some left in the pot.’

  ‘No thanks.’ Lena collapsed on the chair.

  ‘You could pack my entire wardrobe in those bags under your eyes.’

  ‘Gee, thanks. Just what I needed to hear,’ mumbled Lena.

  Yvonne reached over and grabbed Lena’s hand. ‘That’s what friends are for—to tell it like it is. How are you holding up?’

  ‘If you’re asking if I’m going to spend all day in the foetal position then no, I’m not.’

  ‘You could let yourself wallow for a while, you know,’ Yvonne said. ‘Not that I’ve ever seen you wallow.’

  ‘Wallowing is not my thing. Besides, I can’t sit around and do nothing.’

  ‘You could try.’

  They burst into laughter and Lena snorted.

  ‘Seriously, though, Lena, what are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going t
o go see Mr Cooper today.’

  ‘What?’ Coffee sprayed across the table and Yvonne wiped it up with the sleeve of her dressing gown.

  ‘I’m going to ask for a new role in another movie.’

  ‘You can’t do that! They dictate who does what and, even though you are a very talented actress, you don’t have influence like others.’

  ‘But if you don’t ask, you don’t get,’ said Lena.

  ‘No one gets anything unless Stuart Cooper says so. You are crazy to think he’d listen to anyone other than himself.’

  ‘I’m not asking to be cast in a lead, I just want to know if there are any roles that could replace the one I lost.’

  ‘Lena …’ Yvonne looked at the ceiling, like she was asking God to give her patience. ‘It’s going to come across like you’re entitled.’

  ‘Really?’ she asked, appalled. ‘That’s the last thing I want!’

  ‘You are far from the entitled divas who swan around these studios, but you just can’t go up and ask the head of the studio for a new role. It’s not the done thing.’

  ‘I know plenty of actors who have done it, though!’

  ‘Because they are men. The rules are different. The only reason women are in movies is because sex sells,’ said Yvonne.

  ‘That’s not what Breen and the Hays Code think. They spend every waking hour making sure they are saving the people from their own lustful thoughts, or ensuring they don’t become influenced to take drugs and become a floozie or a gangster.’ Lena’s voice was draped in sarcasm.

  ‘The Hays Code people can think all they like with their puritan ways, but the reality is that a beautiful woman with a curvy figure will get more men to a theatre than Gregory Peck or Clark Gable. Even if the woman is in a suit, men will pay good money to watch her sashay across the screen.’

  ‘Women have a lot more substance than a pretty face or a perfect figure,’ said Lena.

  Yvonne smiled. ‘You’re preaching to the converted. I may spend my days draping women in expensive fabrics and precious jewels but the fact Breen and his cronies can dictate how women should behave based on their archaic views does not go unnoticed.’ She threw her arms wide. ‘What are we supposed to do about it, though? Say no and end up on the street?’

  Lena got up and walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. ‘I don’t have the answers. I don’t think anyone does.’

  ‘Maybe it’s just the way of the world.’

  ‘It shouldn’t be.’

  ‘No, it shouldn’t, but if people in influential positions do nothing about it, how can anything change? It’s a battle we’ll never win, I’m afraid. We’re at the mercy of the decision makers—who are men.’

  ‘And now I need to go and convince one to give me a role in a new movie.’

  Yvonne stood and wrapped her arms around Lena. ‘You do know this outrageous scheme is likely to get you fired, right?’

  ‘That’s a chance I’m willing to take.’

  CHAPTER 9

  1994 – Starlight Creek, Queensland

  Claire exited the café, a new lightness in her step. For the past hour she’d spoken with Hattie about how an on-location shoot worked and the expected timeframe for filming. Given Nigel was currently shooting the outdoor scenes near Ashton, Claire had a little time up her sleeve to get legal to draw up a new contract, have Hattie ask her lawyer to check it out and get the final signature. At this stage nothing was set in concrete, so a dark cloud of worry still hung over Claire’s head—what if Luke Jackson talked his great-aunt out of it?

  Claire crossed the road to her car. Her phone rang loudly like it was shouting at her. She whipped it from her handbag.

  ‘Hey Phil!’

  ‘It’s Nigel. Got an answer for me yet?’

  ‘Actually, I do.’ Thank goodness.

  ‘And?’

  ‘And it’s looking pretty good. Fantastic, in fact. She’s a lovely lady and just needed to understand the importance of this production. I really like her.’

  ‘Liking her doesn’t get me access to the cinema.’

  ‘Well, it helps because now we have a rapport. She has some stipulations, which are totally understandable and very doable, but it’s nice to have her on board. I’m meeting her in an hour to go in and take some photographs then I’ll get them developed as soon as possible. I promise you won’t be disappointed.’

  ‘I hope not because World War III is about to erupt.’

  ‘Robert?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How’s Annalise?’

  ‘She’s been sent to her aunt’s in Cairns until it blows over.’

  ‘But she’s okay?’

  ‘Yes, yes, she’s totally fine. Angry with her folks but what do you expect? Tony’s been doing a good job here but it’s not the same as having you in charge. Listen, we’re not far from finishing here so your skates better be on. By the way, James has been warned about keeping his pants on.’

  ‘Easier said than done.’

  ‘Which is why you can be his minder.’

  ‘Pardon?’ She wanted to scream ‘no freaking way!’ but pushed it back down. ‘I work with locations. I have no experience with keeping actors in line.’

  ‘You’re a people person and you’re smart. Plus, he likes you but not enough to have sex with you.’

  Given that James jumped into bed with any female under thirty with a pulse, Nigel’s comment was far from complimentary. ‘I’ll have my hands full making sure Hattie’s happy and the crew follow her wishes.’

  ‘Fine, I’ll up your wage fifteen per cent.’

  ‘Uh … thanks?’ Claire hadn’t given money a thought, but she was glad Nigel had offered it anyway. She’d put that extra cash in her production fund—a bank account set up especially for making her ‘one day’ production.

  ‘So, it’s sorted. You stay in Starlight Creek and get things started. I’ll need a comprehensive ground plan, access points, etcetera. You know the drill. Right, break is over. Call me with a report asap.’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Montgomery, there’s one more thing.’

  Uh-oh. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Job well done.’

  ‘Thank you! I won’t let you—’

  The line disconnected, and Claire did a little jump for joy. Finally, she was starting to get noticed. One more step up the ladder! Then she remembered her extra responsibility—James Lloyd, Casanova extraordinaire.

  Keeping him in line would be a full-time job. She might as well give up on the idea of sleeping more than four hours a night. It would be worth it, though. Besides, she had that holiday in Bali to look forward to. All would be well in the end. Right?

  Claire shoved the phone back in her messenger bag then fumbled around for her car keys, silently cursing the stupid bag for being so full. Putting it on the bonnet, she pulled out her hairbrush, spare underwear and deodorant, notebooks, pens in an array of colours, and a small zippered bag that contained her three favourite lip glosses and one mascara. Her keys were nowhere to be found.

  ‘Where are the stupid little mo—’

  ‘What are you doing?’

  The bag slipped off the bonnet and landed with a thud on the ground. A packet of mints split open and rolled under the vehicle, while one of her notebooks tumbled out, pages flapping in the light breeze. Claire bent down to gather the wayward contents, but Luke beat her to it. They stood, and he handed over her possessions.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  ‘No problem.’ Luke studied her intently. ‘Who are you harassing today?’

  ‘I’ll have you know, harassing is not in my job description.’ Finding an indignant tone was not difficult.

  Luke raised an eyebrow.

  ‘What?’ Man, she really sounded defensive.

  ‘I hear you met with my great-aunt.’

  ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘She likes you.’

  ‘And I like her.’

  Luke rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. ‘Sh
e better be right about trusting you.’

  ‘I cross my heart a thousand times that I will keep my word and make sure it is a positive experience for your great-aunt.’

  ‘She’s not as strong as she seems. This cinema means the world to her. It’s been in our family for generations.’

  ‘What’s the family history with the cinema?’

  ‘It’s questions like this that will get her offside,’ said Luke. ‘Just do what you’ve both agreed on and don’t go asking personal questions. If you persist in questioning, you’ll lose her trust and your filming won’t happen.’

  ‘All right.’ She liked that Luke had offered some advice to help deal with his great-aunt. Maybe he wasn’t that bad. And maybe, as she and Hattie got to know each other, information about the cinema’s history would trickle out in conversation. Or not. Either way, Claire had just managed to do the next-to-impossible and source a site at the last minute. This was a defining moment in her career and she should give herself a moment to celebrate. A wide grin broke free on her lips.

  ‘You’ve got a nice smile.’ Luke’s cheeks flushed red and heat rushed across Claire’s face.

  ‘I have?’

  ‘For someone who can be so insistent you don’t have a lot of confidence in yourself, do you?’

  Had he and Hattie been talking about her?

  ‘I have confidence. I couldn’t do this job without it.’ People who lacked confidence didn’t have huge goals. And she had plenty. So why was she giving the impression that she didn’t believe in herself?

  ‘Maybe.’ He twirled his keys with his index finger. ‘That was an impressive letter.’

  ‘You read it?’

  ‘Of course. My great-aunt called soon after she discovered it. It was eloquent. Inspiring. Sincere.’

  ‘I’m glad you thought so.’ She liked the turn this conversation had taken.

  ‘It resonated with me on so many levels.’

  ‘Like?’

  Luke looked away. ‘Let’s just say I know what it’s like not to feel supported when pursuing something your heart longs for.’

  Visions of Luke’s magnificent metal sculptures appeared in her mind. Could that be what he was talking about? No, impossible. After all, his art was in the shop and seemed to be popular. Maybe there was something else …