The Last Take

by Tabitha Bree

Maybe that’s all we were ever meant to be—a catalyst for each other to get on the right path. Me, into a film career, and Adam to find his mojo. I did my job that day in the movie theater, and now it’s done. Maybe we were always meant to help each other, and then go our separate ways.

  I don’t say this often—but fate is a real bitch.

  The only thing I can try to control now is my job, and making the most out of the last week I have left. And as Joel gathers his plate and cutlery, I have an idea.

  “Hey Joel?”

  He looks across to me, wiping a napkin across his beard.

  “You’re the director for second unit, yeah?”

  He nods. “Affirmative.”

  There is only one way to go.

  “Need an extra PA?”

  32

  Adam

  The one benefit of this whole fuck up is that I can arrive to work and not want to shoot myself in the face. Gus is a professional; I don’t know why his acting career hasn’t taken off already. But don’t even get me started on the biases of Hollywood. I would snub the whole industry if I could—if I didn’t have to kiss its ass to make my living.

  Getting Damon off the set was like the last piece of the puzzle falling into place. I remember what it’s like to come to work filled with inspiration, and share it with people who want to work just as hard as I do. Working with the crew and Gus now fills me with hope of what my career might look like once this film is done.

  What my personal life will look like is another story.

  I can’t ignore what Kylie said in the side office. Ever since she insinuated Evie was a ladder-climbing mastermind, I can’t bring my guard down.

  I’m a private kind of guy, and I like to play things close to the chest. But that doesn’t mean I’m not in tune with what’s going on around me. I like to consider things carefully, gather all the information I need, and act accordingly. And I can’t help but acknowledge that what Kylie said rings true. Evie is a social butterfly amongst the crew, always chatting and being friendly with people. And there is no crime in being likeable in the hope that it might score you more jobs. It’s actually a great tactic. But Kylie doesn’t realize what she shed light on. Maybe Evie isn’t just working the crew, maybe she was manipulating me, too. After all, it’s not like Kylie knows what was going on between us. She didn’t know she was inadvertently sticking Evie in the shit.

  But I need time. Time to figure out what Evie’s deal is.

  “Okay, again from the top.”

  Unfortunately, I also have a film to direct and a producer breathing down my neck.

  “Does anyone have a sharpie? I need to mark something,” I ask.

  A few members of the crew pat their pockets, shaking their heads. Maybe she is using me to climb the ladder, but I know I can count on Evie now. She is like an extra bubbly Inspector Gadget, ready with any plausible device I might need. “Evie?”

  “Evie’s not here,” Dee says, frowning. “Don’t you know?”

  “What do you mean? Where is she?”

  “She’s working with second unit for the rest of the shoot,” Brian cuts in.

  “Oh.” Well that was… abrupt. And what am I, the last person to know?

  She just left the main crew without saying anything to me?

  “Here,” Jackson says, panting and holding out a sharpie. “I just got this from the production office.”

  “Thanks.”

  I go on with the shot, but can’t shake the feeling of Dee’s eyes on the back of me the whole time, watching me like I’m about to spontaneously combust. So Evie has left the main crew without saying anything to me. No big deal. And maybe it’s good she’s not here. Maybe a bit of space is what we need.

  Eventually we wrap for lunch, but I decide to stay back on set. I’ve been avoiding the lunch tent lately. Partly to get some extra work done, and partly to avoid seeing those big brown eyes. It’s hard enough to keep my head straight without seeing Evie’s face.

  Yes, Evie leaving the main crew is definitely a good thing.

  “You seemed surprised earlier.”

  Dee walks around the corner, finding my hiding spot.

  “Of?”

  “Don’t play dumb. Of Evie transferring to second unit.”

  I shrug. “If she’d rather be over there, I don’t have a problem with it.”

  “Oh cut the shit,” Dee snaps. “I know you’ve been freezing her out. Are you seriously still hung up on that Damon bullshit?”

  “I’m not hung up on anything, especially fucking Damon. And who said anything about freezing her out?”

  “She did.”

  A pause. So I guess they are chummy now…

  I sigh. “I’m just trying to figure a couple things out.”

  “What’s there to figure out??” Dee throws her arms out. “You like her and she likes you. What the hell are you dragging your feet for?”

  “But she may not like me for the right reasons.”

  Dee pulls a face, prompting an explanation.

  “She’s an ambitious girl,” I continue.

  “So?”

  “So, maybe her motives aren’t as pure as they seem. And before you get all up in my face, I’m not just making this up.”

  “Okay, then where are you getting this stupid idea from?”

  I stand up defiantly, putting my hands on my hips. “Kylie.”

  “Kylie?”

  Someone talks through Dee’s earpiece and she huffs, listening in for a moment and then talking into her shoulder. “I don’t know. Come to set. He’s here.”

  She looks back at me and shakes her head. “Men are so fucking dumb.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Kylie hates Evie. Why would you believe anything she has to say? And better yet, why would you believe her over Evie, the girl you’ve actually spoken to for more than five minutes?”

  She keeps shaking her head, muttering under her breath. “Kylie told you… stupid ass…”

  I bury my brow in my nose.

  Kylie hates Evie?

  While my brain tries to play catch up, Jackson appears in front of us.

  “Sorry to interrupt. The Millers just called the production office. They want to confirm their visit tomorrow?” He looks at me, puzzled.

  The Millers. I totally forgot.

  “Tell them it’s confirmed, and when they arrive, send them to the second unit sound stage. Tell Joel they have my approval.”

  Jackson disappears and Dee is again distracted by her shoulder mic. She rounds me up before she leaves, pointing a finger at my chest.

  “I have to go, but you need to sort your head out. Before it’s too late.”

  I do need to sort my head out. But what I need more is a beer. I was glad when George accepted my invitation to grab a drink after work, so I didn’t have to be that sad loser, sitting at the bar alone.

  My mind is swimming.

  I want to go with what Dee said, just forget my conversation with Kylie. But there is more going on than just that. It seems like every new turn we take, some other issue pops up, like some fucked up monster re-growing heads every time we cut one off. The need to keep us a secret, the need to stay just friends, a sleazy actor, a conniving opponent.

  Are relationships supposed to be this fucking difficult?

  “Cheers,” George says, holding his beer in the air.

  “Cheers.”

  We both take a long gulp, mine longer. I just want to take my mind off everything.

  “How are things going, George?”

  “Ahh, you know, I’m still trucking along,” he says, appraising the label on his beer.

  I nod. “And Elsa?”

  “She’s responding well to her new treatment, so that’s something.”

  “Sure.”

  “Her pain still isn’t great though, she has trouble with her hands.” He extends his fingers, then balls them into a fist. “Gets in the way of her crafts.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” I press my mouth
into a line. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”

  Surprisingly, George smiles. “I’m learning that talking about it is better than keeping it all bottled up.” He faces me. “A little birdie taught me that.”

  I frown, and take another swig of my beer, unsure if I’m meant to understand who he’s referring to.

  “It’s funny how different couples are together,” he goes on. “Me, I’m the practical one. When Els got sick the first time, I said don’t worry, we’ll sort out a treatment plan. Everything will be okay. And it was… for a while.”

  He takes another swig of beer.

  “When it came back the second time, I was straight back to the treatment plan. If it worked the first time, it would work now. And do you know what she said to me?”

  I shake my head once.

  “She said George, I want to go skinny dipping.”

  I nearly choke on my beer.

  “And we did!”

  He roars with laughter, and I try to squash the visual of a naked George frolicking in the waves.

  “She sounds like she has spirit,” I chuckle.

  “Oh, she does, in spades. She thinks we spend too much time trying to control everything, that sometimes you just need to let life take over.”

  His smile fades.

  “I know she’s only getting treatment now because I want her to.”

  I watch as he scratches at the label on the bottle. Happily married for so many years, they’d made it through thick and thin.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure?” He looks across at me.

  “How did you know you and Elsa were right for each other?”

  He laughs, the smile returning to his mouth. “That’s easy. I married my best friend.”

  “And it hasn’t been hard?”

  “Every marriage has its ups and downs.” He looks up at the beach painting on the wall, like he’s watching the waves roll in for real. “But being with Elsa is as easy as breathing. It just feels natural to be together.”

  He pulls out his phone, grinning at the screen.

  “She’s a sweet girl, isn’t she?”

  “Elsa?” I ask, bunching my eyebrows.

  “Evie.” He waves his phone in the air. “Elsa just texted saying she’s dropped around another lasagna for dinner, so I don’t need to pick something up on my way home.”

  “Evie dropped around dinner for you guys?”

  “Sure. She’s been dropping stuff off for weeks. Main meals, cookies.” He stuffs his phone in his pocket. “She’s something, isn’t she? Not many people think to do that… it’s those little things that help in tough times.”

  As George drains his bottle, I know it’s no longer a question. Evie is that girl, the sweet, considerate, bubbly girl she always seemed to be. Damon made me question it, and so did Kylie, but I saw through it… eventually. My feelings for her are based on truth. She is being real with me.

  But is it easy?

  I bring the bottle to my lips, knowing that my deliberation has to come to an end, just like this beer will. And maybe my answer is right there; maybe you shouldn’t have to deliberate in these situations. Maybe being with the right person should be natural, a choice that’s as straightforward as choosing to brush your teeth in the morning.

  I have real feelings for Evie, feelings that developed because she is genuine and quirky and amazing.

  But easy?

  It is not.

  33

  Evie

  I’ve done it. I’m officially a member of the second unit, and it feels…

  Weird.

  It’s less pressure; no principal actors, no complicated action scenes. And I don’t have to weather Adam’s cold shoulder. I can just show up, do my job, and go home. Simple. Uncomplicated.

  But it’s not the same.

  Call me crazy, but I miss Adam’s grouchy voice. The way he sarcastically snaps at people when they make a dumb mistake. I miss Brian being a creep and Dee shutting him down. I miss Jackson’s annoying ‘fun film facts’. I miss the excitement and not knowing what’s going to happen every day. But I have to stop crying about it. That’s not what being in this industry is about. It’s about being able to pay your rent doing something you love, and I can. I should be grateful.

  We’re setting up for an establishing shot of the exterior of the vet clinic. Joel glides through the shots easily. He and Adam are similar in some ways—both men of few words—but Joel has a gentle giant nature about him.

  Having a smaller crew in second unit means I get more hands-on experience. I walk next to the camera during dolly shots, making sure the cables are out of the way, help out with props. Today the clapper is sick, so I get to handle the slate. It’s sounds dumb, but I’ve always wanted a shot at this. Clapping the slate feels like a rite of passage when breaking into the film industry, no matter what your specialty is.

  I try to focus on these little novelties, rather than let my head get caught up elsewhere. The film will be over in a few days, and I’ll wish I hadn’t been sitting around pining over a guy.

  “Evie?”

  I turn around and am surprised to see Jackson in the sound stage and not with the main crew.

  “You have some visitors.”

  I look past him and the breath catches in my throat.

  “What are you doing here?” I blurt.

  “Adam said it’s fine,” Jackson continues. “They were invited.”

  He turns and walks away, leaving us alone.

  Me.

  And my parents.

  “What…? How…?”

  “This is quite the setup, isn’t it?” my dad says, brushing past my utter shock. “These buildings look even bigger inside than they do outside.”

  He looks up at the bright lights connected to the ceiling.

  “Sound stage,” I manage to speak.

  “Huh?”

  “The building, it’s called a sound stage.”

  “Ahh.” He smiles. “Very good.”

  I look at Mom, who still hasn’t made a peep. She clutches her handbag like one of the creature performers might scamper past and snatch it out of her hands.

  “Why are you here?”

  “We were invited,” she says, like I’m insinuating they would just show up out of the blue. “Your friend called us.”

  “My friend?”

  “The chap you brought over for dinner,” my dad says. “Aaron.”

  “Adam?”

  Adam invited my parents to the set?

  Why?

  “Yes, Adam. It’s not like you’ve brought any other men to meet us.” Mom does her fluttery laugh.

  “Evie, we’re going to run through the fire hydrant shot,” Joel calls.

  “Okay, I was just…” I look at my parents, wondering what to do with them, half hoping they’ll disappear as quickly as they showed up.

  “They can watch from the sides. Adam okayed it,” Joel confirms.

  Adam okayed it?

  What the heck is going on?

  I stumble over to the camera, picking up the slate as I go, and stand in position in front of the lens.

  “Twenty-five, beta, take one.”

  I clap the slate down and walk out of shot, looking over to my parents and biting the insides of my mouth. A creature performer runs into the frame, screeching and making ape-like sounds. He grabs the fire hydrant and tries to shake it, beating and swatting at it aggressively. On cue, it falls to the side, sending a spray of water into the air. The camera dollies to the side with me in front, gathering the cables as it tracks. We stop right in front of the creature performer, who stands on his bent legs, screaming triumphantly, before Joel yells. “Cut! That was perfect everyone, no need to go again. Let’s get this water cleaned up and move on.”

  We go through several more shots, and the whole time my mind is hyper aware of the pair sitting in the corner, watching… waiting…

  They probably think this is all ridiculous, playing
with cameras and fake monkeys and water explosions. I don’t know why Adam invited them—he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would force a reunion between estranged family members.

  Especially with how the last one went.

  An hour later, we’re ready to break for lunch, and I drag my feet to the chairs where my parents are sitting. I can only imagine how they’ll compare me helping people with their costumes and picking up empty water bottles to being a doctor.

  I guess I’m about to find out.

  As I approach, they stand up, my mom still clutching her handbag. “Well… I’m not sure what to say,” she says.

  “Whatever it is, you might as well be out with it.”

  “That was…” Dad looks around the sound stage. “Incredible.”

  “I know you don’t approve and you think this is all stupid, but… wait, what?”

  “It’s wonderful, Evie,” he says, holding the outside of my shoulders. “Really.”

  My mouth drops open as I look at Mom.

  “I had no idea…” she gazes into my eyes, shaking her head “… what goes on here, the people involved. It really is special.”

  “I’m sorry, I think I need to sit down.” I rub my head.

  Dad laughs. “Darling, we owe you an apology. We thought you were lost, confused… making a mistake when you walked away from medicine.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard.”

  “But we were wrong.” Mom grabs my hand. “Seeing you here today, in your element… we get it now.” She smiles. “It’s not easy to get on board when your brilliant daughter says she’s up and leaving her life for Hollywood. But your friend was right, we just had to see it.”

  “That’s why Adam invited you? So you could watch me do my job?”

  “He called a couple of weeks ago to apologize for how the dinner turned out, but said we ought to see what you’d been up to out here,” Dad says. “Organized a driver, a fancy hotel, all of it.”

  My vision goes out of focus.

  Adam orchestrated this whole thing.

  “I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to say but,” Mom wraps her arms around me. “We’re so proud of you, Evie.”

  “You’ve done great.” Dad puts his hand on my head, fuzzing the top of my hair.