Junior Year Box Set полностью

We took breakfast on a patio that overlooked the ocean. The sun was just coming up, and there was a slight breeze. I asked the waiter to suggest something, and he picked a dish called ‘fufu.’ It was plantains, bacon, onion, and garlic with mayo that made a sticky, gooey concoction. In addition to fufu, we were served eggs in pepper boats. They sliced a Cuban pepper—which I thought was the same as a poblano pepper—in half, removed the seeds and stem, and then cooked it. They then put two eggs into each and cooked them until the egg whites were firm, but the yolk was still runny, and then sprinkled some cilantro on top. It was filling.

I was told no Cuban meal is complete without a ‘cafecito,’ or Cuban coffee. Cafecito has sweet ‘crema’ floating over strong espresso coffee. Despite its name, crema had nothing to do with cream—it’s a foam made from sugar that’s been thoroughly beaten with a splash of coffee.

“It looks like a shot of coffee, not a cup,” Paul complained.

I gave it a suspicious smell and then took a tentative sip. It was like they’d compressed twelve coffees into half a cup. If it weren’t for the sweetness of the crema, I don’t know if I would have been able to drink it, being more of a tea drinker.

“It packs a punch,” I opined.

Paul took a sip.

“Wow! That’ll take some getting used to.”

“Can you imagine Cassidy after about three of these? We’d have to tie her up just to settle her down,” I said.

“I might get the caffeine shakes after just one.”

It did wake us up. I could see getting addicted to it, but Paul was right. For now, one was my limit.

◊◊◊

About the best that I could say about my haircut was my head wasn’t shaved. When I put on my bodycam glasses, I looked the part. Next, I stepped over to wardrobe, and they had me try on several different outfits for size. For today, I was dressed in black slacks, a white shirt with a tie, and a sweater.

Anita, the production assistant, came to fetch me and pushed a script into my hand.

“We had some rewrites. Laurent’s in a mood, so we need to hurry,” she warned.

We walked in on a scene with Kimberly in it.

“You move like a fucking cow. I need you to convey grace. If you keep this up, we may have to give you gum so you can chew your cud!” Laurent yelled.

Kimberly ran off the set in tears. He then turned and saw me.

“Oh, great! The studio’s golden boy has finally joined us. Get your ass over here and let’s shoot the scene,” he ordered.

I leaned over to Paul.

“Call Caryn and have her get Saul on speed dial. If I decide to kick his ass, take your time pulling me off, but don’t let me kill him.”

“Please don’t,” I heard behind me.

It was Roger Brooks, the producer. He strode onto the set and got right in Laurent’s face. While that was going on, I stepped onto the set and reread my lines. It was surprising that the part of acting I initially feared the most, learning lines, now came easily.

Caryn came onto the set with Fritz and Cassidy. Caryn walked up to Paul, and he gave her the lowdown. She had the phone to her ear, calling Saul.

What happened next was the worst morning of my life. Laurent dialed it back some, to begin with. I had a short speech. It took 96 takes, and after each one, he had a comment that wasn’t helpful. Finally, I’d had enough.

“Do you even know what you want?” I barked.

“I want someone who can act.”

“Well, I want someone who can direct, so I don’t think either one of us is going to be happy. If you would verbalize what you want, I might be able to deliver it. I’m not a mind-reader. Telling me I couldn’t act my way out of a wet paper bag isn’t helpful,” I shot back.

By now, everyone on the set was unhappy. I looked over at the producer, and he just smiled.

“I thought the third one was fine. Laurent, I suggest you move on and stop wasting everyone’s time,” Roger said and then left.

Laurent threw his clipboard on the floor and stormed off the set. I walked over to Caryn.

“This is fun. I think it went well,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

There were a few chuckles, and you could see everyone relax. Inside, I was seething. Thirty minutes later, an embarrassed Kitty Ellis came on set.

“Break for lunch,” she announced. “Be back by one.”

She pointed at Caryn and me, and we accompanied her to a conference room where Roger Brooks was seated. He was talking to someone on speakerphone.

“Hang on, Gabe. David just walked in with his manager, Caryn Buckley. Let me get them up to speed,” Roger said.

We sat down, and Roger pointed at Kitty to indicate she should sit, too.

“This morning, I came on set when Laurent was talking to Kimberly Fillmore about her acting skills. Miss Fillmore was quite upset, and I’ve asked her to file a complaint about the abuse, but she’s afraid of what Laurent might do to her career.

“Then David arrived, and Laurent abused him too. I’ve talked to Laurent, and he has walked off the set until you remove David from the film,” Roger explained.

“I will kill him!” came from the phone.

“Excuse me, but who’s on the line?” Caryn asked.