“Yes,” Kitty admitted.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but Kitty directed a few of my scenes. I think she could finish this if we all helped her. Personally, I don’t want to walk away from this movie. I think it has a chance of being great,” I admitted.
This was a better movie than either
My comments didn’t stop the bitching, but the tone changed, and people started to talk themselves around to finishing the movie. Kitty’s eyes locked with mine, and she gave me a warm smile. Bob had begun saying they probably wouldn’t need to bring in another director if Kitty took over. This could be a real opportunity for her.
◊◊◊
I couldn’t listen to everyone talk about what would happen with the movie for very long. What we needed was Judge Mom. She had a rule that you could talk as long as you didn’t start to repeat yourself. I’d thought if I repeated a point over and over again, she would see that my brother, Greg, was really wrong, and I would win my court case. There was no point in listening here because the decision wasn’t ours to make. I was sure Bob would make a good case for us because this was his first movie, or so he said.
When I came out of the never-ending meeting, we all went to my suite. I called Caryn back, and she said that Saul told her I was guaranteed some money, but the bulk would be paid when the film hit theaters.
“So, what do you guys want to do today?” I asked.
“In the lobby, they had flyers for vintage car tours. They have old convertibles you ride around in, and the driver takes you to places of interest around Havana,” Cassidy suggested.
Everyone thought playing tourist for the day was a good idea. I’d borrowed my dad’s camera, and this sounded like the perfect opportunity to break it out. Fritz called down to the concierge and booked an afternoon outing.
The front desk called when our driver arrived. His name was Fabio, and he had a red and white 1955 Oldsmobile Starfire convertible. His English was excellent, and he knew what he was doing. He took us to Morro Castle, a fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay. We then drove to the
He then took us through Old Havana. Fabio explained that this area was colonized by Spain in 1519, and it was named
Our tour lasted a little over three hours, and we all had a good time. Cassidy even found a hat she liked, which I bought to replace the one the crocodile ate.
◊◊◊ Wednesday June 1
There was still no word on what the studio wanted to do as far as the movie was concerned. The police, on the other hand, had ruled Laurent’s death an accident, so we all got our passports back. Fritz had collected the footage of the incident that he, Paul, and I had from our bodycams. Caryn had talked to Frank and Ms. Dixon about the accident, and they’d advised that we keep it ‘just in case.’ That didn’t sound ominous at all.
My interview with Nino Suárez had aired last night in conjunction with the news of Laurent’s death. I knew this because Bob Trimble asked me to attend a press conference. The reason he gave was they’d asked for me because my Spanish was passable in the interview that had aired.
The press conference was held in one of the hotel conference rooms. When I came in, Nino introduced me to the other Cuban reporters. He pointedly did not introduce me to a reporter from Miami. I got the impression that the Cubans didn’t like the woman.
They’d set up a table with a podium. At the table, Bob was there to represent the studio along with Kitty, Roger, and myself. Bob got up and read a brief statement about the loss of Laurent Vance. When he was done, Nino stood.
“Mr. Dawson, would you mind if we asked you some questions?”
I walked them through the scene and the accident, leaving out the parts where he’d been a fool and responsible for his own death. I didn’t think it was right to express my opinion on the matter. Then the reporter from Miami got her turn.
“The Cuban community in Miami is upset about the President’s recent trip to Havana,” she said.
