Helping Hand

7 June

After a late night phone call that lasted into the wee hours, we had managed to become civil once more. Okay, so it was more than civil, there was a truce in place. There was the understanding, finally, that what I had done all had merit. I still wasn't happy with everything and, understandably, neither was he. I guess you'd say he had figured out the differences between us and it. It being business. However, there was still the irritation of his having spilled his guts to Nick. Oh, and the documentary. That, I was confident, was going to be a sore point in both arenas for a long time. That, was something I had to get over on my own. The only good to come out of it so far was that the other named producer was going on location for a week to ten days; scoping things out. Very early production prep. I have to admit, it was making me ecstatic. It would also leave Colin home and to his own devices.
Another round of meetings was not making me all that happy. I was starting to conclude that the movie business was just a repetitive series of meetings upon meetings. I'd been here three days and this was my third and, honestly, it was wearing on me already. I had two more next week, plus the shoot. That is, I had two that I knew about. More could be set up in the interim. Tonight's dinner 'date' was what would get me through today. It wasn't much, but it was something; although going out after the long days was also starting to wear on me physically. Afterwards I would have the weekend to recover. No plans unless I made them on the spur of the moment.

It was only seven when I arrived at the Radisson. I chose to allow Hilly some time with Jack before he headed off to his work and told her to not dare show her face here before nine. In fact, I was alone, save the hotel staff setting the places and getting the mornings food fare prepped for everyone. It wasn't much, but the tea, coffee and variety of cakes and biscuits kept calling my name. It had to wait as I set name cards here and there, then went back and forth, changing who was sitting with whom and then rearranging them a third time.

I was pleased with the treatment we were receiving. The Kenilworth Suite was perfect for the confab. I finally relaxed by eight-fifteen and settled down with my first cup of tea. I finished that up and went upstairs to the lobby, awaiting the arrival of.... anyone. Problem was, I couldn't sit still. I sat, I got up and sat in the chair when I'd just been on the sofa. I got up again and peeked out the window watching for anyone that looked like they belonged to us. I checked my watched and started the process all over again until I saw Hilly standing across the street waiting for the light to change and my phone rang.

Before she got inside my mood was changing from cheery to slightly perturbed. Colin was on the other end of the call, short of breath. Literally breathing hard and explaining he was going to be late as he would need time to recover and shower. He'd need at least an hour to do so, then there was the matter of time it would take to drive here. I didn't hear the end of his rationalizations. I'd heard him out of breath like that before and my heart had been dropping further and further into my stomach as he was speaking. The last thing I could rationally recall was "I'm almost finished here so..." That's when I slapped my phone shut and started digging in my pockets, for antacids, to help quell the pangs in my gut.

"Hey Di, you ready for this?"

I looked up and almost wasn't hearing what was coming out of her mouth. I knew she was speaking, but my hearing decided to shut down with the rest of my senses as my body had released too much adrenalin and unwelcome pictures were swirling around my head. I nearly fell into a chair sideways.

"You okay?"

"What?"

"I said are you okay? You look pale and, dang girl, you're sweating. It's not even hot in here."

"Colin is going to be late."

The look on her face was pure fury. I can understand her being peeved, I was as well, but she seemed to be taking it a bit too hard.

"Okay... annoying and damned inconvenient."

"It's why he's late."

Diane got up from the chair and walked purposefully across the lobby. I had to run a bit to catch up to her.

"Di, wait! What did Colin say that makes you want his death?"

She stopped short of the stairs that led down to the meeting rooms and swung around to face me. Her eyes were narrow and her voice sarcastic.

"Seems he was in the middle of saying goodbye to someone."

It took me a minute to grasp her meaning. I followed after her down the stairs and before we hit the door to the meeting, I stopped and turned her to face me.

"Diane get real. Colin would not call you in the middle of... in the middle of that."

"These days, I would put nothing past him!"

Diane turned her back to me and entered the meeting room. For now, our discussion of Colin's excuse would have to wait.

I couldn't have been less into the meeting if I had been on a conference call from the South Pole. I can honestly say I had no clue what was discussed the whole morning. Nothing was quelling the ire and I didn't write word one on my ever present tablet. It stayed in front of me, untouched, for the more than three hours I was, by my own design, required to be there. Colin decided to slink in and plant himself in the chair next to me at approximately ten-fifteen. Sooner than he had estimated, but too late for any warm greetings from me. To make matters worse, he was looking delicious, all chuffed and cheery and being cheeky with everyone. As soon as he settled in I moved my chair to the left as far as I could without sitting on Hilly's lap. She, in turn, tried to push it back the other way some and gave me that "you're being totally ridiculous," glare; which I ignored as best I could. He even tried to put his hand on my knee. I dug into the back of his hand with my nails. When he tried to rub the sole of his foot on my leg I reciprocated with a heel slam into his shin.

The closer we got to noon the harder it became. I also got lucid enough to realize my mistake in not having taken said notes. Fortunately Graham and Maggie were writing at record pace and, after all, we were recording the whole conference. As soon as Tim pronounced it was time to break, be back in two hours - which I didn't have to do - I practically ran up the two flights of stairs and found myself on a stool in Celebration; the hotels' bar. A liquid lunch would suit me today.

"Vodka and orange juice, Jatia."

"A bit early for that wouldn't you say?"

I stayed facing the bar with him standing behind me, though if I lifted my head I couldn't help but see him in the full wall mirror behind all the liquor.

"Not all of us had the chance for early morning stress relief. Some of us had to be here at the crack of dawn and deal with all the shit."

"It's not the first time and I doubt the last. You did say nine. I did apologize for my lateness and I did call ahead, though we lost our connection. I tried back."

"Can you just shut up? You're only making the 'connection' worse."

The break for lunch had come none to soon. I saw Jack standing in the lobby as I entered on my way to the bar to save Colin from Diane's wrath. I had forgotten all about him and our plans to have lunch together. I never broke my stride as I called over to my confused Jack, to wait where he was, as I entered the bar area. I had no trouble finding Colin and Diane sitting at the bar. I could tell that he was trying to get Diane to talk to him, but her back was turned away from him and she was staring off into space.

"Colin, Jack's in the lobby. Let me take care of this."

Colin looked between Diane and I and then nodded. I took his vacated seat and shooed away the bartender before he could take another step. There was no need for any more alcohol to join this discussion.

"Di, you are acting like an ass!"

That got her attention as she spun around.

"Well... thanks! He called all breathless, Hilly."

"And that's your proof that he was... um... busy?"

"What more do I need?"

"Di, think! Did you not have a very long conversation with him late last night?"

"I don't see where that has anything to do with today."

"He obviously was alone to be able to talk so late and so long."

"She could have been sleeping!"

"I doubt that very much! Think Di! What other activity would also leave one out of breath?"

She looked at me blankly.

"It's become part of Colin's morning routine?"

Again nothing!

"Oh for the love of... in the park, Di. In the park, every morning that he can, Colin goes to the park and...?"

"Jogs. Oh fuck! He runs any morning he can."

"Bingo! See, I told you were acting like an ass!"

Diane started laughing and shaking her head.

"I guess we should get something to eat?"

"Agreed, I'm famished. Oh and Jack's here as well."

The lobby was empty, save for a few hotel guests. No Jack, no Colin. Diane and I assumed they got too hungry to wait on us and went to the meeting room where lunch was being served. We were wrong!