Café Boheme

7 June

Colin knew, as did I, that the lame effort to tempt him away from the toy room was just that. Because they had wasted time we had to have a quick lunch. Jack had to go back to work, Colin went back to the meeting to be our rep for what was left of the time. Hilly had to go back to her offices and later she would skip over to pick up our part of the tab with the Radisson. Me? I got to go back to the hotel but, between all of us going in different directions and my getting ready for dinner, I'd gotten a phone call I hadn't expected and didn't want. Yes, I now had another meeting, tomorrow, at Working Title, with some gentlemen that were interested in investing in our next film. No, it wasn't Ken, or anyone I knew, so said Eric. I needed to look and be sharp, dress the part and expect it to last most of the day; with a power lunch in between. Plausibly Gordon Ramsay at the Claridge or Sketch. And oh, by the way, since this was for our company and production it would be in our new office and we would cover all the expenses. So much for that helping hand. We were now on our own.

I spent two frantic hours calling Graham away from the conference and getting him to snag Maggie to help out tomorrow too. Graham would spend tonight getting the new 'office' in some semblence of order. This left me more tired than I wanted to be by the time we got to Soho. It also meant I needed to have an earlier night than I had planned. Yes, what I had in mind wasn't going to happen, at least not on this night.

We left around six to meet up with Colin at Café Boheme. We decided to take the tube and we didn't dress up too fancy. Well, I didn't. It was going to be dinner and back to the hotel for me now. We had picked tonight because Jack and Hilly were taking in a show later and well, as I said, I had designs on something else after we parted company that, I repeat, would have to wait for another day. We exited Leicester Square tube and my hand was snatched as we turned right.

"Are you nuts taking my hand in the middle of London?"

"Right, sorry, forgot myself."

"Well don't."

We did manage to walk side by side with Jack and Hilly behind us and I felt his eyes blazing into me from time to time until we reached the door to the café. Colin held the door as we all entered the standing bar, moved over to the steps and waited for a hostess. It was packed, as it had been the two other times I'd been here with Hilly. There are only two steps that lead into the main bar/dining area and you could see there wasn't a table to be had there either. I concluded we'd be in the long booth section, against the far wall, known to us as area 3. This was not a bad thing. Less people would be around to notice Colin. Then again, I doubted he would be noticed. This place was always crowded, the lighting was low and the din from all the boisterous conversations, mixed with the volume of the music, made it an ideal place to have come. It was not an establishment for wining, dining and quiet communion between lovers or friends.

The fact that two days had passed did nothing to allay Jack's fear that there'd be no encore of the last dinner we'd shared together. My attempts to convince him otherwise were feeble at best because, truly, I had doubts of my own. Our meeting yesterday was pretty much a fiasco and Diane's irrationality this morning left me with a pessimistic attitude. Colin and Diane's constant tug-of-war and Ken's lurking in the shadows were fraying my nerves. I hated to admit it, most of all to myself, but if I could have devised a plausible excuse to beg off this evening, I would have. But we had to be in Soho anyway, that's where the theater was. As we followed Colin and Diane to the café Jack draped his arm around my shoulder and tapped me on the back.

"It's starting already, Hilly."

"They can't walk hand-in-hand around here."

"I know! But I can feel the "attitude" from here."

In the end I told Jack to hold onto his temper, keep his mouth shut and I'd forgive him if he had a Crown Royal... or two. 

After stepping through the faux door leading us back towards the last vestiges of the eatery I noted two things. We'd likely be strung out along that back wall or shoved into two separate tables along the window. Neither was conducive to a fun dinner for four. As we stood there fidgeting I saw Colin's hand go into and out of his pocket. Then he shook hands with the host who immediately led us to the alcove. The alcove contained a circular table set in an almost round 'room' on the opposite wall from the street. The padded seating wrapped around the table and could fit four or five persons. It was almost like a miniature private room. The opening was only the size of a normal doorway and the chandelier that hung above the table was yellow, low and discreet. If you were on the outside of how you chose to sit, you could lean back and not be seen by other patrons. We'd, Hilly and I, never sat here before; though we had seen it occupied. Well, this was going to be cozy, but was it wise?

The host ushered us into our booth, handed us our menus and placed the wine list in the middle of the table. The way the seating had arranged itself was that Diane and I ended up in the middle with Colin and Jack flanking the two ends.

I almost didn't have to check the menu. I knew what I wanted. It was also almost impossible to discuss anything with the others anyway. The music appeared to have increased in volume and as it did, so did the voice levels of everyone in the place. The only concern I was having at all was which salad I would have tonight and did I want an appetizer. I made my decision so put the menu down next to Colin's arm and awaited the arrival of our garçon for the night. He looked over at me, I assumed, to see if I had made my choices. It would have been almost impossible to answer. I knew I'd need my voice for later if we were to have any sort of conversation in here so I just nodded my head. Then I leaned over more towards Hilly and fiddled with her menu, more to tease and annoy her, therefore, missing our waiters arrival. I thought she was teasing back, but was actually trying to get my attention. I missed Colin starting the order. His and mine and he'd gotten it all wrong. This was not going to be easy to correct. The waiter was apparently of French origin, his accent thick and his head thicker. I started waving my arms, gesturing at his tablet.

"No, no. No, that's....no."

"Is this a problem?"

I had to stand up and lean across the table and point on his paper again.

"Steak, only one."

"But the gentleman said two with wine and...."

"I understand. The gentleman got it wrong."

Colin took my elbow, I turned towards him with a wait a minute look; then turned my attentions back to Marcel.

"I would like the chicken."

"Par-don?"

"The half corn fed chicken and potatoes, and the green salad. That's all."

"With wine Madame?"

"No, just a coke tonight, thank you."

I handed him my menu, to be added to the pile we were forming, as Marcel moved on to Hilly and Jack. Colin put his hand on my arm with a look of confusion.

"Did you not want me to order for you anymore either?"

"No, I just didn't feel like steak tonight. I do eat other things from time to time."

"I see."

"Yes, well, I have to keep my girlish figure for the shoot you know."

"Is that all it is then?"

"That's all."

We sat back into comfortable on the somewhat squeaky leather of the red seating. He took my hand and gave a squeeze; holding on until our drinks arrived, followed shortly by our meals. It wasn't getting any quieter, so anything I had to say to Colin, and he me, was more than a loud whisper into each others ears. By the time we were ready for desserts my head was ringing and it became apparent that the boys had, after three glasses each, almost had too much. I don't know if it was one-upmanship or if it was just too loud to hear each other but, the voices got louder and deeper with each ones snappy and cheeky response to the other.

Despite the less than perfect ambiance for conversation and the mild skirmish between Diane and Colin regarding her meal, the evening had been progressing rather well. We all did manage, although with a lot of shouting and repetition, to have some small talk during dinner. Colin and Jack, who were in rare form as always when together, had started speculating on how easy it would be to take advantage of the crowd and noise and have a little "adult" fun in our secluded booth. They were coming up with some pretty fanciful scenarios which gave Diane and I some hearty laughing fits. We both, of course, told them they could plan all they wanted, but their fantasies would have to suffice.

"Come on Babe, be daring."

"Get real, Jack!"

"Really Diane, we could have a good shag. What do you say?"

"I say no, Colin."

Well, we all kept going back and forth, Diane and I both teasing them with a few suggestions of our own; which they were fully aware was just that, but it did fuel their fires... and you do know that fire burns. It was one of those simultaneous moments that could not have been choreographed any better. Just seconds before there was so much racket you couldn't hear yourself and the next, silence, when the waiter dropped an entire tray of food. In that split second, as the hush fell over the room, Colin shouted.

"So, do you fancy a fuck?"

All eyes turned in our direction. Everyone froze in place with forks in mid air, glasses in hand and looks of disbelief. I choked on my coffee and Diane spit out her coke. Jack, it seemed, was the only one capable of speech.

"No, Colin. That's not the line. It's, do you want to fuck?"

"Oh right. You're right. Thanks for the save Jack."

Truer words were never spoken.