Ealing

19 May

I was beginning to question my own sanity when Hilly reminded me that we had just seen, not too many days ago, pictures of Colin and his family in the papers taking a stroll during one of his breaks in filming... on location. Maybe I was. Maybe I'd just let my imagination get the best of me. The locale, who I was with, who I knew some of his friends were. The machinations conjured up after seeing some guy with brown hair getting out of his car, and all I could perceive was Colin. It made sense, and not, when you analyzed it. It wasn't a total explanation, but it was acceptable. And things weren't getting any better as I hung up the phone with Nick and waited for Hilly to come out of the shower. I was letting my imagination get away with me again. I was pacing. Seriously. I didn't want to lay this new twist on Hilly. She was already having a bad week, though she wasn't talking to me about it. I could tell. Even if she was trying to mask it. But she knew me too well as she came into the living area drying her hair some with a towel, took one look at me and dropped it to the floor along with her shoulders slumping.

"What now, for God's sake?"

"Did I say anything?"

"You don't have to. What is it?"

"It's nothing really Hil, just...well, Nick just phoned."

"And?"

"He said he can't make it to the office today?"

"And?"

"Well... He uh, he has to pop over to Ealing Studios. Seems the movie they're filming from his script.. "

I took in a hard breath.

"He.. they need some re-writes and he has to get over there this morning."

"Is that all?"

She picked up her towel and found a chair. She was relaxing... finally.
"We can set a new time up. We have a lot of idle time Di."

"I wasn't quite finished."

"How not quite?"

"Oh, just that he said he'd had all the stuff messengered over to an office at Ealing and he'd take a break as close to eleven as he could manage. Could we do it then and there?"

"Ealing? Where is Ealing exactly? You been there? Are the office facilities workable?"

"No, never been. I think it's northwest of here. Probably not far."

So she was pacing again. What was the big deal? We could go, get in and out in about two hours, if that?

"Hilly? Is this a big deal? Calm down. It's just a damn studio. Just another office really. In, out, done, back. Piece of cake and it gives us time to make Inigo later without having to rush so much or fight traffic."

I was seriously unhappy about this. It wasn't the fact that Nick had changed the location, it was where the location was changed to. Chalk it up to my suspicious nature and the fact that Nick and Colin were mates. It seemed too convenient and too contrived. Was it really such a stretch of the imagination that Colin had, in some way, manipulated Nick into having the meeting at Ealing? Or was it just that, my imagination? Since I refused him, how far would Colin go and what methods would he use to get to her. I was stuck with this new arrangement. There was no excuse I could come up with that would seem plausible in refusing to accommodate Nick. I had not told Diane I saw Colin at Ronan's concert, nor had I told her he came to see me. I intended to take that information to my grave. I really couldn't see what good it would do, that was all in the past. She had moved on and this new venture with Nick was getting her creative juices flowing. It had been way too long since I saw that spark in her and I was not going to let Colin snuff it out. 

"You're right - no big deal. Just hate having my plans mucked up."

"Well, okay then."

"In and out."

"That's what I said."

I was probably being overcautious anyway. I mean, what were the chances really? 

Something about these negotiations was not setting right with me. I couldn't get a handle on what it was, but it was gnawing at me. I was uncomfortable and restless at best. I felt almost trapped into the assignment and all I could concentrate on at the moment was getting out of this room. I didn't care how, I just had to; the walls were starting to close in on me.

"Hilly, Nick, I... I can't sign any of this right now. Give me a copy. I'm going for a walk. I have to clear my head and look at all this differently."

"Just where do you think you're going to walk to? You don't know this place."

"It's just a damned studio Hilly. All the halls lead somewhere and a lot of the doors lead outside. I'll find my way to wherever I need to!"

"Stay away from the studios."

I stood at the door and glared at her. I knew she was having issues, but she was treating me like I was an idiot now and it was ticking me off.

"I think I can remember to not walk in on filming."

That's when things got weird. Maybe not weird. I knew didn't I? I went down this hall, turned right, stopped, turned around and went opposite. I got to another set of halls and went that way instead of this. Went through the door to my right instead of staying straight and I ended up in a sort of atrium with a few trees, plants and a small fountain. One large oak had a circular white iron bench that felt like the right place to finally get the contract at least partially committed to my brain and see what I did or didn't like. If this place felt like I was supposed to have found it, it was still unsettling. I did my level best to get comfortable on the metal and leaned back against the tree with my knees up, pen in hand and the six pages trying to stay firm in my other as I went over the contract.

"Jeezus... Mister Britannia, Miss America. I don't think so. What the hell are they thinking? No way I'm going to be Miss America. Just plain idiotic."

I slipped past the monetary compensation. I was having no problem with that part.

"Six or twelve articles? Monthly or bi-monthly? If I only do six........"

"You always did your best thinking when you talked it out... To yourself."

I jumped. The pages went flying in six directions and I just stared at him. What else was I going to do? I didn't want to see him let alone talk to him. He wasn't even here. I mean he wasn't supposed to be here. As in the United Kingdom at large. He was supposed to be on the continent...filming and now he had invaded my space and my life and I was getting angrier by the nano-second. I specifically planned this trip for now because he wasn't going to be around.

"You're looking remarkably well, considering."

Oh, sanctimony thy name is Colin. I glared and glowered and was down right pissed as I scrunched each page into a ball as I gathered them up. I wasn't biting. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of one word from me. He hadn't given me one word in six months. What did he expect?

"Colin... leave her the fuck alone! Diane, go sign the contract."

I didn't have to be told twice. Hilly was saving me from having to kill him. I left the atrium not knowing whether she would take that initiative or not.

I was beyond livid. Frankly, I don't think there is a word that exists in all of the English language that could be used to describe how I was feeling right now. I got right up in his face. While I wanted to scream at him, I thought better of it; too many ears to hear. My voice was low, but pointed and bitter. 

"You are un-fucking-believable! What did you say to Nick to get this meeting here?"

"Hilary, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Colin, this is Diane's business. How dare you interfere!"

"I am doing nothing of the sort."

"Then how? How is it that you are so conveniently in the same place as her?"

"They changed my filming schedule. It was last minute and not my decision."

Colin looked a little pale and went over to sit on the bench. He rested his elbows on his knees and was running his hands through his hair.

"Bullshit! You expect me to believe that!"

"It's the truth."

"Like you have one shred of credibility left in my opinion."

He was talking out loud, but not to me.  It was like he was trying to work something out in his head.

"I needed some air... just started walking and I ended up here."

"Next time, keep walking."

I didn't wait for his answer and left to go find Diane. All I wanted to do was get out of here and go get drunk. Seriously drunk. While I told Colin I doubted the coincidence of their encounter, a new thought was invading my rigid stance on these events. Maybe a martini, maybe several as a matter of fact, would obliterate the question running through my head. Could it be happening again?