Single And Rich

by Addison Jenkins

  “Your life is my life, Emily,” Bruce said. “You try to run again, you won’t have a life to wake up from.”

  I tried to push him away, as was written in the script, but he was really pinning me against the wall, his big ape-like hands on my shoulders. I was starting to feel real pain and a real sense of claustrophobia.

  All the feelings I’d felt with Jake, my crazy stalker ex-boyfriend, were coming back to me like scar tissue opening up again to reveal the wounds I’d been trying to hide.

  My breathing deepened and sped up. I was feeling a real panic attack as Morgan kept acting and maybe thought I was still acting.

  The scene then called for me to try to run out so with all my strength, I pushed Morgan off me and ran towards the door to escape the trailer. But Morgan grabbed my hand and jerked me back inside, as the scene detailed.

  He then pinned me on the couch and pretended to punch me in the face, and I just couldn’t take it. It was too real, it all felt too soon for me. Only a few days ago I had been in a car with Jake, having that same exact conversation.

  Still, the director didn’t call cut, and I couldn’t hold myself together. I started crying and Morgan didn’t stop, until I actually shouted, “Stop! Morgan! Stop! Cut!”

  Morgan didn’t, and Andy had to step in. “Cut! Stop, Morgan!” He pulled him off. “Can’t you see Jane’s crying?”

  “I thought she was acting,” Morgan muttered. “I’m so sorry, Jane, I didn’t know. I just went for it, I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Next time, try,” I said before rushing out of the trailer.

  “You’re not finished, where are you going?!” Michael shouted, barely able to talk.

  I wanted to flip him off but I held my anger in as this still was a workplace.

  ***

  I was rushing away from the film shoot with many of the crew members watching me and Stacy calling my name. Probably to dress me down like she did earlier at the airport, but I didn’t care. I needed some fresh air. I couldn’t believe I’d done that. I’d just left a scene on my first day.

  My heart rattled like a bird in a cage as I processed the thought of Michael firing me. He could do that. He could do anything. I had to say something, but I couldn’t tell them what had happened to me.

  “Jane!”

  I didn’t want to turn around but the voice sounded familiar.

  “Jane!”

  I whipped around and saw Katie running after me but behind her was Michael. He looked real pissed as all hell.

  “Jane, what happened back there?” she asked me.

  “I’ll tell you what happened back there!” Michael shouted.

  Katie was surprised and turned her head to see him. She stepped aside, knowing he wanted a word or two with me.

  “Jane, you don’t leave the set without my permission,” he said, his face blood red.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, tucking my chin into my neck as he scolded me.

  “No, don’t say sorry. Say your lines. Stand there on the set and do your fucking job,” he said. “Jesus Christ. You understand you work for me, right? I write your checks so you do what I say.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorr—”

  “What did I tell you. Don’t say sorry. Be ready next time,” he said and walked away, leaving Katie to stare at my sad face. It felt so terrible to be reprimanded like that.

  “Katie?”

  “Yeah…”

  “Where’s Henry? I need to talk to him,” I said.

  “He’s in his trailer, why?”

  “I think he could help me. I don’t have any power on this set. He does. He’s made a ton of movies,” I said to her. “I just need some advice.”

  “I don’t know if he can keep Michael off you, Jane,” she said.

  “I know, it’s okay. I just need some help. It’s all a little too much,” I said.

  “I can drive you over there.”

  I smiled, grateful for her assistance. “Would you really do that for me, Katie?”

  She smiled. “Sure, that’s my job.”

  We drove away from the set and even though I felt a little bit guilty for leaving, I felt it was within my rights.

  “Sorry about leaving like that back there,” I mentioned. “Did Andy need me for more scenes?”

  “Yeah, but that scene, he felt was good.”

  “They’re going to use that one?”

  “Most likely,” she said as she came to a bar where there was already a film crew outside setting up for the night shoot later.

  I felt a pit in my stomach. I’d beenso emotionally raw in that scene in a way I hadn’t intended to be used for the final movie, but I guess that was movie making.

  Stepping outside the bar, Katie briskly walked me to Henry’s trailer where a sign noting his name was on the front: Henry Bermejo.

  She knocked on the door.

  “One sec!” he called out from inside.

  Just hearing his name again brought goosebumps on my skin. It was an antidote for the day I’ve had so far.

  The door pushed open and there he was. Broad shoulders and the kind of arms that could carry you out of a house on fire and feed you soup when you’re sick. My kind of guy. He was speechless as much as I was, which Katie realized.

  “I guess I’ll just leave you two. If you need anything, Jane, I’ll be nearby,” Katie said as she walked away.

  We stood there looking at each other for a good long while.

  “You look different,” he said, his voice still that svelte British flavor that I could lick all day.

  “Yeah, they got me looking real beat up. Later they’re gonna add bruises.”

  “Sounds sexy,” he joked.

  “Can I come in?” I asked.

  He could sense the hurt in my voice and he opened the door for me.

  “Of course.”

  I walked into his trailer where he had a framed photo of an older woman and a girl, smiling.

  “Who’s that?” I asked.

  “My mum and my sister.”

  “They know you’re in Texas right now?”

  “They do, thanks to Google alerts. They keep up with everything, including the relationship stuff.” He smiled.

  “That’s embarrassing,” I said, looking for a place to sit.

  “Please, sit anywhere.” He gestured around the place and I plopped down on a couch. He locked the door and sat next to me, looking a little worried.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “God, what hasn’t happened.”

  ***

  I debated with myself about whether or not I should tell him what had happened, but I didn’t know if I should. He was a stranger after all. I didn’t know him, I didn’t know anything about him really, but something about him made me comfortable. Maybe it was just the calm tenor of his voice that seduced me. I was trying to think a few chess moves ahead to see what kind of benefits or trouble I could be getting down the road. Above all, I wanted to tell him about Michael and the photos but I was worried that maybe Henry might freak out and not in a good way.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked me.

  “Nothing, I’m alright,” I said, choosing to hold my feelings in rather than to open myself up. I wanted to tell him about Morgan and how he’d pushed the scene too far and made me uncomfortable, triggering all those vile memories that I had with Jake. Jesus, I was a wreck. I was a human car crash lucky to still be breathing.

  Henry tilted his head as he stared at me. “You don’t look okay.”

  “I am.” I feigned a smile.

  It was then that a knock came at the door.

  I opened the door to Katie. “The crew’s taking a break. They’re heading to the bar to relax. They sent an invite out to the both of you.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I said. I closed the door and turned to Henry. “How ‘bout we have some drinks?”

  He grinned. “Sounds lovely.” Before I left the trailer, he grabbed my hand in his. “Listen, things will be all right. They’ll work them
selves out. Okay?”

  It was reassuring to hear him say that.

  ***

  I stepped out of the trailer and headed to the bar where the film crew was beginning to set up, but mostly was just filing in for some drinks. Luckily I didn’t spot Morgan. I really didn’t want to see him right now. He was haunting my mind like a feral animal, clawing at my insides. If I saw him again, I knew I wouldn’t even be able to breathe.

  The bar was a small place that seemed like it would be ideal for lonely late night truckers and ladies of the night. It was thick with cigarette smoke and the stench of warm booze hung in the air like a spider web. It was a place well-suited for my character who was now trying to escape her boyfriend.

  As I entered I saw Michael looking for someone. Probably me. I slowly padded inside and his eyes locked on to me. I shivered a little bit, afraid of what he was going to say.

  “Listen, Jane, I’m sorry,” he said, walking over. “I kinda exploded.”

  “No, it’s okay. I understand,” I said, wanting to prematurely defuse any kind of bomb he was going to throw my way.

  “Cool,” he said, looking for something else to say. It was definitely awkward as he stood there in front of me with almost the entire bar was watching us. “I’m just gonna grab a drink. You can talk to me if you want,” he said, looking sullen.

  “Thanks,” I said, watching as he turned and walked away. I caught Katie looking me and decided to grab a table with her and some of the other crew.

  We raised our glasses and I was a bit nervous due to the fact that I would have to film a scene in about an hour but hey, this was in character. I was a method actor. Like Daniel Day Lewis or something, right?

  As I lifted a glass to my lips, I saw a woman with fiery red hair with all the confidence of an Olympian gymnast.

  She was looking around for someone and everyone was looking at her. She was a shapely woman with large hips and was quite busty in the chest area. Geez, maybe she should be the star of this movie. Clearly more people were looking at her than at my little bee stings.

  She wore a blue shirt that contrasted with her red hair. A large slit in the middle of the shirt dipped down to show off her cleavage. She started mingling with crew members. Oh, so she knew people here. She wasn’t not just some random sexy woman from the street.

  I downed the shot and it burned in my throat like acid.

  Michael was at another table with his cinematographer, going over how to light the bar for tonight’s scene, and she sat down next to him.

  Hmm, interesting. Maybe she was his real girlfriend, or just a girlfriend for hire. He didn’t seem to be too interested in her. Strange. He got up from the table and walked to the bar counter, ordering another drink.

  The woman reluctantly followed him, sitting on the bar stool besides him.

  Henry appeared at my side, catching me off-guard since I was distracted by my stare-fest at Michael and his new girl.

  “…You seem like your head’s off in four corners of the world,” he said.

  “Y’know…” I scratched my head, trying to keep my eyes both Henry and Michael with his new busty friend. “It’s so crazy today. We’re out here in the desert, trying to make a movie. Just last week I was in Maine. That place is the size of a quarter compared to here.”

  “Well I hope you’re enjoying this. Not everyone can get this opportunity.”

  He smiled at me and it created a warm feeling in my chest.

  “Did you rehearse for tonight?” Henry asked me.

  “Yeah, I just had some questions,” I said. “Like how do you fight the nervousness when a camera’s on you?”

  “You take a deep breath, you stay calm, and act as if the camera is just another person in the room. Don’t be afraid of it. It can’t judge you, it’s just a piece of tech.

  “But people will judge me,” I said.

  “People will always judge you,” he confirmed. “You have to be confident. Live your life, not the life others want for you.’

  It made me feel good that he said that. Seriously. People don’t know how hard it is to live sometimes. How easy failure is and how difficult success.

  “That’s true,” I said before being cut off by phone buzzing in my purse. Michael. Talk to me he wrote.

  Strange, I looked up to the bar counter and he was gone. Him and the red-haired woman. I didn’t text him back. I wasn’t sure what to say. We had already talked. Maybe he wanted me to bail him out of some vapid conversation he was having with the new girl.

  “You look like you’re thinking about something pretty deeply over there, Jane.” Henry smirked.

  “Huh?” I turned my head, pulling myself out of thinking about Michael.

  “Jane, you know, I want you to know you can tell me anything. We’re actors, we’re playing characters that are supposed to be very open and comfortable with each other,” he said. “I just want you to be comfortable. Safe. Feeling good, y’know.”

  I was taken back, completely surprised that he would reach out to me like this.

  “Jane.”

  I turned around, recognizing that voice. Michael stood behind me with the redhead off at his side.

  He looked upset. Not happy. Something was going on.

  “What?” I asked him.

  “What are you doing?” he asked me.

  “I was with Henry. we were going over our scenes.” I lied.

  “Get ready, we’re filming in five,” Michael ordered. He turned away and the girl followed him, leaving me with more questions about her. I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me or what. I wanted to know what my chances were of staying on this film. Last thing I needed was to get fired and given a cheap plane ticket back to Camden, Maine.

  No time. I needed to get fixed up for the character, hair and all.

  I nodded to Henry that I would be back. His makeup assistant came to him as he took a drink straight from the tequila bottle as she touched him up, making his cheekbones pop.

  It had been a long day for everyone.

  Once my makeup and hair were done, I headed back inside the bar for filming. The bar was littered with a few extras, drinking or playing pool. They all matched the seedy decor of the bar. Greasy and smoky.

  I sat down at the counter of the bar as Michael called. “Action!”

  My head was a jumbled mess like a bag of broken glass. I couldn’t act. I couldn’t think. Michael with another girl. I thought I was the only one. Is that what the text had referred to? Was I getting burned? I took a deep breath. I needed to stay calm and use this pain, put it into the character. That’s what Henry would’ve done. That’s surely what my mom would’ve done.

  I followed the script and drank what tasted like real alcohol. I’d been assured by Michael that it was, in fact, apple juice but at this point I wasn’t exactly inclined to trust him. The camera pushed in on me as I swilled down a few more shots. The bartender kept pouring and I kept drinking.

  It was then that the doors opened and in came Henry in my periphery. I perked up, my confidence levels rising.

  He sat next to me, fully in character, looking like the coolest guy in the room, just oozing with sex appeal. This was the part where I pretended not to notice him but I totally did.

  “One whiskey,” he said to the bartender. A shot glass was filled with probably the same stuff I was drinking.

  “What are you drinking for?” Henry asked me.

  I turned my head to him, revealing the bruises that Tina had put on my face.

  Henry winced.

  “I know this place ain’t exactly a therapy clinic, but can I ask what happened?” he asked.

  “Bad boyfriend.”

  “How long?” he asked.

  “How long together?”

  “How long was he abusive?” Henry clarified.

  “Six years of beatings, seven years together,” I said and drank down another shot. It was the amount of time I’d been with Jake. The fiction was bleeding into my real life. What a strange coin
cidence.

  “You’re very pretty,” he said.

  I scoffed.

  “Really, no bruise could hide a face like that,” he said. “What’s your name? Mine’s Donny.”

  “Emily.”

  “What do you do, Emily?” he asked me. I could see Michael behind the camera, listening intently, watching me through his camera like it was an extra appendage. He had certainly calmed down quite a bit.

  “Right now I’m doing nothing. I’m just surviving,” I said. This scene was the moment in the script where I’d really connected to my character. It was like we were twins separated at birth.

  “So what do you want with me?” I asked, putting another empty glass on the bar.

  “I want to help you,” Henry said, acting flawlessly.

  I wanted to be helped. I wanted him to pick me up and save me, if only it were that easy. Save Jane and Emily, Henry. We both need your help.

  The warmth of his soul was reaching deep into me. Maybe it was all an act, or maybe he was really kind.

  “You just come to strange bars in the middle of nowhere looking for girls? How can I be sure you’re not gonna bury me in the desert?” I continued.

  “Cut!” Michael shouted. “That was good, maybe a little too good.”

  Well it seems like it’s working,” I said, looking to assistant director, Andy, for approval.

  “It was, um, great. It really was,” he said.

  Yay! That made me so happy. I thought it was a great scene and that me and Henry had really worked well together. Michael seemed to have calmed down and I got the sense that the film was going to be all right. With luck and hope, we would all survive just like Emily.

  ***

  Henry and I talked for a bit outside. I licked my dry lips as my heart swelled to twice its size looking at him. I definitely had some feelings brewing for him in that ol’ heart of mine. Maybe it was the Texas night with all those glittering stars looking down on me. Maybe it was chemistry.

  A chubby woman walked up to Henry.

  “Henry?” she asked.

  He turned around. “Hey, Cherry.” He introduced me to her. “This is my assistant, Cherry, and Cherry you obviously know this is Jane.”

  I shook her hand but she didn’t look like she was in the handshaking mood. She looked like she wanted to say something important, finding the best way to say it.