UNDERGROUND

by Macosta

Part 2

  - Driving down an English country lane alongside green rolling hills with cows and sheep, a huge American style stretch limo couldn’t look more out of place.

  In the limo were Big Bill, Frank, Sue and the driver.

  Sue organized the British contacts that would provide the crew, the equipment, location and so on; she had the huge task to make this movie possible in the UK.

  Actors, director, script writers, all involved in this movie would be British. For Big Bill to get the rights to this movie would be an amazing coup, since so many have failed to convince the author to sell the book rights for a movie, it would certainly put the Big Man back in business and be the toast of Hollywood.

  There were only two big hurdles to overcome; one was to convince the medical chief at the mental institution where the books author was being kept, to sign a release order and the other hurdle, to convince the author’s mother who was her son’s legal guardian to sell the books rights for a movie. They were on their way to tackle the second hurdle first.

  It sure was a tough undertaking, but Big Bill had an advantage over all the others, he had Frank. Frank was his hidden weapon, the one that would make it all happen. Frank had written so many letters to the doctor and authors mother that he had managed to build a close and genuine rapport with them.

  Frank was the friend, the avid fan, the one that took time out to hand write all those letters of support and advice, he genuinely felt for the pain and suffering of those who cared for the author.

  Frank was obsessed with this book and the fact that all the other studios tried to make the movie made him more passionate, as if it was a story that needed to be told.

  So, on the way to see the sweet old lady we arrive at what you could call the quintessential English village. It was an old little rural community in the Lake District with no more than 100 or so houses, it had a small church, a pup and a small shop that was also the post office, the village itself went back over 500 years and was steeped in history, its narrow streets and picturesque cottages were like something of a postcard.

  Driving in to a heaven of tranquility the giant black limo is so long, that it can’t turn on the first curve leading into the centre of the village. The driver with chauffeur cap and all, tries to maneuver the giant beast of a car several times back and forward around the bend to the amusement and entertainment of a small crowd that gathered at the scene.

  Sue: “This is becoming a bit embarrassing. I say we get off and walk to Ms. Douglas, it can’t be far.”

  Big Bill: “How do we find her?”

  Sue: “Small place like this? They all know each other, she probably knows we’re here, she’ll be finding us.”

  Frank: “Excuse me Sir. Would you by any chance know where we could find Ms. Douglas? (Frank takes the initiative and approaches an old onlooker with a walking stick)”

  Old Man: “Douglas you said? That must be the Major. There’s only one Douglas around here. But he died years ago! Years.( Major-General Douglas was well know at the village he been in the army all his Live and retired to the village with his wife)”

  Frank: “Yes I know, But its Ms. Douglas I’m after. (from corresponding with the books author Ms. Douglas, Frank already knew she was the widow of an ex British army officer)”

  Old Man: “Fine man the Major. We was my friend you know! I remember all his army adventures in India and Africa. Fine Man. (the old man with his walking stick didn’t seem very sharp, old age was having its effect on him)”

  Big Bill: “The wife. Did he have a wife? (Suddenly an old woman steps in)”

  Old woman: “Ms. Douglas? She lives just over there. (The old woman points to a nearby cottage)”

  Wobbling with his walking stick the old man approaches the driver in the driver’s seat and asks.

  Old Man: “Do you have a hen party in there? (The crowd breaks into laughter Frank, Big Bill and Sue look on embarrassed)”

  At the nearby cottage Ms Douglas came to the Door. A petite old lady in her late seventies, white hair and wrinkled face she still had a certain sparkle in her eyes, she had a bubbly personality, she wasn’t like your average old pensioner, moaning and always tired complaining about Life, she was agile, sharp, full of energy little old Dear.

  Ms Douglas: “Oh, hello how punctual, please come in.”

  Big Bill: “Thank you ma’am (Big Bill replies after a firm hand shake, as if he wanted to her to know he was the person in charge. They are now in the house and Ms Douglas says looking at Frank)”

  Ms Douglas: “You must be Frank. How nice to finally meet you. Thank you for all your letters. How strange, it’s like if I already knew you. Have a seat I get the tea ready. (She takes them to the sitting room and walks off to the kitchen) It will only take a minute… (Still talking her voice fading in the distance as she leaves the room)”

  The sitting room was what you would expect in an old cottage. Full of old but quality furniture, the walls with flower patterns wallpaper from top to bottom it was a room stuck in time. There was a flowery theme through the room even the sofa and cushions had flower motifs, on every corner was a vase with dried flowers and more vases with dried flowers doted around the room. To one side was an antique wall desk, made of solid dark wood with intricate carved legs. The desk top was covered with different size frames, the more recent pictures at the front and the oldest, in black and white at the back.

  She putts the tray on the coffee table, Frank, Big Bill in the middle and Sue all sit on a long sofa. Across Ms. Douglas sips her tea smiles at the three.

  Big Bill: “What a nice house you have here Ms. Douglas, (it was either that or, what a nice weather we have today. Big Bill has a briefcase by his feat) someone in the village mentioned your late husband was an army man.”

  Ms Douglas: “Oh yes my late husband was in India with the British army, I have some great memories, what a wonderful country India! So exotic, so diverse.

  I spent my best years with James in India.”

  Big Bill: “I say. You must be so proud to have a famous writer as a son? Oxford educated and all. Was there a particular reason why he decided to work in the Underground?(Frank and Sue look at Big Bill seating in between them, wanting to say something, as if this was a delicate subject)”

  Ms Douglas: “He was always a good boy when he was a child, why he decided to leave his teaching job and work there was a surprise to all. He told us he was happy and that’s what mattered to us. The book actually took years to complete, it wasn’t a case of locking oneself up in a cabin and hammer it out. The book was a project for him. Maybe working in the Underground gave him inspiration.”

  Big Bill:”Sure sounds like an interesting character. As you already know we will be meeting him tomorrow and that’s why we’re( Big Bill wanted to move the meeting forward sitting around drinking tea and exchanging pleasantries wasn’t his style, he was a whiskey drinker and a straight to the point kind of guy) I’m going straight to the point here Ms. Douglas.”

  Ms Douglas: “Please do!” (The feeling to move on was obviously mutual)

  Big Bill: As you know we want to adapt your son’s book into the script for a film. As you are his legal guardian and due to his present, er, state of mind, we need your signature on a couple of documents.(Big Bill takes out a pile of documents from his brief case and holds them in his lap) We have a generous offer for you Ms Douglas, all we need is your signature and we will take it from there, we meeting with your son tomorrow and Dr Patel at the mental Hospital. The amount we are offering you is on the first page. I have in this envelope a small advance on the payment.( Big Bill takes a brown envelope from his jacket pocket. Frank and Sue look on embarrassed with the whole approach)”

  After a quick look at each page Ms. Douglas calmly replies.

  Ms Douglas: “Bill. You a straight to the point Man and I’m doing the same now! First you will have to increase this offer 10 fold. 2nd we have to negotiate the fees for any sequel. 3rd royalties, 4th… (Big Bill jaw drops
)”

  Ms Douglas sure caught everyone by surprise, the points and list of demands were endless and she showed remarkable knowledge of movie production and contractual matters, we all listened to her continual foray into how this movie would go ahead, it certainly would be no steal for Big Bill, she knew exactly what this book would be worth for a movie and she wasn’t selling it cheap.

  As the conversation went on and although Frank was on the opposite camp, or be it on the Hollywood side working for Big Bill, he felt that he wasn’t part of the cheeky attempt to get this movie on the cheap and underpay Ms Douglas that turned out to be a shrewd negotiator.

  Slowly getting up Frank makes his way to the old wall desk and cant but notice how the framed pictures are in chronological order, with the more recent color pictures of the latest visits to Paris and family members and grandchildren at the front and older black and white pictures mostly from Mr. Douglas army period at the back near to the wall.

  While in the background they still rumble on about the contract, the old pictures are of colonial army days and hunting trips. A tall Mr. Douglas overshadows everyone in the pictures; one picture even has a dead tiger as if it was trophy, there are hunting expeditions on elephants in the lush jungle and hunting expeditions on mountains with a convoy of yaks used as mules with loads of boxes and bags on them.

  One of the pictures stood out from all the others. It was of Mr. Douglas and his young son Paul Douglas against a backdrop of snow caped mountains, he holds a waist high tree trunk, not too thick but quite strong and solid looking trunk. It stood out because it had some teeth marks on it as if a dog or tiger had been chewing on it, the trunk also had on the bottom other scratch marks like if a bear had inserted its claws in it.

  Big Bill: “…Reasonable? What you mean reasonable. I still have to deal with his doctor and God knows if he’s pulling out a contract as well. I need to fax this to my office in LA this has to be seen by a team of lawyers. Where do you get a contract like this?”

  Ms Douglas: “Well. Its amazing what you can find with Google these days”

  Sue: Maybe we can get back to you today Ms Douglas. We just need to find a fax machine.

  As Big Bill and Sue look at the contract, Ms Douglas gets up and joins Frank by the pictures.

  Ms Douglas: “We brought all this furniture from a farm we lived in, a few miles from here, but after George passed away, farm work was to much for me. My late husband loved telling Paul stories. He will tell a particular story of a hairy beast that terrorized the locals and how one day he would hunt down the dreadful creature.”

  Frank: “I sincerely mean this! I think we have to make this movie. I think there is a lot of your husband in Paul’s book.”

  Walking out in the street the trio sure had to regroup and think of a plan B.

  Big Bill: “Why the hell didn’t we talk money with her before we came here?”

  Frank: “We lucky we got here at all. She turned everyone else away.”

  Sue: “That’s right. Many people have tried.”

  Big Bill: 2Look there’s a pub there. I need a drink.”

  They walk into an old style English pub, the ceiling so dark you could almost see the years of layers of smoke on it.

  A middle aged chap is behind the bar and greets them cheerfully.

  Bar Man: “Any luck with Ms. Douglas?”

  Big Bill: “How do you know we need luck with Ms. Douglas?”

  Bar Man: I’m the postman. I deliver a letter a week from a Frank in LA. How’s the negotiations going on?”

  Big Bill: “And just how do you know abut that? “

  Bar Man: “I have a fax machine at the back, Ms. Douglas uses it sometimes, I only know its some sort of contract, that’s all. What can I get you, gentleman and lovely Lady?”

  Big Bill makes a call to the office, and then asks to use the fax machine, it will take a few hours for the lawyers in LA to go over the contract, they stay at the pub and wait.

  At a near buy table is the old man with the walking stick. He looks at Frank and says.

  Old man: “The Major was my friend you know! I remember every story he told me, word by word.”

  Bar Man: “Yeah, the Major sure had some tales to tell. We would fill this pub up when he told us one of his adventures. He had a captive audience people used to come from other villages, his son would listen in as well. No wonder he’s such a good writer.”

  Frank: “What was his most popular story (Big Bill and Sue listen since there was nothing else to do until the lawyers replied back from LA)”

  Old man: “Many years ago when the young Major was but a Private in the army, a terrible man eating snow leopard would terrorize the farmers of a small village in…”( the old man goes on for almost an hour, telling the heroic story of how the Major single handed killed the ferocious giant snow leopard and became the hero of an entire region in the Himalayas)

  Once the lawyers got back to Big Bill they went back to Ms. Douglas home and exchanged contracts.

  They were on their way back to London and the next day off for the second hurdle. Hoping for it to be an easier affair… or would it?