[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
140
evading the mobsters closing in on them. The church would only allow us two days to film
inside, and so we started early.
The gilded splendor of the interior was overwhelming; the intricate green and yellow
painted woodwork almost made me feel sick. It was quite gaudy compared to other, more
soberly adorned cathedrals in Europe. Massive pillars of grey and pink marble were crowned
with gold embellishments, and huge glittering crystal chandeliers hung so low you could almost
touch them. It was not a church in the sense that services were ever held there; no pews graced
the stone floor. It was, rather, a massive crypt holding the remains of much of Russia s royalty
from the past three hundred and fifty years.
The tombs themselves were of all different colors of marble, and they were surrounded
by low iron fencing. I wandered for a few minutes, reading the inscriptions. I had been here
before but it still gave me pause, reading the names like Peter and Catherine and Nicholas,
feeling the awe of the centuries weighing upon me.
The camera crews had been there since five o clock that morning, setting up. I knew
Gregor had to be in costume and make-up by seven, and I wondered if he had slept as little as I
had. When he came into the church, our eyes met for a second, and then he turned away. The
pain that crossed his face was so real that I almost gasped. I crouched in a chair, swiping
furiously at the tears which had fallen so freely for me lately. The sick feeling in the pit of my
stomach grew. I was kidding myself to think I could get through the rest of this movie having to
see him all the time.
Gregor seemed distracted, which aggravated Sheila, and Teo seemed on the verge of
losing his temper at both of them when they flubbed easy lines or forgot where to crouch and
where to run. Finally, Teo called for an early lunch break and shooed us all out of the church. I
saw him put his hand on Gregor s shoulder and take him aside as the rest of us walked out. I
could only imagine that he was back to being Dr. Carreras, and I wondered what horrible things
Gregor was going to tell him about me to excuse his poor performance this morning.
The afternoon wasn t much better, and Teo determined he was going to have to get
permission to shoot an extra day. He wrapped at around seven, told us to get a good night s
sleep, and as the crew started taking down and packing some of the equipment that couldn t be
left overnight, he said to me, Little one, a word.
141
I went over to him with a feeling of dread akin to discussing a bad report card. Yes? I
asked politely.
Teo motioned to me to sit beside him. Elise, he said, getting right to the point, today s
shooting, it was not good. Do you know why?
I tried to look innocent. No, not really.
Teo tugged his beard. Because you have broken the heart of my star! he burst out.
Do you not see how miserable he is? Do you not see how much he cares for you?
I looked around, but no one was close enough to hear, and Gregor was nowhere in sight.
I have no choice, Teo, I told him. I was skeptical about the broken heart bit; I felt that Teo,
being Latin, liked to exaggerate. I already told you why.
Teo shook his head. You are not like those others, he told me. You are& different.
How am I supposed to believe that? I burst out. If it s true, then why is he still
engaged to Clara? Why is she still here?
He is trying to break it off with her, gradually. She is- she is a difficult person. She
cares for him- well, too much! He does not want to hurt her. But he does not want to marry her,
Elise. He told you that, didn t he?
I looked down at the polished stone floor. I didn t tell you this earlier, but she also said
to me, the other night& I stopped, waited for my voice to steady, and then started again. She
said she would hate for another accident to happen, Teo. She said it just like that. I don t know
if she did those other things, and I don t know if we ll ever find out. But she s dangerous, Teo.
If she had a choice between letting him go or killing him, I think she d kill him.
Teo s eyes got very round. We can stop her, Elise. We can, you and me. We can figure
out a way to trap her&
I don t know, Teo. It doesn t matter, anyway. I m not taking that chance with him. I
love him too much& I cleared my throat. I love him too much to risk his life.
Teo shook his head. You cannot base your decision on such a premise, he said
stubbornly. Did you not see his face today, every time he looked at you? You must not let her
win, Elise. Whether or not she did this, you have to do what is right, in your heart. Not for her,
but for you. And for Mac.
I thought over his words for a minute. I don t know, I said finally.
142
Teo crooked his finger and lifted my chin for a minute. You look as miserable as he
does, he said, dropping his hand. I will not interfere any more. But Elise, think about what I
said. Follow your heart. It is all you have to guide you in this world.
I walked slowly back to the hotel. I wanted to walk, not only because it was a beautiful
evening, which it was. But I needed the fresh air, the solitude, to clear my head. I walked along
the bridge to the other side of the city, watching the water sparkle in the late evening sun,
enjoying the warmth on my face and arms after being inside the cathedral for hours. I actually
felt better than I had all day.
When I had crossed to the other side of the river, Jack came into my field of vision. He
was standing by the water, hands stuffed in his pockets, a slightly sheepish smile on his face. He
came towards me.
Thought you might be walking back, he said. Want to go through the gardens?
The Summer Gardens flanked the river, and they were truly lovely- wide stone paths
lined with statues, flowers in abundance, trees arching gracefully overhead to provide a canopy
of shade. Light dappled softly through their leaves, and our shadows loomed long in front of us
as we sauntered along.
How did you know I d be walking back? I asked curiously.
Jack tossed his curls. You always walk when you re upset about something.
I smiled grimly.
Tourists passed us, as well as locals taking their evening stroll. Lovers with arms
intertwined went by, heads bent close together. Gee, what made you think I was upset? I
asked sarcastically.
Jack waited while I stopped to admire a statue of Venus. Did you and Gregor have a
fight? he said at last. He couldn t keep it together for anything today, and kept giving you
these moony looks.
I traced the statue s lips with my finger. No, we didn t have a fight, I replied evenly,
turning away and resuming my steps. I just told him we needed to stop seeing each other.
Jack s eyes bugged out of his head. Really? Why?
I sighed deeply. I don t really feel like talking about it, Jack. I blinked back my
millionth set of tears for the day. I m not exactly jumping for joy over this.
143
Jack was quiet for a few minutes. I m sure he was trying to think of something tactful to
say. I don t know if he was happy or just puzzled. Maybe he was realizing I wasn t such a prize
now that I was available.
Is it for real? he asked finally. I mean, for good?
I tried to breathe normally despite the pain settling in my chest. If it were possible for
one s heart to be breaking, I m pretty sure it was happening to mine.
I don t know, I answered. For now, yes.
We walked along. It was growing duskier now. I think we should head back to the
hotel, I said. It s getting late, and I m really tired. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl freetocraft.keep.pl
140
evading the mobsters closing in on them. The church would only allow us two days to film
inside, and so we started early.
The gilded splendor of the interior was overwhelming; the intricate green and yellow
painted woodwork almost made me feel sick. It was quite gaudy compared to other, more
soberly adorned cathedrals in Europe. Massive pillars of grey and pink marble were crowned
with gold embellishments, and huge glittering crystal chandeliers hung so low you could almost
touch them. It was not a church in the sense that services were ever held there; no pews graced
the stone floor. It was, rather, a massive crypt holding the remains of much of Russia s royalty
from the past three hundred and fifty years.
The tombs themselves were of all different colors of marble, and they were surrounded
by low iron fencing. I wandered for a few minutes, reading the inscriptions. I had been here
before but it still gave me pause, reading the names like Peter and Catherine and Nicholas,
feeling the awe of the centuries weighing upon me.
The camera crews had been there since five o clock that morning, setting up. I knew
Gregor had to be in costume and make-up by seven, and I wondered if he had slept as little as I
had. When he came into the church, our eyes met for a second, and then he turned away. The
pain that crossed his face was so real that I almost gasped. I crouched in a chair, swiping
furiously at the tears which had fallen so freely for me lately. The sick feeling in the pit of my
stomach grew. I was kidding myself to think I could get through the rest of this movie having to
see him all the time.
Gregor seemed distracted, which aggravated Sheila, and Teo seemed on the verge of
losing his temper at both of them when they flubbed easy lines or forgot where to crouch and
where to run. Finally, Teo called for an early lunch break and shooed us all out of the church. I
saw him put his hand on Gregor s shoulder and take him aside as the rest of us walked out. I
could only imagine that he was back to being Dr. Carreras, and I wondered what horrible things
Gregor was going to tell him about me to excuse his poor performance this morning.
The afternoon wasn t much better, and Teo determined he was going to have to get
permission to shoot an extra day. He wrapped at around seven, told us to get a good night s
sleep, and as the crew started taking down and packing some of the equipment that couldn t be
left overnight, he said to me, Little one, a word.
141
I went over to him with a feeling of dread akin to discussing a bad report card. Yes? I
asked politely.
Teo motioned to me to sit beside him. Elise, he said, getting right to the point, today s
shooting, it was not good. Do you know why?
I tried to look innocent. No, not really.
Teo tugged his beard. Because you have broken the heart of my star! he burst out.
Do you not see how miserable he is? Do you not see how much he cares for you?
I looked around, but no one was close enough to hear, and Gregor was nowhere in sight.
I have no choice, Teo, I told him. I was skeptical about the broken heart bit; I felt that Teo,
being Latin, liked to exaggerate. I already told you why.
Teo shook his head. You are not like those others, he told me. You are& different.
How am I supposed to believe that? I burst out. If it s true, then why is he still
engaged to Clara? Why is she still here?
He is trying to break it off with her, gradually. She is- she is a difficult person. She
cares for him- well, too much! He does not want to hurt her. But he does not want to marry her,
Elise. He told you that, didn t he?
I looked down at the polished stone floor. I didn t tell you this earlier, but she also said
to me, the other night& I stopped, waited for my voice to steady, and then started again. She
said she would hate for another accident to happen, Teo. She said it just like that. I don t know
if she did those other things, and I don t know if we ll ever find out. But she s dangerous, Teo.
If she had a choice between letting him go or killing him, I think she d kill him.
Teo s eyes got very round. We can stop her, Elise. We can, you and me. We can figure
out a way to trap her&
I don t know, Teo. It doesn t matter, anyway. I m not taking that chance with him. I
love him too much& I cleared my throat. I love him too much to risk his life.
Teo shook his head. You cannot base your decision on such a premise, he said
stubbornly. Did you not see his face today, every time he looked at you? You must not let her
win, Elise. Whether or not she did this, you have to do what is right, in your heart. Not for her,
but for you. And for Mac.
I thought over his words for a minute. I don t know, I said finally.
142
Teo crooked his finger and lifted my chin for a minute. You look as miserable as he
does, he said, dropping his hand. I will not interfere any more. But Elise, think about what I
said. Follow your heart. It is all you have to guide you in this world.
I walked slowly back to the hotel. I wanted to walk, not only because it was a beautiful
evening, which it was. But I needed the fresh air, the solitude, to clear my head. I walked along
the bridge to the other side of the city, watching the water sparkle in the late evening sun,
enjoying the warmth on my face and arms after being inside the cathedral for hours. I actually
felt better than I had all day.
When I had crossed to the other side of the river, Jack came into my field of vision. He
was standing by the water, hands stuffed in his pockets, a slightly sheepish smile on his face. He
came towards me.
Thought you might be walking back, he said. Want to go through the gardens?
The Summer Gardens flanked the river, and they were truly lovely- wide stone paths
lined with statues, flowers in abundance, trees arching gracefully overhead to provide a canopy
of shade. Light dappled softly through their leaves, and our shadows loomed long in front of us
as we sauntered along.
How did you know I d be walking back? I asked curiously.
Jack tossed his curls. You always walk when you re upset about something.
I smiled grimly.
Tourists passed us, as well as locals taking their evening stroll. Lovers with arms
intertwined went by, heads bent close together. Gee, what made you think I was upset? I
asked sarcastically.
Jack waited while I stopped to admire a statue of Venus. Did you and Gregor have a
fight? he said at last. He couldn t keep it together for anything today, and kept giving you
these moony looks.
I traced the statue s lips with my finger. No, we didn t have a fight, I replied evenly,
turning away and resuming my steps. I just told him we needed to stop seeing each other.
Jack s eyes bugged out of his head. Really? Why?
I sighed deeply. I don t really feel like talking about it, Jack. I blinked back my
millionth set of tears for the day. I m not exactly jumping for joy over this.
143
Jack was quiet for a few minutes. I m sure he was trying to think of something tactful to
say. I don t know if he was happy or just puzzled. Maybe he was realizing I wasn t such a prize
now that I was available.
Is it for real? he asked finally. I mean, for good?
I tried to breathe normally despite the pain settling in my chest. If it were possible for
one s heart to be breaking, I m pretty sure it was happening to mine.
I don t know, I answered. For now, yes.
We walked along. It was growing duskier now. I think we should head back to the
hotel, I said. It s getting late, and I m really tired. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]