Chapter Thirteen
It was a pleasant, if short, interlude, then
Russell was off once again to make a film in
Italy while she returned to her normal life
with a sense of unreality that took weeks to
dissipate. She decided one night, after
lying awake for hours unable to sleep,
restless and wanting him, that she would no
longer be so accepting of his sudden visits
and his insistence on a physical
relationship. After all, she told herself,
he was treating her as little more than a
glorified one-night-stand, and she never
tolerated that from anyone else, so why
should he be different?
When she sat and explained her decision to
Cheryl one rainy afternoon, the younger
woman just gaped at her for a moment, shook
her head and commented, "We'll see."
"I mean it!" Louise insisted, shaking her
head at Cheryl when she just gave her a
knowing smile for an answer.
She read in the paper that Russell was back
in Australia, the Italian film having been a
disaster that never really happened. Ran out
of money, she read, and all the actors and
crew were cut loose to fend for themselves.
He'd have been furious, she knew. She also
knew she was probably going to hear all
about it when next he dropped in to her
life. She didn't have long to wait, as it
happened. The very next day at lunch she
became aware of a stir near the front of the
restaurant. When she glanced up from the
purchase order she was filling out, there
stood Russell in the foyer, sending her a
smile across the heads of the lunch time
crowd. She gave an answer smile, then forced
herself to finish the purchase order and not
go right over to him like he was anybody
special.
"Trying to ignore me, luv?" came the
distinctive voice from just in front of her.
Louise looked up. He was standing right by
the back table where she sat with her iced
tea and salad and business papers. "Not at
all, I'm busy."
"Not even a hello?" He pulled out the chair
opposite hers and sat without being invited,
not that she wouldn't have if he'd given her
a moment to think of it.
"Hello," she said, and gave him a more
friendly smile, "I'm just busy is all. How
are you?"
He shrugged, his grin telling her he knew
she was trying to play it cool. "Can't
complain - well, could, but what'd be the
use? The Italian film fell through."
"I read about it," she admitted, then wished
she hadn't because that showed she was more
interested in him than she was prepared to
let on now that she was determined not to be
so easy. "I always read the film news," she
added, trying to dilute the impression she
was afraid she'd already given.
"But I'm up for several others, so things
will work out." He studied her before
reaching across the table to snatch a carrot
curlicue off her plate. "Good," he
commented, munching.
"Order what you like," she told him, signing
yet another form, then stacking the
completed papers and sliding them into a
cardboard portfolio for Cheryl to handle.
"That's a house salad - do you like the
dressing? It's balsamic vinaigrette."
"Very nice," he answered, beckoning over a
waitress. "I'll have one of these and a rare
porterhouse with the mushroom wine sauce -
you do still have that don't you?" When the
server indicated that they indeed still had
that steak, he finished his order with a
side dish of asparagus. "I can always count
on your place for great food, Lou."
"We got 5 stars in this year's guide to
Sydney restaurants," she told him proudly.
"Very good!" He twiddled with his fork,
sipped some water, and shot her a look. "So,
what's this attitude?"
Louise feigned puzzlement, "Attitude? I
don't know what you mean."
His grin flashed, and he shook his head at
her slightly, obviously finding her
endlessly amusing. "Okay, if that's how you
want it, I'll play along." His food came and
he attacked it, although she noticed his
table manners were now as impeccable as any
high society gent's would be. No more lip
smacking, clanking of cutlery on the plate
or making a wrinkled mess of the linen
napkin. Not that he had done that since she
had first known him, she told herself,
trying to be fair.
"When is your next film scheduled?" She
asked when he reached a breathing space
between his entree and the orange ice
dessert he ordered.
While the server drizzled bittersweet
chocolate over the beautiful orange sherbet,
he told her, "Two weeks - in the States."
"Oh," she commented, "I know you've wanted
to do another film there - it's been a long
time since that western you made."
He grimaced, licking orange sherbet and
chocolate off his dessert spoon, "This
should be better - it's a mystery set in the
50's - but I have to gain some weight for
the part - the character is a lot bigger
bloke than I am."
"Hence the large lunch," Lou teased him.
"Hence the large lunch," he agreed, pushing
his empty plate away. "And the trips to the
gym, and the vitamin and protein shakes -
which I hate."
"You'll bear up, I'm sure."
He put his hand to his heart and feigned
resignation, "I'll do my best to bear up."
They laughed and Louise felt that perhaps
things were getting a bit more cozy than she
told herself she wanted. "Well, it's been
nice, but I have a lot of work to do what
with the third restaurant opening. . ."
A look of puzzlement crossed his brow, then
he nodded, pushed back his chair and got to
his feet. Reaching across the table, he took
her hand briefly, "Lou - I understand, luv."
"Understand what?" Damn him, he was too
sharp for her own good sometimes.
He just squeezed her fingers lightly, let go
of her, and picked up the bill the waitress
had left. "I'll call you," he told Louise,
and walked away after leaving some bills on
the table by the bill.
She hadn't meant for him to pay - she always
treated him to anything he wanted - but
before she could stop him, she realized that
was part of her being too easy with him, and
so she kept her words to herself and let him
walk out of the restaurant. As he passed the
large window in the front, he gave her a
grin and a jaunty wave of his hand, then
disappeared from her sight.
She should be proud of herself, Louise
thought. She had resisted his charm and been
strong. So why, she asked herself the rest
of that day and night, did she feel so sad
about it?
He was gone a long time. The film was titled
"L.A. Confidential" and he was brilliant in
it. He was also, suddenly, on the fast track
to stardom in the real Hollywood sense of
the word, and Louise accepted that their
friendship would never be the same. Indeed,
it seemed he was lost to her as she read of
his romances - both made-up and real - and
the women who seemingly passed through his
life in an endless parade while he made much
more important films and was away from
Australia for longer and longer periods of
time. Even when he was back home, she only
saw him a couple of times, and never for
more than a lunch or a dinner before he'd
have to rush off for some meeting or event.
When he gained a huge amount of weight,
shaved his head and took on the role of
Jeffrey Wigand in "The Insider", and when
that resulted in numerous award nominations,
culminating in a Best Actor Oscar
nomination, Louise put her memories of their
friendship into a mental filing cabinet
labeled "past times" and got on with her
life. She doubted she would ever see him
again.
