I learned how to make Cuban coffee, or ‘liquid crack’ as Paul was now calling it. It was basically espresso with sugar froth. That surely couldn’t be bad for you. I planned to add it to the menu at Granny’s West. I thought if we gave it away to start, we would soon have a legion of coffee addicts begging to pay any price to get it. The good news was it was legal. My only fear was it might kill some decaf drinkers. I considered possibly making customers sign one of those death-thingy documents Devin always had me sign when he wanted me to try out one of his new toys. If we opened a place near State’s campus, Cuban coffee would pull them in in droves.
I had arrived at the entrance to the hotel, so I sprinted to the front door. Even at this time of day, you could feel the heat and humidity. I was drenched and needed about a gallon of water to rehydrate.
“Jesus, Dawson. Have you ever thought about competitive running?” Fritz asked as he got out of the cab.
I ignored him and began to stretch. He knew my routine and handed me a bottle of water. I nodded to him, chugged it, and then returned to stretching. My breathing gradually slowed down to normal.
“Have you figured out who’s going with me to North Carolina?” I asked.
“Cassidy has decided to take some time off until you go to Japan. I was thinking about just sending Paul. Personally, I want to go to LA for a few weeks. With Halle starting to be recognized, we need to add to our staff to give her the same level of security as you and Rita are getting,” he explained.
“I doubt I’ll be doing too much while I’m there. It’ll be mostly baseball 24/7,” I predicted.
“That was what we were thinking. Plus, Paul enjoys working with you. He knows if the situation goes to pot, you can handle yourself. Not that I ever want you to do that,” he scolded.
“I promise,” I said and gave him my best little-angel face.
I was disappointed that it didn’t even faze him. You couldn’t use a look like that too often, or it lost its effect. I would have to perfect a new one. ‘Lost puppy in a rainstorm’ might be a good choice. That would involve big sad eyes and some whimpering. Oh … I knew what would really sell it: add the trembling lower lip. I could nail that!
◊◊◊
“And cut! That’s a wrap, David,” Kitty said.
The crew all clapped, which caused me to blush. I hadn’t expected them to do that.
“Tomorrow night, we’re having a going-away party for David. You’re all invited,” Kitty announced.
I strolled around and talked with each one of them to start to say goodbye. I couldn’t believe it had only been four weeks; it seemed much longer. When I was done, Kitty and Roger pulled me aside.
“You were so much better than I expected,” Kitty said.
“Don’t believe her. We thought you were perfect for this role,” Roger said.
“No, I mean it. I listened to Laurent complain for months as we prepared. I guess I just assumed he knew what he was talking about. You’d only done that space movie,” she explained.
“That ‘space movie’ only made about five times what this movie will make,” Roger reminded her.
“Acting isn’t about making money,” Kitty said.
“It doesn’t hurt,” I shot back.
“No, I guess it doesn’t,” she admitted. “What I wanted to say is I was wrong about you. Even Laurent was happy with your acting, which you will never believe, but he was.”
“I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one,” I said.
“I wanted to say that you’re good at this, and if I were your agent, I’d convince you to go full time. The camera loves you, and you take direction like a dream. When more people in the industry hear how easy you are to work with and what you can deliver, you’ll be set for life.”
“What she’s doing is preparing to lowball you on the next picture she needs to cast,” Roger teased.
“My agent is Saul Gessler. Good luck with that.”
“David, this has been interesting. Thank you for not punching Laurent, even though he deserved it,” Roger said.
“Do you need me for tomorrow?” I asked.
“No. Enjoy your last day in Cuba. The party will be in one of the ballrooms. I expect you to save me a dance,” Kitty said.
It was finally over. Thank God.
◊◊◊
I returned to my room to box up my stuff. Fritz wanted to have it ready to ship home first thing in the morning. The plan was to only keep out what we could carry on. That meant we wouldn’t have to wait at baggage claim once we got home.
Cassidy joined me when she was done with her own packing. This trip had been good for us. She was one of the best people I knew, and I was lucky to call her ‘friend.’
◊◊◊ Saturday June 11
The key word for today was relaxation. The plan was to take advantage of the pool, catch some rays, and just hang out. Throughout the day, people stopped by to say goodbye. Word must have leaked out to the hotel staff. Cassidy just rolled her eyes at me because I really did talk to almost anyone who would listen.
Soon it was time to take a shower and get ready for the party. Fritz, Paul, and Cassidy all came to my room when they were set. I did a double-take because Cassidy had worn a dress. I was smart enough not to make a wisecrack. It reminded me that she wasn’t just my buddy, but a young woman.
I’d found that someone had left me one of Rick’s costumes that I’d worn in the movie. I put on white skinny-leg pants and a button-up sweater with a white shirt and a bow tie. With my black glasses and period haircut, I looked like I’d stepped through a time machine.
“You need to see if you can land a role on Mad Men,” Paul said.
It was a television series set in the 1960s.
“I would if it were still on the air,” I said.
Mom had been upset when they’d canceled it after eight seasons.
“It’s kind of cool,” Cassidy said, checking me out. “This outfit has a vintage vibe that sets you apart.”
Fritz wasn’t about to be drawn into a fashion discussion.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go and see what they have at the party,” he weighed in.
◊◊◊
It seemed the theme of the party was rum. I broke down and had a mojito or three. Paul told me that in the States, they used peppermint to make the drink. Here, they used spearmint. The combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus, and mint flavors hid the potent kick of the rum. After my third one, I was feeling it.
The good news was I was a happy drunk who wanted to dance. I had a blast at the party.
We’d been there for a couple of hours when Kitty found a microphone to address everyone.
“Since young David is leaving us, I thought it was a good excuse for a party.”
“Like we need an excuse!” someone called out.
“I agree, but this one was better than most. Since David is done with his part, Roger thought we should show a ‘best of’ compilation of his scenes,” Kitty said.
Someone dimmed the lights as a big screen dropped. The video began with my scene on the first day and showed me doing the same two lines over and over again. They only showed seven of the ninety-plus takes, but the funny part was that it was precisely the same each time. Roger must have had someone look through all of them to find the duplicates.
Of course, they shared me jumping off the mast and into the bay. They also showed the crocodiles chasing me out of the swamp, and then they’d caught the one leaping out of the water to grab Cassidy’s hat. I was shown when I didn’t realize the camera was running, making goofy faces at the crew to make them laugh.
Then it got serious and showed some of the scenes that would make the movie. Roger had edited together the different shots. I was never comfortable watching myself on screen, but even my critical eye was happy with what was presented.