Page 58 of Cinematic Destinies
“Safe travels,” Michael added.
Roo turned to Georgia and said, “Well, I guess this is it.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she mumbled.
“Well, goodbye then,” he said, and he pecked her cheek, a look of heartbreak on his face.
As soon as he left the room, Georgia turned to Jean and said, “Thank you for everything. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
He huffed. “I hope it is you who is not disappointed.”
Michael jumped up and gave her a big hug. “Tell your folks I said hi. Thanks for a great summer. You’re a pistol. Tell Ella she’s got nothing on you.”
Georgia smiled dimly. She approached Jean, leaned down, and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re a beautiful artist, and I’m honored to have been a part of this film. Thank you for everything.”
“The pleasure was all mine,ma chérie.”
With that she left. As soon as she was out of the room, Michael looked at Jean and said, “What the hell was that?”
“History repeating.”
AFTER A LONG TRAVEL DAY, THE BUILDINGmanager let Georgia into her small apartment.
“As you can see, it’s pretty much like the last place you had. I had someone bring your boxes up from storage.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking the key. She turned to her driver. “You can just leave the bags there.”
Both men left. She locked the door behind them, looked around at the cheap furniture in the dark space, and leaned against the wall to collect her bearings. No one knew she was back in LA, and she wasn’t ready to tell anyone. As she stood there, images of Roo flooded her mind. She could almost feel the warmth of his embrace and suddenly felt the pang of a deep loneliness she had never experienced before. Too lethargic to make her bed or even search her cardboard boxes for bedding, she pulled her wool shawl out of her carry-on luggage, wrapped it around herself, and curled up on the couch. The faint smell of Roo was both haunting and comforting. Before tossing her phone on the coffee table, she decided to scroll through her messages. There were three emails from Roo; the first was a long message professing his love and asking her to take a chance on their future, the second was informing her he’d returned to London and giving her his address and phone number, and the final email was the last photograph taken of them inside the Blue Lagoon, him kissing her cheek as she beamed. The message simply said,I love you. When Georgia saw how happy she looked in Roo’s arms, she burst into tears. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep.
CHAPTER 15
The next morning, Georgia awoke with puffy eyes and a lump in her chest. She dragged herself to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and changed into workout clothes, convinced that a good run would clear her mind and shift her mood. After walking to the canyons near her temporary home, she did some stretches and started running. Her mind flooded with memories of Roo—and the many hikes they had taken together—and she began to imagine him running by her side, wearing the goofy hat she could picture so well although she had never seen it. “Snap out of it,” she muttered, pounding the ground, trying to outpace the images reeling in her mind.
She returned to her apartment dripping with sweat, guzzled some water, and showered. Freshly dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt, she looked around, unsure of what to do with herself. Noticing her unmade bed, she decided it would feel too lonely by herself. She curled up on the couch and turned on the television. As she flipped through stations, she noticed aMonty Pythonmovie and burst into tears. The waterfall rushed from her eyes as her body heaved and she grabbed her chest, unable to lessen the pain. “I miss him so much,” she sputtered through her sobs. “So much.”
Georgia spent the next week running in the mornings, ordering takeout, watching television, sobbing her eyes out, and sleeping on the couch. Her depression only worsened. When she wasn’t thinking about Roo, Michael’s words started playing on a loop in her mind, “Ella dumped Finn,” followed by Jean’s words, “Your father threw a wrench into her life’s philosophy.” Even though she knew it must be true, she couldn’t get her head around it. Feeling heartbroken and alone, she decided to go see her mother.
ELLA WAS IN THE YARD PICKING BLUEBERRIESwhen Georgia appeared out of nowhere, tapping her shoulder. “Mom.”
“Oh, goodness. You startled me,” she gasped. She caught her breath and looked at Georgia with concern. “What are you doing here? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I got back to LA a few days ago. Sorry, I should have called, but . . .”
“Nonsense,” Ella said, sounding relieved. She put the bowl of berries down and hugged her daughter. “You’re always welcome. What a nice surprise. Tell me, how was the film shoot? Did you get on well with Jean?”
“Yeah. I can see why you’re such good friends. He’s amazing. Irreverent and so artistic. It’s kind of sad that was his last film.”
“Hmm. Indeed,” Ella muttered.
“Is Dad here?” Georgia asked.
“He has a voiceover job. He won’t be back for a few hours.” She looked at her daughter, took her hand, and said, “Sweetheart, if something’s wrong and you need him, I’ll call the studio. I’m sure he’ll come right home.”
“No, honestly, I’m okay. Actually, I came to see you. I was hoping we could hang out. Talk.”
Ella smiled. “Let’s take those into the kitchen,” shesaid, gesturing at the bowl of blueberries, “and I can make us some tea.”
Georgia nodded and grabbed the bowl.
