Page 56 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
‘Oh, I’d love to, Patsy. Shall we say ten o’clock?’
Patsy let Rosemary have a look at the auditorium. There wasn’t much to see but she was thrilled nevertheless and they confirmed their plans to meet the next day just as the sound engineer arrived.
After hearing that they’d need some new speakers and that the control system was basically rubbish but useable, Patsy headed to the coffee house to grab some lunch before she had to be back at the cinema to take delivery of the new bulb for the projector. Ed had insisted she check it before signing for the delivery which she thought was overkill but as it was so expensive, she hadn’t argued.
‘You’re a glutton for punishment,’ Oliver said when she walked in.
‘You need to be more specific. There are so many things you could be referring to.’ She perched on a stool at the end of the counter realising that it was the first time she’d sat down for hours.
‘Rosemary’s been in,’ he said with a knowing look.
‘Well, yes, you might be right but she was so enthusiastic about seeing it and I think she could help me put a few original features back into the scheme. It doesn’t do any harm to have a chat.’
‘Come and tell me that when she’s dissed all your ideas and is trying to take over.’
Patsy laughed. She knew how difficult Rosemary could be and it did annoy her when she knocked on the door of the coffee house before opening time, but she suspected Rosemary had a heart of gold and could be very helpful once you knew how to handle her.
‘Any chance of a toastie and a coffee or do I have to make it myself?’
‘You have to make it yourself.’
‘Thanks. I’ll have cheese and chutney.’
Once she’d finished her lunch, Patsy waited until Oliver was free and gave him an update on what the sound engineer said.
‘Can you ask Ed if he thinks that tallies with what he’d thought?’
‘Yes, he said he’d come back when we’ve tested the projector. We probably need to make sure Ed’s available for that. I’ll speak to him about whether he can arrange to have some time off during a weekday.’
‘Make sure you tell him we’re happy to pay for his time. It’s turned into a lot more for him than just cleaning the projector up.’
‘But he loves it.’
‘Mmm hmm,’ Oliver said, grinning. ‘I’m not sure it’s his love of cinema projection that’s the driving force here.’
‘Oh, shut up,’ she said, because it definitely was. ‘See you later.’
She headed back to the cinema with a spring in her step.
‘Let me open this to check it’s okay,’ she said to the courier when he turned up right at the beginning of the delivery slot.
He tutted and held out his machine for her to sign. ‘I haven’t got all day.’
‘Sorry, it won’t take a minute.’
She opened the outer box and saw the inner box advising not to remove the packaging until you were ready to install. She gave it a tentative shake, figuring that if it was smashed to smithereens she’d be able to hear it.
‘Thanks for waiting.’ She signed on the screen then took the lamp straight up to the projection box. Ed was going to meet her after work so they could install it and have a go at running some film through, which they were both pretty excited about. She had wondered whether to tell Oliver so that he could come and watch the big moment but Ed had said there was no guarantee that they’d get as far as that tonight.
The flooring was across most of the stalls by the end of the day. The backstage flooring was finished so there was only the back of the stalls and the foyer to go. Patsy was amazed that it had gone down so quickly. Once the guys had left, she spent a while walking around, getting a feel for the place. It was better than she could have imagined, especially the backstage area which looked pretty much there apart from needing a coat of paint and some light fittings. The huge wooden door that dominated the room had been completely finished as part of the first phase and reminded Patsy of a sound-stage entrance in a Hollywood film studio, which was perfect for the theme they were planning.
Ed arrived at five o’clock, triumphantly pulling a small reel of film from his bag. ‘I borrowed a trailer from the Film Society.’
‘Oh my god, I hope it works!’ Patsy said with a little squeal of excitement.
‘Did you check the bulb?’
‘I don’t think it’s broken but it said not to open the packaging until you’re ready to install it.’
