Page 43 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
‘Not at all,’ said Patsy, introducing him to Ed and shifting along the banquette seat to make room for him. ‘It makes sense for you to see this other cinema too, so we’re all on the same page.’
‘Actually, I think I’ll have a beer,’ he said when Oliver offered him a glass of Prosecco. ‘Anyone else want anything from the bar?’
Patsy looked at Ed, expecting him to ask for a beer too but he said nothing. Well, it wasn’t her job to babysit him through the evening.
Oliver topped Patsy’s glass up, Ed’s was almost untouched. ‘Come on Pats, you two need to catch up. I had a head start.’
‘We’ve had a head start too,’ Patsy said, shooting Ed a cheeky grin which made him blush because Oliver picked up on her meaning straight away.
‘Ah, taking advantage of the room service menu? Well, why not. I was about to ask how you’d spent the day but I guess that question’s been answered.’
‘What’s the plan for tonight?’ asked Ed in an attempt to veer the conversation away from the afternoon’s events.
‘We’re eating at the cinema at seven. They have one sitting and then the film starts at eight. I’m not sure exactly how it works but that’s what we’re here to see,’ said Oliver as Matt came back to the table. ‘Here’s to Croftwood Cinema.’
‘Croftwood Cinema,’ they all chorused.
‘Is that the name it’ll have in the end?’ Matt asked.
‘I haven’t really thought about it. That’s what it used to be called but we can change it if we want to.’
‘It’s probably useful that its location is in the name,’ Ed said.
‘That’s true. I wonder if whatever we decide to call it, everyone will refer to it as Croftwood Cinema anyway,’ Patsy said.
‘You could go for something like Cinema Paradiso, after the film,’ Ed said.
Oliver raised his eyebrows. ‘That’s not a bad idea. It sounds exotic and we mustn’t forget that although it’s a cinema it’s going to be so much more than that.’
‘Well, we don’t need to decide yet. I think we need to see what it feels like once we get started on the inside,’ Patsy said.
Matt nodded, thoughtfully. ‘You’re right. I think the right name will reveal itself when you start to see it come together.’
Patsy beamed at him, finding it ridiculously pleasing that he’d agreed with her.
‘Right, we’re going to be late, drink up,’ Oliver said.
The evening at the cinema was good fun and highlighted a few things that they needed to consider when they opened themselves. The main thing was that even though there was no rush to finish your food before the movie started, once the lights went down it made eating more difficult. Also, because it was ingrained in everyone to be quiet for the film, it felt uncomfortable to carry on eating past the beginning. The cinema had made it clear that eating during the film was fine but clearly most people still liked to stick to convention. Anyway, it was something to take into account once they started to work out the timings of things even though that was some way off.
‘The film’s out of focus,’ Ed whispered in Patsy’s ear about a minute after it had started.
‘Give them a chance, it’s only just started.’
He shook his head. ‘It should be okay by now. I’m going to speak to them.’
He got up before she could say anything else and disappeared.
Patsy sighed and then got engrossed in the film which she’d never seen before, The Firm with Tom Cruise. After a few minutes, Matt moved into Ed’s chair.
‘Where’s he gone?’ he whispered.
‘He thinks it’s out of focus. He’s gone to tell them.’
Matt stifled a laugh. ‘They’ll love that.’
Patsy nudged him, a halfhearted gesture on Ed’s behalf although she thought exactly the same.
Matt stayed where he was and Patsy stopped wondering whether Ed was going to come back.
