The Perfect Location (20 page)

TG’s support was infinite. When she cried in her sleep, he checked on her, left the door open between their rooms. He had the entire season of
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
flown over to make her laugh, after she mentioned she had a crush on Will Smith as a kid. He brought her tea and coffee and cakes and treats from the set. She left them mostly untouched, but sometimes she poured the tea or coffee down the bathroom sink, to make him think she had drunk it, just to see him happy.

When the shame threatened to engulf her one night, she picked up her phone and rang home, desperate for familiar voices. Her father answered. ‘
Ciao
, Caterpillar. How you doing?’

Her father’s gentle voice down the line made her cry and she sobbed into the phone.

‘What is it, darling?’ asked Bob again. ‘Come on, Caterpillar, you can tell me.’

Calypso knew she could never tell her father what had happened to her, he would be devastated; he couldn’t even protect her from Leeza growing up. He had tried to step in whenever Leeza was on one of her managerial rampages, but years of her belittling him had made him a broken man and Bob had tried to stay out of the show business world as much as he could. He was proud of Calypso and her rising fame had brought him a level of comfort he could never bring to the family.

His voice saying her name repeatedly brought Calypso out of her sobbing and she tried to get it together. ‘It’s nothing, Dad, just a bit homesick, that’s all.’

‘You sure, Caterpillar?’ His voice was uncertain. Calypso rarely came to him with emotion. In fact, he hadn’t seen her cry since she was fourteen, when she’d had to go to an audition with a bad flu.

Calypso heard her mother walking towards the phone. ‘Who is it, Bob? Calypso?’

Leeza grabbed the phone from Bob and her voice came down the line. ‘What’s wrong, honey? You okay? That director being an asshole again? Want me to come and give him a mouthful?’

Calypso calmed as soon as she heard her mother’s voice. However pushy Leeza was, she was a fierce lioness when it came to Calypso.

‘No, Mom, it’s okay, he’s nice actually. I’m just a bit homesick, that’s all.’

‘Well, honey, you made the choice to go there and make this movie, you could have done the other film here, so I guess you gotta enjoy it. Any cute boys around who can ease the homesickness?’ Leeza laughed at her own joke.

Calypso sat and thought about Marco and realized she didn’t care for him anymore. The only face she saw in her mind was TG’s. ‘No, no. I’m just working a lot, you know.’

‘How’s the director? He’s cute, I saw him on
E Online
. Had a horrible break-up with that girl. Poor thing, I felt sad for him. Ted Casablanca said he had wanted to marry her but she ran off with the fat guy from Paramount. She’s a piece of work and so skinny, like a sack full of antlers.’

Calypso thought of TG constantly trying to get her to eat, tempting her with pancakes and pasta. Getting in fresh fruits and sweet Italian pastries from town and leaving her little notes to encourage her to eat and take care of herself when he was shooting.

‘Hey, Mom, I gotta go. I just wanted to hear your voice, okay? I love you.’

‘Okay, baby. Do good on the film,’ Leeza said as she hung up.

Calypso wondered why her mother could never say ‘I love you’ to her. Do good on the audition or the film was the most encouragement she ever received from Leeza, although her father was far more forthcoming with his affection to her. Bob had sent her a few emails since she had been in Italy with links to items on eBay she might like or photos of the latest piece of furniture he had done up. Her father was more technology savvy than Leeza and she liked the fact Leeza had one less mode of communication with which to hassle her.

Thinking about TG after she hung up from Leeza, she wondered about the girlfriend. It must have been heartbreaking for him to want a life and the girl to only want a career. TG deserved more, even Calypso knew that. There was a small town innocence about him which appealed to Calypso. TG had integrity and was kind to everyone he met, interested and present in conversations.

Even through the haze of her anguish since her rape by Raphael, she was beginning to see in TG a reliability and strength which she did not know existed inside her. Perhaps Sapphira and Rose’s teasing about him having a crush on her had been right. She found him looking at her sometimes in a way which made her stomach flip. And when they were sitting outside on the terrace on the large swing seat, she unconsciously placed her feet on his lap, and he rubbed them gently as they lay, swinging in the dusk, him drinking a beer and her a mineral water. At that moment she could not think of another place she would rather be.

Sometimes, when she was up to it, they sat downstairs and watched old
Fresh Prince
episodes together. TG would get up and attempt to dance like Will Smith and she would laugh. ‘Stop it, you are so bad,’ she would say as he tried to moonwalk.

‘What? Girl? You are crazy. I am a fly mutha and I have moves you ain’t seen yet!’

They would laugh and then Calypso would remember and she would stop herself from feeling good. TG saw the sudden changes in her but instinctively knew not to push her. Kelly had advised him not to when he asked her one evening when she had come for dinner without Chris.

‘You need to just wait and show her you are there for her, not in a creepy predatory way but you want her to be well. Whatever has happened to her is obviously awful and I think your friendship is all she has at the moment. Tread lightly, my friend.’

Of course, she was right. TG knew this was no time to make his intentions or feelings known; in some way they had taken a back seat to wanting her to become herself again. TG made a pact with ‘The Force’ that he would be prepared to give her up, should that help her.

It was Sunday morning when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. ‘Come in,’ she said as TG entered.

‘Come on, lady. Time to leave the cave. I have planned us a date,’ he said and Calypso looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

A date, she wondered, happy for the first time in a while until she saw his face. He was red and shook his head. ‘Well, not a date, an outing,’ he said quickly.

Calypso felt her disappointment rise; of course he wouldn’t want to be with her. She was damaged goods, she thought bitterly.

TG could have kicked himself. Why did he use the word date? The last thing she needed was some guy assuming he would want a date with her. She needed to heal, he remembered Kelly saying.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked softly.

‘A surprise. Be ready in ten minutes.’

‘Ten minutes?’ she exclaimed.

‘Yep, dress casual,’ he said as he sauntered out of the room.

Heading out in the sunshine, Calypso was more excited than TG had ever seen her. Pointing out sights and reading the map TG had given her, pointing the direction where they were headed. Playing her iPod on his car stereo, she serenaded him with her collection of bizarre 80s tracks, of which he knew most. ‘I love Martha and the Muffins,’ she said, yelling over the sound of the car, singing to ‘Echo Beach’.

‘Why do you even know this stuff, this is so not your era of music!’ he yelled.

‘I don’t know. I just like it, some things you can’t explain,’ she yelled back.

How right you are, thought TG. They drove through Perugia and continued onwards. TG then drove into a small town.

‘Where are we?’ asked Calypso, looking around.

‘Todi,’ answered TG, looking at the map. ‘Yep, this is where we need to be.’ He drove a little further into town and then parked the car.

‘All right, let’s get going,’ he commanded, and Calypso jumped out of the car, ready. It felt good to be out, she thought and she was grateful they were away from Perugia and Marco.

They walked up the stone road, people greeting them amiably as they passed by. It was a busy morning. Turning the corner, Calypso gasped. They were at a huge antique market, stalls lined the square and there was furniture and bric-a-brac everywhere.

Calypso squealed. ‘Oh my God! I love flea markets. Thank you,’ she said and spontaneously hugged TG. He hugged her back and she kissed his cheek. ‘I don’t have any cash though, we will have to go to the bank,’ she said, looking around.

‘No need, I’ve got plenty and you can pay me back later,’ he said.

She darted off into the crowd, calling his name to follow her. They walked the length of the market and TG became as enthusiastic as she was, bargaining, comparing and arguing about their purchases. Returning to the car, Calypso had bought a white lace beaded dress from the 1920s, a black crocodile clutch purse, a long strand of jet beads and matching earrings, and a vase in the shape of deer, which TG secretly wished he had bought but teased her about it all the same. ‘Is Bambi all wrapped up safely?’ he asked.

‘She’s fine, how’s your Michelin Man?’

TG had bought a Michelin Man lamp that glowed when lit. He had also bought a straw pork pie hat, and an old Super 8 camera with its original case. Putting the items in the trunk, TG announced it was time for lunch.

‘Lunch?’ exclaimed Calypso. ‘I’m still stuffed from your pancakes at breakfast. I’ll be your Michelin Woman soon. Maybe he needs a wife.’

TG laughed. ‘You are gorgeous and you know it. Come on, Mrs Michelin, let’s fatten you up.’

Calypso laughed and blushed. God, she had it bad for him, she knew it now.

They walked in silence while Calypso thought. TG noticed her quietness but decided not to push her. She would talk when she was ready, as Kelly had said. They wandered through the medieval town, TG marvelling at the intact city. Stopping on the main road outside a picturesque café, TG asked, ‘How does here look?’

Breaking her thoughts about TG, Calypso looked up. ‘It looks fine,’ she smiled.

They entered and found a table at the back.

‘Isn’t it funny we’re here now, after the way we started meeting at the audition, me stealing your Coke, being a dickhead to you at the party. God, I’m so ashamed,’ she said, looking down.

TG smiled. ‘Yeah, what was that at the party?’ he asked.

‘I thought you were ignoring me that night because I said I ate a pastry and I thought you were thinking I’d get fat and ruin the film.’

Calypso held her hand to her mouth in shock and to stop herself speaking.

‘What? You’re crazy! No, I was weird that night. I was nervous and stressed about the film and all that crap,’ he said, thinking to himself, and I was overwhelmed by you.

‘Oh God, I was such a little shit to you, because I thought you hated me.’ Calypso looked down at the table ashamed of her behaviour.

‘No, I was just as bad. I was being a dick. I’m so sorry.’ He looked ashamed also. They both looked up and laughed at each other.

‘Well, I owe you so much and I just want to say thank you. I can try to get through the scene with Raphael if you need me to,’ said Calypso bravely.

TG looked at her face and was certain he loved her. ‘No, I’ve had that taken care of. Let’s not think about the film today. I’ve got a day off and right now this is perfect.’

He looked at her for a long time and Calypso felt her stomach flip again.

Looking down intently at the menu, TG saw her face flush. Oh no, I’ve said too much, he thought. Shit!

‘What do you want to drink? Wine? Water? What do you like on the menu?’

TG was nervous; it felt like a date to him and he was trying to keep it together.

Calypso put down her menu. ‘I’ve no idea. I can’t read Italian. I just say ‘no meat’ to the waitress and I get a vegetarian dish. That’s the extent of my language skills.’

TG laughed and it became easy between them again. The waitress came to take their order. Soon they were eating their way through a gorgeous antipasto and drinking white wine from the region. It was perfect, thought Calypso. They talked about everything, Calypso’s childhood in the industry, TG’s childhood in the Midwest. They shared stories and gossip and argued about the merits of music from the 80s versus the 90s.

Looking around, Calypso was surprised. ‘They’re setting up for dinner. Come on, we’ve been here for three hours,’ she said.

Paying the bill, they wandered back to the car. ‘I’m sleepy,’ said Calypso. ‘It’s the wine, I think.’ She leaned her head on TG’s arm as they walked. He tensed up and Calypso pulled away. ‘Sorry,’ she said, and they walked in silence to the car.

Driving home, Calypso fell asleep and TG was lost in thought. Why had he pulled away? Was he reading that she had feelings for him? Was he hoping this and projecting? He banged the steering wheel in frustration and Calypso woke up. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, rubbing her eyes.

‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘Just a hole in the road.’

Arriving back at the villa, they were quiet. There was a sense of something in the air that TG could not understand. Calypso walked ahead with her purchases from the market. ‘I’m going to put these upstairs,’ she said.

‘Okay, want anything to eat?’

‘Not a thing, I’m stuffed,’ she laughed. ‘I want to get changed, I’m a bit dusty.’

‘Okay, I’m going to check my messages. I’ll be in the lounge.’

TG rang his phone message service. One message from Jack and one from Sapphira, sounding almost as though she was enjoying her role in the espionage. Their mission was complete, they said.

Calypso walked into the room. She stood in the doorway, wearing her white lace dress from the market.

‘What do you think?’ she asked.

The dress hung on her as if it were made for her. With thin straps, the beaded silk clung to her shape and showed off her skin. Her neck was long and her hair upswept in a messy bun, with small tendrils escaping.

‘You look like an angel,’ he answered, his heart in his throat. TG walked over to her. ‘You are the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen.’

He stood above her, her head reaching his chin. She was tiny and he felt like he wanted to put her in his pocket to protect her.

She looked up at him. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly.

Then TG leaned down and kissed her. He couldn’t help it, he was filled with desire and had wanted to kiss her since the first night they met at the party at his villa. She stood and accepted his kiss without moving.