the essence of life is love

Naamloos deel 36

With a glass of water in his hand, Bo stands talking with some acquaintances. Seb walks behind the group and nods to him.

"How's Lara doing?"

"Good, I think. She's talking with Jasmijn."

"Nice, good that you caught her up on the past."

"No, thank Jasmijn for doing this. I hope it works out."

Bo quickly looks back at Jasmijn, who is now leading Lara around the room by her arm, introducing her to a few people. Bo doesn't know them. Then, a woman blocks his gaze.

"Maxine, is something wrong? You look, threatening."

"No, no, just that you can't sit in the front row with Jasmijn later. You have to stay at the back."

"Why?"

"Assignment."

Her voice sounds mysterious, and her gaze is enigmatic. Then he sees her continue walking, chatting here and there.

Seb himself walks around cautiously, especially keeping an eye on where he sees Jasmijn, and there he finds Lara, as it turns out. It's not that he wants to get rid of her, he just wants to keep it enjoyable, he convinces himself. He's occasionally approached, and compliments about clothing and acting are exchanged.

After a while, he sits in one of the chairs at the edge of the room on a balcony. From there, he has a view of the reception hall below him, with a broad staircase leading from there to the vestibule. It's quiet now, the last guests are arriving. He sees D'Judge as the last one, closing the doors behind him. Except for four photographers, the press is either gone or waiting outside until everyone leaves. That's when most pictures are taken for the gossip magazines. Images of ladies going with other men or men trying to get into a car totally drunk. The faces change weekly, but the scenes are familiar.

When their eyes meet, the director signals Seb to wait and comes over to him.

"How's it going? Any trouble with your leg?"

"A bit, I haven't walked without crutches much yet. Kaan takes good care of me. I hope to get back to some sports in two weeks."

"That's faster than I thought, good to hear. Are you enjoying yourself here?"

"It's pleasant, although I don't know most people. I've talked to a few."

"Wait at the back of the hall later. I've arranged some special seats there."

The man laughs mysteriously at Seb, who remains bewildered.

From a distance, Seb sees Maxine talking to Lara and Jasmijn, gesturing with her hands. It seems that the two ladies are not easily convinced. Of what, he has no idea.

At the first bell, it remains quiet, everyone stays standing as if finding a seat now would be an insult. Only after three minutes does the bell ring twice, now a bit sharper, twice in quick succession. Seb now sees the glasses being quickly emptied by downing them in one go. His half-full glass of champagne is still in front of him, he doesn't like the taste despite it being an expensive brand. He prefers something sweeter to drink or just something refreshing. The group Bo was talking to is getting ready to go inside, Bo pats them on the shoulders, but he stays behind, along with a few others.

Almost everyone is inside. Seb stands up carefully and walks a few steps, a bit stiff from sitting. Bo quickly comes over to support him.

"Maybe it wasn't so smart to come without crutches, I think." "It's okay, just a few steps, and I can walk again, really." Maxine comes over to them and takes Bo's arm. "Bo, you need to sit on the other side. I'll take care of Seb here." Seb watches his friend leave, occasionally looking back to see if he really has to go. Maxine is unforgiving. She continues to sternly look at him, pointing with her hand to the other entrance where Bo needs to report. When he's out of sight, they slowly walk towards a door that is closer. There is no one else now except the two of them.

"You need to exercise your leg well, after the performance, you'll be called to come forward. Can you manage that?"

"I should be able to. I'll stand towards the end, so I can move a bit."

Inside the hall, it's noisy, everyone is talking with neighbours in front, behind, and on both sides. The lights are still on, and the curtain is still hanging.

Next to him are a few actors he knows by name, they have a completely different recording schedule in the soap. They are some other lead actors.

"Hey, how are you? Is everything okay? Nervous?"

They whisper to him, laugh at him. They even congratulate him, although Seb is not exactly sure why. As he looks around to find Lara, he sees Jasmijn with her hair up, and next to her is Lara. She looks around anxiously, as if she's looking for something. Jasmijn sits next to her very calmly, looking straight ahead and occasionally saying something to her neighbour. Then the lights go out, and Seb can't see much anymore. He sits down in suspense.