The Crew | On Hold

Chapter 3

My heart flutters and a big, uncontrollable smile appears on my face "Do you really mean it?"

The blonde woman beams at me and tells me that her name is Anna. She also tells me I would be a part of the crew for a new movie, based on a bestseller "Simple". As she goes on, telling me everything I will have to do and when the filming starts, the girl next to her looks more and more outraged.

"But, Anna, you can't do that!" She finally whines after just silently gaping at us for a good while. 

Anna turns to her, crossing her arms angrily. "Like hell I can. You were informed that hookups are not allowed with the cast and crew members. You're out. Period. There's nothing you can do to make us take you back. You're out, Bethany. Nice knowing you." Anna snaps in her face, and turns back to me, her pearly white smile out and proud.

Bethany looks like she could blow up at any moment. Her angry face starts to turn red and Anna takes my hand to lead me away from her, leaving Bethany alone and extremely angry. "Sorry about her. She broke the rules, and she never really did a good job, anyways." Anna smiles at me as we approach her trailer with her name on it. There is also written that she is the executive producer of the movie "Simple". Huh. I wonder what my job will be.

Inside her trailer, she makes me sit on the dark brown couch as she offers me tea, which I accept gladly. She has decorated the trailer beautifully, but the thing that stands out the most is the heavenly smell - there are flowers everywhere, and, somehow, the scent isn't so overwhelming that nobody would want to come inside here.

A couple of orchids are standing on the coffee table and I lean in to sniff them quickly. On their own, they smell completely different from the whole scent in the room, making me wonder if it was Anna, who picked the combination out, or the girl she just fired, Bethany. 

There are tiny interior decors all around her trailer, 

"You were lucky you didn't get cast for "Skyforger", Emma. I shouldn't say this, but I've heard bad things about the crew." Anna says darkly, as she pours me peppermint tea and adds two spoons of sugar per my request.

Anna hands me the tea, and I instantly take a sip. The tea tastes great and Anna is super sweet, making me a bit hesitant, since nobody is this nice for no apparent reason. "So, if you agree to work for us, then you will be my assistant. Executive Producer's Assistant. Sounds nice, doesn't it?" She winks at me, making me genuinely smile and nod in agreement. 

I regard her for a second as my thoughts race in my mind. Why is she so kind to me? And why is she willing to hire a girl who was crying outside in her movie studio? Why not through the HR? "Anna, when can I start working?" I ask her, after taking another long sip of the tea, and slightly burning my tongue. I decide to trust her, hoping that this isn't some mean prank and won't backfire in my face.

"Tomorrow would be great, if you can? At 9 AM." She smiles, asking. My head starts to nod all by itself and I almost can't contain my excitement. I want to hug Anna and tell her how important this job is to me, but I manage to avoid that, since we're still practically strangers. Mom is going to be thrilled. So, so thrilled. And we won't be forced to move into the shelter. Thank you, God. 

Anna turns out to be the most interesting woman I've met in a while. She is educated in literature, movies and even science, which isn't really my cup of tea, but I admire Anna for knowing how to interest others in science, using practical examples. 

The time flies by almost unnoticed, and we're interrupted by my phone ringing. I take it out of my backpack and see that it's mom calling, probably wondering if I got lost on the way home. 

"Hi, mom, sorry I didn't call you to tell that I will be home later than I said. I have great news, you will be so happy, mommy!" Light tears appear in my eyes and I quickly blink them away so Anna wouldn't notice. I'm not sure I want her to treat me differently just because my mom is sick and has to be taken care of.

"Oh, honey, I thought you were lost." She giggles, but I can hear that her laughter is almost forced. Probably because she's always trying to hide just in how much pain she's in.

"No, mom, I'm okay. I'll see you soon." I tell her and hang up. "Sorry, Anna, I should get going." I stand up from the comfy couch along her. She pulls me in a hug and I welcome the hug, happy that I met her today and thankful that I didn't leave immediately after getting rejected.

"I can't wait for us to work together! I feel like we're gonna make a great team, Emma." Anna smiles and warmth fills my hearth. Thank God for her and this unexpected opportunity.

Hello, my dear reader! Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, that you'll vote for it, and, most importantly, that you'll continue reading the story. :)