Hollywood on the Danube

Chapter Fifteen

While Billy sat in his office eager to get started a pretty young woman carrying a brightly wrapped package knocked on the door. "Hi, Billy," she said. "I'm Manfred's friend Jane. I heard you're about to go into withdrawal." 

"Oh, wow," he said smiling as he ushered her in, fully knowing she'd brought him his new Sweet 'n Low stash. "I really do thank you," he said, pulling out his wallet. "This is really terrific. How much do I owe you?" 

"Don't be silly. It's a little gift," she said, shaking her head. It was a very nice gesture from a relative stranger, but Billy figured it wasn't going to break the tall brunette thirtyish lawyer who freelanced for the studios and had an Ivy League bearing. Yale or Harvard, he thought; he couldn't remember which, except he hoped it was Yale because Harvard had rejected him. 

Billy quickly undid the wrapping, carefully holding back his disappointment when he saw the quantity was less than half of what he wanted. He'd asked Manfred for the box with two fifty and he mustn't have understood, telling Jane to get two boxes of fifty packets instead. 

Billy rued the fact that he sometimes slurred his words, and made a silent vow to himself to be more careful talking with foreigners. Of course, it has to be understood Sweet 'n Low was his obsession, and whenever he traveled he always carried large amounts. He'd brought a big plastic bag, which had just about run out. This scant new supply would be gone in a couple of weeks. 

But he was genuinely appreciative. "How long are you staying?" he asked. 

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "Three or four weeks. It depends on my work." 

She was off to meet Manfred and he thanked her a third time. "What a trip you live in LA," he said, walking her into the hallway, secretly hoping after she went back to the States she'd return fast with another package. 

Over in the production office Csaba was reading Billy's letter. "What do you think of this?" he asked Frieda. 

"Very well written. That's what I think," she said. 

"He called a lawyer already. What do you think he's doing?" he asked nervously. 

"Being careful," she said. "And making sure we know." 

Csaba headed outside where the commissary area was jumping, including a bunch of the actors who'd come to be fitted for wardrobe. Pál sipped a coke, making time with a stunning actress, as Billy walked by noticing, filled with mixed emotions. He wouldn't be happy if Leslie got wind. Then again, Pál's cavorting could well suit his purpose. 

Gellert, a sixtyish actor, who played the series' handyman, was shadow boxing with the giggling child actor Istvan. As Csaba watched the man grab the cute boy in a hammerlock hold, he was forced to use all his willpower not to cream in his pants. 

He turned to the left to escape the corrupt vision. There in his eye line was Pál's beautiful face and Csaba suddenly found himself heading for the men's room. As he passed by Billy he nodded deferentially, which Billy took as a sign that his letter had been effective. 

Manfred was cooing with Jane over coffee at a corner table, as Frieda sauntered by for the sole purpose of checking her out. "Frieda, come meet Jane," Manfred called out, not sure if she noticed them sitting there. 

"In a minute," Frieda said without turning, attempting to take control by making it look like it didn't matter. 

Manfred already warned Jane that Frieda had a thing for him. "She's quite nice looking, actually, for a woman her age," Jane said impishly. 

"You're mean," Manfred said, his eyes twinkling as he kissed her, which Frieda caught sitting at her desk. Then she frowned, shaking her head. 

Back in the writers' room Billy convened Des and the other story liners around the long table. "We're going to work out some stories," he said "and maybe lay groundwork for some more." His style was encompassing. He led the meeting but was inclusive. Des was his lieutenant, but he wanted the Hungarians to chime in.