Love in the Spotlight

Chapter One - You gotta be kidding me!

Funny how things usually do not turn out the way we planned. You might envision them, assume that this is how life will go, but in the end, no matter how detailed and thought through your plan was, events would usually change course. Alice was trying to identify the very moment when she was pushed or unconsciously stepped on the path that was leading the wrong way. That moment when she could have still turned and live the life she planned for. That moment when she could have still turned but she did not. That moment when everything went so very wrong.

The plan was to spend her life with Alan, have at least two kids. And they were getting there, but well . . . events took another course. Alan was long gone and she was on her way to the set of Life Unlived (she could sense the irony of that title), a movie that was being produced by her sister Ella. A sister that was in "deep shit" as she had called it last night when she visited Alice in desperation

"We need a new production assistant like yesterday!" she said looking at Alice with that hint in her eyes.

Alice pretended not to understand what Ella was getting at, but the truth was, she was the right person. She used to work as production coordinator and had been good at it. At some point though she had gotten sick of all the stars, their wishes and the whole show business 'swamp' as she had started to call it, so she had quit, promising herself never to do it again. Production assistant would be a demotion, but Ella was her sister, sister who Alice owned a favour. Last year when Alan left and Alice was . . . let's say not in the best shape, Ella had been there for her in the utmost meaning of that word. She had moved in with Alice, had been cooking for her, cleaning for her and even forcing her to take a shower. She had pushed Alice to live.

This is why Alice was now in the car on her way to meet Ella on the set. She needed to admit that the money was ok. It's not that she had to worry about her finances that much. After their parents died Alice and Ella inherited some money, but in Alice's case the biggest part of the inheritance was eaten up by costs of the house she was living in. This was her family home, a place she knew her parents would have never wanted to sell and a place she never wanted to sell either. So even though it was too big and expensive, she stayed there. Besides, it was the only thing that was left of her life plan that had not worked out. Every month she was left with an amount of money that would let her lead a simple life. In the beginning, when Alan left, she did not care about that. She was not shopping, not eating, and not paying the bills, but when she came back to the living and checked her finances, she took up a job as an editor in a publishing house. This was after all one of the reasons she studied English literature for; if not to write books, then at least to help others publish theirs. The editor's job let her afford something more than bread, cheese and cheap wine.

Ella was waiting for her in the parking lot. She seemed a bit nervous.

"Don't sweat, Ella, I'm here, aren't I?" Alice gave her a kiss.

"Come, I'll show you around." Ella did not seem relieved. As if something was still bothering her. Alice had a feeling she would know it soon.

It was still very early, so not many people had reached the set yet. Ella introduced her to the makeup artists and hairdressers who were preparing their gear. Shortly after that the director showed up, she shook Alice's hand but was so deep in thought that she barely noticed her. Alice did not feel intimidated nor stressed by that. In fact she could never understand why people, especially women, would freak out or start screaming seeing the celebrities. Then again, she had spent a lot of time around them and knew they were just people; some of them were even fuller of shit than normal folks.

Ella continued to show her around and was getting tenser.

"Ella, cut the crap, I know you are not telling me something." Alice lost patience.