Netherlands

By Gaby

“Can’t we just skip this?” Roma asked using her hat as a fan. “It’s too hot and this belly itches!” she said scratching her waist and referring to the pillow she was wearing to look like a seven month pregnant woman.

“No, we can’t! I need this last rehearsal!” It was clear the director was very upset.

“Well, if we don’t hurry, it will be me and not Jeff the one who would have to go back to make-up,” the actress offered talking about the actor who’d play the role of her “husband” on that episode.

John and Della were looking at the scene comfortably seated under the branches of an enormous tree. Little Reilly was playing in front of them, apparently unaware of her mother’s job.

“Kevin,” Roma said to the director again, “we know the lines, so what do you want another rehearsal for?”

“I want to check the position of the cameras! This scene is quite unique in the series and I want it to be special!”

“All right, all right...”

“I have an idea. John, come here, please!” he called the blond actor. I know you don’t have much to do here, so I’m gonna make you useful today.”

“Ok” John said looking at his friend and co-host questioningly. Roma shrugged her shoulders indicating him she hadn’t a clue about what the director had in mind.

“I just want to check the cameras in the close-ups and the big shot at the beginning, so you’re gonna play Jeff’s role. I know you don’t know the lines, but that doesn’t matter much. I care about the movements.” He took Roma by the arms and placed her where he wanted her to be, and then he did the same with John. “Ok, there you are. Now, John, in a few words this is what you have to do. First you’ll come and hold here and caress her belly. You’ll tell her about planting something over the fence, she’ll propose lilacs and you’ll say the flower doesn’t last long. She’ll say the ‘life of acceptance’ part and you’ll say you married an Irish poet. Then you’ll kiss her and when you part, you’ll place a hand on her belly again. I have a close-up planned for the kiss and the hand, so please, I want a real kiss. I don’t mind the exact words, but I do mind about you being tender, looking hopelessly in love with her, ok?”

John gulped before nodding and murmured an ‘ok’. He scolded himself in silence: Why was he nervous about such a scene with Roma? It was true he had imagined something similar more than once, but after all, weren’t they friends? Wasn’t he a professional actor to go over something like this? He sighed and looked at Roma first and then at Della. The old actress seemed quite amused with the situation, but the young one seemed somewhat nervous too, just as he felt himself. He heard the director ordering him to give some steps back before counting from 3 to 1 and ordering them to start.

John walked to Roma, who was playing with a leaf of a rose plant and wrapped his arms around her as he had done millions of times. She smiled at him and automatically rested her head over his chest. One of her arms circled his waist and her other hand went to her “belly”. Remembering Kevin’s orders, John covered her hand with his. “Don’t you think we should plant something near the fence? It looks like empty...” he improvised his lines.

“What about lilacs? I love the smell of lilacs,” ‘Monica’ answered.

“But the flower doesn’t last long...”

“But there’s something beautiful on that. A quiet dignity in a life that accepts the nature of things more gracefully than we poor humans do.”

John looked at her for a long second, his green eyes bright with a love that seemed so real. He cupped her face with his hands and then traced the line from her eyebrows to her chin, his delicate index barely touching her soft skin. “I married such a beautiful Irish poet,” he murmured and his gaze found hers once more. She was smiling before he leaned down and kissed her languidly. The kiss was a little longer than necessary but the sigh and the look of pure love they shared when they parted satisfied the director. John then kissed the tip of her nose before pulling her in his embrace again. His hand went to her belly and hers joined it, their fingers intertwining almost unconsciously.

“Cut!” Kevin’s voice made them go back to reality and Roma and John smiled at each other shyly. “Perfect, thank you, John. Roma, dear, you can go and take a rest now while this guy decides to appear.”

“Fine,” Roma answered and she and John started to walk towards the tree where Della and Reilly were.

“Wanna know something?” the director said and they stopped and turned to look at him. “It’s a shame you play angels.”

“Why?” John asked surprised.

“You two look so great together that it’s a shame Andrew and Monica can not be in love with each other.”

Roma felt color rising to her cheeks and to the very roots of her hair. She looked at John out of the corner of her eye and started to walk again.

“Yeah, it’s a shame,” John agreed and walked after her, a pleasant feeling on his heart and on his lips.

Roma took a seat on a bench under the tree and John soon joined her. He took a bottle of water he had left behind the bench and took a sip. Reilly climbed up to her mother’s lap and rested her head on the pillow.

“I guess you had forgotten how was that like,” Della commented about the fake pregnancy.

“I guess so,” Roma chuckled. “I want to get rid of it as soon as possible!” and she scratched her waist again.

“I must disagree with you,” John pointed and added at seeing her looking at him. “You look beautiful like this, just as you looked the first time.”

Della and Roma laughed at his comment, and then the young actress asked her daughter. “What do you think, Reilly? Would you like to have a baby sister?”

“No,” the girl said firmly. “I want this,” she pointed at her mother’s “belly”, “to be a baby brother. He will be little Johnnie.”

Needless to say John spited the sip of water he had taken and coughed nervously after, while Roma shouted a surprised “Reilly!” and Della burst on laughing.

“I guess this proves that saying about children and drunk people always telling the truth!” the older actress commented.

John and Roma looked at each other and she shook her head and joined her friend in her laughing. “And we thought you were not paying any attention!” She kissed her daughter and started to rock her tenderly.

Some minutes later, Jeff Yagher finally appeared and the director called Roma to the scene. John looked her walking to take her position at the front of the house, Jeff soon joining her. “Humm... Reilly, what’d you say if we go get some ice cream?” the blond actor said standing immediately.

“Deal!!” the little girl said taking his hand. “Can we bring some for mommy?”

“Of course, baby doll.”

“Where are you going, angel boy?” Della asked.

“Don’t you want some ice cream too?” he commented ‘matter of factly’, but his eyes were not fixed on the actress face or on the little girl, but on the scene in front of them: Roma and Jeff checking the last details before shooting the part of the chapter.

Della followed his gaze and saw what he was looking now: Jeff caressing Roma’s belly. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re jealous, Johnnie...”

John turned to face her with surprise written all over his face. “Jealous? No way!”

“I’d say definitely there’s a way...”

He decided to ignore her last comment and he told his ‘nice’: “Come on, baby, let’s go.” But before they left, he turned again to see Jeff holding Roma. He shook his head and kept on walking. “You don’t even know how to treat her,” he thought.

The end