‘Ah, that was a shame.’ Ruth shrugged it off so easily and all the agonising hours Lila had spent worrying about how to explain her absence fizzled away. ‘But we’ll definitely be able to make up for it here. Cocktails on the beach is more fun than a lukewarm pint in a grubby pub in London anyway.’
Lila just smiled; not sure she should really join in on running down the great British institution when she’d never actually been in one. ‘Hey, d’you fancy a coffee? I’m going to grab one.’
‘Oh, yeah! I can tell you and I are going to get along.’
God, Lila hoped so, since they were going to be roommates.
She checked with the other two passengers, finding the other makeup assistant, Jackie, and a man she didn’t recognise. Then she made the offer to Sally and the driver too before heading back inside the terminal.
Like most avoidance tactics it: a) only delayed the inevitable (that she was going to have to sit in the car and converse with the strangers) and b) made her have to deal with something else of a troublesome nature (navigating the coffee shop and figuring out euros and how to order coffee in Italian). Only, she didn’t have to really use the Italian – the barista spoke English, but that just left her feeling like a typical American tourist, expecting everyone to speak English for her like it was a God-given right. She would definitely have to learn at least a few phrases to use over the next few months.
She carried the coffees back to the van in the cardboard tray and handed them out, then wiggled into the farthest seat at the front by the window. The two other passengers – members of the wardrobe department – turned up shortly after and they set off.
As they drove Sally leaned over from the passenger seat and handed them small induction packs with details of their accommodation, useful telephone numbers, directions to amenities they might need, and details of work tomorrow. Where to get the bus from and at what time, which meals would be catered for. It was sort of like a holiday camp.
No. Probably best not to compare it to that. The one time Lila had been sent to camp, she’d been so miserable, they’d called her mom to take her home after just a week. Her mom had been so pissed at her. But honestly, what had she expected from Lila? She’d been thirteen, completely unused to the big outdoors and uninterested in sport – particularly when it included swimming in a freezing cold lake – and then of course there was the fact she was completely alone with a bunch of kids and adults she didn’t know. It had been awful. She’d been so intensely lonely and terrified almost the entire time.
Luckily, now she was a grown-up she’d at least mastered the ability to speak when someone asked her a question. Just about. And she could appreciate being somewhere different and beautiful. All those things should help her. Shouldn’t they?
After some time on the motorway, they came off and began driving along narrower, dusty roads, flanked by fields; small villas sometimes visible. There was a shimmer of heat stretched across everything like a web as the sun beat down from directly above them, and the buildings they passed, even the new ones, were either warm browns or soft pinks or the bleached white of stone and plaster that had stood for too many years under that relentless sun. They climbed a hill, dropped down again and were facing the sea once more. The diamond-bright glare of it beneath a cloudless sky winking at them between buildings and trees.
The air con in the car wasn’t fantastic, so Lila stripped off her hoodie and sat with her elbow on the open window, letting the breeze and salty smell of the sea filter through her.
Soon they’d come to the small town of Cottone, the minibus slowing to navigate the twisting roads. Jeannie and Helena, from wardrobe, were dropped off first, followed by Jackie, and then Marcus, who was an electrician from the production crew. Finally, the minibus turned out onto a road that was parallel from the beach as far as Lila could tell from the drop down from the town. The road was wider and opposite the small building of apartments it was lined with tall, dark green bushes.
‘Oh my God, Sally, did you get us a sea view?’ Ruth leaned forward in her seat next to Lila, echoing her feelings of excitement, at a louder volume.
‘Well, yeah, but don’t thank me yet. The location makes up for the fact it’s the smallest apartment,andupstairs,andfurthest away from the pickup point. You two are going to have to walk up the hill for everything.’
‘Oh.’ Ruth pressed her lips together a little and then shrugged. ‘Everything apart from the beach.’
‘See, I knew you’d see it like that, Ruth. In all seriousness though, if you have any major complaints, let me know. You’re on the first floor. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the shuttle pick-up tomorrow.’
They collected their luggage from the trunk and looked up at the building. It had terracotta tiles on the roof and whitewashed walls with a stone staircase attached to the side, leading up to each of the apartments.
‘First floor, here we come.’ Ruth jingled the keys and threw Lila a grin, before marching off to the stairs.
Home for the next few months was small, but airy, with clean bare walls and tiled floors throughout. Ruth called it stark, but Lila felt like it was cool and calming. Who needed loads of colour inside when you could throw open the window and see that sky, or those mountains or that sea?
The kitchenette was simple with a small wooden table and there was a television, a coffee table and one wicker-framed sofa in the lounge. The bathroom was even more basic: just a square room with a sink, a toilet, a shower head and drain.
‘There’s no curtain or cubicle?’ Lila said, looking around in bemusement.
‘No. They don’t do that much on the continent. Maybe they like communal showers.’ Ruth wiggled her eyebrows at Lila. ‘You fancy trying it? It’ll save us time in the morning.’
Lila blushed.
‘I’m kidding.’ Ruth took pity on her. ‘What’s your deal anyway? You into guys, girls, both, neither? Got a partner back at home?’
‘I’m single.’So single it’s painful.‘And just men so far.’ Lila shrugged a shoulder, willing herself not to blush again around this ultra-confident woman.
‘“So far.” I like that. Never say never, hey?’ Ruth turned on the tap and tilted her head to watch the water come out. ‘Great. It’s not brown. What more could we ask for? How we going to decide who gets which room then? Sea view one is smallest. Shall we toss for it?’
Lila called heads and got the smallest room, which made logical sense as she had way less luggage. She was unpacked within half an hour and her belly rumbled as she sat down on the bed, looking out of the window across the tops of the cypress trees to the strip of sparkling blue sea.
She bounced a little bit and let a grin spread over her face. God this was like some kind of dream, and she was getting paid to be here too. Amazing.
‘Testing out the springs?’ Ruth’s laugh came from the doorway. Lila spun around to find her new roommate had changed into a fresh pair of cut-offs and a T-shirt. ‘Mine creaks like a mofo, so sorry if that disturbs you when I bring someone back for some fun.’
