They continued walking up the street in a silence that was—at least from his side—companionable. The day was as hot and stuffy as ever, but gray, billowing clouds overhead were pushing down onto the city and turning the atmosphere thick and sticky. After navigating them through several narrow, winding streets, running more or less parallel to the Rambla, as far as Kim could tell, Laia stopped at a glass-fronted bar on a corner,Bar Centric.
Pushing inside the heavy doors, they were in a scruffy, homely space that had been carefully not redecorated since at least the nineteen-sixties. Spindly bar stools clustered thirstily like tripods from Jules Verne’sThe War of the Worldsclose to a scuffed bar, while an upholstered red leather bench hugged the other wall, punctuated by round, marble-topped tables along its length.
“This is where Di and I used to come when we were students, before he got famous.”
“Di? Oh… Dídac? How is… Where… Have you seen him?”
“Let’s grab drinks first.”
They settled in a corner on the red bench, which was surprisingly comfy. When the waitress came, Kim ended up following Laia’s lead and rather than a whiskey, ordered a vermouth.
“So… How is Dídac? Is he—”
“Fine? No, he isn’t. I mean, he’s alive, breathing… if that’s what you mean. But he isn’t fine. I don’t think he’ll be fine for many years to come.”
“I’m… I feel terrible. I want to see him.”
“He’s left town for a while.”
“Where?”
“His family have a place.”
“I want you to know, Laia, I would have fought for him… to stay. I know we got off to a rocky start, but… he’s special, he—”
“He was quite clear about needing to be alone. His whole career has come crashing down. He needs to think things over for a while.”
“But all this over a kiss? It can’t be so conservative here. In Australia—”
“It wasn’t so much the kiss as the shock. His fans feel like he’s deceived them. Of course there are openly gay actors here, but they don’t play straight leading men. I’m sure his career will bounce back in the future, though he’ll probably find that the range of roles he’s offered will become more limited.”
“Well, that’s good then, isn’t it? We can talk to Santi, and—”
“Santi’s clear about it—he’s not having him back in the production. The theater’s finances are too fragile. He won’t risk it. Maybe in a couple of years they’ll take him back… in a supporting part, a gay role or something.”
“That’s outrageous. Isn’t it time to break these prejudices, change attitudes?”
“That’s not the whole of what this is about.” Laia took a sip of her drink. “Obviously, the play, the situation with the theater, his fans… they’re all a part of this situation…. But his crisis is also personal.”
“Personal?”
“Come on, Kim… Sorry, Sir—”
“No! Call me Kim.”
“OK, Kim, then. You know what this is about.”
“Do I?”
“Dídac is my closest friend. I’ve watched the two of you over these days. There are some things friends can’t hide from each other. I don’tknow how your relationship ended, or… what you feel. But I know what Dídac feels. I’ve never seen him like this, ever, for anyone.”
“I….” But hard as he forced himself, Kim couldn’t bring himself to say the words. “I… care for him. I—”
“Yeah,” Laia finished her drink and put the glass down with finality. “That’s not quite enough. Dídac needs someone to love him.” She stood up. “Please, if youcarefor him, do him a favor and stay away. Let him heal.”
“No, Laia, please—”
“Let’s just focus on the production for now, getting Isard up to speed, and trying to rally the rest of the cast. Then in a few weeks, you’ll head on to your next gig, Manchester, is it? And when Di finally decides to come out from hiding in Ca n’Amat, I’ll take him under my wing and look after him. Are you getting the drinks, Sir?”
