Cape Town
———
Dear Leigh,
I can arrange it for this afternoon? I will send the location to your phone, the owner is very flexible, and says you can go through anytime to see the place.
Maximillian Adam
CEO
The Film Place
5 Longstreet Lofts
Cape Town
———
Dear Maximillian
Fine.
Regards,
Leigh Smith
Director of Photography
Moving Pixel Films
Kalk Bay
Cape Town
CHAPTER 59
Ash
I’d planned on never seeing or speaking to Maximillian Adam for the rest of my life, but unfortunately, Sebastian had other plans. And his plans included deciding last minute, days before shooting, that he no longer liked one of the locations. But this was a very Sebastian thing to do. I’d worked with him for seven years now, and in those seven years, this happened at least three times a year, where he made some last-minute call or change that threw the entire shoot into chaos, but in the end made the film so much better. So when he did this now, I no longer worried that it was going to end in disaster.
I drove along Chapman’s Peak Drive, which was undoubtedly the most beautiful road in the world. It wound along the side of the mountain, with views over the endless sea. My new car handled the road beautifully, and I loved driving it. It had been that photo of my happy mother with her Mini that had made me get this one. I’d hardly ever seen her happy, and driving this car felt like the closest I’d ever be to her happiness again.
But my hands trembled the entire time I drove. I had not told any of my friends how I was feeling. I wasn’t ready to say it out loud again.Fuck, I should not have said it to him.I had this strange tight feeling in my chest and everything just felt weird. My body felt weird. As if it didn’t belong to me today.
I pulled my car onto one of the many look-out spots on the drive and climbed out. I needed fresh air. There was a flat rock about a meter up and I went to sit on it. It felt like I was on the edge of the world now. The sea was a turquoise color on days like this, when the sun was shining brightly, and the wind had decided to die down. Mountains rose up behind me and I felt sandwiched between these two great things, the mountain and the sea. There were only a few clouds in the sky today, and the sky was almost the same color as the sea. I took a deep breath, the cool breeze and salty sea smell filling my lungs. I was due at this home bar in about half an hour, but the owner was flexible, so I was sure I could arrive a little later. I just needed a moment. A moment in nature to clear my brain and try to make sense of all these weird feelings I was having. Terribly weird and strange and all-consuming. I also knew I needed to do two things. I pulled my phone out and typed a message on the friend group.
Ash:I’m in love with Max. And I don’t want to be. I need you all to tell me why it’s a terrible idea to be in love with this man, and how the hell to stop loving him.
If Max and I got together and gave things another go, and it didn’t work out once again, I would be devastated once more and also, did that mean another thirteen years of not being able to love again? I couldn’t take that risk.
What if we worked out, though?
I muted that thought too, as well as muted the group after my confession. The messages had come in quickly. I didn’t want to know the answers right now, because I was afraid that if I read them all, I might cry. And I needed to work. And then I typed a second message to Sibu. It wasn’t fair to him that I continued dating him if I was still in love with Max. It broke my heart to send him the message, and of course he accepted it like the gentleman he was. This broke my heart even more. I told him I would still love to shoot something for him in Malawi, though, and not out of guilt but because I really wanted to. He was a great guy, and he deserved all the happiness and greatness in the world, and maybe I could at least contribute to that in some small way.
The house was gorgeous. This whole area though was gorgeous. Noordhoek was a very laid-back coastal suburb. The houses were all on massive properties, so it had a farm feel to it. A distant sea view, set up in mountains, made the environment perfect. Most of the residents kept horses and chickens, and apparently some kept llamas too. I was very aware that Max lived in the area, and I was hoping very much not to bump into him. For a second, I’d wondered if it was his house, but when I’d been greeted at the door by someone who was not Max, I relaxed somewhat. The house was massive, you could fit ten of my apartments in here, easily, and that was just the ground floor. Huge folding doors opened onto a wrap-around patio and rolling lawns beyond.
I was led to the bar area, which, again, was perfect. Set on the patio, with a view over the garden and distant sea, it was casual, laid back, classy and you could see a group of friends sitting here enjoying African Dreams as the sun set.
