“Wanker.”
“Bastard.”
“Fascist.”
“Oh, definitely a Fascist!”
Alex paused his touch, letting his fingertips rest on Vicente’s cheek. Vicente brought a hand up and clasped his fingers. “You really think this guy can help?”
“This guy? It’s our show, Vis.”
“Right, so he’s not a distraction? He’s not changing the way you’re looking at it just a bit?”
“Look, what is this about? You can’t be jealous.”
“Can’t I?” Vicente sat up, smoothed his hair, and eyed Alex with curiosity. Then without warning, he leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth.
Alex accepted his tongue without thinking, then pushed him away. “What is with you tonight?”
Vicente shrugged and got to his feet. “Don’t tell me you’re not distracted.”
“Vis, what the fuck?” Alex nursed his lip as if Vicente had hit him. “Joanna—”
“Don’t fucking hide behind Joanna, man. She’s not what’s going on here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Without another word, Vicente gathered up his kit bag and left, letting the door slam behind him. A dog in one of the nearby apartments started barking. Alex sat on the couch, staring at the empty wine bottle. Piece by piece, ideas began to come, and he began to write.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What?”
“What?”
“Fuck that!”
“Talking like that will not change anything,” said Maria, lifting her glasses from her nose with a sigh. “It’s about sales. You haven’t made them. Nobody is talking about your show. No press. Nothing. I can offer you the theatre for a week in February, but for now, I need a sure thing.”
“Maria, this isn’t right. We have a deal.”
“A deal? Two weeks theatre rental paid with profit share? Sounds like an okay deal for you, at least if there is a profit, which there isn’t. Check your contract. A profit-share rental can be bumped or moved for any operational reason at the discretion of the management, and that’s me. You should be thanking me. At least this way you have six months to get off your arses and start building a crowd. I don’t know what you thought was going to happen. That I was going to promote it for you, perhaps? Like I don’t have enough to do.”
“Maria, please, we’re about to completely change the show. Just give us one rehearsal, then come to the next one. You’ll see how great this is going to—”
“Wait, wait…” She silenced Alex with a wave. “You’recompletelychanging the show?”
Alex’s heart sank as he recognised his tactical error.
“That’s probably for the best. From what I saw…” Maria’s shrug hit Alex like a kick to the gut. “But if you’re changing so much, February would be much better, yes? It’s settled then.”
“Maria, please. It won’t take us—”
“Will you stop? I’ve already filled your slot and the first week is three-quarters sold. Come back when you can turn numbers like that.”
Vicente shook his head. “You already… who?”
Maria shrugged again. “Someone called Si-Man.’”
“Si-Man?”
