Chapter 107: Chp 101 : Dancing Lesson
Thank you for my new patron Emil N and Avidreader, and everyone's support in this book, whether it was a powerstone or suggestion. The volume 1 will end soon at the end of the year 1986.
I saw lot of reader kind of lost of track with the time so I will put some hints like this at the beginning of the chapter. This chp occured at the end of summer 1986. Enjoy!!
~~~
Al and Ione were having a tearful and beautiful farewell with Vivian at the International Departure of Heathrow Airport.
John and Jessie were trailing behind them as they were saying goodbyes at each other. Little did they know both John and Jessie were rolling their eyes at them. 'Three of them are overreacting again!' They both thought in unison.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss Vi very much. I'm starting to like her." Robin said while they were boarding the plane and found themselves on their seat at the first class.
"You do? Please don't say that she is your new aim? Sorry, Robin but please, could you pass on this one." He begged in ridicule.
"Wha? You think because I'm a lesbian, I'll go hungry at every girl I see! Such presumptuous view you have on me! My path is intertwined with Ione only.
Vivian is a nice company, and for the last 2 months, we got an understanding of each other. I can't wait for the day for us to meet again in the far future, maybe in five or tens of years.
Absence made the heart grow fonder and by the time we met, our friendship may flourish better than in past time." Al looked at Robin in surprise as if she was growing another head with the spike coming from her back.
Then he rolled her eyes and said, "Just suit yourself, Roby,"
Robin giggled, she knew they would meet again with her in the later months to look at Stanley Kubrick doing post-production editing. Robin was so excited and couldn't wait for that day to learn more about film editing.
Seeing her excitement, Al sometimes wondered how this rich goth girl could have a dream to be a film editor so he asked her that sixty-four thousand dollar question and her answer surprised him.
"Before I met you, my dream is shallow you know. You see, the first time I saw films, I fell in love with it and how to make it happen, the special effects, the beautiful scenery. Sometimes I wonder how the new technologies will affect them.
Since then my room was full of VHS tapes of all film I ever knew about. Then it fueled my purpose when Ione said her dream was to become an actress. My first plan was to find a studio company, offer them an investment for them. But in return, they must let Ione become the main lead of that film. I knew that was a stupid plan of me, a rich girl with million dollars to waste to let her crush play in a film." She exhaled a heavy air out of her lungs.
'Damn, I don't know where was she in my previous timeline but she would be doing the Ellison brother and sister did before them. Burning money to make movies.' He thought.
Then she continued, "But that short movie we made together made me realized that moviemaking is super fun, especially with you and maybe with Ione in the future. Then I realized that I'm not only want to become an editor but also a producer, producing hundreds of 4-star quality movies, won the best film in academy award and best editing. Hey, when will Muspelheim Film goes public, I can't wait to buy all of the shares in the market."
"You don't need to wait for the company goes public, I will sell some of it for you at a cheap price." He offered.
She shook her head, "Na-ah, what I don't lack is money-- well my daddy's money," She said to mock herself, "Of course I will buy your shares at a premium price! I will never cheat my bestest friend." Al smiled after hearing her declaration and both of them fell in comfortable silence as they both heard an announcement for the distribution of their in-flight meal.
Then she added, "Maybe we should involve Max, Tony, River, and Keanu. We kinda forget those guys."
"Yeah, we did." He giggled, "But hey, in the next film I will direct, I will make an offer they can't refuse."
She raised her arm, "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! At last, the dynamic duo is back on the game!" Then both of them were hi-five-ing.
"Oh, by the way, Ione said she will give you a surprise when we land in Los Angeles." She threw a lopsided grin at him.
"What is it?" He asked intrigued by her mischievous face.
"Secret, but I tell you, it's super intriguing and will change your point of view about something." She said adding the mysteriousness.
"Please, bestest friend promise I won't spill it."
"If I tell you now, it won't be a surprise right?" She said in mocked tone.
~~~
Once they landed in Los Angeles, it was already evening. Al and Robin parted their ways, with John and Jessie were coming with Al. Robin was picked up by a man in a butler suit, opening the door for her to a limousine.
She gave Al a middle finger while screaming a 'tear-jerking farewell to him.
He finally went back to the orphanage and met with the rest of his siblings. The last time they parted ways, he and Gwen didn't realize they have made a loud voice in their nightly activity that disturbed any room near his.
It stopped when Mary stepped in and interrupted their happy time by knocking hard on his door.
Since then, both of them pledged to never make love again in his room in the orphanage. But he didn't mind because he was finally able to have a reason to use the mansion in Beverly Hills he purchased a few years back.
It was eight on the evening when he was arrived in his room, lying on his bed conceptualizing what was the surprise that Ione would give him that Robin had said to him before.
It's not that he was eager to get a surprise from Ione because he saw her more than a friend or anything, heck, they were friends and he had ensured that to himself that they were.
It's more like how Robin interpreted that message made him curious. His musing was interrupted by a knock on his door. "Come in, it's not locked." He screamed to the person on the side of the door.
It was Laura, dressed in her cute bunny onesie he bought for the girls for Christmas last year.
He couldn't believe at first that Laura would wear that thing again, he just bought that side gift as a joke.
He felt that his last conversation with her got them closer and she started to become a pampered little sister that every big brother yearned for.
Well, he didn't mind it though; crossed his heart he didn't have any thought at her.
"Al? Your girlfriend is calling, I told Annie to hold the line for you."
"From Gwen? Why she's calling?"
"I don't know." Laura told him, "Maybe she's asking you to do that wretched activity you've done before!" She spatted, her face looked pissed mentioning his last act on his last day here.
She was one of the many victims who was disturbed or maybe traumatized by their loud voices.
Al laughed at her silly face and patted her head, "Sorry Laura, my bad. I lost control when I'm with her. I promised right that I won't do that thing with her in here?" Her focus was lost in his petting and started to forget the reason why she was mad.
He went out of his room and reached out for the telephone in the living room and was surprised to find that it's not Gwen who was calling. But rather, it was the one who has been in his thought.
"Ione? Here I thought it was Gwen."
She laughed hearing his let down tone, "Oh, from your tone, it looks like you were so really disappointed, it also looks like that you don't want to speak to me. Okay, I'm gonna close the line, bye Al, nice to finally able to hear your voice."
"Wait! Sorry Ione, so sorry. I'm just kidding okay. Laura told me it was my girlfriend and I thought it was Gwen. But instead, what I found is equally better. It felt so good hearing your voice by the way. Why are you calling me Ione?" He changed the topic in a heartbeat.
Al could feel Ione was rolling her eyes, then she said, "Did Robin told you I have a surprise for you?"
"Yes, what is it? It has been killing me since she told me that you know."
"Come with me tomorrow and over there I will tell you everything."
"Can you just tell me now?" He complained to her.
"No, it won't be a secret if I told you that. Let me give a clue, besides Robin who knew it, Mary and Jodie also knew what it was."
Now he was getting more curious. "Okay, where?"
"Go to in front of Westside Pavilion Mall at 2, I'll see you there tomorrow, bye Al." Before he could reply, he heard the beep sound on the microphone.
"Damn, these girls, what are they planning anyway." He shook his head and head back to his room to sleep, once again trying to banish the jet lag he suffered on the flight.
~~~
The next day, in front of Westside Pavilion Mall, Al slurping a smoothie while checking up his watch. It was fifteen minutes before two, he didn't plan to let ladies waiting.
Then here comes Ione, with her summer outfit consist of a shoulder-less floral dress and a sun hat. She carried a straw-knitted bag on her left shoulder and he saw that it looked full of things.
"Ione!" He hugged her as if they haven't met in a year.
"Al!" She hugged back "How are you?"
"Same as always, you know, trying so hard for the rest of 2 months not to let Robin done stupid things like burning down the house because she want to make a coffee."
"Yeah, I know, she can be such a troublemaker like you sometimes."
"Me? A trouble maker? I never create trouble for everyone."
"So, not blowing a prop car is not trouble?"
"She told you didn't she?" Al said with venom dripped from his mouth.
She giggled, "Of course, Al. I and Robin are friends for life. There's no secret between a sisterhood."
"So what's the surprise? How can Mary and Jodie also knew it?"
"Just follow me!" She took his hands and brought him along to some path that led them to a medium-sized building.
They entered via the front door then passing the receptionist and entered a wide room with mirrors in every part of the wall, reflecting their figures.
He found out that he was brought to a dance studio and now he was looking at Ione with a questioning gaze before everything clicked.
He forgot that Ione got a role as Baby, the female lead of her upcoming film <Dirty Dancing>.
He also forgot he had a play as the main lead for that film. Because of how busy he was acting while part-time directing the <Full Metal Jacket>, he didn't have time to train for the role.
Now he felt very guilty, he didn't know how he would say to Eleanor Bergstein, the screenwriter/producer for this film.
He also didn't know who will direct this film, who's the cast, and the crews who will join him.
He felt he was a failure for forgetting about this project. Looks like he would need an extra hand, a lot of extra hands if he wanted to manage a lot of company.
"Ione? You are here early, who's coming with you?" A man came to look at him with a questioning gaze.
He knew this guy, they had worked together before. He was the choreographer for his previous film <Ferris Bueller's Day Off> and has been working with John Hughes many times.
"Kenny? Kenny Ortega? What are you doing here?" Al asked.
"Sorry, who are you, who is this Ione?"
Of course, he did not recognize Al, he was wearing an oversized tee-shirt, shorts, a bucket hat, and oversized sunglasses that covered his face.
He took off his disguise, "It's me Kenny, Alphonse Brandt."
"Alphonse!? Sorry, I didn't recognize you."
"No sweat Kenny," His eyes then widened, "No way, don't tell me you are the choreographer for <Dirty Dancing>?"
Kenny smiled, "Yep, you are right, as soon as I knew you were involved in this film, I signed the contract right away. No way in hell I miss the chance to work with you again."
"So, are you going to teach me to dance, Kenny?"
His answer surprised Al, "No, unfortunately. The role was given to the missus who was talking to your girlfriend there." He pointed in their direction.
Ione was talking to a girl with curly dirty blonde hair, fairly tall with a great curvaceous figure such as great bust, small waist, and wide hips.
It also helped that she wore turquoise-colored sports bra and yoga pants. Any man would droll over her, including Al but he was able to hide it gracefully.
They both noted that they were being looked at were turning their gaze at him. Ione waved at him as for the girl, a thin smile appeared on her mouth while turning her eyes to the ground.
Ione came to him and introduced the girl on her arm to her. "Al I want you to meet our 'dirty dancing' instructor."
"Hi, my name is Alphonse Brandt." He smiled and extended his hands to her.
She fought her embarrassment, smiled back while introducing herself, "My name is Anne, Anne Fletcher. I'll be your dance instructor as long as you needed, Mr. Brandt." She said, trying hard to hide her excitement meeting him here.
"No need formalities, just call me Al."
"Then, you can just call me Anne."
Ione added, "She's really talented you know. You will like to learn from her. She also one of the Laker Girl you know."
"Really!? Wow, that's cool."
"Thank you, Al!" She answered, now a bit enthusiastic than before.
"So, Al... Shall we dance?" Ione smirked, she looked cute with that smirk but Al could tell something was off from her.
He didn't realize he was gulping his spit and said, "Of course?"
To Be Continued...
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