|
Previously... She
entered and said, "I
need to talk to
you." I replied,
"Of course, you
do." Without further
conversation, she got
straight to the point,
explaining that she had
been at Don
Cristallo's party
because she was an FBI
agent conducting a secret
investigation into that
family.
Continuing…
FBI agent? I was
completely shocked by
what Allison told me.
Then, she approached me,
and face to face,
murmured, "I really
need your help." At
that moment, I just saw
her lips whispering as if
they were saying,
"Kiss me,
stupid." But no. The
situation was serious,
and I expelled that
thought from my head
quickly.
Allison insisted on my
help, and without a trace
of heroism, I asked, like
Tom Cruise in his movies,
"What can I do for
you?"
Then, Allison said,
"First of all, I
need to explain why I
didn't attend our
date. It was because I
knew that Don Cristallo
would be there. So, two
plus two, do you
understand me?"
"Yeah! It makes sense!" I said.
She continued, saying
that because of these
events, our relationship
could not move forward.
She broke up with me and
begged me to stay silent
about what I had just
learned. She demanded,
"If something
happens to me, you will
be the only one
responsible. Please,
forget about us and keep
silent about Don
Cristallo's
family."
She said it and walked
away. My heart was
broken. Before I had time
to digest the loss, my
phone rang. It was John
Fedder, the producer,
informing me that Michael
Bay had declined, as had
Spike Jonze. The director
chosen to helm the film
was Greg Bartlett, a guy
who had directed some TV
series episodes and one
feature that had flopped.
John also mentioned that
the actor starring in the
movie would be Clinton
Ford, a former action
movie star who had
retired but was planning
a comeback with my film.
Two months later, with
Allison still on my mind,
I went to Silvercup
Studios in Queens for the
first day of production.
The set was ready to go.
In the scene, the actor
Clinton Ford was supposed
to have breakfast with
his wife and two kids.
The director called,
"Action," and
after a few takes,
repeated the scene.
Clinton seemed to be
getting drunk. It turned
out he had been putting
vodka in his coffee.
After several takes, he
was very drunk. So, there
was a sudden clash on the
set, and filming was
interrupted. John Fedder
was furious, as the
studio costs would break
the budget. The actor
cursed everyone and
stormed off. The director
declared that he was out;
he couldn't work with
a loser actor. My dream
had become a nightmare.
Four days after that
commotion, I opened the
New York Post and saw on
Page Six that our actor,
Clinton Ford, had been in
a car accident, and the
movie's production
was canceled. My world
collapsed again.
Then, my intercom buzzed.
I answered and told
Big-Bang to come up. He
was cool and asked what I
would think about Tom
Hanks taking Clinton
Ford's role.
"Really?" I
asked. He said it would
be easy; Don Cristallo
has many friends in
Hollywood. I said okay,
and before he left, he
added, "Clinton Ford
is out because nobody can
disturb someone protected
by Don Cristallo."
Those words from Big-Bang
lingered in my mind.
Yeah! I'm a mob guy
now. So, I decided to
crack open a beer, and
many escape ideas flooded
my thoughts. Going to
California crossed my
mind, but I knew Don
Cristallo had connections
there. Then, I considered
Mexico, Rio de Janeiro,
maybe Lisbon. I
wasn't sure. However,
I needed to do something.
I hadn't even taken a
second sip of my beer
when the intercom buzzed
again. I answered, and it
was Allison. "Come
up," I said, feeling
a surge of happiness.
I was frozen in front of
Allison. Instead of
discussing our
relationship, she got
straight to the point,
asking me if I was
willing to collaborate
with the FBI. I would
have to discreetly record
conversations between Don
Cristallo and his family
members. Surveillance on
a mob boss? Oh my God!
On one side, a woman I
loved; on the other, a
man who could launch my
Hollywood career. I
stared at a poster of
Citizen Kane hanging on
my wall, as if seeking an
answer. But I heard
nothing, not even
"Rosebud."
(To be continued)
|
