Capítulo 249: Chapter 249: Not So Pure Intentions
[Chapter 249: Not So Pure Intentions]
"Eric..." Donald Trump called out softly to Eric while leaning toward his daughter.
Ivanka seemed really down after her recent performance failure. Although Donald had a knack for charming his way through conversations, he attempted to comfort, encourage, and even lecture her in his usual style for quite a while. However, nothing seemed to work, so he turned to Eric for help.
Even though it was the little girl who initiated the issue, had Eric not agreed earlier, things might not have escalated to this point. Reluctantly accepting responsibility, Eric pulled up a chair and sat beside Ivanka.
The little girl shot Eric a sidelong glance while inching closer to her father.
"Ivanka, this must have been your first performance, right?" Eric thought carefully about his wording, softening his tone.
After a moment, Ivanka meekly nodded.
"I remember when I was in school, there was a music class where a classmate was asked to go to the front and sing a song. That poor kid got so nervous that he stumbled through a few lines and ultimately fainted right there on stage. That was also his first performance, so I'd say you did just great. You completed over half the shots!"
Eric had made a comparison to help ease any emotional shadows for the little girl. Listening to his words, Ivanka seemed to relax a bit but still whispered, "But, I've sung for everyone at school before, and nothing like... what you said happened."
"Then you must have gone up on stage often, right?"
"Yeah," Ivanka nodded again.
"See? That's the crux of the matter. Performing is just like singing. Everyone gets nervous their first time. The more you try, the more you'll adjust to it."
"Then..." Ivanka finally looked up and blinked her beautiful eyes, asking, "Mr. Williams, why was I nervous just now? I told myself it was an easy thing."
"Um..." Eric hesitated. This touched on the issue of inherent openness. Naturally, performance should have been easy for an eight-year-old, as that openness is about allowing adult actors to return to a carefree childhood state.
But nothing is absolute. Looking at Ivanka, she had already lost that state. On the other hand, Stuart seemed to have retained it, allowing him to perform with ease as Eric requested. Yet Ivanka remained tense.
"Ivanka, this issue is a bit complex, so I can't explain it to you just yet. You wouldn't understand even if I did."
Ivanka quietly accepted that, showing a slight improvement in her mood.
"Mr. Trump, it's time to get into your positions," a crew member approached.
Donald nodded and hugged his daughter again, saying, "Ivanka, I'll be back very soon. Be a good girl and wait here, okay?"
"Okay," the little girl replied, managing a small smile as she nodded at her father.
Filming resumed, and this time, the little girl quietly sat to the side, asking nothing, her curious gaze still fixed on Eric as he directed the crew from behind the intercom, her bright eyes sparkling.
...
Once Eric had split the shot in the hallway into two parts, the filming progressed much smoother. After a few NGs, they finally completed the shot after twenty minutes.
Donald Trump prepared to leave with his daughter. Since he was so busy when he arrived, Eric hadn't had a chance to greet them personally, nor did he even know he was supposed to expect them. Now, as they were leaving, Eric certainly couldn't afford to be dismissive, especially since Donald, a real estate mogul, had come to make a cameo without charging a single dime. Even if there were underlying motives in mind, it still reflected well on his character.
"Mr. Trump, thank you for making the time to come here," Eric said as he shook hands with Donald at the Plaza Hotel entrance.
"It's my pleasure," Donald replied with a smile, then turned to his daughter and said, "Ivanka, say goodbye to Eric."
The little girl stepped forward and extended her small hand, saying, "Goodbye, Mr. Williams."
"Goodbye, Miss Trump." Eric took her tiny hand and shook it gently.
Ivanka withdrew her hand, her big eyes still sparkling as she looked up at Eric and asked, "Mr. Williams, can we consider ourselves friends now?"
Eric blinked in surprise and then nodded with a smile, "Of course."
"Then you can call me Ivanka. Or you can call me 'Innie' like Dad, Mom, and my brother do. And I'll call you Eric, alright?"
"Absolutely no problem." Eric nodded again.
"Eric, maybe..." Ivanka stuttered slightly before glancing at her father, "Dad, can I invite Eric to our house as a guest?"
Donald wanted to lift his daughter and give her a big kiss; she was such a thoughtful little sweetheart. After all, the whole reason he had been through all this fuss today was to build rapport with Eric. He wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject, planning to wait a bit and host some parties at home. Unexpectedly, his daughter had solved the dilemma for him.
Though overjoyed inwardly, Donald kept his composure and simply told his daughter, "Of course, you can. You're a part of our family and have the right to invite guests."
"Then, Eric, please come to my house when you have time," the little girl said, gazing expectantly at Eric.
"I will," Eric said politely, not taking it to heart. He assumed the little girl's invitation was just innocent chatter and figured she would probably forget about it in a few days.
Watching the father and daughter leave, he returned to the set.
...
"Mr. Williams, this is the initial draft of the first five episodes from The X-Files writers' group. Also, Fox has been pressing again. They hope you can quickly cut the trailer for Home Alone 2. They plan to air it on television before October 17th. Additionally, Mr. Robert Shea mentioned that a few documents would be sent over tonight..."
Eric flipped through the script of The X-Files while listening to Allen recite the memo.
"It's just that. Oh, by the way," Allen finally closed the memo, saying, "Roy called from Central Park before, mentioning that the crew encountered some troubles while preparing for outdoor scenes over there."
Eric immediately sat up straighter. Home Alone 2 was the current priority. "What happened?"
"Well, a conservation group in New York is not allowing us to use large amounts of artificial snow and even organized some people to supervise. Roy mentioned that these individuals even had a minor conflict with our crew."
Eric was confused about how artificial snow could have anything to do with a conservation group.
"Do you know what's going on?" Eric asked. Although such matters should typically concern the producers, Eric, as one of the directors, also wore the producer hat. Ultimately, he held the most authority on the set, so when major issues arose, it fell on him to handle.
Since a conflict had already erupted, it seemed unlikely to resolve easily. Therefore, Eric took the matter seriously, already standing up to grab his coat, intending to go see the situation for himself.
Allen hurried after him, concerned, "Eric, you've finally got a morning free to rest. I'm sure Mr. Hansen will handle it well; you should take it easy."
"It's fine. I need to see it for myself; I just can't feel at ease otherwise," Eric shook his head.
Reluctantly, Allen joined Eric in the car, heading to Central Park.
...
On the way, Allen explained to Eric, "There are two types of artificial snow. One is made by snow machines that create real snowflakes, but that's too costly and requires very specific environmental conditions. We can't achieve those this time of year. So, we're using another method that involves substituting with materials that look like snow. This artificial snow is made of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. Magnesium sulfate is harmless; it can even be used as fertilizer for many plants. However, that conservation group doesn't believe our assurances about thorough cleanup afterward, so they keep trying to restrict our use of it. The crew member I mentioned got into it with them because he felt they were nitpicking and let his youthful temper get the best of him."
Eric, leaning back and patiently listening, asked with a flash in his eyes, "Was it serious?"
"No, they were pulled apart pretty quickly," Allen replied, shaking his head.
Eric breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "What about the media?"
"What?"
Eric repeated, "I mean, has any media caught wind of this?"
Allen could quickly sense the seriousness in Eric's tone but hesitated to respond, "I'm not too sure. I thought it was just a purely... purely conservation issue, especially since many crews deal with similar entanglements."
Eric took a deep breath and told the driver up front, "Tony, step on it."
...
Upon arriving at Central Park and passing through the cordoned-off crew area, Eric spotted several men and women lying on the ground, wearing masks and dressed very lightly, their exposed skin painted with various environmental slogans. Several familiar crew members stood helplessly outside the scene, while Jeffrey was animatedly arguing with a woman dressed like the youth sprawled on the ground, seemingly in her thirties.
"Ms. Schneider, I've told you countless times we have to lay down this fake snow because it's a crucial shot; we can't do this without snow. We've already made plenty of compromises -- what more do you want?"
"Absolutely not, Mr. Hansen. If those chemicals are laid directly on the vegetation here, it can be lethal to them."
"I've assured you repeatedly that we'll clean everything thoroughly after filming. We even bought a special vacuum. Isn't that enough?"
The woman, Ms. Schneider, firmly shook her head, "No way. Central Park is the lung of Manhattan. If your lung deteriorates even a bit, Mr. Hansen, how would you feel?"
"How can I get you to agree?"
"We will never agree! There shall be no fake snow laid on this lawn, absolutely not!" Ms. Schneider seemed to be getting worked up as well.
As the two debated fiercely, Eric approached.
Jeffrey, who had just turned to Eric, was unaware of the situation, but Ms. Schneider immediately recognized Eric, her expression becoming serious as she walked over. "Mr. Williams, I'm Sherry Schneider from the New York Green Conservation Organization. I strongly protest your crew's actions in laying chemicals on this lawn, and you must alter this plan."
"Sorry, Eric," Jeffrey chimed in, standing next to him. "It seems our afternoon scenes here may need delays."
"No problem," Eric clapped Jeffrey on the shoulder before turning back to Ms. Schneider, "Ms. Schneider, right? I caught part of your disagreement earlier. First, I'd like to ask, do you know the composition of the artificial snow we're using?"
Sherry Schneider smirked coldly, "Of course, I do. Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate."
"And what else?" Eric pressed.
She paused, surprised, "What else?"
"Don't you know? Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate is not only harmless to plants, but it's actually a fertilizer! Therefore, laying down fake snow will not only cause no damage but might even help."
Her expression faltered for a moment before she quickly responded, "What you're saying, I don't fully understand yet. I'll gather more materials when I get back. But even as fertilizer, putting it down in such thick layers is definitely overdoing it. I know that anything in excess brings about adverse effects."
"I've said many times that once filming is complete, we will ensure thorough cleaning," Jeffrey interjected.
"I don't trust any of you! You greedy capitalists! Who knows if you'll say one thing and do another? So, if you're going to lay it, why don't you do it right here?" She waved toward the young folk sprawled all over the lawn.
Eric glanced at the people sprawled on the grass, and a thought quickly popped into his head.
*****
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