Bab 218: rooms.
The drive through Los Angeles wasn't encouraging. Despite the absence of traffic, there were enough traffic lights to delay what should have been a half-hour journey. Now officially running late by just ten minutes, he arrived at the Castle Rock Entertainment building.
The company wasn't bought out; the isolation became more convenient for Columbia, which continued its efforts to strengthen its presence as a foreigner in the American market. They were gearing up to launch their Asian branch, not just for film production, but also to establish another market: the sale of appliances, particularly one with a significant investment at stake—the PlayStation 1."
-Thanks for dropping me off and picking me up, -Billy said.
-Don't mention it. I have important matters to attend to with Armand. I feel like a prosecutor; I'll be reviewing his accounts, employees, and operations, and approving a necessary expansion. Armand will reinforce the company to enhance national film distribution, - Raimon said.
-See you tonight; I'll be heading out for dinner, - Billy said.
-Great! -- Raimon said from the car, his light green sleeveless button-up shirt. -- Good luck with your movie. Although I'd prefer to have you in the company, I hope you keep producing sensational comics, - Raimon said.
Adjusting the car, Billy watched the Camaro make a quick turn; it had some style. Taking a deep breath, the stylized ambiance of Los Angeles differed from other cities. The streets were wide, the people tranquil, and it was beautiful to see that all the architecture had a campus-like structure.
Quickly pacing along the facade, he reached the main entrance, feeling somewhat nervous. Although he didn't want another romantic film, he couldn't help but consider his agent's advice, who had been particularly influential. In the past four years, his agent had only cautiously suggested roles, but had secured outstanding ones in recent months.
Passing through the reception, the instructions were clear: head to the white room, an administrative space used for interviews. - Excuse me, I'm looking for the white room. I'm here to see Richard Linklater, - Billy questioned the security guard, with a thick urgency, a rush of his own.
-Down the hallway, - the security guard said, pointing to a corridor next to the stairs, straight ahead, leading to a black door. The guard was lean and looked completely different from the blond Billy, who towered over him.
He followed the hallway to a small sign marked "The White Room" and entered a small room. A slender woman with a wide forehead and cascading curls, thin and absorbed in a book, sat at the table.
-Sorry for the delay; my flight was delayed, and it wasn't easy getting here, - Billy said to the two present members.
-Well, you've already begun your interview. You have exactly two hours. I'll be in the administrative offices on the second floor. You two should carry out the audition, - Richard said, banging the table with both hands as if the matter had already been settled. Julie got up from her chair, leaving her book or leisure reading behind.
-Let's go! I'll take you to what you assume is the next interview activity. Although not many know, in this business, you're tested in different ways, and sometimes it's so different that just knowing how to act doesn't land you a role, - Julie said.
Opening the door and leading Billy back out, without ordering a clear sign, Billy followed closely until they reached a bus stop, two corners away, less than a block to catch the bus.
-Where are we going? - Billy asked.
-I don't know; I just felt like going downtown, - Julie said.
-I could use lunch; I haven't eaten anything since morning, and it's late already. I thought of grabbing something when I arrived, but the trip got delayed, and I didn't have time to eat anything. Do you know any place where they can serve a decent meal? - Billy asked.
Julie nodded and twirled on the sidewalk. -Now we have a destination, - Julie said.
-I particularly prefer simple places, but it wouldn't hurt to try something delicious today. Do you have any favorite food? - Julie asked.
-Meat; I like meat. I especially enjoy the spicy aspects of food as long as it's accompanied by meat, - Billy said.
-A carnivore, I see, - Julie said.
Both boarded the bus, accompanied by some people. They sat near the front, not too far from the entrance. Julie smiled at him, and Billy just played along. In the script reading, Jesse or James was a talkative person who always had something to say to mask his thoughts of shyness and embarrassment, although sometimes it resulted in something crude, not entirely politically correct, and brilliant.
But, he was a pleasant conversationalist who tried to keep words flowing, a good reader with certain ideas about certain things.
-You're a vegetarian, - Billy asked.
-Nooo. I look like a vegetarian, - Julie asked, in a feigned gesture of indignation.
-Yeah. You have that air, of 'I don't like to eat animals, save the animals' rights.' Of course, it's just a guess, like when you skim through the headlines in the evening paper and see something that catches your eye, but it turns out to be the complete opposite of what you expected, -Billy said.
-I'm not, though I tried. Following a healthy diet and many other things I should've tried some time ago, in one particular meal I tried meat and decided that restricting a type of food would only cause discomfort in my future life. The meat was delicious! - Julie said.
-Ah, nothing a good piece of meat can't solve. Of course, without offending our friends who consider cows sacred or reject pork because they think it's dirty. Perhaps those who do it for the love of animals. My limit was imposed from childhood, the barbecues. Sometimes it was a long wait of fifteen days. At one point, I thought I only lived to count the hours until the next Sunday barbecue. My father said I should dedicate myself to accounting, - Billy said.
Julie laughed; naturally, Julie was cheerful, and she liked to laugh, even at bad jokes. - As a child, I must have dreamed of being an astronaut. Around that time, after the moon landing, there was a lot of excitement about the space world. It's still there, but it's the first time I've heard someone dream of being an accountant, - Julie said.
-You didn't do too badly, - Billy said.
-I doubt it, but I'm happy with what I do. I would have liked to study political science and raise awareness about some issues that, in my opinion, are now consumed by a wall of ignorance, - Julie said.
-You're talking about global warming, the new pollution problem, - Billy asked, adjusting his suit sleeves.
-One of many. There's war all over the world, and not long after the fall of the Soviet Union, conflicts left power vacuums. Sometimes I just observe and think, how can we be so bellicose? We have no decency for innocent people, nor respect for those in between, - Julie said.
-Not very different, the history of humanity is a constant struggle, - Billy said, looking around. He was completely lost; the streets weren't much different, and this area, he had hardly visited.
-Quite a Marxist thought. Now I hope you pull out a red book and talk to me about communism, - Julie said jokingly, intrigued.
-As true as it is, it has shades of truth. I'm not a supporter, but its theoretical ideas are excellent. My preference is for what we always forget, and that is that the world a hundred years ago was much more dangerous. The danger was more imminent, and wars were closer together in time. The struggles were still bloody, and the law wasn't superimposed. Civilization barely called itself civilized; the problems that plagued Africa, I don't know very well, although there was probably slavery. In a way, there still is, but it's restricted, - Billy said.
-I've never set foot in Africa, - Julie said.
-Likewise, - Billy said.
-But you've been to Vienna, - Julie said.
-Spain, parts of Italy, and France. I know London, but nothing farther, - Billy said.
Julie headed for the exit, Billy walked with her; the bus stopped as they pressed. In no time, there was no present place for meals, only the emptiness of the long streets, and they walked slowly without haste, on the journey under the sunlight, the summer was very real and understood, they both walked at their own pace, walking at a sufficient pace to lose sight of the station in ten minutes.
There, not far away, a wooden place was visible, almost picturesque, for the classic way of settling, it was spacious, with a large outdoor dining area, only covered by a wooden roof, it had certain details that printed the air of Native Americans, although it had a certain air of a wooded cabin from different regions.
-Let's go, I stopped at this particular stop. To show that a vegetarian knows about meat, contrary to what people think, - Julie said.
-Only a vegetarian who cheats can be called a meat connoisseur, knowing the finest details of meat requires being able to taste the dish, so they would consider you a cheat. Or well, in other contexts, a sinner, - Billy said, noticing that.
-You're very aggressive; sinners are immoral people. I only wanted to please you. Men always have a way of ruining us; my only wish was for you to be happy, but I see you only consider me a sinner, - Julie said, provoking not only with a lascivious gesture but also, Billy didn't rule out that Julie was also playing Céline. A fresh woman who was not very interested in the most specific tricks, like sleeping outdoors, walking all day, enduring the cold, and eating only bread before bed, or wine.
-We're all sinners. Why would a man be content to live life morally? Someday, he must break a couple of rules to feel happy. I'm not saying that sin always prevails over morality; we're told this is wrong, but certain things must bite into our lives. People tend to suppress their spirit as much as they suppress their desire to succeed, - Billy said.
-So those who don't suppress themselves succeed, it's like saying that someone who doesn't kill can't start a company... - They entered the restaurant, which was closed. The entrance door had a circular window that met another room; the tables there were full-bodied.
-Right this way, - Julie said, leading him to a small bar, which promptly ushered in two workers to take their order.
-I must understand that you're talking about traditional rules or modern ones. If you're talking about modern ones, I'd say it's contrary to your position. People in this era should follow morality more; I find many people who prevail in immorality, - Julie said.
-Of course, I'm referring to people who lead a communal life, who pray every day or work, and who follow the rules imposed by society without stepping on others or breaking the rules. Now, those who live a completely immoral life live in even more disgrace because they are the bad excesses that lead to worse, - Billy said.
Perusing the menu, Julie was a mushroom enthusiast and took him to an expert meat place. They served fine cuts, marinating the meat with beer and letting it sit for a day to tenderize sufficiently. A special sauce was applied, and it was set aside for their meal, accompanied by French fries, onion salads, melted cheeses, special rolls, and salads.
-As you suggested the place, let me pick the food. I always find it curious to try some unknown dishes and some that are somewhat known, - Billy said, closing the menu.
-Alright, but order a lemonade. I need something to drink if I'm going to try these dishes. I said I eat meat, but I'm not very fond of such dishes, - Julie said.
-Then our meal will have to reduce the meat a bit, -Billy said.
Ordering four special dishes, two of meat, and two sides, along with an appetizer of cheese puffs, according to the waiters, was one of the favorites among frequent customers. Not very common in establishments, there was a jukebox playing '80s music, a soft tune, "Celebration" - Kool & The Gang, not quite in tune with the atmosphere but very famous in its time, forgotten and remembered again years later.
The music lightened the conversation; Julie danced in her seat and raised her arms as if pointing to the sky.
-Come on, let's dance, - Billy said, taking Julie's hands, provoking a quick dance. Julie danced with ease; once, she heard that to dance alone, one must dance without caring about anything else, there was no dance other than the moment. However for Billy, it wasn't easy to engage in such activities; he wasn't very good at dancing, and he had become unaccustomed and longed for his different steps.
Julie was undoubtedly a woman of sensual dances; her slow hip movements—where did she learn them? The levitation of her body reminded him of a movie, only the cameras weren't rolling, and only the eyes of some employees at fleeting moments were on the two dancers. Billy's steps were robotic, a necessity of his own, even though he tried to give it his all. The imagination of the cameras calmed his nerves; with renewed vigor, he danced with all he had. Julie's deep brown eyes in the darkness, the occasional star that tinted her gaze green, only up close did he see a mix of green that veered towards bluer sides, but only an effect of light.
-Relax, - Julie said, taking his hand. - One must take time to savor these moments. You seem like an antelope at a lion's gathering. Come, take off your jacket, - Julie said, removing Billy's blazer.
-So that's how I look. For a moment, I thought I had impressed you with my performance. Now I see that I made a fool of myself, - Billy said.
-You haven't. But, we won't tell anyone else about this, - Julie said.
-The food has arrived, but we'll have a rematch; the antelope doesn't give up easily, - Billy said.
While the meats were already served on the table.
....
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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