The Tutor

Chapter 25: Progress

"It is not a cluster fuck," Nick repeated, trying not to laugh. "At least, it wouldn't have to be, not if you'd just agree to do it." He smiled at Sumire, who sat in the onsen with him in her bathing suit, her hair piled fetchingly on top of her head.

It had been nearly a week since Minami's revelation of her impending happy event had thrown the entire production of Nick's movie, The Heart of the Sun, into chaos and turmoil. Nick and Sumire had continued to go to the set and rehearse, with Sumire standing in for Minami, putting in long hours in the stifling heat of the manor house, which had no air conditioning because it would be bad for the costumes and the antiques, before returning to relax in their suite.

Tonight, they were having hot sake while soaking in the onsen, trying to steam and heat away the stress they were under.

Every day that they were on the set, a groundswell of vocal support was growing for Sumire to just step in and take over Minami's part of Hana, the daughter of the house who, though engaged to another, falls in love with Nick's character when he comes from Edo to convince her to marry.

Sumire, of course, was against this.

"It is, too," she retorted, taking another drink of her sake. She ticked off the reasons on her fingers. "I'm not an actress. I'm not pretty. I look too young. I'm too short. And Murakami-sensei doesn't even want me."

"He doesn't want you because he thinks you don't want to do it," Nick responded, frustrated. "If you'd walk in there tomorrow and agree to do it, they could start fittings right away and we'd only be six days behind. Hell we'd be caught up in two weeks, because you know the script better than the back of your hand, you know I'm right! Martin's had the papers drawn up for two days already."

Sumire started to say something, then stopped as Nick's last words sank in. "Martin's what?" Martin Stabler, Nick's agent, had flown in from Los Angeles as soon as he'd heard from Nick that trouble was brewing.

"Come on, Mimi-chan, he's a Hollywood agent, he smells money, it's his job," Nick replied, running his hand through his damp hair. "He's one of the best in the business, you know he'll rep you really well, and get you a good deal, right?"

"Obviously I'm not worried about what kind of deal he'll get me," Sumire answered, shaking her head. "I don't even need a agent, anyway."

"What?" Nick was aghast. "You wouldn't think of signing without a agent, would you?"

"God, this is a ridiculous conversation," Sumire said, fed up. "I'm not going to step in and star in a major Hollywood motion picture, okay? Stuff like this doesn't happen in real life, so can we please just stop talking about it? I'm filling in while they find someone else, and that's all."

"Sumire." Nick put a wet hand on her arm. "Sumire. You're the one living in a dream world if you think they're going to find a half-Japanese woman in her early to mid-twenties who's fluent in both English and Japanese in the next few days who can act," Nick declared.

Sumire shook Nick's hand off her arm. "Well, you're out of your motherfucking mind if you think I'm going to agree to act, on camera, in front of dozens of people, and be comfortable, knowing that it's eventually going to be shown on  a five thousand square foot movie screen to millions of people," she responded.

In spite of himself Nick smiled as he swallowed his sake, savoring the heat and flavor as it hit his throat and warmed his insides.

"I must say, woman, that you delight me in just about every way," he remarked. He leaned over and pushed the button for more sake from room service.