Mr. R--Bohemoth Man

Where I left off: Mr. R. offers me a bagel. It's as simple as that. He asks if I want a bagel, and I'm head over heels. This bohemoth of a man who looks like he can crush me with a simple high-five has found the way into my heart. He offered me coffee too, and I explained that I didn't drink coffee to which he said, "WHAT?!?!"

After our little breakfast break, we got to work. I followed Mr. R like a lost puppy dog. Hope he didn't think that was weird. I just wanted to be available and helpful. I was grabbing stuff for him, holding the camera for him, just little stuff. He was getting really sweaty from holding the camera and filming in a small office with all the lighting equipment on in there that he asked me to get him a paper towel to wipe off his sweat. He curled his sweaty paper towel into a ball and was looking around for a trash can. Without saying anything, I held out my hand. "Thanks," he said and put it in my hand. Then I laughed and said, "Ew." He laughed too and so did the actor that heard me and saw this.

As time progressed, I took over B.'s job because he was acting in the film too. I did the slate and filled out the camera report which is a record of how long each take was, the lens and f-stop that was used and other stuff. Between set-ups, Mr. R would tell me how making a film is all about teamwork and being organized on a set. I quickly understood. The production manager and director weren't too organized. At times, we didn't know what shot we were setting up for.

S.M. borrowed my flashlight for when we were setting up, and then gave it back to me broken. I said, "S.! You broke my flashlight!" But he was too busy being a DP, so Mr. R. said, "Hey, let me see it." He was standing right next to me, holding the camera. I held the camera for him as he tinkered with it. "It's the washer--do you want my flashlight?" God, these simple little offerings of bagels and coffee and flashlights. No, I said, it's your flashlight, you're going to need it. He looked back at my flashlight and continued tinkering with it. He fixed it a minute later.

The day went on like this: setting-up, getting our shot, then moving on. It was exciting and fun and I got to spend most of my time with the most awesome camera crew and Mr. R., notably. He has a girlfriend though. I was wearing a Bench brand jacket--not a brand that's found in the U.S. He was all, "What's Bench?" I explained that it's a brand in the U.K. "Where were you in England?" I was at Cambridge. "Hmmm. My girlfriend probably knows that brand. She visited England."

And that was it. He has a girlfriend, like all lovely boys I meet. Mike from flight to LAX had a fiancee (Mike), and now this one has a girlfriend. Typical. He's funny, passionate, and amazing. Of course, he has a girlfriend. I wonder now if he was paying attention to my reaction to hearing that he has a girlfriend. I think I played it cool, didn't look like my heart was shattering into a million pieces. I was holding the camera when he told me about his girlfriend. He was holding a clothespin--the grips (people who work with lighting)--use them. He took the clothespin and, without saying anything, attached it to my sleeve, right near my underarm, and walked away to do something important. I could have melted right there.

At the end of the shoot, the crew and I were in the office, in the dark, taking the film out of the camera and back into its cartridge. Standing next to me, Mr. R. thanked me for all my hard work, and then, he put his left arm around my left shoulder, and we side-hugged. Thank God it was dark in that room, or else he would have seen me blush. It was nice and unexpected. God, I love hugs from cute boys.

I did a gutsy thing before he left: I asked for his email address. Just in case I had questions in the future about my film shoots. He gave it to me, no problem, and his cell phone number.

I am slowly, but surely, coming out of my shell, and not compromising anything that I have ever stood for. I am learning so much. I am meeting nice boys. I am "networking"--but I hate having to use that word. I am making friends. Thank you God for S.M.--who suggested that I work with the camera crew in the first place, and for Mr. R., who treated me with respect, taught me so much, and made me laugh on numerous occassions. I hope we cross paths again in the future.