Page 118 of Christmas at the Movies
‘They can use the garden shed to canoodle,’ suggested James. ‘Although my bike takes up a lot of the room in there.’
‘I bet you wish you were going somewhere exotic for Christmas, Mum,’ said Sarah. Geraldine was staying in Plumdale this year, because Meg’s family had decided to visit her dad in Spain.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Geraldine. ‘Plumdale is growing on me. I think I’m going to be very happy here.’
Sarah took her mother’s hand. It was bony and covered in age spots, but her grip was strong – as was her love.
‘Happy Christmas, Mum,’ she said. ‘I’m so glad you’re here too.’
Eventually, the audience started to drift home, to fill stockings, leave mince pies out for Santa and put presentsunder the tree, which they’d finally put a few nights earlier. It had snowed while the film had been playing –realsnow. It sparkled brightly under the neon light of the cinema marquee. Holly and Nick had walked ahead, their daughter’s arm slung affectionately over her not-so-little brother’s shoulder.
‘What if you hadn’t got the time wrong?’ said Sarah as James locked up the cinema door. ‘If you didn’t end up seeingWhile You Were Sleeping,we never would have met that day.’ She still had the ticket stub tucked into an old diary. She’d known even back then that it was a special night – that the cute film buff was going to play the leading man in her life.
‘Oh, we would have met,’ said James confidently. ‘At some other movie. At some other cinema. On some other day.’
‘How can you be so sure?’ asked Sarah.
‘Because we’re soulmates,’ replied James. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he gestured up at the stars twinkling in the night sky. ‘It was written in the stars.’
If it had been a movie, violin music would have begun to swell. The camera would pan out over the snow-dusted village and the credits would begin to roll. But James and Sarah’s love story wasn’t a movie and it wasn’t ending here. This was just one more scene in their story. Because sometimes, real life was even better than the movies.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
‘This is Goldie Johnson for Entertainment News reporting from the Plumdale Picture Palace where the world premiere ofThe Ghostwriteris taking place tonight.’ The reporter, wearing a sparkly gown, stood in the cinema lobby speaking into a microphone as a cameraman filmed. ‘With me are screenwriter, Sarah O’Hara, and the film’s director, Hollywood heartthrob, Mateo Ajose.’
I can’t believe this is really happening, thought Sarah, smiling at the camera. She was wearing a slinky green silk dress with the white scarf her mother had given her as a wedding present draped around her shoulders.
Goldie turned to Mateo. ‘Why did you choseThe Ghostwriterfor your directorial debut?’ She held out her microphone to him.
‘Firstly, because it’s such a great script,’ replied Mateo, smiling at Sarah. ‘But also because it’s set in the Cotswolds, which is my adopted home.’
Sarah glanced across the lobby, where Mateo’s wife was standing with the Wus. Iris and Sam were both sporting large baby bumps – their due dates were within weeks of each other. For the past year, Iris had been teaching art at the high school and Sarah knew Nick would miss her while she was on maternity leave.
‘We had such a lot of fun making this movie. It showcases the best of British independent cinema,’ continued Mateo.
Most of the filming had taken place in and around Plumdale and Stowford. Sarah had visited the set several times and it couldn’t have been more different toEx-mas Eve. The film’s budget had been much smaller, but, unlike Noa, Mateo had fostered a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere on set. The only tears shed were those required by the script.
‘And I believe the two of you worked together once before, onEx-Mas Eve,’ said the reporter.
Sarah and Mateo exchanged knowing glances and nodded diplomatically.
Ex-mas Evehad been a modest box-office hit. Sarah and James had screened it as one of their film-festival movies last Christmas, and, although it wasn’t likely to stand the test of time, Sarah had enjoyed it. As for Noa, his reputation had been tarnished so badly within the industry, that the only thing he’d directed recently was a soft-drink advertisement.
‘So what’s the movie about, Sarah?’ asked Goldie.
‘It’s a ghost story that’s also a love story,’ explained Sarah. ‘But mostly it’s about the importance of finding your voice.’
Over the past two years, encouraged by her friends and family, Sarah had definitely found her own voice. In addition toThe Ghostwriter, she’d finished two other screenplays – one of which had been optioned by a Hollywood production company. Nicole Kidman had even been mentioned as a potential star.
‘And I hear there’s another British director making their debut tonight,’ said the reporter.
‘That’s right,’ replied Sarah, nodding. ‘We’re showing a short film by a talented young filmmaker named Aaron Armstrong.’
Aaron, who was now studying film in London, had made the short as part of his course. He’d cast Holly as the lead, with Ian, Hermione and various other local residents playing supporting roles. He’d even convinced Geraldine to make her acting debut!
‘One last question for Mateo – are the rumours you’ll be the next James Bond true?’ asked Goldie.
