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Take 5 | Dailies

Dailies

the immediately processed, rough cuts, exposed film, or first prints of a film (w/o special effects or edits) for the director (producer, cinematographer, or editor) to review, to see how the film came out after the day’s (or previous day’s) shooting; more commonly in the form of videotape or digital dailies nowadays; aka rushes (referring to the haste taken to make them available); used to determine if continuity is correct, if props are missing or out of place, or if sound is poor, etc., to help decide whether to re-shoot.

Outside of their use in producing a motion picture, dailies are desirable by fans as a collectors item and to see more of the filmmaking process. They are also desirable to film students and teachers to illustrate how a film is shot and as a tool to practice editing.

For a variety of reasons, major motion picture studios never release their dailies for outside use. One cited problem is that the Screen Actors Guild has a clause in their contract to protect their actors’ privacy which says that the producers of all union productions must give up their rights to the actor’s performance for anything but the edited movie. In most other English speaking countries, the actors unions have similar contracts which limit the distribution of all film dailies.

Rushes and dailies are also used to create trailers, even if they may contain footage that is not in the final movie, or the trailer editor and the film editor may use different takes of a particular shot.

 

 

On the days that followed, Michael and Lisa kept in touch. Not all the time, but they did. They did it mainly via text, after that little almost-interlude at Neverland. But they both decided to be gracious to one another and didn’t talk about the whole thing. However, that didn’t mean that they didn’t think about it.

That night, after Lisa left and drove back to Hidden Hills, Michael went to his dancing studio to blow off some steam. He exercised for a couple of hours with a passion that made his muscles cry out in pain, although the last year had been very hard on him. No matter what he had told Lisa, his back still bothered him and he had a feeling he would never be able to move precisely the way he used to. He felt stiffer, slower, pain spreading to his limbs from his spine in sudden electric shocks. Besides, he was not that young anymore. The turning point of his Forties had impacted him more than he had always let on, and more than he was willing to admit. He had reached an age that he had always considered mature and he felt as if his perspectives had started to change a bit. Family and personal fulfillment, now, seemed to come first in his book. Of course, that didn’t mean that he didn’t like dancing anymore. He loved dancing, he was in love with music, and he was intentioned to continue creating. But he also was doing his best to respect his body and his natural cycles more than he had ever done in the past. And he was trying to rest on a regular basis.

That night, after Lisa left, the task became more laborious than it had been in the last months. He danced, took a shower, went to bed and tried to sleep and failed miserably. He realized he was sexually frustrated, mentally exhausted and emotionally drained. Despite him fighting against the feelings like crazy, Lisa always had that effect on him and discovering that he was not immune to her charm as he thought was disconcerting. He was able to find some solace the moment it occurred to him that he had been able to stop – with Herculean effort, but he had managed not to kiss her, and even to put aside the immense passion he felt for her.

He also knew why he had stopped. He had noticed how scared she was and how petrified he, too, felt. They were not in a good place, he and Lisa. The reason why they had started communicating again was not a nice one. Them falling back into their old, destructive – albeit intense and fulfilling – habits would now be out of… what?

Comfort? Routine? Familiarity? Fear? Like two castaways clinging to one another in the middle of a storm?

Besides, they both had other partners now and, although Michael didn’t consider himself in a committed relationship and knew very well that he was not in love with Zoe, he genuinely liked the girl. She was sweet and didn’t deserve to be fucked over. And Roman… well, Michael didn’t know the man at all and sure as hell didn’t care about him, but thought that if Lisa wanted to be with him, she probably had her own reasons. As a matter of fact, she spoke very highly of her new partner, so what gave?

Later that evening, he decided to get back on track and wiggle himself out of the emotional impact Lisa had scarred him with. He had to fight fire with fire. He called Zoe, and she was ecstatic to hear from him after a couple of days of complete silence. He asked her if he could see her so they could have a drink, and she replied she would be waiting for him. So, Michael drove over to her apartment around midnight and spent the night there, making love to her and trying hard to relax.

As a matter of fact, he did try very hard to be focused and committed, but his mind kept wandering to high-risk places. Zoe welcomed his more domineering and rougher attitude, not realizing that it stemmed more from intense frustration than genuine desire, and eventually she fell asleep, exhausted. While he – well, he was physically worn out but still wired and very much alert. He was unable to sleep for more than a bunch of minutes in a row, micro-naps that allowed him to go through the night and through the motions. When the sun finally rose, he left a note for Zoe and went to Jackie’s house, then finally drove back home with the kids.

Only then, he was able to relax. Playing with Prince and Paris, feeding them, laughing as he walked with them through the vast property, watching cartoons with them. That was the kind of happiness he had always been looking for, and he had it now. He just had to maneuver himself out of that destructive pattern – the one that reminded him that he didn’t have all he had ever wanted.

Right?

No, wrong. He had to be thankful for what he had accomplished, it didn’t matter what he had lost in the process. Collateral damage was unavoidable.

Throughout the day, he fought against the urge of calling Lisa and make sure she was alright. Why shouldn’t she be, after all? Eventually, he concluded he would simply give her a couple of days to get back in touch with him, and then decide what he was going to do if she pulled one of her stunts and disappeared on him. He had to admit, he had taught her well…

He wondered if Lisa knew that him icing her out, at times, had never been out of indifference or lack of love. Quite the opposite, in fact. She unraveled such chaos inside of him that, sometimes, he just needed to step back for a minute and regroup before entering the tornado again. But he always, always was intentioned to go back to her. She was his home. Even when he didn’t want her to be.

Eventually, Lisa beat him to the punch and sent him a text the next day, around dinner time.

How are u?

There she was, with her non-committal, a bit casual approach. Michael about jumped out of his skin when he felt the phone buzz in the back pocket of his jeans and the device almost fell from his hand as he hastily took it out.

Alright… he had to play it cool. Nothing had happened, after all. No reason to be all riled up.

Hey Lise! 
Im good
How abt you

He waited and waited and nothing came. What? How was he supposed to interpret that? Had he sounded too giddy? Not happy enough to hear from her? No, wait – there it was, another incoming message. Phew.

Im ok
U been watching the stuff
At ur other place
Did u start taking note of what 
it is all about exactly

Michael frowned. Oh, OK. She wanted to know if he had started examining their x-rated footage and cataloging it. And taking note of its sensitiveness and potential damage, had the thing leaked.

Ah… No. Not really. He hadn’t exactly been in the mood for reviving their steamy sexual encounters on screen, given that an almost-kiss had left him hot and bothered for over a day now.

Not yet
Been busy with some
Other stuff

After ten minutes she still hadn’t replied.

Why?
Did you?

Beep.

Of course.
Got em all sorted out

Of course she had. Little neat freak. Michael made a face.

Are they..
You know

How could he say what he wanted to say and sound inconspicuous? They had to pay attention to how they spoke about this via text, or email, or phone! He pushed “Send” anyway. And he was glad to discover that Lisa had gotten the message just fine.

Oh yeah

Oh, man…

Shaking his head, he sat down at the kitchen table helplessly. As he tried to come up with a smart, comforting reply, Paris ran over to him and pushed a stuffed toy in his face.

“Utiful!”

Michael laughed.

“Yes, baby… It’s beautiful, you’re right… Hey Paris, why don’t you go play with Prince and the nanny in the living room? Daddy’s gonna be there in a minute…” He kissed his two-year-old on the cheek and Paris squirmed the moment his stubble touched her soft skin. Then she giggled and swayed off the kitchen in her still partly unstable gait. Michael’s eyes followed her for a bit, their gaze warm, soft, then turned back to the phone.

I need to see it

Biting his lip, turning serious again, he waited for Lisa’s reply. And she didn’t disappoint.

And I need to see yours.
Maybe some of them are the same

Fair enough.

Maybe
What can we do

He stood up and, as he waited, poured himself some ice tea.

Beep.

Maybe we should meet again
And weight up what we found

Hell yeah! That was the best idea after spending the afternoon at Neverland a couple of days earlier! He cleared his throat.

Yeah good point
Tomorow nite?
At the hideout?

His heartbeat started to increase and he took a deep breath. Come on, Lise…

I cant
Am not in LA right now

Oh. That was so… disappointing. Should he ask? No, it was certainly not his place, nor his role any longer. As he was still debating whether or not he should investigate more about Lisa’s whereabouts, she anticipated his next message.

Away with roman 
And the kids
for a few days

Had the guy met the kids already? Michael replied without even thinking, as jealousy simmered under the surface of his skin.

Where
WTF?! Not ur business

True. Not his business for sure.

Fuck this shit. He flipped the phone closed and threw it on the table. But then it beeped again. What now?

Vegas
am supposed to come back in a week

His thumbs shook as he tried hard to regulate his breathing. And more than anything else, he was mad at himself – because her words had upset him so much. Why the fuck did he care, anyway? She was probably cozying up with her beau in a presidential suite while Michael felt his stomach tighten in a painful knot.

K
See you when I see you then
Enjoy vegas
And say hi to ronald for me
Its roman
Same thing

He snorted at their inside joke, but it was devoid of any joy. As a matter of fact, he didn’t feel like laughing at all. He felt a bit like puking. Throwing the cell phone back on the table once again, he finally walked out of the kitchen and decided to just spend some time doing what he loved doing the most: being a dad.

For about an hour, he was capable of just letting go all tensions as he played with Prince and Paris. He also got distracted by all Lisa-related thoughts as he and the babysitter chatted away for a bit and, eventually, he managed to feel way more relaxed and at peace. He put Prince and Paris to sleep and then, when he was sure they were in their dream world, he went back downstairs to retrieve his phone from the kitchen. He planned to call Zoe and ask her to come over, and maybe spend the night with him at the ranch. Yes, indeed… his mood had improved considerably, and he thought some sex and cuddling would make it even better.

Only then he noticed the green light blinking.

Michael froze. Flipping the phone open quietly, he read the texts he had not realized he had received. They were all from Lisa.

M, I was thinking

Her following message had taken another solid five minutes. Which meant that the first one had been impulsive and Lisa felt conflicted. It was incredible how able he was to read her even through an electronic device.

U know what
Roman is working anyway
And mother wanted to bring
Riley and Ben to Graceland

And then, immediately after…

I could come back 
Like
In 2-3 days

Another pause.

So we can sort this out
U and I
If ok w/ u

Ten more minutes of silence. She couldn’t know he had left his phone in the kitchen. And she probably thought he was pissed. Or hurt. Or both.

U mad?

Michael grinned. She was so cute… When she wanted to be. And when she didn’t realize she was.

Look I dont want u to think
I dont care about this
Cos I do

He knew she did… Michael’s grin got wider.

I mean my ass 2 is on display!
And I dont want u 2 think
I dont wanna see u because of what
U know…

Oh, he did know. Because of what had almost happened in the theater. The final message had arrived about five minutes earlier.

Ok thats it
Im coming back 
In 3 days
See u at the hideout
If u dont want 2
Or changed ur mind
Just let me know

What? No! He didn’t want her to think he was ignoring her or that he had changed his mind! In fact, after what had transpired right before their final breakup, the last thing Michael wanted was for Lisa to think that he didn’t care about her. He did care… he cared so much…

The moment he felt the feeling, he bottled it all up again immediately. It was just too scary to realize it and even worse to admit it. And he and Lisa had been sailing smoothly so far. Well… more or less. No need to make it even more complicated than it already was… bringing feelings into the conversation… feelings, and desires… and hopes? No. Those didn’t exist. Not about this. The only hope he had was that the mud machine wouldn’t get more ammo than it already did.

Quickly he replied.

Hey L
Sorry I didnt
Have my phone w/ me

Send.

He blinked. Then added:

Id be happy to see u

No… That was not the truth. He couldn’t wait to see her.

Lisa made him wait for about twelve seconds before replying.

:-)
See u in 3 days 
G’nite

He smiled.

Good night…

And just like that, he felt he could finally go to sleep and get some much-deserved rest. And his mood didn’t need anything else to improve, at least for that night.

And so, three days later, once again Michael found himself all fidgety, waiting for Lisa to arrive, this time at the very private setting of the Hideout and around dinner time. A potentially dangerous mix. He only hoped he would be able to convey absolute coolness just like during their impromptu evening together at Neverland.

For the occasion, he had cleaned up the place and ordered some takeaway food that only needed to be warmed up in the oven. Because, simplicity. He also had ordered a little treat, just in case the occasion would arise. He didn’t really think it would happen but, as he knew very well, fortune favored the bold, so…

When he heard the elevator door open, he launched himself to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob, just listening carefully to the steps getting closer and closer. Listening and waiting. He narrowed his eyes hearing Lisa’s steps become hesitant and uncertain for a second. Then another barely audible noise and a light knock on the door. He flung it open immediately and found himself face to face with his ex-wife. Who, by the way, looked stunning even in her casual attire.

“Hey…”

He sounded adequately breathless and Lisa stared at him, cocking her head and giving him an amused look.

“Hey… Have you been running or something?”

“Or something… Please, come in… Welcome…” He moved to a side and felt incredibly happy the moment she stepped into the privacy of his apartment. She was always so gladly received in the most intimate part of who he was… whether she believed it or not. That had never changed, not even when he had tried to so hard to protect himself from the immense power that she seemed able to exert over him. Only because it scared him, not because he didn’t like the idea of simply letting go and trusting her.

Of course, their trust in one another had eroded through the years… Him feeling betrayed about the kids thing, her backing off after feeling pressured, him taking Deb up on her offer, Lisa filing for divorce just to force his hand, him not complying and actually signing the papers despite not really wanting to, then icing her out for months out of pain and anger. And then, them reconnecting again, full of love and passion for one another, just like the very first time. The push, the pull, the moments of intense, unmeasurable happiness and the long solitary nights, those cold nights where they had seemed unable to find each other in the darkness and turmoil of their complicated lives. And so on and on and on. The constant chariot and they both seemed unable to jump off.

Michael’s head spun even as the memories quickly washed through him and he closed the door, locking it and then taking a moment to regain the composure he felt he was losing a bit too fast. In retrospect, thinking about what had happened at Neverland only a few days earlier, he was not upset about the almost-kiss, but more about Lisa changing her mind as she was leaving. Turning around and flying into his arms as if she couldn’t help herself. About her lips lingering on his forehead and her silence, charged even in all its unspoken messages. That had been what had overpowered him the most.

Yes, they did need to find out what possible damage their footage could cause, and they could only do it together because neither one of them had the guts of watching those tapes alone. God knew Michael had tried, but he had given up after a bit because of the feelings those images unleashed. And despite not having asked Lisa, he knew she was always very direct and straightforward, and it was highly unlikely that she had not taken a look at the tapes in her possession, the moment she had put her hands on them again. So it was a minefield, really.

“Hey, I ordered something to eat… Wanna have dinner before we… ah, start?”

She looked surprised and he fidgeted.

“Or you want us to eat as we watch?”

Lisa chuckled. “Nah, let’s have dinner first. I mean- let’s focus on one damn thing at a time…”

“Why, you don’t think Mexican food is perfect with the footage?” Making light of the situation and the nervousness he felt, he headed to the kitchen. Lisa followed him slowly.

“I think no food is appropriate for what we’re gonna see…”

“Well, that depends…”

“What?”

Michael realized he had mumbled and stopped, causing Lisa to almost bump into him.

“I said, it depends.”

“It depends? On what?”

“On what kind of hunger we have…” Then he blushed. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid joke. I guess it’s just…”

“Old habits.”

“Old habits, yeah…”

“Right…” Lisa took a deep breath. “Well, anyway, thank you. For the food, not the joke. You’re always such a perfect host.”

Glad to be off the hook, he strolled over to the fridge and took out the food boxes. All the while, he turned on the oven, moving smoothly around the kitchen. Lisa leaned back against the breakfast table and watched him with admiration.

“Well, look at that…”

“What?” He didn’t turn, and kept placing the food in the baking pan instead.

“I would have never suspected you’d become so productive in the kitchen.”

“Lisa, I’m just heating up stuff…” Michael laughed.

He sure was…

Just looking at him, at those broad shoulders wrapped by that shirt, at the way his jeans enhanced his perfect ass, Lisa felt he was warming her up just fine.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. She had to do something for that perverted mind of hers. This was so unholy and… inappropriate.

“No, I mean – you used to be so incompetent and… You know, so utterly useless around food…”

Once again he giggled. “Gee, Lise… tell me how you really feel…”

She too laughed, then stepped closer to him. “Sorry, I’m just surprised. But in the best way possible.” She looked down and noticed how neatly he was placing the food in the pan. His eyes stayed on the task and yet her physical proximity alerted all his cells.

“It’s all about being the best dad I can be… Self-sufficient, you know? I love cooking for the kids… and when they are older, I’ll start cooking with them. But tonight I’ll only show you that I’m very much capable of serving takeaway…”

Lisa smiled.

“So, what you got?”

“Well… what we like… Quesadillas with squash blossoms, some rutabaga tacos, a couple of black bean burritos and of course, guacamole…”

“Not the food! I was talking about the tapes…”

He threw his head back and laughed, heartily. “Oh, the tapes… Sorry. I guess I’m taking this kitchen thing way too seriously.”

“So it seems. Here…” Lisa gently took the spoon from his hand, and they stared at each other for a moment. Then he let go, quietly savoring the extemporaneous, intimate contact. “Let me take care of this… and tell me more about the tapes you found. I know it’s not text messages material…”

Yeah. Once again, they were on the same page. Sighing, Michael stepped back and allowed Lisa to put the food in the oven as he retrieved the CDs. He placed them on the breakfast table and stared at them.

She eyed the disks as she set the table, but kept quiet. Waiting for him to talk.

He spoke after a minute of pensive silence.

“They span from 1993 to… last year, really.”

Lisa stopped mid-track and turned to him, frowning. “Last year? We didn’t… I mean, I don’t remember us ever recording anything last year…”

He blushed, tilting his head. “Well, that’s because you didn’t know. It was supposed to be a surprise… but then, you know…” He shrugged his shoulders.

Yeah. But then they had broken up and had stopped communicating in the ugliest, most abrupt fashion imaginable.

“Oh…”

“Yeah… So…”

Lisa nodded and went over to the fridge, retrieving a couple of beers. She showed him the bottles.

“Good?”

“Take the wine, please… If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” She smirked and put the bottles back, then chose an Italian red from the wine rack.

“So, anyway… the first one dates back to December ‘93, then I found several more we shot before and during our marriage. Then a couple taken in ‘97, when we got back together again… and then ‘98 and ‘99…”

“Wow. We did shoot a lot of stuff, didn’t we…”

“We sure did.”

“I don’t think we’ll have the time to watch all of them tonight, but maybe we’ll be able to see which ones are the most… attractive for our nameless thief… or thieves.”

“Right. Look – You gotta know that I’m pretty sure we’re always recognizable in those shots.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“But some are more damaging than others. I mean – I know the press has been hinting at us being a couple, on and off, after our divorce, but still…”

“We don’t wanna give your ex-wife any excuse to ask for even more money. I understand.”

Michael narrowed his eyes.

“Please, don’t call her that. You, of all people, know the truth.”

Lisa exhaled a sigh.

“But that is the truth, Mike. She was your wife. I know it was not…” She scrunched her forehead, struggling to find the words, “…not what we had, but to the rest of the world she was your legitimate wife. And if one of those tapes comes out, it’ll become pretty obvious that I was your mistress. We must take that into consideration. No matter what we know… or think about the whole matter.”

“I know.”

An uneasy silence followed, and Michael stared at the CDs on the table. He had never seen Lisa as his mistress. She had been his only real wife.

Marrying Deb… it hadn’t been the wisest decision of his life. But he had been pressured to do it. The news about her pregnancy had “mysteriously” leaked – thanks to her direct collaboration with some low-lives in the press. He wasn’t ready to talk about any surrogacy agreement. The possibility of her asking for custody had become real. He had been petrified. He had felt forced. And despite the marvelous outcome of Prince and Paris, he had regretted every minute spent as Deb’s husband. In retrospect, it had been an avoidable farce and she had ended up showing her true colors anyway, so he was not sure it had been all worth it.

“Anyway… did you bring yours?”

“Yeah…” Lisa crouched down and observed the food warming up in the oven. “My collection is not as extensive as yours, but it’s interesting nonetheless…”

He gave her a sad, uncertain grin. Apparently, all that remained of their intense love story were small plastic disks and worn up tapes. Nothing else.

“Well, food first, OK? And then we’ll see what mess we’re in.”

They had a light, comfortable, quiet dinner and tried hard to avoid subjects that were either too personal or too connected to their past. They talked about their kids, and Lisa watched the warm light in Michael’s eyes as he told her about Paris’ ever-improving vocabulary and feisty attitude and Prince’s calm, serene demeanor.

She loved his kids. She missed them – probably as much as Michael missed Riley and Benjamin. Whenever a love story went wrong and there were children involved, the damage was always more extensive than anybody could foresee. Lisa still remembered how hard their divorce had been on Riley and Ben. How many nights they had waited for Michael, staring outside the window, hoping to see the Suburban come up to the mansion. She also recalled how ecstatic they were when they had, somehow, realized that their mom and Michael were back together. And how quietly heartbroken they had been, once again, the previous year – when Lisa had informed them both that it was highly unlikely that Michael would visit again anytime soon.

“Do they like Roman?” Michael placed the fork in his plate and took a sip of wine.

Lisa stared at her food for a moment.

“They’re OK with him.”

Only partly true. Her kids were not fond of Roman. They thought he was cold and boring. And to be honest, Lisa had a feeling Roman was not too fond of them either. But that was no newsflash: her new boyfriend had been very clear about what he thought of children in general. He considered them a nuisance. Dead weight. She still remembered his words, delivered with that casual, velvety tone of his.

“Lisa, if I had wanted to have kids, I would have. The fact that I didn’t speaks volumes, don’t you think?”

Smartly enough, he had soon realized that, unlike him, Lisa loved kids and wasn’t a fan of him defining them as “an inconvenience.” And he had never brought up the subject again, trying as much as he could to accept Riley and Ben as part of the package of his new relationship. After all, not wanting them around would have been a dealbreaker for Lisa, and it looked like Roman didn’t want to lose her.

With Michael, of course, it had been different from the beginning. Despite their relationship having been, at least at times, a bit more than a simple friendship even when Ben wasn’t even a blip on Lisa’s radar, Michael had always accepted her kids wholeheartedly. If anything, had it been for him they would be surrounded by babies by now. If only they hadn’t divorced, of course.

“Hey… Lise. I’m sorry – I shouldn’t be meddling. And I didn’t wanna make you melancholic. I shouldn’t have overstepped.”

She looked up at him.

“You didn’t. I was just thinking that not all the men in the world are natural-born fathers like you.”

The look in his eyes told her that her words had surprised and pleased him, and the realization made her feel strangely giddy. She guessed it was because she had thought she would never be able to surprise and delight him ever again, given their past. For once, she was glad to be wrong.

“That’s a great compliment. Possibly the best I’ve ever received. Thank you.”

Lisa nodded, then took a moment to study him. Michael had changed. Of course, they hadn’t been apart too long, but something about him looked definitely different. He seemed wiser, calmer, more mature. In a way, even more demure. She didn’t know if he was so polite and collected because he wanted to keep her at a distance or because that was merely the way he was now. The previous year Michael had been as tense as a violin cord, in constant physical and emotional pain, extremely nervous and irritable. That impatience seemed nowhere to be found now. He was not cold, only… slightly low-key. And yet, that night in the theater, she had felt his struggle. His desire to kiss her. His barely repressed passion. That was familiar territory. Behind the mature facade, she had recognized the man she used to know.

“You’re welcome, but it wasn’t supposed to be a compliment. It’s just the way it is. On a side note, Ri and Ben miss you, Michael.”

“I miss them too.”

“You know, now that we seem capable of getting along a bit more, I was thinking that maybe one of these days you could stop by and say hello to them… if you want, that is.”

“I’d love to.” This time the hint of a smile appeared on his lips and he reached out, taking her hand on the table. Lisa was unable to pull back and stayed perfectly still, her small hand hidden underneath his bigger, warm one. The warmth seemed to spread from her hand to the rest of her body. And to her heart. “And Prince and Paris… They ask about you sometimes, you know? Well, mainly Prince, but still…” He blushed.

“They are adorable babies.”

His smile got bigger. “Yes. Yes, they are. So, you know… if you, too, wanna visit… I mean, if Roman agrees…”

Lisa narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need his permission. I do what I want.”

“That’s not what I meant… I…” Michael’s cheeks reddened and he let go of her hand, but she grabbed his fingers and held onto them, about startling him.

“I’d be glad to stop by, sooner or later.”

He seemed to relax, and sighed.

“Great. Amazing. We have a deal, then. So… are we ready to begin? I’ve set up the living room for the night.” He squinted his eyes. “And I got popcorn.”

Lisa laughed.

“Well, if you got popcorn…”

Was she ready? Not really. But they couldn’t postpone the inevitable much longer, after all.