Take 15 | Backlighting
Backlighting
In lighting design, backlighting is the process of illuminating the subject from the back. In other words, the lighting instrument and the viewer face each other, with the subject in between. This creates a glowing effect on the edges of the subject, while other areas are darker. The backlight can be a natural or artificial source of light. When artificial, the back light is usually placed directly behind the subject in a 4-point lighting setup. A back light, which lights foreground elements from the rear, is not to be confused with a background light, which lights background elements (such as scenery).
In the context of lighting design, the back light is sometimes called hair or shoulder light, because when lighting an actor or an actress, backlighting makes the edges the subject’s hair glow if the hair is fuzzy. This can create an angelic halo type effect around the head. Filmmakers sometimes use this to show that the actor is good or pure. Backlighting helps separate the subject and the background.
Dinner went much better than Michael had initially expected. Zoe’s parents, Samuel and Dora, were very sweet people and seemed incredibly happy to meet him. At first they were a bit star-struck, but after a while they started to relax around Michael and he, too, felt his mood improving slightly.
Talking to Lisa before getting ready to leave had helped him more than he was willing to admit. Her calling him right away, as if forgoing everything she was busy with, had made him feel as important as he always had thought he was to her. The moment he had picked up the phone and heard her voice, the moment he had recognized that tone – the same she had used in the past, in 1993, to comfort him while he was in rehab and going through one of the most horrific times of his life, and in many other occasions afterward, every time he needed reassurance – it had felt as if she somehow was able to lift a weight from his shoulders. But unlike those other times the feeling was now tangled with sadness and melancholy.
It all felt very much out of place. He was over the phone with his ex-wife, who he still was in love with and who still loved him, talking about the dinner he was going to have with his new girlfriend’s parents.
However, the warm feeling of familiarity had managed to spread inside of him anyway.
Michael knew what had been comforting. It had been Lisa opening the door to more talking… later. If only he wanted to. Which had been enough to water down his tension a bit. Just knowing that she could be there if only he needed her, that she was going to pick up the phone again, even late at night.
As he spoke to her, images of Lisa holding Paris in her arms, in the pool, had flooded his eyes. And then Lisa playing with Prince. Prince reaching out, his little chubby hand touching Lisa’s face. Her smile, so genuine and open. She might not have noticed, but that day at the ranch Michael had watched her like an eagle, taking in the feeling of having her around his children again, and the heavenly sensation of being there, all of them, together, like a family.
But you guys are not a family. Not anymore. You’re no longer her kids’ stepdad, and she never was your children’s stepmom to begin with. Cause you two threw it all away. Stop pining over something that’s been over for a long time, now. You had her. She had you. It didn’t work out. Let it go.
And yet he could not let it go. Not all of him, at least. The feeling of going through the motions eased up as he got ready for dinner but didn’t disappear completely, to the point that even Zoe noticed the moment she climbed into his SUV.
Now, as Samuel laughed while he poured himself another glass of wine, Michael smiled and eyed his girlfriend in the most inconspicuous way. They were still sitting at the table, in the dining room, right after dinner. The night was coming to an end. Zoe looked so naive and innocent, while she was in the presence of her parents. Nothing like the girl who had given him a blowjob in the car, while they were heading to the house. At first, Michael wasn’t even really in the mood. He was still somber and way more quiet than usual. Zoe had initially tried to engage him in a conversation, then she had reassured him about dinner.
You’ll have fun. You’ll see.
He had just grinned at her, then had glanced out the window again, lost in thought. Watching the darkness fall. A minute of complete silence had followed, then he had felt Zoe’s hand on his shoulder. Almost out of his own volition, he had taken her hand and kissed it, thinking the cuddling was going to end there and then.
How wrong he had been.
She had scooted closer and had started kissing his neck. Closing his eyes, Michael had fisted his hand in her long hair and plundered her mouth with his. Once again, hoping it would be enough to pacify her. But his lady had other plans.
Glancing up at him, she had seemed to think things through and then had closed the courtesy curtain, effectively preventing the driver from seeing what was going on in the back seats. Then her hands were on his pants, his crotch. Michael had stayed quiet, just observing her, knowing well the driver couldn’t see but could hear. Feeling Zoe’s hand invade him inside his underwear. Her warmth, her grip on his penis – which, thank God for small favors, had responded right away. Closing his eyes, he had just leaned his head back against the seat and had let go of all reservations, allowing her to do as she pleased. As she sucked him off with a passion that couldn’t be ignored, his hips had pushed up a bit as he kept her head down. Clearing his throat, he had asked the driver to please turn on the radio.
From the soft moans Zoe made, Michael could tell that she enjoyed what she was doing – while he was being held captive by an odd mixture of physical arousal and irritation. Once again one word came to mind: shackled. By possibilities, by duties, by promises, by fears, by expectations, by habit. Gritting his teeth, he had whispered to her to suck him harder and she had done it, loving his alpha streak. Until she had made him come.
Although his mood hadn’t improved considerably, afterward Michael had felt much better – at least from a physical point of view. Way more relaxed.
And now, as she glanced at Zoe and watched her interact in such an innocent, oblivious manner with her family, he realized that this occasion right here was the only one when he felt he could compare her to Lisa. He saw the same dualism between the good girl and bad girl. The analogy felt a bit startling, to the point that he wondered if it was only because of that, that he had enjoyed the little sexcapade a little more than he had thought possible.
But no, Lisa and Zoe were like night and day in all the senses that counted – not only appearance-wise but also personality-wise. Despite acting so innocent, Zoe was way more shrewd than she appeared, while Lisa did nothing to hide her bad girl vibes but, at the same time, she carefully protected her real self. Which was so incredibly soft, sweet, giving to a fault, naive even. That had been the dichotomy that had made Michael fall in love with her so quickly. And possibly, it was also the reason why stopping was so tricky. Maybe even impossible. He almost did not remember a time when he had not loved her.
The night went by flawlessly, and for a while Michael was even able to forget about what wasn’t really functioning in his life. At one point, he even felt compelled to reach out and take Zoe’s hand, on the table, as he laughed with her mother. Her parents were lovely people, the atmosphere was warm and familial. They had welcomed him into their house as if he was someone so very special, and not because he was a superstar, an experience Michael had never lived with Lisa’s family. Not because Lisa hadn’t tried very hard, because she had, but only because despite Michael’s efforts he had never been able to win Priscilla over. She had never liked him. She felt threatened by him. He still remembered the contempt she had directed at him, the first time they had bumped into each other at Branca’s office. At first, Michael had thought he had misread her and he had been happy to finally see her in person.
But no… He had not misread her at all.
Of course, on the outside Priscilla Presley had been nothing but polite to him. They had engaged in some meaningless conversation about their respective businesses, but she had immediately clammed up when he had asked her about her daughter. Lisa Marie.
Priscilla had turned evasive, the look in her eyes had changed. The way she looked at him had changed and he had felt it – the discomfort. The contempt. As if she was wondering why this guy, this black guy from the blue collar Midwest was asking her about her daughter. Michael hadn’t liked the way she stared at him, as if she was trying to read his more secret intentions. And back then there was none, really.
However, sure as hell Michael had loved the way Lisa had looked at him when they had finally met again as adults. At John’s wedding, so many years earlier. She was so beautiful, that day. Stunning, way more than he would ever imagine, to the point that he had been unable to keep his eyes off her for the whole day. Of course, she had noticed, and at one point he had almost seen the glimpse of a smile gracing her lips. Even more interestingly, Lisa didn’t give a flying fuck about what her mother thought of him. She had looked at him as if he was nothing but a guy.
It was then that Michael had started to wonder how interesting it would be to get to know her better. And, since she was gorgeous and sexy, maybe even date her. Not because she was a Presley – well, not only because of that, at least – but because talking to her during the party, he had quickly found out that she was smart, and funny, and sarcastic, and didn’t seem too impressed by his celebrity. Well – it made sense since she herself was born music royalty. Their friendship had started there, and it hadn’t been long since they had fallen in love. At that point, him being the most famous man of the planet and her being the daughter of such an icon no longer mattered. They were just two people who wanted to be together, despite her being married and him going through one of the most challenging times of his life. They had no idea how many traps they were going to stumble across, in what was supposed to be nothing but a very healthy, and legitimate, quest for happiness.
And are you happy now?
The voice speaking in his mind was his own and almost made Michael jump in his seat. Looking up, he noticed Zoe staring down at him. She was standing near the table, one hand on his shoulder.
“Michael?”
“Yes…” He cleared his throat, remembering that he was no longer the young, carefree guy who had danced with the Presley girl at his lawyer’s wedding. He was a mature, demure man trapped in a social event and expected to behave in a certain way.
“Are we ready to go?” She gave him an insecure smile.
He squeezed her hand and rose from the chair.
“Oh, absolutely. I know you have an early meeting tomorrow morning, so… I guess we better head back.” He turned to Zoe’s parents and smiled his warm smile. The one he always kept in store for public appearances. A well-oiled mechanism that never failed to function, no matter how absent-minded he was. “It was such a pleasure to meet you.”
On their way out, Zoe held onto Michael’s arm and whispered something in his ear. A silly joke, but it made him smile and his smile turned into a full-blown giggle when she threw her head back and laughed, heartily.
Yeah – there you go. Smooth and easy. See? It can be done, man. Even without that Fata Morgana of a woman you can’t ever forget. Keep walking. Keep laughing. Enjoy this moment.
They kept chatting on their way over to the SUV, waiting for them a few meters away. Zoe’s parents lived in a quiet, residential neighborhood and so far, the night had progressed without an itch. As the driver opened the back door, Zoe tugged at Michael’s hand, stopping him in his tracks. Michael just looked at her, his head tilting to a side.
“What?”
Zoe grinned and stepped closer.
“Nothing.” Her hands ran across his chest and came up, framing his face. “Thank you for this. For tonight.”
His eyes narrowed, ever so slightly. He shrugged.
“Ah… Hey, no problem. It was fun.”
She glanced around as he kept studying her. What was this all about?
“Come here, Michael…”
She came closer still, and her mouth found his. Instinctively, he held her by the waist and closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment to just enjoy the kiss. Her fingers were cold against his skin and he tried to relax. He didn’t see the paparazzi coming and, when he did, the click click click of their cameras had already become deafening.
He pulled back abruptly and Zoe stared at him for a couple of seconds, then took his hand and waved at the reporters with a smile. It was clear that she was not in the least bothered by the sudden intrusion. She didn’t even look surprised. On his part, Michael regretted not having his sunglasses, his mask or one of his fedoras to pull down on his forehead – he didn’t like being ambushed, and he didn’t like feeling vulnerable like this. He realized he had been totally blindsided: he hadn’t thought there would be paps in the neighborhood at all. Not tonight, at least. Especially because he had asked Zoe, and she had been adamant: he could relax.
Don’t worry, Michael. Chill! Nobody’s going to intrude. You’ll see.
Yeah, he had seen alright! Too bad she had been wrong. Fucking hell!
The flashes coming from the cameras made him squint and he kept his eyes downcast. It didn’t matter that his security detail was already taking care of the paps, holding them back, barking at them, asking them to leave – the damage was done. He would be plastered all over the internet, and possibly paper outlets too, in only a few hours. Him… and Zoe. Sucking faces in the middle of a residential neighborhood, like two high-schoolers. Damn it!
“Michael! Michael! Can you guys kiss again for the cameras? Please?”
Oh, fuck them all! He lightly pushed Zoe into the car, wondering why on earth she seemed so slow all of a sudden, then finally climbed in himself.
“Go. Let’s go,” he murmured, leaning toward the driver. “Let’s haul ass quick. Are they following us?”
The driver glanced at the rear-view mirror.
“No, boss. I don’t think so. Looks like they’re leaving.”
Of course they were. They had already gotten what they wanted, after all.
“Alright… Let’s…” Michael stopped mid-word, biting his tongue. He was going to ask Malcolm to bring him and Zoe to his condo. But all of a sudden, he was no longer in the mood for it. For having her around. Especially because suspicion was finding its way into his mind. “Let’s bring the lady home.”
The moment he said the words, he felt Zoe’s hand fall on the seat. Up until then, she had been touching his back, caressing him. Well… it looked like she wasn’t really into cuddling anymore all of a sudden.
Once again he closed the courtesy curtain after asking the driver to please turn on the radio. Then he sat back and turned to look at Zoe.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” She twisted a strand of her long hair between her fingertips.
“What the hell was that?”
“That, what?” Her eyes narrowed and Michael felt irritation arise when he detected what he interpreted as a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Was she fucking with him? Didn’t she know him at all?
“Where did those reporters come from?”
“And I’m supposed to know, how…?”
“Because you told me we were safe.”
“Well, that’s what I thought.” Shrugging, she opened the mini-bar and extracted a bottle of vodka. She showed it to Michael and he nodded. He stayed quiet as she poured the drink in two small glasses, then handed him one.
“Alright… I might have told one of my friends at People Mag about our dinner. But still – I had no idea the paps would be there tonight.”
“To one of your friends at People? Seriously?” Michael’s eyes turned into slits as he took a sip of his drink. He did not believe her words in the slightest – nothing of what Zoe did was random. Ever. And he didn’t like how that made him feel. As if he could not trust her at all.
Zoe laughed, a little forcibly.
“Honey, why are you so bent out of shape? You get photographed everywhere you go. What’s the problem? You got issues being caught kissing your girlfriend?”
“It’s not about that.” He took another sip of vodka.
Her smile stayed in place, but her eyes didn’t look amused at all.
“It isn’t? You could have fooled me. Anyway – I’m sorry you decided to end our date so abruptly. I had kinda envisioned a different ending for tonight…”
“Yeah, well. You do have an early meeting tomorrow, anyway… Right?” The more they spoke, the less Michael wanted to be around her at the moment. She was truly rubbing him the wrong way, and although he knew part of it had something to do with being ambushed by tabloid minions, there was also something else. Something he couldn’t pinpoint, yet.
“I do, but that’s never stopped you before.” She leaned back into the seat and put the glass down. “See, I’m surprised. Your behavior has changed, as of late. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I’m just…” She shook her head and scoffed. “I don’t know. I honestly thought this baby thing was the best way to tie you up for good.”
Alright – that caught Michael’s attention.
“Meaning?”
“You were born to be a father, Michael. I thought the woman offering to carry your child would steal your heart forever.”
He cocked his head to a side and stared at her.
Seriously? Didn’t Zoe remember what the Debbie debacle had turned into? From friendly deal to hell? Or that he never had been in love with Debbie to begin with? But hey, maybe Zoe had such a low, shallow opinion of him that she thought he was more interested in a woman’s womb than her own very being. After all, he often was misunderstood even by people who were close to him. And who should have known better.
“Is that why you offered? To tie me up for good?”
She hesitated, tilting her head.
“I offered because I’m twenty-seven, and it’s time for me to think about settling down and building a family. And I thought you might be a perfect choice.”
If her statement was supposed to pacify him, it didn’t really hit the bullseye. Because she had said the words with such a nonchalant voice, with such a natural, unaffected look on her face that had created a startling contrast for him. The intensity of his desire of becoming a father again. The coldness of talking about it as if it was some kind of agenda. Michael didn’t know how he felt about that – as he, in the past, had created his own kids with that same mentality. Yes, Prince and Paris had been born from love, but not marital love. And now… when the occasion was right in front of him and the only thing he was asked to do was to take it, now things were different? How? And above all, why? What had changed?
Changes or not, there was something that Michael knew for sure. His experience with Lisa first, and then with Debbie, had convinced him that he was not marrying material. He had not been created to be anyone’s husband. He was good at dancing, making music, he was a trailblazer in his art, but was also a shitty spouse. And even after their divorce, he had managed to be a shitty partner for Lisa most of the times. Including the previous year.
All of a sudden Michael knew, with absolute clarity, that his relationship with Zoe was not going to last. He was not in love with her. He had liked her a lot at first, had found solace in her body and her attention in a moment when he felt lonely and forlorn, but now he was starting to grow bored with her. He would never admit it openly, because that was not part of the perception he wanted to give of himself, but sometimes he would just grow tired of people. Even lovers. All of them – except for one. That one woman who could drive him crazy and make him lose his temper, make his blood pressure rise and haunt his sleep, but who could never, ever bore him to tears.
If Zoe would indeed become pregnant, she would not become his wife. He was not going to do any remake of the Debbie mess. He would never again be pushed into a decision like that. If the alternative was to be a single father for the rest of his life, Michael thought he could manage just fine. Better that than having to pretend he was a husband to a stranger. The only question he needed to give an answer to, now, was: could having Zoe’s baby be enough to keep this whole thing going, at least for a while?
Inside the car, Michael began to feel as if all the oxygen had been sucked out. His heartbeat started to accelerate, and breathing became difficult. Glancing outside the window, he noticed they were approaching Zoe’s condo. Thank goodness.
He needed for her to leave him alone for a while, and he had to think about what she had just said.
About a couple of hours later, Michael sat at his desk, at the Hideout. A bottle of vodka on the table, the glass empty. Or emptied.
After arriving home, he had taken a long shower and had tried to relax a bit. His back had been bothering him for hours, and he knew it wasn’t about something only physical. Stress and constant tension, his inability to sleep well added to the mix and despite the medications, often the pain just wouldn’t go away. He needed to distract himself and unwind.
Surfing the internet, he was pleased to discover that the frenzy surrounding his and Lisa’s sex tape had finally quieted down a bit. People in forums were still talking about it, and the video was still up on a couple of minor porn websites. However, his and Lisa’s legal teams had joined efforts and slapped most of the major hubs with tons of legal papers. They would be busy for years and, in the meantime, Michael was pretty confident they wouldn’t have time to think about any other shit.
The longing for Lisa became unbearable when, on a message board, he spotted a still frame taken from the video. Strangely enough, given the media frenzy the audience had been subjected to in the past weeks, the picture wasn’t raunchy at all – just his face and Lisa’s, very close, their foreheads touching, their eyes closed, sweaty hair plastered on their temples. They both had a look of tortured pleasure that made it pretty easy to imagine what they were doing. However, the caption the user had posted together with the picture gave Michael pause and made him think.
They’re so beautiful together. They look so into each other.
Such a simple statement, yet so true. The longing for the woman he was once married to turned into a weight in his chest, affecting his ability to exist outside that moment. He needed to do something about it. But what? He was alone… Lonely. Without her.
He clicked on an encrypted folder on his laptop and scanned the titles. He didn’t need to check the files to know what they contained. His private, very secure computer held a digitalized copy of each and every tape he and Lisa had recorded through the years. And if he couldn’t have her in person… well, at the very least he could have her on screen. Just for tonight. And experience that connection again. That “being into each other” thing, ‘cause sure as hell he was and had been into her in so many different ways through the years.
He chose “Lake Como 1998” because the memories of that time assaulted him with sudden violence.
Nobody knew that he and Lisa had been there. That time, he had unleashed one of his body doubles and the press had been “inadvertently” alerted. It hadn’t even been too hard. That of paparazzi was a moronic category, after all. They had swallowed it all up and granted him and his newly found lover the peaceful, quick vacation they so deserved.
He and Lisa had been away for a week, holed up in a beautiful classic hotel facing the lake. The temperature outside was quite cold, but the air was pure and clean, and they had loved every minute of it. With a bit of attention, Michael had even managed to go pretty much unnoticed. They were staying in a relatively small town on the cuspid of the lake and they had soon found out that, over there, locals were used to mind their own business. They were used to celebrities frequenting the glamorous and yet privacy-oriented five-star hotel on the promontory. No big deal. Not even if your name was Jackson.
It had been seven days of pure, undiluted bliss. He and Lisa were head over heels in love again, crazy for each other after reconnecting during his tour, one year earlier. It felt like falling in love all over again every other minute. It felt like a new honeymoon. Michael remembered every detail about that vacation with crystal-clear clarity. The magnificent view from their windows and balcony. The dinners on the broad terrace. The long walks hand in hand. And the endless nights of pure passion, making love so intensely, and so many times, that at one point they would pass out in each other’s arms.
The mere recollection of what that time had been tightened his heart… and his pants. He double-clicked on the file and the video appeared. They had shot several, during that vacation. This one portrayed them at night, their bodies illuminated by the reddish light coming from the massive fireplace. Lisa naked, her bronzed skin partly covered by the white satin sheets, her long hair already wild. Those eyes – blue and so bright. Just like the lake outside. As the camera panned on her, she lay on her back, sexy as all get-out, her face relaxed and still a bit flushed. Michael knew they had already made love at least once, at that point of the night, when he had turned the camcorder on.
“Whatcha doing, big guy?” Her voice was low and raspy, that Southern drawl irresistible.
“Just looking at you. And since you’re so beautiful… I wanna have the chance to remember you… like this… forever.”
She smiled up at him, her naughty expression softening, becoming sweet and almost innocent. Biting her lip, she stared at him and turned serious.
“I love you, Michael. You know that, right?”
“I know. I love you too, Lise.” He sounded so confident. So serene and peaceful in admitting what his heart knew to be true.
“Come here…” She rose onto her knees, one hand still holding onto the sheet covering her naked body, her perfect legs visible. She held out her hand to him and he took it, then stepped closer. Lisa, her face a mixture of lights and shadows as the flames danced in the fireplace, smiled. “Why don’t you take off your robe…” She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it, then gently nipped at his knuckles.
“Just a minute, babe… Let me find a place where I can put this thing…”
“Yeah, put that darn thing down… I don’t care about the video… Why you gotta be so obsessed…” Lisa giggled.
“I’m not obsessed. I done told you. You’re like a work of art… I wanna be able to look at you any time I want…”
Right, even when they were not physically together, or when they had to pretend they were not seeing each other. Or maybe, if things were going to do the way he hoped, they would grow old together and watch those tapes while celebrating their forty years of marriage. Well… re-marriage, but still.
Moving around the bed, Michael placed the camcorder on a shelf right above the huge stone fireplace. After a bit of struggle, he found the position he was looking for. He checked the battery: it was full. There! Amazing!
“Here we go… perfect…” Michael flipped the small screen. “I can see the bed just fine from here.”
“Yeah well, the bed has been waiting for you for a while now.”
He sauntered over to her once again, a smug grin on his stubbly face. He looked relaxed. “Oh, the bed, uhm? Not you? You’re not waiting for me? Don’t you feel lonely, girl?”
Lisa grabbed him by the belt of his robe and pulled him closer. “I don’t know… You tell me…”
The shot now included both of them, from head to toe. She closed her arms around his neck and they kissed, and he held her by the waist, keeping her close to his body, sighing into the kiss, his eyes closed. Feeling himself coming back to life right away.
At the Hideout, Michael watched and remembered, and the thrill he experienced was hard to verbalize in a rational manner. The arousal he felt now was way more intense than the one he had experienced during the blowjob in the car.
How was that even possible? It didn’t make any sense. As a matter of fact, nothing did. Not even his hand reaching down and under the desk, almost out of its own volition, and unbuttoning his pants, that had suddenly become two sizes too small. His breath was slightly uneven, his eyes fixed on the screen. He unzipped his jeans as, in the footage, Lisa also reached down and inside his robe. All the while, she took his hand and brought it in between her legs, underneath the sheet. Her pelvis started undulating against his fingers. As they kept kissing, she moaned into his mouth and the movement of her hand told Michael that she had found him, and grabbed him, and was now fondling him in that loving, arousing fashion he adored. Besides, he almost didn’t need to watch – he remembered. Observing Lisa and himself on screen acted as a trigger for his memory, and it felt like being there and then once again. Although no nudity or explicit actions were yet visible, the sensory experience was uncanny. He could almost feel the warmth and texture of her skin against him, the scent of her hair, the softness of her beautiful lips.
This was insane. He was losing his mind at record speed just by standing there, sitting at his desk, watching some videos in the privacy of his apartment, all alone. And feeling less lonely than he had often felt as of late. Maybe he could… just…
His hand found its way inside his boxers and right then, his cell phone buzzed on the desk. Michael almost jumped out of his seat. Feeling his face warm up all of a sudden, as if he had been caught doing something shameful, he closed his eyes and exhaled a long sigh. He had to get a fucking grip. Being a bit tipsy and physically exhausted didn’t help, though.
Grabbing the phone and flipping it open, he noticed an incoming text message.
U home?
It was her. What was she? A mind reader?
Yes. You OK Lise?
Hey - I texted first. Are U ok?
No. He was not.
Yes. What were you doing?
Sleeping
Michael frowned. What? Was she sleep-texting?
Then why you textin
Cos I woke up
Well… Duh. Why did she have to be so difficult and… whatever she was that would always make him feel confused? And yet texting back and forth with her unpredictable little ass was the highlight of his night.
Bad dream?
Sorta
What was this all about?
What was the dream abt
You. But I don't wanna talk abt it
Why not - Tell me!
M - dont even start. I said no.
Well… she had, indeed. Who was he to insist?
L - Want me to call you?
:-)
Michael smiled and put the video on pause.