Now Am I In Arden
A story by Ivor Sukwell and Kyle McKenzie. A story about a boy and a man with all that such entails. The setting is modern and based around the theatre, Not your thing? Sorry about that, we're sure you'll find something that is. Whatever your choice, please remember Nifty needs your donations.
Now Am I In Arden
Chapter nine
Gino was bright eyed and bushy tailed at breakfast, whilst Brat was still very much in Morning Mood and in no condition to even contemplate a climb to the Hall of the Mountain King, though that changed a little when he saw the rushes.
Marteli's people had worked through the night and what a job they'd done!
There was the first meeting between the boys, not the very first as the filming hadn't started till they entered the garden, shot in normal light and with much of their conversation audible. There they were, playing with a football, teasing and joking, and slowly the light changed, becoming somehow a rose-tinted misty. The sound track remained clear when they changed the subject of conversation to the only subject adolescent boys find really interesting, but fading slowly to silence when 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' made that subject more explicit. As their voices faded, the camera panned away, until, at the moment of revelation, the two boys were distant figures, too far away for their actions to be seen, while the soft rose-tinting became just a hint more rosy.
Then to the café and the boys with their men, men who were only ever seen from behind or in shadow. Still a hint of mist, but no rose tinting, and turning to normal daylight when shots of the outside world of a Verona street were included.
Back to rose tinting in the set room, the rosy mist growing slowly more and more as clothing was shed until all was lost in rose mist just before briefs got removed.
Dinner with the men was shot in candle lit darkness, conversation obviously happening but never heard, replaced by a soft rendition of Apres Midi d'un Faun, very appropriate for two boys who were clearly getting to like each other rather a lot.
The whole effect was somehow almost ethereal. Sex was in the air, but no more visible than any other molecule of that air. Pornographic it was most certainly not!
"Fuck!" Brat breathed when the rushes ended.
"I confess I a cheated," Marteli held up his hands in mock apology, "I wanted a see two reala boys nota two actor boys trya followa script and playa da part."
"Shit but did you see everything?" Gino and I were both looking at each nervously, the adults had definitely seen us sneaking the spliff, though not the drinks, and we wondered if they had also seen us enjoying a mutual jerk off.
I had done that several times before, sneakily and secretly, with a friend, but Gino had just treated it like something mates did together, like play footie or Xbox. He didn't act like we were boyfriends or anything, and I was pretty sure we weren't, even though he was a bit more `affectionate' than any of my mates back home. He would kiss me on the cheek as a greeting and put his arm round my shoulder if we were chatting, but that just seems to be what Italian boys were like and he gave no indication that he wanted to snog or go further.
"Are we a in trouble?" Gino looked concerned and gave Marteli a worried look.
"We nota look at what we nota supposed to look at," Marteli grinned and patted Gino on the shoulder. He looked at me with a very satisfied smirk,
"I thinka da boys geta along, yes"
From those rushes, they got along very well!
"Yeah he's ok for an Italian boy," I smirked at Gino who gave me the finger back, something which got him a stern look from Mr Marteli.
"Will we shoot everything like that or will there be some stage stuff?" I was curious to hear what the director had planned.
Marteli produced a big, Italian, theatrical shrug, holding his hands out wide.
"I changea ma mind," Marteli told the two boys while they were still wondering what they should make of the rushes they'd been shown, "I nota makea da film Romeo and Juliet witha twoa boys as sub-plot. I maka da film of twoa boys with play as sub-plot. Yes?"
Gino grinned, Brat looked confused.
"Twoa boys in love,"Marteli beamed. Oh a nota serious. Theya boys, theya change da minds nexta week, yes? But thisa week is serious, yes?"
Gino giggled. I had the impression he'd changed his mind several times already!
"You do a this?" Marteli asked them and didn't give them a chance to answer. "You doa this like you doa this," he pointed at the now blank monitor screen. You doa no script. You doa you, yes? No naughty thing, nota in da film. Youa wanta naughty thing, you doa naughty thing, but nota go to film, yes?"
He waited for an answer from the two boys. Brat was still trying to work out what was wanted of him, Gino had clearly decided that, whatever was wanted, there were definitely things he wanted!
"Anda you do a it in own language, yes? Gino he talka Italian, and youa," he paused looked at me for permission and I gave him a tiny nod, "Youa, Brat, youa talk in English."
Brat gave me a quizzical look, `How, he was asking, does he know you call me Brat?'
Marteli, though, was in full flow. "Thisa way we keepa da plot, yes? Different a backgrounds, different a cultures, different a laws, but stilla twoa boys." He beamed at the boys, obviously expecting them to enthuse. "Isa brilliant, yes?"
"Isa one morea thing," Marteli turned the monitor on and scrolled to the cafe. "The twoa boys havea da man, yes? Man each, yes? Nota make difference to twoa boys being twoa boys. Different part of boys, yes?"
I froze! This was going way beyond the idea I'd been sold, the idea Brat had been sold. Something very close to fear grew in Brat's eyes, and I can't pretend I wasn't surprised.
"But we can't do that!" The stuff about two boys sounded ok, cool even, but there was no way I could be in a film about two boys who fancied each other and had older men as boyfriends as well.
"It won't be allowed!" I protested, looking at Mr Williams.
"Nota worry," Marteli tried to reassure Brat, and me as well. The men only ina da café, no naughty things with a men and a boys. Gino man, he a seen. Isa okay for Gino have a man. Isa Italy, Gino fourteen, isa okay. Brat man, back and shadow only. Brat not Italian, Brata a English. Bratat nota allowed a man."
I was still far from certain that I could go along with this, very far from certain.
I thought about it and, while I was worried, I could still see what he meant. In the film it would be clear that Gino was in a relationship with a man, and me and him would gradually fall in love as well. In the background it would be hinted at I was also in a relationship with a man, but it would never be clear and be left for the audience to decide.
"It would have to be only hinted at," I told Marteli and saw Mr Williams give me a surprised look. "Like my boy would be on holiday with an older man when he meets Gino, but it would never be clear if the man is just looking after him or if there is more to it. The audience will be kept guessing."
It would make a nice counterpoint to the main storyline I thought.
"Yesa, yesa," Marteli enthused and grabbed Brat giving him a huge kiss on the cheek.
"Youra Brat, he nota a stupid a Brat," and I got a kiss on the cheek as well!
"He's a brat," I grinned, "But never believe for one second that he's stupid. Think you could make it work?" I asked him as he sat, looking very thoughtful.
"I think so," I knew I could make the parts with Gino work and was fairly confident about the parts with the man.
"Are you okay doing the parts for the man though?" I knew Mr Williams was very private, there had been a few snide rumours when he had taken me under his wing and while they had been written off as theatre land bitching this could just lead to more rumours.
"If you wanted someone different to do the part of the English teacher then that would be fine." I didn't bother asking the director, if Mr Williams wasn't cool with it then they would have to find someone else or I would walk.
"I'd like it to be an actor," I had no hesitation about saying that. "Two reasons; Signor Marteli has asked me to do a cameo role as Director of the actual R & J that all this is based around, and it wouldn't be good if there were suspicions that I was the man with you. Second, if it's an actor then you won't have to work so hard pretending to like him."
Marteli looked surprised at that bit, dry English humour obviously not his strong point. Brat giggled.
Marteli shrugged as if to say no problem and I guessed casting an actor to play someone who had few lines and whose main relationship was only hinted at was not a big deal.
"So what do you want me and Gino to do today?" I couldn't quite believe he would pay me to just hang out with Gino for a few weeks. Well he wasn't paying me much, but still it felt like a good deal.
"I like a you and a Gino to geta knowa each other mucha better," Marteli beamed, "Mucha, mucha better, Then whena you knowa each other mucha better, we do script and set, yes?"
I got a wink from the Italian, who clearly had some fairly fixed ideas about how the boys should get to know each other better!
Gino and I mooched about town for a bit after breakfast, just wandering and chatting. Much as I liked Mr Williams it was nice to hang out with someone my own age who was into the same sort of stuff, and we laughed and joked as we walked down the street back to the house after about two hours.
"Ciao Signor Marteli?" The house seemed to be empty and I guessed the adults had gone out to look at a church or some other stuff old people found fascinating for some reason.
"You want to chill out?"
Gino gave me a quizzical look, he had already said he didn't know where Marteli hid the weed, but I had spied on Mr Williams that morning and knew he had brought a stash for us in his washbag.
"We can't smoke it in here," I didn't want to make our bedroom stink of weed so we went into the set room which sort of felt like our space as it was decorated like a teenage boy's bedroom.
"That's good," Gino stripped out of his t-shirt and lay flat on his back, taking a long puff on the spliff and I did the same so he could hand it over.
"You wank off with all your mates?"
"Some," Gino shrugged, handing the spliff back again and I took another long drag. We were smoking it quickly and I was already feeling a little buzzed, well buzzed and horny.
"Very lots," I confessed, in answer to Marteli's question about my feelings towards Brat, "Too much lots, I suppose."
"Nota possible," another Italian shrug, "Nota possible likea boys tooa much."
"Alright for you here in Italy," I grumbled, "Not quite the same back in England."
"And thisa we show. In da film. Youa fuck youra boy?"
"What? NO! How can you ask such a thing!"
"I wanna fuck Gino, but he keep say no, nota yet. I think he frigid. Nota proper Italian boy," Marteli's grin said Gino was pretty much a real Italian boy, but a boy who still had an inhibition or two. "Perhaps Brat fuck him," he shrugged again.
"And perhaps not," I said.
Knowing my Brat, though, I had to admit that if he did I wouldn't be altogether surprised.
"You do other stuff as well? Snog?"
"Whatsa snooog?" Gino couldn't say the word and I mimed tongue kissing which made him snigger.
"Noa not with youra amico. Snoog for your amante." I sniggered at his inability to say snog and lay back. I wanted to snog Gino, he had lovely snogable lips but I wasn't sure if we were just mates or amante.
"Do you want him to?" Marteli looked surprised at my question.
"In film they lovers, yes?
"Lovers? Or just boys in boy love?" I felt sure there was a difference somewhere.
"Thata as well. Whata the difference? Boys are a boys, yes? Boys always a wanting sex."
"Brat is a bit that way," I agreed, "His age I suppose."
"Couresa it his age. Is lovely age. Beautiful age."
"Well," I slightly changed the subject, but only slightly, "Gino is certainly a beautiful boy."
"He beautiful ina da bed too," Marteli grinned.
"So is Brat," I whispered, more to myself than to Marteli.
"Want to play Xbox?" Gino was midway through rolling another spliff and gave a shrug but as I got up off the bed he jumped on me laughing and we rolled on the bed having a playfight.
Well it was a playfight, but like most playfights it soon got a bit out of hand and while we were still laughing as we wrestled, we were being pretty rough with each other, shoving and pushing as we grappled. Eventually I pinned him down, panting from the effort as I used my body to pin his sweaty body to the bed, and the heat and scent of his body overcame my inhibitions and I clamped my mouth on his and forced my tongue into his mouth.
His eyes went wide in surprise and he gave a little struggle, but his tongue was going crazy and we rolled still wrestling but now grappling and tonguing at the same time.
"You nota mind?" Marteli looked at me, a refreshed Sambuca glass poised near his lips, "Youra boy and mya boy?"
"No," I said slowly, thinking through the implications, "Brat's fourteen and sex dominates his every thought. It dominates his acting as well, and that's something he's got to learn to control. Use those thoughts but not allow then to dictate how he interprets a role."
"In thisa role he needa be sexy," Marteli shrugged. Shrugging seemed to be a very Italian thing to do. "Show he sexy when he ina da street. He a nota sexy, film nota work."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about there," I sighed. "But please don't make him too openly gay, will you?"
"Nota gay. Boy," Marteli said firmly.
We snogged on the bed, we snogged standing up and then Gino shoved me roughly back on the bed and snogged me like he wanted to suck my face off.
Somehow Marteli made it all work. Not one love story, but three, though only two were openly shown as such, Romeo's relationship with a man was never more than vaguely hinted at.
Julio talked openly, in Italian, to Romeo about his feelings for a man and how they didn't contradict or interfere with his feelings for Romeo. Romeo may, or may not have talked to Julio about a man, if he did, it was never shown.
Romeo and Julio scenes were all shot in the faintest of rose filter, except the everyday, out in the street scenes which were in normal daylight. Boy and man, cafe scenes, had a misty grey to them and Tybalt with his gang of neo-Nazi, homophobic thugs, were in high contrast black and white.
Mercutio's death was superb cinematic art, Mercutio moving from rose tint to daylight to black and white, and the actual stabbing was never shown. The knife was, and then a sudden and abrupt cut to the stage set of R & J with Mercutio being helped, cursing from the stage.
It was cinema as an art.
I think even Brat was quite happy with the results.