said.
I whipped my head around to look at him before turning my attention back to the road. He was looking down at his hands.
“Babushka and Henry?” I asked, my voice emerging as a screech. “But she’s young enough to be his daughter, and he’s
married
.”
“It could just be unfounded gossip,” Ron said. “You know how people like to talk . . . especially when they don’t know anything. I’m only telling you because I’d hate to see your mom lose this job. If she can’t work with the situation as it now stands, tell her to get out while the decision is hers to make.”
I mumbled a
thank you
as I noticed that Reggie had pulled off the road. I followed and parked on the shoulder behind her.
She got out of the Bronco and came to my side of the Jeep. “We’ll have to hike the rest of the way.”
I grabbed Angus’s leash, got out of the Jeep, and opened the back door. Angus shifted over to allow me to snap the leash onto his collar, and then he bounded out to greet Reggie.
“Hi, baby,” she said. “Ready to go for a walk?”
Angus wagged his entire body.
Ron slung his camera bag over his shoulder. He wore one camera around his neck; and before we began our ascent, he took the lens cap off and started snapping photographs.
As we climbed the rocky path that led to Tallulah Falls’ answer to Somwarpet, India, Reggie led the way, Sonny walked as closely to her as possible, Ron trailed behind them, snapping shots all the way, and Angus and I brought up the rear. We must’ve presented a strange parade to anyone watching.
Not that I’d have thought anyone
was
watching until someone whizzed past on a dirt bike. The bike came out from behind a thicket of brush and had to swerve to miss Reggie. She jumped out of the way and would have fallen had Sonny not been there to catch her.
I hurried forward. “Reggie, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She pushed her hair out of her face and her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose. “I was just startled.” She pointed. “The area I was telling you about is right up ahead.”
I could see that Reggie had been embarrassed by her reaction to the dirt biker, but that biker had come dangerously close to hitting her. The biker had been wearing heavy clothes and a dark, face-hiding helmet. And the biker had been alone. I didn’t think it was a swell idea for anyone to be in such a remote area alone. I made a mental note to ask Ted if this was a popular dirt biking spot. If so, and if Sonny and Ron found this to be a good set location, they might need to hire extra security to keep the bikers from coming onto the set—accidentally or otherwise.
When we got to a clearing, Reggie explained that the wooded area surrounding it had always reminded her of Somwarpet. “The only thing missing is Abbimatta Falls.”
“We can edit that in,” said Sonny, surveying the area both critically and appreciatively. “This sure comes closer to the pictures we’ve seen than anything in California. Don’t you think so, Ron?”
“Absolutely.” Ron spoke from behind his camera and amid the whir of photos being captured. He eased the camera bag off his shoulder, opened it, and took out a tripod. “I think this is it. We need to get Henry out here so that if he agrees, we can move on it.”
Sonny nodded. “In the meantime, we can go to the courthouse to see who owns the land and go through the proper channels for permission to film.” He looked at Reggie. “Is this place in the town or the county?”
“Tallulah County,” she answered and then went on to give him directions to the courthouse.
“When we get back to the hotel, I’ll upload these pics and send them to Henry,” Ron said. “Sonny, you can handle the legalities.”
• • •
Ron rode with Reggie and Sonny back to the hotel, so Angus and I could go straight on to the Seven-Year Stitch. For some reason, the incident with the dirt biker was really nagging at me, so I called Ted and
I whipped my head around to look at him before turning my attention back to the road. He was looking down at his hands.
“Babushka and Henry?” I asked, my voice emerging as a screech. “But she’s young enough to be his daughter, and he’s
married
.”
“It could just be unfounded gossip,” Ron said. “You know how people like to talk . . . especially when they don’t know anything. I’m only telling you because I’d hate to see your mom lose this job. If she can’t work with the situation as it now stands, tell her to get out while the decision is hers to make.”
I mumbled a
thank you
as I noticed that Reggie had pulled off the road. I followed and parked on the shoulder behind her.
She got out of the Bronco and came to my side of the Jeep. “We’ll have to hike the rest of the way.”
I grabbed Angus’s leash, got out of the Jeep, and opened the back door. Angus shifted over to allow me to snap the leash onto his collar, and then he bounded out to greet Reggie.
“Hi, baby,” she said. “Ready to go for a walk?”
Angus wagged his entire body.
Ron slung his camera bag over his shoulder. He wore one camera around his neck; and before we began our ascent, he took the lens cap off and started snapping photographs.
As we climbed the rocky path that led to Tallulah Falls’ answer to Somwarpet, India, Reggie led the way, Sonny walked as closely to her as possible, Ron trailed behind them, snapping shots all the way, and Angus and I brought up the rear. We must’ve presented a strange parade to anyone watching.
Not that I’d have thought anyone
was
watching until someone whizzed past on a dirt bike. The bike came out from behind a thicket of brush and had to swerve to miss Reggie. She jumped out of the way and would have fallen had Sonny not been there to catch her.
I hurried forward. “Reggie, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She pushed her hair out of her face and her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose. “I was just startled.” She pointed. “The area I was telling you about is right up ahead.”
I could see that Reggie had been embarrassed by her reaction to the dirt biker, but that biker had come dangerously close to hitting her. The biker had been wearing heavy clothes and a dark, face-hiding helmet. And the biker had been alone. I didn’t think it was a swell idea for anyone to be in such a remote area alone. I made a mental note to ask Ted if this was a popular dirt biking spot. If so, and if Sonny and Ron found this to be a good set location, they might need to hire extra security to keep the bikers from coming onto the set—accidentally or otherwise.
When we got to a clearing, Reggie explained that the wooded area surrounding it had always reminded her of Somwarpet. “The only thing missing is Abbimatta Falls.”
“We can edit that in,” said Sonny, surveying the area both critically and appreciatively. “This sure comes closer to the pictures we’ve seen than anything in California. Don’t you think so, Ron?”
“Absolutely.” Ron spoke from behind his camera and amid the whir of photos being captured. He eased the camera bag off his shoulder, opened it, and took out a tripod. “I think this is it. We need to get Henry out here so that if he agrees, we can move on it.”
Sonny nodded. “In the meantime, we can go to the courthouse to see who owns the land and go through the proper channels for permission to film.” He looked at Reggie. “Is this place in the town or the county?”
“Tallulah County,” she answered and then went on to give him directions to the courthouse.
“When we get back to the hotel, I’ll upload these pics and send them to Henry,” Ron said. “Sonny, you can handle the legalities.”
• • •
Ron rode with Reggie and Sonny back to the hotel, so Angus and I could go straight on to the Seven-Year Stitch. For some reason, the incident with the dirt biker was really nagging at me, so I called Ted and
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