Healing

By Gooseberry

1/31/99


 
 

Rollie was setting up the prop for the next scene that would be shot after lunch, when Roger, a stunt man, came to stand next to Rollie, leaning against a crate. After finishing what he was doing Rollie stood up and stood next to the man looking where Roger was looking at. Angie. She was across the set outside the FX van.

Ever since they started the film, Rollie could see the stunt man had a crush on Angie. But she hadn't paid him any attention. Ever since her rape by a stunt double for a film they were doing nearly a year before, she hadn't really paid any man on any of the movie sets any heed.

"Roger?" Rollie said.

"I asked her out twice this week but she keeps turning me down. And won't give me a reason." Roger asked Rollie. "You know if she has a boyfriend?"

"Angie? No. Not for the last year." Rollie replied, shrugging at Roger's stunned look. "Earlier in the year she went though some personal stuff..... and well..."

"Oh." Roger replied.

"Her turning you down probably isn't personal. She's just a little uneasy around men." Rollie replied, looking over at Angie. Then back over at Roger. He had worked with Roger on some past films. He was a good guy. And Rollie thought Angie should start to go out more. She spent all her free time with him, not that he minded that. "Let me talk to her, okay? I'll see if I can
help."

"Gee, thanks, Rollie." Roger said, smiling and walking away.

Shaking his head, Rollie made his way over to the FX van and Angie.

"Hey." Angie said as he entered the van, and she pointed to his sandwich sitting on the driver's seat. "They only had ham."

"Thanks." Rollie replied. "You should go out with Roger."

"Roger?"

"Yeah, the stunt man." Rollie said. "He asked you out twice this week."

"Oh." Angie said.

"Yeah. He wants to ask you out again." Rollie repeated. "I told him I'd talk to you about it."

"Why?" Angie asked, absently looking at the computer and eating her sandwich.

"Because I think it's about time you got out more." Rollie told her.

"I do get out. We went to the basketball game last week. And last week we went to the bar with Leo and Frank." Angie responded.

"Yes. But I mean you need to get out with other people." Rollie told her. "The only time you go out is with me, not that anything is wrong with that, but you need to--"

"Go out with other people." Angie finished for him.

"Go out with Roger. He's a good guy." Rollie said. "Will you?"

"On one condition." Angie replied.

"What is it?" Rollie asked.

"We make it a double date."  Angie told him.

"Who am I supposed to go out with then?" Rollie asked his assistant, deciding not to push her too much about this.

"I got a friend." Was all she said on the subject.

"Oh. You got a friend." Rollie muttered, as he finished his sandwich and walked out of the van shaking his head.


A week later, the double date was arranged. Roger didn't seem to mind, the double date thing, once he was assured by Rollie that Angie was Roger's date.

Rollie went and picked up Roger first. Then they picked Angie up, who was waiting inside the door of her apartment building. Next Angie gave Rollie the directions to his date's house. All he got out of her about his date, was that she worked with hair and make-up on some movies they had done in the past. He didn't remember the girl's name, Rachel Perkins.

Roger had picked a new, close by, Italian restaurant to eat at. It wasn't very crowded though. The conversations had been slow till Rollie got Roger and Angie talking about computers. His date hardly said a word to him and picked at  her food.

Rollie sat there, eating his supper, watching as Angie and Roger kept a strong conversation going. He had been glad he got Angie to go out on a date with Roger. But now that they were on it, he was starting to feel a strange feeling in his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what it was, but he didn't admit it. He couldn't be jealous. Could he?


After dinner, they had went dancing at a club not too far away. Rollie's date may not of been a real talker, but she could dance. Better than he could at least.

After two dances, Rollie cut in on Roger and Angie.

"How you doing?" Rollie asked his assistant.

"Okay." Angie replied, nodding her head. "I'm glad you talked me into this."

"Good. I'm glad you're having fun." Rollie replied, smiling at her, right before Roger cut in on the dance.


By the time they were tired from dancing, it was sometime after eleven. Rollie stopped off at Angie's first. He and Rachel waited in the car as Roger walked Angie up to her apartment. Rollie looked though the mirror back at the silent woman sitting in the back seat. He was about to try to make conversation with her when Roger came back to the car.

"Ready to go?" Rollie asked, starting the engine.

"Rollie..." Roger started nervously.

"What?" Rollie asked, turning to look at the stunt man. He had a worried expression on his face. "What happened?"

"Angie, well..." Roger started. "When we got to her door, I leaned in to kiss her..... And she responded okay at first, but then she pulled back all frantic and slammed the door on my face. I think she might've been crying or something."

"What?" Rollie asked stunned. He didn't think she'd get so upset. Maybe the date wasn't a good idea.

"I didn't do anything to upset her. I swear Rollie." Roger replied.

"Okay." Rollie replied, starting to get out of the car. "Look, you take Rachel home. Bring the car to the set tomorrow, I'll get it then. I'll go talk to Angie."

"Tell her I'm sorry." Roger called out.


"Angie?" Rollie called out, knocking on her door. "It's Rollie."

A moment later he heard the lock on the door click. Nothing happened next. He turned the knob and found it now unlocked and entered the apartment. He saw Angie sitting down on the couch. "Angie?"

"What?" Angie replied, wiping tears away, as he sat down in front of her on the coffee table.

"Hey, you okay?" Rollie asked. "Roger told me what happened."

"I don't know." Angie replied, looking away from him, sniffing. "When we got to door I could tell he was gonna kiss me, I thought I could handle it. But..... I guess not. He probably thinks I'm nuts. You probably think I'm nuts."

"No, he doesn't think your nuts. He was worried." Rollie replied, holding her chin up with his hand. "And I most certainly do not think your nuts for how you acted. It's understandable. And maybe I shouldn't of pushed you to go out with him. It's been a year, and I thought it would do you good to go out with other people. I thought it would do you good to have some fun."

"But Rollie I do have fun everyday with you. I enjoy myself better being around you." Angie replied, as he sat on the couch next to her. "I'd rather be with you than anyone else, truthfully."

"Me too, Sweetie." Rollie replied, giving her a kiss on the forehead, and hug. "So, I promise no more setting you up on or pushing you to go on any dates. You decide when you're really ready, if or when you are. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Angie said.

"You okay now?" Rollie asked her.

"Yeah. I am." She replied smiling up at the Aussie.

THE END