Chapter 2 – The Meeting
Tommy arrives at the production office just in time, still dressed casually because he didn't have time to change into his business attire. When he enters the meeting room where Russel and his suited men were waiting for his impending arrival, he is greeted with an unfriendly atmosphere that could be cut with a knife.
"Tommy, sit down!" shouted Russell.
Tommy doesn't say anything as he pulls out his seat, waiting for Russell to explain what's going on.
Without any formal introduction to the issue to be presented, Russell proceeds.
"Your most recent film, The Moving, was a colossal flop at the box office! The worst film in this company's history!" Russell stated.
"Fair enough, but many of the best film directors have produced films that were flops, please give me another chance, I know I can make the next project a success!" pleaded Tommy.
"We cannot afford mediocrity, even if it is a one-time occurrence," Russell said sharply, leaning back in his chair.
"I recently lost my wife, I'm still in mourning, I have a young daughter to support, and I have a mortgage on top of that!" Tommy explained, Standing up and slamming both hands against the table's edge.
"Listen, Tommy, we're sorry about what happened to your wife, but this is the nature of show business," Rusell stated, his steely eyes void of emotion.
"Is that it?" "Will we no longer be collaborating?" Tommy stressed out as he took a long stroke in his hair.
"I have a lot of connections in the film industry, I've told them you're an incompetent filmmaker, so you should be barred from directing here ever again!" Russell said with a sly grin.
"You piece of human shite! You just screwed me over!" screamed Tommy, who was having a hard time controlling his temper.
Russel was unfazed by Tommy's justifiable rage, so he threw the envelope containing his final pay cheque across the other side of the table, sliding down to reach the other end, and added, "Here is a little parting gift, consider this to be your redundancy package."
Tommy reluctantly takes the envelope and places it inside the pocket of his jacket.
"I put everything I had into that film." Tommy screamed.
"Well, it's not good enough, we have very high standards," Russell said as he sat back in his chair.
Tommy finally loses his cool and yells at him and the others around the meeting table.
Tommy declared with conviction, "You know what, screw the lot of you; the next movie I direct will win a British Film Award!"
"Don't make me laugh; there's a better chance of pigs flying over the Thames than you making a British Film Award-winning film!," Russell warned.
As a result, Russell and his suit-clad yes men laugh in the most artificial and sarcastic manner.
He leaves the table, afflicted by ridicule in the twisted pleasure of humiliation, grabs the black rubbish bag containing his belongings that was on the table across the room with his name labelled on it.
Russell says, "We have more important topics to discuss. Either you can make your own way out with what little dignity you still possess, or security can accompany you out, choice is yours"
Tommy, who had already conceded defeat, remarked, "Save your breath, I'll see myself out."
Russell brushes him off and motions for Tommy to leave the conference room with a mocking wave of his hand.
Tommy gives Russell the V sign to express his feelings and newfound enmity, but Russel seems unfazed.
He swiftly exits the souless building, but the sobering conclusion that he is likely out of employment as a film director as a result of Russell's intentional slander leaves him an even more broken man.
His phone was ringing as he slung his heavy black rubbish bag over his shoulder.
As he pulls the phone from his pocket, he recognises the caller as the head lecturer from his place of employment, but Tommy thinks the time of day and the fact that it was his day off made it a peculiar time to call.
"Yes?" said Tommy as if he couldn't get more annoyed.
"Tommy, I'm really sorry, but we had to make budget cuts, and we had to choose the hardest course of action,"
As he grew angrier, Tommy yelled into his phone, "So is this what I think it is?!"
"Your employment has been terminated, your P45 has been sent, you'll receive your redundancy package through the mail, and you are welcome to come in to pick up your belongings whenever it's convenient for you."
Tommys face drops as he recieves a double blow, "Fuck off!" he shouts at the top of his lungs and hangs up, almost tempted to smash his phone in rage.
Song - Bad Day By Daniel Powter
Tommy approaches his car and notices a parking ticket on the windscreen. He snatches the ticket and exclaims, "Fucksake! I've paid for a fucking ticket!".
Tommy looks at the ticket and says, "Fucking cunt! I was barely two minutes late..."
While crumpling up the ticket and placing it in his pocket and throwing his blackbag into the backseat of his car.
The environment is dark, the street lights illuminate the depressing surroundings, and the rain returns, making it even more gloomier and dramatic.
Tommy decides to take a walk while keeping his hands in his jacket pockets in an effort to restore just enough composure to think clearly.
As he walks, the rain drips on his shoes, and he exclaims in the third person, "Fucking wonderful! I'm no longer employed; what the fuck am I going to do?"
Tommy pauses for a while, takes out his wallet, and looks at the small photo of him, Gillian, and Tammy from happier, simpler days. He takes a long breath and returns his wallet in his inner jacket pocket.
He comes across a Fish and Chip store that is empty, the tiles appear like they have never been washed, the windows are smudged with grease splashback from the chip fryer, and the light is made up of a light bulb with cracks that flickers on and off, generating a gastly noise. Tommy was too hungry and exhausted to even care about the possibility of food poisoning.
When Tommy looked up, the fish and chip worker who was cooking fish in the fryer saw him right away and asked, "Your the film director... may I have your autograph?!"
"Do I appear to be in the mood to sign autographs?" Tommy lost his cool.
He was perplexed by Tommy's answer, who was typically amicable, and upon seeing he was being unreasonable, immediately apologies.
"Sure, I'll give you my autograph, and who am I writing this for?" Tommy signed his name while grabbing his notepad from where he had received orders and his pen.
"My name is John!" he said.
Tommy handed John his autograph and said, "Here you go John."
"Wicked! I would have requested a selfie if me phone hadn't run out of battery." John stowed the autograph with care.
"I'm happy you've been following my career, and I apologise if I seem irritable today, it's been a pretty awful day" added Tommy
"Don't worry about it! here, have some fish and chips on the house," said John.
"Well, I'm grateful. John, you don't have to do that..." Tommy said.
"Don't be stupid, a famous film director doesn't often visit this shitehole! Salt and vinegar on your chips?" queried John.
As Tommy takes the bagged up fish and chips, he says, "Yes, tell you what, next time I'm here, I'll take a selfie with you, right now it's not the best time."
John said, "I eagerly anticipate that day."
Tommy opened the bag and used the wooden fork to eat the fish and chips.
The fork was so thin that it may break at any moment, so he quickly finished and threw his trash in a nearby bin before going back to his car.
Tommy goes back to Danny's to get Tammy. He slams the car door shut upon arrival because the frustration had not yet left his system; he knocks on the door, which Danny unlocks, and walks inside.
Danny asked "Hey Tom, how was meeting?"
"Fucking tits up mate, that's the best way I can describe!," said Tommy
"how so?" inquired Danny
Tommy proclaimed, "I've lost both of my jobs in the span of less than ten minutes."
"That's fucking shit mate! I really not sure what to say Tom!", Danny said.
"What am I going to do...?" My life savings will only cover a few months' mortgage and living expenses before I lose the house!" added Tommy
"You'll find something! if worst comes to worst you know you'll both always have a place to stay here, your're family afterall bruv" said Danny
"Thanks, Danny I appreciate that. where's Tammy?" asked Tommy
Danny slightly opens the living room door to reveal Tammy dozing on the couch.
"I was going to say to you she could stay the night if I knew you were going to be late" said Danny
"Sorry mate, I had to go for a walk to cool off, I was getting worked up," Tommy explained.
"Understood, as you should be, Tammy's been fed and watered," Danny said.
"How was your meal out?" Tommy inquired.
"It was great, she wanted the biggest burger on the menu," Danny chuckled.
"She likes those big burgers, but did she finish it?" asked Tommy
"She ate a good portion of it considering her size; I'm not sure how she managed to have room for popcorn and sweeties but," Danny said.
"You took her to the movies, I take it?" Tommy inquired.
"I know it was supposed to be your thing tonight, but I thought since we were out, I'd treat her to a movie," Danny explained.
Tommy inquired, "What did you both go and see?"
"Spongebill: A Tremendous Adventure For A Sponge" said Danny
"Good! It means a lot to me to watch Reptar: The Monster King with her since Reptar was my thing when I was a kid," Tommy explained.
"She told me she wanted to see that with you, so I chose something else to watch," Danny explained.
"Thank you so much Danny, I'm going to take Tammy home, I want to keep her in routine for now," Tommy remarked.
"Okay, well, drive home safely, and you know I'm always a phone call away, you're part of the Evans family," Danny patted his shoulder.
Tommy raises Tammy up into his arms while she is still fast sleeping on the couch.
Tommy murmurs, "Right Pumpkin Pie, let's get you home"
Danny follows them out, clutching her jacket.
Danny gently opens the passenger door as Tommy carefully slides Tammy in the car seat and Tommy takes her jacket from Danny.
Tommy goes into the drivers seat, before Dannys shuts the door for him he says "Chin up, things will get better"
Tommy carries Tammy into her bed while she is still asleep, tucks her in, kisses her on the head, and whispers, "Good night, sweet dreams darling" after they return home late.
He sits in the kitchen, drinking tea and contemplating his next move. Tired, he decides to call it a night before retiring to his own bed.
Before doing so, Tommy softly opens the door to her room just enough to see if she's still sleeping, steps in, kisses her on the head again, and delicately stroking her hair, her sleeping face reminding him of Gillian.
"It's been a difficult year for both of us, but we'll get through it together, your Mother would be so proud of you, I love you more than words can ever express," Tommy said as he exited her room.
Tammy opens one eye as she sees the door closing in front of her, shutting away the light from the upstairs landing with her lava lamp uliminating.
She tightly clutches her Reptar plush, that her mother gifted to her one christmas, showing that she misses Gillian a lot.
Tommy enters the front room and takes a picture of Gillian holding a very young Tammy above her shoulders outside in their garden from the fireplace mantel.
"Gillian, I couldn't have had a worse day if I tried, I got fired and I don't know what to do next," Tommy says in third person to the picture.
"Gillian, we both miss you so much, you were my anchor" As he wiped the glass, a tear fell onto the frame, and he clenched the picture in its frame to his chest and dejectedly placed it back on the fireplace mantel.
Tommy settles into his armchair, pours himself a huge whisky from the liquor cabinet, and phones his best friend Kian.
"Danny! I told you not to call me on the late shift... Tommy Hey, it's you..." murmured Kian as he answered the phone, waking up from a deep slumber.
"Kian, I'm so sorry for disturbing you..." Tommy murmured as he swirled his whisky glass.
"Tommy fam, don't be stupid, it's fine, you've got something on your mind, what's up?" Rubbing his face, Kian enquired.
"I'm officially unemployed, Russel has slandered my good name, and I've just been fired from my teaching position all in the space of one fucking day!" said Tommy
"Fucking wankers! Init! keep your head up, bruv, things will get better," Kian urged.
"I should call my agent in the morning," Tommy advised.
"Best thing to do, always here you fam," Kian stated.
"I'd better let you go, I need to get some sleep!" said Tommy
"Safe fam, we'll hang out soon, but look after yourself, yeah," Kian advised.
Tommy hangs up the phone and puts it back in his pocket. Taking one final big swallow of his whisky, he decides to quit idling and goes to his bed, but without work, things are looking dismal... unless his situation changes...
End of chapter 2