57 Tastes are Different

“It's wet,” Tobiasz Mońka pointed out the obvious fact without taking his eyes off the huge puddle that stood in the middle of the set. “There will be a slip in shooting again...”

Jarek Kurek, the assistant director standing next to him, shook his head.

“It will not happen," he reassured his colleague. “The actresses' skirts will be rolled up and only the upper parts of the body will be shot. What needs to be filmed in its entirety will be processed by computer. Różycki said.”

“Thank God! Don't get me wrong, but I have a less than favorable impression of this location. I would bemoan the fact that we've already moved to another location.”

“I know what you mean," sighed Jarek Kurek. “People are even starting to say that Radosz is the one who brought us bad luck.”

Mońka snorted and smacked his lips. Sure, everything started to flow differently when Damian Radosz appeared on the set, but the truth was that if Różycki had treated Brylski fairly from the beginning, there would have been no reason for Radosz to start making problems on the set. He probably would have arrived, had a look around and gone from there the same day. Unfortunately, he witnessed an unfortunate accident and for some reason decided to stay on.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, because Różycki had to grit his teeth and start treating Brylski like a human being. Finally.

“Do you really think so?” Mońka did not look at the interlocutor. His eyes were still stuck in the puddle. “Do you really think Radosz is the bad luck of this production?”

The tap moved restlessly. It was better not to speak ill of the boss. You never know whose ears are hiding nearby and clearly listening in.

“You know, I feel sorry for Brylski” the assistant director lowered his voice. “Maybe I'm young, but I've worked on five film sets and I've never seen anyone, you know... I've worked with Różycki before and I know he can work with amateurs. But with Brylski...”

Something was clearly wrong between the two, but nobody could say what? Różycki was regarded as demanding, even domineering, but he was never cruel. He had his quirks and his habits, but he always treated everyone professionally, even if he considered them total amateurs. Only towards Rafał Brylski he showed such clear hostility.

Mońka snorted again.

“Someone might think that this is a love-hate relationship” he remarked.

“Don't even joke like that!” Jarek Kurek got worried.

Such a sudden reaction attracted Mońka's attention. The stuntman slowly turned his head towards his interlocutor and carefully looked him in the face. He saw an unhealthy blush on his pale face.

Rumors spread by the media are dangerous because they are public and loud. However, there are other rumors that do not go beyond a specific environment, such as the work environment. These are whispered about very quietly, as if out of fear that when the subject of these rumors hears about them, he will rip the gossiper's head off. Some people were actually powerful enough to be able to do this.

One such rumor was that Różycki had a weakness for beautiful faces and bodies. Of course, he had his own canon, as I guess everyone did, but Brylski was now fairly universally recognized as a male beauty. Add to this a natural talent and Rafał Brylski became extremely attractive, even to men. If Różycki had such appetites, he probably developed a taste for a fresh dish in the form of the green-eyed budding actor at some point. And rumor had it that Różycki didn't like to be denied.

The rumor spoke volumes about the director's erotic life, but Mońka, who had worked with Różycki before, knew that he was apodictic and tolerated no opposition. So if the director used his status to try something with Brylski...

An unpleasant shiver ran down Mońka's spine. There was some sweet innocence in Rafał. The boy worked with enthusiasm and hard, really trying to meet the expectations set for him. He also had a certain purity about him, and it wasn't just about clean clothes and face. He gave the impression of someone who was made for pure and beautiful love, not for some crazy, forced romance without feeling.

If Różycki actually tried something indecent....

Jarek Kurek knew something about it. His unhealthily flushed face and lowered, embarrassed eyes said so. The eyes of someone who knew some unpleasant, dirty secret.

Mońka did not have to ask further. He didn't even want to. He only cursed under his breath, feeling the distaste growing in his mouth. He took out a cigarette and even though theoretically smoking was not allowed in this zone, he took a drag.

Fortunately, a similar situation had never happened between him and his partner. They had always been mutually agreeable and even... mutually enthusiastic.

The stuntman began to think. Inferring from the relationship that existed between Róźżycki and Brylski, nothing happened between them. Perhaps Rafał refused. Perhaps the proposal had not been made at all. These two certainly did not have an affair, otherwise the director would not have treated Brylski so meanly. But then did Różycki lay his hands on someone else?

Mońka looked at Jarek with compassion. The man might not have been a beauty, but he could be attractive. If he took off his glasses, he would be quite, quite. Additionally, he was blushing as if he was carrying a heavy feeling of shame on his shoulders.

Such a thing must not be asked. Only someone closest to him can dare to ask such a question, and it would still be a gaffe. But by remaining silent, those around him leave him alone in his little martyrdom.

“You know, sometimes you hear about situations where someone in power forces his subordinates to do things they don't want to do by various forms of pressure” said Mońka and took a drag on his cigarette. “I don't consider these people to be weak but... powerless. Powerlessness is not that person's weakness, it's the community that doesn't give them support by taking the weapons out of their hands. You know what I mean?”

“Relax, I'm not his type,” Kurek replied, and the stuntman felt relieved. “But Brylski... I think you should tell him the same thing you told me. I have no idea when Różycki will think it's time to cross the border...”

So the danger was real. Mońka threw the unburnt cigarette into the puddle. The water hissed softly and the embers of the cigarette went out.

“Don't worry” he assured his interlocutor. “There are no people in this world who can do anything. And you, should anything happen to you, remember that you are not helpless. You have an ally in me.”

“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.”

***

Jarek Kurek actually liked his job. He dreamt of one day becoming a director, but he failed to get into film school. He failed because it was limited and he didn't have the right connections. Instead of going sad, Jarek found casual work on a film set. He wanted to learn something in practice, see what production looks like and apply to school again. However, it so happened that he stayed in that job for longer.

Różycki was the third director he worked with, but the second for whom he was an assistant. It was also their second project together and Jarek had already managed to learn some of his boss's habits, both the good and the bad ones.

The latter, unfortunately, was a bit too much.

The words of an old song, admittedly mocking the reality, said that "there are no ugly women only wine sometimes lacking." In Różycki's case, when there was wine and no women, a man was also suitable. Especially a young man who wants to make a career in show business.

Jarek was not the director's type, but he knew very well that the right amount of wine, beer, vodka or whatever, can significantly change the perception of reality.

Różycki's current affair with Wolak was no secret to Kurek. The young assistant saw more than one might think, but he was smart enough to hold his tongue. It simply paid off for him. On top of that, Jakub Wolak wasn't any kind of helpless victim but a conscious and willing participant, maybe he was even the one who took the first step...