Just around the bend

Yo, Polly!” Rachel looked up from her laptop and grinned at Joe the assistant producer.

“I believe you’ve met Tim?” Joe gestured to the young man next to him. Tim was the management trainee who wasattached to the production crew as part of the company's orientation program.

“Yeah, we’ve met but not properly introduced” Rachel smiled at Tim and offerred her hand.

“Hi! The name’s Rachel. Polly is just Joe’s nickname for me. ”

" Aw..not just me , everybody around here calls her that” Joe laughed and winked at Tim conspiringly “As to why, you ’ll find out soon enough”

Rachel swatted at him playfully.

Tim laughed and shook her hand “Tim. Thanks for lending me the mosquito repellent the other day.”

“No trouble at all. Those mozzies can be quite a pain, especially when filming at night .Anyway I always carry one around for Eva.”

Joe cleared his throat.

“Polly, the production has ended ahead of schedule but Tim still has some time with us. He thought it would be interesting to learn about the job of a personal assistant. Would you mind having an assistant attached to you for a few days till the end of next week?”

“Would I mind?!” Rachel grinned . “Does a fish mind water?”

Cocking her head curiously at Tim.

" Wow, you’re really interested in this industry huh? Most trainees would be grateful to end earlier and have a few extra days off.”

Tim simply shrugged and gave a small smile.

“Before you get your hopes too high though, a PA to a star is just a glorified nanny, nothing glamourous about that. The hours are irregular. We take care of all the nitty gritty details so that they can focus on their acting career. It can be interesting though. You get to meet many people and everyday there are different challenges.”

Joe snorted at the word “challenge”.

“With Eva the diva, I’m sure”

He slapped Tim on the back. “Good luck buddy. But don’t worry, Polly here will take care of you.”

“Joe! You’re scaring the new assistant! “Rachel exclaimed in mock horror.

“Shoo shoo, why don’t you go get busy. ”

Turning back to Tim, she gave him a reassuring smile and said

“Don’t mind too much, Joe has a tendency to exaggerate.”

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully she continued

“Alright, let’s start by looking at Eva’s schedule for the day, shall we?”