"So... I assume you have finished memorising the book?" Ms. Gabriel put a hand on her hip as she glanced at the blond man in front of her.
"Yes," Mark replied curtly.
"I approve of her son!" His father give a thumbs up from behind Ms. Gabriel before being smacked into oblivion by his mother, who huffed a reply, "I don't."
'I am not here to get laid. I am here to practice cooking for free, and hopefully have a decent meal for one,' Mark shrugged mentally.
"Come in them. Make something filling, I haven't had anything since lunch," she said while making way for Mark, who naturally id not keep her waiting.
Walking in, Mark took in the extravagant living room and luxurious furniture before heading over to the eat-in-kitchen that was basically a part of the living room, with only a dining table separating them.
'A rather modern-looking housing plan. Especially for the later 70s,' Mark did not put too much thought behind this and instead put his book on the island-table at the centre before heading to the fridge. He already had a food item in mind, and with seemingly practiced ease, got to work.
Seeing him work, Ms. Gabriel frowned as a thought popped in her mind, 'He seems to be familiar with cooking. Did he only attend the class to get close to me?'
'Perhaps. Or perhaps not. It could be that he has just practiced a bit before coming here. It had been almost a week since I told him about coming over to make food for me and himself,' satisfied with her conclusion, she turned away from Mark and towards the television, turning on ABC, to watch her favourite soap opera that only came at 8 in the night.
Mark turned his attention to the opening tune of the show 'General Hospital' and noticed how Ms. Gabriel had made herself comfortable on the couch, before turning his attention back to the steak he was cooking.
It took a good hour to prepare the dish he wanted, and when he was done, he called out, "Ms. Gabriel, the food is ready."
"Oh, call me Olivia."
"Alright then. Olivia, the food is ready."
"Coming~" she stretched her hands on the couch before getting up and heading over the dinning table where Mark has prepared the food.
The two took a bite at the same time, and a frown appeared on both their faces.
"It's bland," Gabriel stated while reaching over to the salt.
"It is," Mark agreed while adding some of the pepper on his food, then exchanging the shaker with the salt in Olivia's hand, and using it on his steak.
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"But it is cooked well," Olivia added while taking another bite, this time being able to each the meat without any issues.
"The mashed potatoes taste fine... I think I used the garlic in the potatoes instead of putting it i the butter to cook the steak with..." Mark admitted upon realising he had put the two right next to each other while preparing, and might have put the crushed garlic past into the potatoes and not the butter.
Still, the result was an admittedly tasty side dish.
After finishing the food, Mark stood up to leave.
"Mark..." Olivia called out to the departing Mark.
"Yes?" He turned around to see Olivia contemplating something in her baggy pyjamas.
"If you come over every night around 8 to make food for me, you can have some of it, and I won't make you pay for any of the ingredients. But... the food has to be a bit better than this."
"I can do that. Olivia, I'll gladly take you up on that offer," Mark smiled before leaving the penthouse, closing the door behind him and heading back to his own apartment many floors below.
...
Reaching home, with a full stomach, Mark began writing the next scene for Rocky. It was almost complete by now, but Mark still wanted to work on it a little more.
While writing, a thought came to his mind.
"I need the music for the movie."
The uplifting music could be said to have been an integral part of the movie. Perhaps even more iconic that the character of Rocky in his previous universe.
"If I get the score made by a professional company it will cost a lot, and they will charge even more considering i have a movie being made for which it will be used."
"I should get some college students who only want experience to work with me to make it, and the cost for that will be minimal. Despite taking a bit longer, I have a lot of time to waste while The Sixth Sense is still in pre-production, and will take some time to even begin production. A month at least, and 3 months at most. That is the schedule Nolan had given to me, and considering it will take time for the movie to cross $100 million in North America, Plus other delays, it will take around 3-4 months before i get enough money to being production."
"Before doing anything, son, you need a trustworthy agent and a lawyer. Get the lawyer first, then the agent. We don't wan't some hidden clauses to cause problems down the line," Mark's father floated in on his back with his hands folded below his head and one leg above the other, as though he was resting on a bed.
"True. And getting an agent now will prevent me from being swarmed by greedy agents who do not actually wish to help me, but rather only to gain as much as they can from me."
"But be wary of people. They can change with time. Look at your own father for one," His mother appeared right beside him, hovering over his shoulder.
"Look whose talking," His father appeared on his other shoulder with a scowl on his face.
"I get it. The two of you are angry at each other for cheating on each other. Get over it... wait... you are just figments of my imagination... does that mean, deep down, I am angry at the two of you for cheating? Perhaps..." Mark thought out loud before getting back to finished this last scene of the movie.
[Movie: Rocky (Scene 10)]
[As the final bell rings, Rocky, exhausted and battered, has achieved his dream of going the distance. The crowd erupts, and Rocky, ignoring the judges’ decision, calls out for Adrian, who pushes through the crowd to reach him. "Yo Adrian! I did it!" Although Apollo wins by split decision, Rocky’s victory is a deeply personal one, defined by his newfound sense of pride and respect.]