Reel

Canon is defensive when Verity calls, but she says she’s happy for him. He refers to Neevah as his girlfriend and thinks that, instead of restrictive, the term fits: “It feels the way she feels—tailor-made for me” (278). Neevah says she doesn’t care if people talk; she thinks that audiences will be moved by the story, and she’s proud to be part of the movie. She’s proud to be with Canon, too.

After they have sex, Canon stays for dinner. He apologizes that Camille’s stunt has outed them and that he couldn’t shield her. Neevah replies that she needs him to be beside her, not shielding her. Neevah revels in spending this bit of time with him before they travel to Santa Barbara for an intense session of filming.

As he drives home from Neevah’s rental, Canon calls Camille and clears the air with her. For revenge, he tells Camille that Neevah knows him like no other woman has. He realizes that he hurt Camille and apologizes, and she grudgingly agrees to a truce.

In an excerpt from the film script, the setting is the French Riviera, June 1939. Dessi and Cal are staying at the Hotel du Cap and preparing to perform at the Hot Club. As they relax on the beach, Dessi teases Cal about writing sad songs. He tells her that the song “Walk Away” is about a breakup. Cal enjoys being in France, where, he says, he’s experiencing “how it feels to be treated like you a human being” (293). This is a contrast to how he, a Black man, is treated by white people in the US.

Dessi refers to seeing some white Americans in Italy who tried to make Cal and Dessi give up their seats on the train. Cal says that he never wants to go back to the South. At the hotel, Dessi gets a letter from Tilda that includes her wedding announcement and her note saying, “I had to. Forgive me” (296). At the nightclub, Dessi sings “Walk Away.”

Neevah rehearses her vocal performances with Monk and thinks of how to best serve Dessi’s story. Monk says that he wanted to use a Billie Holiday song, “Don’t Explain,” that she wrote about her cheating husband. He says this while looking at Verity.

The crew adjourns for a bonfire on the beach, and Neevah enjoys talking and flirting openly with Canon. She reflects that she’s not starstruck by him any longer because she knows the real man now. He walks her to her cottage on the beach, and when having sex, they connect in a new way.

After a delay to their filming schedule, Canon learns that Neevah isn’t on set. He goes to her cottage and finds her in full costume and makeup, asleep on the bed. She came back to nap while the power outage was being resolved. Canon is angry and scolds her.

In an excerpt from the film script, Cal and Dessi walk through London at night and discuss having to replace their drummer. Dessi envies that he is going home. Cal mentions Langston Hughes and James Baldwin as Black Americans who have better lives in Europe.

The air-raid sirens go off, and they run to shelter in the tube station, where other people are taking refuge. Dessi sings “Look for the Silver Lining” to soothe an upset child. Cal picks up his trumpet to accompany her on more songs. Dessi reflects, “Maybe music means I can be at home anywhere in the world” (316). As they huddle together under a blanket, Cal tells Dessi that he loves her.

Neevah feels worn out by filming and wonders if her sluggishness and forgetting her lines are due to her inexperience. Dr. Ansford reports that Neevah’s test results show elevated antibodies. She recommends that they biopsy Neevah’s kidney. Neevah is upset but doesn’t want to unload on Canon, so she calls Evan instead.

On set, Evan informs Canon and Jill that Neevah has discoid lupus. She’s begun medication to try to prevent a flare-up and will have to take time off for a kidney biopsy. Canon is upset that he didn’t know about any of this and stalks off to locate Neevah. She is in wardrobe, being fitted by Linh into a gorgeous gold evening gown. Canon is upset that Neevah confided in Evan and not him. Neevah says that she doesn’t want to mess up the movie. Canon realizes that he wants to hear Neevah say she loves him and that he wants to say those words back to her.

Neevah feels terrible during filming, vomits on her dress, and then faints. When she regains consciousness, she wants to finish the scene, but Canon insists on taking her to the hospital. She asks to change out of the gown and is embarrassed for Canon to see her in such a vulnerable state. She sees that he is afraid for her and agrees to go to the hospital, but she watches the set recede in the distance and wonders when she’ll be back.

Canon and Takira wait in the lobby of the emergency room. Canon recalls how his mother developed bacterial pneumonia and was taken away by an ambulance. A nurse asks if he is there for Neevah Mathis, and Canon realizes that he didn’t know that “Saint” was a stage name. He is able to see Neevah and meets her doctor.

Dr. Baines believes that Neevah is experiencing a severe flare-up because of the stress she’s been under while filming. The doctor believes that Neevah’s discoid lupus has developed into systemic lupus and possibly nephritis, which would affect her kidneys. Canon reflects, “I do know what it’s like to walk a hard road with someone you love. I’ve done it before. I can do it again” (338).

Neevah meets with Dr. Ansford, Dr. Baines, and Dr. Okafor, who is a nephrologist. She says that Canon can stay for this meeting since he is her boyfriend.

Dr. Okafor confirms that Neevah’s symptoms indicate systemic lupus. Her kidneys have suffered significant damage and are failing. Neevah is stunned by this news. Dr. Okafor recommends dialysis for the short term and a kidney transplant as a long-term solution. She suggests that they look for a living donor, though it is a difficult process to find a match. The best candidate would be a sibling.

Neevah thinks that she can’t ask Terry for anything, much less an organ. She is concerned about continuing the movie, but Canon says that she is his priority at the moment. Neevah realizes that she loves him but feels like, after what he experienced with his mother, she can’t ask him to go through this again.

Lawson Stone, the Galaxy Studio executive, complains that production has to be paused while Neevah is sick and blames her for not disclosing that she had lupus. Canon defends her, pointing out that she shared everything she needed to and that Lawson can’t discriminate against her based on a medical condition. Lawson accuses Canon of losing track of priorities because he is sleeping with his lead actress again. Canon throws Lawson off his set, though he does consider retaliatory actions Lawson might take.

Canon realizes that, with Dessi Blue, he has given a lot of people work and committed to telling a story that deserves to be told. He talks to the cast and crew about the situation and realizes how much they care for Neevah. Canon feels emotional as he reflects on how Neevah told him that her aunt Marian died from systemic lupus. He realizes, “[E]ver since Neevah sang her way into my life that first night, the guard I’ve kept over my heart, over my whole life, has been falling away in layers” (353). He reflects that he buried parts of himself when his mother died so that he could go on, but now he is feeling everything, and it’s almost too much.

As they talk on the phone, Neevah’s mother asks how she can get tested to see if she is a match as a kidney donor. Neevah reflects on how she’s always held back on burdening her mother, as if she’s never really been sure that her mother would come through for her. Her mother encourages Neevah to contact Terry. Takira says that she thinks of Neevah as a sister, too.

Meanwhile, Neevah is grateful for Canon’s support but also feels guilty that she drew him into a relationship because now she’s the “sick girl,” as she thinks of herself.