The other crew members had their various tasks. Jim went buying gifts for all the people they were going to interview on the journey. It was something he loved doing, finding imaginative and relatively cheap gifts for people. It was based on his understanding that if he didn’t have much money to pay people, instead of insulting them with paltry sums, he would honour them not only with gifts but also with the care and love that had gone into choosing each one, so that the gift matched the recipient.
Jim went up and down Paris, to the different markets. He went with Husk, who gave him advice on gifts for the women. When Husk wasn’t shopping with Jim, she was working with Sam. She sorted out the schedule, phoning up people, making contacts for future encounters on the journey, helping with the accounts, arranging all the logistics of the long trip ahead. Husk threw herself into her work with an intense and bitter severity to escape the fiery pangs of her broken heart. She spoke to no one about the nature of her anguish, nor did she give hints or details of what ailed her. Often she had to stop what she was doing and hold onto something solid. As if to prevent herself falling because of the sheer weight of emptiness in the pit of her stomach. She worked like a stoic, but without the stoic’s philosophical serenity.
For the rest, their tasks were specific. Sam had his cameras to look after. Riley followed whatever instructions Sam gave her. And Propr, not having much to do except keep his sound equipment clean, decided to make a day of it. Along with Sam and Riley, he disappeared into the lures of Paris. They were not seen again till the evening. And when they materialised they were somewhat red-faced and drunken and merry. The crew ate separately that night, and in the morning the Arcadian journey was resumed.