Page 27 of Second Act
As soon as they got back from Paris the day after New Year’s, Violet went back to working on her new movie every day. Andy read what she’d written at the end of the day, and loved the way she was developing it. There were going to be rich roles for a star-studded cast. The characters were poignant and touching, the story deeplymoving. She had a real gift. She had already moved on emotionally from the movie they had just finished and was in love with her new story, while Andy read box office reports on their current movie in the States. It was breaking records.
The Golden Globes awards ceremony was scheduled a week later than usual, in two weeks, and Violet, Andy, and Dash were supposed to fly to LA together and were planning to stay at Andy’s house in Bel Air. Andy was feeling anxious about the trip and his return to LA. He had suggested that Dash and Violet go without him, and they insisted he had to go, in case they won Best Dramatic Picture, which Andy thought unlikely. He argued vehemently not to go.
“You don’t need me there,” he had said to Dash.
“Are you crazy? We’re nominated for Best Dramatic Picture. Of course you have to go.”
“You and Violet can accept it for me. And it’s a long shot that we’ll win anyway, for a little indie picture.”
“Andy, you’ve got to go.” Dash was insistent, though Violet understood how hard it was for him.
“For God’s sake, I got fired nine months ago. I was the head of a studio. And now I turn up as screenwriter on an indie film? I’ll look ridiculous. I’ll get laughed out of the theater. You don’t know what the movie world is like. And if we don’t win, I’ll look like a fool. I’m not going,” he said stubbornly to Violet, as she gently tried to convince him, and at first he wouldn’t budge. But she was as determined as he was, and knew how scared he was to face his old world in LA. He felt like a ghost from the past.
She heard him arguing heatedly with Dash about it. She could seehow upset he was. He was flushed and crossed the room to pour himself a drink at their makeshift bar. “You don’t need that,” she said gently to him, after he ended the conversation with Dash.
“Yes, I do. Dash is pushing me to go to LA. I’d make a fool of myself if I go. From studio head to screenwriter. ‘How far the mighty have fallen.’ I willnotgo. He wants me at the awards ceremony. You do too, of course. And I don’t want to let you down, but you don’t need me there. I’ll stay here and start working on the screenplay for the next picture that you’re already working on.”
“It’s been almost a year,” she said gently, “and you wrote the script for a brilliant movie. Your screenplay is fantastic. Our movie deserves to win, and even if it doesn’t, you have to go back to LA someday. And the awards ceremony is the perfect reason.”
“If we win, I’ll look foolish, and if we lose, I’ll look even worse.”
“This isn’t about you,” Violet reminded him. “It’s about all of us who worked on it. Our picture is fantastic, and so is your screenplay.”
“I’ll look like I did it out of desperation, just to get a job.”
“You did it because you’re a talented writer. That’s why you’re nominated. You’ve got to go back. What better way to do it than this, nominated for a prestigious award?” Andy growled at her and set his drink down.
“Vi, I can’t.” He looked desperate, and grief-stricken again.
“Yes, you can, and I’ll be with you.” He sat staring into space for a minute, thinking about it. He really didn’t want to go. It would be humiliating, in front of all the people who had looked up to him before, who had envied him, and wanted to be him. Now he was justa writer, a failure. He’d been fired. The agony of the humiliation he had suffered seemed as vivid as it had the day he got fired.
He finished his drink and followed Violet to bed, and had nightmares about it that night. People laughed him off the stage when he won the award. He looked terrible at breakfast. Dash called half an hour later. They were supposed to leave for LA the next day.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” Andy said stubbornly.
“Neither have I,” Dash said just as firmly. He called Violet on her cellphone half an hour later.
“Vi, you have to make him go.”
“I can’t carry him onto the plane. He thinks it will be humiliating. He hasn’t been to LA in nine months.”
“He can’t hide forever. He has to face them all sooner or later.”
“He thinks he’s not ready.”
“The longer he waits, the worse it’ll get. Talk to him. You’re the only one who can make him do it.”
“I’ll try, but I don’t think he’ll go.” She thought he should, but she respected his right not to.
She talked to him about it that afternoon and he was nearly in tears over it. “Vi, it was the worst thing that ever happened in my career. I can’t face all those people now.”
“You’re being nominated for an award. That’s a huge honor. You can’t just turn away from that. We can leave the day after. You don’t have to stick around. But I think you should face it and get it over with. You need to show yourself you can do it, more than anyone else. It won’t be as bad as you think. And I’ll be there with you every minute.” He looked at her with a slow smile. She was so patient andkind to him, and she was always so brave. He didn’t want to look like a coward to her. He touched her cheek and then he kissed her.
“I’ll do it for you,” he said softly. “But I’m leaving as soon as it’s over, maybe even that night.”
“That’s all you have to do, in and out, and then you don’t ever have to be afraid to go back again. Besides, I want to see your house.” He smiled.
“It’s a cool house. I’d love to be there with you if it weren’t in LA.”
