ANOTHER AWARD SHOW

He stood looking outside his home studio window, contemplating life and all the things it had brought him, the ups and downs, the moments that seemed to be meaningless but still carried with them some lesson. He was thinking about life lessons, mumbling as a freshly typed screenplay sat on the computer screen across the room at his desk. He was feeling accomplished as well, remembering the number of lonely days and nights he sat writing and creating in silence.

From the moment he graduated from University, he found himself writing out of boredom and as an outlet for his thoughts, be they inspirational, dark, or sexual; he would jot them down sitting at a worn desk that was part of storage space and part entertainment center. He spent hours upon hours working on this raw talent he didn’t know he had. Much of the stuff was horrible for sure, but the process made him feel whole like it filled a gap that he didn’t understand why he had.

He taught himself the basics of screenwriting even before taking a class, and once he did, you could see the difference. Students having difficulty with the format asked question after question, and he flourished, as his subjects were about the story and how the content could be tighter. He saw life as a movie, and in doing so, he plotted his rise through the ranks, vowing to make examples of those who shined him on or doubted his resolve to succeed.

Seeing him work against the odds for those who took notice was inspiring. Others who were indifferent didn’t bother him, knowing at some point they’d either come around or be the person in a group ecstatically clambering, “I went to school with that guy,” as he won an Oscar and then another one. Having their friends look at them in disbelief like so many did when they looked at him before the stardom.

He laughs to himself, remembering the nights out with friends, and he would fall to the back, never the life of the party, just the wallflower. Now, he can’t make it to all the parties he is invited to, limiting himself to the ones that could further his career, learning Hollywood wasn’t the place he really wanted to be.

With that knowledge, he sought alternatives to expressing his visions, as the vision got him to his current status. A clear, concise idea he could see in his mind’s eye, mixed with repetition of the idea written or thought about and seen in his mind’s eye, provoked his subconscious mind to get to work.

Then, with the persistence of work and understanding that the journey would come with its obstacles and trying times, he excelled. Never letting time pass him by, he developed a speed in creating and artistry that soon set him apart. Many people questioned his work ethic and felt his rise was part of his God-given talent, to which he’d, in turn, point out his God-given gift was that he was black, 6'1, and athletically inclined. In high school, if it weren’t for an injury, he would still be reaching out for the dream of being a ballplayer, a baseball player, to be specific.

When that changed, his summers went from being filled with travel to Legion games and tournaments. His mind went to his art of telling stories, watching films, and reading books about his favorite directors and how films were made. The work was there, and as he sat with this new vision, his fate was solidified.

Continuing to watch out his window, a woman’s reflection coming up behind him appeared. He was turning to greet the sensuous woman with caramel skin dressed in the most seductive form-fitting red shimmering dress, the two looking like the ultimate couple. She came bearing gifts in the form of a tightly rolled paper joint, delicately lighting it with her white-tipped nails, she took a puff. She then put the joint to his mouth, her ruby red lipstick staining the joint tip. He inhaled and blew the smoke out to the side, looking at the woman in her light green eyes.

No words were shared between them, just the joint until it reached its halfway point when they put it out in an empty nearby glass. The woman then adjusted the man’s bowtie, and the two walked out of the studio and grand home to be whisked up, ready for another award show.