Don’t Be A Felix on Oscar Sunday

“So are you excited for the Oscars tonight?” Holly asked before she took a sip of her coffee.

It was Academy Awards Sunday and the best friends were seated on their favorite bench, which gave them an excellent view of the river and the red carpet.

Aaron shrugged.  “I used to get so excited about watching, but I’ll probably just check out the monologue to see if I could’ve written something funnier.”

“I remember when you’d prepare a whole spread of Oscar snacks, make your predictions, and count down the hours until the ceremony started.”

He took a long drink of his Snapple.  “I also used to get up to watch the nominations announced live, which was a real challenge when I lived in California.  Now I don’t even know who’s nominated until I see the list on social media.”

“What happened?” she asked.  “You used to joke about renting a tux to watch the awards in style.  Now it’s like you don’t even care.”

“Maybe I’ve outgrown the Academy Awards,” he quipped and took another hit of his iced tea.

Holly looked at him curiously.  “Your career goal has always been to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  Is that still the case?”

“What do you think?” he countered with a sideways glance.  “When’s the last time I wrote a screenplay?  I write for TV now and I’m trying to publish a novel.  And do I need to remind you that I have a shiny gold statue on my mantel for my TV writing?”

“Your award is impressive, but an Oscar was always your dream,” she reminded him.

“Dreams change and evolve.  Just like the people who have them,” Aaron pointed out.  “Movies used to be my thing, but I can’t even remember the last time I went to see one.”

“Is that because of COVID or because you don’t like to go by yourself?”

“Definitely because I hate going to the movies along,” he replied without hesitation.  “I went all the time with my friends when I was growing up, and I was always jealous of the guys there with dates.  I couldn’t wait to be old enough to ask someone to the movies.”

“You’re definitely old enough,” she replied with a sly smile.

“But no one wants to go with me,” he said flatly.

“I’d go with you,” she suggested.

He shook his head.  “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve outgrown going to the movies with my buddies.”

“I’ll try not to be too offended,” she attempted to laugh it off and then hid her disappointment by taking a long sip of coffee.

“You can come over and watch TV with me any time,” he offered when he realized that he might have hurt her feelings.  “That won’t bankrupt me like a night at the movies.”

“The last of the big time spenders…” she mumbled.

“Isn’t that a famous line from a movie?” he asked.

“I don’t know since you never take me to see any.”  She stuck out her tongue at him and turned her attention to the water.

“For what it’s worth, I’d definitely mention you in my Oscar acceptance speech,” he stated with a shrug and then looked out at the river.

She smiled, but hid it from him because she still wanted him to feel guilty about his earlier comment.

Who do you like for Best Picture tonight?