what I was saying was true. But he pulled the paper in front of him and snatched the pen out of my hand. His name was a scribbled mess below mine, and his fingers showed a visible tremor.
“Contract or not, I love you. I have loved you. I will love you... regardless of what happens next.”
I knew he would because after all was said and done, he remained a righteous man.
“I KNEW THERE was something special about this project before I ever signed on to be a part of it. When I first read the script, I was moved. I loved it enough to take a risk not only on a brand-new production company, but also on a co-star I wasn’t sure I could work with. That risk paid off in ways I couldn’t begin to imagine. His movie didn’t just bring me my first major award nomination and win, it also reunited me with someone from my past I couldn’t forget, and he is the reason I now have a beautiful little boy and wonderful family. This movie challenged me to branch out professionally and get involved in other aspects of movie-making. It showed me there are many ways to make sure great movies get attention. So, thank you to the cast and crew of A Righteous Man. To our wonderful director Heinrich, who demanded more than we thought we could give, all I can say is, you were right about the ending. And to my amazing agent and best friend, Lennon, you were right, too. Passing on this movie would have been the dumbest move I ever made, and yes, that includes my first marriage.”
I paused for a second to gather my thoughts, and looked at the blinking light on the monitor in front of me. I knew if I stayed silent for too long, what I had to say would get cut off, so I rushed to finish my sentiment before I ran out of time. “I also want to thank my dad for always being there for me, and for always supporting me. He’s the reason I wanted to become an actor in the first place. He’s the one who made me want to tell stories that would help others and offer them an escape when times were tough. He’s the best dad a girl could ask for, and the best granddad any kid could ever have. We love you, Dad.”
I shot a look off the screen for a second and caught Salinger’s eye. He was just out of the frame, holding a little boy who was his spitting image. I could see how proud he was of me as he watched me stumble through my very unrehearsed acceptance speech. We’d both been nominated heavily this award season but had regularly lost to the competition. Even though I had a speech on hand, I had yet to use it, and was in no way expecting to hear my name called as the winner for the award that was most highly coveted.
“It’s probably obvious, but the person who has my undying gratitude for so much more than this movie is Salinger Dolan. He wrote the script. He convinced me to take the role that won me this award. He pushed and refused to back down when it came to making the best movie possible. He is a brilliant co-star who deserves this award as much as I do. It was wonderful getting to work with him on such a magical project. But, it’s even better to live my life with him day in and day out. He is an amazing dad and the best partner. I wouldn’t be here in front of all of you after giving the best performance of my career without him. Thank you doesn’t seem sufficient, so I’ll say, I will always love you instead.”
There was some kind of digital glitch on the screen, then the computer monitor went black. I blinked in surprise since it was all over so soon, and the moment of glory most people in my profession worked so hard for seemed to fade as soon as it began.
I guess that went hand-in-hand with how the world had changed over the last year, making big gatherings impossible and moving everything to a remote format for the sake of safety. I never thought I would win an Oscar, or that I wouldn’t be able to receive such a huge accolade in person and in front of my peers.
Salinger moved to