Now That I've Found You - Kristina Forest Page 0,65
I’ve always loved. I had to realize my own worth. Nobody else could do that for me. And nobody else can do that for you, you understand?”
“Yes,” I say quietly.
“Good.” He looks me over again. “I’m sure you hear this all the time, but you look just like her. Especially with all of your disguises.”
People have been comparing me to Gigi my whole life, but for the first time, hearing James say this, I feel like one day maybe I’ll actually live up to the comparison.
We arrive at Bryant Park, and a team of people who must be the event organizers approach the car. James leans forward and says to George, “Tell them to give me a minute, will you, please?”
“Yes, sir.” George smoothly gets out of the car and intercepts the crew.
To me, James says, “Your grandmother loved going to outdoor movies, remember?” I nod. “I came by to invite her to the Q&A because I thought there might be a small chance she’d put our differences aside and enjoy watching our first movie together, fifty years later.”
I stare at his open yet solemn expression. It’s the same expression Henry wears while standing in Penn Station, when he thinks he’s lost Diane forever.
Unable to help myself, I ask, “What did you do that hurt her so badly? Why did you even have to do it?”
I feel like I’m repeating myself, and I realize it’s because I just had a very similar conversation with Simone last night about my own life.
“I was a selfish man,” he says. “Your grandmother helped me through the toughest years of my life, and I owe everything to her. I made a decision because I wanted to be back on top, and that decision broke her heart. There’s no excuse.” More quietly, almost to himself, he adds, “We all deserve a little forgiveness.”
I’m not really sure what to say, because I honestly don’t know if I agree with him. Maybe everyone doesn’t deserve to be forgiven. But I don’t have to respond because he’s already getting out of the car.
“Now come and listen in on this Q&A,” he says, holding open the door for me. “See how an old pro does it.”
The field is covered with people camped out on blankets, ready to watch the movie. James and I are flanked by security as we walk through the crowd, and I hide behind my baseball cap and sunglasses, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. But then a girl passes us, wearing a T-shirt with an old picture of Gigi when she was younger, at least in her early twenties. EVELYN CONAWAY FOREVER is written at the bottom in bright-white letters. I figure the girl probably made the shirt herself, but as we approach the stage, I see that more people in the crowd are wearing the shirt too. If only Gigi could be here to witness this.
James walks onto the stage to begin the Q&A with a writer from FilmBuzz.com. Most of the Q&A consists of James answering questions about what it was like to film Every Time We Meet and to see the cult following it’s garnered over the last fifty years. When the Q&A is wrapping up, the interviewer tells James how excited she is for Gigi to receive the lifetime achievement award tomorrow night at the FCC ceremony.
Little does she know, there’s a chance that Gigi might not show up at all. Kerri and my parents will be here tomorrow morning, and they’ll want answers. Just like the thousands of people who will watch the FCCs and question Gigi’s whereabouts.
“I’m excited for Evelyn to be honored as well,” James says. Then, somehow, he glances back, finding me among his team, and smiles.
After the Q&A, they dim the park lights before the movie starts. I turn to George, ready to tell him that I’m not staying for the movie and won’t need a ride, and that’s when I spot her.
A woman who is making her way through the front of the crowd, near the screen. She’s wearing a floppy, wide-brimmed white hat, a white T-shirt, and blue jeans. She walks just like Gigi, that easy, confident stride.
Frantically, I run off the stage and down to the field, trying to catch her. I knew I’d find her. I just knew it. People start throwing popcorn at me for getting in the way of the screen. One guy shouts, “Sit the hell down!” And then I trip over someone’s outstretched foot and fall