Stave One.
Beyond his eyes.
Christmas has always been one of the favorite seasons of the year. It is a time of joy and happiness, forgiveness and sorrow. It is a time where the ones who hate, stop hating for the greater good. A time where the poor became rich and the rich became better people. The snow falling from the sky, kids running from one place to another, the laughter of young couples and the sound of birds chirping every Christmas morning, were the things that Grant Rayburn despised the most. Like many people in the city, Grant was a lonely and unhappy Hollywood actor who had almost everything in his life. He had fame, good looks, money, a house much larger than he needed and the admiration of all his fans; all he could ever ask for. Some people who knew him from the inside, apparently, say that he did not deserve all his possessions. But these people thought they knew everything about him. These were non other than his partners. Non of them had any knowledge of Grant's past. On camera he was this great guy full of happiness and love. But behind the cameras, he was a careless, 40 years old selfish and hypocrite man, who did not enjoy seeing the happiness of others. He has been acting for 10 years now. But not only on movies, but in real life as well. All he had done in these 10 years has been nothing but a lie. He was not happy, neither was he loved. But he showed the contrary to his fans and press just to gain more and more fame and try to forget his past. Grant basically didn't have a family. He only had a nephew called Matthew which he barely talked to. He didn't have any friends either. Thus the only one he had died 16 years ago in a car crash. Poor young Kevin Marley. What a fatal accident. Kevin was only 24 years when it happened. Such a horrible tragedy Grant experienced. Kevin was the first personal assistant he had, but he was also his best friend. The only one who reminded Grant about his mistakes and dreams. The only one who would make him suffer, just for his own good. From the day of the accident, Grant's anger towards humanity grew colder.
It was 11:00pm and he had just gotten to his apartment drunk from a party. He was holding a bottle of champagne in his hands. He arrived talking and spitting nonsense. Nonsense that somehow were true and that affected his life when he was younger. Not even all the money of the world nor fame could make him forget all he lived. His abusive father, the death of his best friend, his mother and his older brother, all this and more made of Grant an arrogant person. He hated Christmas for these reasons. His mother died exactly 30 years from this day. His father was drunk and had beaten her with a bat. Grant and his older brother Ryuichi saw everything. After he killed her, Ryuichi and Grant moved together to California and his brother took care of him. He hated so much his father. He never forgave him. And he promised himself he never would. Kevin also died on Christmas day. And everytime the calendar hited December 25th, he was afraid someone close to him would die. But that's not everything; Ryuichi died of cancer six years ago at age 45. Too many people to remember, too many people to be sad about. Grant transformed himself into an ogre. But since he was so good at acting and I mean excellent, no one ever knew about his feelings. He just didn't like to show his weakness, he was alone. Right from outside the window, a group of teenagers started singing 'Silent Night'. Not even one of them knew in what state of mind Grant was at that moment. The voices of these young people were making Grant dizzy. Then he started making fun of them by mocking his face and moving his mouth, as he was somehow lip singing the song. Right on then, he open the window (which made some snow fall off it) and started applauding them. Right after that, he started pouring the champagne from above the window on to the poor kids.
"Get away from here!!" He yelled. "What a waste of time." He mumbled as he saw the teenagers running away from the house.
Exactly in that moment he looked up at the sky and he would swear that he saw a shooting star traveling across the sky. But since he was so drunk, he didn't knew if he was just hallucinating. The bottle fell off his hands and the window close itself hitting Grant in the head. But he barely felt the pain. He just rubbed his head and close the window completely. He was wearing his long heavy coat and black , wool pants. His bedroom didn't had anything, no television no radio or a anything he could entertain himself that night. So he just started counting with his fingers, so he could escape from his boredom. An hour had passed when the phone rang loudly. He looked at his right and ran for it.
"YES?" He yelled once again.
"Mr. Rayburn?" Said the voice of a man from the phone.
"What?"
"I'm sorry to bother you at this time but I have bad news for you. I don't know how to say this... but..."
"WHO ARE YOU?" The words of this man made him nervous. He just couldn't believe it may be happening again.
"It's me, Marius." His assistant.
"I don't wanna know about it. Can't you see I was...?" He burped.
"Sir, are you ok? Are you dru...."
"YES I AM, and I'm happier than ever! So why don't you just call your mama and give her the bad news?"
With that, Grant hung the phone. After he hung up, he went straight to the bathroom to wash his face and forget what he had just heard. He stayed there sitted on the floor beside the door for a few minutes. He didn't noticed that Christmas Eve had arrived. An hour passed quickly. He was now more calm and came into his senses. His hair was bushy. His face was hairy and his eyes seemed tired. He stood up, took off the coat and the rest of his clothing and went to the shower. After he finished, he put a towel around his waist and headed to the bedroom. Once there, he put on some clean clothes and went back to the window. He stood there staring eagerly at the lights that brightened the city. It was such a beautiful sight, not for him though. From above, he saw an old man sitting in a corner eating old pop corn and hugging himself from the cold. He only had a brown cap and a dirty robe around the neck. He had a bushy white beard and he was muttering some words that not even himself could understand. Grant had this horrible sensation in his neck that made him wonder if going down and giving him something to warm up would be the right thing to do. But he was too proud and greedy, so he ignored his thoughts and slowly closed the window and went back to the room. It was now 1:15 in the morning. Grant was tired and sleepy. He layed on his bed and started thinking.
"Thank goodness I'm not gonna be here tomorrow until night. I don't want my nephew to find me. I mean, if he knows I'm here. I better get ready early and leave." He said to himself as he made himself comfortable with the pillow.
Yes indeed. Matthew knew that his uncle was staying in Nevada. He was 25 years old and was married to Neve, a beautiful 24 year old woman. Every Christmas he would contact his uncle and visit him. This time he did not call him directly. How could he? His uncle changed the number of his cellular... again. This time Matthew called his uncle's assistant and accidentally, she told him where he was going to stay for Christmas. Matthew had always felt the obligation to invite Grant to dine with him, he was the only family he had. But he always deny the invitation.
"Good night to myself." Said Grant as he took some of the covers from the bed and covered himself from head to toe.
This had been a very long day and he needed to rest. Tomorrow he was going to an important interview at 9 o'clock in the morning. He turn off the lamp that was right beside him and fell asleep within 5 minutes.
Beyond his eyes.
Christmas has always been one of the favorite seasons of the year. It is a time of joy and happiness, forgiveness and sorrow. It is a time where the ones who hate, stop hating for the greater good. A time where the poor became rich and the rich became better people. The snow falling from the sky, kids running from one place to another, the laughter of young couples and the sound of birds chirping every Christmas morning, were the things that Grant Rayburn despised the most. Like many people in the city, Grant was a lonely and unhappy Hollywood actor who had almost everything in his life. He had fame, good looks, money, a house much larger than he needed and the admiration of all his fans; all he could ever ask for. Some people who knew him from the inside, apparently, say that he did not deserve all his possessions. But these people thought they knew everything about him. These were non other than his partners. Non of them had any knowledge of Grant's past. On camera he was this great guy full of happiness and love. But behind the cameras, he was a careless, 40 years old selfish and hypocrite man, who did not enjoy seeing the happiness of others. He has been acting for 10 years now. But not only on movies, but in real life as well. All he had done in these 10 years has been nothing but a lie. He was not happy, neither was he loved. But he showed the contrary to his fans and press just to gain more and more fame and try to forget his past. Grant basically didn't have a family. He only had a nephew called Matthew which he barely talked to. He didn't have any friends either. Thus the only one he had died 16 years ago in a car crash. Poor young Kevin Marley. What a fatal accident. Kevin was only 24 years when it happened. Such a horrible tragedy Grant experienced. Kevin was the first personal assistant he had, but he was also his best friend. The only one who reminded Grant about his mistakes and dreams. The only one who would make him suffer, just for his own good. From the day of the accident, Grant's anger towards humanity grew colder.
It was 11:00pm and he had just gotten to his apartment drunk from a party. He was holding a bottle of champagne in his hands. He arrived talking and spitting nonsense. Nonsense that somehow were true and that affected his life when he was younger. Not even all the money of the world nor fame could make him forget all he lived. His abusive father, the death of his best friend, his mother and his older brother, all this and more made of Grant an arrogant person. He hated Christmas for these reasons. His mother died exactly 30 years from this day. His father was drunk and had beaten her with a bat. Grant and his older brother Ryuichi saw everything. After he killed her, Ryuichi and Grant moved together to California and his brother took care of him. He hated so much his father. He never forgave him. And he promised himself he never would. Kevin also died on Christmas day. And everytime the calendar hited December 25th, he was afraid someone close to him would die. But that's not everything; Ryuichi died of cancer six years ago at age 45. Too many people to remember, too many people to be sad about. Grant transformed himself into an ogre. But since he was so good at acting and I mean excellent, no one ever knew about his feelings. He just didn't like to show his weakness, he was alone. Right from outside the window, a group of teenagers started singing 'Silent Night'. Not even one of them knew in what state of mind Grant was at that moment. The voices of these young people were making Grant dizzy. Then he started making fun of them by mocking his face and moving his mouth, as he was somehow lip singing the song. Right on then, he open the window (which made some snow fall off it) and started applauding them. Right after that, he started pouring the champagne from above the window on to the poor kids.
"Get away from here!!" He yelled. "What a waste of time." He mumbled as he saw the teenagers running away from the house.
Exactly in that moment he looked up at the sky and he would swear that he saw a shooting star traveling across the sky. But since he was so drunk, he didn't knew if he was just hallucinating. The bottle fell off his hands and the window close itself hitting Grant in the head. But he barely felt the pain. He just rubbed his head and close the window completely. He was wearing his long heavy coat and black , wool pants. His bedroom didn't had anything, no television no radio or a anything he could entertain himself that night. So he just started counting with his fingers, so he could escape from his boredom. An hour had passed when the phone rang loudly. He looked at his right and ran for it.
"YES?" He yelled once again.
"Mr. Rayburn?" Said the voice of a man from the phone.
"What?"
"I'm sorry to bother you at this time but I have bad news for you. I don't know how to say this... but..."
"WHO ARE YOU?" The words of this man made him nervous. He just couldn't believe it may be happening again.
"It's me, Marius." His assistant.
"I don't wanna know about it. Can't you see I was...?" He burped.
"Sir, are you ok? Are you dru...."
"YES I AM, and I'm happier than ever! So why don't you just call your mama and give her the bad news?"
With that, Grant hung the phone. After he hung up, he went straight to the bathroom to wash his face and forget what he had just heard. He stayed there sitted on the floor beside the door for a few minutes. He didn't noticed that Christmas Eve had arrived. An hour passed quickly. He was now more calm and came into his senses. His hair was bushy. His face was hairy and his eyes seemed tired. He stood up, took off the coat and the rest of his clothing and went to the shower. After he finished, he put a towel around his waist and headed to the bedroom. Once there, he put on some clean clothes and went back to the window. He stood there staring eagerly at the lights that brightened the city. It was such a beautiful sight, not for him though. From above, he saw an old man sitting in a corner eating old pop corn and hugging himself from the cold. He only had a brown cap and a dirty robe around the neck. He had a bushy white beard and he was muttering some words that not even himself could understand. Grant had this horrible sensation in his neck that made him wonder if going down and giving him something to warm up would be the right thing to do. But he was too proud and greedy, so he ignored his thoughts and slowly closed the window and went back to the room. It was now 1:15 in the morning. Grant was tired and sleepy. He layed on his bed and started thinking.
"Thank goodness I'm not gonna be here tomorrow until night. I don't want my nephew to find me. I mean, if he knows I'm here. I better get ready early and leave." He said to himself as he made himself comfortable with the pillow.
Yes indeed. Matthew knew that his uncle was staying in Nevada. He was 25 years old and was married to Neve, a beautiful 24 year old woman. Every Christmas he would contact his uncle and visit him. This time he did not call him directly. How could he? His uncle changed the number of his cellular... again. This time Matthew called his uncle's assistant and accidentally, she told him where he was going to stay for Christmas. Matthew had always felt the obligation to invite Grant to dine with him, he was the only family he had. But he always deny the invitation.
"Good night to myself." Said Grant as he took some of the covers from the bed and covered himself from head to toe.
This had been a very long day and he needed to rest. Tomorrow he was going to an important interview at 9 o'clock in the morning. He turn off the lamp that was right beside him and fell asleep within 5 minutes.