A Dream Fulfilled?

What happens to a dream fulfilled?

Last night I almost found out.

It was a fairly minor dream, but a dream nonetheless.

For the past month, I have been what is known in the business as a “Theatre Widow.” Jaimie has been Assistant Directing The Crucible at the Warehouse Theatre, and they have rehearsal from 6:30-10:30 during the week, and 1-10 on the weekends. Basically we got engaged a month ago and I haven’t seen her since.

So I’ve been filling my evenings with various things: baseball mainly, but I’ve also been writing and prepping classes. All the things that keep my life moving forward.

As a treat, I had been planning on taking myself to see the new Quinten Tarantino movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I cleared my movie choice with Jaimie, because I, unlike her, am a believer in show and movie fidelity. Jaimie doesn’t give a shit. She will watch something whether I want to watch it or not. I’m saying this makes her a monster, but I am saying it makes her less good than me.

So I asked if I could go see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood without her. She had heard it was kind of long and kind of weird, so she gave me the go ahead.

One day last week I checked for showings and saw that my time to see it in the theatre was running low. It was no longer playing at the two Regal Cinemas in Greenville, but it was hanging on for dear life at the Carmike off Pleasantburg Road.

I have a soft spot for the Carmike off Pleasantburg Road. It’s been there since I was a kid. I’m pretty sure it’s where I saw Wayne’s World. And nothing about it has changed. Not the small concession stand. Not the beige carpeted hallways. They’re still bragging about having THX sound for goodness sake.

I was going to go on Friday night, but I had treatment on Saturday and felt the need to get the apartment ready. Saturday was dedicated to medicine and sleeping, which left Sunday as my last best chance to see it.

The last show of the day was at 7:30pm. There were a couple of people ahead of me buying tickets to IT and that new J-Lo movie.

“One for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” I said. The girl in the booth took my card, charged it $11, and said, “Theatre 7, all the way down to the right.”

I was annoyed I didn’t sneak food in because there was no one in the theatre checking tickets. I could have brought in a whole freaking buffet.

When the girl in the booth said that Theatre 7 was all the way at the end of the hallway, she wasn’t lying. I got to the end of one hall and then it doglegged left. Then that hall doglegged left again, and there, at the end, was theatre 7.

I walked into the theatre at 7:25, and lo and behold, I was the only one there. I have always, my entire life, dreamed about being the only person in a movie theatre. It makes me feel like a millionaire. Like the president. Like an old time movie producer and I’m having my own private showing. I’ve come so close so many times, and last night, walking into that theatre from the 1970s, I was convinced it was the night.

I picked a seat right in the middle and put my feet on the chair in front me. 7:25 became 7:26 became 7:27 became 7:28.

I texted Jaimie that I was the only one in the theatre and that I might get the movie all to myself. She must have been on a break because she immediately texted me back a smiley face. 7:28 became 7:29 and right as I was about to text her a smiley face in return, a couple walked into the theatre and sat in the row in front of me.

7:29 became 7:30. Yet another dream had died.

Ha! That last line is so depressing. It was fine. Another couple walked in at 7:33, and the five of us took in the kind of long and kind of weird movie together.

Since it wasn’t a dream fulfilled, it will just be a dream that will come true some day soon.

I look forward to that day.

It’s good to have things to look forward to.