In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen Page #2

The agent had a reputation

for impeccable taste

and discovering young literary stars.

It's good.

It's really good. I mean,

it's a beautiful piece of writing,

and the truth is that you should be

very proud of yourself.

Thank you very much.

I worked very hard on it.

The work shows.

I look at you,

I can't believe how young you are.

Well...

I have to tell you, Rory,

I just see so much truth in your work.

I am... I'm so impressed.

I can't believe this.

This is...

But unfortunately, the nature of

the publishing business right now,

at this particular time,

is such that I don't know

how to publish a book like this.

Look, Rory, no one is gonna support

a book like this.

Book like this?

From an unknown writer.

There's just no market for it.

Now, it's hard for any writer,

under any circumstances,

without a track record

to get published. And this book...

I mean, it's so interior.

Interior? What is that?

It's artistic, it's subtle. It's...

It's a piece of art.

So this book, I should just shelve this

and forget about it.

I just... I spent three years

working on it.

I'm just trying to be honest with you.

I'm just telling you

the reality of the situation.

Have patience.

You know, I wouldn't have brought you in

here if I really didn't believe in you.

You're gonna be fine.

So we have two weeks in September.

We're planning a trip.

We think we're gonna charter...

What? We're gonna charter a boat.

We're going to Turks,

but we're gonna get a boat.

Like a 50-footer.

Nothing crazy.

Great, but it's the first

two weeks of September.

It's the beginning...

Get a sub.

You don't wanna miss this.

- This is gonna be truly great.

- It's gonna be amazing.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

You pull out fish,

right out of the ocean,

they cook them up. It's incredible.

Snorkeling, diving.

Totally different on a boat.

"He couldn't stop

thinking about that story.

Where did it come from?

Who had written it?

In those words,

he had been confronted by everything

he had ever aspired to be,

and the reality

of what he would never become."

Buddy, what's going on with you, man?

- You're 100 miles away.

- We want you to go.

Why don't you shut up?

Rory!

What the hell?

Don't. Just don't.

Really, I can't right now.

What is the matter with you?

I don't...

How the f*** do you end up here?

Rory.

I look at my life, I look at

your life, I look at his life,

I look at my father's,

I look at everybody's,

I don't have a clue how anybody

winds up where they do.

I don't know.

You don't have to know.

I don't know!

It's okay! You don't have to know.

There's so much time, Rory.

I'm talking about my f***ing life here!

What about your life?

It's not right!

Nothing's right!

Rory, how is that supposed

to make me feel?

How is that supposed to make me feel?

I'm not who I thought I was, okay?

I'm not.

And I'm terrified that I never will be.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

"He didn't know why he was doing it.

He just wanted to feel the words

pass through his fingers,

through his mind.

He retyped every word

as it was written on those pages.

He didn't change a period, a comma,

or even correct the spelling mistakes.

He needed to know what it felt like

to touch it,

if only for a moment."

Rory, can you come here?

What's up?

Hey. You all right?

What's wrong, babe?

Hey.

Just kiss me.

Hey, what is it?

Oh, my God.

What?

What?

Are you pregnant?

No, no, no.

I want you to listen to me.

I was working

on the computer today, and...

And I swear to you I've never

gone through your things before,

but your book was on the screen

and I started reading one sentence,

Oh, no, no, no.

Then I read the second,

and I couldn't put it down.

Listen to me. You are everything

you've always wanted to be.

Dora, you don't under...

Why would you keep this

a secret from me?

No, it's not a secret.

These stories, they're so different

from anything you've ever done before.

It's as if you stopped hiding.

They're fuller, they're truer,

they're more honest.

There are parts of you in this novel

that I always knew were there,

but I had never seen before.

I've never...

What parts?

What parts?

All of you.

All of you, baby.

This has to be seen.

Just listen to me, okay.

You always said that all you ever

wanted to do was be a good writer.

With this, Rory,

you're a great writer.

Baby,

take it to work and show it to someone.

And if you're not gonna do it

for yourself,

then please do it for me.

Sorry to bother you, Mr. Cutler.

Hey, Rory. How are you today?

Good.

Good.

Ahem. Do you have a minute?

Uh, I'm kind of busy here.

What can I do for you?

I've worked here for, uh, over two years.

I haven't asked anybody for anything.

Uh, I have a feeling you're

about to ask for a thing now.

You see, there's this novel...

And I know that you get submissions

all the time and you're very busy,

but I don't want anything

other than your opinion.

I would really appreciate it.

Days passed.

Weeks became months.

And by the time autumn arrived, Rory

had all but forgotten about the book.

Rory.

Can I help you, Mr. Cutler?

Come on in here for a second.

I'm in the middle of training...

Yeah, yeah, he'll find

his way back. Shut the door.

You know what I did last night?

On the absolute insistence of Debra,

and God knows I tried to blow her off,

I read your novel last night.

You did?

Have you, uh, shown this to anyone

else, anyone outside the agency?

No, no, you're the only one

that's seen it.

I mean, uh, outside of my wife.

What does she think?

She was the one that insisted

I show it to you.

Well, I can't wait to meet her

and thank her.

Rory, I would very much

like to represent you

and your work.

You've written

a remarkable work of fiction.

"There was no epiphany.

No sign from the gods

to point him in the right direction

like there had been in all the books

that he had loved growing up.

All he had to do was sign the contract.

The book was a unanimous

critical and commercial success."

Thank you. Hi.

"He was the darling of

the New York literary world."

The winner of this year's American

Fellowship of Arts and Letters Award,

Mr. Rory Jansen.

Let's raise a glass here

to our son, the writer.

To Rory.

To Rory.

"Rory Jansen had made his choice.

And then he met the old man."

That's, the end of part one.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming.

Come along, people.

Give the man some breathing room.

It's his break, after all.

Thank you.

If you want to lie down

or relax for a while,

you know where the room is.

I read that you liked the 2005 Ros.

Don't forget, Clayton, 30 minutes,

so no time for foreplay.

I'm so sorry.

That's okay, I've read his books.

So, what'd you say your name was again?

I didn't. It's Daniella.

That's a beautiful name.

Can't you think of

something better than that?

Well, how about this:

They gave me a little green room

back there.

It's got really great wine and cheese.

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