Pro Guardian - (B.M.)

Chapter 12

Truth Unveiled

"Next, we have William Mitman performing a monologue from Tennessee Williams' Death of a Salesman."

Billy took the stage with a worried look on his face and a smidgeon of confidence. He wasn't sure how he'd handle his monologue, but his reasonable self realized that there was no way to know unless he tried.

He took a moment to scan the audience, glancing at everyone for a mere second, and hoping that perhaps the one person he was searching for had magically appeared. 

"You're gonna hear the truth. What you are, and what I am. We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house. Well, hear this, Willy. This is me. You wanna know why I had no address for three months? It's cause I stole a suit in Kansas City, and I was in jail. I stole myself out of every good job since high school. And I never got anywhere. Because you blew me so full of hot air, I could never stand taking orders from anybody. That's whose fault it is. It's goddamn time you heard that, Pop.

I ran down 11 flights with a pen in my hand today. Suddenly I stopped. Do you hear me? And in the middle of that office building--Do you hear this? I stopped in the middle of the building and I saw . . . the sky. I saw all the things that I love in this world. The work and the food. The time to just sit and smoke. I looked at the pen and I thought to myself, "What the hell am I grabbing this for, huh? Why am I trying to become what I don't want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all that I want is out there, waiting for me the second I say I know who I am!"

Why can't I say that, Willy? Pop, look at me. I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you! I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ashcan, like all the rest of them. And me? I'm a dollar an hour, Willy! I tried seven states. I couldn't raise it! One buck an hour! Do you gather my meaning, huh? I'm not bringing home prizes . .  . Anymore. And you're going to stop waiting for me to bring them home, Pop. I'm nothing. I'm just what I am, that's all."

Billy felt tears well up in his eyes as soon as he began speaking but didn't realise they were there until he brushed them away with his palm. The audience rose to their feet and clapped their hands, and the room erupted in applause. He didn't know what to feel or whether it was even ethical to feel anything, but his inner self assured him that he could feel whatever he chose. All that mattered now was that he had completed the task, and all he needed to do now was complete one more task before finally settling.

***

Despite the widespread praise Billy received in the aftermath of his performance, he came in second place behind Arthur James of Westboro High School. He didn't think much of it because he didn't think the award was particularly noteworthy.

To Billy, what was extraordinary was the beautiful girl sitting in another room.

Billy managed to break away for a while after celebrating with the rest of the team and headed straight to Elianne's suite to tell her something that he was finally ready to embrace.

Billy inhaled deeply before straightening his tuxedo. He didn't change his clothes since he only wanted to see her, and he figured she'd appreciate it if he dressed up a lot more. Knocking on the door, Elianne answered almost immediately. She didn't appear to be unwell any longer, though Billy had no idea what she looked like before. He only saw a lovely 17-year-old girl dressed in pink pyjamas and bunny-eared slippers.

"Congratulations, Billy!" As soon as Billy walked into the room, Elianne drew him in for a hug. He warmly hugged her back, silently savouring the sweet vanilla scent that radiated from her, despite his surprise at first.