Blood is Pretty

by Steven Paul Leiva

  When I returned to the table, dinner was being delivered by waiters and Anne was skillfully participating in several conversations around the table, being funny and bright, but never at the expense of Sara, indeed, in what seemed to be conspiratorial collaboration with her. They were becoming great friends. I sat down and remained quiet and began to eat the assembly line prepared, yet still quite palatable, sea bass concocted by Jacques du Mont, the currently hot Hollywood chef. It was quite obvious that in my absence the story of who I was had gone around the table, and so I was left alone to Star gaze, the extremely fortunate unimportant outsider that I was.

  Andy Rand was nowhere to be seen. His place at the head table was empty. Conversations, though, made his presence felt, for every one was still intrigued by his sudden departure from NewVue. Our table got into it at one point and Sara speculated that possibly Andy had left to devote his full time to EarthPeople, and would, in fact, make that announcement tonight. Her husband couldn’t believe that. “I mean, this is nice, this ‘can’t we all get along’ philosophy of his. But for a man like him, can it be anything more than a hobby? I mean where’s the power in it? I did two movies for Andy. He’s a control freak. I mean we really got to like each other, but only after some real heated arguments from script through editing. Half the time, he wanted to do things one way, just because I wanted to do it the other. Still, his story instincts are pretty good, so you have to listen to him. But he likes to win the day. That’s the main thing. He always wants to win the day. What the hell is there to win in promoting world harmony?”

  Later, as the plates sat before us holding slaughtered vestiges of our meal, the host for the evening took the mike to hearty applause. He was a well-liked comedian who had become a respected actor, praised playwright, and box office pleasing director. He was also damn funny, skewering certain members of the audience, the President of the United States, and the current tawdry scandal in the sports world. Then he introduced the surprise entertainer for the night, a country singer with buns so tight he had recently managed to cross over and have the number one pop song in the nation. The audience loved him, swung to the music, and stared at him with the adoring eyes of people always happy to be in the presence of a moneymaker.

  But we had still seen no sign of Andy Rand. It was beginning to cause talk as the dance band was setting up. Had he so divorced himself from Hollywood that he wouldn’t even come to his own event? Maybe he couldn’t get a flight from wherever? He went to Tibet, someone swore. The monks wouldn’t let him come home for this. Well, when is somebody going to make an announcement?

  Not two seconds after the question was asked, the host shouted into the microphone: “Ladies and gentleman, the founder of EarthPeople—Andy Rand!

  And there he was, appearing from the back, in a spotlight, to triumphal music from the band and a standing ovation, like the goddamn President of the United States of America, or, at the very least, a presidential candidate in a roomful of party faithful. He strode in smiling, slim, and seemingly taller than his 5 foot 6 inch self, an illusion aided by his extremely well cut conservative tux. Rand could not be described as attractive, nor unattractive, for he looked like a precocious, prepubescent, geek kid whose favorite subject was math. This was partly due to the oversized glasses with square-ish frames that he wore in imitation of an 80 year old movie mogul on whom they actually looked good, combined with his extended high, round and shiny forehead that had “egg” written all over it. But mostly it was due to a certain look in his eyes that said: “I’m smart and I know it. You’re not, and I know that too. ” The aspect of his face that really disturbed, though, was his large, oval jaw that hung below his long, straight mouth giving him the look of a children’s show puppet. You were convinced that when he talked, the lips would just part, go up and down, and never articulate.

  The standing ovation continued. Why? Courtesy? Release from the pent up pressure of anticipation? Or could it have been just the well-timed drama of it all? A combination of the three, but the third mostly—timing is everything.

  Rand made that gesture a speaker does to get control of a crowd, as if both patting their heads and pushing them gently down. “Thank you! Thank you! Please! No, thank you!” The applause died and the crowd deflated onto their seats. “I’m sorry not to have been able to join you earlier in the evening and enjoy what I understand was a great meal and some absolutely great entertainment. ” Applause made an enthusiastic comeback. “But I was busy counting all the money we’ve raised tonight for EarthPeople due to your generosity, and I’m happy to report that it is coming in around 650 thousand dollars!” There was more applause, like that for the home team. “Thank you! Thank you! Your generosity truly, truly moves me, because this organization, which I founded five years ago, is of such importance to me. Now, if I may make a few comments—I know you didn’t come here for a speech—uh—but it’s either indulge me for a few brief comments—or receive a rather long memo from me in the morning. ”

  Laughter broke out at this ultimate in-joke referring to a now infamous

  20-page inter-office memo Rand had written two years ago pointing out that most of NewVue’s competition was ruining the business by overspending on talent. It had been momentarily embarrassing for Rand when it had leaked out, but only momentarily. The atmosphere is never pure enough in Hollywood for embarrassment to survive much more than a moment.

  As the laughter died down he added one quick self-deprecating punch, “And I don’t want to do that again!” getting the required laughter to close the matter. Now things became quiet. “Serious” was about to invade the ballroom, and “serious” was taken very seriously by these people.

  “EarthPeople is an organization built on the simple philosophy that the earth has borders, but people don’t. So to us it is important that people communicate with each other, throughout the world, about our shared problems. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I’ve become frustrated over the years watching governments trying to solve these problems, problems of economics, problems of poverty, problems of disease and horrible epidemics, problems of ethnic strife. I’ve become frustrated because governments seem to have an agenda that is not always in the best interest of the people. Now, I’m not saying, as you know, that government should be thrown out—I’m not an anarchist—obviously. But I am saying that the people, all the people of the earth, should take responsibility for themselves. Rand gestured to the banner behind him. “We should all understand that we are all citizens of this, ‘Pale Blue Dot,’ and that together, with the intelligence we have among ourselves, we can come up with solutions to problems, and help guide our governments to execute those solutions. Because that’s all governments really are. They’re—they’re executives. I, for one, happen to know a lot about being an executive. ” There was laughter, of course. “And I know, as an executive in the motion picture business, that it is the people that really make it happen. In our case the people are the—the actors, and the directors, and the cinematographers, and the grips, and the electricians—. ”

  “And the writers!” Someone anonymously yelled out from the back.

  Rand laughed with the people. “Yes—yes, of course, and the writers. So this money you have so generously donated tonight will help us in a continuing effort to basically put people in touch with people. That’s really what EarthPeople does. It facilitates a World Citizenship mindset by getting people to communicate with people as fellow EarthPeople, in the hope that such communication will lead to solutions for our shared problems. Now, that’s basically all I want to say, which is, basically—thank you. ”

  Again, somewhere from the back, before the applause could break out: “Andy, what are your plans?” There were a few shouts seconding the motion.

  “Okay—okay. Before I turn you over to the dance band, I understand you all want to know what my future plans are. I really have not much more to add to what I said at my news conference. ” There were, I believe, the beginnings of a tear coming from hi
s right eye. When I saw that, I was convinced that the man in the back who had asked the question was a plant. “Folks, I need some time, I guess, time to be by myself and to just—search my soul. There is much in the world that I would like to do yet, that I would like to accomplish, and believe me it includes this great business of filmed entertainment. So, I am not leaving you. But I do need this time as a time to reflect, a time to contemplate. So if I seem not to be in communication for a little while, please don’t anyone take it as a slight. I will be thinking of you constantly, all of my friends, all of you who have been so generous here tonight, all of us who have had fun together in this business. Even some of you who I may have locked horns with. Because, you know, in this business, we may lock horns on occasion, but we never really mean it, do we?” Laughter again. Slightly nervous, though, bordering on ironic, as if the audience wanted to believe, but… .

  Rand wrapped it up. “So, once again, I’m very moved, I’m about ready to break into tears at your support and your generosity for this cause. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, please enjoy the rest of the night’s entertainment, and—and—well, how can one be any more eloquent than simply to repeat: Thank you. ”

  Rand gestured to the dance band and music started to pound into the room, the guests both applauded and pressed forward to either get close to Rand or to move onto the dance floor. It had been a great performance. And Rand now moved off the stage and into the crowd to receive his due from his admirers.

  “Wow! He seems like a really great guy!” I said with all the enthusiasm of a man from Middle America pleasantly surprised by genuineness in a “Hollywood type. ”

  “Oh he is,” Sara said. “A true humanitarian. ”

  “And very attractive,” Anne said, hand on her chin, “in a little-boy-gee-whiz kind of way. ”

  “Well, would you like to meet him?” Sara asked.

  “I would love to meet him. ”

  Sara and Anne, like two high school best friends at the first dance of the year, got up—Sara grabbing Anne’s hand—and moved swiftly towards the crowd around Rand.

  “You know,” Sara’s husband, the director, said, “If Andy was anything less that what he is on the Hollywood food chain, he would not be described by women as ‘little-boy-gee-whiz,’ but as ‘little-boy-gee-what-a-little-whizzer. ’”

  The agent and manager and even their wives laughed. I feigned a struggle to appreciate the humor in order to be included, as I listen through the tiny earphone Petey had placed in my right ear to the conversation just starting on the other side of the room. The diamond pin mike stuck into Anne’s Galliano was working faultlessly.

  “Andy! Andy!” Sara made herself known and announced for all others to shrink back.

  “Well, hello, Sara. ” It was amazing the way the 5 foot 8 Sara, with added 2-inch heels, bent to kiss Rand without making him seem small. “You look wonderful, as always. I really want to thank you for your help tonight. ”

  “Absolutely my pleasure. You know what a fabulous job I think you’re doing with EarthPeople. ”

  “Thank you. Your support really means a lot. ”

  What Sara did next was nicely maneuvered. She had kept Anne directly behind her, and now she moved with the slow grace of a parting curtain to reveal her. “Andy, I would like you to meet Anne Eisley, who also admires your work. ”

  Even with the distance between us I could see the impact on Rand’s face. It’s hard to hide a blow to the heart.

  “That was a great speech, Mr. Rand. ” Anne said with the full flow of her golden tones.

  “Oh, hardly a speech, just a few comments. And ‘Mr. Rand’ was my father’s name. ”

  I must have grimaced over the cliché because Sara’s agent’s wife asked me if I was okay.

  “Have you thought of going into politics?” Anne asked.

  “What?” Rand said gesturing around him. “And leave the ‘Real World?’”

  Anne gave a nice little musical laugh, one I hadn’t heard before. She was a brilliant actress.

  “No, seriously. I mean, I’m an actress—. ”

  “Yes, of course! Let’s see… ” He thought for a moment. “Cobblestone Bay. ”

  “Yes. I’m impressed. ”

  “I don’t often pat myself on the back. But I have the best casting eye in the business. ”

  “So why haven’t you ever cast me?” she teased.

  “Could never find material good enough for you. ”

  “Oh, perfect comeback, Andy. I am doubly impressed. ”

  There was a moment of silence. If Anne was doing her job, she was very directly looking into Rand’s eyes and encouraging him to reciprocate.

  “So—so you think I should go into politics?” Rand asked, obviously not wanting the moment to pass.

  “I think any man of your intelligence who is as comfortable with power as you are, should not pass up the opportunity to exercise it for good. ”

  “An interesting perspective for an actress. ”

  “Andy! That’s an almost sexist statement!”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean it to be, I—,” There was real fear in his voice. “I guess I meant to say—. ”

  “Sexist yet true. That’s what I was trying to say earlier. I’m an actress, but, the world being the way it is these days, I’ve come to realize that I can’t be just an actress. Even if that hurts my career. ”

  “So, what are your ambitions?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Making the trains run on time, I suppose. ”

  It was, of course, an amusingly fascist thing to say. But coming from the lips of a stunningly beautiful woman who had just declared her love of power, it was—for the likes of Rand—sexy as hell.

  “I assume you’re here with a date?” Rand asked.

  “Yes, of course. Why? Do you have something in mind?” It was an intriguing challenge.

  “Well, if you were free, I suppose I could come up with a not unexciting proposal. ”

  “Sound’s interesting. If you don’t mind dragging along my brother. ”

  “That’s your date?” Rand was delighted.

  “Yes. He’s visiting from Massachusetts. I thought I would show him some Hollywood glamour. ”

  “And your—boyfriend didn’t mind?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend, Andy. It’s a ‘man’ I’m looking for. ”

  “Oh. ”

  “Why don’t you come over and meet my brother. He’s a big movie buff. ”

  “Well… ”

  “Come on. ” She grabbed his hand and gently dragged him to our table, an action noted by everybody. Sara, who had moved on to talk to others, left them to catch up. I stood up as they came towards us, quickly checking my tux for any food spills, which allowed the slightly nervous “Tom” to hide his eyes.

  “Tom, I want you to meet Andy Rand. Andy, this is my brother, Tom Einstein. ”

  Rand was amused. “Einstein? Don’t tell me you’re—. ”

  “A physicist, yes. Everybody asks. ”

  “Oh, well, I’m sorry to have joined the hoi polloi. ”

  “Tom is an assistant professor at MIT. ”

  Rand, obviously a man who liked labels, was interested. “Really? Well, you know, I actually have a strong interest in science. What end of physics are you in?”

  “Oh, nothing dramatic, I’m afraid. I mean I’m no Stephen Hawking. ”

  “Oh, but you are an Einstein, so think well of yourself. ”

  I refused, of course, to get the joke. “Oh, well, but, you see, we’re not really related. At—at least I don’t think we are. Anne, you’re the family historian. ”

  “No, afraid not. Just a coincidence. ”

  “Well, at least you can’t be blamed for the atomic bomb,” Rand joked again.

  “Nor, unfortunately, for the general and special theories of Relativity. ”

  “Nonetheless,” Rand said in an effort to be kind, “I’m sure you’re doing good work. ”

  “Well, it’s in
teresting, anyway, because—do you really want to hear about it?”

  “Andy, you should take this opportunity. He never talks to me about his work. ”

  “Well, it’s just that, I find it hard to put in layman words. ”

  “Try me. I’ll scream if you get abstract. ”

  “Well, what I’m doing is really a blend of quantum physics and neuroscience. I’m trying to get a handle on how the brain really works, on things like information processing; consciousness; attention. I’m—I’m making a basic assumption, I suppose, that the brain works, in the final analysis, on a quantum level, just like the universe works, in the final analysis, on a quantum level. Deeper—deeper than just the neurons, you know. ”

  “Really?” The ballroom faded for Rand. The noise abated. Anne was a presence he probably couldn’t let go of, but other than her, I became the sole focus of Rand’s attention. “Fascinating. And where is your research leading?”

  “I don’t know. I—I do pure research. ”

  “Would it have any application to a technology for direct communication with a human brain?”

  “Direct communication? Well, sure, yeah, I guess. Understand the mechanics of anything and then you can usually build tools to exploit that understanding. But why would you want direct communication with a brain? I mean we have that right now talking to each other. ”

  “But what if you couldn’t talk, or if we didn’t talk the same language?

  What if you were in a coma, or if you were suffering from a stroke? Or were like Helen Keller, deaf, dumb and blind. Sorry to be so non-PC. ”

  “Oh, no, that’s okay. ” I displayed extreme interest. “I see where you are going. Yes—yes, some of the ideas I’m developing are in that direction. Especially my experiments in laser encoding of information on atoms. You have an interest in this?”

  “Yes, yes I think I do. It’s something that comes out of the work that EarthPeople has been doing. And I would like to talk to you about it more, but this is not the place. Why don’t you both come join me for a few days. ”