HWI 224

Hollywood What If Chapter 224

In the month of December, only two movies had good performances. 

The first was The Green Mile starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. The movie was based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. 

A tale set on death row in a Southern jail, where gentle giant John possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution. (IMDb) 

Michael Clarke Duncan got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in this movie. Honestly, he deserved to win the Best Supporting Actor but most members of the Academy voted for Micheal Caine in his role in The Cider House Rules. 

The Green Mile grossed more than $18 million in its first week. On the last day of the year, the movie grossed $67 million. 

The second movie that had a good performance was Stuart Little. December was the time when families could have a wonderful vacation with the whole members of the family. Obviously, it was a good time for the cinemas too. 

Stuart Little was a PG-13 and young kids could watch the movies with the guidance of their parents, giving the movie a better box office. Kids prefer to watch this kind of movie. 

Aaron Grey's child actually loves this movie. The child even asked for a while mouse as a pet.

Stuart Little was about a talking mouse who was adopted by a family... That was the summary. 

Anyway, the first-week box office of Stuart Little was $15 million. It was released on December 17, 1999. When December 31 arrived, the movie accumulated $68 million at the box office, only one million for it to become noice...

.........

......

...

December 24, 1999

"The world is going to end--!!!"

"Hm?"

Kazir frowned when he stepped out of his car. He parked his car in the parking lot near his favorite bar. 

The crew had a vacation and it would last two weeks before the official filming would start. Being the type of guy who loves spending his life in a lonely office, Kazir decided to relax in his favorite bar. 

His Christmas Eve was very... sad. 

However, the street of Los Angeles was a bit rough these days. 

Hundreds of protestors were screaming that the end of the world was near. They have these cardboards with words on it about the end of the world. 

Apparently, the year 2000 would never arrive because the world would end at midnight on December 31, 1999. 

The fact that many people believed this thing was quite terrifying. Fanatics who kept giving leaflets and telling people to repent were all over the place. 

'Spoiler Alert, the world didn't end. January 1, 2000 will definitely arrive and I'll celebrate the new year in my office watching Titanic... A very fun thing to do while alone.'

Kazir Grey sighed... Aaron and his family went to Boracay to spend their Christmas.

'As for Dad, he has a business venture in Europe and he will only return next year.'

So yeah, Kazir didn't choose to be alone. His relatives just have their own lives and he respects them. He was happy that his brother and father were living their lives without worry. 

"H- Hey, you, I want you to take these beads! This is the only way for you to survive the judgment day! Don't worry, it will only cost you 50 bucks!" The man tried to sell his dirty beads to Kazir, he had the eyes of a fanatic who believed that he was doing something right. 

"No thanks."

'I can buy a Kodak film with that amount.'

Kazir didn't bother listening and entered the bar. When he entered the bar, he realized that many people were having a lonely Christmas Eve just like him. He felt better after that, knowing that some people were suffering the same as him. 

His eyes looked around and found a vacant seat. Comforting jazz music was playing in the background.

Kazir ordered a gin to remind him that his life was very lonely. He didn't regret it though. 

For him, it was better to live a lonely life than have a relationship that would cause his downfall. His marriage with Cassandra Hoecrap didn't end well. 

Two hours later, another person entered the bar to have a drink. It was a woman who was wearing a black cocktail dress and red heels. She had a fashionable winter jacket on top of her cocktail dress to fend off the cold. 

She was a bit tipsy. She probably attended a Christmas Party but left the said party after losing interest in the party. 

It was none other than Angelina Jolie. The woman found this bar and decided to drink more. 

"I want a white wine," she said and unknowingly sat next to Kazir. 

"Coming right up." The bartender said and prepared her drink. 

"Christmas... My Christmas is cold." The woman sighed. 

"Yeah, I have the same problem," Kazir muttered. 

Suddenly, the two of them recognized each other's voice. They looked at each other. They were both surprised.

"Hm?"

"You?"

"Angelina, what are you doing here?" Kazir asked. 

"Tch, don't ask me why. It's obvious that I want to drink." She clicked her tongue... slightly blushing. 

"... Okay." The man nodded and let her be. 

Angelina received her wine and sipped it, she then stole a glance at the man next to her.

"How about you? Why are you here?"

"I have no one to spend the Christmas with. My Dad and my brother are busy."

"I see..." Angelina swallowed. She suddenly became nervous. She realized that this might be her chance...

'Is this fate helping me to get closer to this man?'

She didn't know the answer but she knew nothing would happen if she kept quiet. 

"Then how about you spend it with me?" Perhaps because of the power of alcohol, Angelina was brave tonight. 

"Pfft--" Kazir almost spit his drink and coughed. 

"Hey, that's not nice. Why are you reacting like that?" She pouted, her lips glistening because of the alcohol. 

"Angelina, I'm a man with principle. I'll never have a relationship with a married woman."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

They stared at each other for a second. Then Angelina started laughing. 

"You silly, I'm single. I divorced my husband... Well, the divorce is still not settled but the two of us are already sure that we are not going to continue our relationship. We don't love each other anymore. We are separated."

"Then...?" Kazir was influenced by the alcohol since he had been drinking gin for two hours now. 

"So what do you think?" The woman giggled and whispered in his ear. 

Kazir swallowed hard. His answer was...