Movie Minutiae - Do Fairy Tales Always Have Happy Endings?
By Johnny Betts, Moviegoer Advocate
Contact Johnny
I debated whether or not I should post this. I asked myself what's too personal in a forum like this? But
every artist needs an outlet for heartbreak. After all, it makes for great songs, right? Well, y'all have been with
me through the good, so I feel I owe it to you to let you be with me through the not-so-good as well.
You local fans would likely start asking questions soon anyway, so it's best I go ahead and offer an explanation
before the rumors start to swirl...
The dynamic duo that has long been known as "Johnny and Steph" is no longer. Before I proceed, I should point out
that we were never married. Many of you have seen us together for a few years and just assumed we were. And in my
old Rider Reviews I even made references to my "wife." The main reason for that was to hide my identity and create
a fictional universe from which to spin my yarns. A universe where Stephanie and I were married, and jokes would be
made at that expense.
We did discuss it, but - to make a long story short - due to religious differences, marriage discussions never
got very far. I'm a Protestant and she's a Catholic, you see, and there were certain issues on which neither of us
were willing to compromise - the prospect of children was always a stopping point. Sometimes it's easier to just drop
a subject and ignore it, but I've found that the hard times don't find their own resolution. Nor do they get easy on
their own.
It's much easier to get stuck inside a dream. Ride those emotional highs and eventually you'll sail over your problems.
Love conquers all, right? No. Love fades. As communication breaks down, so does the bond of love. Let your differences
blow with the wind, and friends, it won't be long before you find that you've drifted out of touch.
Though we officially broke up about nine months ago, we've remained good friends. She's continued to attend movie
screenings with me, and we've still been hanging out. In fact, most people wouldn't know anything was wrong unless I
specifically told them. And we haven't really told a lot of people.
Why not? Mainly because it's hard to admit when you've failed. There were members of both of our families that told us
we wouldn't make it. And you know what? We didn't. We gave it a great shot, but we just missed. This was our
fairy tale, and we were determined to spite all our critics. Except God had different plans. How do you accept something
you never thought you'd face?
Two months ago, right about the same time I was growing accustomed to our new friendship relationship, Stephanie broke
the news, and my heart, that she was moving to Charlotte, North Carolina for work. That inevitability came to fruition
this weekend. Believe it or not, I found it harder to lose my best friend than my girlfriend.
Stephanie and I have known each other for twelve years. That's twelve years of memories. Twelve years of love and
friendship. Twelve years shared in each other's life journey. On Saturday, those twelve years were condensed into
one full day of packing.
8:45 AM to 12:30 AM. The reality of the situation started to set in as the last few boxes were loaded in her car. I
want to make it clear that Stephanie and I did NOT live together, but I did spend a lot of time in that old apartment of
hers, and when she turned off the light one last time ... well, it may sound hokey, but it really did feel like the series
finale of a favorite TV show.
Determined to break her long, solo drive into two parts, Stephanie insisted on driving that night. I teased her
that my feelings were hurt by her eagerness to leave this old life behind so quickly, but I understood her reluctance to
make that 10 hour drive all at once. So we toasted a little pomegranate cider, exchanged hugs, said our goodbyes, and
did our best to fight back the tears.
I know I insinuated that this fairy tale didn't have a happy ending, but now that the tears have run dry and I've had time
to reflect, maybe it truly does. True friends are not easy to come by, but I've gained one. And most importantly, Stephanie
left me a better person than when she found me.
Life's tough, folks. We don't achieve every goal, nor does every dream come true. But that doesn't mean we give up
the pursuit. Take your bumps, learn your lessons, and find a new muse.
Everybody, please send your best to Steph. And Stephanie, I know you're reading - here's to the sunny slopes of long
ago, babe. You've always got a family in Memphis, I'll always have a muscular shoulder to spare, and I'll always have
tears of sympathy if you need 'em. Though not too many tears because I'm very macho, remember? Knock 'em dead in
Charlotte, but don't be a stranger, OK?
Oh, and to all you hot Memphis gals who have been too scared to approach me at movie screenings because you knew I was
in a relationship, well, JOHNNY IS NOW AVAILABLE! Headshots and résumés can be sent to
johnny_betts@hotmail.com. I've already got a lot of guy friends trying
to hit me up to take Stephanie's place as my "and one" to movie screenings, but to be honest, if somebody's gonna use
me for free movies then I'd prefer it be a hot chick. Makes me look better.
A new chapter in The Life of Johnny Betts has begun. Keep reading because I have a feeling things will get real interesting,
real quick. Thanks for continuing along the journey. I trust there's gonna be a happy ending.
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