And yet another shot at the title (part v)

“Why do they want me to do Chatty Cathy?” I wondered aloud. “What is Chatty Cathy? What is a movie? Who am I? Why am I here?”

“I can’t tell if you’re going through an existential crisis or if you’re genuinely asking questions,” Pablo said.

“Can I get you two another bourbon?” the bartender asked.

“Make it a double,” I said. “Scratch that, make it a triple. NO! Quadruple it. Fuck it, just bring the bottle.”

“Is something on your mind?” Pablo asked me.

“No,” I replied. “I mean yes. I mean I hate I hate myself and all my life’s decisions.”

Pablo patted me on the back. “There there,” he said, “you’re still a young man. What are you? Almost 80? It’s only going to get worse from here.”

“I keep telling myself that yet nothing seems to get better. Pablo, tell me, am I an abject failure?”

“Hmm,” he pondered. “Well you’re a billionaire with multiple accolades to your name. You’ve inspired a generation of artists to enter the film industry and they renamed the Nobel Peace Prize after you. I personally wouldn’t call that successful but I’m sure somebody would.”

“I just don’t know what to do anymore. After Greta rejected me I feel like my whole career has been a waste. Why do you think I went into movies to begin with? To get laid of course! But I guess all those Academy Awards were for nothing.”

Pablo took a sip of his bourbon and nodded. “James, I’m not telling you this because I’m your agent and you pay me millions of dollars to talk to you,” he said, “but I think what you’re going through is called a ‘rough patch’. It’s personally never happened to me, but I guess it happens to other people. I care about you not because I’ve made a fortune off your work, but because I think we’re friends. I suppose. So I can’t in good conscience let you suffer like this. You’re seeing a guy for this stupid shit, right?”

“Yeah I’m seeing a guy. But all he has made me do so far is lend out my car to him and kick me out of my own house when he wants to host sex parties. I just don’t know about him Pablo.”

“Well I don’t know how all that psychological bullshit works but I think you should stick with it for the time being. It might do you some good.”

“Alright alright,” I nodded.

“In the meantime, we need to fix this Chatty Cathy situation.”

TO BE CONTINUED…