Once a treasured symbol for beauty and grace, Edith stared
out the window watching the youthful generation that had thrown her off her
pedestal, she had never quite been able to grasp how much time had passed since
her glory days. Somehow the never ending nights of socializing and innocent
mischief had turned into days that may as well not exist. Every day was the
same routine; she woke up and immediately went to the window of her room and
stared at the world she was no longer part of. Awards hung from Edith's walls,
awards that had long ago lost their meaning. She was the "best
actress," sitting lonely in an empty house, forgotten by Hollywood,
forgotten by the world. It didn't matter how much money she had the fortune was
gone.
Edith arose from the window sill,
despite her age she was still perfectly mobile. That was the only thing she
could still really pride herself on. After all she went from having it all too
basically only having herself. Sometimes she questioned if she even had that
even more. As far as Edith was concerned the pride was gone. Taking small steps
to waste the day away, Edith walked out into the hallway, her footsteps echoing
into the hollowness. Her daughter always complained that her house was much too
big for someone of her age, but the house was a part of her life despite how
empty it had become. Dean and she had raised their children in this house, and
one by one watched them leave. Edith knew the pain of living in the past; she
did it every day, everything in the house reminded her of the times of where
she wasn’t so alone. As much as these memories hurt Edith dreaded losing them
that's why she did this every day. She reached the bookcase, the one with all
the photo albums, the only one that had been touched in years. Edith ran her
index finder along the spines; her husband was the one that was into
scrapbooking. Each book told a unique story, just like his movies did; he
always would spend hours agonizing making sure the right photos would go in the
right album, and in the right order. He told her, "One photo is worth one
story, a sequence of photos are worth a life story." Ever since Dean’s
death, there had been no additions to this bookcase.
Edith reached for the dark red
album, she knew without looking the gold embellishment on the front spelled out
‘Glory Days,’ they truly where, when her and Dean ruled Hollywood. She opened
up to the first photo taken in L.A. She had always wanted to be an actress, but
he parents just wouldn’t accept it. One night she snuck out of her window in
the middle of the night, no real plans in mind beyond following her dreams.
Somehow she found a way to California after hitching countless rides. When she
arrived in L.A she swooned over the Hollywood sign and convinced a stranger to
take her Polaroid and give it to her. Edith had always treasured that
photograph.
The first couple of months in
Hollywood were a struggle she wasn’t the only actress trying to catch her big
break. Audition after audition Edith began to realize how difficult it is to
get noticed in a city of a million faces. She constantly considered finding a
way back home, begging her parents for forgiveness, but then she met Dean. She
went into an audition and caught his eyes. He had produced some of Hollywood’s
biggest movies, and she had somehow managed to get his attention. She went into
for a minor role, but came out as the star. As the movie was filmed, she and
Dean grew closer. By the time filming was over, he’d asked over to accompany
him to the premiere. It was the first time she had felt like a star, pulling up
in a convertible sitting next to Dean in an expensive gown. That night was like
and elusive dream, she remembers the blinding light of cameras, the pestering
questions of interviewers, but mostly she remembers being with Dean. Their
first anniversary Dean brought her a photo taken of the two of them that night,
the same photo she was looking at now. Of course, reality was she was back to
being unknown and now without Dean she was lonelier than ever.
After the movie premiered, Edith
gained national recollection. Suddenly there were directors requesting her for
their movies. Once she did a couple more movies she became one of the more
known actresses in Hollywood. It was everything that she ever dreamed and with
Dean’s love it was a whole lot more. Edith spent her days at the studio and
nights she’d spend out on the town with Dean. Within six months Dean proposed
and they immediately started planning their wedding. Just like that Edith was
married to the Hollywood's biggest producer and was at top of an acting scene.
When Edith found out she was pregnant, her and Dean where overjoyed. After her
daughter Sara was born though Edith realized how Hollywood actually works. If
someone disappears, even for a while, they are gone for good. Edith had to face
the fact no one wanted her, there were new fresh actresses they wanted instead.
She had to face the fact that her career settled when she did. The last photo
in the album was her holding Sara in front on the Hollywood sign, as if saying
"goodbye" to what she thought was her entire world and saying
"hello" what actually was.
Edith closed the album as she heard
the front door open. Light quick footsteps that could only belong to a child
echoed through a house that wasn't empty, but full of treasured memories, a
voice cried, "Mom! We're here!"
Edith put the album away knowing as much as she adored the days where
she was an actress she wouldn't return to them for the world. She went to go
greet her family, to go enjoy the rest of her glory days.
