Robert grumbled as
he rolled over to pick up the ringing phone. He glanced at the
clock as he picked up the receiver. It was three-o-clock in the
morning. "Yeah, who is it?" he groaned into the
phone.
"Hello,
Bobby," the voice at the other end seemed wide awake, even
for the early hour. "I hope I didn't wake you or your
lovely wife. I just called to tell you that I got you a part on a
commercial for that new soap stuff they've got now. I
don't know how they can call that stuff soap. I
mean..."
"Get to the
point, would you?" Robert whispered. "And you know I
don't do commercials, only guest spots and stuff. And one
more thing," Robert's voice started to rise,
"don't call me at 3:00 in the morning again. I've
got a busy day tomorrow and I need my sleep. Some
agent!"
Robert John
Davidson, or Bobby, as his agent called him, lived in a small
house in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Margerite
Davidson and their son John.
He was an aspiring
actor, doing small parts on television whenever possible. Robert
had finished high school in Flint, Michigan at the age of 19. He
moved to California a year later, where he spent the rest of his
life.
Robert was an auto
mechanic, and even though he really wanted to be an actor, he
enjoyed working on cars. One day, as Robert, now 25, worked in
Parker's Garage, a large Rolls Royce pulled into the
driveway. Robert recognized the man in the car as Joseph T.
Tylor, one of the biggest television directors in America.
"Hey!
Haven't I seen you on television?" Tylor asked, and it
was the beginning of a long friendship between a struggling actor
and a big time director.
It was a lucky
break for Robert, as Tylor got him larger and larger parts in
television programs. Then one day it happened. Robert was asked
to do a lead part in a movie! Robert, and his wife and son, moved
to Beverly Hills, where they bought a house. It was a dream come
true for Robert.
Later, the dream
turned into a nightmare. During the filming of the movie,
Robert's wife, Margerite, who had been ill for some time,
died suddenly. Although Robert was sick with grief, he knew that
he must continue to work on his dream.
Finally, after
years of hard work, the movie was finished. After a week of being
shown in theaters in California, it died, taking all of
Robert's dreams with it.
After that, Robert
watched his life crumble around him. His son, John, now 21, moved
back to Michigan to become a doctor, leaving Robert all alone.
Robert spent most of his time alone in his house. He did an
occasional commercial, and he got a part-time job working in a
garage.
After three years
of doing commercials, Robert got the lead part in another movie.
this movie, although it was only a low budget film, was a big
success, and Robert was nominated for an Academy Award. He came
out a winner. As he went up to accept the award, he felt a tear
form in his eye. "This one's for you Margerite," he
whispered under his breath. "This one's for
you."
About 30 years
later, at the age of 89, Robert died in his home in Beverly
Hills. His housekeeper found him when she came in to work that
morning. He was curled up in the old chair by the fireplace,
holding a picture of Margerite close to him.
The wind whispered
through the trees of the old graveyard. As John Davidson, now a
heart surgeon, kneeled by his father's grave, he cried
softly. He ran a hand along the words carved on the stone:
"Robert John Davidson, Born 1964, Died 2053" was all
the stone said. As he rose to leave, he thought of the Oscar,
which stood on the mantle over the fireplace. It was the only
symbol left of a man's dream.
(Note: The people in this "biography" are fictional.
This was originally written as a writing assignment in the 9th Grade.)
