Chapter 3 #3
“What’s his channel again?” Reese asks, whipping out his phone to no doubt conduct a thorough investigation.
“UNsweet Tea.”
Reese freezes and slowly looks up at me in awe. “Are you telling me that the hot documentarian who wants you to be his next project is Danny fucking Reeves?”
Ally, Runzhou, and K all swing their heads to Reese. “Yes” is all I say.
“You know his work, babe?” Ally asks.
“I literally showed you one of his videos last month. Remember? He has that whole series about why Southerners tend to vote against their political interests?”
“To be fair, sweetheart, you show me a lot of stuff. And about half of it is on or near that topic.”
Reese simply leans forward and kisses Ally’s temple, like he’s powerless to help himself.
“Danny Reeves is brilliant,” he continues.
“He started making these docs when he was a teenager. I’ve followed his channel for years; it’s an auto-play for me when he drops a new vid.
Based on his track record, he would put together a very thoughtful end product if this is something you’re interested in, Chris. ”
Reese’s timer goes off.
“The bacon!” K leaps up and heaves Reese behind him. They scramble back to the kitchen, leaving Runzhou and Ally to examine me.
“Not a serial killer, then,” Runzhou says evenly, making me laugh. “And Reese’s stamp of approval is about as high an approval rating as you can get.”
Ally adds, “And the fact that you haven’t written this whole thing off as ridiculous yet makes me think you’re considering it.”
“I would obviously need to solidify some procedural and legal stuff in writing,” I say carefully. “It’s a huge commitment, and it’s risky to share so much of my personal life with the world.”
“But?” Runzhou anticipates.
I twist my fingers in my sheets. “But I know Danny’s work too.
In fact, I’ve watched every one of his videos, multiple times, over the past year.
They’ve helped me almost as much as y’all have.
Just knowing there was someone shedding light on so many unsaid and unacknowledged ills of our Southern culture.
That I wasn’t alone in what I had experienced.
And he does it with so much nuance and compassion … ”
My friends don’t speak. Runzhou just rubs a soothing thumb across my wrist, so I continue my train of thought: “I can imagine someone like who I used to be watching me complete the Jezebel List. I can imagine what it might mean for them to see a young woman from my background learn to enjoy the world around her. That would have been life-changing for me.”
“It doesn’t just sound like you’re interested,” Ally says gently. “It sounds like you’re invested.”
I can only hum in my throat and think of Danny—the burning man. He burns with passion, with curiosity, with righteous fervor. No wonder he’s able to make these incredible videos that cut through the noise of the internet to connect with people. To connect with me.
Did Danny transfer some of his scorching passion into me? Or was it already there, ready to answer the right call?
“Church time, darlings!” K hollers from the kitchen.
Ally claps her hands together, and I kiss her cheek before she bounds off the bed.
Runzhou and I can only beam at her excitement—definitely not a typical reaction for someone being called to attend church, but this is Ally’s version: Movie Church.
She apparently stole the idea from one of her favorite film directors.
Around the time Runzhou and I set up this apartment, I confided in Ally that while I did not miss the grueling Sunday morning church services, I did miss the ritual of Sunday mornings.
I had siphoned off the pressure and shame from my Sundays but hadn’t replaced it with any good. I just felt empty.
So now we have Movie Church every Sunday. We gather to cook a huge brunch, and one of us chooses a movie based on a carefully curated rotation schedule.
Movie Church may be the most sacred practice I’ve ever experienced.
Ally turns back to me before exiting my bedroom. “Take a couple of days to sleep on this documentary idea, Chris,” she advises. “There’s no rush. And no matter what you decide, you can always change your mind later.”
She’s gifting me the same advice I gave her when she couldn’t decide which graduate programs to apply to. I smile as I untangle myself from Runzhou and my sheets. “You’re right. Thank you.”
With a settled nod, she exits to the main room, calling out, “Who’s the Selector this week?”
Runzhou quietly chuckles beside me as we file out to join in the festivities. “What?” I ask.
“K is the Selector this week,” he says quietly. “Ally’s gonna freak at their movie pick.”
Indeed, we hear Ally’s squeals of delight and Reese’s rich laugh before we even hit the main room. Runzhou slings an arm around my shoulders on the way to meet them.
My Sunday mornings are beautiful.
Who out there needs to see that their Sunday mornings can be beautiful too?
It’s as if Danny’s blazing eyes are already on me all through the movie.