The Best of Me

"The greatest thing that can happen to you is to love and be loved in return" (Moulin Rouge) —Good evening, everyone. We're live from the red carpet of the most anticipated awards show of the season, and I have an extraordinary evening in store for you. Your favorite actors will be parading in their finest attire, and you'll be able to find out what they expect from the awards show and everything I can find out about their new projects. Stay tuned; you know you can also follow us on social media. We'll be back in a minute to kick off this special coverage. I'm Helen Pryce, and I promise you this will be an unforgettable evening. Helen kept her smile even when the cameraman signaled that they were off air and looked around with a practiced eye. The atmosphere of a red carpet like that made her blood boil. There were those who would find it a little intimidating, no doubt, all those people milling about, the chaotic order of such an important event where everything was planned down to the last detail, yet still retain a certain informal air that made the audience believe in a naturalness that was rarely real. She loved that glittering world that was being assembled and disassembled before her eyes; it had a bit of magic that wasn't at odds with reality. Just the way Helen saw the world. The guests were starting to arrive. He could see it from his privileged position just a few meters from the entrance to the theater where the ceremony would take place. Once the attendees passed through that door, they would be out of his sight, but there were still a couple of hours until then, so he had to make the most of every minute. The limousines parked just a few meters away. distance from the start of that long carpet where the guests would begin to parade and the group of agents and public relations officers who were going from one side to the other simulating a swarm of bees were the warning that everything was about to begin. Helen was just one of dozens of journalists accredited to cover the event; her network had also sent a couple of cameramen in addition to the one accompanying her on that occasion, the good Richard Carter, in her opinion the best and most pleasant. She enjoyed working with him and they understood each other perfectly. While she handled the live interviews, her colleagues would try to record everything that happened during the event to later present it on the evening news and the program that covered the lives of celebrities in detail, which aired on Sundays. Even those who weren't in front of the camera were very well dressed; no one wanted to look out of place at the gala. After greeting a couple of colleagues from competing networks, but with whom she had a very good relationship, Helen prepared for her job. Standing still while waiting for the gala attendees to pass by her place seemed foolish; she preferred to be the one who approached them. She liked to schedule interviews ahead of time, and for that, she had to move. She chatted with a couple of agents, made some discreet inquiries, and stayed informed of the identities of those arriving thanks to her contacts among those in charge of marking the limousine parking spaces. Once she had everything ready, she made a discreet gesture to Richard, who was always attentive to her instructions, and her smile widened. For them, the party had just begun.