Chapter 225 221
The tires of his red Pontiac Firebird crunched over loose gravel as Duke parked.
He stepped out into the weekend air.
He was wearing a simple pair of dark jeans, a white t shirt and a pair of aviator sunglasses.
For the head of Paramount Pictures, it was an understated look. Almost anonymous.
Two men in casual clothes stood near the edges of the field with their hands tucked in pockets.
His security that was always around. A quiet necesssity.
Margaux stood near the sideline. Wearing faded jeans, and her hair on a ponytail, blending in with the other parents.
Duke walked over, offering her a brief nod.
She returned it.
They didn't really do conversation. They were basically functional co-parents right now.
Out on the field, Bradley's team swarmed the ball.
6 year olds running after the ball as a pack.
At this age, positions kind of didn't exist in football.
Duke watched the boys run. To be honest, he found it entertaining at the beginning, but having no positions really made the game... slow.
Even the goalkeepers were at times running after the ball.
'At least the kid is developing cardio, I guess...'
Margaux leaned forward and whenever Bradley touched the ball, she clapped. Cheering his name loudly.
Hearing his mother, Bradley paused mid-field and looked toward the sidelines.
He spotted them sitting together and wave at them. Duke raised his hand.
Somebody had already stole the ball from Bradley's feet by the time he stopped waving.
The game dragged on and nobody scored.
The children kicked the ball out of bounds, chased it and then repeated the process.
A father a few yards away kept glancing over, whispering behind his hand to his wife. The man recognized the Director from a magazine.
Duke just kept his eyes on the game. Ignoring any of the stares.
A sharp whistle blew as the referee, a local teenager, signaled the end of the match. A scoreless match.
Bradley ran toward the sidelines with his face flushed and hair drenched in sweat.
He grabbed Margaux's hand. Then reached out and grabbed Duke's. He pulled himself up to liuft himself and be in the air.
"Did you see me?" Bradley asked breathless. "Did you see me run with the ball?"
Duke squeezed his son's small hand. "You were great, buddy. Fastest one out there."
"I almost scored," Bradley insisted "The ball went right near the net."
Margaux laughed, as she brushed a sweaty lock from his forehead. "Almost is very good, sweetheart. We're proud of you."
Bradley looked back and forth between them. "Can we get ice cream now? Please?"
Duke looked at Margaux, hoping she could give an excuse for Duke to avoid, he was supposed to check the new Atari Console prototype today and had barely made the time to come here.
After she was supposed to keep Bradley for at least 2 more hours until he was finished.
She gave a small shrug. "Fine with me," she said gently, ignoring Duke's stare.
Duke let a breath out and released Bradley's hand, smiling at him. "You two go ahead and secure a table at the shop down the street. I'll catch up."
He walked to the edge of the field, to speak with the coach, a middle-aged man in a blue tracksuit, carrying a mesh bag of soccer balls.
"Excuse me," Duke said. He extended his hand. "I'm Duke Hauser. Bradley's father."
The coach turned and his eyes widened in recognition. "Mr. Hauser. It's an honor, i'm a big fan."
They shook hands firmly. Duke asked about his son's progress.
The coach nodded. "He has a lot of energy. Needs to work on his footwork, but he's young."
Before Duke could excuse himself, a few parents approached to speak with the coach.
He took advantage to make a call to Nolan to move the presentation to Monday.
Atari was one of the boiggest focuses on Paramounts/Ajax Group growth. He didnt want to repeat history with a crash.
After he finished, he walked down the sidewalk toward the ice cream parlor.
He entered the small shop and quickly found Margaux and Bradley at a corner booth. Bradley was already working on a chocolate cone, his face smeared with ice cream.
Margaux sat across from him, sipping coffee from a cup.
Duke slid into the booth next to Bradley. "Sorry about the delay. Got held up near the field."
"Problems in Paramount?" Margaux asked flatly.
"No, just a talk with Bradley's coach." Duke replied, not looking at her.
They sat together, as they watched Bradley finish his cone.
Margaux finished her coffee and set the empty cup down. "You should get him back to the house after this. He wants to finish his Green Hero show."
Duke nodded. "I'll see you on monday, then."
She stood up and walked out the door.
___
Later that day when the sun was already setting down, Duke's red Pontiac went through the iron gates of Owlwood Estate.
Bradley was fast asleep in the backseat. Exhausted by the soccer game, sugar crash and a quick visit to The Magic Castle for a show.
Duke opened the rear door and carefully unbuckled the seatbelt.
Scooped the sleeping boy into his arms and carried him into the living room where he left him on a couch.
A nanny appeared from the hallway, stepping forward to take over. Duke held up a hand and waved her off.
"I've got it," he whispered. The nanny nodded and left.
Duke walked through the backyard, where his swimming pool was perfectly stil.
He walked to a lounge chair and sat down staring at the water.
He held a cold bottle of Coors beer in his hand.
He has spend these last few years basically staying behind the scenes in a lot of ways. 'Fcking Carter.'
Of course, this 'Time Off' was not really a time off, he just didn't direct anything, he still had to handle company matters and also helped design FullMetal Alchemist story.
Yet his fame on the american pop culture scene was still high cause of Star Wars.
By now, Paramount was a juggernaut. And that was the exact reason he didn't have to actually care about the MPAA or anything like it.
By now, his seat in the industry was secure to the point nobody could fully move him.
Of course, this staying behind the scenes, was not a great feeling. George Lucas and Spielberg both had been great helpers during this time.
George was even the one to direct Star Wars V that was released the year before.
But now... things had changed, since his candidate, Reagan had taken over, he could finally step up again.
'What would be a good return?'
He couldnt help but remember the movie 'Megamind' and this entrance.
He raised the bottle ressed the cold glass against his lips and took a slow sip.
___
Next movie- Gladiator
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