“Hey, fellas,” Stone said. “How was the movie?”
“Movies,” Peter replied. “Ben liked them.”
“Especially Citizen Kane,” Ben said.
“We’re going to go upstairs and watch it again on DVD,” Peter said, “so please excuse us.”
“Of course, go on up.”
The boys ran up the stairs to Peter’s room, and he found the disc for Citizen Kane.
“Did you say Welles was twenty-four years old when he directed this movie?” Ben asked.
“That’s right, and he was already a big actor and director on Broadway and on the radio.”
“That’s unbelievable,” Ben said.
“We can beat that. Sit down.” He pointed Ben at a chair, then sat down himself. “Ben, I think you’re a smart guy.”
“That’s true, but I’m not as smart as you.”
“If that’s true, it’s an accident of nature, so don’t worry about it. What’s more important is, you’re a good guy, too.”
“Thanks, Peter. I feel the same way about you.”
“For the next four years or so, I’ve got to keep you out of trouble.”
Ben laughed. “You’ve been talking to my dad.”
“No, I’ve been talking to my dad, but he feels the same way about it as your dad. The thing is, they’re both right.”
Ben looked sheepish. “Yeah, I have been in a few scrapes, but I had some fun, too.”
“We’ve got to find some new ways for you to have fun,” Peter said, “because I’m not going to get involved in any scrapes. There’s too much at stake.”
“What’s at stake?”
“Have you ever noticed when some young celebrity gets into drugs or gets arrested for drunk driving, how long it takes him to get over those things? I mean, they end up in jail, then in court, then in rehab, then in community service, and most of them have to go through that two or three times before they finally get it. The ones who don’t get it end up in prison or dead.”
“Well, yeah, I’ve noticed that.”
“All that stuff they have to do to get straight takes up years of their lives. You and I don’t need to waste that kind of time getting out of trouble we should never have gotten into in the first place.”
“You have a point,” Ben conceded.
“Ben, I think you would make a terrific movie producer.”
“Really?”
“You’re smart, you’re good with money, you’re well organized. But you’re not motivated-not yet, anyway.”
“What should motivate me?”
“Would you like to be a movie producer?”
“Yeah, sure I would. Who wouldn’t?”
“Okay, everybody, but only a few are suited to the work. First of all, you love the movies.”