Chapter 10. Oscars

OSCAR NOMINATIONS FOR both Walker’s ex-wife Crystal Mackintosh and his current wife Abigail Pickering were made in January. Crystal was nominated for best actress, while the nominations for best supporting actress included Abigail Pickering. As an established married actor team, Bull Donald and Crystal Mackintosh were asked to be part of the presenting team.

Crystal and Bull were still married and universally regarded as a couple, their marital differences kept under wraps and hopefully being put right by regular marriage counselling over the last six months.

Heavily pregnant with twins, during her 29 weeks’ stage, Mrs Abigail Pickering was able to fly over a week before the award ceremony, giving her plenty of time to recover before the event. She and Walker were booked on a flight back to LHR when she would be in her 31st week. There were specials limitations by airlines, such as no flying after 32 weeks for women expecting multiple births. The presence of twins had been confirmed for some time, but neither parent wanted to know if they were boys or girls. She and Walker stayed in what was Walker’s, now their, condo in LA until the date of the awards.

Walker Pickering’s daughter Sierra Mackenzie Pickering, as her amended passport now stated, flew over from England two days before the ceremony, to minimize the amount of schooling she’d miss. The name change was suggested as a neat compromise by her lovely adopted second Mum, Abi; it was a minor change, the removal of a hyphen changed to a space, turning a less favoured surname into an acceptable middle name. A subtle adjustment, yes, but it made all the difference in the world to Sierra.

When the three of them discussed the possibilities of Abi’s chances of winning an award, back in January when the nominations were announced, they were gathered in the lovely old vaulted hall of the Manor House.

“I haven’t seen the other films, Abi,” confessed Walker, “but it is clear to me that the better film would have been Bull and Uma still trying to save their marriage, with your character’s involvement with Bull being a tense diversion until the couple resolved their understated difficulties and got back together.”

“The script did go through a few rewrites, before and during filming,” Abi admitted, “but Beth and Mike were always intended to end up together, but I do see what you mean about there being little indication of what led to the divorce.”

“The early scenes between the two main characters, before you appear, are therefore quite weak because the audience has not been engaged.”

“Very true. A lot of what was shot between Bull and Uma was cut, apparently. The snow scenes at the end, when Bull’s character Mike finally declares his love for Beth, we had to shoot first, while there was still snow in Montana, although the indoor scenes at the snow lodge was in the studio and shot last, so even if they wanted to change it, they could only work with what they shot. What do you think of all of them, Sierra?”

“Sorry, Abi, but I didn’t like your film much at all. You were fabulous, but, no, the film was lacking heart and conviction. After you asserted yourself in the relationship more, your scenes were great, but I was put off at the beginning by the breakdown in Mimi and Mike’s marriage, and I hated the way Mike manipulated Beth in their roles as boss versus worker. I much preferred the dystopian film ‘When The Water Ran Out’ and the supporting role by Lorna Bass, the eldest sister who tried to keep the younger family members alive while her parents did all the fighting and died saving the children. I thought the film powerfully showed their trials getting to the mountains and the salvation of the snow, after all the groundwater and rivers were poisoned by a combination of shale mining and plastic toxins.”

“Yes, that was a good performance, a worthy winner. I’ll have to see if I can speak to Lorna during the evening or the after party.”

“You’re only staying at the after party for an hour, Abi, and I insist that for half that time you’ll be sitting down. Lorna will have to come to you. And you’ll be leaving with us too, Sierra.”

“Yes, Daddy!” both girls chorused, whilst saluting him, “You know best, Daddy!”, before collapsing with the giggles.

They were collected by limousine on the big night, having arranged to meet Bull and Chris near the venue so their respective limos arrived at the red carpet one straight after the other.

Bull Donald and Crystal Mackintosh were the first of the small group to be stopped by the interviewers on the red carpet for the live television feed.

“Now we have the most famous Hollywood Honeymooners around, the Donalds. Firstly, the lovely Crystal Mackintosh, who has been nominated as Best Leading Actress for the historic drama “Order from Chaos”, in which she plays Livia Drusilla, the wife of the first Roman Emperor Augustus. And next to her is her husband, Bull Donald, who will be presenting some of the awards tonight. We’ll speak to Crystal first. Wow! What a dress! Tell me and the viewers who made this divine creation, Crystal.”

“Well, Michael, it’s an Atelier Versace gown in a shimmering blue, which I absolutely love, but you must include my beautiful daughter, Sierra Mackenzie Pickering, she’s just behind me....” She looked around but Sierra was hiding behind her Daddy and Abi. “Come on, Sierra, come stand by Bull and me and let the world see your lovely Dior dress.” But Sierra just poked her head round her Daddy and shook her head vigorously.

“Sorry, Michael, you know how self-conscious teenagers can be, but she really is a beautiful girl, and I, well, we, being her father Walker Pickering and I, are so proud of her. She is completing her college education in England and going on next year to one of their universities to study veterinarian surgery. She picked that gorgeous dress she looks so good in off the peg at Dior’s and she looks effortlessly stunning, doesn’t she?”

“She sure is a peach, Crystal. So what do you think of the chances of your film picking up one or all of the five awards it has been nominated for?”

“Oh, first of all the films chosen are inseparable, all with fantastic performances. My film is classic family viewing, so come on you guys this is a family together here at the awards.” She waved at the three behind her to join her in front of the camera. They stepped forward, with Sierra being pulled by her father. “This is my little family, Walker Pickering, you may remember was my ex-, and this is his lovely new wife Abigail Anderson Pickering, who’s my runaway favourite for an award tonight, and our daughter Sierra Mackenzie-Pickering. All here with Bull and I as a one big happy family, gathering together for the first time at the Oscars.”

Abi smiled broadly and waved one-handedly to the camera, still holding her husband’s hand, Sierra had held his other hand but he let go and put his hand around her waist as he pulled and pushed her in front of him next to his wife. Abi released her hold of Walker’s hand and held Sierra’s, giving the shy girl an affectionate shoulder bump and a smile. Walker rested a hand on each girl’s hip as they posed and smiled for the worldwide audience. Sierra smiled nervously and shyly for the camera, making herself look even more appealing, prompting more flash-pops of cameras, catching every detail of three of the most beautiful women seen together on the night, in company with two relatively handsome men.

Crystal continued, “as for the movie, Michael, the costumes were divine, heavenly to wear, all sexy soft flowing togas and smart tunics, the script and direction were spot on, so everyone was relaxed and we had great fun during shooting. The special effects turned out amazing, bringing all that green-screen work to life. As for the editing, well, what a top job, with smooth transitions and, taking the movie as a whole, whether it wins Best Picture or not, I am sure it will become one of those epic classic family movies of all time.”

“So it’ll be good for repeat fees, huh?”

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“Well, Michael, that’s why my people did negotiate a percentage deal for me at my insistence, so we could keep the core fee low, I just won’t tell you want the percentile was.” She smiled sweetly and Michael switched his attention to her present husband.

“Now, Bull, no nominations for you this year, although your co-star, the newcomer Abigail Anderson here, has received a nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her sensational role as Beth in “For The Love Of Mike”, where you are the Mike of the film title. How do you rate her chances tonight?”

“Well, Michael, Abigail did real well in the role, had some great lines that she delivered like a seasoned pro, and was real professional in her approach, which made her a pleasure to work with. I think fans will be surprised when they hear her speak in her normal voice, as I am sure she convinced everyone who has ever seen the film that she is a local Californian girl. So I was delighted to be able to step back a little in the quieter scenes in this movie and let Abi really show off her acting credentials. She may be quite big now,” Bull grinned with a wink, “but she’s going to be huge in this industry in the future, you watch and see.”

“Thank you, Bull, glowing praise indeed. Now I’d like to introduce you to the gorgeous Abigail Anderson from Great Britain, looking fabulously sensational in deep purple tonight.” Michael thrust the furry microphone in front of her face. “Tell the viewers where you got the dress, Abigail.”

Abi was looking huge in the dress against the pale background, but immediately framed by her husband standing behind her and a little to her side in his dark dinner jacket, and with Sierra tight up on the other side in her dark maroon Dior creation, the deep purple helped to reduce the appearance of the bump significantly.

“It’s another dress from Versace, Michael, and they were so great at looking after me. They left the final fitting until late this afternoon, leaving me enough room to breathe, move and sit down without the seams splitting on me. They looked after Crystal and I so well this afternoon, making us both feel like royalty, they were brilliant.”

“Well, the voice in my ear is telling me that you look even more fantastic on screen than you do in real life,” Michael turned his charming face to the camera, “and I can’t believe that that is even possible, because she’s absolutely glowing with full on beauty here in person. So, Abigail, how far are you along, because even in that lovely dress you do look fit to burst!”

“Thirty-one weeks as near as we can tell, so Walker, Sierra and I will be flying home the day after tomorrow, with just a couple of days to spare before the safe flying cut-off date bars us from flying. I’m so big because Walker and I are delightedly expecting twins this time around. Anyway, I am assured that your red carpet here should be perfectly safe for another year.” She smiled sweetly, looking absolutely beatific in her fast approaching motherhood, with a multitude of flashes going off to record her moment in the spotlight for posterity.

Sierra, pretty as she is, was not interviewed, but further down the carpet she was asked to stop and be photographed several times in her simple maroon Dior off-the-peg evening gown, in which she looked fabulous. Walker was also waved through without being interviewed, but as he was holding the hand of his gloriously blooming wife Abi in one hand and his lovely daughter Sierra in the other, he was as happy to be ignored as anyone there on the night. They were guided to their seats, where they joined Bull and Chris, who were sitting at the end of the row so they could get out easily to make several presentations scheduled for them throughout the evening.

Sierra, who had been hanging back, pushed forward quickly and edged past her mother and step-father to sit three seats away from them, followed by Abi and then Walker sitting next to Crystal, with Bull on the end. It didn’t escape Abi’s notice that Walker and Bull didn’t exchange a single word.

For three of them this was their first invitation to the event; Abi because she was nominated, Walker as Abi’s guest, and Sierra as Crystal’s guest. For Crystal and Bull, this was their second invitation to the Oscars, when Crystal missed out on an award five years earlier.

Walker was able to introduce Sierra to Miss Connie Bradford, who was sitting with her well-known acting family. Connie was just a couple of years older than Sierra, but Walker knew her well from being the child of an actress on the set of “Never Say Never”. Connie’s mother used to bring her daughter to the studio during school’s out for years, before he left the show. Connie in her turn remembered Walker fondly as a real friendly guy who always had a kind word for her and kept her and other actors’ kids entertained with stories and games during those interminable hours on set waiting for her mother to finish work. Connie was happy to talk to Sierra about her college life and her career path leading well away from her mother’s acting career. They exchanged contact details and Sierra felt she’d made a friend in the last place on earth she had expected to.

The Pickerings soon relaxed and got into the spirit of the award ceremony, laughing at the jokes of the comperes and cheering and applauding the nominations and the winners. At some point Bull Donald got up and nudged Chris. They both had to go backstage and prepare for their presentation of awards.

Tensions rose for Abi and Walker when the programme indicated that after the Best Supporting Actor would come the Best Supporting Actress, for which Abi was nominated for the first time. Thirty-second clips of the nominated films were shown. Abi’s clip showed two of her scenes with Bull, the first where the mature mega-rich tycoon instigated the affair between them, and then late in the film when her character was starting to assert control; you could see how the dynamic had changed, while it was also clear that the characters were by now deeply in love, allowing the film to finish on a romantic high.

The applause for all the clips was high, but Abi and Walker smiled at each other in relief, each acknowledging that Abi’s applause was not noticeably any lower than any of the others.

It was Crystal and Bull who came out to make the presentation, with Crystal holding the Oscar statuette and Bull bringing the sealed golden envelope. They read through the nominations again, delivering a little cheerful banter between them, before Bull opened the envelope and, hiding his eyes theatrically, handed it over to Crystal to read out to the audience. She must have read it to herself two or three times before she looked up and announced:

“And the Oscar Award for the Best Supporting Actress goes to ... Abigail Anderson, ‘For The Love Of Mike’!”

Abi and Walker had been smiling, relaxed, just delighted to be a part of the circus, for possibly the first and last time. Neither of them thought she had any chance of winning an Oscar at the first opportunity, so they both looked stunned, open mouthed and shocked at the result.

It was Sierra jumping up and down with excitement and the applause all around them that sparked Walker into standing up and, with Sierra’s help, to pull the jelly-kneed Abi up and out towards the aisle. Abi held Sierra’s hand and pulled her along too.

“I’m not going up there alone,” she hissed to both, “We’re family and we’re all going up there together, or I’m not going up at all!”

Walker knew there was no point in arguing with Abi, or indeed any woman as heavily pregnant as she was. So, with an arm behind her back, leaving a hand free to wave to all the people clapping, the smiling Abigail led the procession, holding Sierra’s hand and Walker following on behind them.

He was smiling and relaxed, he most of all was used to walk on parts and this was just another one of those, only it felt that bit more special because he was so proud of his talented wife.

Sierra was nervous but, faced with so many warm and smiling faces, all applauding the trio, by the time they reached the steps at the side of the stage, she was waving just as enthusiastically as Abi was.

Abi took a hold of Walker’s left hand and pushed Sierra round to hold Walker’s right so they could all ascend the steps together and the girls had a hand free to wave at the audience. Soon they were facing the audience and stood by Crystal, who kissed Abi on both cheeks before she handed over the gold plated bronze Oscar to her. For a moment Abi was speechless, with tears running down her cheeks, resting the marble plinth of the Oscar on her huge bump.

“Sorry, folks, I can hardly say anything, this is an emotional time for me as any mother knows, and this award is giving me an emotion overload.”

Crystal put an arm around her shoulders, reached out to Bull, took his hand and pulled the five of them in a line.

“We are all one big happy family here,” Crystal announced to the crowd, having already introduced Walker as her ex-husband and Sierra as their daughter, in a running commentary, as the three of them had made their slow and steady way to the stage, and she had told them how well she got on with Abi and they were beginning to regard each other as sisters in the raising of Crystal’s only child. “Come on guys, let’s have a family hug, squeezing Abi and pulling Bull closer to her. Bull took a step closer to Sierra, who was at the end of the row, stretching his left hand out to her. She shrank back behind her father, holding onto his right arm with both hands.

“C’mon, Sierra,” Bull urged, “be a good girl, give me a hug so we can complete the circle, huh?”

“N-no, never. Go away, I don’t ever want to hug you again!”

“Aww, c’mon honey,” Bull pleaded with her, “It’ll be a crowd-pleaser.”

“Yes, c’mon, Sierra, we’re all good here,” her mother hissed sotto voce, “do it for the family.”

“No, I am good, I don’t want HIM to ever touch me again.”

“Why ever not, Honey?” Crystal asked, releasing Bull’s hand and reaching out to her daughter.

“Because as soon as you chased Daddy away and moved HIM into our house, HE kept coming into my room at night, telling me I was never ever to tell you, or he would hurt me bad. I am safe at Daddy’s now and I am never going through that again!”

“What!!!!?” screamed Crystal, turning her gaze on Bull Donald.

“Hey, Babe,” he said, “It was no big deal, I was just being friendly, that’s all.”

“You shouldn’t be going into my daughter’s room at night. What were you doing there?”

Bull was silent on the subject, standing there not knowing what to say and wishing the ground would open up a hole for him to jump in.

“He was telling me I was beautiful,” Sierra accused him, “and feeling me up —”

“What!!!!?” screamed Crystal and Walker at the same time. Walker was trying to free his right arm, but Sierra had a death grip on it with one hand holding his hand and her other arm wrapped around his arm, pulled tight into her chest and shoulder. Abi held on tight to Walker’s other hand.

Crystal had no such restraint, spitting out, “You sick fucking asshole!”, while she tugged the Oscar out of Abi’s other hand and, holding it by the head with both hands, swung it with all the fury of a mother belatedly defending her child’s honour, aimed the end of the parabolic trajectory at Bull’s head.

He was just saying, “Honey, it’s not what —” when the solid marble base of the heavy 3.5kg bronze statue connected with his jaw, open mouth, cheek and nose, and broke a number of bones with a series of crunches, and scattered several large fragments of teeth from both upper and lower jaw, into the first half-dozen rows of the audience, ruining the finery of several expensive wardrobes. By the time Bull Donald hit the floor of the stage, he was completely senseless and never even felt the succession of sharp kicks delivered to his nether region by the incensed soon-to-be ex-wife.

Bull Donald was only allowed to wake up from his enforced coma after a long period of surgery, that required wiring his jaw, broken in three places, stitches in his gums, realigning his nose and left cheekbone and the complete removal of both testicles that were damaged beyond repair. Sierra managed to get at least one good kick in before Security took control, so there was a clear element of legal doubt as to whether he was crippled in this respect by his then spouse or by a minor.

The first video of the incident appeared on YouTube within 30 seconds and, although others followed within a few minutes, the very first one on-line was a winner with the world audience and it went worldwide viral within the next ten minutes.