Cinema Anhelo

The clock reads 11:49 P.M. The last showing should be ending soon. They’re playing Casablanca for the 10th time this month. Jason’s way over it by this point. He’s been working in El Mayor Salinas for a couple of months, and they never get inventive in their programming. It’s always old-school romance films the owner likes to play. Maybe that’s why Jason’s shift feels like it’s taken in a graveyard, cause no soul is going out this late at night in South San Francisco just to go to the cinema and watch middle-aged men chase some young girl in the name of “love.” They can easily see that out the window of their homes. He was always a cynic, or at least that’s what he would claim to be. His closest companions, the ones who know him true, would say otherwise. 

“Why can’t they play some horror flicks? That’s all the hype these days," exclaims Bella. Jason smirks and lets out a small laugh. Bella had been working there way before Jason ever entered the equation. In fact, she was the person assigned as his mentor. Ever since then, they’ve gotten closer, but Jason never fully put his guard down around her. “Did you see how many are in there?” Jason asked Bella. “Yeah, I think there are just like five. By the way, you’re on cleaning duty tonight.” Jason rolled his eyes. “I’m always on cleanup duty.” Bella responded jestingly, “That’s because you’re the rookie. They should be finishing up right about now. Better go in there, Mr. Clean!”

He picked up the broom and dustpan and walked to the main studio. It looks like he’s just right on time. People are preparing to leave right as Humphrey Bogart’s character is saying his final goodbye to Ilsa. Meanwhile, Jason’s counting down the minutes until it’s over. Soon after, the movie projector’s lights stop flickering, and one by one the audience leaves. “Have a good night, guys! Thanks for coming!” Jason said to every patron without expecting a single response. Underneath his customer service facade, he’s relieved that he can finally go home soon. The best part is that the fewer moviegoers there are, the less of a mess they usually leave behind. However, just when he was about to enter the auditorium, he noticed one patron still idling in his seat. Usually it isn’t a big deal since people stay during the credits all the time, but for a film like Casablanca, where there aren’t any ending credits, this behaviour seems peculiar. It could be a homeless person just trying to find shelter; it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. But what kind of drifter wears a suit, is clean-shaven, and looks very well groomed? That can’t be it. Whoever this person is, he’s the only obstacle between Jason and his home. Despite that, Jason, being a man of few confrontations, decides to graciously gift him some extra time.

“Hey, what’s the holdup?” Bella catches Jason by surprise. “There’s still a guy sitting there. I don’t know what he’s doing.” She stares at Jason, dumbfounded. “And? It’s way past closing hours. Just kick him out.” “What? It’s not that simple.” Jason responded. “Dude, do you want to go home or not? My family’s gonna worry if I come home too late. Please! Do it for me!” Jason crumbles under Bella’s plea. “Fine!” He slowly gathers the courage to approach the random man. Deep breaths, inhale and exhale. Bella’s palm touches his shoulder, giving him the extra encouragement. It’s time.

Jason walks over with his back squared up, trying to make himself look as big as possible. “Excuse me, sir, the cinema’s now closed. I’m going to have to ask you to please exit the building.” The man didn’t utter a word or move in the slightest. Unexpectedly, the auditorium lights suddenly turned off. Jason’s heart dropped to his stomach. He hastily grabbed the flashlight that was attached to his belt, but his trembling hands caused him to drop it instead. Clank. He heard the flashlight drop right around him. It was fruitless; it was too dark for him to search for it. Before anything else could happen, the projector turned on by itself. Casablanca’s back on the silver screen. Oddly enough, there was no sound. But right now, that’s not Jason’s biggest worry. He looks back at the seat, and thankfully the man is still there. Jason then turns his attention to Bella, who’s at the door watching it all unravel. He mouths to Bella to check the projection room, and she quickly follows his order. Now, it’s just him and the man again.

“Take a seat, kid!” commanded the man in a flat tone. Jason hesitated, but something inside him compelled him to just do what the stranger said. No words were exchanged afterwards. They just stared at the screen, not daring to make eye contact. It didn’t help that the eerie silence filled the room, only interrupted by Jason’s heart banging out of his chest. What felt like ages passed by, and they’re now reaching the 30 minute mark. Where did Bella go? Did she call the police? Did someone get to her? Is she injured? That’s all Jason could think about. He has to find a way to get out of there. By this point in the movie, Ilsa is asking Sam to play “As Time Goes By,” which would eventually lead to the painful reunion between her and Rick. In another freak occurrence, the audio equipment returns to normal only for this song, and the silence is now replaced with a melancholy melody. 

The man lets out a small chuckle. That’s the only emotion he has shown all night long. “Have you ever fallen in love?” asked the stranger. Jason didn’t quite know how to respond. He just nodded agreeably. Then another question popped out: “What about recently?” Jason looked him in the eyes and shook his head. The idea of love is not something Jason wants to entertain anymore, and the man understood that. “I get it. I used to feel the same, actually; I still do sometimes,” the man responded. “I used to go to this place a lot; it’s where I first met this girl. I knew right there and then that she was special. We would spend countless hours watching Casablanca, even though we were sick of it. Nonetheless, it was our thing.” Hearing that, Jason’s nervous system started to get calmer. Could it be that this is just a lonely, heartbroken guy without any malicious intent? He asked the man what happened to the girl. A single tear dropped from the man’s eyes. “She wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t perfect. Slowly we outgrew each other, and outgrowing someone usually means losing them. But even now, I still miss her. I haven’t managed to outgrow that just yet,” explained the man. 

Jason understood why he did what he did. This was the only way he could feel close to her again. However true that may be, it’s late, and it’s time for everyone to go home. That, coupled with his increasing worry about Bella’s safety, finally led him to deal the final blow and ask him to leave once more. Before he could do that, the man interrupted him with one word: Bella. Jason’s eyes widen; he’s now on full alert. “Why did you say that name?” asked Jason. The man responded, “That’s her name. Her name was Bella.” His legs gone numb, his grip tightened. Seeing this, the man reached into his pockets. Still, Jason wasn’t about to let any creep hurt Bella, even if that meant he had to fight someone with a weapon. But the man didn’t pull out any harmful instruments; instead, it was a photo of a couple, the girl kissing the guy on the cheek, and they were both wearing El Mayor Salinas uniforms. In the back, it reads “Jason & Bella. 05-23-26.” That’s still a week from now.

“That can’t be. Who are you?” asked Jason. “I think deep down you already know,” the man responded. Jason can’t believe this is happening to him. He always liked Bella but was too afraid to make the first move because they worked together. Now, he finds out if his love for her would eventually lead to the greatest heartbreak of his life. Does that mean this relationship was always destined to fail, or is there something he could do to prevent it? It all seemed surreal. “You’re thinking about it wrong.” Older Jason knows his younger self too well. He stops Jason from overthinking and leads him to the right question: “Is love still worth something when you know it will eventually end?”

“But that can’t possibly be how it ends. Can it?” Jason asked desperately. The man didn’t answer; through the sadness and the pain, he just gave Jason a little smile. Everything goes dark in an instant. The auditorium lights come back up, and the movie projector is now dead. The seat next to Jason is empty without a trace. Sounds of footsteps grow closer and closer. Bella calls out for Jason. He turns back, traces of tears dripping from his cheek, and looks into Bella’s eyes. They share a moment. Bella, blissfully unaware of the full events that transpired and what the future holds for them, and Jason, unsure of what he should do with his newfound knowledge. Even so, their eyes couldn’t help but melt into each other’s gaze. Destiny and fate colluding. Maybe this is exactly how it’s supposed to go.