Hollywood Art: System of sunnys

December 25th, in many ways, is a day filled with family-related work in the business world. But some didn’t have such opportunities to achieve that. Anne Hall, after a small family gathering with her uncles, grandparents, and distant relatives, woke up in the early hours when everyone else was silent and went to the Lux Toons studio. The Christmas season kept the company busy, as the special holiday programming, though modest, still drew some interest.

Basic series like Dexter’s Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls had four Christmas episodes each... other series also featured holiday-themed episodes, and the series Train Souls, with its particular theme, was especially charming for Christmas.

-How’s all the programming going? - Anne asked.

-It’s still growing. We’ve got a season of movies and some special Christmas shorts that Pixar made for the occasion, - replied Freddy Pitterncock, the programming manager who ensured all the schedules were on track. Lux Animation’s holiday break ran from December 24th to December 31st, with only a few people working during this period in the studio, leaving a noticeable void. Both gathered to review the lineup of channels that updated every 24 hours, requiring maintenance, so the work demanded even on holidays, they worked 2 to 4 hours a day.

-That reassures me. If there’s any issue, you can call Anna Washington, - Anne commented, walking to her office. She checked emails, organized work for the company’s return, sent messages, urged Jim to sort out the licensing contracts, reviewed some series drafts, bearing Billy's blue approval stamp, and filed them to calculate the budgets and feasibility of the series and how they could bring them to life.

In less than six hours, all contracts were in their respective business emails, and the budgets for potential series were on the table, along with the merchandising orders to be made in collaboration with Lucasfilm. As she stretched her arms and finished her work, she looked forward to enjoying the Christmas dinner. She didn’t forget to send out memos about the New Year’s meeting on January 23rd, along with the submission of all financial reports, which were mostly handled by Raimon and the often-overlooked Felicity, who managed all the comic and toy distribution.

She sighed deeply, her Christmas bonus wasn’t bad, and now all that was left was to get home.

Anne’s house was enormous, with three floors, a large garage, a balcony on the second floor, and a garden occupying 30% of the space. It was huge, and during her student years, she almost lost this house left to her by her parents, bought 20 years ago... With her formal job at Lux Animation, she managed to pay the overdue taxes and renovate it. The renovation was completed last year, updating the old structures.

When she entered, she noticed a certain complicity on her aunts’ and grandmother’s faces.

-What? - she responded, with some bravado.

-Nothing, dear, it’s just that your Christmas gifts have arrived, - her grandmother said.

-Christmas gifts? - Anne asked.

-Hahaha, a man, dear. I wish my ex-husband had been so generous, - one of Anne’s aunts muttered slyly, causing Anne’s cheeks to flush. Just reading the card could make one assume many things, but that wasn’t Billy’s handwriting. "A Merry Christmas to someone indispensable to me." The boxes were partially open, but she could only open them fully. Inside were necklaces, bracelets, chokers, earrings, and brooches of silver, and gold, some with pearls, emeralds, topazes, rubies, and many others—a beautiful jewelry set that made her eyes widen. If only the handwriting had been Billy’s, but no, it wasn’t him. This slightly diminished the gift’s value for her, but it was still enough to brighten her night.

-That’s not all, dear. They also sent a red dress, - Anne’s grandmother said joyfully. She rarely wore dresses, and seeing it there left her feeling a bit conflicted. But the note attached left a bittersweet taste, "Go to the store to have it tailored to your size. A hug," she heard from her aunts. Adding things up, it easily surpassed $100,000, that’s for sure... the whispers only made her more uncomfortable.

***

Richard Carson wheeled himself from the kitchen to the living room, moving back and forth, asking everyone if the food was ready. Occasionally, his gaze would linger on Billy's new girlfriend, and he'd open his mouth to speak, making her laugh before he retreated to the kitchen.

-Thomas, who’s Billy’s new girlfriend? - Richard asked, loud enough for the entire kitchen to hear.

-She’s Italian, and she must be a wild one in bed, - Ivi commented.

-IVI, we don’t talk about that, - Thomas responded.

-Oh, come on, Thomas. You’re no different; even when she's pregnant, you can’t control yourself. It seems like that's something the Carsons have in common—lots of kids, lots of kids, - Ivanova laughed, along with Savannah, who also had three children but knew of a half-brother of hers with a cowgirl.

-Ahhh, you all are unbearable, - Richard muttered.

-Haha, you little old man, she’s Italian, and you should ask her yourself. I’m surprised that a model like her chose to spend her holidays on the farm; I thought Milan and a night out would be more her style. I did it when I was single, - Ivanova replied.

But she never mentioned the topic that made everyone in the house uncomfortable—the age difference. A woman ten years younger is bothersome to some, but Helen didn’t dare bother Billy about it, preferring to keep quiet. Ivanova didn’t feel she had the authority to comment on Billy's love life, understanding that life should be enjoyed. However, Thomas was about to lose his temper, and Richard’s probing only added fuel to the fire.

-We’ll be serving in 25 minutes. Go wash your hands and face, - Ivanova instructed Thomas.

A long table with 14 seats ended up with 18, tightly packed and uncomfortable, but the food was plentiful. The adults were mostly silent, while Cassidy engaged in a deeply interested conversation with Monica, who answered all her questions. The brunette wore a white, low-cut blouse that left much to the imagination, paired with a gray scarf tied like a bandana—everything she needed.

-Thanks for the gifts, dear, - Savannah murmured.

-No need to thank me. I tried to get it right for most of them, - Billy replied.

-We all appreciate it, - Jeffrey Carson added, though he was reluctant to admit it. His wife’s scolding had been enough to make him swallow his pride. The envelope with $10,000 was a drop in the ocean for Billy but a lifeline for Jeffrey’s debts, which he had given to each family member. Helen carefully hid her money under a lamp in her room, among some books, her jewelry, and other forgotten places.

This small relief lightened the heavy burden a bit. Last year brought drought, followed by livestock disease and frost, which devastated the Texas ranchers. The investment was there, but recovering from so many tragedies is difficult. Savannah went back to working as a nurse, covering shifts to pay the house rent and put food on the table, while the younger ones worked outside, except for the oldest, who worked with his father on a fencing contract, 200 kilometers for a rancher, which covered some expenses while they managed the farm in the morning. The problem was that they had neglected Helen and Richard, using all the money from the store, which Cassidy supplemented with afternoon shifts, with Helen occasionally appearing.

-It was very thoughtful, - Savannah responded, her large dark eyes showing a gratitude that no Carson would ever express so openly.

-I see, - Billy sighed. The situation was deeply complicated and entangled with the family. So many things were left unsaid. Now that he was giving gifts to others, he realized he needed to be a bit more considerate of his immediate family. A few thousand wasn’t much to him, but seeing the state of the family gave him a better understanding of their problems.

Monica squeezed his hand; the gifts had been her idea.

-I have a dress that you’ll love, Savannah. It’s beautiful, - Monica said, her Italian accent with its clipped English was enough to lighten the intense stares from her father and Jeffrey.

...