Open Marriage? What the Hell?

As the Air Canada plane started its descent into Toronto, Joe Marcus looked out the window and had a sense of excitement surging through him. He was going to be in Toronto for a couple of days for the Toronto International Film Festival. His documentary ‘’The Grandmother Who Tried To Save The World’’ had been selected for the Festival. He would be attending the premier and everything seemed surreal.

Joe who was from Atlanta loved visiting Toronto. He had been in the city a couple of times and always enjoyed the vibrancy and the restaurants. He found the multiculturalism off the charts. He was amazed at how fast he cleared customs.

When Joe walked out into the terminal after grabbing his suitcase, there was a cute girl holding a sign that read ‘’Joe Marcus TIFF’’ he walked over and introduced himself. She seemed overly excited. ‘’So nice to meet you Mr. Marcus. I’ll be driving you to the Park Plaza. Everything is arranged. Please follow me.’’

Joe followed the young woman up an escalator and across the terminal to the parking garage. She led him to a black Escalade. He threw his suitcase in the back and was about to get in the front passenger seat when she looked over and shook her head. ‘’Oh no Mr. Marcus. I’m supposed to be your chauffeur, so you ride in the back. It’s TIFF protocol.’’ Joe tried to argue but she wasn’t buying it. ‘’Sorry Mr. Marcus. You need to be driven properly. I’ve been trained for this.’’ Joe reluctantly left the front and sat down behind her.

The drive into the city didn’t take long and before he knew it he was at the Park Plaza where a TIFF delegation gave him a very warm welcome. He was ‘’registered’’ and invited to a number of parties. The coolest thing was the Swag bag they gave him, filled with expensive and interesting gifts.

Joe’s room was very well appointed, there was a bottle of champagne and flowers. There was also a note explaining the check out process. He was to be out of the room by Noon the day after his screening. Transportation back to the airport would be available. All hotel charges would be covered by TIFF up to a thousand dollars. This included room service. Joe looked in the mirror, he had walked in to a very sweet deal.

Joe went to the photo lounge to have his picture taken by a professional and then he went into the ’’VIP Lounge’’. He didn’t know many people who were hanging out there but he met a few Directors, Writers and Producers. A couple of Actors popped in but he had no clue who they were. There was all kinds of food and he grabbed a delicious egg salad sandwich and a glass of wine.

In his Swag Bag there was an open access badge to go and watch any films he wanted, so he decided to go for a walk and then grab a movie.

The afternoon went really fast and he enjoyed a couple of the movies he saw. One was a Canadian comedy about a pig farmer who accidentally becomes a spy for Russia. It was funny. The other was a documentary called ‘’Righteous Humour’’ about Religion and the role of humour. He thought it was excellent.

Once back at the hotel, Joe took a shower and changed and went to his first screening and party of the night. The party was put on by a new Distributor who was trying to impress Producers. They had arranged to get their client’s movie into TIFF. The Party was at the King Edward Hotel and it was packed.

Joe was looking around trying to figure out where to sit when he saw that there was a VIP area and according to his badge, he had full access to it. He walked through the crowd and when he reached the entrance to the VIP section, a Security guard made him show picture ID to prove he was the same guy on the badge hanging around his neck, even though his picture was on the badge. Once he was waved in, it was a completely different scene.

There was space and chairs and tables and people were not squished in. He sat down and seconds later a waitress came over and asked him what he wanted to drink. He asked for Courvoisier on the rocks and she took off.

As Joe sat at the table looking around, a familiar face came into focus. It was Johnny Depp. He had done the Voice Over for Joe’s documentary and had wrapped things up in two days. He had been prepared and professional. They met once in the studio and then Johnny got to work. It was impressive.

Johnny sat down and looked at him ‘’Nice to see you. I’m so glad your documentary made it into the Festival. I thought you produced a very good film. If you have any more Voice Over work, let Arthur (Johnny’s Agent) know. I’ll try and make your screening tomorrow night.’’ Johnny stood up and walked away. Joe was stunned. He enjoyed shooting his documentary, but having Johnny Depp tell him that he liked it, was real validation.

As Joe sat thinking about Johnny’s words, a beautiful woman sat down at his table and looked at him. She was gorgeous and smiled. ‘’Hi, I see that you know Johnny Depp.’’ Joe nodded ‘’Yeah, he did the Voice Over work for my film.’’ The woman gave him a long look ‘’So, you’ve got a film in TIFF?’’ Joe nodded. The woman leaned in. ‘’My name’s Skyler. It’s really nice to meet you. What’s your name?’’ Joe was surprised that this gorgeous very well dressed woman wanted to know him. ‘’Uh, Joe, Joe Marcus.’’ The woman let out a little laugh. ‘’Well, Joe Marcus, tonight is your lucky night. Any friend of Johnny Depp’s is a friend of mine.’’

Joe couldn’t get over what was going on. ‘’Are you in the industry?’’ He noticed she wasn’t wearing a VIP badge. ‘’No, every year I pay for an Unlimited pass. It allows me to go to all the parties and as many movies as I want. I have a friend who works for the Festival and he got me into this VIP section. Otherwise I would have had to endure the party on the other side and it isn’t as exciting and I can’t meet people like you.’’ She moved forward and put her hand on Joe’s. He looked down and noticed a Wedding ring. He didn’t say anything, he just sat quietly.

‘’Tell me about your movie Joe. I really love hearing the behind the scene stories. Oh and where are you staying? Are you going to be seeing Johnny again?’’

Joe felt a little overwhelmed. This beautiful woman was taking her hand and rubbing it over his hands. She was also leaning forward, allowing him to see her perfect boobs.

‘’Uh, Johnny worked for me, he did…’’ Before he could finish the woman looked at him and moved her face closer to his. She whispered ‘’That’s very sexy that Johnny did work for you. Why don’t we go back to the Park Plaza and discuss everything in a more private setting, like your hotel room.’’ Skyler was not shy. Joe was speechless, so he just nodded. They both stood up and before they could move, she leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss. She then whispered in his ear ‘’I like you Joe. I want to know you. Let’s get out of here.’’

They walked out of the VIP section hand in hand. They got to the front of the King Eddie and a cab was waiting. They jumped in and within five minutes they were at the Park Plaza.

When Joe walked in to the hotel lobby with Skyler he could see there were a lot of people congregating. One guy was playing piano. A woman from the reception committee who had greeted him earlier when he arrived came over ‘’Hi Joe, Just wanted to let you know there’s a small party going on in the Library Bar.’’ Skyler responded. ‘’Great, we’re going to go.’’ Joe thought it was odd that she answered for him.

The Library Bar was legendary. The Toronto Creative community loved hanging out there. It was another VIP party and as soon as they walked in, Skyler spotted a couple of high profile Actors. Joe wasn’t as excited as she was and when a waitress came over with a tray of wine, Joe grabbed a glass. ‘’Oh Joe, this is wonderful. Do you think we could go say Hello to Bradley Cooper? He’s not with Gigi and I’d like to talk with him.’’ Joe was not a star chaser and had no desire to go over and start a conversation. ‘’Go for it, I’ll be right here. Don’t be shy.’’ Skyler nodded and took off and Joe asked himself what he was doing. He noticed that Sklyer was still wearing a Wedding ring and he couldn’t help but feel awkward.

He watched Skyler go over to Bradley Cooper who was talking to a group of people. He was mortified when she pointed at Joe. Cooper did not seem impressed and a couple of seconds later, Skyler was heading back to him. ‘’He was kind of disappointing. He didn’t know you and didn’t seem interested in getting to know me. Some of these Actors can be pretty pompous. Is Johnny like that?’’ Joe looked at her ‘’Uh, He was great when we were together.’’ Skyler scanned the room. ‘’I wish he was here now.’’

There weren’t any empty seats available in the bar and Alan felt constrained as Skyler was holding tight to his side. She finally sighed, ‘’There’s not much happening here, let’s go to your room and relax. I think that’s the smart plan.’’ Joe glanced at his watch, it was ten o’clock. ‘’Uh, Okay.’’

They walked hand in hand towards the elevator and Skyler stopped in the corridor and pulled Joe close to her as she kissed him. ‘’I want to know everything about you. I noticed you have a Southern accent but I have no clue where you’re from. I find your accent sexy.’’

When they got on the elevator, Joe pushed the button for the 22nd floor and Skyler stood in front of him and then stepped into him. She whispered ‘’I don’t do this with everybody I meet, but I want you.’’

It was odd, Skyler was not a kid, she was in her thirties. The fact she had picked him up was still hard for Joe to believe.

They made it to his Hotel room and they opened the door and walked in. Skyler looked around and kicked off her heels. ‘’This feels very comfortable. So tell me Joe, is this your first film. Do you work in LA? How did you meet Johnny? Is there going to be a party for your film?’’

Joe sat on an Easy chair and Sklyer frowned. ‘’That doesn’t work for me. Come and sit beside me.’’ Joe followed orders and as soon as he sat down beside her, Skyler leaned over and started kissing him.

When Joe came up for air, all he could think about was making love. Skyler was gorgeous and wanted him. The biggest problem was he hadn’t brought any condoms. He didn’t expect to get laid.

‘’So, tell me everything Joe. Are you based in LA?’’ Joe nodded ‘’I uh work out of Atlanta. I created this documentary and got in touch with the Agency that represents Johnny Depp and he liked the project and agreed to do the Voice Over. It was expensive but I think he did a great job and it was worth it. I’ve done a couple of television shows, but this is the first film that I’ve had in a Festival. Unfortunately, because it’s a documentary and it’s not being shown at the Elgin or a larger theatre there won’t be a party for it. But I will be entered in the People’s Choice Awards.’’

Skyler didn’t seem as enthusiastic as she had been a few minutes earlier. She looked at Joe almost trying to decide if it was worth her time to be with him. ‘’So you don’t hang with Johnny?’’ Joe shook his head. ‘’Nope, it was the first time we worked together. Uh, Can I ask you a question? Skyler all of a sudden looked bored. It was like a switch had been flipped. ‘’Why do you wear a Wedding ring. Is it to keep guys from hustling you?’’ Skyler laughed. ‘’No, not at all. I’m married. I have a husband and two kids. One is four and the other is six.’’ Joe felt a sense of panic wave over him. ‘’Uh, you have a husband and kids and you’re here with me? That’s kind of different isn’t it?’’

Skyler was now looking bored. ‘’I come to the Toronto Film Festival as an escape. Every year I meet someone and we spend time together. I think it makes my marriage stronger. It’s my yearly hall pass. My Husband gets a week to do the same thing. We have an open marriage. If I brought you back to my place, my husband wouldn’t object. We’re not swingers, but there’s no way a marriage can work if it’s monogamous. If it makes you feel better, I can take my ring off and throw it in my purse. ‘’

The situation had gotten really bizarre in a matter of minutes. Joe didn’t want to be part of an open marriage, but Skyler was a beautiful woman. He was torn and Skyler must have sensed it, because she held his face in her hands and started kissing him passionately. Joe was stuck between his sense of morality and his animal instincts.

He slowly pulled his head back ‘’Skyler, I don’t have a condom and I don’t want to make you pregnant or get an STD.’’ Skyler laughed. ‘’I only fool around once a year, so I am clean from any kind of health issues and I’m on the pill, so you don’t have to worry.’’ Joe was conflicted but he and Skyler made it to the bed and they made love. Joe felt a sense of guilt but the pleasure was worth the suffering. He would be heading back to Atlanta and the odds were that he would never see her again.

Skyler left his room at two thirty am. They didn’t make any plans to get together or see each other and he never told her the name of his film. He felt guilty for withholding information, but it was a one night situation.

The next day flew by and Joe was excited about the Screening. There was a sold out crowd at the Light Box Theatre and he got to say a few words before the movie began. He thanked his team and in particular Johnny Depp (who didn’t make the screening) and he sat back and watched his work. The response from the audience when it was over was gratifying. Loud thunderous applause.

A bunch of fellow Producers invited Joe to a party at Arcade Court and he joined them. It was fun and he met a lot of people. At eleven o’clock he was going to leave to go see a movie under the Midnight Madness Banner when he saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. It was Skyler and she was with a guy that he didn’t recognize. He walked over and she smiled at him. ‘’Oh, Hi. Joe, this is Frank, he’s a Director. His movie is premiering tomorrow night. Frank this is Joe, he had a documentary in the Festival.’’ Frank barely acknowledged him and started to walk away with Skyler holding on. Joe shook his head and left.

The Midnight Movie was bizarre and it was a fun night. Once back at the hotel Joe mingled with a lot of people in the lobby and back in the Library Bar. It was a really fun time.

The next morning he had a great brunch, walked downtown and took in the sights and sounds. He thanked the organizers for a great time and checked out of the hotel. The same girl who had driven him from the airport to the hotel took him from the hotel to the airport. When they arrived he thanked her and she wished him a great trip.

The flight back to Atlanta from Toronto took two hours and it was smooth. The Festival had arranged everything and it was a wonderful experience. He would always think of the Toronto Film Festival as one of the highlights of his life. It was time to start working on his next production.

As his Uber was taking him to his place in Buckhead, a message showed up on his phone. He didn’t recognize the number but it had a 416 area code, so he thought it might be the Toronto Film Festival. He opened it up and his mouth dropped wide open. ‘’Hi Joe, I got your number from TIFF. They were reluctant to give it, but I explained it was kind of a medical emergency. I wanted to Thank You for the excellent time you showed me. I needed to tell you (that unbelievably, and I don’t know how it happened) I just found out that I have chlamydia. You’re going to have to go and get it looked after. Medication will clear it up in no time. Sorry about that. I guess we should have found condoms. You can imagine my husband isn’t very happy. Oh, one other thing. If you ever work with Johnny Depp again could you tell him I’d really like to meet him.’’ Joe sat in disbelief, he knew one thing for 100 percent certain. Skyler was never going to win his ‘’People’s Choice Award.’’

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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