The Tom Cruise thing is not your standard crush. It's more that he feels like a safe pair of hands, if you put the slightly odd faith to one side. COVID-style life feels so unwieldy and unceasingly stressful that you just think "Tom would know what to do." Indeed, he's negotiated with the UK Government to continue shooting on his latest film, even though the industry is pretty much shut down. Because he's Tom Cruise and no-one's going to say no.
He sends his co-stars birthday gifts, year after year. He not only stops for traffic collisions but pays people's hospital bills. Most people who have worked with him say he's a really good bloke. He's probably an utter nightmare to live with but, fortunately, I don't have to.
I've never had the Rapunzel syndrome thing where rescue is to be desired. If I were Rapunzel I'd weave ropes from hair and abseil down the tower. I've got my own set of Allen keys and can handle stuff. But just occasionally you want someone to say "It's OK, I've got this". The world just feels like a safer place with Tom in it. No idea why, especially given that he'll sit on top of the Burj Khalifa for a laugh.
The Reddit relationship advice boards are the other extreme. I am reluctantly drawn to the drama of other people's lives. They get some wonderful advice and one woman in a particularly horrific situation was offered money and transport by strangers, so she could leave. It's both heartening and distressing simultaneously.
I suppose what these things have in common is the management of situations and the setting of life back to a benign neutrality. And we kind of need that now. A nice, warm, friendly neutrality.
The other night I dreamed of being in Tom's bed (on my own, naturally). It was all pale and expensive, with a ridiculously fluffy duvet. I spilled a whole cup of black coffee and he just said it was fine, put everything in the laundry.
No comments:
Post a Comment