Iron Man 2

I took into account the comments that my teacher left me on this revision and really tried to make changes to improve the story. I wanted to improve the overall impression that I left on the reader, while still maintaining my own connection to the story. I think I did well in doing so. 

I added more descriptive details in areas where I thought I was lacking, so as to make the story more interesting. You can use these details to break up long paragraphs of dialogue, which will help keep the reader interested. I made sure to do just that. 

I also wanted to improve my description of the Robert Downey Jr. character, so I inserted some details about his physical attributes along with emotional characteristics. I especially liked this line; "His dark black hair and rugged five o’clock shadow gave it away." I felt as though the small description did a very good job of creating a picture for the reader. 

However, while I did make subtle revisions, I am very satisfied with my paper. I had the most fun writing it and it definitely shows. I think the character description and moral were portrayed for themselves and really let the reader delve into the story. I am very satisfied.

The Iron Man

            My knee was throbbing. I had been waiting in the airport for over two hours. The new rod in my left tibia was not faring well for my comfort, never mind airport security. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked to step aside after walking through a screaming metal detector. It has come to the point where I don’t even stop to remove my belt, watch, or whatever else may set off the alarm. This time particularly, the security guards gave me a rather rough time, since I didn’t bring my “I have a metal rod in my leg” card. Of course, with my luck, I missed my flight, requiring me to reschedule for that evening’s red eye.

            The family that was waiting next to the seat I was currently occupying had some kind of issue with staying quiet. If we were in the Library of Congress, this family would have ten security guards escorting them within a matter of seconds. I was overhearing a conversation about a new movie called Iron Man that was supposedly meant to inspire little kids to run around jumping off everything they could rest their eyes on. Just as one of the kids burst into song, “I am Iron Man…”, the loudspeaker came on finally announcing that my flight could now be boarded.  

            If you didn’t pick up on my leg issue before, I had surgery because of a growth in my leg that was pushing out on the bone. Basically, the doctors messed up bad and now I’m stuck with a compressed nerve for a while. Anyway, because of this I’m allowed to board plane flights first, that is, if I get through security fast enough. This is one of the few times I have been able to take advantage of it. First class, here we come.

            When I walk through the tunnel to board the bridge I’m escorted by security personnel because a guy with a bad limp is a dangerous citizen… not. I find my seat, the first one there. Now, this is clearly a spot meant for the wealthy. Not only is it first class, but there are only two seats next to each other, with beds on the other side. Keep in mind that this is not a transatlantic flight. I suppose some people like to nap for the hour and a half trip it takes to get from Philadelphia to New York. As I continue to examine the plane, I recognize the curtain that shields me from the whiny families, the bartender whose sole purpose is to get people feeling tipsy, and of course, the high definition televisions for each seat. That’s right, each seat.

            After getting settled, and stretching my legs out, all of the other passengers begin to board. I recognize some of them from the lobby, but others are new. Nothing too alarming. A businessman and a spoiled teenage girl also claim their first class seats, but everyone else just passes by, secretly in envy.
            I looked at the white leather of the seats representing first class, and the mahogany cup holders and arm rests that were embedded in each. Furthermore, I notice the businessman plugging his laptop into an outlet on the plane. I had no idea they had outlets on a plane. The teenage girl immediately kicks back and orders a drink and a small portion of food from the touch screen menu. First class really did have all the luxury…and space in the world.

            Finally, the flight attendant comes on the speaker and announces the departure. Just as the plane’s engine starts to rev into action, the door to the plane opens again as a man dressed in a navy blue suit races in. He isn’t carrying anything with him but a bottle of water. He looks important. For a minute he fumbles with his ticket, then finds his seat. He takes up the seat next to mine. There goes my peaceful flight.

            Once the plane was in the air, I started to feel like I recognized the man from somewhere. The thought quickly passed and I tried to catch some sleep.

            Midway through the flight, I woke up to the man next to me tapping my shoulder. “Excuse me, sir… I have to go to the bathroom, but I did not want to step on your feet.” I suppose I had my legs stretched out to keep comfortable.

            “What? Oh… sure, sure.” I responded tiredly.

            The man got up, easily walking passed me now that my long legs were out of the way. When he looked at me in thanks, it clicked. I knew exactly who he was almost immediately. His dark black hair and rugged five o’clock shadow gave it away. It was the actor, Robert Downey Jr.

            For a minute I just sat in my seat pondering the thought of riding a plane next to a celebrity. Should I get his autograph? Take a picture? There were so many things I could ask him. I finally decided that I would just play it cool and try not to upset the guy.

            A few seconds later, he came back from the bathroom and sat down. For some reason I was actually nervous. I turned to him, kind of like a fifth grader asking out his first girlfriend, and said “Hey… aren’t you Robert Downey Jr.?”

            He responded with an upbeat, “Well yes I am!”

            A bit surprised by his response, I just said “cool” real quietly.

            Thinking the conversation was over, he asked me, “So, have you seen the new movie?”

            I knew that he played the main role in Iron Man, but I hadn’t seen it, and to be honest, I didn’t plan to. However, I replied “No I haven’t seen it yet, but I really want to.” I used this as a way to sort of suck up to him.

            “Right, right.” He said. “So enough about that, who are you and what do you do?”

            I told him my name, my life story in short, what I did, and what my intentions were within the next ten minutes rather briefly.

            Then, I remembered the special on Oprah the previous week with Robert Downey Jr. discussing his past. Rather stupidly and abruptly, I said, “How did you overcome your drug addiction?” I immediately regretted my decision and blushed a little bit.

            For a minute I thought he was going to bite my head off. It wasn’t until he smiled with his almost too white teeth and said “What would you like to know?” that I let out a sigh of relief.

            “Well, I mean, I know plenty of people who use drugs recreationally and even some who are addicted, but I’ve never known someone who had the power to go to rehab and put their life back on track.”

            “So basically you want to know what pushed me into rehab and how I was able to finally kick my bad habit?” The actor replied.

            I nodded, thinking that this was going to be an interesting flight.

            “Well, drugs became an everyday part of my life from a very young age, starting mainly with Marijuana. However, eventually my friends and the adults around me were doing more drugs, so I though it couldn’t hurt to try. I would tell myself that I was only going to take one pill, one time, or that I would only snort cocaine once. Eventually it got to the point where I was telling myself that I was only going to shoot up one time, and then it became two times, and so on. I never realized that I had a problem.” He paused for a minute as he remembered his troubled past, and lowered his dense brow briefly.

            At that point a very good looking red-headed stewardess came by with a drink offer. “Oh, hey there Pepper, what’s the news today?”, Downey said with a smirk on his face as he compared her to his assistant in his movie. The waiter blushed and read him the menu. He was watching, seemingly interested, and then ordered a diet coke.

“I was living fine, financially. It was the other aspects that brought me to realization. I couldn’t hold a job, and I would continually get worse and worse positions on set. My wife left me, and no one would really talk to me. It was just me and my heroin. Sean Penn at the time dragged me to the rehab center. Doing what I thought was the best thing at the time, I escaped and continued with my old ways” I could tell by the look in his eyes that he regretted doing that. “After a few more close calls with the drug, and messed up relationships, I knew something had to be done. I called a few friends and asked them to take me into a rehab center. I couldn’t do anymore jail time, and this lifestyle was not working for me. Once you make the decision, the recovery is easy. That’s all it took. The decision. Come to think of it, I don’t even know why I’m riding first class. I thought I decided that I was going to go coach from now on…”

He kept talking about small things, but I was in awe. The words that just came out of this man’s mouth were things I had never heard before. “I can’t believe that was all it took. In all of the other stories I hear, the rehab part is the hardest, not the decision.”

            “They aren’t trying hard enough. If you make a true decision to change your life, it can be done as easy as it sounds. No matter what hindrance you may encounter, don’t let it take control of you and destroy a brighter future. In the end, the things that matter cannot be halted by mere recreational activities that have no positive effects.”

            I didn’t respond to him for a few minutes. I just sat and thought about what had just been said. Something so vast shrunk into a few words was something breathtaking for me. We didn’t discuss that topic again for the rest of the flight. He didn’t give me an autograph, a picture, his phone number; he gave me a life lesson that only someone who has first hand experiences can fully understand.