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“Who was that?” Delia asked when Arthur hung up. He explained the irritating phone call, then changed the subject. “Weren’t we having an important conversation earlier?”
“The Jim Carrey button?” Delia asked.
“No, before that,” Arthur said.
“Ohhhh. Right. You were telling me that VHS tapes are better than DVDs,” Delia said.
Arthur laughed and shook his head. “I’m not trying to argue that VHS tapes are better than DVDs,” he said. “I’m just saying that we could potentially see a lot of movies slipping through the cracks with the switch. Hard-to-find titles that saw release on VHS but not DVD are going to become increasingly rare with everyone just junking the tapes like they are.”
“Yeah, but tapes wear out and break anyway, and even if there wasn’t a new format, the titles you’re talking about would probably remain out of print,” Delia replied. “And so many of the more obscure films that do make it to DVD are getting spectacular treatment. Have you seen the Criterion edition of Häxan? It’s got –”
Arthur held up a hand to silence her, relishing the intensity of their conversation. “You don’t have to tell me about the Criterion Collection. I have a stack of Criterion Collection DVDs” – he held the same hand some distance above the floor – “that high. I’m not saying that DVD is bad, it’s just that –”
Now Delia held up her hand. “I know what you’re saying.”
“You made some good points there.” Arthur said. “Ever think of studying politics?”
Delia shrugged.
Arthur knew she was starting college undeclared, and he worried about whether she’d find the right thing to concentrate on at school. He figured that she knew as well as he did that his fascination with her college career had a lot to do with how spectacularly his had tanked, but they never talked about it. They had a whole world of movies to talk about, and for just a little while longer, they had Video Deluxe.
If Delia were a character in a film, Arthur knew that she’d be the heroine of a screwball comedy. Katharine Hepburn in Holiday, Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday, something like that. She was only eighteen, but she had that stiletto wit and easy poise, that ability to be one of the guys without ever really being one of the guys. He knew he was a little bit in love with her. He also knew that he was jealous of her leaving town, as guilty as that made him feel. They worked together on Friday and Saturday nights when the rush was supposed to be on, though it rarely was anymore. Those nights were exciting because they were spent in rapid-fire conversation: Arthur letting loose his fierce opinions and encyclopedic knowledge of films, keeping Delia on her toes.
On weeknights Arthur worked alone, usually relaxing behind the counter while a familiar film like The Wizard of Oz or The Goonies played on the TVs. (Arthur was allowed to choose the films, but Constance had long impressed upon him the importance of keeping Video Deluxe family-friendly, and strictly forbade the employees from selecting anything with a rating higher than PG-13 at any time, day or night.) Shifts like that were slow but comfortable and comforting. Video Deluxe was home.
Arthur had even shot the best of his student films in the store, The Cure for Amnesia, a silent comedy about a video store clerk who got clubbed on the head during a robbery, woke up with amnesia, and began searching the video store racks and posters for clues to his identity. Arthur had played the clerk, and his high-school best friend Dean had played the robber. Making the film had been some of the most fun Arthur ever had. Constance had given him the run of the store, as long as he’d restricted his filming to after closing, and as long as he didn’t break or deface anything.
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About Victoria Large
