+. weird, USA.
"You're sure they're not too young?"
Ben froze, cursor hovering over the BUY TICKETS NOW button, and turned slowly in the computer chair to stare blankly at his wife. "...I find your lack of faith... disturbing."
She gave him a Look. "Okay, Darth, but really: Scout's only five. There's bound to be death and blood and really loud explosions. Think she's ready for that?"
"Liv, she's already seen the original trilogy, and the bits I deemed worthy from the prequels," he said. "I'm sure she can handle it. And besides -- there's no way I'm not giving our kids the chance to see a Star Wars film in the theaters. That's, like, lifelong bragging rights. Someday they'll be telling their children that they were there, opening night, experiencing The Force Awakens for the first time ever..."
"Unless it's as bad as The Phantom Menace--"
"La la la, I can't hear you!" Ben said loudly, wrinkling his nose at her. "Why would you jinx it like that? Have some pity, woman."
Olivia stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. "Fine, fine, I get it. This is important to you, and a really big deal, and I'll keep my realistic negativity to myself. I'm sure it won't have anything as annoying as Jar Jar Binks or an hour-long pod race."
Ben shuddered. "Thanks for the war flashbacks."
"Now, remember what I told you?" Ben said as he helped Scout settle into her seat. "You can't talk like we do when we're watching movies at home, because there are other people here who want to watch the movie, too. If you need to go to the bathroom or get ants in your pants, you whisper to me before you get out of your chair. And share your popcorn with your brother, alright?"
"M'kay," Scout said nonchalantly, sucking at the straw of her soda.
"And if the movie gets too loud for you, bud, let me know and we'll go out to the lobby for a bit, okay?"
Amari nodded solemnly, burying a hand into the bag of popcorn as the theater filled.
Ben sat back in his chair and sighed happily. He could feel the buzz of excitement around him. It was always a giddy thing, being in a theater opening night with like-minded people who shared his passion for the story and characters. This was the earliest showing of the day, so they could be home long before supper and the crowd wouldn't be as overpowering for the kids, but it felt as electrifying as the midnight showings he had attended in high school and college. Years of anticipation had led up to this moment and he had the chance to share it with his kids -- Christmas had indeed come early.
Halfway through the trailers, Scout had drained her soda and desperately needed the bathroom. As they stood, Amari accidentally dropped the popcorn, so that necessitated another stop at the concessions stand. For the first time in his life, Ben was grateful the opening trailers took so much time.
They had just settled back into their seats when the words
STAR WARS
EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS
crawled up the screen and Ben had to stifle a very fanboyish squeak of glee. Amari glanced over at him, a little startled, and then smiled when he saw the joy on his face. Ben bent over to whisper the opening text to Scout, who had screwed her face up with the effort of deciphering the letters before they receded; she was still only at the simple words stage of her reading lessons.
The moment Finn first took off his Stormtrooper helmet to reveal John Boyega's face, Ben glanced over quickly at Amari. He hadn't shown the kids any of the trailers, wanting the film to be an entirely unspoiled experience, and he felt a warm jolt of happiness when he saw how Amari's face lit up, his eyes brightening as his mouth fell open.
And when Rey fought off a pair of thieves trying to steal BB-8, Scout forgot her Daddy's rules enough to shout, "Yeah!", to the tittering amusement of the audience around them. She forgot again when Han Solo and Chewie appeared, pointing excitedly at the screen.
"Chewbacca, Daddy!" she shouted, bouncing as Ben nodded, leaning over to pat her back.
"I know, sweetpea."
When the truth about Kylo Ren was revealed, she and Amari both gasped loudly. "Is Leia his Mama then?" she demanded.
"Shh, sweetie, we'll have to wait and see."
Halfway through, Ben noticed that Amari was squirming slightly. "Okay, Strong Man?" he whispered.
Amari signed quickly while the screen was brightly lit with pale colors. Have to pee.
Ben started to get up, but Amari shook his head sharply. I can hold it, Daddy. I don't want to miss anything.
"You're sure?"
The nod was forceful enough that Ben capitulated. Finn was currently on screen holding a lightsaber, and Amari was looking at him with undisguised hero worship; Ben remembered staring at Han Solo the same way, though in recent years he'd come to appreciate Luke Skywalker as child-Ben never had.
"Rey's like Luke, isn't she, Daddy?" Scout whispered. "She's a Jedi, isn't she?"
"Looks like it."
When Han Solo made his impassioned plea to Kylo Ren, Scout and Amari gasped again. "He said your name, Daddy!" she said loudly.
And when Chewbacca, Finn, and Rey screamed in pain, so did Scout. Amari clasped his hands to his face with a strangled sound, eyes wide as saucers. "Nooo!" Scout shouted. "He was his Daddy! How could he do that?"
The seat behind them squeaked as a middle-aged woman leaned forward. "It's okay, sweetie," she whispered reassuringly. "It's just make believe."
"But he's Han Solo!" Scout said, tears trickling down her face. "He can't die!"
"He's not really gone forever," Ben whispered, thinking quickly. "He... He's part of the Force now, remember? Like Obi-Wan and Yoda. Remember how they died, but they became part of the Force?"
"But he wasn't a Jedi like them," Scout said, proving she had her mother's eye for detail.
"No, but the Force is everywhere. Everybody's a part of it."
Amari reached over and took one of his sister's hands, squeezing it gently.
Luckily, the ensuing fight between Rey and Kylo Ren managed to distract Scout from her sudden grief. By the end of it, she was on the edge of her seat and grinning. "She beat him! Because she's good and he's bad! Good always wins!"
In the movies, at least, Ben thought wryly.
And when the hood fell back to reveal Luke Skywalker, looking very like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Amari and Scout's mouths were shaped into perfect O's.
"Han and Leia and Luke got old like Baba, Daddy!" Scout said as they hurried into the bathrooms, poor Amari on the verge of explosion.
"Yeah, they did," Ben laughed.
"But they were young when we watched the other movies."
"Those movies were made a long time ago, honey."
"A long, long time ago in a galaxy far away?" she asked as Ben held her up to the sink to wash the greasy popcorn butter from her hands.
"Sort of. More like thirty years ago in parts of Tunisia and California," he said in an undertone as Amari let out a long sigh of relief in his stall. "So what did you think? Did you like the movie?"
"It was really long," Scout announced matter-of-factly. "I didn't like that one guy dressed all in black."
"Kylo Ren?"
"Yeah, him, but that other guy was mean, too. He was too shouty."
Ben laughed again. "Yeah, he was. Did you like Rey?"
"She was my favorite," Scout said, beaming. "She was so smart! She beat those bad guys up! And I liked her hair, and her stick thingy."
Amari emerged and washed his hands carefully. I liked BB-8, but Finn was the best, he said after they were dry. He was afraid, but he still did the right thing. He looks just like me! And he had a lightsaber!
"That's right," Ben said. "Anyone can be a Jedi."
I want to be Finn for Halloween next year, Amari signed.
"Then Finn you shall be, Strong Man. Do you want to be Rey, Scout?"
"Yeah!"
"Alright then. And I'll be Poe."
"What will Mama be?" Scout asked.
"She can be an X-Wing pilot, too. Or maybe we'll make her a BB-8 costume."
Scout giggled at the thought of her mother in a giant ball. "...Can we go see that movie again, Daddy? With Aunt Charlie and Uncle Pooh Bear, when they come for Christmas?"
"Guess we'll have to ask them when they get here tomorrow," Ben said diplomatically.
How many times can you see a movie in the theater, Daddy? Amari signed earnestly.
"As many times as you want, bud. There's no rule saying you can't see a movie a dozen times if you want."
When Amari grinned up at him, Ben knew Olivia was going to be groaning for the next month: seeing The Force Awakens was no doubt going to be a weekly occurrence for the foreseeable future...