This doesn't seem to fit with the rest...
It is part of the same story, but it feels later on.
He had won awards before, in his old life, in the time when he was a shiny cog in a entertainment machine. This one was different, and there were rules and speechwriters and important people in the audience. He knew he was supposed to act his role here, too. He should smile and nod and read the speech that was written for him by people he didn't know.
Too bad he was not in the mood to be a good boy.
"Good Evening. First, I would like to thank the members of the Committee and all the gathered notables for this award. it is an honor that I am deeply humbled by, but one which I do not deserve."
He stopped and smiled the endearing smile that had won him so many fans over the years.
"Now, there are some people out there panicking. I came up here without my speech." His dimples appeared and his face cracked into a giant grin. "Or my spectacles, so I cannot read the version loaded up on the screen."
"I am not a politician, nor have I been trained in the art of making speeches about myself. I was always taught to be humble and to promise only to try my best. It is in the spirit of that education that I am talking to you today."
"When the phone call came to inform me that I was to receive this award, there were many people whom I trust and admire who came to give me their congratulations. However, one person whose advice and counsel I trust the most was not amongst them. At first I felt like a child whose efforts are overlooked by their parent, but being a wise husband, I checked my tongue and waited until she came to talk to me."
"A lot has been written about my wife, very little of it accurate. She is a private person, never seeking the spotlight. She has ended up on the world stage, mainly because I was there. She handles it with a grace that I find astonishing. From the time I met her, she has never not been honest with me. She tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear."
"What she did was remind me, that while this very pretty medal has my name on it, it does not belong me. What has happened, all those accomplishments that were attributed to me were achievements that came about with very little input on my part. For all that I am dressed up and put out on stage to shake hands and sign commemorative documents, I am only a living mascot for the army of far more able people than I who have put in long hours in negotiations, research, and ground work. I am not the man in the street who refuses to bow to unjust authority, nor am I the woman who speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am neither someone who drafts laws to protect the vulnerable, nor the brave soldier who risks death on the behalf of nations. I do not know how the small details that allow trains to run on time, or traffic to flow, or planes to fly, or food to reach the hungry. Those people are the ones we should celebrate, they should get the awards."
"In the past year, my life has changed in ways I never could have imagined. I have become something I never sought to become. My life has expanded and been enriched by being allowed to be the face of such historic events. My heart has become full at the sight of so many giving of themselves for the sake of others. My soul has brightened when I am in the presence of children who are going to school for the first time, or wearing new shoes for the first time, or playing outside without fear for the first time. I have learned so many lessons. For me that is the gift of this year, that and the work that is to come."
"However, as a good spokesman, I will stand for all the people who do deserve the accolades. On their behalf, I thank you."
He had won awards before, in his old life, in the time when he was a shiny cog in a entertainment machine. This one was different, and there were rules and speechwriters and important people in the audience. He knew he was supposed to act his role here, too. He should smile and nod and read the speech that was written for him by people he didn't know.
Too bad he was not in the mood to be a good boy.
"Good Evening. First, I would like to thank the members of the Committee and all the gathered notables for this award. it is an honor that I am deeply humbled by, but one which I do not deserve."
He stopped and smiled the endearing smile that had won him so many fans over the years.
"Now, there are some people out there panicking. I came up here without my speech." His dimples appeared and his face cracked into a giant grin. "Or my spectacles, so I cannot read the version loaded up on the screen."
"I am not a politician, nor have I been trained in the art of making speeches about myself. I was always taught to be humble and to promise only to try my best. It is in the spirit of that education that I am talking to you today."
"When the phone call came to inform me that I was to receive this award, there were many people whom I trust and admire who came to give me their congratulations. However, one person whose advice and counsel I trust the most was not amongst them. At first I felt like a child whose efforts are overlooked by their parent, but being a wise husband, I checked my tongue and waited until she came to talk to me."
"A lot has been written about my wife, very little of it accurate. She is a private person, never seeking the spotlight. She has ended up on the world stage, mainly because I was there. She handles it with a grace that I find astonishing. From the time I met her, she has never not been honest with me. She tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear."
"What she did was remind me, that while this very pretty medal has my name on it, it does not belong me. What has happened, all those accomplishments that were attributed to me were achievements that came about with very little input on my part. For all that I am dressed up and put out on stage to shake hands and sign commemorative documents, I am only a living mascot for the army of far more able people than I who have put in long hours in negotiations, research, and ground work. I am not the man in the street who refuses to bow to unjust authority, nor am I the woman who speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am neither someone who drafts laws to protect the vulnerable, nor the brave soldier who risks death on the behalf of nations. I do not know how the small details that allow trains to run on time, or traffic to flow, or planes to fly, or food to reach the hungry. Those people are the ones we should celebrate, they should get the awards."
"In the past year, my life has changed in ways I never could have imagined. I have become something I never sought to become. My life has expanded and been enriched by being allowed to be the face of such historic events. My heart has become full at the sight of so many giving of themselves for the sake of others. My soul has brightened when I am in the presence of children who are going to school for the first time, or wearing new shoes for the first time, or playing outside without fear for the first time. I have learned so many lessons. For me that is the gift of this year, that and the work that is to come."
"However, as a good spokesman, I will stand for all the people who do deserve the accolades. On their behalf, I thank you."