I am Raymond K. Hessel...
Posted by: Tony"Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day in Raymond K. Hessel's life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted." - Tyler Durdan - Fight Club
This moment in the movie always left me with two feelings; One, Tyler was one sick ass dude... And Two, maybe he was right... To get the full message of the scene you have to view it in context with the movie but here's some excerpts from the screenplay that tells the tail.... Stick with me, I've got a point at the end. :)
THE BACK DOOR opens and Tyler brings the store's CLERK out at gunpoint, forces him to his knees. Jack is already there, freaked. Tyler points the gun at the Clerk's head.JACK
What are you doing? Come on...
TYLER
(to the clerk)
Hands behind the back.
JACK
God!
TYLER
(to the clerk)
Give me your wallet.
The Clerk fumbles his wallet out of his pocket and Tyler snatches
it. Tyler pulls out the DRIVER'S LICENSE.
TYLER
Raymond K. Hessel. 1320 SE Benning, apartment A. Small, cramped
basement apartment, Raymond?
RAYMOND
How'd you know?
TYLER
Because they give shitty basement apartments letters instead of
numbers. Raymond, you are going to die.
RAYMOND
No,...
Tyler rummages through the wallet.
TYLER
Is that your mom and dad? Mom and dad will have to call kindly dr.
so-and-so to dig up your dental records, do you wanna know why?
Because there won't be nothing left of your face.
RAYMOND
Oh...
JACK
Aw, come on!
Raymond begins to weep, shoulders heaving.
TYLER
An expired community student ID! What did you study, Raymond?
RAYMOND
S-s-s-stuff...
TYLER
Stuff? Where the mid-terms hard?
Tyler rams the gun barrel against Raymond's temple.
TYLER
I asked you what you studied.
RAYMOND
Biology, mostly.
TYLER
Why?
RAYMOND
I don't know...
TYLER
What did you wanted to be, Raymond K. Hessel?
Raymond weeps and says nothing. Tyler COCKS the gun. Raymond
GASPS.
TYLER
The question, Raymond, is what did you want to be?
JACK
Answer, Raymond! Jesus!
RAYMOND
Veterinarian! Veterinarian!
TYLER
Animals.
RAYMOND
Yeah, animals and s-s-s....
TYLER
--Stuff, yeah I got that. That means you have to get more
schooling.
RAYMOND
Too much school.
TYLER
Would you rather be dead? Would you rather die? Here? On your knees?
In the back of a convenient shop?
RAYMOND
Nooo!
Tyler UNLOCKS the gun, lowers it.
TYLER
I'm keeping your license. I'm going to check on you. I know where
you live. If you aren't back in school and on your way to being a
veterinarian in six weeks, you will be dead. Now run on home.
Tyler throws him his wallet. Raymond takes it, staggers to his feet
and heads down an alleyway, running.
TYLER
Run, Forrest, run!
JACK
I feel ill.
TYLER
Imagine how he feels.
JACK
Come on, this isn't funny! That wasn't funny! What the fuck was the
point of that?
TYLER
Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day in Raymond K. Hessel's life.
His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever
tasted.
Tyler throws the gun back to Jack and walks away.
It's at that moment in the movie when it really begins to sink in, the message, and the mission of Tyler Durdan. What things in my life am I missing out on because I am too indolent to notice how much they are being missed? What goals have I let slip through my fingers as I try to grab onto things that don't matter? What am I missing out on in my relationships because of stubbornness or self loathing?
Well, yesterday I posted a blog in an attempt to explain how I saw things that day... my fresh start, rebirth, my renaissance. The epiphany of what was important and why it meant so much to me. To explain further would best be done by telling you the outcome of that day. Last night, while finishing up an amazing evening dinner with Amanda, looking out over the Dallas skyline, I purposed to Amanda asking for her hand in marriage. With tears in our eyes she answered with relief "Yes, Yes!"… Last night I learned what true happiness looks like between two people and how it can shape and change your lives.
Today, the feeling continues. The feeling like nothing can stop us, our love, our happiness, our fire. I'm going to hang onto this feeling as long as I can, because I know that this hope, this silly ideal that "love is all you need", is actually true. I'm engaged now, to an indescribably amazing woman, and I feel more confident than I've ever felt, that this moment and everything about it is EXACTLY where I'm supposed to be.
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