"Come on." "Come on out." "You want something?" "wanna eat?" "There's some food out here." "Here it is." "It's in the kitchen." "Good night, Sylvia." "Mirabelle Buttersfield moved from Vermont." "Hoping to begin her life." "And now she is stranded in the vast openness of L.A." "She keeps working to make connections." "But the pile of near misses is starting to overwhelm her." "what Mirabelle needs is an omniscient voice to illuminate and spotlight her." "And to inform everyone that this one has value." "This one." "Standing behind the counter in the glove department." "And then to find her counterpart and bring him to her." "So..." "You have a student loan of $39,452." "And you're currently paying it off at the rate of..." " $45 a month." " Yes." "Do you think that you could increase that amount to..." "Let me just see." "$160 a month?" "well, I..." "I would love to, but..." "That's just not gonna happen." " Oh, really." " Yeah." "Hey!" "I mean, hello." "Hi." " Do you need change?" " No, I'm fine." "OK." "where do you work?" " Saks." " Oh." "Saks." "Cool." "Saks..." "Saks Fifth Avenue?" "where do you work?" "Uh... in my studio." "I'm an artist." " Oh, yeah?" "Me, too!" " Oh, really?" "what kind?" "I draw. what do you do?" "I'm involved in stenciling." "You know Holydog Amplifiers?" "I do their logo." "Here, I'll show you." "These are, like, some fonts I did." "You know." "Like, this one by my thumb's an older one, obviously." "And, um..." "This is my favorite one." "I've called this font "Los Angeles" because..." ""Los Angeles." It's my favorite one." "I'm an OK guy, by the way." "You didn't have to tell me that." "I didn't?" "How come?" " well, I could tell." " well, how could you tell?" "'Cause I'm a really poor judge of character." "I'm a poor judge of character as well." "The worst." "Excuse me, young lady." "Um, two things." "One:" "I was wondering if I could now borrow change from you because my stuff's still damp." "And two:" "Um, I was wondering if I could please have your phone number so that I could..." "I could call you." "I'm Jeremy." "I will call you." "# If you do want me" "# Gimme little sugar" "# If you don't want me" "# Don't lead me on." "Girl" "# But if you need me" "# Show me that you love me" "# And when I'm feeling blue" "# And I want you" "# There's just one thing" "# That you should do" "# Just gimme some kind of sign." "Girl" "# To show me that you're mine." "Girl" "# Oh." "Yeah" "# Just gimme some kind of sign." "Girl..." "Sorry." "I'll..." "I'll get it next time." "Hey." "Sorry." " Hi." " Hi." " You look nice." " Yeah?" "Yeah, thanks." "All right." "Um, OK." "Get ready to have the time of your life." "OK." "I'm ready." "All right, young lady." "Fantastic, isn't it?" "Yeah." " Are we going in?" " Go in?" "Oh, no." "I just thought we'd look at it." "So... we would just sit here, then?" "Yeah." "Or walk around." "This place is called City walk." "It got eight out of ten in my date book." "It's not called "City-Go-and-See-a-Movie."" "Tickets are, like, ten bucks too, so..." "I like it here." "Peaceful." "I come here to think about fonts." "I've actually been working on a font for you." "It's my most favorite one." "The Ls go like that." " we could split it." " OK." "Let's split it." "Could I borrow two bucks?" "Congratulations." "You've officially gone on a date with Jeremy." "Don't forget to hold the handle when you lock the door." " 52 steps." "OK." " OK." " well, thanks for driving me." " Can I see your place?" "I think I should go to bed." "I'm pretty tired." "Cool." "So..." " Good night." " Oh, OK." "OK, OK." "well, here, let me give you my number." "Uh..." " You got a pen?" " Oh." "Uh, yeah." "I do." " You got paper?" " Oh." "Yeah, I do." "How high is that?" "You ever jump off that?" "I would jump it." " Mirabelle?" " Yeah?" "Can I kiss you or what?" "The point being?" "Thank you." "Oh, hey, you look..." "you look good, too." " See you later." " Hey, Jeremy?" "Yeah?" "Are you the kind of person it takes time to get to know, and then, once you get to know them..." "they're fabulous?" " Yes." "Yes." "Absolutely." " OK." "what?" "Yes." " OK." " OK." "No?" "OK." "I love you." "No kiss." "Good night." "Good night." "Night!" "You see." "Susan." "Your husband doesn't understand that it's afterglow that's important to a woman." " Uh-huh." " Much more important than sex itself." " Hm." " A woman needs to be held." "Even if." "And science has shown this." " It's by someone she doesn't care about." " Uh-huh." "Protective hormones are released." "And the amount of hormones released depend on the degree to which she is held." "The first and best is the complete surround." "He wraps you in both arms." "whispers how beautiful you are." "Second best is the arm around." "He's next to you." "But with one arm around you." "Third is." "He's just next to you on his elbow." "But he rests his hand on your stomach and looks at you." "Fourth is you snuggling up to him with your head on his chest." "while he looks away into space." "But when the first best happens." "You feel completely. wonderfully like a woman." "Once a year. we have to feed our crocs a whole carcass." "God, OK." "From the skin." "Fur." "Bones..." "Jeremy?" "...around a wild crocodile because I'd be within strike range..." " Jeremy?" "...got a mouthful of pig." "He's bringing it into the shallows." "Jeremy?" "we've never seen him do it." "Let's hope he does it." "He'll pick it up out of the water." "Sink his teeth into it." "And then..." "Jeremy!" "wow." "Jeremy!" "watch this." "Here we go." "See his tail sticking up?" "Oh." "He's ripped it." "whoo!" "And here he goes again." "Yeah!" "Hello." "Hello." "Hello." "Hi." "Hello..." " Hello?" " Hello." "Hey." "Is this..." "Is this Jeremy?" "Yeah." " Do you know who this is?" " Yeah." "It's Mirabelle." "Did you just dial me?" "Yeah." "Uh... did you know that..." " Um..." " Um... what?" "Uh..." " That you what?" " That, uh..." " Oh..." " what?" "Nothing." " Oh." " Oh, God." "OK, well, um..." "Mirabelle..." "I was wondering if you want me to come over." " Yeah." " Yeah?" "Yeah." "I'm just hanging out, really." " Oh." "Great." " Yeah." " OK." "I'm gonna come over then." " OK." " Like. when?" " well, um..." "I'm in the middle of a lot of things right now, so... maybe, like, in ten minutes?" "Hi." "Hi." " I brought fries." " I can tell." "How could you tell?" " I can see through the bag." " Oh, yeah." "They're really good." " Come on in." " Yeah?" "Great." "Oh, great place, man." "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry." " That's OK." "Hey, is that the bedroom?" " what?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" " we'll need a condom." " Oh, oh." "I got it, I got it, I got it." " Oh, shit." " what?" " It's a mint." " what?" "I..." "I grabbed the wrong package." "It's a mint, not a condom." " Do you have one?" " No." "This is stupid." "Ooh, yeah!" "Do you have, um, a baggie?" " what?" " If you had, like, a Jiffy baggie, well, I could, like, use that, you know?" "Oh, God." " You're going to have to go and get one." " OK." "Cool." " where do you keep them?" " what?" "The Jiffy baggies." "where do you keep them?" "No, a condom." "Kind of breaks the romantic mood." "Do you want to just hug?" "Yeah." "Say, excuse me, bro?" " That was quick." " Yeah." " where'd you get it?" " well, I was out there, and I bumped into your neighbor, Kenny." "I just asked him if he had any..." " Oh, God." "...and he does, so great." "Do you still want to do it?" "Do you want a massage?" " Ow!" " what happened?" " Ow!" "Someone's hitting my balls." " Someone?" "Bad Sylvia!" "I'm sorry." "Ow!" "Are you OK?" "Yeah, it's like someone throwing marshmallows at me." " Ow." " Are you OK to?" "Yeah." "Does this happen often?" "Yeah." "Every night." "Maybe I should just go home." "No." "No, stay." "Amplifiers are so underappreciated." "what?" "They could be so cool-looking, and nobody cares about design." "It pisses me off." "Mac designs a cool computer - everybody goes out and they buy it!" "And a band, a rock-and-roll band, lives or dies by their amplifiers, and they're sold like refrigerators." "That's ridiculous, come on." "The amps should have mystique." "I mean, yeah." "Amps should be sold like cool things." "You know, like cars, like swords." "Not like appliances." "And that is why my boss's business is going under." "Because he views it all as merch." "That's merchandise." "You should do something about it." "Huh?" "He's never coming to one of my parties again." "Never." "They both looked so fat." " Ugh." "The worst." " The second floor is great." "You want something?" "Seen anything you want?" "Nothing here." "But that Stella McCartney dress is good." "Perfect." " Excuse me?" " Oh." "Yes, I'm sorry." " Is he famous?" " He's on that show Extraterrestrials." " Oh, I haven't seen that." " Neither have I." "How'd you know who he was, then?" "Osmosis." " would you like to see something?" " Um, yeah." "Those gray ones and those black ones." "OK." "How does it work?" "Is it one size fits all, or?" "They come in different sizes but mostly they'll fit anybody." "Unless... you know, she's... big." " I don't know. what do you think?" " well, it depends on the dress." "what color is the dress?" "Um..." "I'll just..." "I'll just get the gray ones." "Safe." "Safe?" "why, do you think the black?" " I like the black." " OK, I'll take the black." "OK." "It's $145." " Just put it in there." " OK." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Jerry." "I need your timecard in the office." "OK." "Chet!" "what?" " Hey." "You know what I've been thinking?" " I have no idea." "well, how could you?" "I'm the one who's thinking it, obviously." "Listen, Chet, who hangs out with rock musicians on the road?" " who?" " Other rock musicians." "And?" "If you had someone on the road with the band, you know, a band that uses our stuff, with someone who looks real sharp, you know, someone the musicians could relate to, bet you could sell a lot more stuff that way." " Do you have someone in mind?" " Yeah." "Me." "Think about it." "Here, smell." "Mm." " Arigato." " Arigato." " Arigato." " Arigato." " Arigato." " Arigato!" " Arigato." " Arigato." " Did you get my package?" " Oh!" "It seems I'm sneaking up on you, but I'm not." " I was distracted by global commerce." " Yeah." "So, did you get my package?" "Uh, yes." "Thank you." "And?" " who are you?" " Good point." "I'm Ray Porter." "How are you?" "Hi." "Look, I know you can't be seen chatting up customers, so why don't you just meet me Friday for dinner at La Ronde, that little place in Beverly Hills, at eight o'clock." "You don't even have to give me your phone number, just show up, and if you don't, I'll just eat alone." "what was the name of the restaurant?" " La Ronde." " what time?" "Eight." " You're on time." " why not?" " Many people aren't." " Oh, thank you." " would you like something to drink?" " Red wine." "what shade?" " Maroon." " All right." "we'll have some of that fancy maroon wine that you have." "So." "who are you?" "I'm a logician." "Meaning you work with numbers?" " I work with symbols." " So you're a symbolic logician." "Exactly." "You're very well dressed for a symbolic logician." "So how did you get my address?" "well, I lied to Saks, then made one phone call to Information." "You have an unusual name - Buttersfield." "Mirabelle Buttersfield." "while Ray explains his presumption in getting her address and sending gloves." "Mirabelle sizes him up and no alarm bells sound." "She asks several questions and gets a kind of checklist for a man over 50:" "Divorced." "Two houses." "One in L.A. And one in the computer-oriented Seattle." "which is the source of his wealth." "So... would you give me your phone number?" "Yes." "But the one question she does not ask him." "which is foremost in her mind." "Is: "why me?"" " Hey!" " Hi." "Mind if I join you?" "we see each other, but we don't know each other." " I'm Lisa." " Mirabelle." "You ever have men ask you out at the store?" "Daily." " And do you ever go out with them?" " Depends." "Somebody ask you out?" "You want some advice?" "You never call him." "But if he calls you, you talk to him, then act like you have another call, keep him on hold for a long time, like longer than you think is possible." "And break dates." "Always break dates." "Right around the holidays, because then he's just stuck." "And fellatio." "The sooner the better." "And a lot." "Act like you love it." "After he's addicted, cut him off." "That's when you've got him." "Yeah, I couldn't do all that." " How come?" " I'm from Vermont." " Hi." " Hi." " May I come in?" " Yeah, please." "I think I can see your apartment from my house." " Really?" " Yeah, I live near the observatory, and I can see the observatory from your steps." " well, do you want to go, or stay?" " well..." " Do you want to sit down?" " Yeah." "Great." "Thanks." "Oh." "Hm." " Do you want something to drink?" " Pardon me?" " A drink?" " Uh, yeah. what do you have?" "Uh..." " white wine?" " That's great." " It's a nice neighborhood." " Yeah, I really like it." "Mm-hm." " Ah." "Thank you." " Sure." "Hm." "Uh..." " Should we go?" " Yeah, let's go." "whoa, boy." "Let's..." "Yeah." "It's a futon, right?" "Yeah." "Futon." "You'll like the Cha Cha Cha." "It's fun. whoo-hoo!" "So..." " You know what you're gonna have?" " Yeah, I always get the jerk chicken." "Is that an order or a comment?" "OK, we need some date questions." "So let's see..." "where's your family live?" "Vermont." "Good relationship with your father, I hope?" "well..." "My dad doesn't speak very much." "After Vietnam." "Um..." "OK." "Be honest, maybe." "If this were a TV dating show, would I be kicked off already and you'd be on to the next guy?" "Uh..." " You'd still be on the show." " Good." " I like your watch." " Thank you." "It's a pretty unassuming Timex." "Yeah, but I'm out of date questions and so I'm on to date comments." "Now I'm your watch." "well, um, it was very nice." " was I boring?" " No, was I?" "A little bit." "well, OK." " I don't think that you should come in." " I'm not asking to." " Meaning?" " Meaning..." "I'll see you again?" "Oh." "OK." "I'll be out of town about a week." "But would you like to have dinner on Friday?" "we could eat at my place." "OK." "Bobby Simmons is struggling in this second half." "He's only two for seven." "And both of them have members down." "He's got to get better help from his receiver Simmons is looking long." "He scrambles left." "Oh." "There's a big block and see what he can find." "And Simmons with a long pass..." "It's Simmons with the touchdown!" "# Here she comes breaking through my window" "# In the early morning hours" "# For the moment I am disrupted" "# But in time she'll make me smile" "# All the wondrous animals..." "# Bring us songs that calm" "# They do no wrong" "# They do no wrong" "# Just how much I miss you" "# Yeah, my stomach aches in your absence" "# I don't know what I'd do without you" " Man, you saved our ass tonight." " Oh, no sweat." " what was that amp?" " Holydog." "It's the amp's amp." "You know, it's the one I've been telling you about for three weeks." "Luther, see you on the bus, man." " You want some dope?" " I'm afraid I'm gonna have to just say no." " Good answer." " I'm into athletics." " whatever." "You want to ride with us?" " what?" " we got an extra bunk." "Come on." " Ride with you?" "Yeah." "Great." "All right." "Let me get my gear, I got to expedite a couple things..." " Come on!" " All right!" "Hello?" "Hey." "It's Jeremy." "Jere-me." "what are you doing?" " You mean now?" " Yeah." "I want you to come over." " It's too late." " It's not too late." "It is for me." "I have to get up." "Come over." " I can't." " Come on." "No." "Oh, come on, I'm leaving town for a couple months." " I can't." " why not?" "Because I'm seeing someone." "You have a nice house." " Do you think it's too done?" " No." "No, it's nice." "I didn't do it." "It was like this when I bought it." "Do you want to sit down?" " Or do you want to go outside?" " OK." "Do you want some wine?" "Uh, later." "OK, yeah." "OK, there's the termite sign and then down from that..." "Yes!" "I can see your building but not your apartment." "Take a look." "See the blue sign?" "Um, yeah." "Then right below that, Silver Lake Boulevard." "Now go over." " Oh, yeah." " See?" "Huh." "Oh!" " You all right?" " Yes." "Did it pinch you?" "There's a dealer on La Brea who takes my drawings." "And they sell one occasionally." " How often do you do one?" " About every six months." "why so few?" "I don't know, really." "You sure you don't want some wine?" "I'm sure." "Thank you." "You want to see the rest of the house?" "Let's go." "That's the three..." "Got all three type recycle bins." "And the whole laundry room." "All the closets." "This just..." "See, you just put things in there." "Garage." "The bedroom." "Nice view." "Let me turn off the phones." "Hi." "It's Ray Porter." "Leave a message." " All right." "Here's where you sleep." " OK, cool." "Here's your headphones." "Go to sleep with the music." " Come on, we're gonna make Mojitos." " Right." " what's a Mojito?" " A fancy drink." "All right." "I want to fly!" "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Relax." "Relax your toes and breathe." "Relax your ankles and breathe." "Feel your hands." "Flex them." "Fix your eyes on an object in front of you." "Quiet your mind." "Feel the sensation of being alive." "Hey." "Is it OK if I make a speech?" "OK." "Um..." "I wasn't really looking for anything permanent right now." "But I really like seeing you." "I'm just traveling so much right now... that I thought maybe we should just... keep our options open." " Do you understand?" " I do." "OK, Miss Mirabelle of the fourth floor, how did it go with the glove man?" "Oh, yeah!" "Tell us all about it." "Spill it." "Do you like him?" "Does he like you?" "well, he said he was surprised that he was interested in me." "Um..." "I told her there was no possibility that this was a long-term relationship." "She's just really too young for me." " But you want to sleep with her?" " well, yeah." "He said he wants to give it a try." "And I said that even though this is not long-term, I still want to see her." " And she understood?" " Oh, yeah." "He said he wants to cut down on his traveling." "I essentially said that I'd like to sleep with her when I'm in town." "He said he might, you know, stop traveling completely." "Then we'd decide what to do." "Even though it's a sexual relationship, uh, we still should be able to see other people." "So he was really taken with you?" "Yeah, it seemed like it." "So you were really clear with her that this relationship has no future?" "Absolutely." "well, you know how to find out if he really loves you?" "How?" "You call him "sweetheart" and watch what he does." "# I don't know what it is that makes me love you so" "# I only know I never want to let you go" "# 'Cause you've started something." "Oh." "Can't you see?" "# That ever since we met you've had a hold on me" "# It happens to be true" "# I only want to be with you" "# It doesn't matter where you go or what you do" "# I want to spend each moment of the day with you" "# Oh. look what has happened with just one kiss" "# I never knew that I could be in love like this" "# It's crazy but it's true" "# I only want to be with you" "# You stopped and smiled at me" "# Asked if I'd care to dance" "# I fell into your open arms" "# And I didn't stand a chance" "# Now." "Hear me tell ya." "I just want to be beside you everywhere" "# As long as we're together." "Honey." "I don't care" "# 'Cause you've started something." "Oh." "Can't you see?" "# That ever since we've met you've had a hold on me" "# No matter what you do" "# I said." "I only want to be with you" "we've been listening to the same tapes for weeks." "what do you say we get some new stuff?" " what do they got?" " Um..." "Mostly yoga, Pilates, gyrotechnics." "Hey, look at these." " How to Love a woman." " Yeah." " You need that one." " what?" "Hm." "Here's more relationship stuff." " Here." " we're getting it?" "Let's just get 'em all." "we're on the road till February." "Um, OK." " All right?" " All right." " All right." " All right." "Um, I guess we'll love women now." " Happy Birthday." " Thank you, mister!" " Anything you don't like you can take back." " I never return anything you give me." "Maybe you've got a stash of stuff you're dying to take back," " just waiting for me to say it's OK." " Silly." "By the way, you know, my birthday's tomorrow." "It is really?" "OK." "You know what that is?" "That is a computer error." "I am going to fix that, and next year everything will be perfect." "Next year?" "Next year?" "Next year you'll be dead." "Do you want to open them tomorrow, then?" "No, I love gifts." "Oh, my God." "It's beautiful!" " You like it?" " I love it!" "Thank you so much." " Should I try it on?" " Yes." "Yes." "I got to go to New York in about six weeks for an event weekend." " You want to go?" "Could you get off?" " Oh, my God, yes!" "You're going to need a dress." " what kind of dress?" " It's a tuxedo thing." "So whatever that is." "I could take you to Armani next week." "You look beautiful." "Excuse me." "Ray?" "what?" "I've never had a dress fitted on me before." "Feel the sensation of being alive." "Feel what it means to be alive." "Only from this place of pure existence can you begin to change." "To turn yourself into a being capable of loving another person." "Hey, you're going to be late." "You all right?" " I feel good." " I feel good, too." " I think I like the look of the brown ones." " would you like..." "Are you all right?" "Yes." "I'm fine, thank you." "I'll be back in about five minutes." "Hey." "It's Ray." "You haven't returned my calls." "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." " You don't sound fine." " I'm OK." "Hey, guess what?" "I'm not hanging up until you tell me what's wrong." " Have you ever taken antidepressants?" " No." "I do." "But I stopped." "And?" "And, uh, the doctor says that maybe I shouldn't have." "All right." "I'm going to come over there and get you and we're going to go to the doctor." "You call him and let him know we're coming." "Hey, I have something for you." "what's this?" "I know it's a month away, but it's your ticket to New York City." "Thanks." " Hello?" " You're there." "Just." " Hey, do you have plans for tonight?" " Somewhat." "Could you cancel them?" "I could be there in three hours." "I could cancel them." "Good." "Have you eaten yet?" "No." "I wanted to wait." " well." "I'll bring some food from the plane." " Plane food?" "Private plane food." "Hi." "It's Mirabelle." "Leave your name and number and I'll call you back." "Oh, hey, Mirabelle's machine, it's Jeremy." "I'm calling you from the road." "Um..." "And I was calling to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and all that." "And..." ""I think I objectified you instead of treating you like the unique being that you are."" "And, even better," "I get to use the roadie from the Hot Tears' cell phone for free - no charge - so I'm calling you for free." " why are you leaving for work at 7:45?" " I got to go home and change." "Oh." "Oh." " That could take an hour." " I know." "Do you want to stay at my place sometime?" "I live ten minutes from Saks." "Next time you come over, just leave some clothes here and you can go to work from here." "OK." "I won't be able to see you till after Thanksgiving." "Don't stuff yourself with all that turkey." "See you, sleepyhead." "well." "Cash was a great guy." "First time I ever met him..." " Don't tell me he was in prison." " No." "He actually..." "I'm glad you called." "You saved me from a dinner of oatcakes and peanut butter." "You always used to take me out to nice restaurants. why don't you take yourself?" " I didn't want to go out." " I would've brought food." " It's a little tricky." " Oh." " Eat some." " Mm." "Cholesterol." " It's fish." " It's eggs." " 5000 little eggs." " Oh, please." "Are you seeing somebody?" "Yes." "No." "Is it serious?" "It's hard to say." "I..." "I've been really clear with her." "Are you in love with her?" "Question of the night." "How would you like to just lie there?" " what do you mean?" " Tonight, how would you, Ray Porter, like to just lie there and pretend like you're in Thailand?" "And when it's all over, I'll just slip away into the night." "Remember?" "Hi. whatcha doin'." "Mister?" "Just calling to say hello." "when you coming down?" "Let me know." "we could have one of our nights." "OK." "So... well." "Have a good night." "Bye." "Dear Mirabelle." "I suppose the only way to say this is to say it." "I slept with someone." "It was not romantic or intimate." "And if I had it to do over again." "I wouldn't." "I am not telling you this because I want our relationship to change." "I am telling you this only because you deserve to know." "I am sorry." "Ray." "I put it in a letter because I didn't want to change my mind in the middle of telling you." "I can't go to New York with you now." "Oh, sweetie." "I can't go." "How could I go?" "Hey." "You want to hear the stupidest thing of all?" "I somehow thought it would be all right." "Ray. we have to cancel..." "Hey." "Ray." "It's Evan..." "This is a call for Mr. Porter..." "Hi, Dad." " Hi, Mom." " welcome." "Dinner's ready!" "I'll be there in a second!" "You getting along OK out there?" "Yeah." "Saks is fine and..." "I sell a drawing sometimes." "Mm." "we have a model based on the T10-I formula." "You can modify it when necessary and expand it when necessary." "The new formula is much denser, much quicker to respond." "It can take in way more information than the original formula, and is still containable." "Five men and five computers can run the whole operation..." "Hello?" "Mirabelle, it's for you." "Hello." "Hi." "Hi." "I'm sorry." "why don't you come to New York?" "OK." "# Eight weeks aren't enough still" "# For all the other winters I've spent" "# She lived in a house # where Mission Street bends" " Hey." " Hey." " what's that?" " It's a Helmut Lang suit." " Helmut Lang suit. what for?" " That's for when we hit New York City." "A white suit for when we hit New York City." "Cool." "You look like an angel." "# Sorry" "# I can never love you tonight" "# I could never care enough" "# These last days" "# Her tears fell on her pages" "# Found me well on her words" "# I don't know what to do or say" "I'm not ready to make love." "That's all right." "I'm just glad you're here." "So, thank you for coming in." "we do need you to sign a few things." "OK. what are they?" " Just some papers finishing off your loan." " OK." "what do you mean, finishing off my loan?" "what do you mean?" "Your loan's been paid off." "Just need you to sign here and here." "And congratulations." "It must be quite a relief." "You are the sweetest man." "Oh, it's something I'm able to do for you." " You do a lot for me." " I don't give you very much." "Financial things, yes, but that's easy for me." "I know it's hard for you to be close." "Sorry." " This you will love." " That's nice." "There's one other..." "This one." "It's made with salmon roe." "It's fabulous." "It's great." "Karen." "It's Lisa." "Did you sell one of those flowered print dresses this week?" "Size two." "Uh, yeah." "Some guy came in." "Bought one for his girlfriend." " what was the name on the credit card?" " OK." "Hang on one second." "Ray Porter?" " Hello?" " Hi." "It's Ray." "I'm just about to land." "I'll be about a half-hour late." "Can I meet you at the gallery?" "OK." "Excuse me, young lady?" "Mirabelle." "It's me" " Jeremy." " Nice to see you again." " Hi!" " You look so different." " Yeah, I know." "Changes. whoo!" "D'you realize I've been on the road for a very long time now?" " I guess you have, yeah." " I've been trying to break into the moment." "That's been my work." "I don't get paid for it, but it's my un-work work." "I feel unprepared to see you, but it's so nice to see you again." " Are you going to the Reynaldo Gallery?" " Yeah." "Are you?" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." "I'm leaving tomorrow and I wasn't sure if I'd see the show before it closes, and I'm a huge fan of the artist." "He's a big influence on my stenciling." "Great." " Two things." " Yes?" " One:" " Uh-huh." "...you look great." "And second:" "would you walk in there with me?" " Sure." " Yeah." " OK." " well, let's go." "These are never clean." " You look amazing!" " well, you look amazing." " Are you taller?" " I'm wearing heels." " Really?" " Yeah." "He's younger than I thought." "Hm." " Are you going in here alone?" " I'm meeting a friend." " Cool." "She's?" " He's." "He's." " You want something from the bar?" " Not yet." "I'm gonna get something, so I'll see you in a minute?" " OK." "I'll just be walking around." " OK." "Bye, Mirabelle." " Hi." "Can I have a Mojito?" " Yes, sir." "Mojito." "For you, my good man." "Oh, my God." "I have never seen anyone else order one of these." "Yeah, I just love the color." "Good." "Funny." " Yeah." " wait." "You have to take the first sip with your eyes closed, though." "Like this." "Go ahead." "See?" "Nothing to distract you from the first taste." "How was it?" "It's noisy." "I have a secret." " what is it?" " I know who you are." "How do you know who I am?" "You hear about people who are worth hearing about." "I'm Lisa, Ray." "Hi, Lisa Ray." "Sense of humor." "That's good." "That's good." "You, um..." "Do you?" "what is it?" " I can't, I can't, I'm sorry." " what?" " what?" "Just tell me." " I can't." "I'm shy." " Stop." "I'm shy." " OK." "Do you want to get a drink later?" "Yes." "Great." "Um, when do you want to leave?" "Now!" " You know what else I like?" " Hm?" " I think I like Ray Porter." " Hm." "I can't wait to meet him." "Bye!" "Hey." " Arrive." " Bonsoir." " Sorry I'm late. want to take a walk?" " Sure." " I've no car." "Can you give me a ride?" " Yeah, mine's in the lot." "Hey, you want to go to the Ivy?" "It's still early." "Sure." "why don't we just go home?" "OK." "Are those handcuffs?" " wait and find out." " whoa." "Oh, Ray." "Oh, Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" " well, we missed the Lakers." " Do you care?" "I wish I did." "I'd be such a guy." " I'm gonna get water." " Let me get it." " I'll get it." "You want some?" " Yes." " Sweetheart." " what?" "Nothing." "You want toast or toaster waffles?" " Toaster waffles." " Toaster waffles." " Hello?" " Oh." "Did I wake you?" "Hm?" " It's Jeremy." " who?" "Sorry, speakerphone." "It's Jeremy." "Mm. who's Jeremy?" "what do you mean, who's Jeremy?" "Have we met?" "Have we..." "It's Jeremy from last night, you little devil." "You're so funny." "Oh, you mean we met at the gallery?" "I love it when you..." "Yeah, we did all those..." "Remember we were doing all those Oriental positions, and you called me "big daddy."" "Oh!" "Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" "Oh, Ray!" "Oh." "Ray!" "Oh." "Ray!" "Oh." "Ray!" "what?" "You don't know who this is?" "Yeah, this is Ray Porter from last night." "OK, who is Ray Porter?" "Your waffle is burnt to perfection." " Hey, guess what?" " what?" "when I'm in New York next week, I decided to look for an apartment." " To move there?" " Just a place to stay while I'm there." "No more luggage!" "whoo-hoo!" "Like a crash pad." "You lucky mister." "Actually, I'll look for a three-bedroom in case I meet someone and have kids." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to." "Ray... why don't you love me?" "Are you just biding your time with me?" "I thought you understood." "So..." "I can either hurt now or hurt later." "Now, I guess." "# I stand there watching you" "# Hand holds a cigarette" "# She tells me her name" "# And once again I will forget" "# 'Cause somewhere in my heart..." "Goodbye, Mirabelle." "And good luck." "# Somewhere in my dreams" "# Is a love that won't stop me" "# She drinks her coffee twice" "# Said something I cannot hear" "# Dark hair and brown eyes" "# Speak that I have found what might be" "# Somewhere in my heart" "# There's a love that always will be" "# Somewhere in my dreams" "# There's a love that won't stop me" "# wish I could want someone" "# Long enough to feel this way" "# Can't make up your mind" "# But it feels worse this time" "# 'Cause somewhere in my heart" "# Is a love that always will be" "# Somewhere in my dreams" "# Is a love that won't stop" "So, could I borrow, like, two bucks?" "I'm just kidding." "Here." "Here's one of my lucky rubber bands." " For a rainy day." " Thanks." " Thank you." " Of course." "OK." "I've been reading a lot of books on tape about getting into the moment, and I think this is the moment." "And in the moment, this moment, I..." "I think we should kiss." "And, um..." "I've stood right here before and I've been hurt, I have been rejected by you, and I'm going to ask you to kiss me again." "And, um..." "And... will you just kiss me?" "Thank you." " Jeremy." " Mm?" "So what made you do all this?" " All this what?" " All this... success." "well, you did." " I did?" " Mm-hm." "How?" "well, you said, "Just do it." So I did it." "That's not very much." "Yeah, but..." "I'll protect you." "I will." "Some nights alone." "He thinks of her." "And some nights alone." "She thinks of him." "Some nights these thoughts occur at the same moment." "And Ray and Mirabelle are connected without ever knowing it." "But Mirabelle." "Now feeling the warmth of her first reciprocal love." "Has broken away from him." "And as Jeremy offers her more of his heart." "Mirabelle offers equal parts of herself in return." "One night." "Sooner than she would have liked." "which made it irresistible." "They make love for the second time in 14 months." "At this point." "Jeremy surpasses Ray Porter as a lover of Mirabelle." "Because what he offers her is tender and true." "So, tonight we'll go for Indian food." " I want one of those burrito..." " Yeah." "A d-d-d..." " A doobie." " Doobie?" "A dobio?" "what is it called?" "Um, I'm just gonna go talk to my friend." "I'll be back in a second." "OK." "My girlfriend did these." " Did you get my birthday present?" " I did, yeah." " Did you get my thank-you note?" " Oh." "Yes, yes." "I'm sorry." "Thank you." "It's OK." " You look nice." " Thank you." "Are you happy?" "I am." " The lower intensity is nice." " Yeah." " who's your girlfriend?" " She's a doctor." "Ah." "A hypochondriac no more." "She'll check you out." "well, she's a gynecologist." "Then you'll have a lot to discuss." " Are you happy?" " Yeah." "You know, I'm always a little edgy." "Restless." "That's a good word." "I want you to have the drawing of me sleeping." " It's in the gallery." " You don't have to do that." "No, I want you to have it." "I made it while we were seeing each other." "Thank you." "And, um..." "Just so you know, I'm sorry for the way I treated you." "I know." "I did love you." "Goodbye." "As Ray Porter watches Mirabelle walk away." "He feels a loss." "How is it possible." "He thinks." "To miss a woman whom he kept at a distance." "So that when she was gone he would not miss her?" "Only then does he realize how wanting part of her." "And not all of her." "Had hurt them both." "And how he cannot justify his actions except that. well... it was life."