"Some of the best writing in New York won't be found in books, or movies, or plays... but on the benches of Central Park." "Read the benches and you understand." "Enormous things happen in every life." "On the other hand, some of the worst writing in New York could be found at 222 East 30th Street, Apartment 3C." "The walls of which were decorated with rejection letters from magazines located in 12 countries, 47 states and the District of Columbia." "When I think about those stories and how I didn't realize what was missing from them not even tears, rivers of shame come out of my eyes." "I wasn't interested in friends or girlfriends." "All I did was write, and read, and mumble to myself." "It's a form of mental illness really." "Now, in New York, you're never more than 20 feet away from someone you know, or someone you're meant to know." "But in my whole life, I only crossed the street once." "I might never have thought of anything to say but then, I smelled the smoke from her cigarette." "It was heavy, I recognized it from outside a restaurant one time, it was either French or Spanish." "And I didn't speak Spanish." " Shall we continue in English?" " Please." "My name is Brian." "May I ask your name?" " Arielle." " Arielle." "Like "The Little Mermaid."" "What?" ""The Little Mermaid," it's a Disney film." "The little mermaid's name was Arielle." "Yes, I'm familiar." "Tha..." "that's where your mind goes?" "She was actually a very interesting character." " Really?" " Yes." "A beautiful woman who lived in the sea and... had the tail of a fish, and yet she..." "Somehow for her, it all worked." "Did you see it yesterday or something?" "No." "When I was 8." "The day before yesterday." "What's the French word for..." " Sirène." " Sirène, nice." "Well, enchantée, Brian." " Enchanté." " Will we meet again?" "I would like it very much if that would happen." "Well, I'm here every Friday at the close of lunch in my exile." "You would simply have to be here as well." "I will be then." "Good." "Until next Friday then." "Until next Friday." "Hi, Jim." "How are you today?" "Good." " Work is going very well, Dad." " Oh, you didn't tell me." "Well, it's gonna sound stupid, but the fiction editor from the "Atlantic" added the word sorry to the bottom of my latest rejection." "What the hell does that mean?" "It means I got close." "It's code." "Can we talk about law school?" "No, thank you." "No law school." "Any job worth having requires a second interview." "I thought perhaps you wouldn't come." "It never occurred to me." "I mean, because of the rain." "Is it raining?" "It was a good test." "A woman has to know what sort of man she's dealing with." "What sort of man am I dealing with?" "Damp." "A damp sort of man... but happy in his dampness." "What sort of woman am I dealing with?" "Une sirène." "Thank you." "So, Brian, what is it you do in your life that leaves you free to wander about the streets in the afternoons, and smoke in nooks, and talk to strangers?" "I write." "I'm a writer." "Have you published?" "No, not yet." "How old are you?" "24." "What are your stories about?" "Various things." "One is about... baseball." "One is about... dogs." "Dogs?" "Yes." "Uh-huh." "So do you have any questions for me?" "May I ask your profession?" "Are you asking me if I'm a prostitute?" "No." "No." "No." "No." "No." "No." "Are you... a prostitute?" "Certainly not." "How dare you?" "You brought it up." "I would have never..." "I was a model." "I stopped 8 years ago." "Are you wondering how old I am?" "Yes." "I'm 33." "Back to coffee with your friends?" "Yes." "Until next Friday?" "Hmm." "If you wish." "But I'm free any weeknight from 5 to 7." "Ah, those are very specific hours." "Yes, they are." "Alright." "Well... shall we say Monday at 5?" " Do you like museums?" " Yes." "Would you meet me at the Guggenheim?" "I'd be delighted." "Good." "Till then, then." "Till then." "No, he... he didn't write, "We will publish your next story."" "Is that what dad told you?" "So then, what did he write?" "He just wrote, "Sorry."" "And were they sorry today?" "No, they didn't write sorry on today's rejections." " Well, that's a step backward." " It's not a step backwards, mom." "Progress is not linear." "It's about death." "I beg your pardon?" "And menace." "It's about death and menace." "It's a... boat." "A nice boat." "It's near a beautiful beach and it's... sunny." "Is there any life on that boat?" " No." " And what is the opposite of life?" " Death, but..." " It's like a neutron bomb went off." "Maybe they're just below decks." "And it's not just this painting." "Look at this one." "Ha!" " This one has people in it." " Dead people." " They're alive." " Not really Look at that man." "Is he alive?" "And the soda jerk?" "Is that any kind of life?" "And the prostitute?" "Okay, she's not a prostitute." "What is it with you and prostitutes?" "What is she then?" "She's..." "I don't know, she's a beautician." "They're all dead." "And the store across the street is out of business." "And no one lives in the apartment upstairs." "The tenants have been evicted and the building condemned." "This Hopper is supposed to be the quintessential American painter." "Well, if that's true, then America is not alive." "America is alive, okay?" "And you have a somewhat downbeat world view." "No, I don't." "And prove it." "Prove what?" "That America is still alive." "Look around." "They don't seem particularly alive to me." "Prove it." "Alright." "You may be right, I don't know." "Your accent is beautiful." "Thank you, but you're a man infatuated and so nothing you say can be believed." "What made you settle in New York?" "I married a diplomat who was assigned here." "I wondered if you'd been married." " What happened to him?" " What do you mean?" "The person you were married to." "Were married to?" "Well, I..." "I'm married to." "Well, nothing happened to him." "He works at the French Consulate." "It's a few blocks from here." "So... so you're married?" "Of course." "What did you think?" "I thought you were... not married." "Why would you think that?" "Why would I not think that?" "For one thing, you don't wear a wedding ring." "Ah, so American, you need a signpost for everything or you'll completely lose your way." "It's not just Americans." "Many cultures have indicators of marriage." "Rings, uh, piercings, dots... designed to keep people out of exactly this sort of... awkward situation." "Do you wish you were not in that situation?" "Oh, so we seem to be mutually pursuing one another." "Yes, so?" "Well, I, uh..." " I would have thought you'd mention..." " Well, must everything be mentioned?" " Can nothing be culled from the subtext?" " Well..." "Do you not understand the meaning of 5 to 7?" "Was my confusion about 5 to 7 somehow unclear because I thought I was very clear about my confusion." "I thought you were kidding." "No." "No." "I was actually confused." "And what did you think I meant when I said I was only free at those hours?" "I thought you had a very busy schedule or you were unprepared to spend the later and definitionally sexier hour with someone you hardly knew." "Oh... it was a code." "A code." "Un cinq à sept uh, a 5 to 7 relationship is a relationship outside of marriage." "Seriously the French actually block out time for that?" "No." "1 to 3 lunch, 3 to 5 conference call." " 5 to 7 commit adultery." " Look..." "Do you set aside time to break other commandments?" "Do you covet at 9:30?" "Worship false idols from 10 to noon?" "It's not literal." "It's an expression." "It re... it refers to a time in the evening where a person's whereabouts might naturally be a little hazy." "Okay, I have a very good French dictionary and that is definitely not in there." "No, it wouldn't be." "Now, back in the day such things did tend to happen from 5 to 7, I think." "But these days, they happen all the time but my husband and I, we have found that... the original hours work very well." "They provide a set window and... clear boundaries." "I guess, that makes us old-fashioned." "Yes, entirely." "So your husband does this too?" "He has a mistress." "Her name is Jane." "And you know her?" "From time to time, I see her at social functions." "What is that like?" "Well, nothing is ever flaunted and so, no one is ever embarrassed." "And everyone is okay with everyone." "This is how we've chosen to live." "One day, I will stand next to her at his funeral." "Is that gonna be anytime soon?" "I am sure what I'm saying sounds terribly tawdry and hedonistic." "A little." "Well, it isn't." "We have our reasons for the choices we've made." "Do you have children?" "Two." "Would you like to see pictures?" "Yes." "Marc is 7 and Elodie is 6." " They're beautiful." " Thank you." "They are the lights of my life." "You're really thrown by all this, aren't you?" "I, uh, yes." "Uh-huh." "I must say that in my culture, it's not judged so harshly." "Okay, but we're not in your culture." "We're in my culture, and in my culture if we didn't have things to judge harshly we wouldn't know what to do all day." "Well, maybe your culture needs to grow." "Maybe there are other ways to look at life." "Maybe there are some people you marry... and people you love." "Arielle, you're older than I am, you're wiser I'm sure and you've seen much more of the world." "And you're beautiful, and elegant and smart, and funny and interesting and you feel like family which is wonderful." "Are you seriously telling me that a but is coming at the end of the sentence?" "Yes, but... being with you would be... an affair and to me... not ethical." "Unethical." "Not good... ethically." "I must respect your ethics if I ask you to respect mine." "Should you change your mind, I will continue to be out there smoking nook on Fridays." "But if I never see you again do know that..." "I will always remember you very fondly." "Are you okay?" "I'm sad." "It was the beginning." "Of what?" "Belief." "The following Friday right about after lunchtime the pace of work began to slow." "I knew where she was, and it was all I could think about." "By the Friday after that..." "Well, look, French girls just aren't good for your work habits." "And it killed me... that she was lighting her own cigarette." "By the Friday after that..." "I can't believe it took you 3 weeks." "Sorry." "So... what happens now?" "Room 2117, 5 o'clock." "You might have seen one out in Minnesota" "Or maybe down by the sea in Sarasota" "They were made back in Worcester Mass" "Of aluminum bakelite and glass" "Like a locomotive they were streamlined" "And the blue prints were drawn up from a dream of mine" "Yeah" "Dean Martin God rest his soul" "Talkin' to me from the cereal bowl" "There's a couple from the Show-Me State" "Knockin' back a little meatloaf plate" "Diner my shiny shiny love" "Diner my shiny shiny love" "Diner my shiny shiny shiny love" "Chicken and biscuits" "With a side of gravy" "Peach cobbler" "Use your key." "How are you?" "Very well." "Thank you." "And you?" "Very well." "Will you have some champagne?" "Please." "Always look the person in the eye when you touch glasses." "I know. 7 years of bad luck." "Bad luck?" "That's the American version?" "Yes." "What's the French?" "7 years of bad sex." "Good Lord." "I think that tells you everything you need to know about our two cultures." "Yes." "Yours is very optimistic." "I mean, a lot of people after, like, year 5 of bad sex they'd give up, but you guys really hang in there." " It's admirable." " Thank you." "At any rate, best to look the other person in the eye." "Yes." "Are you nervous?" "Oh, no." "I do this all the time." "I am." "What?" "Nervous." "I am nervous around you." "That's ridiculous." "Good nervous, I mean, uh, like a girl." "Well, you don't show it." "I should hope not." "Sometimes life is... really something." "Maybe you should write fortune cookies." "Are you alright?" "I was just thinking" "I never did a semester abroad in college and I... really regret that now." "It was completely different." "From your expectations?" " From the past." " Good." "Because I was about to say the same." "Really?" "Hmm-mm." "Wow." "Good for me." "Just so you know, you're a natural lover." "Your body expresses beautifully what's in your heart." "I'm just gonna write that down." "Have none of the other women you've been with told you these things?" "Uh, no." "Wow." "Good for me." "How do you do that?" "What?" "Look like that, in 30 seconds." "Do you have to go?" "There's a fundraiser at my children's school." "Please don't take this the wrong way but it suddenly seems... impossible to me that you have that life." "I don't take it the wrong way." "Actually it seems impossible to me too." "It will until the moment I next see my children." "I did wanna ask you something, if you don't mind." "What you said about belief... what did you mean?" "Can you say more?" "It's almost 7." "Will I see you tomorrow?" "No." "Monday." "5." "The same room." "Hold on to the key." "Trust me." "Say, "Till then, then" like you did that time." "Till then, then." "I like that." "I was way, way too happy to write." "It was not a good weekend for the Venetian blinds." "Can no American watch a film without popcorn?" "That's right." "Do you chomp popcorn when you read literature?" "I eat sunflower seeds and I spit the shells into a little cup." "I cannot kiss you goodbye out of doors." "I understand." "People can see us together." "That is permitted." "I can take your arm, but we cannot kiss." "If those are the rules..." "those are the rules." "Between the hours of 7 and 5 I made a study of French culture." "They seemed to be, uh, strange people." "But then, I'm sure she thought my people were strange too." "So I lost my virginity on Passover." " Passover?" " Yeah." "Do you know what that is?" "I don't know what you..." "No, what does that mean?" " It's a Jewish holiday." " Yeah?" "Where you eat matzah, which is unleavened bread." " Okay." " Yeah." " How was it?" " Yeah." "You mean the matzah?" " Or my... the loss of my virginity?" " The matzah, of course." " The matzah." " Yeah." "Now the matzah was great." "It, matzah doesn't really change over the years." "Sometimes, our two-hour interludes were calm and prosaic." " Oh, no." " What?" " I have some troubling news." " What?" "I don't think the boat we're controlling is our boat." " Are you..." " What?" " Are you kidding me?" " No." " Where is our boat?" " I have no idea." "Sometimes they were not so calm." "Brian." "Yes?" "Please join me." "By all means, bring your food." "Ahem!" " Sh..." " Mm-hmm." "Hello, I'm Arielle's husband, Valery." " Enchanté." " Enchanté." "Please forgive any hot dog related moisture." "Only if you will forgive my intrusion." "I..." "I thought we should meet." "Arielle speaks very highly of you." "She does?" "To you?" "Mm-hmm." "She says you're a very fine person." "Funny naturally charming sincere, extremely bright, kind." "She suspects you're very talented." "Thank you." "I'm very happy that she has met you, Brian." "For the little time since she has known you" "I have seen a light in her eyes that I had never seen before." "And I'm so very glad of it." "I wish to thank you." "You're welcome." "I would be pleased if you cared to join us at our home this coming Saturday for supper." "Really?" "Yes." "Is there any chance that this is a gentlemanly ploy designed to relax me before your driver turns around and impales me with a fleur-de-lis?" "None." "Well, then..." "I thank you for the invitation and I look forward to attending." "Good. 173 East 77th. 7:30?" "How did he find out?" "Was it a credit card bill or something?" " I told him." " I beg your pardon?" " With great joy." " You just volunteered it?" "Of course." " Why?" " Because he's my husband." "Uh-huh." "And did you know about this invitation?" "No." "I'm not surprised though." "Valery does lovely things like this." "How is this a lovely thing?" "To me, this is a wildly, wildly awkward thing." "I don't know what he has in mind." "You must understand, this is between you and him." "You have your own relationship now." " We do?" " If you want it." "I highly recommend it to you, by the way." "You will come to treasure his friendship." "He's that sort of person." "And somehow Saturday night will be thoughtful and wonderful." "You'll see." "You don't understand things yet, do you?" "Uh, no." "I feel guilty." "Why would you feel guilty if he's happy for us?" "Because I don't understand things yet." "Put aside your notions about how people are, Brian." "The world will surprise you with its grace if you let it." "Unclasp me?" "Brian Bloom." "I believe I'm expected." "What?" "Don't say that." "Brian Bloom." "Invited guest." "No, no, that's silly." "Hi." "Uh, Brian Bloom reporting for dinner." " Please come in." " Thanks." "Oh." "Hello." "Good evening." "May I take your coat?" "Uh, sure." "Thank you." "Right this way for the elevator." "Elevator?" "Good evening, and welcome to our home." "Thank you." "Brian." "Come in." "Come in." "Glad you're here." " Your children are amazing." " Ha ha." "Thank you." "Are they real, or are they from a catalogue?" "Uh, they are from a catalogue." "Come and meet some people." "Everyone, this is our dear friend, Brian Bloom who also happens to be one of the most talented young writers." "Brian, do you know Maestro Alan Gilbert?" " Pleasure." " It's a great pleasure, maestro." "Mr. Julian Bond." " True honor, sir." " Delighted." " And Mr. Daniel Boulud." " A pleasure." "I look forward to one day being able to afford to eat in one of your restaurants, sir." "Nonsense." "Nonsense." "I'll give you my card later." "And I'll tell Kareem to take very good care of you." "And this is our friend, uh, Jane Hastings." " How do you do?" " Nice to meet you." "Now, Jane is an editor at Farrar, Strauss and Giroux and perhaps this is the first of many handshakes between you two." "Ah, you're here." "Ladies and gentlemen, three of my favorite words." "Dinner is served." "This way please." "You, maestro, though immortal are not a God but a man." "We know God can be kind." "He can be joyful." "We also know He can be annoying." "What kind of a God is that now, maestro?" "I..." "I've listened to my own recordings at times and wanted to kill everything in the room, myself, the composer." "Even if the composer is dead." "Ah, and at those times, He can be vengeful?" "Oh, yes." "Not if we're made strictly in His image." "Exactly." "Goodnight, maestro." "Enough already with the maestro." "He seemed to like it." "I'm kidding." "So tonight actually happened you're saying." "You'll get used to it." "Julian Bond sure didn't eat much." "He's just very polite." "Oh, God, should I not have had seconds on the little hens?" " It was fine." " Alan Gilbert had seconds." "It was fine." "Don't worry." " Split it?" " Sure." "You seem to know the ropes very well." "Have you been with Valery for a while?" "A year." "Could I ask you something?" "Do you ever think to yourself." ""What the heck am I doing?" "This is crazy."" "No." "Well, then would you tell me what the heck am I doing?" "Because this is crazy." "You're being happy." "Just like I am." "But don't you want a relationship with a future?" "I'm 25 years old." "There's plenty of time for a future." "I guess." "Life is a collection of moments." "The idea is to have as many good ones as you can." "See, I was taught that there are no free lunches." "That one day, the rent comes due, the other shoe drops and you suffer a thousand-fold." " Who raised you?" " Jews." "Look, if you wanna be a good writer then you can't have a mediocre life." "I'll give you a baseball metaphor because Jewish writers love them." "Swing from the heels." "Okay, Brian Bloom?" "Okay." "I look forward to the next time we see each other." "And to the evolution of your attitudes." "You are a natural editor." "Where did this idea come from?" "Oh, you know, I'm just trying to... swing from the heels." " Oh, I'm so sorry I'm late." " Ah, no worries, Mom." " Ariel." " Arielle, Mom." " Arlene Bloom." "How do you do?" " Enchantée." " Where's Dad?" " Parking." "This neighborhood is a nightmare." "There are plenty of garages." "Have you forgotten who we're dealing with?" "Dad refuses to pay for parking." "He says it's highway robbery." "And he's absolutely right." "Brian, would you ask the waiter if they have a different chair?" " Sorry?" " My back is killing me." "I think all the chairs are pretty much the same." "Oh, excuse me." "Could I trouble you for a different chair?" " Excuse me?" " Something with better back support." "I'm afraid we don't have any other chair." "No folding chairs in the back?" "Mm." "I don't think we have any." "It's fine." "I'll stand." " You'll stand?" " It's fine." "It's highway robbery parking in this burg." " Hi, Dad." " Hiya, pal." "I finally had to say "Oncle," and put it in a garage." " Your mother is standing." " I know." "They have no folding chairs here." "It's The Carlyle, Arlene." "You know when we first met, she only sent back entrees." "Now it's chairs." "Dad, may I introduce Arielle Pierpont?" " Enchantée." " Oh, no." "I am the one who is enchanted." "That's right." "I studied your language." "Dad, the meaning of the verb, baiser which used to mean to kiss has changed a bit over the years." " It has?" " Yes." "What does it mean now?" "It means to fuck." "Oh, God." " Pardon my French." " Not at all." "Seriously though, $42 for 2 hours plus tip and then on top of that, after this, we have to drive all the way across town to another parking lot in the Theater District yet." " We're seeing "The Book Of Mormon."" " It's about Mormons." "Not the original cast, but still." "Yeah." "It's the replacement Mormons." "You know it actually might be less expensive if we leave the car in the East Side, then we take a taxi to the theater and back." "Maybe could we strategize later on the parking?" " What can I get for you?" " Table water for me, please." " Flat or sparkling?" " No, just table water." " Tap water?" " Yes." " With ice?" " Yes." "I think I'm gonna have a vodka martini." "You'll be passed out by intermission and I'll have to sing the second act in the car on the way home." "I would drink, but I may have to drive across town." "Yes." "You've mentioned that." "Vodka martini sounds wonderful." " One for me too, please." " You think we'll even find a cab?" "With a syringe, if you would." " Tout de suite." " Merci." "So first of all, did you ever hear anybody speak better school-taught French than this kid?" "99 on the Regents Exam." "And he knows the current usage." "And this is within his whole life not one day out of the country." "Something of which I'm very proud." "So it's nice the schedule worked out." "Brian says you're, uh, only free till 7." "That's right." "So, Arielle of whom my son speaks in golden tones tell us about yourself." "Well, I am 33, married, and the mother of two." "Waiter." "Canadian Club." "A married French woman 33 years of age, with two children." "You could stop that sentence anywhere along the way and have reason enough not to be in the relationship." "Dad..." "These are the same French who didn't let us fly over their country on the way to Khadafi." "Okay, but it's not her Frenchness that's really bothering you..." "No, but I can't discuss her marital or parental status because if I do, my pancreas will explode." "So instead, I'm dwelling on the relatively benign but still objectionable issue of her Frenchness." "Okay." "In the war, the French couldn't wait to give up their Jews." "Nobody could wait to give up their Jews..." "Also, they surrendered 3 times in the same war." " Have you any idea how hard that is to do?" " What does that have to do with anything?" "Because this is who you're dealing with." "Mimi and Joe Fabercamp went to Paris for their 25th and they said, "It was a festival of rudeness."" "And Joe even had a phrase book." "And his cousin, once removed was at Omaha Beach, unbelievable in gratitude." " $42, please." " Jesus Christ." "I really hope you know what you're doing, my boy." "I really hope this does not turn out to be one of those decisions that takes a perfectly good life and turns it for the worse." "It won't." "Now what the hell is going on over there?" "Look at that, dad." "She fucked her twice." "Arlene, you wanna weigh in, please on the subject of la femme Robinson over there?" "Or are you just gonna leave your husband to fight this battle himself?" "Just like that time at karaoke night when you dropped the microphone, walked off and left me because you couldn't read the lyrics to "It Had To Be You."" "It's good you've let that go." "I think that there are two forces on Earth you never want to be fighting." "One is Mother Nature." "The other is love." " What?" " She's lovely." "It's not an ideal situation but she adores my son." "Now how can you be a sensible parent and not feel warmly towards someone who adores your child?" "That is practically... anti-social." "Okay." "So I'm anti-social." "Not news." "Besides, I'm not telling you that I don't like her." " I hardly know her." " Exactly." "I hope you don't mind, Bri, but Arielle gave me her number." "We're gonna go shopping and she's gonna teach me how to walk like her." "I cannot tell you how little" "I wanna see a Broadway show right now." "It's one of two things..." "or possibly both." "What is?" "Either no one is immune to your charms... or the world really can surprise you with its grace." "What?" "Je t'aime." "Just for the record." "Okay, we'll start very simply." "Taste, please, this glass." "Is it white or red?" "Red." " My God." " Ah!" "Really?" "You gotta be shitting me." "You have the palate of a water buffalo." "That is about to change." "Replace the blindfold, please." "Take a small piece of baguette to cleanse the palate." "Okay." "Please drink from this glass." "Is it the Miller High Life or the Guinness Stout?" "The Miller High Life." " Oh, boy." " What?" "Merde!" "Oh, we have a lot of work to do." "I was sure it was Miller High Life." "Now please take a buffalo chicken wing to obliterate the palate." "No, I was not very like, I had, like, big glasses for my sight." "And I was not very..." "attractive actually." "I find that very hard to believe." " Yeah?" " Yes." "I like it that you find that very." "I find that incredibly difficult... to believe." " That was very adventurous." " It was?" "Yes, in my culture, we wait a long time, maybe even years before we do... something like that." "Well, consider it a cultural exchange." "Can we do that again?" "One day, when you're a famous writer all these people will know your name." "I don't think I want that guy to know my name." "You will have no choice." "Why is it that you're so much sure of me than I am of myself?" "Maybe I've seen the future." "Thanks." "Excuse me." "It's you." "Our nanny has a respiratory infection." "Uh-oh." "Valery and I have a state luncheon." "Is that better or worse than a respiratory infection?" "I can't miss it and the children cannot be left alone." "Pas de problème." "I have an idea." "I don't care if you're French." "If you're going to live here, there are certain things that you're going to have to know how to do." "And none of them... none... is more important... than hitting a baseball." "Okay?" "Elodie, keep your back elbow up." "Keep your eyes on the ball and above all..." " Don't lunge." " Exactly." "Ne lunge pas." "Here we go." " Oh!" "Oh, no, are you okay?" " No, I ain't hurt." "It didn't hurt." "What do we call that?" " Chin music." " Exactly." "When it comes for you, you gotta get out of the way, you know." "Alright." "Next pitch." "Do not be afraid of the ball." "If it's coming for your head, get out of the way." "But otherwise, be afraid of being afraid of the ball." "That's the American way." "Now, hit me in the nose with it." "Okay?" "Right in the nose." " Oh!" "That was great." " Yay!" "Yay!" "That was great!" "Come here." " Throw me in the air again." " Yes!" "Three more." "Two more." "One." " Brian." " Yes." "I'm so glad that you're my mother's boyfriend." "Me too." "We are very, very happy to have you in the family." "Thank you." "My turn to bat!" "My turn to bat!" "Yes." "Okay." "Uh, give your sister the..." "what do we call the catching gear?" " The tools of ignorance." " Exactly." "The tools... of ignorance." "Alright, guys, are you ready?" "What have I missed?" "Well, let's see." "Your daughter is Derek Jeter." "And your son is David Ortiz." "I don't know what you're saying to me." "Never mind." "Just watch this." "Okay." "Don't close that stance." "Very good." "I wanna see your front hip, okay?" "Elodie, how about some infield chatter?" "Oh!" "Big papi!" "I'm so proud of you." "I'm so proud of you." "$6000 and they publish your story." "The story about the dogs." "The story about the dogs." "Which you now regret mocking, don't you?" "No, that just proves that if you have enough talent you can write about complete bullshit and still fool people." "But I'm so proud of you." "You know there's a ceremony." " There's a ceremony?" " Will you come?" "It won't be between 5 and 7?" "No." "Can we break the rules?" "We can't break them." "I understand." "So we will just have to work within them." "What does that mean?" "It means that no force on Earth would keep me away that night." "Your future is starting." "One of the best parts of my job is reading new writers and occasionally, even publishing them." "The fact is, talent happens when it happens and you have to be there when it does." "Tonight, I'm delighted to introduce 6 extraordinary voices." "New writers for only a moment longer." "Proceeding then in that ever-egalitarian thing called alphabetical order." "In her story, "Kupchino Station"" "Diane Altschuler brings to life the Leningrad of the early 1980s." "A city still bearing the physical scars of the Second World War and now feeling the full stifling effect of President Jimmy Carter's grain embargo." "Elainee, a refusenik the character is based on the author's mother earns a small hourly fee standing in line on behalf of a wealthy neighbor to buy." "I'm not comfortable." "Shh." "It's the husband." "She brings the husband?" " Dad, please." " I'm sorry." "But I feel I should get mad at somebody." " Only I'm not sure who." " We'll discuss it after." "All I'm saying is that civilization is organized by couples..." "for better or worse." "Frequently worse, I grant you." "But there's a reason for it which is that it's not confusing." "I'm begging you." "Are you saying you disagree with me?" "Would you for Christ's sake watch your son's finest hour?" "Brian Bloom's story, "Run From Becky"" "is about a forbidden liaison between two Westminster best-in-breeds." "One, a German Shepherd and the other a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever." "I have been reading your magazine since my parents got me a subscription when I went away to college." "That makes me very proud." "Thank you." "And a copy of the "New Yorker's View Of The World"" "cover hangs in our guest bathroom." "A lovely tribute and soon your son's story will hang right beside it." "Oh, no." "It's gonna hang in the living room." "Of course." "Of course." "But if he keeps writing the way he is now he's gonna fill every wall in the house." "That's very kind." " You are a very nice man." " Thank you." "I thought you were gonna be gruffer." "Didn't you think he'd be gruffer?" " I was expecting a real SOB." " Okay, then." "Can I borrow the two of you for just one moment?" " Yes." " Excuse us?" "The all-important schmooze fest." "Go." "Do." "Nice save." "So I assume you'll be rescinding the award now." "What?" "You think I don't have parents?" "Besides, everything I said to you was true." "All the winning stories were terrific but yours carried with it, I don't know... the tease of greatness." "Make of it what you will." " Thank you." " We'll see each other again." " Golly." " Golly?" "You are a person who says, "Golly?"" "It just came out." "First time in my life." "Okay." "Listen, fast and close." "Come here." "Okay." "My boss is upstairs at the reception." "He wants to meet you." "He read your story or at least, half of it." "He loved it." "He... he said it was a little episodic which only means he read it in several sittings." "He loves your voice." "Loves!" "He wants you to start a novel." "He wants to publish you." "He... he never says that." "He hates everything." "He just wants to meet you for one minute first and make sure that you're not a lunatic..." "What the hell is wrong with you?" "She brought Valery." "Of course, she did." "Rules are rules." "So this shouldn't bother me?" "It doesn't bother you at all?" "To see them here, on a night like this, in your world..." "Okay." "Get your head right." "Get your head right right now because you're about to have the most important conversation of your life." "And it's not just your future here." "It's mine too." "So can you do it?" "Can you put the French lady out of your mind for 9 seconds?" "Please." "Just stick out your hand." "Say, "How do you do, sir?" like a normal human being so you can have the career that you have always dreamed of or are you just gonna blow it and incinerate and dissolve like a Kleenex in a fat man's sneeze?" "Is... is your head right?" "Is your head right?" "Is... your head... right?" "You are much crazier than I am." " Is your head right?" " Yes." "Yes." " My head is right." " Okay." "Okay." ""How do you do, sir?" That's all you have to say." ""How do you do, sir?" "How do you do, sir?"" ""How do you do, sir?" "How do you do, sir?"" "Brian Bloom, I would like you to meet Jonathan Galassi." " Our publisher." " How do you do, sir?" "Did Jane tell you to say that?" "Yes." "She did, sir." "Well... over the coming years" "I want you to do almost everything she says." "I'm pretty sure I already do." "I can't wait to read what you write when... you've got something to write about." "On that day I'll be honored to publish you." "The honor will be all mine." "Uh, that is my happy noise." "I don't mean to meddle, but you don't stop being a parent just because your son's name is in the paper." " I appreciate that, Dad." " Sam, he will figure it out." "Can I finish this conversation?" "You have finished it 8 times." "In 30 years, I don't remember once ever being able to finish a sentence." "Well, with your subjects you don't deserve predicate." "Oh." "What is that?" "A grammar insult." "A syntax barb." "Not everyone is as lucky as we were, alright?" " Not everyone has it simple." " I know that." "Do you remember how sure we were?" "And how quickly and how little was in our way?" "Do you remember what you said to me after the very fist time we had intercourse?" "Are you hungry?" "Before that." "Yes." "I remember." " I should go." " Why are we leaving you here?" " I'd like to walk." " Why?" " There's a lot to think about." " You could get mugged." "By who?" "An exhausted office worker?" "Arlene, your son is a madman." "Because he walks?" "You should try it." "I'm really glad you guys came tonight." "Thank you." "Listen to me, I couldn't be prouder." "Me too, son." "Honestly." "We are now officially spending that law school money." "Half of it." "I love you both." "Please drive home safely okay?" "We'll give you two and half rings when we get there." "Alright." "The GW or the Tappan Zee?" "At this hour?" "Hello." "I need your help with jewelry" "I beg your pardon." "What jewelry stores does Arielle respect?" " It's midnight." " Yes." "Why are you asking me this?" "Because I'm spotty on women's accessories." "Why are you buying her jewelry?" "Do I have to say?" "You're gonna be my writer." "I'm going to be your editor." "We're going to have this kind of relationship." "What kind of relationship?" "The kind where you call me in the middle of the night asking me crazy questions and I talk you off the ledge." "Could you please just tell me where to shop for her?" "What genre of jewelry?" "There are genres?" "Fun or important?" " Important." " You can't afford important." "As important as I can afford." "Give me a dollar figure." "$6000, including tax." "Dior." "Okie-dokie, then." "I'm gonna get some sleep now, okay?" "I knew you'd know." "I wish it were tomorrow at 5." "Can you stay for another moment?" "There's something I wanna say." "Of course." "I would like to be a good writer." "And tell stories that mean something to people." "But the only thing..." "I really want in this world... is to be the man who walks beside you." " You do walk beside me." " Not just from 5 to 7." "It's not enough." "Not nearly." "Marry me, Arielle." "I wanna be your husband." "And stepfather to your children and if you wish it" "I want us to have children together." " I am already married." " I know." "And that's why this is not a conventional engagement ring." "That and the fact that a conventional engagement ring will require a somewhat more robust conquest of the marketplace." " You know the situation." " I do." "You know the rules." "I do and I can no longer play by them." "We had a trust that you have now broken." "I know." "And I can't help it." "I've found the person I wanna spend my life with." "That is a drive much stronger than any set of rules or any doubts about the meaning and purpose of marriage." "Of course, if your... feelings aren't as strong as mine then..." "I completely understand." "They are." "You know that they are." "They are." "From the first moment." "You really think you're ready to be a stepfather?" "I know I am." "You will be growing up in a very big hurry skipping your young adulthood." "Frankly, it's overrated." "Regular adulthood seems much better." "I'm 9 years older than you." "I don't care." "When you're 34, I will be 43." "Women are at their most beautiful in their 40s." "Okay." "That's true." "But 10 years after that I'll be 53." "At which point I will believe that women are at their most beautiful in their 50s." " Oh, and 10 years after that?" " What are we doing, sums now?" "No." "Do you believe that keeping a marriage together is always best for the children?" "If I believed that..." "I wouldn't be asking you to do this." "But if you believe it, then... you have to say no." "This is complicated." "This is very... very complicated." "It's not." "I mean, yes, it is." "Of course, it is, but at the same time it's very simple." "What are we willing to do for love?" "How did you know the size?" "I described your hands to the salesman." "Are you saying yes?" "Meet me here tomorrow." "I'll bring a suitcase." "We will live here for the first little while." "I will tell Valery tonight." "I will not be able to call you." "Just... be here... tomorrow." "At 5." " At 4." " At 4?" "There are no rules anymore." "Yes?" "It's Valery." "Let me in, please." "Apartment 3C." "Please come in." "Thank you." "Would you like something?" "I have, um..." "We had an understanding." "A clear, honorable and tacitly acknowledged set of boundaries." "I know." "I have welcomed you into my family under a certain aegis and now you have betrayed everyone involved." "I had no choice." "Are you certain you know what you're doing?" "Yes." "I'm sorry." "I meant no injury." "I know." "I'm sure that if the roles had been reversed" "I would've done the same." "See to her." "Mr. Bloom." "Yes?" "Madam Pierpont was here earlier." "She asked me to give this to you." "I started working when I was 11." "By 25, I could feel the end of my career coming." "I thought, "What happens now?"" ""What will be my life?"" "I was terrified." "And so I made an error of youth." "Some of the girls were lucky." "They had fallen in love, but not me." "Not once." "Even though I had been all over the world and I had met everyone." "That spring, I was introduced to Valery." "He was then just as he is now." "Solid." "Substantial." "And good." ""The salt of the Earth," as Americans like to say." "I felt a great affection for him." "A great respect." "That is a kind of love." "I thought it was the only kind I would ever know." "I didn't believe enough." "I didn't believe in love." "8 years later" "I discovered that I should have." "It has stunned me, this new happiness which came out of nowhere." "This secret door that has opened in me." "I have never felt so alive... as when I am in your arms." "It is tempting, so tempting to forget about everything and just accept this gift." "But I cannot." "And not because I don't believe that you would be a marvelous stepfather to Marc and Elodie." "And a wonderful father to the children we might have had together." "Not because of lifestyle or the difference in our ages or the opinions of others." "When Valery and I married, we wrote our own vows." "He has always kept his promise and I feel I must keep mine." "But it's more than a matter of honor." "One day, Brian, when you have children you'll understand that to leave them is to leave yourself." "And to injure them, unthinkable." "I told you, I'm an old-fashioned girl." "Please do not try to contact me." "It will not change anything." "I am so sad to say goodbye." "To be parted." "I can't believe it, really." "We had so many adventures still ahead of us." "Maybe... if we had had more time" "I would have found something about you" "I didn't like, really couldn't stand which would be very useful right now." "But I doubt it." "They say that no love is perfect." "But then, they never met you." "Arielle." " Let me help." " No, it's okay." "But if I may impose for a favor?" "Sir." "Please give this to Madam Pierpont when she comes for lunch on Friday." "Certainly sir." "Thank you." "I did as she asked." "I didn't try to contact her." "I stayed out of her neighborhood." "I never returned to the St. Regis." "If my route was to take me near it" "I would go a couple of blocks out of my way." "Yes?" "It's just me." "Jane." "How is she?" "I have no idea." "What do you mean?" "I ended it with Valery." "Why?" "Because there is a certain sadness to it now." "Because being around him and around her feels like I'm betraying my friendship with you." "You're not at all." "And because... the future has a way of arriving whether you want it to or not." "Eat something." "Smoke less." "Call me." "We'll go to the movies." "Something from a big American studio." "As little as you want to write when you're happy that's how much you have to write when you're miserable." "Your passions have to go somewhere and this is the only place left." "Your suffering has to be good for something." "It's not for me to say if the words were worth the price." "What are you doing?" "Where are we going?" "Just wait a minute." "Smile, you asshole." "Smile." "Come on." "Come on, we're celebrating." "Thousands of years ago somebody came up with the notion of impermanence." "Of the beauty and inevitability of change." "I'm pretty sure they had just been dumped." "I had a long time to consider the value of memory." "And the idea that just because something doesn't last forever doesn't mean its worth is diminished." "Maybe it was just a rationalization." "Easier on the soul than mourning what might have been." "A life unlived." "I honestly don't know." "But I chose to believe in memory." "I chose to believe in her." "I chose to believe that the bond was never broken and that we carried each other in our hearts." "As a secret singularity." "She made me a writer." "She made me a man." "There would be other loves, even great loves." "But she was right." "Only one remained perfect." "You're gonna get a kick out of this." "Carol tells me that she's... she's deciding to take her work vacation." " Which she has." " Of course she has." "And as a result, it never quite left me alone." "...like, you have to try." "I wondered if it remained perfect for her as well." "Or if I was just holding onto an idea." "Some questions have to go unanswered." "But in New York, you're never more than 20 feet away from someone you know or someone you were meant to know." " Hi." " Hi." " Brian, lovely to see you." " Valery, how are you?" " Nice to see you." " This is Kiva." " How are you?" " Hello, I'm Valery." " Nice to meet you." " And you." " Very nice to meet you." " Marc." "And our children, Marc and Elodie." "And?" " This is Charlie Bloom." " Hi, Charlie." " Wanna say hi, Charlie?" " Hello, Charlie." " He's two, right?" " Yeah, he's... he is two." "Not talking much yet." "I loved "The Mermaid."" "Oh, yes, so did I. And I must say, all of your books." "Yes, we read you religiously in our home." "Thank you." "I'm very glad about that." "Tell me, how... how is Jane?" "Jane is brilliant." "Jane is Jane." "She is married." "She met a very good guy, a cellist." "And they have a son." "Oh, that's wonderful." "And tell me, Mrs. Bloom, apart from being the mother of this beautiful..." "Brian." " Take care..." " Take care." "Bye-bye." "So nice to meet you." "Bye." "I don't know if I'll ever see her again." "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad one." "But I will promise you this." "Your favorite story whatever it might be was written for one reader."