Scene 5: Animal Instinct
Frank: I don’t understand why you got the room.
Laurie: Positive thinking. I told you it works.
<Jamie emerges in a snappy colourful patterned ensemble>
Laurie: Laurie deserves it, she’s been sleeping on the ground long enough, there’s a rat I am certain was this close to biting at her face, poor girl. And if you hate the couch so much I have a bed big enough for two people in the other room.
Frank:It’s fine.
Laurie: Now if you don’t mind, I’m going off to that bed. You know Jamie, I’m impressed you got it clear so quickly.
Jamie: Oh, haha. When you’re motivated to do something it’s amazing what can be accomplished.
Frank:Night.
Jamie: Night.
<She leaves.>
Jamie: It’s late are you interested in some hot milk?
Frank:What are we nuns?
Jamie: <smiles> You’re catching on.
Frank:I try. So where’d you really put the stuff?
<Jamie pulls out wine glasses and pours wine for them in the following section before sitting down on the couch to drink.>
Jamie: First star to the right and second on to over the rainbow.
Frank: Where are you really from?
Jamie: You don’t want to know that.
Frank:Try me.
Jamie: Try you? I thought you’d never ask. Haha.
Frank: Seriously.
Jamie: Now what’s the fun in that?
Frank: Okay. I lied about it being really easy. Well it was easier than I imagine it was 10 years ago. But my parents and I got along as well as parents and kids do. I was smart, they were happy for me, I was gay they were happy for me, I had a boyfriend they were happy for me. They probably saw it coming a mile away. It wasn’t going to be as easy for a gay kid in a small town whose family runs a mink farm to be who he was, so they sent me away to private school.
Jamie: <Jamie’s voice becomes serious, story-telling tone> The gaybourhood was founded on a group of people whose families didn’t want anything to do with them. They all moved here and to big cities all over the world and formed their own family. And they all found boyfriends and happiness and lovers and all was right with the world. But with every family there are arguments, there are fights, a family member does something wrong and no one speaks to him anymore.
Frank: What did you do? I saw the initials on the painting.
Jamie: I didn’t paint the painting. When I moved to the city I moved here with a wonderful man. I was 22 and fresh out of University. We had a dog and everyone in school looked at us like “there’s the poster boys of homosexuality.” We had a fucking dog.
Frank: He painted it?
Jamie: Let me finish.
<Laurie comes out of her room. Jamie snaps out of his story-time voice.>
Laurie: Sorry, I need to brush my teeth
Jamie: Would you like a nightcap?
Laurie: No I’m good. What were you boys talking about?
Jamie: Dogs.
Laurie: That’s a mean way to describe your mother.
Jamie: Be nice.
Laurie: Wasn’t it you that said she was caught in a bear trap?
Jamie: Oh, haha. Look at you two, finally a sense of humour.
Laurie: Goodnight boys.
Jamie: Night mom.
Frank: You were saying?
Jamie: Dogs know who their master is, lovers rarely do.
Frank: What’s that supposed to mean?
Jamie: Have you ever worn a leash? You know, for fun.
Frank: Who painted the flowers?
Jamie: I met Bertram on the bus carrying this huge painting. a guy from Montreal, brooding artist in first year of a fine arts degree. My boyfriend was jealous of him and became convinced something was happening between us, I denied it, but what else could I do? I moved to the city to make friends, I wasn’t just going to cut off ties we got along great, he was funny and we liked similar music, and read similar books and I started really liking him. So every day it seemed like my boyfriend would confront me, and I’d deny it, and I’d deny it, until one day it seemed like it didn’t matter anymore if I was lying or telling the truth. Bert didn’t care, and I thought I didn’t, but my boyfriend found out and even though I had been honest all those other times…
Frank: And you regretted it?
Jamie: No. I regretted ever being in a relationship and feeling obligation to anyone. I prefer to be in control. My boyfriend wanted out. He never would have been so insistent if he didn’t. He wanted it to end in a way so I was the bad-guy. How dare I make this treasonous act against us? So he took possession of all our old friends, and our stuff, and our apartment, and our little dog too.
Frank: How’d you find this place?
Jamie: I mistook the obituaries for the classifieds. Poor woman, rats ate her eyeballs. It’s true what they say, when you die animals will go for the soft flesh when they get hungry if you leave them long enough. Not dogs though, they’ll stick with you beyond death, they’ll stick with you stupidly licking your face trying to wake you up, until they starve. They’re loyal. What would a mink do?
Frank: They’re rodents, so I assume they’d eat it.
Jamie: How primal. Make the best of a bad situation.
Frank: Like Mindy?
Jamie: It would explain why she’s so fat. You know I haven’t seen the old gal in at least a week. She was waddling over there in that corner.
Frank: You and her have a lot in common, you’re both opportunists.
Jamie: I resent being called a rat. You sleep on the couch and follow orders, are you a dog in this analogy?
Frank: I’d eat you if I was a dog.
Jamie: It wouldn’t be that easy and I’d train you better than that.
Frank: Oh really?
Jamie: I’d buy you a kennel.
<Frank and Jamie kiss passionately. The two make their way to the bedroom.>
Laurie: Positive thinking. I told you it works.
<Jamie emerges in a snappy colourful patterned ensemble>
Laurie: Laurie deserves it, she’s been sleeping on the ground long enough, there’s a rat I am certain was this close to biting at her face, poor girl. And if you hate the couch so much I have a bed big enough for two people in the other room.
Frank:It’s fine.
Laurie: Now if you don’t mind, I’m going off to that bed. You know Jamie, I’m impressed you got it clear so quickly.
Jamie: Oh, haha. When you’re motivated to do something it’s amazing what can be accomplished.
Frank:Night.
Jamie: Night.
<She leaves.>
Jamie: It’s late are you interested in some hot milk?
Frank:What are we nuns?
Jamie: <smiles> You’re catching on.
Frank:I try. So where’d you really put the stuff?
<Jamie pulls out wine glasses and pours wine for them in the following section before sitting down on the couch to drink.>
Jamie: First star to the right and second on to over the rainbow.
Frank: Where are you really from?
Jamie: You don’t want to know that.
Frank:Try me.
Jamie: Try you? I thought you’d never ask. Haha.
Frank: Seriously.
Jamie: Now what’s the fun in that?
Frank: Okay. I lied about it being really easy. Well it was easier than I imagine it was 10 years ago. But my parents and I got along as well as parents and kids do. I was smart, they were happy for me, I was gay they were happy for me, I had a boyfriend they were happy for me. They probably saw it coming a mile away. It wasn’t going to be as easy for a gay kid in a small town whose family runs a mink farm to be who he was, so they sent me away to private school.
Jamie: <Jamie’s voice becomes serious, story-telling tone> The gaybourhood was founded on a group of people whose families didn’t want anything to do with them. They all moved here and to big cities all over the world and formed their own family. And they all found boyfriends and happiness and lovers and all was right with the world. But with every family there are arguments, there are fights, a family member does something wrong and no one speaks to him anymore.
Frank: What did you do? I saw the initials on the painting.
Jamie: I didn’t paint the painting. When I moved to the city I moved here with a wonderful man. I was 22 and fresh out of University. We had a dog and everyone in school looked at us like “there’s the poster boys of homosexuality.” We had a fucking dog.
Frank: He painted it?
Jamie: Let me finish.
<Laurie comes out of her room. Jamie snaps out of his story-time voice.>
Laurie: Sorry, I need to brush my teeth
Jamie: Would you like a nightcap?
Laurie: No I’m good. What were you boys talking about?
Jamie: Dogs.
Laurie: That’s a mean way to describe your mother.
Jamie: Be nice.
Laurie: Wasn’t it you that said she was caught in a bear trap?
Jamie: Oh, haha. Look at you two, finally a sense of humour.
Laurie: Goodnight boys.
Jamie: Night mom.
Frank: You were saying?
Jamie: Dogs know who their master is, lovers rarely do.
Frank: What’s that supposed to mean?
Jamie: Have you ever worn a leash? You know, for fun.
Frank: Who painted the flowers?
Jamie: I met Bertram on the bus carrying this huge painting. a guy from Montreal, brooding artist in first year of a fine arts degree. My boyfriend was jealous of him and became convinced something was happening between us, I denied it, but what else could I do? I moved to the city to make friends, I wasn’t just going to cut off ties we got along great, he was funny and we liked similar music, and read similar books and I started really liking him. So every day it seemed like my boyfriend would confront me, and I’d deny it, and I’d deny it, until one day it seemed like it didn’t matter anymore if I was lying or telling the truth. Bert didn’t care, and I thought I didn’t, but my boyfriend found out and even though I had been honest all those other times…
Frank: And you regretted it?
Jamie: No. I regretted ever being in a relationship and feeling obligation to anyone. I prefer to be in control. My boyfriend wanted out. He never would have been so insistent if he didn’t. He wanted it to end in a way so I was the bad-guy. How dare I make this treasonous act against us? So he took possession of all our old friends, and our stuff, and our apartment, and our little dog too.
Frank: How’d you find this place?
Jamie: I mistook the obituaries for the classifieds. Poor woman, rats ate her eyeballs. It’s true what they say, when you die animals will go for the soft flesh when they get hungry if you leave them long enough. Not dogs though, they’ll stick with you beyond death, they’ll stick with you stupidly licking your face trying to wake you up, until they starve. They’re loyal. What would a mink do?
Frank: They’re rodents, so I assume they’d eat it.
Jamie: How primal. Make the best of a bad situation.
Frank: Like Mindy?
Jamie: It would explain why she’s so fat. You know I haven’t seen the old gal in at least a week. She was waddling over there in that corner.
Frank: You and her have a lot in common, you’re both opportunists.
Jamie: I resent being called a rat. You sleep on the couch and follow orders, are you a dog in this analogy?
Frank: I’d eat you if I was a dog.
Jamie: It wouldn’t be that easy and I’d train you better than that.
Frank: Oh really?
Jamie: I’d buy you a kennel.
<Frank and Jamie kiss passionately. The two make their way to the bedroom.>
Short URL for this post: http://tmblr.co/Zy4yby
