A Mind Problem Compounded
"I love you," she says, "but I need to know that we have a future together. I need to know that you love me, that you love me, love me, love me, me..."
Electric shock. What to say? Fear. Now seconds have passed, and she just stares at me. Why does she have to be so ugly when she sleeps? Her mouth looks like she's had a stroke. I'm sure I'm not attractive when I sleep. I probably look like I have rabies. Maybe I shouldn't be...
"Well?" she says.
Oh God.
"Maybe in a few years..." You'll have a stroke and it will even out your sleep face. Wait, do I plan to be with her until she has a stroke?
Yes, and afterwards, when her sleep face is normal or twice as bad.
She pales. Here it comes.
"In a few years? In a few fucking years?" She leaves in tears and doesn't even bother to slam the door.
Why, mind, why do you do this to me?
---
Electric shock. What to say? Fear. Now seconds have passed, and she just stares at me. Why does she have to be so ugly when she sleeps? Her mouth looks like she's had a stroke. I'm sure I'm not attractive when I sleep. I probably look like I have rabies. Maybe I shouldn't be...
"Well?" she says.
Oh God.
"Maybe in a few years..." You'll have a stroke and it will even out your sleep face. Wait, do I plan to be with her until she has a stroke?
Yes, and afterwards, when her sleep face is normal or twice as bad.
She pales. Here it comes.
"In a few years? In a few fucking years?" She leaves in tears and doesn't even bother to slam the door.
Why, mind, why do you do this to me?
---
Labels: dialogue experiments
posted by JMH | 9:51 PM
2 Comments:
The trick is to work everything out in advance. Then you shoehorn the actual people into it.
It's much easier than the alternative, which is to try to shoehorn them into something nebulous and undecided!
Nice vignette.
Ah, to never be caught off guard, to have a ready response, imperfect though it may be. Solid.
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