#vlu

ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ CHAPTER 10 NOW POSTED 

@vanillaladyuniverse

It was cold.  Not very, but it was enough for Jimmy to question by what logic he had bought himself a milkshake.  It was a good milkshake, of course, but he had already had one earlier that day.  Why did he need another one?  As Garret finished up his own shake with a dry slurp Jimmy remembered.  It had been Garret’s idea, and Garret’s ideas were always carried out. “I should have brought a jacket,” Garret voiced, also finding the night to be somewhat cold.  He gave his cup a shake to make sure it was empty before throwing it away in the nearest trashcan.  Jimmy shook his own cup, which was still mostly full, and then threw it in the next trashcan they passed.  He really hadn’t wanted it, and he scolded himself for having bothered with it. “You want mine?” Jimmy asked. 

Garret laughed. “Maybe if it wouldn’t eat me.” 

Jimmy shrugged his broad shoulders.  He really was a lot bigger than Garret, but that was only on the outside.  Garret had the bigger personality. 

“You know what we should do?” Garret said.  “We should go to the beach.” “Shouldn’t we get somewhere warmer?” Jimmy asked.  “Didn’t you just say you were cold?” 

Garret shrugged. “I’ll be fine.  It’s not that cold.” “Fine,” Jimmy agreed.  “Bus?” Jimmy took careful steps making sure not to get any sand in his shoes.   Garret meanwhile had rid himself of his footwear, and with it in his hands, was running for the shore. “Maybe you should put your shoes back on,” Jimmy voiced. 

Garret looked back at him and laughed. “What are you, my mom?  It’s really not that cold.”   He started to roll up his pants. “Garret,” Jimmy began. “Don’t worry, mother.  I’ll be fine.” 

Jimmy sighed.  He supposed Garret was going to do whatever Garret was going to do.  He crossed his arms and watched as Garret stepped into the water. 

“Shit, that’s cold!” “Were you expecting otherwise?” Jimmy asked. “Of course not,” Garret replied, sinking his feet into the wet sand, which was warmer than the water itself.  “I just didn’t think it would be that cold.  It’s fine, though.  I’m getting used to it already.” It was quiet after that, as Jimmy and Garret stood, feet planted on dry and wet sand respectively.  Jimmy watched Garret, but Garret stared off at the dark sky and even darker water, which didn’t meet like they did during the day, but rather blended together. “It’s kind of sad, isn’t it?” Garret voiced finally. “What is?” Jimmy asked. “This,” Garret replied.  “Us.  Standing here looking out at the water.  It’s so much bigger than we’ll ever be.  It’s this amazing thing, and all we can do is look at it.” “I don’t think it’s that sad,” Jimmy replied.  “At least we get to look at it.  To be around it.” 

Garret sighed, and then it was quiet again.  Finally he stepped out of the water and walked over to Jimmy. “Well, it makes me sad.”  He grabbed onto Jimmy’s arm with one hand to balance himself as he used the other to put socks and shoes onto sandy feet that could be taken care of later. 

Lights come up.  Paco stands center stage, shivering.  He’s wearing a red track jacket, jeans, and a red and white hat  He stares out through the audience, not at it, looking angry.  He will look this way for most of the scene.  There are sounds of heavy rain, and Paco periodically tugs part of his wet clothes away from his body.  Garret enters from up right holding an open umbrella over his head.  His shoes are wet and so are the bottoms of his designer jeans, but he is otherwise dry.  He approaches Paco and stands beside him, holding the umbrella over both of them.  He looks out through the audience.

Paco: (Notices the rain is no longer hitting him, looks up at the umbrella, then looks at Garret.) Garret.

Garret: Paco.  (Pause.)  You like the rain?

Paco: (Looks out at audience.) Hate it.

Garret:  Of course.  (Pause.) You hate everything.

Paco: (Pause.) Yeah.

Garret: So if you hate it so much why are you out here in it?

Paco: I hate everything.

Garret: (Pause.) Right.

Paco: I can’t avoid all the things I hate.

Garret: Right.  (Pause.) Why do you hate it so much?

Paco: Everyone hates it.

Garret: I like it.

Paco: Yeah?

Garret: Yeah.

Paco:  (Pause.)  Well, that’s you.

Garret: Yeah.  That’s me.

Paco: (Pause.)  You like it so much, what’s with the umbrella?

Garret: It’s for you.

Paco: Me?

Garret: Yeah.  I saw you through the window.

Paco: And you brought me an umbrella.

Garret: Yeah.

Paco: You came out for me, but you were inside.  If you like the rain so much why weren’t you out here?

Garret: (Lifts a soaked foot.) New shoes.

Paco: (Glances.) They’re nice.

Garret: You think so?

Paco: No.

Garret: (Puts foot down.)  No.  Of course not.

Paco: But you do.

Garret: Yeah.

Paco: And they’re your shoes.  You think they’re nice, then they’re nice.

Garret: Like the rain.

Paco: No.  No, the rain isn’t nice.  I don’t have to wear your shoes, but I have to be out in your rain.

Garret: You don’t have to.

Paco: But I am.

Garret: The rain is nice.  It’s a nice change.  It’s always so sunny.

Paco: You don’t like the sun?

Garret: I do.

Paco: Then why would you want it to go away?

Garret: Come on, this is third grade stuff.  If it was sunny all the time everything would be a desert.

Paco: (Pause.) I like the desert.

Garret: Really.

Paco: Yeah.

Garret: You like the desert.

Paco: Yeah.  (Pause.) No.  (Pause.) I hate it.

Garret: You hate everything.

Paco: Yeah.  

Long pause.  Paco looks up at the umbrella. Garret looks down at his shoes.

Paco:  You know anything about primates?

Garret: (Looks over at Paco. Pause.) I know a bit….

Paco:  (Looks at the audience.) It’s generally accepted that gorillas are smarter than orangutans, right?

Garret: (Confused.) Yeah, I guess….

Paco: So you’ve got an orangutan and you’ve got a gorilla and you put them both out in the rain, okay?

Garret: (Relieved that there’s a connection.  Looks out towards audience.) Okay.

Paco: Okay.  So they’re in the rain.  The orangutan takes a huge leaf, covers his head with it, stays dry.  The gorilla sits there.  Just sits there!  In the rain, and he gets soaked. (Pause.)  Why do you think that is?

Garret: Does the gorilla like the rain?

Paco: (Shakes his head vehemently)  No.  No no no no, he hates it.  You can see it in his face.  He’s miserable.  He hates it.

Garret: He hates everything.

Paco: No.  Just the rain.

Garret: (Pauses.  Thinks.)  Well…. Two options.  One, he likes being miserable.  Two, he thinks he has to be miserable.  I don’t mean he thinks there’s no way to not be miserable.  I mean, he knows there are ways, but he thinks he shouldn’t use them.  He thinks the rain is there for a reason, that reason is to make him miserable, so he should sit out in the rain and be miserable, because who is he to say if he should be miserable or not?

Long pause.  Paco looks up at the umbrella.  Looks back out at audience.

Garret: Well?  Am I right?

Paco: How the hell should I know?  I’m not a damn gorilla.  (Pause.) I hate gorillas.

Garret: And rain.

Paco: And rain.

Garret: And the desert.

Paco: (Nods slowly.) And the desert.

Garret: And me.

Paco: And- (Pause.) Orangutans.

Garret: (Firmly.) And me.

Paco: (Pause.). No.  (Pause.) Not you.

Garret: (Pause.) Don’t stay out here too long.

Paco: No.

Garret: I’ll be inside.

Paco: Yeah.

Garret: Come in soon.

Paco: All right.

Garret: (Puts the umbrella in Paco’s hand.  Looks at him for a moment, then hurries off stage the way he came, ducking his head.)

Paco: Damn rain.  (Lowers umbrella and closes it, stands staring out at the audience.)

This text was written by Observe I’m a person investor. My major deal with investing is to realize capital appreciation by deciding on excessive worth and compelling development alternatives. Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we’ve no inventory, possibility or comparable by-product place in any of the businesses talked about, and no plans to provoke any such positions inside the subsequent 72 hours. I…