Another Woman

If someone had asked me, when

I reached my fifties, to assess my life,

I'd have said I'd reached a decent level of

fulfilment, personally and professionally.

Beyond that, I would say

"I don't choose to delve."

Not that I was afraid of uncovering

some dark side of my character.

But I always feel, if something

seems to be working, leave it alone.

My name is Marion Post.

I'm Director of Undergraduate Studies

in Philosophy at a women's college,

although right now I'm on leave

of absence to begin writing a book.

My husband is a very accomplished

physician, a cardiologist,

who some years ago examined my heart,

liked what he saw and proposed.

It's the second marriage for us both, and

he brought to it a 16-year-old daughter

who lives with his former wife

but visits us frequently.

She's a sweet girl who can be

a little undisciplined at times,

and I've tried to take her

under my wing as best I can.

I also have a married brother.

My mother died recently,

but my dad's still alive and healthy.

Not much else to say, except

normally I write at home

but construction noise next door

has become so terrible,

I subleased a one-room flat

downtown as an office.

A new book is always

a very demanding project

and it requires that I really shut myself off

from everything but the work.

(d "Gymnopedie No. 1")

As I settled down to work that first

morning, a strange thing occurred.

(man) Something about him

just got to a deeper thing in me.

So this was my... my big experience

with another man. My first one.

And I've never been able to get it out of

my mind. I still have fantasies about it,

which are sort of bugging me.

(psychiatrist) What do

you mean, "fantasies"?

(man) Well, sometimes when I'm

masturbating, or when I'm just...

Well, sometimes when I'm...

when I'm working,

I find myself thinking about Giles.

And, uh, it's not that I'm not

attracted to my wife any more.

I mean, I still am. I really am physically

moved by her, and other women, but...

While eavesdropping on the intimate

revelations of a psychiatrist's office

might be fascinating to some people,

it was not exactly what I had in mind

when I rented the place.

(man) Well, um...

I don't really have to use him

like a piece of pornography...

I worked hard all day,

and the work came very slowly.

Beginning a book is always

the most difficult part for me,

and by late afternoon I'd become tired.

I lay my head down and closed

my eyes, and I guess I dozed off.

I don't know exactly

how long I was asleep,

but one of the pillows must

have slipped down off the vent,

because I gradually became

aware again of a voice.

It was a woman's voice, and it was such

an anguished, heart-wrenching sound

that I was totally arrested by its sadness.

(woman) I just know that I woke up

during the middle of the night.

And time passed, and

there were strange shadows.

I began having troubling

thoughts about my life.

Like there was

something about it not real.

Full of deceptions.

That these... these deceptions

had become so... so many,

and so much a part of me now,

that I couldn't even tell who I really was.

And suddenly I began to perspire.

I sat up in bed with

my heart just pounding.

And I looked at my husband next to me,

and it was as if he... he was a stranger.

And I turned on the light

and I woke him up,

and I asked him to hold me.

(sobs)

And only after a long time

did I finally get my bearings.

But for one moment, earlier,

it was as if a curtain had parted,

and I could see myself clearly.

But I was afraid of what I saw.

(sniffs)

And what I had to look forward to.

And I wondered...

I wondered about ending everything.

Please, please.

It is with a mixture of some joy,

but mostly paralysing anxiety,

that I hereby plunge into the big five-o.

I was, uh, I was fine till last week.

Then my son said to me, "Gee, Dad,

don't your options begin running out?"

He's very funny, my son.

Marion, I was telling Lydia

about your little adventure today.

- Oh, yes.

- Those new buildings are built so thin.

- No, this is an old brownstone.

- Well, there's no privacy left.

Last week Lydia and I were at home.

It was a Sunday morning...

- Mark...

- This is true. And we started kissing...

- Mark!

- And next thing we were on the floor...

- Are you crazy? He's drunk.

- I was having her on the kitchen floor.

The living room floor,

the living room floor.

- I gotta admit, it was a surprise.

- Did it not happen that way?

So the door opens, and the

superintendent... he has the key...

- Oh, no.

- Barges in. Some kind of plumbing leak.

And we are in flagrante delicto.

You know what he does? He gets up,

stark naked, and says "Mr Banducci,

this is not the pipe that needs fixing."

That was quick, Ken. Could you have

come up with anything that quick?

- No.

- That was grace under pressure.

- Did he laugh?

- Oh, no.

He turned very red

and he crossed himself.

Sad.

One good thing about becoming 50.

You don't have to do it again.

I know.

It's Laura. She had another fight with

her mother, wants to sleep at our place.

It's not fair to Kathy.

Well, you tell her, cos once again

I can't get through to my daughter.

I know. Just... hold on a minute.

Will you talk to Marion? OK.

Laura? This is not a good habit to get into.

You know your mother's high-strung.

She's just gonna get frantic.

Well, it may not seem fair to you, but

it's up to you to deal with her moods.

Well, if she can't, then you

just have to rise above it.

OK? I'll see you at my father's tomorrow.

We'll talk about it then. OK.

Bye-bye.

She listens to you cos she looks up

to you. Me, there's no communication.

It's just... It's a terrible situation.

(d "The Bilbao Song" on piano)

Hey.

Take you back?

God, yeah.

Would you ever think of making love

to me on the living room floor?

Would you want me to?

I don't know. Would you want to?

I don't know.

Actually, I don't think I see you

as the hardwood floor type.

No?

Hey, Ken, what are you doing

in there? Have you eaten?

Hello, Lydia. Look,

you know my wife pretty good.

Would you say that she was the type

to enjoy sex on the living room floor?

- Ken!

- Oh, my God. You know, you guys...

- I'm only teasing.

- That was really embarrassing before.

But not unpleasant

if you don't get splinters.

Next morning I'd agreed to meet

my sister-in-law who wanted to see me.

I waited as long as I could, but when

she didn't show up I decided to leave.

- Marion. I'm sorry.

- Oh, hi.

- I got stuck in traffic.

- Oh. The thing is, I'm really late now.

- Sorry. I just need a few minutes.

- Well, I'm so behind schedule.

You said eight, and I waited,

but I've gotta get going.

- Stupid bus wouldn't move.

- Maybe some other time.

I've gotta be disciplined when I'm writing,

Lynn, or I'm not gonna get it done in time.

I need to borrow some money. You know,

Paul and I are getting a divorce.

I heard. I'm sorry.

- Are you?

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