Apartment 4E Page #3

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SHE'D PUT ON HER BODY.

SHE NEVER TALKED

ABOUT THAT, THOUGH.

THE PAIN SHE WAS IN.

I THINK SHE THOUGH SHE WAS SPARING...

OTHERS.

DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK

SHE WAS COMPLAINING.

UH, YEAH. ANYWAY,

SHE WALKED ON HER TOES.

MMM.

YES?

WHY DO KEEP USING

THE PAST TENSE?

DO I?

INDEED.

I MOVED AWAY.

MAYBE THAT'S ALL-

I MOVED AWAY, SO THINGS

ARE DIFFERENT NOW.

HUH. YOU USED

TO LIVE NEARBY BEFORE?

WE LIVED TOGETHER.

YOU LIVED TOGETHER?

YEAH, IS THAT STRANGE?

IS THAT STRANGE?

NO, IT'S NOT STRANGE AT ALL.

PROCEED.

WITH WHAT?

STORY TIME, JOHN!

YOU WERE TELLING ME HER STORY!

THAT'S NOT REALLY WHY I'M HERE.

THAT'S WHY I WANT YOU HERE.

I'D RATHER TALK ABOUT YOU.

ME? YOU DON'T KNOW

ANYTHING ABOUT ME.

HOW ARE YOU GOING

TO TALK ABOUT ME? EXACTLY.

MAYBE YOU COULD TALK ABOUT YOU.

INDEED.

WELL?

YES. FINE, THANK YOU.

PROCEED.

I-

PIPER.

I'M GOING TO PEE.

AND YOU'LL THINK MORE CLEARLY

WITHOUT ME IN THE ROOM.

WHAT DOES SHE SMELL LIKE?

( urinating )

WELL... AREN'T YOU GOING

TO CLOSE THE DOOR?

I CAN'T HEAR YOU THROUGH THE DOOR

AND OVER MY PEE.

RIGHT.

( urinating continues )

SMELL LIKE?

EVERYONE HAS A SMELL.

UH, SHE-SHE NEVER

WEARS PERFUME.

NOT THAT KIND OF SMELL,

I MEAN, HER SMELL.

HER SCENT.

LIKE MY MOM, SHE ALWAYS SMELLS

SICKLY SWEET LIKE BAD LICORICE.

MY GRANDMOTHER:

LIKE RUBBING ALCOHOL.

UH, THOSE DON'T SOUND

LIKE VERY GOOD SMELLS.

OH, NOT THAT THEY'RE BAD,

THEY JUST ARE WHAT THEY ARE.

THE PECULIAR CHEMISTRY

OF PEOPLE WE... KNOW.

NOT ALL TOGETHER LOVE.

LOVING THEM ALL TOGETHER,

SO TO SPEAK.

ROSEMARY.

SHE SMELLS LIKE ROSEMARY.

ROSEMARY.

YEAH, IT'S THE SHAMPOO

SHE USES I GUESS.

I DON'T KNOW.

IT'S AN EARTHY SMELL.

NOT OVERPOWERING OR ANYTHING,

I MEAN...

IT'S NOT THE TYPE OF THING

YOU WOULD REMEMBER ABOUT HER,

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW HER

OR HAD JUST MET HER.

BUT YOU'D NOTICE IT,

IF YOU WERE CLOSE.

OR NOTICE IT MISSING,

IF SHE ISN'T THERE.

I EVEN TOLD HER THAT ONCE.

THAT'S SHE SMELLS LIKE ROSEMARY.

UH, IT'S-IT'S SWEET, TOO.

NOT TOO SWEET.

I MEAN, SUBTLE.

AND STILL THE KIND OF THING

YOU NOTICE MORE:

WHEN SHE ISN'T THERE.

THAT IT'S... MISSING.

CERTAIN TIMES IT WOULD WRAP

EVERYTHING UP IN IT.

HER CLOTHES, SHEETS,

WHEN YOU HELD:

HER IT WOULD LINGER,

EVEN AFTER YOU PULLED AWAY.

WHAT KIND OF BROTHER

TALKS LIKE THAT?

( scoffs )

WHAT? YOU WANTED TO KNOW

WHAT SHE SMELLED LIKE.

HER SHEETS?

YEAH, I-I

DID THE LAUNDRY.

YOU LOVE HER?

SHE'S MY SISTER.

DO YOU LOVE HER?

YES, OF COURSE.

YES, OF COURSE.

YES, OF COURSE

I LOVE MY SISTER.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?

YOU EVER HEAR:

OF THE STORY OF SODOM?

SODOM?

AS IN SODOMY.

UH, PIPER, I DON'T-

EVER HEAR OF IT?

I DON'T THINK THAT THAT-

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS?

DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING SPECIFIC.

IT JUST MEANS...

"TO DO UNNATURAL ACTS."

I DON'T KNOW WHO

DECIDES WHAT'S UNNATURAL,

BUT THAT'S WHA IT MEANS TO SODOMIZE,

AND IT'S IN THE BIBLE.

YOU EVER READ THE BIBLE,

JOHN?

YES, PARTS OF IT.

SODOM, LITTLE F***ED UP TOWN

FULL OF VILLAINY AND EVIL.

AND GOD HATED IT,

WANTED TO RAIN DOWN FIRE

AND DESTROY IT.

BUT HE SENT THESE TWO ANGELS

TO SAVE THE ONE FAMILY

WORTH SAVING.

WHEN THEY GOT THERE,

THE MEN OF THE TOWN,

THE MEN... OF SODOM.

SURROUNDED THE HOUSE

AND DEMANDED:

THAT THEY BE SENT OUT,

SO THAT THEY COULD

HAVE RELATIONS WITH THEM.

RIGHT? THAT-THAT'S-THAT'S

WHAT IT SAYS,

"HAVE RELATIONS" WITH THEM.

WHOO.

LOT, THE MAN OF THE HOUSE,

HE EVEN OFFERED UP

HIS OWN DAUGHTERS

TO SAVE THE ANGELS.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?

JOHN?

( sighs )

NO.

GOD DIDN'T LET IT HAPPEN.

THEY WERE SAVED.

( chuckles )

BUT SODOM,

THE MEN OF THE TOWN,

ALL THE VILLAINY AND EVIL...

GOD BROUGHT DOWN

THAT STORM OF FIRE,

AND THE SMOKE OF THE LAND

ASCENDED...

LIKE THE SMOKE OF A FURNACE.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?

MOLLIE TOLD ME:

ABOUT YOUR FATHER.

SHE SAID THERE WAS A...

A HISTORY.

THERE WAS A HISTORY?

THAT'S A BIT REDUNDANT,

DON'T YOU THINK?

I MEAN, EVENTS MAY BE

IN THE PAST, BUT...

HISTORY'S ALWAYS PRESENT.

THERE WAS HISTORY?

MMM.

THERE IS A HISTORY,

JOHN.

I LOVED MOLLIE.

I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING

TO HURT HER.

WELL, I THINK YOU WOULD.

YEAH, WE DON'T SHARE

THIS BIT OF HISTORY.

NOT THIS.

( fax machine beeping )

( phone ringing )

( dialing )

( ringing )

Woman:
HI! WE CAN' GET TO THE PHONE RIGHT NOW,

BUT LEAVE US A MESSAGE

AND WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU.

( beep )

( muttering )

HMM.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

CONJURING MOLLIE.

SWEET ROSEMARY, HUH?

NO, I DIDN'T MEAN LITERALLY.

OF COURSE YOU DID.

NO, I DIDN'T. I DON'T KNOW

WHAT SHE ACTUALLY SMELLS LIKE.

SMELL.

( inhales )

MOLLIE?

FRESH ROSEMARY:

WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.

IT'S NOT REALLY LIKE I REMEMBER.

MAY I HAVE HER BACK, PLEASE?

HMM. WELL, IT'S

GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

MY MEMORIES AREN' NEARLY SO FLESHY, SO REAL.

SO, HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN HER?

ABOUT A MINUTE, NOW.

( both giggling )

NO, I MEAN, WHEN

DID YOU MEET ONLINE?

THREE MONTHS AND A WEEK AGO.

WHAT WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT?

TYPE.

TYPE OF WHAT?

WE TYPE.

WE DON'T TALK.

YOU NEVER TALKED?

NO.

MY WORDS TUMBLE LESS AWKWARDLY

THROUGH MY FINGERS.

I WOULDN'T GIVE HER

MY PHONE NUMBER.

SHE ASKED?

NO.

SO ALL YOU SHARED

WAS A COMPUTER SCREEN.

AND FOUR FLAT LITTLE PICTURES.

AND A BOOK, SHE SAID

SHE SENT YOU A BOOK.

AH, CONSTANCE.

HAVE YOU HEARD:

OF JANE KENYON?

JANE- YES.

I, UH, OF COURSE.

I MEAN, BECAUSE OF MOLLIE.

SHE WAS BIPOLAR.

LIKE ME, LIKE MOLLIE.

SHE'S A CHRISTIAN,

NOT LIKE ME.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT MOLLIE.

BUT SOMETHING...

SOMETHING SINGS:

WHEN MOLLIE...

WRITES OF HER.

SHE LOVES THIS BOOK.

KENYON'S DARKEST.

THE ONE IN WHICH SHE...

( laughs )

SHE HAS IT OUT WITH MELANCHOLY.

IN WHICH SHE...

THAT'S A DIABOLICAL LITTLE

GROUPING, DON'T YOU THINK?

IF YOU SAY SO.

WELL, I DO SAY SO.

IN WHICH SHE.

IT'S LIKE AN INCANTATION.

WARDING OFF THE SPIRITS

OF CONSTANT MELANCHOLY.

IN WHICH SHE.

DID IT WORK?

THE INCANTATION?

I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, IN THE END...

KENYON DIED OF CANCER.

AN UNNATURALLY NATURAL CAUSE.

SO, SHE-SHE DIDN'T.

KILL HERSELF?

RIGHT.

NO.

HAVE YOU READ IT?

SOME.

YEAH. I MEAN,

THE WORDS MAKE SENSE.

I- I JUST CAN'T QUITE-

CATCH A MEANING.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT?

EXPLAIN WHAT, EXACTLY?

WHATEVER FASCINATES HER

ABOUT THESE-THESE WORDS.

WHATEVER MADE YOU

BUY THAT GUN.

THAT'S A NEA LITTLE TRICK, JOHN.

THERE'S NO TRICK.

YOU THINK YOU CAN FIGURE

ME OUT JUST LIKE THAT?

YOU CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT.

I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT.

WHY NOT?

BECAUSE! WE'RE NO A DAMN RIDDLE,

WE'RE NOT A PUZZLE,

THERE'S NO SOLUTION.

AND, UH, WHO SAID

I BOUGHT THE GUN?

WHY HAVE A GUN AT ALL?

THAT'S THE WRONG QUESTION,

JOHN.

I WANT TO UNDERSTAND.

I'D APPRECIATE IT, IF YOU COULD

HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND.

WE KNOW THE WORLD BY

THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK.

SEE THAT, RIGHT THERE?

MOLLIE ALWAYS SAID THAT.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

THAT WE MAKE UP OUR WORLD.

OUT OF QUESTIONS.

NOT ANSWERS.

WHY THIS BOOK?

WHAT DOES ANY OF THA HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?

THE LUMINOUS PARTICULAR.

THE WHAT?

SOMETHING THAT KENYON

LIKED TO WRITE ABOUT.

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