Liberal Arts Page #7

Well, maybe you're just not

recognizing them.

Anyway,

I do appreciate you coming by.

I really do.

It's great to see you

one last time

before I get the hell

out of here.

You feeling any better

about things?

Well,

I tried to turn the clock back.

It doesn't work.

No, it doesn't.

Now I just...

I keep waiting to feel

more resolve somehow.

What if I'm like

one of those prisoners

that gets paroled

and finds he can't handle

life on the outside

so he commits a petty crime

so he can go back

to what he knows?

You think this place

is a prison?

Well, any place

you don't leave is a prison.

Well, whatever.

Okay.

Okay.

Hey.

You know why you're my second

favorite professor of all time?

I have no idea.

Because you had us read books

by authors you hated.

Feel good

about what you did here.

Thank you.

Get in your car now,

and leave me be.

"Dear Zibby,

even after all these months,

"I'm still half-expecting

a letter from you

"to be sitting in my mailbox.

"I'm sure you have little left

to say to me at this point,

"but your letters

are very much missed.

"I know I hurt you,

and I'm sorry.

"Any bone-headed moves I made

"were born of confusion

and not malice.

"That said, I've been feeling

lately the stirrings

"of something

I can only call growth.

"It's a tribute of sorts to say

that someone 16 years my junior

"helped me finally start

acting my age.

"A wise man in a red hat

once told me,

"'Everything is okay.'

"I didn't believe him then,

but for some reason,

I'm starting to."

Sorry, we're closed!

Oh.

Hey.

Hi.

Are you here for this?

I always notice you reading it

when you're in here.

Yeah.

Any bookstore I'm in,

I have to read the...

Last three pages.

I know.

They're devastating.

Yeah.

I'm Jesse.

I'm Ana.

- Hi.

- Hi.

I love books.

I do in, like,

the dorkiest way possible.

Oh, me too.

It's a problem.

Like, I love trees

'cause they give us books.

It's super cool of the trees

to do that, right?

I'm actually...

this is weird.

I'm actually trying

to read less.

Why?

I felt like I wasn't watching

enough television.

No, I just-I started to feel

like reading about life

was taking time away

from actually living life,

so I'm trying to, like,

accept invitations to things,

say "hi" to the world

a little more.

That sounds scary.

It's going well?

It's... okay.

Most of the time when I'm out,

I keep thinking

I'd be so much happier

in bed with a book,

and that makes me feel

not super cool.

I still read tons.

I just feel like I'm more aware

of a book's limitations.

Does that make sense?

Yeah, totally.

How am I doing here?

What?

Here in this conversation?

Yeah.

Very well.

You are doing great.

So you maybe want to get away

from these books

and walk somewhere?

Yeah, okay.

- Really?

- Sure, let's do it.

Great.

Great.

And feel free to invite

your husband or boyfriend.

They're both pretty busy

right now, so...

Probably just be us, then.

Yeah.

Just us.

Hello.

Oh, hi.

It's Dean.

Franzen?

We like the same writer.

Right, hey.

Dean, what's up?

Uh, you gave me your number,

and you told me to call you.

Uh, yeah.

No, it's good to hear from you.

How are you doing?

Uh, I'm pretty good, yeah.

Things, um...

I've been...

Dean?

I just took a bunch of pills.

What?

I just took a lot of pills.

How many?

I don't know.

Um...

I'm really scared.

- Where are you?

- In my dorm.

Staystay there, okay?

Stay right there.

Okay, yeah, just stay ri-

I'm gonna make a call,

and I'm gonna call...

I need you to stay by the phone,

though, okay?

Dean?

Miss Hanson

to reception area, please.

Miss Hanson.

Hey.

Hey, man.

How you feeling?

Kind of ridiculous.

You didn't have to drive

all the way out here.

I flew, you bastard.

Thanks.

For picking up the phone.

I didn't know who else to call.

Can I make a suggestion?

Yeah.

Stop reading this.

Why?

Because he killed himself,

and you're not gonna do that.

You need to read something else.

Listen, don't be a genius

who dies young.

Be one who dies old.

Being old is cool.

Grow old and die old.

It's a better arc.

Listen to me, man.

This right now, all this stuff

you're feeling,

this is a footnote, okay?

You're gonna graduate,

and you're gonna get out

in the world

and stumble into something

like contentment.

I know it.

Is that how it's been for you?

Hell, no.

But some days are all right,

you know?

Some days are like a gift,

and some days suck.

But all of that's okay.

So I'm taking you

off post-modernists.

What are you prescribing?

There are these vampire books.

The kids love 'em.

Trust me, they will empty

your mind completely.

Why are you being

so nice to me?

You flew all the way back here

to see me,

and we had, like,

two conversations.

I have a soft spot

for good readers.

They're hard to find these days.

I really did miss you.

You know, we had this thing

happening,

and it was so exciting,

and then you were just gone.

But it's okay now.

I get it.

I sometimes feel like

I'm looking down on myself,

like there's

this older, wiser me

watching over

this 19-year-old rough draft

who's full of all this potential

but has to live more

to catch up

with that other self somehow.

And...

I know I'll get there.

It's just sometimes I think

I want to rush the process,

you know?

And I don't know.

Maybe-maybe I thought

you were some sort of shortcut.

Does that make any sense?

If I wrote you,

I would be like,

"This is

the best rough draft ever."

Seriously?

Roommates.

Well, I should get back

to adulthood.

Yeah.

See you there soon, I guess.

Bye, Zibby.

Bye, Jesse.

You're so beautiful

and fascinating

and age-appropriate.

What?

Oh, nothing.

- Torna

- Torna

Zefiro Torna, torna

Torna, zefiro

Ze...

Firo torna

E di soavi accenti

L'aer fa grato

E di soavi accenti...

Look, you're getting wise.

I'm getting old.

Not the same thing.

I say you're getting wise.

You worry about getting old?

I think being old's

gonna be okay.

It's just the getting there

that kicks your ass, you know?

You're gonna be

a great old guy.

- Really?

- Mm-hmm.

I feel like

that's the nicest thing

anyone's ever said to me.

Unless it's a criticism,

like, "You're already

judgmental and racist.

You're gonna be

a great old guy."

No, I mean

you'll wear baggy pants,

and you'll have a little belly.

And when you want more coffee,

you'll say to the waitress,

"Could you warm this up

for me, dear?"

You're right.

I will say that.

I think you're gonna be

a great old person too.

Thanks.

I want to be an old lady with

long, gray hair in a ponytail.

I can see it.

You're still foxy.

You still got it.

That's what they're gonna say

about you.

"She's still got it."

They're saying it now.

And I want a really,

really wrinkly face.

A small house,

maybe by some water.

I think getting old

could be really nice.

End of the day

on the subway

In my ear

Along the way,

the headphones play

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