Motherhood Page #5

[ Laughs ]

Don't we all?

-Write what?

-Plays. Well, sort of.

I guess you'd call them quietly

domestic plays set in lndia.

Oh, cool.

Yeah, I tried to find a job

that would occupy

the least amount of mental space

and be so opposite

my true aesthetic intentions

that it wouldn't get in the way,

you know?

ELIZA:

Does that work for you?

MIKESH:

Most of the time.

How do you do this every day?

I'm winded, man.

Lightweight.

ELIZA:

My daughter is a nicotine Nazi.

They do all this anti-smoking

propaganda in school,

which is good, I guess,

but my position

is everything in moderation,

which is hard to explain to a kid,

you know?

Excuse me one sec.

Edith?

[ Knocks on Edith's door ]

You okay in there?

EDITH:
Who is it?

It's me, Eliza.

Got your juice.

Some food for Lady.

Edith, do you need

something to eat?

No, dear.

What day is today?

It's Friday.

It's May 25.

May 25, Edith.

May 25.

Okay, Edith. Gotta go.

Just right next door

if you need me.

I'm right there. Bye.

Wow.

Wow, indeed.

Well....

Mikesh, thank you for carrying

all this stuff up for me.

You really saved me.

Oh....

Whew!

I'll take that letter for Avery.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um....

This was really nice of you.

Um.... Do you....?

Well, you must be thirsty.

Do you want a glass of water?

Yeah.

Okay.

-MIKESH:
Here, let me get that.

-ELIZA:
Oh....

You're so kind.

All right.

ELIZA:

Sorry for this heinous mess.

MIKESH:
Oh, no. I was --

The view across your rooftop

is so poetical.

You should see where I live.

Bushwick, man.

It's a little grim.

Well, you're, you're, what,

you're, um... how old?

MIKESH:
22.

Oh, you can deal

with Bushwick, then.

When you get to be my age....

Wow, well, you look fantastic.

Actually, I'm not quite 44.

I'm, um....

I just lied.

I think I was hoping

that you just might say that.

The point is,

when you get to be my age,

the view becomes less poetical

in relationship to other aspects

of living here.

One door on, one door off.

Is this some

kind of artistic statement?

Uh....

This is one of Avery's

renovation projects.

Look closely, and you'll find

similar statements elsewhere.

Like his perennially disorganized

personal library.

MIKESH:
He seems interesting,

your husband.

Oh, he is.

He's....

He's eccentric, and l, um....

I fell in love with those

eccentricities, you know?

ELIZA:

But then you have kids

and try to lead

what's called a grown-up life,

and those sort of things become

obstacles to a sane existence.

So you used to be a writer, too?

Well, this is you, no?

ELIZA:
Yes, um....

Or a version of me.

I'd really appreciate it if you --

MIKESH:
"She woke up

with the taste of blood in her mouth.

The memory of the night before

hit her full force.

Inexorable.

Swift.

Like fast water moving over rocks...

-...she was concerned that --

-ELIZA:
Please stop.

Yeah, that was my thing.

That kind of fiercely lyrical fiction.

I got scholarships for it.

I was considered to be

kind of an up-and-comer.

I loved writing.

I still do.

It's just, you know,

when you have kids....

I still write. Sort of.

On more, um... everyday topics.

It's just --

How come you're being

so nice to me?

I saw you go

to that woman next door.

I saw you give her that juice,

very easily.

Very selflessly.

Why can't I be nice, too?

Besides, you're very pretty.

[ Air escapes loudly ]

Um....

-Tell me something else.

-About what?

About being a writer.

Oh, well....

Um....

I used to write record reviews

when I was first in college

and after I graduated, for these

little downtown newspapers,

none of which really exist anymore,

to get free albums.

[ Giggles ]

Vinyl!

Yeah.

Now I'm really dating myself.

I mean, Avie was really into music.

He turned me on to lots of bands.

I mean, some you've heard of

and probably some you never have.

Like what?

ELIZA:

Oh, I don't know.

Play me something.

ELIZA:
Oh.

Really?

Yeah.

Um.... Okay.

Um....

-You wanna hear something great?

-Yeah.

[ Pylon's "Stop lt" starts playing ]

So spare and basic.

It's Pylon.

Turn it up!

No, no, no.

My downstairs neighbors

have this hideous tool,

and they'll just start

banging on the pipes.

Who cares?

[ Eliza raises the volume ]

[ Eliza raises the volume even more ]

[ Eliza turns music off]

[ Eliza breathes heavily ]

Fantastic!

Yeah.

It's great.

Well....

Oh, look, I gotta get things

finished up around here

before my husband gets back.

But you've been a real life-saver.

Yeah?

Absolutely.

Well, I'd love to read

your fiction sometime.

Do you have anything more recent?

No, not at the present moment.

No, at the present moment,

my life is... extremely reality-based.

But I do plan to get back to it

at some point.

No, I mean, I will.

As my favorite grad school

professor used to say,

"There is no 'try,'

there is only 'do' and 'do not."'

Well, Mikesh, it's been

incredibly nice to meet you.

Thank you.

[ Music plays ]

[ Phone rings ]

SHEILA:

I cannot believe you!

What, Sheila? What is it?

What did I do?

SHEILA:
Do you have absolutely

no sense of boundaries whatsoever?

What are you talking about?

SHEILA:
You used my name!

You used my real name!

Everyone who knows us

is now gonna know!

Know what?

SHEILA:
Do you have any idea

how embarrassing that is?

Where are you?

I'm here!

ELIZA:
Sheila, Sheila!

Hold on, I'm coming down!

SHEILA:
No, don't come down!

Don't f***ing bother!

Are you so hard up

for something to say

that you have to use

one of your closest friend's

most personal

and private experiences

just to make yourself

seem more clever and insightful?

Oh, Christ!

Sheila, I didn't mean to!

Yeah, but you did!

It doesn't matter, Eliza!

Oh, God, I thought

other single moms would relate!

Oh, so wait....

Now I'm your token single mom?

No, no, no.

Other moms, too, okay?

Married moms.

I mean, they can be sympathetic!

Oh, they can feel sorry for me, too.

Well, that's great.

So everybody

can feel sorry for me!

I don't want anyone

to feel sorry for me!

I'm a grown-up!

I made a grown-up choice!

And by the way, married women don't

have a whole lot of sex either...

,,,and you should bloody know!

I just --

I'm coming down! Just hold on!

Don't come down, I'm lea--

I've gotta go and get the kids.

No, Sheila!

Sheila, are you still bringing Clara?

Because if you don't, then I've

gotta arrange with Avery and --

Of course I'm still bringing Clara.

What do you think?

Oh, God.

You think I'm gonna punish a child

on her almost birthday

just 'cause her mother's

got a big f***ing mouth

and no sense of discretion?

Sheila, just please,

just don't judge me, okay?

I mean, it's not your job.

I'm sorry, okay?

I mean, I'm -- I made a mistake!

Yeah, you sure bloody did, babe!

[ Sad music plays ]

[ Sighs ]

Seriously?

MAN:
Hey!

[ Cell phone rings ]

AVERY:
Eliza --

[ Raises volume ]

[ Madder Rose's

"Goodbye June Fool" plays ]

[ Cell phone rings ]

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes