The Humbling Page #4

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Is that what she wanted?

I don't know. It's the way I saw it.

You've slept with her at this point.

I think so.

I don't know.

Yeah.

- Well...

- I like it.

Well, I guess this officially marks

the end of my 16-year mistake.

Yeah.

Did she actually say "16-year mistake"?

I don't know. I'm not sure. I mean...

Or is that what you wanted to hear?

Well, I don't know. I'm not sure.

I mean, there's a lot of things she says

I'm not sure I'm hearing

what she's saying

or what I'm making up that she says.

I mean, I don't know.

Half the ti...

I don't know how she thinks.

I don't know what's on her mind.

She seems so detached.

She seems so removed. And yet...

when I'm with her,

there's a feeling I have.

- Yeah.

- It's nice?

You look a little bit like you're

still on the hanger.

I think that works though

because you can...

I feel like a matador.

What... what's it matter?

I mean, three quarters of the things

we do in life are mistakes.

I mean, you know, my being an actor,

that's a f***ing mistake.

Could be. I mean, you get all

the awards, the accolades,

the special treatment,

all that stuff, the adulation,

and what do you wind up doing?

Throwing yourself off a stage.

Now, come on. While trying to pull

some Hemingway-esque suicide.

I mean, you know,

the other day I'm watching television

and this commercial comes on,

and they're promoting Hemingway furniture.

I mean, here's a guy,

blew the top of his head off

because he couldn't take life anymore

and now you can get a

Hemingway bedroom set.

I don't know why it makes me laugh.

You know? He wrote books, by the way.

I know you know that, but I'm saying.

She seemed pleasant.

Who?

The woman's that been here

from time to time.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

There's been someone here, hasn't there?

What?

There's been somebody here.

Yeah, I have someone that comes in.

She comes in now and then,

you know, helps me.

With my...

- recuperation.

- Yeah.

- Is she a massage therapist?

- Oh, no, no. No.

She just, you know, has... Sometimes I

could stretch it for her, you know, she...

It's okay, though. It's fine.

Yeah. And she only just

comes here now and then.

It's not my business.

It's not my business.

No, no. I don't... No... it's...

it's fair to ask something like that.

I don't want to interfere.

She seems very pleasant.

Yeah.

Why? You... you've been talking to her?

No, I just saw her.

- You just exchanged hellos and stuff?

- Yeah.

Nothing more than that. I mean,

you didn't ask her any questions?

- No.

- Just... just for my own...

- Well, I wouldn't say anything.

- Yeah, because... well, we like to keep it...

like we always keep it.

You mean me and you

or her and me and you?

- I really don't understand.

- I... I don't know, you said, "we".

No, I meant in the...

you know, in the sort of...

- In a general...

- In the general way.

Well, you should have someone

nice coming to take care of you...

at your age.

Good morning.

What?

Good morning.

Okay. Okay.

I don't have Alzheimer's.

I'm not demen... it's not dementia.

It's something else.

It's this inertia

when it comes to the...

We used to call it "the work".

You see, so the abandonment is...

is so severe and it causes such pain

because... or it causes confusion,

fear as I don't know where to go.

Dear Simon, how are you? You look well.

I need to see you again.

You're my only friend.

Yours and hugs, Sybil Van Buren.

Hey. Look what I found.

The Seagull starring Simon Axler.

Bootleg copy live from The Globe.

Can we watch it, please?

I found this woman and somehow

there's an appetite.

I know it's...

it looks like it's tentative,

It looks like it's going

to slip away from me,

but at the same time, so what?

I don't know what's right for me.

I don't know what's wrong for me.

I have no idea, nor does anyone,

really, when it comes down to it.

But I like that line from Shakespeare,

- you know, "Perdition catch my soul."

- "Perdition catch my soul."

- "But I do love thee."

- "But I do love thee."

And...

when I love thee not...

chaos is come again.

Okay, I'm going to take that as a "no."

Simon!

- Hi.

- Are you surprised?

That you're suddenly here in my woods,

on my property?

I'm surprised. Yeah.

I would rather speak privately.

Do you know of someplace

quiet that we could go?

Quieter than the woods? I mean...

The monster is all alone with them.

Yeah.

That's terrible.

Have you... have you given

any more thought to my offer?

No, I haven't.

- Not at all?

- No. I haven't.

Okay.

Christening.

So...

Oh, gee. What is that?

So, Edgar goes for a walk

in these gardens every night.

- Yeah.

- Okay, now, look... look, look, look

- how simple it would be to climb...

- No.

Simon, please.

Why are you doing this to me?

Because you're the only

person that I trust.

Trust? You don't know me.

- I don't know you. I just met...

- I know you.

You're asking me to do... such a thing.

- You understand?

- Yes.

Why would you ask me to do such a thing?

Because you have experience, Simon.

- What are you talking about?

- In the movies.

I know, but the movies,

they're not real.

So that's not real experience.

Okay, but you've held a real gun

and you've had training.

Not with real bullets.

Everything I do in the movies,

any actor does, is fake.

- You understand? It's not real.

- Yes. But...

- No, it's pretend.

- But...

It's pretend.

But pretend that your acting background

will help when it comes time

to talk to the police.

- This is ridiculous. Ridiculous, ridiculous.

- Do not call me "ridiculous."

- I'm not calling you...

- I am not ridiculous.

I'm saying this is ridiculous.

I am ridiculous.

I've been called ridiculous

by my husband, by my family,

by my friends, by lawyers, and doctors,

- and everyone else but you.

- Well, I'm ridiculous, too.

Simon, I just need your help.

I can't. I'm sorry, I just...

- I'm begging you.

- I know, darling, but I can't do it.

You're going to have to go elsewhere.

Please. So, I have to go back anyway.

- I got things I have to do.

- Back where?

- Well, I got to go back to...

- Where are you going?

To my house and you go to

your house, wherever that is.

I don't know where your house is.

- I have no idea where you live.

- Do you want to come over?

- No, I don't want to go to your house.

- Wait...

You have to go elsewhere, you know.

I can't... I can't help you. I'm sorry.

You're b... you're busy.

You sound busy, so we'll...

- We'll do this later.

- No, it's not about being busy.

- Right.

- Go... go... come...

you know, maybe another time.

- Later on, someday.

- Pick it up. Right.

Someday, long time from now.

- Thursday.

- Maybe...

- Like Thursday?

- No, not Thursday. No!

- Another time. That's not Thursday.

- What?

- Thursday's now. I mean later.

- Simon, you're yelling. I can't hear you.

- Next century.

- What?

As time went on, I became more

and more dependent on her.

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