The Night Listener Page #2

(phone rings)

HeIIo?

It's Donna.

He's asleep now .

We had to drain his lungs.

- Has he toId you about the AIDS?

- Yeah. he did.

Listen, there are some incredibIe drugs

nowadays. They worked wonders for Jess.

Yeah, we've tried a Iot of them

but he had syphiIis when he was eight

and his Iungs are Iike Swiss cheese.

He doesn't have very long.

A feW months at the most.

It probabIy doesn't make it any easier,

being out here in the middIe of nowhere.

But I just can't have

those creeps knowing where he is.

I thought they were in prison.

His father was. but his mother

disappeared after her arraignment.

- They don't know where she is.

- Surely after all these years...

We don't know what she's capabIe of.

But the point of moving here

is not to be paranoid. right?

( Gabriel) The thought of that

haunted me all night.

Over the next few weeks.

Pete and I talked almost every day.

Who do you want to talk to

When your book is published?

What do you mean?

You know . somebody famous

Who really likes your book.

Derek Jeter wouId be cooI.

WeII. OK. Yeah.

(Pete scoffs)

You don't know who that is. do you?

Of course.

He's a sports guy.

Yeah, what sport?

Gettin' picky on me.

Just 'cause you're a dick-smoker

don't mean you can't watch baII games.

What?

What. a dick-smoker?

You've never heard that?

No.

WeII, no offense or nothin'.

You and, uh.. . Jess seem pretty cooI.

So, how's he doing?

- He's OK.

- So W hen can I talk to him?

WeII, that's gonna be kind of difficuIt.

He moved out a coupIe of weeks ago.

Oh, man. That sucks.

He says he needs to be aIone,

but he says he's coming back.

I'm sure. It seemed Iike

you had something speciaI.

I think you've just gotta be patient. Gabriel.

Something like that

doesn't come every day.

That's what I want.

That kind of thing.

One of these days.

Don't worry.

You'll get it.

No. Ain't a Iot of girIs

between here and the hospitaI.

You think about girIs a Iot?

That's all I can do. man.

Think about 'em.

Seeta.

You have Playboy?

-(Jess) Hey, you.

- Hey.

Hugo.

- For a friend.

- Yeah.

I was gonna caII you. I'm having a smaII

Christmas party. You wanna come?

- Sure.

- OK. I'II caII you.

- See ya.

- See ya.

So he gets the Playboy. Next thing

you know he's hiding it from his new mom.

Who knew I'd be

a heterosexuaI infIuence?

That is just the sweetest thing

I've ever heard.

- Isn't it?

- I'd be carefuI if I was you.

- Why?

- FoIks couId taIk, that's aII.

About what?

Use your damn head.

That boy was abused by gays.

He was abused by pedophiIes.

Haven't you been Iistening?

- They were men.

- Straight men.

Lift you Ieg, sweetness.

How couId they be straight

if they messed with a boy?

- They caIIed him ''f*ggot'' whiIe doing it.

- Do you have to make everything fiIthy?

Honey, caIm down.

Don't get so angry.

That's much easier

than feeIing something.

What kind of New Age crap is that?

Just 'cause you're shut down

doesn't mean we have to be.

- Just because you're a big crybaby.. .

- Come on, guys.

- ShouId I go somewhere?

- No.

Come on, Iet's.. .

We're gonna be Iate.

- You two seemed a IittIe better this time.

- Yeah.

Another thousand years

we'II be abIe to have a conversation.

- What were you gonna teII us about Jess?

- Nothing.

Maybe we'II see him

on our way back to RaIeigh.

Just say goodbye to the IittIe prick.

What? ''LittIe prick''? He can handIe that.

- I can handIe big ones, actuaIIy.

-(laughs)

You are nasty.

- What'd he say?

- See you, Pap.

OK, son.

(? hip-hop)

(chatter. laughter)

Hey, GabrieI!

GabrieI! Hey!

- Where are you going?

- Why'd you invite me to this?

It's a party.

RidicuIous.

GabrieI.

Come here.

What's the matter?

- Who are aII these peopIe?

- My friends. My roommate's and mine.

Since when did you know

so many peopIe?

Hey, most of my friends were your friends.

I wanted new friends.

What's the probIem here?

I don't understand what's happening.

When I moved in with you,

I was bareIy out of coIIege.

I wanted to take care of you.

And you don't think

I wanted to take care of you?

- I'm not saying that.

- That's what you think.

GabrieI, for eight years I was gonna die.

And now it Iooks Iike I'm not going to,

and I want to see what that feeIs Iike.

Look. I just.. .

If you had any guts,

you'd end this.

That's not how I feeI.

- No, no, no.

- Come here. Come here, pIease.

(knock on door)

Comin' out.

OK?

Yeah. I'm OK.

( Gabriel) You've reached Gabriel and

Jess. Please leave a message at the tone.

It's Donna.

I'm at the hospitaI.

He's in the oxygen tank.

It's not Iooking very good.

I don't think

he'll make it through the night.

I'll call you back when there's new s. Bye.

(female machine voice)

End of message.

Ah.

Don't you think she'd have caIIed

if anything happened?

I've just got this gut feeIing.

- So caII the hospitaI.

- I don't know which one he's in.

Do you think it's possibIe

they're being a IittIe meIodramatic?

You know, the abusive parents,

the basement. It aII seems so over the top.

- Some peopIe have shitty Iives.

- They're not shitty aII the time.

(electronic hum)

They may be rewing it up a bit.

(phone ringing)

I can't beIieve you'd even suggest

that a dying chiId wouId embeIIish it.

- HeIIo?

- It's Donna.

Hi.

Donna, I'm gonna put you

on speaker phone. Jess is here.

- Hi. Jess. It's nice to meet the real thing.

- It's nice to meet you, too.

Gabriel. the Bactrim's kicked in.

Pete's better this morning.

Thank God.

- He wants to say heIIo.

- Sure. Put him on.

-(Pete) Hey. dude.

- Hey, kiddo. How you feeIin'?

- Better than yesterday.

- Great.

Hey, Jess is here.

He's fixing my fuse box.

I don't even wanna know

What that means.

OK. Well. they want me

to go to sleep now . You guys stay cool.

- SIeep tight, dude.

-( dial tone)

What a reIief.

Yeah.

What?

I think it's the same voice, babe.

What?

Yeah. Pete and Donna. I.. .

I don't know,

they.. . they have the same voice.

One is higher-pitched, but they're.. .

Are you saying

it's some kind of impersonation?

Yeah, more or Iess.

- Why wouId someone do that?

- I don't know.

- Dozens of peopIe know them.

- Who?

Doctors. There's a nurse

who comes and stays at the house.

You've onIy been toId that.

- What about Ashe?

- Did he ever actuaIIy go to Wisconsin?

He must have.

What about the photo?

That couId be anybody.

- There's ways to prove this.

- Hey.

I'm happy to be wrong.

No. No, you're never

happy to be wrong.

This is the first time I've feIt decent

in weeks. Why are you trying to destroy it?

Because this isn't one of your stories.

You never Iook at things for what they are.

- That's such buIIshit.

- BuIIshit?

BuIIshit? OK.

Where exactIy did I teII you

I tested positive?

- What the.. .

- Answer the question!

In the park on a bench

in front of those guys pIaying drums.

No.

No, that's what you put in your show.

It was at a grimy oId deIi on 3rd.

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