Thirst Street

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1

[people chattering]

[plane engines roaring]

-[Narrator] Most passengers

barely noticed Gina

on her flights.

They didn't look up when she

gave the safety demonstration,

avoided eye contact when

she took their drink orders,

and ignored her

polite request to put

their tray tables in their

full and upright positions.

- Bye-bye, have a nice day.

Thank you.

-[Narrator] Leaving the plane,

they walked right by her,

moving on to their

next destination

without giving her

a second thought.

- Bye, thanks.

-[Narrator] But

Paul was different.

She met Paul on a

flight to Boston,

where he was traveling to

an academic conference.

He liked her warmth,

her sad smile.

On trips, she

missed him terribly.

She sent him notes from

every new place she visited,

and brought back gifts to

furnish the home they shared.

Gina thought it was

a grand romance,

the kind she always

dreamed about,

like something out

of an old musical.

But Paul was in another world.

Left alone in their empty home,

surrounded by memories of Gina,

he became increasingly

despondent and obsessed.

"Dear Gina," he wrote her,

"I know you don't

love me anymore.

"Maybe you never did.

"The gifts, the postcards,

they can't hide the truth.

"You're only traveling

to escape me.

"I don't blame you.

"I wish I could escape myself.

"Maybe now I finally can.

"Goodbye.

"Paul."

- Paul?

Paul?

I'm sorry I'm late.

Paul?

[screams]

[haunting music]

[sobs]

[mournful music]

-[Narrator] Gina returned to

her job almost immediately.

She didn't know where else

to go or what else to do.

Her coworkers,

Lorraine and Faye,

had become her only friends.

Gina would never say to them

that Paul had killed himself,

only that he'd passed on.

They tried to act as if

everything was normal,

but secretly feared

for her sanity.

[plane engines roaring]

[cars rumbling by]

-[Lorraine] All

right, see you later.

-[Gina] See you at 7:00.

-[Lorraine] Okay.

[door creaks]

- Paul?

Paul?

- Gina, you left the door open.

Why aren't you changed?

Come on, we're ready to go.

[laughs]

come on, let's go.

-[Narrator] On their layover,

they forced Gina out for

an evening on the town.

"A special surprise," they said.

What Gina didn't know

is that her friends

bribed the fortune teller

just moments before,

requesting she give

Gina a good reading.

-[Fortune Teller] So, I see

a new man in your future.

Have a card.

- Oh, that looks very bad.

- That's the devil.

You do what you want with it.

It's just dangerous,

but you can use it,

turn it as you want.

Another one, here.

The sun.

- Is this good?

- Yeah, the best

card in the world.

So, this one is love.

And this one is a start.

It's gonna be a new love.

Give me your hand.

The man has

something in his eye.

Something in his eye...

- What does that mean?

[people chattering]

-[Narrator] Though she

didn't like to talk about it,

or anything personal anymore,

Gina had been reading

her horoscope religiously every

morning since Paul's death,

and wanted to believe in fate,

that everything really

was meant to be.

Lorraine's guidebook

recommended the Green Inn,

an upscale venue for

authentic French cabaret.

and the club had become very

different in recent years.

[upbeat music]

- You want a Pinot grigio?

- Do you want a Pinot grigio?

[scattered clapping]

-[Jerome] So,

where are you from?

-[Faye] Uh, the US.

- And you are here for holiday?

-[Lorraine] We're on layover

for one of the airlines.

- Airline hostesses.

Flight attendant.

- Okay, you work in a plane.

- Mm-hmm.

- You know all the world?

-[Faye] Pretty much.

- And the moon, too?

-[Faye] Uh, not yet.

-[Lorraine] Someday.

- Yeah.

[dreamy music]

I like uniform of

flight attendant,

because it's very sexy.

[laughs]

No, I am serious, huh?

Give me your hand.

This one, yeah.

I can see...

Here.

We can take a taxi together

and go to my place,

most beautiful place in Paris,

and this is my place, is here.

- This is your place?

- Yeah, it's my place.

I have fresh

champagne in my place,

and we, I can...

[laughs]

We can, you know,

you and me, and you?

And we can, you know?

- Oui.

- We can have a good night,

a very good night together.

Early.

And you can't go to my place,

because you, where you live?

- A hotel.

[panting]

-[Narrator] Maybe

it was the reading,

maybe it was the alcohol,

maybe it was Paris,

but when she saw Jerome,

for the first time

since Paul's suicide,

Gina felt something.

- Ah, Jerome, a condom?

- What?

- Do you have a condom?

- I prefer natural.

[groaning]

[moaning]

- Did I wake you?

- Huh?

Who are you?

I'm kidding.

It's a joke.

[laughs]

- Are you hungry?

I got you breakfast.

- Yes.

Yeah.

Thanks.

Okay.

Breakfast for you?

- Oh, I will eat at the airport.

- Perfect.

What?

- Your eye.

It looks really terrible.

- My eye?

You need go now for a walk?

- Uh, yeah, I do

have to go soon,

but I think you can

stay here until eleven.

- No, no, no, I am okay.

I need a walk, too.

I go, you know.

-[Gina] I'm flying

Paris this whole month.

- Really?

-[Gina] Yeah, all month.

- Cool.

I give you my number.

You have a pen?

'Cause I don't have.

Don't lose it, huh?

- I won't lose it.

-[Jerome] Okay!

[whimsical music]

- Wish I was still there.

[text chimes]

[shop bell dings]

Hi.

- Hi, how may I help you?

- May I please have Plan B?

- Sure, Plan B.

- Okay, here you are.

And would you like some

ointment for your eye.

- Oh, no, thanks.

- Are you sure?

- Yeah, yeah, it's okay.

Hey, did you get my text?

[text chimes]

[plane engines roar]

-[Narrator] Jerome's

conjunctivitis spread across

Gina's eye, causing it to

redden and swell and ooze.

It became cloudy, and she could

barely see straight anymore.

- Jerome.

- Ah, American girl.

Hello.

Yeah, I like it.

It's sexy.

Very sexy.

I will take a flight.

But I don't have

my ticket with me.

[glass shatters]

- Oh, I'm sorry.

-[Girl] Yeah, we will take it.

- You want a drink?

Yeah.

No, it's okay.

- Cheers.

- Julie, American girl.

[moaning]

[moaning]

- You want me to do it again?

- Yeah.

[camera clicks]

[camera clicks]

what are you doing?

- Nothing.

- You came to my place.

- Yeah.

Is that okay?

Sorry, I've been

up for a long time.

- Yeah, it's okay, it's okay.

It's okay.

- I have to go to

work pretty soon.

- Oh, yeah?

Maybe you can stay

for a few minutes, no?

- Okay.

Just a few.

- Yeah.

to mention Paul's

death to Jerome.

She could just tell he knew.

He instinctively

understood her pain.

- I like you, too.

I like you.

But long-distance

is very difficult,

and I know that, but because

of my last girlfriend,

she was traveling every time...

- Long-distance is hard.

- Yeah.

- I've been thinking

about moving to Paris.

[laughs]

[upbeat music]

- I'm not from New York.

I'm from the state of New York,

but not the city of New York.

- So you're not from New York.

- Yeah, it's very

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