Small Talk
By
Matthew R. Batson
BLANK SCREEN:
Against Black, TITLE CARD:
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”
- Henry David Thoreau
The Blank Screen and Title Card SHATTER to reveal...
INT. Robert Coleman Psychology Office -Day
Lora:
What am I going to do with my life?
Robert:
What does it matter ?
Lora:
What does it matter, our you a fucking retard this is my last year of high school it means everything.
Robert:
But who says ?
Lora:
I don’t know everybody, my parents, my teachers, my friends, my boyfriend .
Robert:
Mmm
Lora:
Its like everybody I know has a plan and im so lost, I feel like I’ve spent these four years trying so hard to be something that I forgot who im.
Robert:
And what exactly were you trying to be Lora?
Lora:
Gosh I don’t know cool, I just wanted to be accepted somewhere, I wanted stuff not to be so meaningless,
Robert:
Do you think your fake Lora?
Lora:
Where the fuck do you get off calling me fake, do you think just cause you have some fancy degree , and a nice house your better then everybody , well you ain shit.
Robert:
Listen I don’t think im better then you, Im just trying to get at the heart of the matter Lora, It seems you keep fighting me at every corner, your parents said you wanted the help.
Lora:
My parents they don’t know shit either, My mothers to busy popping pills and drinking wine, and daddy’s to busy fucking a new assiant every week.
Robert:
So Im guessing your still not having a good relationship with your parents ?
Lora:
Good, I just wish I had a normal relationship, my mom always is asking me when am I going to live my life right, how would she know what’s right , when she can barely take care of herself, and my dad with what our you going to do with you life, I told him I tell him when he’s done cheating on mom, he slap me.
Robert:
He slap you was that the first time ?
Lora:
Yea usually he just screams, but I smelt the scotch on his breath I should of known, he said sorry and gave me his credit card so Im good.
Robert:
But how does that make you feel ?
Lora:
I don’t really care it hurt but pains all part of the game. And hi I got a new skirt out of it.
Robert:
You know you cant buy happiness right ?
Lora:
Im wearing at least a thousand dollar outfit, everyone I know loves me, and my boyfriend wants to screw the hell out of me. Tell me that’s not happiness.
Robert:
Ahhhh, talking about your outfit why do you were such revealing clothes ?
Lora:
Everybody does it, I got the body to, so why not ?, why do you like what you see.
Robert:
Im your doctor and friend Lora nothing else, please remember that, why do you think you act like this ?
Lora:
Act like what?
Robert:
Over sexual
Lora:
Cause I like to fuck
Robert:
Can you be serious for a moment
Lora:
I don’t know why really, I just want people to like me, and boys don’t like girls who don’t know how to have a good time .
Robert:
Why does a good time have to be sex ?
Lora:
Do you ever stop asking questions, Jesus , that’s how you show love or at least that what my friends and everybody says I don’t know.
Robert :
Have you ever thought you might do the stuff you do to fit in.
Lora:
I guess. I mean I don’t like to do most of the stuff I do but I guess Im afraid what will happen after all the parties, friends, and shit go away. I don’t want be alone.
Robert:
I see .... well it seems are session is just about up. Will fellow up with this next weekend.
Lora:
That’s it our you serious. Wait can I speak to you off the record ?
Robert:
Theirs no record.
Lora:
You know what I mean like person to person
Robert:
Ummm.....Yeah ..... sure shoot
Lora:
What do you think about me ?
Robert:
I think you’re a beautiful lost girl , who bull shitting herself and evryone around her
Lora:
What ?
Robert:
Yes you’ve focused so much of you’re life trying to be what everyone else wants you to be that you don’t even know who you our. Your just a pretty meaning less face.
Lora:
I have a lot of meaning ?
Robert:
Like what?
Lora:
Like.....like....like
Robert:
Like being cool or knowing how to spread your legs
Lora:
Fuck you....Im leaving
Robert:
Im sorry, don’t go , See me and you have more in common then you think.
Lora: Really?
Robert:
Yes my mom died when I was fifteen and like you I got really lost. I started doing drugs and trying to be cool. My dad started to drink a lot and take swings at me. I just got to a point where my whole life got meaning less.
Lora:
Wow then what happened ?
Robert:
One day I went to the cemetery to vist my mom, and I saw this old lady crying , something made me ask her what was wrong. She said “nothing”.Then I asked her why she was crying and she whispered “Because son nothings wrong but I just miss my husband so much”. And then me being the dick I was back then said” its not like it means, anything it want bring him back”.She just stared and said that “life doesn’t have to have meaning or answers to be worth something”
Robert
That day showed me I was wasting my life away, not making anything of it, that I got to point were I forgot how to cry, that I was surrounded by a room full of people but I was still alone?
Lora:
Why were you alone ?
Robert :
Cause I didn’t know who I was. I have to say coming to grips with my past, was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I mean I don't feel like anything I did was really wrong I feel now it was just part of living and my mentality was a part of my progression. We grow. We all grow.
We're made to grow or you disappear
Lora:
Thank you
Robert:
For what ?
Lora:
{begins to leave office} For helping me begin the first day of the rest of my life.
Robert:
Hi Lora so what will do with your life ?
Lora:
Im not to sure but I know it begins with a question and ends with a story. That Im who Im because of what I did yesterday but that tommorow can be different.Thats it ok.
Robert:
{smiles} See you next weekend Lora.
To Matt,
ReplyDeleteAlthough your story was read out loud, i decided to read it again. First off, it's an overall great story, with great interaction taking place between the characters. To me, your story shows how topics such as sex are today's "cool" topics. In your story, one character questions why the other character trying to be cool does the things she does. I think ALOT of people need that same reality check. Good Job
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good story because it was more like a script and it talked about interesting topics and situations. Truly showed what characters and you think is cool. Good Job!
Your story was so good. When reading in class I thought that this story feels like something that happens to teenagers in life. I also believe that is happens a lot to girls. I feel that Lora didn't really know why she did what she did and that Robert really tried to make her see what she was doing was not good for her. He was trying to make her learn from this but it seem like she was so into what everyone else thinks that she could not see past her own nose. But I feel that it was really good and that you have a gift in writing.
ReplyDeleteYour story was really good. When we read it in class I felt like this is something that happen in a lot of teenagers life. I feel that this seems to happen a lot to girls but I still think you story got to what it was trying to get at. Your story showed how Lora was doing things that she did not know why she was doing them and Robert was trying to help her find out why she do them. I feel that she was so wrapped up in what other people think that she could not see pass her own nose and she what Robert was getting at. I feel that reading this makes you watch a little of what you do and why you do it. Good job u have a gift at writing
ReplyDeleteMATT!! YAY Im the first one!I liked your story.It was very orREGINAL. Instead of a basic story it was more like a dialogue between two people. you incorporated two aspects of cool. First, was with the young girl thinking its cool to have sex and get around then the doctor explaining his story which i thought was cool. The doctor explained what he went thorogh which is cool because it showed hoe he grew and how she can change for the better. GREAT STORY MATT!
ReplyDeletethats really what he said :o
Matt this story was interesting the message that i though your story was trying to portray was that Lora just had trouble finding out who she is and what she wanted and she thought that by being cool she would get everything she longed for. I liked the part when Robert and Lora where talking about the meaning of life. Robert: Hi Lora so what will do with your life ?Lora:I am not to sure but I know it begins with a question and ends with a story. That I am who I am because of what I did yesterday but that tommorow can be different. That it is ok. It makes me think about where do i want my life to take me and how do i get there.
ReplyDeleteMatt you are truly an amazing creative writer. Maybe script writer?
ReplyDeleteIts like all the good meaty parts to a sandwich... I think? I don't really know Im a vegetarian but you know what I mean. Writing it in a script form really got my attention. There was no fancy cheesy descriptions, those can get really boring to read.
Ok well first I think you really showed the idea of a "want to be" cool person. The girl shows me the sexual pattern to coolness. Being sexual and/or sexually attractive can be found as cool. Someone who is able to offer sex is cool but at the same time a someone who offers too much sex is seen as uncool. A slut. So this brings me the idea of what is just enough sex? What is just the right amount of sexual attractivness to give out the people to be seen as cool, not prude or a slut?
There is also a materialistic aspect of coolness. You have to wear clean clothing if not expensive clothing already. Being able to spent a lot of money and show off that you get whatever you want is seen as cool to many teenagers. Although at times if you show off too much you can be seen as consided or spoiled. Again, WHAT IS JUST ENOUGH?
Again great story :) It was really cool.
Hey hun. Course you got so many comments already for your story, since it was read in class =P I like your story though. You got to curse all the way through it and you didn't get in trouble because of freedom of expression. I like that you had the real cool, which I thought was the therapist, and the fake cool which was the girl. You did very well with creating both of the characters of course. I also liked how long you wrote the story.
ReplyDeleteMiss you! -Hannah
matt
ReplyDeletei really enjoyed reading your story i thought that your story was really good. i also thought that it capture sort of what some teenagers might go through and how some things that might be considered cool might not be.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI thought your story was great! and really well written. The characters in the book clearly have different views of what it means to be cool. It showed that being cool might not mean
anything. That all that being cool gets you is lost and confused when it comes to knowing who you and what you want out of life .
Matterz. I very much enjoyed the quote at the beggining. And we all know quotes strengthen a paper.
ReplyDeleteNice work on your story. I think that you were able to not only capture the struggle that a lot of people have with their own identity and how many people come to terms with that identity. I also think that the way you described the relationship between Laura and her parents gave a lot of information about where she came from and how she formed as a young adult. Furthermore I think that you were able to write this story without being cliche or overdone. Good work.
ReplyDeleteDear Matt,
ReplyDeleteI liked your story a lot. I found it was so creative, I didn’t see anyone else who wrote a play. You made the characters and setting so real, I feel it might have been the best cool’ story I have read when it comes to realism. I love how you get into details, the characters really have their own personalities. One thing to work on was proof reading, that was basically the only problem. You’re a great writer Matt, all your stuff makes me think. Keep up the good work!