The Throes

"The Throes" is the new serialized, minimalistic story/script/phantasmagoria from Peter Rinaldi, presented exclusively here at The Boutros Boutros Follies.

The Throes
Part 1:
"I was doing shit in my blackout"

John passed out on the floor of his bathroom. It’s afternoon. Tons of light pouring in the window. A cell phone ringing in the other room. It’s loud enough for him to stir from the noise.
He jumps up. He is a horribly handsome man in his late 20s, not quite looking his best at the moment. He runs into the living room slash bedroom slash kitchen. Grabs it. He got up too fast; he’s shaky.
John/Hello?
Voice/What’s up?
It’s Sammy, a friend.
J/I can’t talk dude, I’m fucked up.
S/Why’d you answer the phone if you can’t talk.
J/Yeah, I know, right? I don’t know.
S/So you can talk?
J/What the hell do you want? Why are you calling me so early?
S/Its 2:30 in the afternoon.
There are boxes everywhere. He’s in the process of packing to move out. John scans his room. Something is wrong.
J/I blacked out again. I was doing shit in my blackout.
S/What?
J/I must’ve moved stuff last night. I don’t remember moving this stuff.
S/Oh yeah? Listen, I gotta talk to you about what happened with “Mustard” and “Ketchup”.
J/Yeah, definitely…
He is not really paying attention. Something is bothering him about the boxes.
J/…I want to know what happened.
S/Yeah, developments. Well, do you want to get something to eat? Like, say, in like an hour or something?
John is disturbed by something on a box, enough to move toward it.
The word “Stacie” is written on one of the boxes.
J/(low)What the fuck?
S/What?
He looks at another box. It has the word “Donna” on it in black marker as well. Another has “Tina” on it. Another has “Alice”.
J/What the fuck is this?
S/WHAT?!
J/Someone wrote on my boxes.
Another call coming in. He looks at the phone. It says “Mr. Flynn.” There is black marker all over his index finger.
J/Dude, my boss is calling, I gotta take this.
S/Where do you want to meet?
J/I can’t eat man. I drank too much last night. I’ll call you back. [Clicks over] Hello?
Voice/Get over here now, it’s an emergency.

____________________________________________________________________

Mr. Flynn asks John to sit down on his living room sofa. He does. He’s nervous.
MF/Did you have a good time last night?
J/Oh shit, what did I do?
Mr. Flynn is ‘Tim Roth’ meets ‘Yul Brynner’. The first three buttons of his cuff-linked shirt are open. His apartment is modern but cozy and completely ‘upper east side’.
MF/You drank a lot huh? You don’t remember?
John puts his head in his hands.
J/(Barely audible) No.
MF/I believe you.
J/(Lifting his head up)I really don’t. What happened?
MF/You kissed my daughter.
John’s face changes another color. It is not on the color scale and not worth trying to describe. He starts to shake his head.
J/No way.
MF/Listen to me…
J/Oh my God.
MF/Listen… (He looks around. Gets up.) Let’s go in my office.

When Mr. Flynn closes the door of his office John is already sitting on the chair next to Flynn’s desk. He is sunk low. His head is almost at his knees.
MF/Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you.
J/I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry-
MF/Save it. She’s fourteen years old. I should strangle you to death right now.
John looks at him right in the eyes. He nods his head repeatedly.
MF/I happen to trust you, John. I actually still trust you. But it is going to take a lot to begin to make things right with you in my mind. Would you like to begin to do that?
J/Yes. Yes I would, Mr. Flynn.
MF/Okay. I have been thinking of asking you to do something that I didn’t think you would do, but now, thanks to your “mistake”, well, let’s just say I no longer have to make this a request.
J/Whatever you need me to do.
MF/I am telling you things that are not to leave this room. You hear me?
John nods. He swallows. He’s a little more fearful of what Mr. Flynn is going to say.
MF/I a feeling my wife is being unfaithful. I don’t know with whom. It might be with a number of men, it might not be with anyone, yet. I don’t know. But she’s at least trying to cheat on me.
Mr. Flynn stands in front of him for dramatic effect.
MF/I know she finds you attractive. I want you to seduce her to see if she is interested in having an affair with you and then I want you to report back to me.
John is not reacting. He seems calm.
J/(Not in a pleading way, but calmly)Is there any way I can talk you out of using me for that? She and I get along well. She is very nice to me. I wouldn’t feel right-
MF/No.
Silence.
J/(wincing)How do you suppose I go about doing this?
MF/Come on John. I know you’ve fucked wives.
John looks at him, repulsed. Mr. Flynn smiles, then drops it. He stares at John for a long time.
MF/Now go apologize to Kira.

________________________________________________________________________


Kira’s room is not “typical teen”. It could be mistaken for Grandma’s room. There are no posters or clutter. There are no electronics save for a tiny TV on the dresser. She is sitting up on the bed with a book in her hand. John is half-way in the door frame.
K/You told me you would say that today.
J/ What?
K/You told me, last night, that you would come to me today apologizing and saying that you didn’t remember anything.
John is taken aback.
J/Are you being serious with me?
K/ You were bored with the party. You said you’d help me with my homework but you were manic. It was kind of funny. I was laughing. You really don’t remember?
J/No. And that’s the problem right there. We shouldn’t be hanging out like that. That happens too much. You shouldn’t be hanging out with adults in your room.
K/(laughing)Why are you telling me? It was your idea.
J/Alright. (He scans the hall) Listen to me. I think you’re a great kid. I enjoy talking to you. You are really smart and funny and you’re gonna be a beautiful young lady, but-
K/(smiling)I already am a beautiful young lady.
J/Kira, you know what I mean.
K/I’m just kidding.
J/But, despite what I might have said when I was really drunk, I didn’t, and don’t, want to kiss you. I do not like you like that, at all.
K/Chill out. I don’t care.
J/I date women.
K/Yeah, I know, you told me.
J/What!?
K/You told me about all the girls you’re dating right now.
J/Aww, for fuck’s- I can’t believe this. What did I say? Wait! You know what I don’t wanna know. This is sick (He freezes. He is remembering something.)Oh my God.
K/What?
J/(More to himself than to her)I think I labeled my boxes with all their names.
He looks at his black marker-ed fingers. He is overwhelmed a bit by the thought and bizarreness of this.
K/(slowly)Okay. You need help.
J/Yeah, I probably do. Listen, if you are not bothered by the kiss, why did you tell your dad?
K/I didn’t. He must’ve seen us.
John’s face drops slightly.
She goes back to her book.
K/Don’t worry, I’m not fucked up from making out with you.

________________________________________________________________________

John’s box-filled apartment. The lights are low. A woman, Sonja, is lying naked on his bed. John is kneeling on a pillow next to her.
J/I have to leave.
S/Who is it?
J/What?
S/Who is it tonight?
J/Sonja, why do you want to put yourself though that?
S/(Holding in tears)Good….question.
She reaches to grab her clothes.
J/We have to talk about him before you leave. It’s important.
S/No! I don’t want to talk about him!!
J/He knows something is up with you.
S/So what! Keeps him on his fucking toes. (She stops gathering her clothes and turns to him) Wait, how do you know? Did he say something?
J/He asked me to seduce you, to try to get you to have an affair with me.
She takes it in.
She is struck with laughter.
S/(laughing)Wow. He asked you to do that? (She stops laughing and suddenly looks like she is going to cry.)That’s almost sweet. (She begins to gather her clothes again.) Did you tell him to go fuck his sick ass self?
John doesn’t know how to answer. It wouldn’t make sense that he would agree to do something like that for no reason. Did Mr. Flynn tell her that he kissed Kira? Probably not. He is taking too long to answer. She looks at him.
J/Yeah…I mean, I didn’t say that, but, I told him “No, that’s sick.”
S/Then don’t worry about it.
J/But he knows you’re attracted to me.
S/So what? Who isn’t?
She looks at him with deep longing. She is drowning. Her eyes fill up with water.
John gets up and makes his way to the bathroom. The shower turns on.
She puts her bra on. His cell phone vibrates on the nightstand. She leans over, looks at it. It says “Alice”. She sits back down and coldly slips her top on. The vibration stops. She freezes, closes her eyes, sighs, then opens them again. She scans the looming boxes surrounding the bed. She sees the marker-written “Donna” on the box right in front of her. She turns and sees “Greta” and scanning more of the room she sees “Tina”. She looks panicked, like something is overtaking her. She is frantic now. Her eyes stop on “Alice”. She stares at it. She bites her teeth together. The fist that holds her panties clinches tight. Tighter. She pushes it into the mattress hard.
The phone beeps twice and is silent.

to be continued...