******************
March 1991: Letter 3
******************
Dear Mom,
You don't have to call everyday. I'm okay. Your little boy can take care of himself. Sorry, I haven't written for a while - I figured a letter every few months would be adequate. So what have we been up to? I guess we've just been doing what guys our age do. Collins finished graduate school a few months ago and since then has been working so he's not around as much as he used to be. We're really proud of him because he worked his pants off to get that P.H.D. Come to think of it, Benny's been busy finishing up his last remaining units for his graduation so I haven't been seeing him much either. So I guess it's more like I've been busy doing what I do. I've been going out from time to time trying not to be a complete hermit in the apartment while still working on my film. I guess there's nothing much else to talk about. Life's been kind of dull lately. Hope things are more eventful at home.
Love,
Mark
**********************
Star Wars and Screenplays
**********************
"Wait. Say that again," Mark scrambled for a pen and paper. "I want to write that down."
"Why?" I gave Mark the most annoyed looking face I could muster and leaned back in my chair. "This isn't for one of your screenplays again, is it? What's the plot this time?"
"I'm not quite sure yet. It's still a work in progress." Mark started scribbling down some words from memory.
"It's always a work in progress," I grunted. "By the time you finish, it's going to be the longest movie ever made!"
Mark laughed. "I doubt I could top `The Cure for Insomnia'."
"What's that?" Collins inquired. Great, he's fueling Mark's fire. I could swear he enjoys watching us squabble.
"A really long movie. Clocked in at eighty-five hours."
Collins chuckled. "Clever. Why do you know that shit?" he edged on with an impressed look on his face.
"I dunno. That's just how my mind works. I read it in a book way back when." Mark motioned to a large stack on the floor. We've got to invest in a bookshelf. Or at least some plywood and cinder blocks.
"Yeah, this is the kid that used to make me memorize scenes from `Star Wars' and re-enact lightsaber battles at the YMCA." I had to put my two cents in to see what kind of reaction I could get out of him.
"Oh, you know you were a big fan too," Mark blushed. Two points for me. "Now how did you put that again, Benny?" I shrugged and picked up the Village Voice, trying to act disinterested. "No, tell me!"
"Well first you tell me what this piece of work of yours is about. If I'm in it, I have the right to know."
"I told you I don't quite know yet. Some comedy. Some drama. A love story maybe? People. Life. It's a little complicated."
"Hopefully not too complicated." I turned a page of the paper. "You know the intellect and attention span of movie-goers today."
*****************************
June 1991: The Future of America
*****************************
"I did it! I'm a college graduate. Look at that, will you?" I held up my diploma for Mark and Collins to see. "So this is it, huh? It's all downhill from here."
"Well I beg to differ," Collins interjected. "I'm quite happy being part of the working-class of America. Who says that a college degree doesn't mean anything nowadays?"
"Well maybe that's because what you do could actually make an impact," said Mark, "At the rate I'm going, I'd be better off dead." Why did Mark have a habit of inserting film titles into everyday speech? Or maybe he didn't mean to and it just goes to show his influence on me. I tried to wipe images of John Cusack and the eighties from my head.
"Oh, stop saying that. You'll finish your film someday." I slapped Mark on the back and gave him a smile. Maybe I didn't fully believe what I said but Mark needed the encouragement.
"Well being in your twenties suck. It's that whole `find yourself' age and I don't feel like looking." Mark could be so negative sometimes to the point of being annoying. He was probably just jealous - jealous that I actually stuck with it instead of his sorry dropout self. Of course I'd never say that to his face...
"So what do you say about us going out and celebrating?" Collins winked at me.
"Oh no..." Mark stood up from the couch and made a beeline straight to his room. Let the groveling begin.
************************
November: Mommie Dearest
************************
"You're back!" Mark was greeted by a smiling Collins. Nonetheless, even Collins' goofy grin could not heighten Mark's mood.
"So I am." Mark plopped himself down in a chair.
"So, how'd it-"
"I don't want to talk about it" Mark snapped. He hated job interviews. The anxiety before actually going was enough but then the afterthought of every stupid answer he gave could sour him for hours. He had put off even the notion of looking for a job out of fear of rejection and probably never would have bothered if it wasn't for his want for more money and the underlying pressure from his parents...but more so, the guilt from himself.
In an attempt to lighten the storm cloud that had entered the once sunny room, Collins piped up. "Your mother called..."
"You talked to my mother?" Just what Mark needed. Big Brother was watching him.
"She said that she wants you to come home for Thanksgiving. I told her that you'd call her back."
"You did what???"
"She said that you wouldn't want to. She said that ever since you were a little boy that you always-"
"How long did you talk to her for?"
"I dunno, a good half an hour or more. She just went on and on-"
"That's why you don't answer the phone. She always does this! I've told her not to talk to my friends."
"She was very nice. You should call her more often."
"But all she does is talk! She doesn't know when to quit. That's why I send her those stupid letters because at least then she leaves me alone awhile and I don't have to have an actual conversation. It's not that I don't love her...it's just so annoying! Especially when she starts telling people things about me that I'd rather them not know about. I mean, does she really think that-"
The phone rang and Mark stopped abruptly with wide-eyes almost screaming out, `How does she know?'. Collins motioned over to the phone but Mark shook his head frantically. Almost comically they continued this routine for three more rings of the phone until Collins grabbed the receiver much to Mark's dismay.
"Hello?" Collins held out the phone in Mark's direction. "It's for you..."
March 1991: Letter 3
******************
Dear Mom,
You don't have to call everyday. I'm okay. Your little boy can take care of himself. Sorry, I haven't written for a while - I figured a letter every few months would be adequate. So what have we been up to? I guess we've just been doing what guys our age do. Collins finished graduate school a few months ago and since then has been working so he's not around as much as he used to be. We're really proud of him because he worked his pants off to get that P.H.D. Come to think of it, Benny's been busy finishing up his last remaining units for his graduation so I haven't been seeing him much either. So I guess it's more like I've been busy doing what I do. I've been going out from time to time trying not to be a complete hermit in the apartment while still working on my film. I guess there's nothing much else to talk about. Life's been kind of dull lately. Hope things are more eventful at home.
Love,
Mark
**********************
Star Wars and Screenplays
**********************
"Wait. Say that again," Mark scrambled for a pen and paper. "I want to write that down."
"Why?" I gave Mark the most annoyed looking face I could muster and leaned back in my chair. "This isn't for one of your screenplays again, is it? What's the plot this time?"
"I'm not quite sure yet. It's still a work in progress." Mark started scribbling down some words from memory.
"It's always a work in progress," I grunted. "By the time you finish, it's going to be the longest movie ever made!"
Mark laughed. "I doubt I could top `The Cure for Insomnia'."
"What's that?" Collins inquired. Great, he's fueling Mark's fire. I could swear he enjoys watching us squabble.
"A really long movie. Clocked in at eighty-five hours."
Collins chuckled. "Clever. Why do you know that shit?" he edged on with an impressed look on his face.
"I dunno. That's just how my mind works. I read it in a book way back when." Mark motioned to a large stack on the floor. We've got to invest in a bookshelf. Or at least some plywood and cinder blocks.
"Yeah, this is the kid that used to make me memorize scenes from `Star Wars' and re-enact lightsaber battles at the YMCA." I had to put my two cents in to see what kind of reaction I could get out of him.
"Oh, you know you were a big fan too," Mark blushed. Two points for me. "Now how did you put that again, Benny?" I shrugged and picked up the Village Voice, trying to act disinterested. "No, tell me!"
"Well first you tell me what this piece of work of yours is about. If I'm in it, I have the right to know."
"I told you I don't quite know yet. Some comedy. Some drama. A love story maybe? People. Life. It's a little complicated."
"Hopefully not too complicated." I turned a page of the paper. "You know the intellect and attention span of movie-goers today."
*****************************
June 1991: The Future of America
*****************************
"I did it! I'm a college graduate. Look at that, will you?" I held up my diploma for Mark and Collins to see. "So this is it, huh? It's all downhill from here."
"Well I beg to differ," Collins interjected. "I'm quite happy being part of the working-class of America. Who says that a college degree doesn't mean anything nowadays?"
"Well maybe that's because what you do could actually make an impact," said Mark, "At the rate I'm going, I'd be better off dead." Why did Mark have a habit of inserting film titles into everyday speech? Or maybe he didn't mean to and it just goes to show his influence on me. I tried to wipe images of John Cusack and the eighties from my head.
"Oh, stop saying that. You'll finish your film someday." I slapped Mark on the back and gave him a smile. Maybe I didn't fully believe what I said but Mark needed the encouragement.
"Well being in your twenties suck. It's that whole `find yourself' age and I don't feel like looking." Mark could be so negative sometimes to the point of being annoying. He was probably just jealous - jealous that I actually stuck with it instead of his sorry dropout self. Of course I'd never say that to his face...
"So what do you say about us going out and celebrating?" Collins winked at me.
"Oh no..." Mark stood up from the couch and made a beeline straight to his room. Let the groveling begin.
************************
November: Mommie Dearest
************************
"You're back!" Mark was greeted by a smiling Collins. Nonetheless, even Collins' goofy grin could not heighten Mark's mood.
"So I am." Mark plopped himself down in a chair.
"So, how'd it-"
"I don't want to talk about it" Mark snapped. He hated job interviews. The anxiety before actually going was enough but then the afterthought of every stupid answer he gave could sour him for hours. He had put off even the notion of looking for a job out of fear of rejection and probably never would have bothered if it wasn't for his want for more money and the underlying pressure from his parents...but more so, the guilt from himself.
In an attempt to lighten the storm cloud that had entered the once sunny room, Collins piped up. "Your mother called..."
"You talked to my mother?" Just what Mark needed. Big Brother was watching him.
"She said that she wants you to come home for Thanksgiving. I told her that you'd call her back."
"You did what???"
"She said that you wouldn't want to. She said that ever since you were a little boy that you always-"
"How long did you talk to her for?"
"I dunno, a good half an hour or more. She just went on and on-"
"That's why you don't answer the phone. She always does this! I've told her not to talk to my friends."
"She was very nice. You should call her more often."
"But all she does is talk! She doesn't know when to quit. That's why I send her those stupid letters because at least then she leaves me alone awhile and I don't have to have an actual conversation. It's not that I don't love her...it's just so annoying! Especially when she starts telling people things about me that I'd rather them not know about. I mean, does she really think that-"
The phone rang and Mark stopped abruptly with wide-eyes almost screaming out, `How does she know?'. Collins motioned over to the phone but Mark shook his head frantically. Almost comically they continued this routine for three more rings of the phone until Collins grabbed the receiver much to Mark's dismay.
"Hello?" Collins held out the phone in Mark's direction. "It's for you..."