Secondary Characters: Argument
{Jon Carp}
address: jcarp@med.unc.edu
Rei didn't go inside the house. She sat on the sidewalk, just
looking up at her window.
Luna walked up to her. "Rei," she said slowly. "This is
getting kind of creepy."
"I know," Rei muttered. "I'm sorry."
Makoto shoved her face in her magazine and did her best to
look inconspicuous. Difficult, as there were only two people in the
room.
The man went up to the desk, looked around for a minute, and
then returned to his chair. He tapped his foot nervously.
"Excuse me," he said. "Um...excuse me!"
Makoto looked up sheepishly. "Are you talking to me?"
"Yes." He pointed to the empty desk. "Where's the secretary?
I called yesterday, and she said to come in today to have some kind
of pre-session session."
"The doc does that to all his new patients," Makoto said
quietly. "Discussing fees, going over main problems, stuff like that.
The secretary's on her lunch break, I think. And you're not going to
be able to have your session now. My appointment is next. And I've
got somewhere to be directly afterwards."
"Oh, oh, of course," he said. "I wouldn't want to
inconvenience you. I'll just wait to when he gets out and ask him
when I should come back."
Makoto grunted and closely reread the article in front of her.
"I'm not crazy," the man said. "He doesn't... just treat
crazy people, does he? Because I'm not crazy. I just need to talk
about a few things."
Makoto glared up at him. "Do I look crazy?" she asked.
"Oh no! No no no no. I didn't mean to insinuate that." He
took a deep breath and sat down. "I'm sorry. It's just very
intimidating to come in to see a shrink for the first time."
Makoto nodded and softened a little. "I know what it feels
like," she said. "You just have to keep telling youself that you're
doing this to help you, and no one made you come."
He nodded, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he stuttered.
"Just... looking at you, I got a flash of this woman I went out with a
while ago. I... I fell in love with her. She didn't look anything
like you, I mean I'm not a stalker or anything, there's just something
that reminds me of her. I probably see it in every woman."
She softened a little more. "What happened to her?"
"She... she said we didn't 'connect'. I'm sorry, I don't know
why I'm telling you all this. I guess I was just preparing to say it
to the doctor, and you're just here, and... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I understand. The same kind of thing happened to
me a couple of years ago."
He looked at her, drying his eyes. "Is that why you're here?
"No, I got over it. You will, too. Trust me." She smiled at
him.
He smiled back. "Thanks," he said, and meant it.
"Any time."
Rei stood up and wandered over to her bed. Meditation was
useless. Her nerves were stretched far too tight.
She hated being scared of things. She'd stared down monsters
with cynicism, faced death with ease, and fought emotional battles
with a smirk on her face.
So why was this so hard?
Stupid question.
She picked up the telephone receiver and replaced it in one
swift motion. Didn't even reach out for the buttons that time. This
was getting worse.
She tried to think of some similar situation. Hmmm... what
about Mamoru and Usagi? They truly loved each other.
There must have been some instant, some moment, when the two
met somewhere and one said to the other, "I love you," for the very
first time.
How many hours of agonizing and painful deliberation led up to
that? "What if s/he doesn't love me back? What if I make a fool out
of myself? What if s/he hates me forever? What if I screw it up?"
Etc.
Okay, Rei told herself, that was LOVE. TRUE, PURE LOVE. And
still, one was able to look the other straight in the eye and get the
words out. The result: Two lifetimes together, so far.
And here she was, sitting in her room, desperately trying to
say something not even close to that. There shouldn't be any pressure
here.
Rei put her head in her hands. Her mind kept screaming at
her, she's just a person, for godsake! She's nothing but a some girl
who's not even very smart, or...
No. She's not a person. She's my LIFE. And she doesn't even
know.
Rei picked up the reciever and threw it across the room.
Ami cautiously peeked her head around the corner, into the
dark room. The yelling was intensely loud, even moreso than the
deafening explosions and gunfire. "Minako-chan?" she called softly,
as if afraid of her own voice.
"...Ha ha ha ha!" Minako replied, "I know how to deal with
YOU, now! Blow up MY spaceship, will you? See how you deal with my
DEATH MISSLES, you alien scum, I'll..."
"Minako-chan?"
"...you space pirates thought you could outfly Sailor V, but
NOW you're who's laughing!? ME, that's who! NOW you see..."
"MINAKO-CHAN!"
Minako's jumped, startled, and her spaceship exploded. She
screamed, dropped the video game controller, and buried her face in
her hands in a position of sorry defeat. "Ami-chan!" she wailed, "how
could you do this to me? I was saving the universe!"
"I'm sorry," Ami stammered, blushing a bit. "It's just...
the others said they'd be here, and they're late."
Minako grinned, instantly forgetting her failure as an
intergalactic space hero. "Don't worry, Ami-chan, they're probably
just busy. They'll be here soon."
Ami sighed. "I know, they probably will. It's just... I'm
worried about Rei. She's been so depressed and distant lately.
Mako-chan is getting professional help with her problems, and you and
Usagi-chan seem fine, but Rei..."
Minako smiled warmly. "She'll be fine, Ami-chan, you can
trust me on that. You know how I know?"
Ami raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Cause she's got love and justice on her side, of course!"
Minako exclaimed. "Just like all of us! She'll be fine."
Ami smiled, slowly but genuinely. "I guess that's true. She
has love in her heart and she's a good person; I shouldn't worry."
"Exactly!" Minako nearly yelled. "Now c'mon, watch how I can
blow up the bad aliens!"
Ami chuckled and sat down and watched Minako play her video
game, but it still bothered her, in the back of her mind. "Love and
justice," she reassured herself silently. "Everything will be okay."
REI: Shut up.
USAGI: No, you shut up.
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
It was probably their least imaginative argument to date.
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
Both of them knew how ridiculous they were being. The only
reason they continued participating in the dispute was because that
was the sole way to keep the other from winning.
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
Then something strange happened.
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: You... mean more to me than anything else in the world.
USAGI: I know.
(pause)
REI: Oh, shut up.
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
They were not shutting up only on principle now. Both were
perfectly willing.
{Jon Carp}
address: jcarp@med.unc.edu
Rei didn't go inside the house. She sat on the sidewalk, just
looking up at her window.
Luna walked up to her. "Rei," she said slowly. "This is
getting kind of creepy."
"I know," Rei muttered. "I'm sorry."
Makoto shoved her face in her magazine and did her best to
look inconspicuous. Difficult, as there were only two people in the
room.
The man went up to the desk, looked around for a minute, and
then returned to his chair. He tapped his foot nervously.
"Excuse me," he said. "Um...excuse me!"
Makoto looked up sheepishly. "Are you talking to me?"
"Yes." He pointed to the empty desk. "Where's the secretary?
I called yesterday, and she said to come in today to have some kind
of pre-session session."
"The doc does that to all his new patients," Makoto said
quietly. "Discussing fees, going over main problems, stuff like that.
The secretary's on her lunch break, I think. And you're not going to
be able to have your session now. My appointment is next. And I've
got somewhere to be directly afterwards."
"Oh, oh, of course," he said. "I wouldn't want to
inconvenience you. I'll just wait to when he gets out and ask him
when I should come back."
Makoto grunted and closely reread the article in front of her.
"I'm not crazy," the man said. "He doesn't... just treat
crazy people, does he? Because I'm not crazy. I just need to talk
about a few things."
Makoto glared up at him. "Do I look crazy?" she asked.
"Oh no! No no no no. I didn't mean to insinuate that." He
took a deep breath and sat down. "I'm sorry. It's just very
intimidating to come in to see a shrink for the first time."
Makoto nodded and softened a little. "I know what it feels
like," she said. "You just have to keep telling youself that you're
doing this to help you, and no one made you come."
He nodded, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he stuttered.
"Just... looking at you, I got a flash of this woman I went out with a
while ago. I... I fell in love with her. She didn't look anything
like you, I mean I'm not a stalker or anything, there's just something
that reminds me of her. I probably see it in every woman."
She softened a little more. "What happened to her?"
"She... she said we didn't 'connect'. I'm sorry, I don't know
why I'm telling you all this. I guess I was just preparing to say it
to the doctor, and you're just here, and... I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I understand. The same kind of thing happened to
me a couple of years ago."
He looked at her, drying his eyes. "Is that why you're here?
"No, I got over it. You will, too. Trust me." She smiled at
him.
He smiled back. "Thanks," he said, and meant it.
"Any time."
Rei stood up and wandered over to her bed. Meditation was
useless. Her nerves were stretched far too tight.
She hated being scared of things. She'd stared down monsters
with cynicism, faced death with ease, and fought emotional battles
with a smirk on her face.
So why was this so hard?
Stupid question.
She picked up the telephone receiver and replaced it in one
swift motion. Didn't even reach out for the buttons that time. This
was getting worse.
She tried to think of some similar situation. Hmmm... what
about Mamoru and Usagi? They truly loved each other.
There must have been some instant, some moment, when the two
met somewhere and one said to the other, "I love you," for the very
first time.
How many hours of agonizing and painful deliberation led up to
that? "What if s/he doesn't love me back? What if I make a fool out
of myself? What if s/he hates me forever? What if I screw it up?"
Etc.
Okay, Rei told herself, that was LOVE. TRUE, PURE LOVE. And
still, one was able to look the other straight in the eye and get the
words out. The result: Two lifetimes together, so far.
And here she was, sitting in her room, desperately trying to
say something not even close to that. There shouldn't be any pressure
here.
Rei put her head in her hands. Her mind kept screaming at
her, she's just a person, for godsake! She's nothing but a some girl
who's not even very smart, or...
No. She's not a person. She's my LIFE. And she doesn't even
know.
Rei picked up the reciever and threw it across the room.
Ami cautiously peeked her head around the corner, into the
dark room. The yelling was intensely loud, even moreso than the
deafening explosions and gunfire. "Minako-chan?" she called softly,
as if afraid of her own voice.
"...Ha ha ha ha!" Minako replied, "I know how to deal with
YOU, now! Blow up MY spaceship, will you? See how you deal with my
DEATH MISSLES, you alien scum, I'll..."
"Minako-chan?"
"...you space pirates thought you could outfly Sailor V, but
NOW you're who's laughing!? ME, that's who! NOW you see..."
"MINAKO-CHAN!"
Minako's jumped, startled, and her spaceship exploded. She
screamed, dropped the video game controller, and buried her face in
her hands in a position of sorry defeat. "Ami-chan!" she wailed, "how
could you do this to me? I was saving the universe!"
"I'm sorry," Ami stammered, blushing a bit. "It's just...
the others said they'd be here, and they're late."
Minako grinned, instantly forgetting her failure as an
intergalactic space hero. "Don't worry, Ami-chan, they're probably
just busy. They'll be here soon."
Ami sighed. "I know, they probably will. It's just... I'm
worried about Rei. She's been so depressed and distant lately.
Mako-chan is getting professional help with her problems, and you and
Usagi-chan seem fine, but Rei..."
Minako smiled warmly. "She'll be fine, Ami-chan, you can
trust me on that. You know how I know?"
Ami raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Cause she's got love and justice on her side, of course!"
Minako exclaimed. "Just like all of us! She'll be fine."
Ami smiled, slowly but genuinely. "I guess that's true. She
has love in her heart and she's a good person; I shouldn't worry."
"Exactly!" Minako nearly yelled. "Now c'mon, watch how I can
blow up the bad aliens!"
Ami chuckled and sat down and watched Minako play her video
game, but it still bothered her, in the back of her mind. "Love and
justice," she reassured herself silently. "Everything will be okay."
REI: Shut up.
USAGI: No, you shut up.
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
It was probably their least imaginative argument to date.
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
Both of them knew how ridiculous they were being. The only
reason they continued participating in the dispute was because that
was the sole way to keep the other from winning.
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
Then something strange happened.
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: You... mean more to me than anything else in the world.
USAGI: I know.
(pause)
REI: Oh, shut up.
USAGI: No, you shut up!
REI: No, you shut up!
USAGI: No, you shut up!
They were not shutting up only on principle now. Both were
perfectly willing.
