[NOTE: This is a heavy episode dealing with death. It also has no bearing
on the plot line. So feel free not to read it if you don't want to, as I
don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.]
(SUNDAY, CARVER'S room, TINO, CARVER, and LOR are hanging around)
CARVER: Guess what today is everybody?
TINO: All Saint's Day?
CARVER: .Wha?
TINO: It is.
CARVER: Oh well, I mean, It's November 1st man! I am just psyched for this month! I love November, for two key reasons. 1) It's got my birthday, and 2) It has an entire holiday devoted to eating!
LOR: You get excited too easily.
CARVER: Are you questioning the importance of my birthday and Thanksgiving?
LOR: Noo.
CARVER: Didn't think so.
TINO: Hey, where's Tish?
LOR: WHAT'S THE MATTER, ARE WE NOT GOOD ENOUGH? IS SHE ALL THAT MATTERS?
TINO: Well.. I..
LOR: Kidding.
CARVER: I don't know. I called her same time I called you all, and she lives closer to me than any of you. (DING DONG can be heard in the distance) That'd be her, my Mom'll get it, I wonder why she's late. she's usually rather punctual.
(Door opens to reveal TISH, standing there, looking pale and quite shaken)
TINO: Tish.? Tish, what is it? (SHE sits down in a chair and stares at the ground.)
LOR: Tish. seriously, what's up?
TISH: .Frances died.
CARVER: Frances as in. weird creepy Frances? (TISH nods)
LOR: How?
TISH: Well. apparently she had some mental problems. not just that she was crazy but actual brain injuries and she had a seizure and then slipped into a coma apparently. she died last night.
TINO: How did you find out?
TISH: Her mom is friends with my mom, her mom called right after you called Carver, right as I was on my way over.
CARVER: Whoa. how is that possible? I mean. she was our age. people don't die at our age.
TINO: Uh. Carver?
CARVER: Well, yeah, I mean I know they do. but knowing someone who died so young. It's the kind of thing you figure would happen to someone else.
TINO: Well. we're all someone else to. someone else.
CARVER: I just can't believe this. It's scary.
LOR: Whenever I hear about someone dying I always get so scared. you know. because I think about my own mortality and how I'm actually going to die one day.
TISH: Well. I mean. when you die there's heaven, no big deal right.
CARVER: You said it. (TINO fidgets uncomfortably) Something wrong, T?
TINO: Well. the heaven thing.
TISH: What?
TINO: I just. I don't know if I believe in heaven. or God.
(stunned silence)
CARVER: What?
TINO: Well, as far as I know my mom's always been atheist. so it's just kind of how I've been raised. I don't necessarily not believe in God. but it just seems a little hard to swallow. like Santa Claus.
LOR: And doesn't that scare you? The fact that there's no God? I mean, sometimes I think about that too. And it freaks me out.
CARVER: No way. there's a God in Heaven and that's the end of it.
LOR: I'm just saying what if there's not. What if this is it. I mean. think of it this way. When you die. so does the world.
TISH: How do you mean?
LOR: I mean, the world only exists through our eyes, if there's no heaven. if we just cease to exist. then we're not around to see the world. and so it won't be around. So, essentially, when I die, you three will die too and so will everyone else. Just like for you, when you die, the rest of us will die too. Make sense?
CARVER: No.
TINO: I think I get what you're saying.
TISH: I never thought of it like that before.
CARVER: I get what you're saying. but it's all a moot point because there is a heaven.
TINO: What makes you so sure?
CARVER: Millions. nah. billions of people think there's a God in heaven, how likely is it that they are ALL wrong?
TISH: You know Carver. For thousands of years people knew the Earth was flat.
CARVER: So. What? NONE of you believe in God?
TISH: No, I believe in God. I'm just saying other theories are possible.
LOR: I don't know what I believe. I hate thinking about stuff like that.
CARVER: Look, It's not complicated. There's God. his son's Jesus. they're watching over us and they rule heaven, it's that simple.
TISH: Not necessarily. I mean, I do believe in God. but I'm Jewish, so I don't think Jesus was really anything. but a nice guy. I guess.
CARVER: Lor, what're you?
LOR: Catholic.
CARVER: Tino?
TINO: I think technically "Unitarian."
CARVER: And I'm Baptist. All four of us are different religions, how crazy is that?
TINO: I don't know if it's crazy.
CARVER: Crazy enough that there's no real way we can have this discussion, our religious views get in the way.
TISH: No offense, Carver, but your religious views seem to be only what your family has passed down to you. Tino, you too. Lor seems to be the only one who really questions what they have always "known."
LOR: So. in a way I'm like Christopher Colombus, questioning if the world is really flat?
TISH: Don't push it.
CARVER: Why do we have to question it? Why can't what we've been taught be correct?
TINO: I don't know if it can't be, but you should believe what you believe because you've considered it and actually believe it, not because you've been told "this is what you believe."
CARVER: Look there has to be a God! There just has to be!
TISH: Does there have to be, or do you just want there to be?
CARVER: Tish, you're the only other one who believes in God, who's side are you on?
LOR: Look, Carver, I'm not saying I don't believe in God, I mean I am Catholic. so officially it's what I believe. I'm just saying I want to consider things.
CARVER: If God doesn't exist then what's the point of life, if what we do is just going to not matter, if the world will cease to exist when I die like Lor says.
TINO: That's just how we'll perceive it. Logically of course the world will not die, and you just have to have faith and peace in the fact that any marks we have will still affect those who are still living. Sure we won't make sure of it, and be there to watch it. but that's what death is all about. It would appear to me that heaven was just created by people who fear death.
LOR: Don't you fear it?
TINO: Of course I do. Everyone does. People who say they don't are lying.
CARVER: But I don't know how I could cope with that fear, without the knowledge of God's existence. I mean.. where can I turn for guidance?
TISH: There's always. us.. I mean, I don't know about you, but I feel pretty comfortable with you guys if I'm able to have a conversation about all this. It's hard for me to talk about, and I don't think we need to solve this now. I don't think we CAN solve this now, but it's nice to know I have friends who have different vieew points, and maybe eventually I can find the answer that right for me.
CARVER: Now I say we take a moment for Frances. and that she might find peace where she may be.
[NOTE: Okay, in rereading this it seems I took a definite atheistic view here. That really wasn't what I was going for, as I myself am not really an atheist, I'm a Catholic with some questions, much like Lor.]
(SUNDAY, CARVER'S room, TINO, CARVER, and LOR are hanging around)
CARVER: Guess what today is everybody?
TINO: All Saint's Day?
CARVER: .Wha?
TINO: It is.
CARVER: Oh well, I mean, It's November 1st man! I am just psyched for this month! I love November, for two key reasons. 1) It's got my birthday, and 2) It has an entire holiday devoted to eating!
LOR: You get excited too easily.
CARVER: Are you questioning the importance of my birthday and Thanksgiving?
LOR: Noo.
CARVER: Didn't think so.
TINO: Hey, where's Tish?
LOR: WHAT'S THE MATTER, ARE WE NOT GOOD ENOUGH? IS SHE ALL THAT MATTERS?
TINO: Well.. I..
LOR: Kidding.
CARVER: I don't know. I called her same time I called you all, and she lives closer to me than any of you. (DING DONG can be heard in the distance) That'd be her, my Mom'll get it, I wonder why she's late. she's usually rather punctual.
(Door opens to reveal TISH, standing there, looking pale and quite shaken)
TINO: Tish.? Tish, what is it? (SHE sits down in a chair and stares at the ground.)
LOR: Tish. seriously, what's up?
TISH: .Frances died.
CARVER: Frances as in. weird creepy Frances? (TISH nods)
LOR: How?
TISH: Well. apparently she had some mental problems. not just that she was crazy but actual brain injuries and she had a seizure and then slipped into a coma apparently. she died last night.
TINO: How did you find out?
TISH: Her mom is friends with my mom, her mom called right after you called Carver, right as I was on my way over.
CARVER: Whoa. how is that possible? I mean. she was our age. people don't die at our age.
TINO: Uh. Carver?
CARVER: Well, yeah, I mean I know they do. but knowing someone who died so young. It's the kind of thing you figure would happen to someone else.
TINO: Well. we're all someone else to. someone else.
CARVER: I just can't believe this. It's scary.
LOR: Whenever I hear about someone dying I always get so scared. you know. because I think about my own mortality and how I'm actually going to die one day.
TISH: Well. I mean. when you die there's heaven, no big deal right.
CARVER: You said it. (TINO fidgets uncomfortably) Something wrong, T?
TINO: Well. the heaven thing.
TISH: What?
TINO: I just. I don't know if I believe in heaven. or God.
(stunned silence)
CARVER: What?
TINO: Well, as far as I know my mom's always been atheist. so it's just kind of how I've been raised. I don't necessarily not believe in God. but it just seems a little hard to swallow. like Santa Claus.
LOR: And doesn't that scare you? The fact that there's no God? I mean, sometimes I think about that too. And it freaks me out.
CARVER: No way. there's a God in Heaven and that's the end of it.
LOR: I'm just saying what if there's not. What if this is it. I mean. think of it this way. When you die. so does the world.
TISH: How do you mean?
LOR: I mean, the world only exists through our eyes, if there's no heaven. if we just cease to exist. then we're not around to see the world. and so it won't be around. So, essentially, when I die, you three will die too and so will everyone else. Just like for you, when you die, the rest of us will die too. Make sense?
CARVER: No.
TINO: I think I get what you're saying.
TISH: I never thought of it like that before.
CARVER: I get what you're saying. but it's all a moot point because there is a heaven.
TINO: What makes you so sure?
CARVER: Millions. nah. billions of people think there's a God in heaven, how likely is it that they are ALL wrong?
TISH: You know Carver. For thousands of years people knew the Earth was flat.
CARVER: So. What? NONE of you believe in God?
TISH: No, I believe in God. I'm just saying other theories are possible.
LOR: I don't know what I believe. I hate thinking about stuff like that.
CARVER: Look, It's not complicated. There's God. his son's Jesus. they're watching over us and they rule heaven, it's that simple.
TISH: Not necessarily. I mean, I do believe in God. but I'm Jewish, so I don't think Jesus was really anything. but a nice guy. I guess.
CARVER: Lor, what're you?
LOR: Catholic.
CARVER: Tino?
TINO: I think technically "Unitarian."
CARVER: And I'm Baptist. All four of us are different religions, how crazy is that?
TINO: I don't know if it's crazy.
CARVER: Crazy enough that there's no real way we can have this discussion, our religious views get in the way.
TISH: No offense, Carver, but your religious views seem to be only what your family has passed down to you. Tino, you too. Lor seems to be the only one who really questions what they have always "known."
LOR: So. in a way I'm like Christopher Colombus, questioning if the world is really flat?
TISH: Don't push it.
CARVER: Why do we have to question it? Why can't what we've been taught be correct?
TINO: I don't know if it can't be, but you should believe what you believe because you've considered it and actually believe it, not because you've been told "this is what you believe."
CARVER: Look there has to be a God! There just has to be!
TISH: Does there have to be, or do you just want there to be?
CARVER: Tish, you're the only other one who believes in God, who's side are you on?
LOR: Look, Carver, I'm not saying I don't believe in God, I mean I am Catholic. so officially it's what I believe. I'm just saying I want to consider things.
CARVER: If God doesn't exist then what's the point of life, if what we do is just going to not matter, if the world will cease to exist when I die like Lor says.
TINO: That's just how we'll perceive it. Logically of course the world will not die, and you just have to have faith and peace in the fact that any marks we have will still affect those who are still living. Sure we won't make sure of it, and be there to watch it. but that's what death is all about. It would appear to me that heaven was just created by people who fear death.
LOR: Don't you fear it?
TINO: Of course I do. Everyone does. People who say they don't are lying.
CARVER: But I don't know how I could cope with that fear, without the knowledge of God's existence. I mean.. where can I turn for guidance?
TISH: There's always. us.. I mean, I don't know about you, but I feel pretty comfortable with you guys if I'm able to have a conversation about all this. It's hard for me to talk about, and I don't think we need to solve this now. I don't think we CAN solve this now, but it's nice to know I have friends who have different vieew points, and maybe eventually I can find the answer that right for me.
CARVER: Now I say we take a moment for Frances. and that she might find peace where she may be.
[NOTE: Okay, in rereading this it seems I took a definite atheistic view here. That really wasn't what I was going for, as I myself am not really an atheist, I'm a Catholic with some questions, much like Lor.]
