Colophon
I’ve never done a lot of things this thing demands of me. Briefly, no longer trapped in a pleasant dream, I can work a little more towards making it reality.
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Author’s Bio
Thank you for reading. Stay safe out there. Stand strong. I sliced and diced myself into this current book because I was writing so fast, so there’s a lot of me in here. If you want my author’s bio, check out It’s Just Us Here , by me. You’ll get…
Afterword
It’s not about quality. It’s when the pieces falling into place are all lateral moves; that’s when I know the end is near. And then when I compare what is there with what was upstairs, despair. It’s not good enough. Not by a long shot. The poem is…
If This Stands
Preamble Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Finale Preamble Gather ’round children, here’s what’s in store, Two-fifty years of history about a special Door, It’s a Freedom Door for a Freedom Nation, And we vow to hold it, for the next…
End Credits (tt - ch 19)
[Slow panning away from a domestic kitchen setting. Sounds of sizzling food in the background. Focus on a MAN at a table writing in a journal. His lips don’t move, but you hear his narration.] “As I sit here preparing a familiar dish…” He shakes his…
Goodbyes (tt - ch 18)
The camera quality is now much improved, and the characters on screen are A-list actors and actresses. Perhaps the blonde woman is played by Christina Applegate—this author’s favorite actress—but he would be delighted to have Reese Witherspoon or…
Vows (tt - ch 17)
CAMERAMAN enters the frame for a moment. Camera pans horizontally on a perfect, flat tracking shot. The crowd briefly comes into focus before the shot settles on the front of the amphitheater where there are risers and a flower arch centered on the…
Wedding (tt - ch 16)
The scene unfolds with a quick blur of VHS static and then the sharp image of a beautiful, sun-drenched exterior of what appears to be a tropical hotel—maybe in Cabo, maybe in Florida. All that matters is it’s not like anything that has come before,…
ACT III
The Performance
The Invitation (tt - ch 15)
Most days, my aunt stayed indoors in her south-facing sunroom with golden oak floors and wainscot paneling. She had a Bible beside her lounge chair and blankets so that even on the warmest spring days she could cover her legs. She had good days and…
Writing Vows (tt - ch 14)
That night, I spent another seemingly fruitless evening working on my vows. Who knew marriage vows could be so complicated? There were about ten lines, give or take, and I could change them how I wanted—that would be basically a twist on the…
Therapy (tt - ch 13)
“And when your parents said that, how did you react?” “Not well,” I said. “And this was after my grandmother said her piece. So I was feeling really alone.” “I can imagine that must have been stressful for you.” The therapist jotted some notes on…
test test
Radical Transparency (tt - ch 12)
He found me in the bathroom in an uncharacteristically bad mood. Picking up on that, he slowly wrapped his arms around me while leaning his chin on my shoulder. It’s one of the best things about having a partner: when you’re feeling alone, he’s…
test test
Tough Nut to Crack (tt - ch 11)
Establishing shot of YOUNG MAN in a now familiar kitchen, staring at his hands. Zoom in until shaky. CAMERAMAN: “What are you doing?” YOUNG MAN, jumps : “What?” CAMERAMAN: “What are you thinking about? You’re in deep.” YOUNG MAN, smiling under the…
test test
After Revelation (tt - ch 10)
“So you’re leaving?” he asked when we stepped foot in his kitchen after returning from the party. Had it even been a party? It sure didn’t feel like it. I had known this day would come—and that I should have initiated it, rather than fate, sooner…
test test
Revelation (tt - ch 9)
Camera is slightly out of focus in a well-kept living room. YOUNG MAN with brown hair is out of center of the frame. YOUNG MAN begins a monologue by settling back into the seat and then staring straight into the camera: “When you see this, I’m so…
test test
Market (tt - ch 8)
A grainy static and a new scene begins. The scene is a familiar dining room. Record player along the far wall hooked into the sound system. Song is playing mid-verse: “Any Way That You Want Me” by Evie Sands. YOUNG MAN with his back to camera and…
test test
The Band (tt - ch 7)
Camera zooms in from across a living room into an open-floorplan kitchen. The leather sofa exits the lower frame. The camera shakes as the zoom reaches its limits, focusing on a MAN with wavy brown hair in a bedhead tangle, holding a paper coffee…
test test
ACT II
Faking It
test test
Show Trial (tt - ch 6)
Shaky camera shot tracking through a dark hallway. A hand extends to knock on the door. The door opens a moment later and a YOUNG MAN is standing there, his face instantly falling into resignation. CAMERAMAN: “I just wanted to see where you live.”…
test test
C Plus (tt - ch 5)
TWO MEN are in a tight, chaotic apartment. It’s almost bohemian, warm and wild. ONE MAN closes the door to the bathroom, and the shower starts. The taller DARK-HAIRED MAN immediately moves, carrying the camera with him into the bedroom. He places…
test test
Easter (tt - ch 4)
Wide-angle view of a typical suburban home, ranch-style, deep-set on the property with a dozen cars parked on either side of a long gravel driveway. There are older people walking throughout the yard planting Easter eggs as the camera zooms past…
test test
Cake Selection (tt - ch 3)
A sudden splash of motion inside a shaking car as the camera is pointed at a YOUNG MAN with wavy brown hair concentrating on his driving . YOUNG MAN: “Put that down, please.” CAMERAMAN: “Say where we're going.” YOUNG MAN: “To try cake. Put that down…
test test
Video Camera (tt - ch 2)
CAMERAMAN: “Grandma, look at me.” GRANDMOTHER is a tall, severe woman with a long plait of silver hair. She turns her head away. Her mauve sweater is the only flash of color . CAMERAMAN: “I can’t follow you into the kitchen. I’m stuck to the wall.”…