Reading

This morning Lacey is realizing that she genuinely reads people. She can read the sexual orientation of all men. …And it’s “psychic.” Or is it? …Because she can “read” men…like books…and she can’t tell how she’s cognitively doing it.

There was a gay couple who obviously were Lem & Jack fans who lived in Washington D. C. who…took a wedding photo Lacey also “read” as being inspired by the cover of David Pitts’s book. …But they genuinely look in love and homosexual. …And Lacey can’t figure out how she can tell the difference but they seemingly couldn’t.

It’s not something Lacey has ever noticed before this morning this clearly.

“Am I just psychic?” Lacey asks Michael in fear.

She wanders around the men’s house enraged that they cut up a Scottish wool blanket. Understanding, but upset.

“How can I wander around their house?” Lacey asks Michael.

Time Traveller by M.I.A plays.

“You died.” says Michael. “You’re not psychic. You’re not a witch. You’re dead.”

“But I’m alive?” says Lacey.

“Not in this part of your mind.” says Michael. “You died…in 2011 or so.”

“I’m literally dead?” asks Lacey.

“Yes.” says Michael. “What do you think of their house?”

Your Woman by White Town plays.

“It’s very beautiful. But there’s something odd about it. What is it?” asks Lacey.

“Slavery.” says Michael.

“Yeah. Am I sensing black servants?” asks Lacey.

“Yes!” says Michael. “That’s the unease you feel. Possibly.”

“So…I’m slightly genuinely dead. …Is that how I’m allowed to talk to you? And how Dr. Billings operated on my brain after the fall?” asks Lacey.

“Yes and no. God saved your life. But…yes. I’m real. And you’re so at ease and able to talk because you’re dead in some…small but noticeable part of your brain.” says Michael.

“Would it show up on an MRI?” asks Lacey.

“Not necessarily. Maybe? But…they’d explain it in some other way.” says Michael. “And they’d have to catch it. It’s possibly like a seizure.”

“I’m sorry we tore up the blanket.” says the gay husband.

“It’s fine. I just am protective of anything Scottish.” says Lacey. “Whether I’m reincarnated or not.”

“So you can tell I’m mostly gay and my husband is gay.” he says.

“Yes. But I bet you identify as completely gay.” says Lacey.

He thinks. “Yeah.” he admits.

“Why aren’t people more exacting?” asks Lacey.

He thinks. “Because…I always fell in love with men.”

“So you just never noticed that you were slightly bisexual?” says Lacey.

He smiles. “Yeah.”

“Well…and then you married a man.” says Lacey.

“Yes!” he says. “Are you married to a man?” he asks standing by his dining room table. He looks confused.

A dead female black servant looks at Lacey and shakes her head no to indicate that he has no idea who he’s talking to.

“Who do you think I am?” asks Lacey.

“Lem Billings!” he says, squinting.

“Huh. No, I’m a woman.” says Lacey.

“You’re a woman?” he asks.

“Yes.” says Lacey.

“But I feel like you have an entire army with you.” he says. “In my house.” He adjusts his silverware. “You’re…a terrifying woman.”

“Oh. Whatever. …I’m also extremely straight and feminine.” says Lacey.

“Are you a queen?” he asks.

“With a castle?” asks Lacey.

“Almost. …Why are you here?” he asks in fear.

“I’m investigating you. For tax fraud.” jokes Lacey.

He laughs.

“We do have a nice house.” he says.

“Yes. You’re very good.” says Lacey.

“Thank you.” he says.

“No. Lem was seemingly straight. And he’s my other half.” says Lacey.

He looks stunned.

Chinchilla “Little Girl Gone” plays to imitate Lacey. It’s an gross imitation. You’ve been warned. The gangster is Lacey’s father. He has more than a gun. And when she fell down the stairs is was her club foot that was kicked not the back of her knees.

“This song is embarrassing to the Illuminati.” says Michael Rockefeller. “You’ve read Lacey wrong.”

A man who died in Japan laughs. “Mess with the wrong bitch in the wrong era.” he sings mockingly.

“I thought that was my song.” says Chincilla.

“They conjure art. Because they conjure lots of culture. It’s part of how they control the masses. Some things are planned. And some things are just conjured. Demons inspire the artists. Or other entities. Your song is supposed to be a reading of Lacey. But they misunderstood her mocking them because they’re narcissistic and stupid.” explains Michael.

“So it’s just my song?” asks Chinchilla.

“In a way…yes. Regardless what was intended. Because it’s not Lacey. And you created it. So if you’re happy with it…then it’s yours.” says Michael.

“Yeah. That’s my vibe.” says Chinchilla.

“Why are you hear?” asks the gay husband.

“I saw you on Instagram.” says Lacey.

“You’re a ghost!” he says.

“It’s complicated.” says Lacey.

“So…you’re gay?” he says.

“No! I’m straight. And so is Lem.” says Lacey.

“Okay. ….You know…I’m happy. And…we don’t cheat. Not really. And…I have to be honest…since being happily married that story has progressively made less sense.” says the gay husband. “I loved it. Because I’m from here. And…I identified with Lem…and I loved his attitude in life. He was so nice! …But…why didn’t he ever settle down? Why…was he so…transient? So without a safe harbor? …Loving a narcissist is tragic…and it can happen…but he went beyond that. He never seems to be human with his emotions.”

“Yes. And you see that now?” asks Lacey.

“Yes!” he says.

“But before you were married you couldn’t see it as much?” asks Lacey.

“Yeah! His supposed story seemed so poignant to me then. Whereas now…he seems weird and pathetic. …But I still love him!” says the gay husband.

“Maybe he wasn’t gay at all.” says Lacey.

Walk In The Park by Beach House plays.

“Wow. What a thought.” he says.

“Yeah. Tell me about it.” says Lacey.

“Who are you?!?” he asks, in terror.

“Lacey Banks.” says Lacey.

“Banks?” he says.

“Yes.” says Lacey.

“Where are you from?” he asks.

“London.” says Lacey.

“Why are you in my house?” he asks.

“I saw you on Instagram.” says Lacey. “Say…do you believe Lem is straight or not?”

He pauses and thinks. “You’re a dead Rockefeller. My guides are telling me that. …Sorry. …Yes! He’s here too. And you’re very beautiful and he seems…so straight. …Why don’t I like you?” he says, confused.

“I have no idea. But nobody alive in America hardly ever does.” says Lacey.

“You’re too scary.” he says.

“Scary. How?” asks Lacey.

“You seem…like a lady. Like a lady with a title. Or a queen. And you’re…dangerous. And I feel…scared. Because you seem like…you could kill me. Like…genuinely kill me.” he says. “And I think everyone feels their life being threatened around you. Everywhere you go.”

“That fits.” says Lacey. “So…why don’t I experience trouble in Europe?”

“Because in England they instantly understood. Other people have similar spiritual experiences to your experience there. You’d be surprised. …In Ireland they were scared…and yet not. In Switzerland they were terrified.” says a dead man from Virginia in the 1700’s.

“Why in Switzerland?” asks Lacey.

“In Amsterdam…you seemed like one of them.” he adds. “They almost expected you to know Dutch.”

The gay husband wanders off in a haze.

“Because of the banks. Your father might have hid millions and millions of Dollars there. Like…$50 million.” he says. “In the 1940’s or early 50’s.”

“And they can sense that?” asks Lacey.

“It was a scary experience dealing with him.” he says.

“We all loved him.” says a dead Nazi.

“Every side.” says a dead English woman.

Lacey leaves Switzerland and goes back to the man.

“So you believe Lem was straight?” asks Lacey.

“Yeah.” he says. “He does seem straight. …He acts like me. …But he isn’t me. And I imagine that’s why he was so relationally dysfunctional.”

“Do you judge living men like that?” asks Lacey.

“Yeah. It’s harmless. But…they irritate me.” he says. “Because I just want them to be happy…but they can never seem to just be happy.”

“It’s a lot more difficult to find someone sometimes than you think.” says Lacey.

“Yeah. Okay! …No it’s not.” he says.

“No! I’ve probably never found anyone who loves me like that. Alive. Ever.” says Lacey. “And I’ve looked extensively.”

“I shouldn’t have cut up that blanket.” he muses to himself. “Yeah. Okay. I guess some people are tragic. …But most people aren’t.”

“But when you’re a tragic person…how do you know before you know?” asks Lacey. “There’s possibly no warning.”

“Lem was tragic too. …You both are.” he says. He looks around his house suddenly. “Jack would have loved this house!” He feels uneasy. “Was this house run by slaves?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure how old it is. …Or the history of the property.” says Lacey.

“How many are there?!?” he asks in terror.

“Black dead people?” asks Lacey.

“Yeah!” he says.

“Seven or eight.” says Lacey.

“Do they like me?” he asks.

“Yes! Mostly.” says Lacey.

“I love the past. But I’m not as much a part of it as you and they are.” he admits.

“No. You’re happy.” says Lacey.

“I am pretty happy.” he says.

“Pray to God to forgive you for your sins every day in Jesus’s name.” says Lacey.

“That’s sad about Lem. But not at the same time.” he says.

“It’s just scary.” says Lacey.

He stands in his kitchen. “Sorry.” he says to the dead people.

“Try again!” says Lacey.

“Thank you for haunting me.” he says. “I’m sorry.”

“Have a good day! Pray to Jesus for your sins. Love to you!” says Lacey.

Later.

“Some people are like my ex. Anne. …She was more attracted to men than she consciously realized for years. And that was long after Lem died. …Some people are abused and it messes with their head. For her it was…probably latent pansexuality instead of homosexuality. Lem is a man…and he was seemingly straight based on what we feel his ghost is sharing with us. So they’re different. Right? But…the idea is possibly the same. People who are sexually abused can get really confused about their orientation. In a myriad of ways. …I’m no expert but I feel bad for them. And I hope Anne is happy.” says Ellen DeGeneres.

Later.

“No, I am daily shocked by what Lem tells me. I didn’t invent him telling he was straight. It’s shocking. And it feels like I’m up against the world in taking what I’m hearing seriously. It’s hellish. …But…when I study his photos and ask God I always hear that he’s straight. Always. Always. …And it’s…very upsetting to lots of people. Because they’re…problematic people or they’re just that affected by it. But there’s nothing I can do. …And if he’s a ghost we’re in love. …But I do lose my patience when people insist things about me. That’s just totally inexcusable. I’m not Jack reincarnated. I’m not any man reincarnated. I’m a woman and I’ve always been a cis woman, if I’m reincarnated.” says Lacey. “And if Lem really was straight…watch out if you’re attacking me for seemingly innocently hearing otherwise.”

“Potato Leek Soup!” says the gay husband.

“Yes! That’s the recipe I was looking for!” says Lacey. “Thank you!”

“I’m attached to interpreting him as gay. …So you’re telling me that those photographs on the cover of the book are of him smiling because they were taking photos in a photo booth?” says the gay man.

“That’s right. I wasn’t actually smiling because of Jack. He was…making jokes…and we were having fun. But…it wasn’t actually genuinely romantic to me. And I’m not sure it was to him either. We were just having fun. And I thought it was…something couples do…but…my mind was never in that place in a normal way. I just wasn’t homosexual. But…I let him treat me like his boyfriend because…I assumed we were. …That being said…I didn’t like it and fought against it. But, again, he didn’t mind. Because he was hiding his identity from almost everyone anyway. …So when I would shirk away from being physically affectionate…or too emotionally intimate…he would just take it as an opportunity to seem straight. Straight to himself and straight to me and straight to anyone watching.” says Lem. “I can keep getting into the pedantic details about our relationship and every single thing I experienced. But suffice to say, I just wasn’t gay. And I never found men attractive. I was just confused and attracted to women.”

“She reads you every time as saying you’re attracted to women. And possibly every time as being heterosexual.” says a Jewish actor.

“YES!!” yells Harold.

“Shit!” he says. “Okay. What if you were straight?”

“I was.” says Lem.

“Okay.” says Larry David.

More later.