“You Don’t Have To Give Up”

Everybody Got Their Something by Nikka Costa plays.

Matt and Lacey go to Paris. And leave Kate at the wedding. She sits in her hotel room. Alone. For about 15 minutes. Considers watching television.

But Dmitry bursts into her hotel room. “You don’t have to give up, Kate. You don’t have to give up. You don’t have to give up. Kate you don’t have to!”

Margy’s father laughs.

“Dmitry they’re not here right now, he’s not responding to my text messages. I’d kind of just like to watch TV maybe text my mom. Maybe go get something to eat maybe and just kind of just…give-up for the moment.” 

“No you don’t have to give-up! You don’t have to give up!” says Dmitry.

“Why are you in my hotel room?” says Kate.

“I was sent by Godz

I am a searcher.

You can read about me in the book The Secret. You see there are many people like me who posses gifts of divining the plan of God for all of us.” says Dmitry.

“OK. Do you even know where they are?” says Kate.

“Ahh…I don’t off the top of my head, but I can totally research that for you and find out in about two hours.” says Dmitry.

“Oh, OK that sure that’s great. I’ll be here two hours from now. I’m gonna take a shower put on my regular clothes just chill and I’ll just be waiting.” says Kate.

“Cool, I’ll be right back!” says Dmitry.

3:45

The song plays and ends.

Tangerine (Live) by The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays.

Kate sits in a Paris foyer with Dmitry. Three days later.

“So how did it go up there?” says Dmitry cheerily to Kate.

“I mean they wouldn’t-They wouldn’t answer. They wouldn’t open the door and then Lacey looked through the peephole and she got freaked-out and I stood there for about a half an hour following your advice, and then I got tired of standing and so I decided to just come back down here and get this drink.” says Kate.

“I think you know what I’m going to say you don’t need to give-up. You don’t need to give-up Kate. You don’t need to give-up. We don’t ever need to give-up. You never have to give-up.” says Dmitry.

“Dmitry I’m just not really sure I’m even feeling it anymore. I mean I’d rather just go and like chill with you at dinner somewhere. We’re in Paris. What do you say we just go get like a good dinner? I’d like something with meat in it? We could just like…chill.” says Kate.

“Do you sound like Woody Allen right now or do you just sound weird? Because I think they’re getting to you. And I think you need to stop, take a breather and just realize that if this is what you want…it is not your time to give up.” says Dmitry.

“I’m not-I’m not-I’m not-I’m not-I’m fine. Fine! Fine, you’re the man! ‘You’re the man!’” says Kate.

“That’s right! You repeat that again. ‘I’m the man!’ ‘I’m the man!’ Say it!” says Dmitry.

“You’re the man-You’re the man who is going to help me get back Matthew and not give-up on my marriage.” says Kate.

“OK that’s a good mindset! That’s a good place for your head to be in.

That’s really good place.

So let’s take this moment, let’s take the energy of this moment and take that and find a way to organize.

I’m thinking we go up there. We put you in a clown costume. You make jokes! The clown costume totally catches everyone offguard and then while they’re laughing, I go in for the kill.” says Dmitry.

6:07

“Okay!??” says JFK, confused.

They go upstairs with Kate wearing a clown costume.

Dmitry knocks on the door.

“Room service!” yells Dmitry.

Matt opens the door.

7:27

“Hi! I am Dimitri from the famous perfume blog. I know you weren’t expecting to see me right now, but I just ran into your good ol’ pal, Kate.

We met in the lobby. She told me her sob story about how you were once her fiancé who left her at the altar with your second-cousin, and how now she’s not sure what to do with her life anymore so I told her, ‘Kate, life‘s a bitch and sometimes you just gotta laugh! …So why don’t you just go up there and tell him a few sad jokes. Make them cry a little. Get it out of your system!’

Because she’s real sad…and I just kind of decided to take up for her a little. Kate why don’t you go on in, girl.

Do the jokes that we came up with.

See…she just wants to get your attention a little bit Matthew and just sort of talk to you for a few. It’s part of the grieving process of your dead marriage.” says Dmitry.

“Knock knock who’s there?” says Kate.

“I don’t know.” says Matt. He winces. He felt something for her.

“I don’t know who.” says Kate.

“I don’t know who-who??” says Matt, confused.

The song ends.

“Well I think, I’m going to fly home. So I’m going to go get dressed and fly home.” says Lacey.

Dmitry gets confused. Somehow he didn’t expect that.

Far More Blue by The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays.

“Oh shit I can’t let her do that!” says Matt, racing into the bathroom after her. 

They lock the door.

They talk.

Kate and Dmitry pause in place.

Theme From “Black Orpheus” by Paul Desmond plays.

This goes on for two minutes.

“I mean I think I got his attention and I think he was into me but I’m really getting weirded out by this whole thing and I just kind of want to go home.” says Kate to Dmitry.

“I was sent by God.

I was sent by God.

I read one of your works of writing a year ago. I was going to go to your wedding. Someone told me what happened. And I decided to go upstairs and fix the situation myself.

I have explained this to you. I think we need to just regroup and reorganize. Try something different.” says Dmitry.

“OK but this is getting really weird!” says Kate.

“Just let that flow through you like air. That feeling of weirdness, it’ll pass. I’ve been told that a lot when I’m making a tough sale. And we’re selling you right now, okay!? …Kate, we’re selling you and we are not going to give up. It feels weird…but it WORKS.” says Dmitry.

“A clown costume, though!? I look weird Dimitri. What the fuck inspired you to think that getting a clown costume would work?” says Kate.

“It’s just it’s a good contrast.

You’ve got them on their honeymoon.

She’s obviously going to be wearing lingerie and you’re obviously not wearing lingerie then. You’re wearing joie d’vivre. You’re wearing JEST. You? You’re wearing the lightness of being. Humor. Levity. Debauchery even possibly. You…you are wearing magic!” says Dmitry.

Desafinado by Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd.

“Okay!??” says Kate.

They follow Lacey and Matt to London.

The Milestone.

“This time we’re not going to have you go up there dressed as a clown. This time we’re going to have you go up there and dressed as an alien. You’ve got to convince them that you’re real.” says Dmitry, fervently. 

Kate and him spend an hour dressing her as an alien.

She goes up to his room.

“This is an alien attack. We’ve invaded London. Come out with your hands up!” she reads off a cue card. “WHAT!?” she says silently to Dmitry who’s standing watching.

“Just go with it! Just go with it!” he shouts a whisper. “We don’t give up! We don’t give up!” he shouts in a whisper again.

Matt comes to the door. “Kate, do we need to get a restraining order against you?” he says grinning.

“No, I am an alien???” she says, trying to “go with it.”

“Good! Good! Reel him in!!” whispers Dmitry.

“Wanna go get a bite to eat?” she says casually.

“No. We’re not hungry.” he says. “Kate…you’re going to have to go.”

“But this is an alien attack!” she says, crying.

“LOVE THE TEARS!” says Dmitry.

“We’re-“ says Matt.

“We’re going to order food.” says Lacey, shaking.

“What!?” says Dmitry.

“I’m hungry. Let’s order tea.” says Lacey, briskly.

She calls for tea. Sits on the bed wearing this:

“I suppose I should put something more appropriate on for when they arrive.“ says Lacey, dryly.

“Why the fuck are you here?” says Dmitry to Lacey. 

“This is my hotel room. That’s my bed that I’m sleeping in and that’s my legal husband. Why are you here? Who are you?” says Lacey.

She goes and puts on a robe.

The tea arrives.

She sips it, watching them.

“You know…I’m really weirded out by the fact that we keep doing this to them. I’m just starting to feel like your heart is in the right place but that there’s something a little strange about it, Dmitry.” says Kate.

“I think I’m going to get another room and just let them stay here.” says Matt.

“And I think I’m going to go home…because I’m getting a little sick of this. I’m sorry.” says Lacey. 

“I can’t let you do that, that’s not going to happen!” says Matt.

“I don’t think you can stop me if I really try and I’m going to really try.” says Lacey.

“Except you’re hungry and I know that and you need to eat or you’re going to get very very weak and tired feeling because you didn’t eat enough last night and you barely ate breakfast and I know what you’re like in an airport now when you don’t eat enough. Do you really wanna wander around London by yourself that hungry?” says Matt.

“No I don’t but I am getting a little tired of your ex-girlfriend showing-up everywhere. It’s a bit much!” says Lacey. 

“Well, m’lady, I shall attend to the matter as best as I can. Please try to understand!” says Matthew in a voice he believes is him being silly…and perhaps that’s all it really is.

“I don’t think the alien attack is working Dimitri. I think it’s time for me to go home.” says Kate.

“You don’t ever have to give-up! You don’t have to give-up!

We can just kinda let it fade, slightly.

Send an email. Make a phone call. Maybe we could write a letter? Maybe we could sing a song outside their house!? Go Christmas caroling!?

Think of Halloween!? Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are so many freaking options for this to have a happy ending…but I agree the vibe is off…and I think we should just go for now and then we’ll just kind of let you work our way back in a more relaxed-pace, tranquil, detached way that gives us some space…to sort of reevaluate the larger picture in motion.” says Dmitry.

“I think -I think that’s an excellent idea and then if you do that we’ll get a restraining order.” says Matt.

“OK well goodbye then.” says Kate.

“Too bad you can’t get restraining orders on the Internet.” says Casi.

“I committed suicide.” says Matt.

“And none of this ever happened except he did commit suicide and it is too bad that you can’t get restraining orders on the Internet.” says Lacey.

“I agree, except I think Dimitri is possibly actually like that and could be causing a lot of problems for a lot of people.

I think the Illuminati is harnessing his spiritual energy somehow and using it against people, and I doubt that he’s consciously aware at all and I also doubt that he’d really be OK with it. As annoying as he is.”

“I feel like they’re harnessing a lot of people’s energy and it’s a total mess because there’s dead people doing weird stuff there’s living people doing really weird stuff…and I just I think it’s a total mess. I cannot-I cannot imagine untangling all this. I’ve tried for eight years and it’s been really, really bloody difficult.” says Lacey.

“Yep. Do you actually wear lingerie like for real?” says Casi.

“I do yes, to be honest I think it’s polite.” says Lacey.

“Oh, I get that!

No that is rather polite for a wife to do. You know you’re right that is actually quite polite.

Of course they do like that though. You do realize that they like that?” says Casi, worried.

“I only half realized that.” says Lacey.

“OK you’re really out of it. You’re really out of it!” she says.

Lacey stares.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think you’re OK.” says Casi to Lacey.

“Maybe not. But I don’t think I can wake-up from this. It’s not a dream.” says Lacey.

“Oh shit! And everything‘s genuinely that messed-up!” she says.

“Well, I think I’m going to go have a snack and have some tea.” says Lacey.

“OK that’s a good idea.” says Casi.

She does that.

Then she goes back to the scene and flies out the window, as a ghost.

End of story.