INT. MY LIVING ROOM – DAY
I’m on the couch, mid Zoom call with Ted, a young, hungry producer I used to know, who wanted to see what I’ve been up to.
TED
Tarot?
ME
Mmhm.
TED
Like… the cards.
ME
Yeah.
TED
Wow.
ME
Mmhm.
TED
So you can like… see the future.
ME
… Sure.
TED
You know what I’m going to say before I say it?
ME
… Sure.
TED
So what am I about to-
ME
That’s it.
TED
What?
ME
I knew you were going to say that. And then you said it.
TED
Right but-
ME
There. See, you did it again. I have a gift.
TED
… okay.
ME
It’s not like this crystal ball thing, it’s more about holding space, you know, listening, noticing the story in the cards, intuiting the messages that are coming through. It’s ritual. I sit with a stranger and we listen. We open ourselves to something bigger.
Ted nods. There is a long pause here. Like, eight smoking-related deaths have occurred during this pause.
TED
You’re not writing, then?
ME
I’m writing a ton. Mostly personal essays and-
TED
But not movies.
ME
Not so much. Look, the world is changing fast. We’re all going through it right now and with my background in teaching, directing, storytelling, I’m able to provide a safe, playful and intentional space for folks to connect to a deeper purpose in their lives, you know. I’m working one on one with folks as well as in these full moon gatherings and we’re all finding ways to better show up for ourselves and others, and I think that’s, like, the most important work I can do right now. It’s been amazing, I have to say, digging into mythology, folk tales, psychology, parsing out the archetypal forces at play. It’s all story, right? The story in the cards, in the stars, in the news…
(beat)
Ted?
TED
Hm?
ME
Were you sleeping?
TED
No. I was just… soaking it in.
ME
I think I have to go now.
TED
Real quick. Rom-com.
(beat)
They’re back. And they’re hotter than ever. You were writing one, weren’t you?
ME
No.
TED
I could’ve sworn-
ME
That script wasn’t funny. It was rom, no com.
TED
You should make it funny, dude.
ME
I have to go-
TED
People need to laugh right now.
ME
That’s true. Maybe I’ll write about this Zoom call. That could be funny.
TED
(skeptical)
Maybe.
ME
My internet is ending, Ted, so sorry.
TED
Your internet is ending?
I shake the laptop and slide out of view.
ME
Beep boop beeeee-
Bump to black.
🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️
*More on tarot, full moon gatherings and what I’ve been up to. Photo by Wyron A.
