For years I have had the idea of combining images with fanfiction; this is the first version that I am sharing. This mini-story takes place 9 or 10 yrs after "In Dreams". I wrote it with a history of the characters in mind, but not one that exisits anywhere for you to read. The pictures are there to help you transiton from thinking of these characters as high schoolers, to how they might look 10 years later. As they are clearly not intended to be viewed in the context of a story, some continuity will be lacking (such as a backgroung might show it to be daylight when the story calls for it to be night, or a change in make up or clothes). I am still struggling with which pictures to use for Jordan when he first says hello, and when they are seated. (I will post alternatives for you to view). Also, the directions in some places are long, which tends to slow down the dialogue. I find that if you read through the directions, and then reread the lines with the staging and tone in your mind, the pace is more effective. ... Okay, I think that's it for now. Enjoy...
[This is ten years after we last saw these characters,
Angela’s 24,
Jordan 27. The scene is a bar somewhere in Three Rivers. Angela is standing at the bar with four friends, two of who are sitting on bar stools. Jordan crosses by, thinks he spots her from behind, pauses, and says her name]
J: Angela?
A: [she turns and around to see him, she speaks in a soft voice] Jordan. [she smiles] Hi.
J: [speaking casually and warmly, the moment is just slightly awkward] How’ya doin’? [he holds a bottle of beer in his hand and gestures slightly with it as he speaks to her]
A: [still looking at him, Angela kind of shakes here head slightly to draw herself out of the surprise of seeing him, and hugs him as she answers] I’m fine. [Jordan hesitates slightly before holding her] [taking a small step back, she gives his arm a small rub, smiling as she asks] How are you?
J: Good. I’m good.
A: Good. [there is a pause in the conversation as they look at each other]
J: So, [Jordan kind of gestures to the people she is standing with to remind her they are not alone]
A: [almost a laugh as she remembers herself] Heh, uh, Jordan, these are some friends of mine from school, David, Victoria, Peter, and Kym. [she turns to her friends] This is Jordan [as an after thought, and in a softer voice, glancing at him as she speaks but then looking away] a dear friend of mine. [Angela’s friends greet him]
J: Hey. Nice to meet you.
A: We’re just here, for the weekend.
J: Staying at your parents’?
A: No, we were just there for dinner. We’re actually driving into Pittsburgh tonight. [Jordan nods]
Peter: Excuse me, Angela? We’re gonna go grab a table. [the other friends have gathered their drinks and are moving from the bar to a booth]
A: Uh, wait, I’ll be there in a second.
P: No, go ahead and catch up, we’re fine. [extending his hand to Jordan] Nice to meet you Jordan.
J: [shaking] Yeah, you too. [looking down at Angela] Look, I don’t want to keep you from your friends.
A: Would you like to join us?
J: [casually looking around the bar, not focusing on anything, just kind of looking above people’s heads as he thinks] Naw. [focusing back on her] Just wanted to see if it was you. [very small smile]
A: [She smiles] I wish we had more time to catch up.
J: [he grins, as if to say “that’s how things go with us”, takes a sip from his beer, and then gestures with his hand to her nearly empty glass] Can I buy you another? [she hesitates, looks over at her friends’ table who don’t appear to be ready to leave, he follows her eyes] Look, I’ll let you get back. [He puts his hand on her arm] See you around. [pause, with sincerity] It was good to see you Angela. [moves to walk away]
A: [she looks a little distressed, looks quickly at her friends across the room then back at Jordan] Jordan, wait. [she smiles hopefully]
* * *
[
Jordan and
Angela are sitting across from each other in a booth in the corner, the bar is more full than it was in the previous scene. She has sent her friends to the city ahead of her, and plans to catch up with them later]
J: So work’s good?
A: Yeah, you know, I mean, it’s fine.
J: [wry smile] You don’t like publishing?
A: No. No- I mean, it’s not that. No, it’s good. [he kind of laughs]
J: And you’re living, where?
A: In Philadelphia. I like it.
J: You know, I used to see your sister around sometimes.
A: [smiles] Yeah, she told me. [takes a drink] So, how are things with you? What are you doing now?
J: [sighs a little throwing his head back and smiles recklessly as he returns his gaze to her] God, when was the last time we talked?
A: [thinking about that] I don’t know, two, three Christmases ago?
J: [its coming back, a little bit infamous] Oh, right, that party.
A: Heh, that was, [looking blankly at him] not, my best night.
J: [under his breath as he raises his bottle to his lips, lowering his eyes, not quite looking at her] Yeah. [silence for a little while]
A: [changing the subject and tone a little] So, you see your dad any?
J: [putting the bottle down on the table] Sometimes. Not that often. He’s still living in that same house though.
A: Still playing the guitar?
J: Some, yeah. The band I’m in now performs pretty regularly. … Angela,… [getting ready to move past the “how are you’s – what are you up to’s”]
A: Did I hear you moved out of state?
J: [letting it go for now, refocuses on Angela’s questions] Huh? Uh, yeah, I was in
Aspen for a couple of years. I just moved back this spring. [as an after thought he adds] I was living in
Mexico for a while. [catches himself] Oh, you knew that, huh?
A: [smiles and nods with familiarity – indicating that she definitely knew that, in fact, she had been down
there with him for a while; her eyebrows furrow a bit, as to say “Why don't you know that.”] Yeah. So, are you still doing carpentry?
J: [drinks] Mm, hm. Yeah, [speaks up a little more] ah, cabinetry, custom, starting to do more furniture. I was working at a couple ski resorts in Colorado.
A: Do you ski?
J: Some. Mainly I snowboard.
A: That’s hard to imagine.
J: [he looks at her amused] Oh yeah? [a waitress approaches]
W: Can I get you another round?
A: You want one?
J: You don’t have to get going?
A: I have time. [turns to the waitress] Please. [back to Jordan] So you’re living in Three Rivers?
J: Over on Dixon.
A: Still see anyone from Liberty?
J: High school? Some. [feeling obligated] You?
A: A few. Rickie’s [saying his name, in that “you remember him” tone] in D.C. He’s doing great. Sharon Chirsky’s
engaged. She’s doing journalism in Boston. Brian’s in Berkley working on his PhD.
J: Oh yeah?
A: [smiling] Mm, hm, I just saw
him a couple months ago. Do hear from Rayanne?
J: [looks at her a moment] You don’t talk?
A: [with a touch of regret but also a rationalization] We lost touch.
J: [he nods] No, I don’t know what she’s doin’. [pause] Tino probably still talks to her. He was livin’ in Italy for a while.
A: Really?
J: Yeah, for like, I don’t know, two years, or something. I flew out to see him two summers ago. [sips beer] Ever been?
A: [slowly shakes her head, and asks, a little dreamily] Was it nice?
J: Angela, it was incredible. [saying her name had made the conversation more intimate, and they both become a little more self conscious, there is pause in conversation, she smiles, he “hmphs” a small grin, they look away]
A: Listen, -
J: I need a smoke. Do’ya mind? [he indicates the back door to invite her step out with him]
A: [looking around before she decides (she had been about to excuse herself), then smiles] Sure. [Jordan stands, waits for her as she rises and grabs her drink, and then follows her out to the patio. Once outside Angela falls back to follow Jordan. He walks a few steps across the deck, she leans against the deck rail as he takes out his pack and lights his cigarette. Keeping the cigarette in his mouth, he goes to put his pack away (this is all done very automatically, his eyes are not really focused on his task]
A: Can I have one? [he looks at her, then holds the pack out to her. As she removes one from the carton, Jordan takes the cigarette from his mouth, exhales, and looks at her as she raises the cigarette to her lips. Jordan puts the cigarette back in his mouth as he lights hers. Angela takes a drag, and then smiles at him as she sees him watching her] I’ve smoked a cigarette with you before.
J: [stops watching her and moves so that he is standing beside her, also leaning against the railing. Jordan is carelessly surveying their surroundings as she still watches him] I don’t remember that. [her eyebrows furrow a bit, as to say “I don’t get how you don’t remember that.” Taking another drag, Jordan says,] My sister had a baby.
A: Really?
J: [flicking the ash from his cigarette] I’m an
uncle.
A: [tenderly] That’s amazing. Boy or girl?
J: Boy. ‘S name’s Adam.
A: [smiling] Wow. [with some trepidation] And you?
J: Kids? No. [gives her a vary small playful elbow, without looking at her] You?
A: [she laughs, then answers] No. [pushing the subject before she takes a drink] Seeing anybody?
J: [sounds just a little bit sorry to say it] Yeah. Sara.
A: [the courteous smile and follow up question] For how long?
J: Ah, [takes a drag] we’ve been living together for, [thinks] something like seven months?
A: Wow.
J: What about you? Still with that guy? Uh, Evan?
A: No. [he nods, she’s silent. They both take a drag off their cigarettes, she puts hers out. She smiles, looks at him, then looks away and then back at him, still smiling, he watches her as she does this. She slaps his arm lightly with the back of her hand] God! I can’t believe you’re here! It’s like – I don’t know! [still smiling, but smaller, she leans her head against his shoulder; he looks down at her, then wraps his arm around her. He finishes his cigarette, stubs it out on the railing beside him, and sighs]
J: [they are both peaking softly, not a lot of movement, gazing ahead, just kind of thinking, voices sound a little detached] I miss you.
A: [small smile] Me too. [his hand that is holding her arms gives her a slight squeeze] [silence for a while] I’m going out to San Francisco in two weeks.
J: Oh, yeah? Work?
A: [shakes her head] I’m going to see
Brian. [she looks up at him to see his face]
J: Oh?
A: He asked me to come and see him.
J: [resuming his normal voice] Well, you look great.
A: [Angela laughs and rolls her eyes, shrugging his arm off of her shoulder – in a dry but playful tone] Thanks.
J: No, [in earnest] you’ll be happy. [she smiles weakly at him]
A: Lets get out of here.
* * *
[On the highway, Jordan is driving, Angela in the passenger seat.
She is looking out the window in the darkness]
A: [she turns towards him smiling] You know, I still listen to your CD sometimes.
J: [Jordan looks at her incredulously] No you don’t.
A: The one your band made, the one you gave me? Yes I do.
J: [almost in pain] Ah, Angela, [he looks over at her, focusing on her face for an extended moment, then returns his attention to the road] That album’s terrible. Trash it.
A: I like it. [he rolls his eyes good-naturedly. Silence. She is running her fingers along the base of her window, nostalgically she asks] What ever happened to your Plymouth?
J: Died. Somewhere in Mexico. Cost too much to fix so I sold ‘er to a buddy of mine.
A: [She’s running her finger along the roof of his car, remembering the old convertible top, and casts a quick glance to the back seat] That’s sad. … I remember you in that car.
J: [changing the subject] So, you think you might move to California?
A: Hm?
J: Berkeley.
A: [shaking her head] I don’t know. [kind of amazed by it when she begins to think of this act of pursuing a relationship with Brian] It’s so new. … I’m excited though. [Jordan glances at her; that made him smile]
J: [Referring to the off ramp into the city] Am I getting off here?
A: Uhh, [looking around] yeah. The hotel’s downtown.
J: [driving, watching the road] Angela – [he shifts the car] I’m sorry things didn’t -- …. that they always seemed to – …. we were never able to – [she puts her hand on his and smiles warmly] – [explaining,] I guess I just kept thinking that eventually we’d be able to make it work.
A: I know.
J: And then we fucked it up. [she makes a conceding face, recalling the last time they saw each other three years earlier]
A: I’m glad I ran into you tonight.
J: [nodding, still watching the road] Yeah.
* Edit 1: attempting to fix baby pic link
* Edit 2: trying something different w/ the baby pic -- did not work, & slightly altering a description