Doting Upon the Exchange

6 VIDEO CALL #4: A RECONCILIATION

The intrusive tone of an incoming video call. Errol jumps at the sound.

ERROL:

(fullscreen) 

Blue?

'BLUE' - A SMART-HOME AI ASSISTANT (V.O.):

Incoming video call from... hmmm...the ID says it's 'Laura'

ERROL:

(fullscreen - call tone is still sounding) 

What? Is this another simulation, Blue? Are you trying to cheer me up?

'BLUE' - A SMART-HOME AI ASSISTANT (V.O.):

(call tone is still sounding)

No, Errol. The ID is authentic. Shall I answer it?

ERROL:

(fullscreen - call tone is still sounding)

YES! YES! Answer it NOW, Blue!

The incoming call tone stops.

LAURA:

(fullscreen)

Errol? Long time no see. It's been years. I thought I'd just check on you. See how things are.

ERROL:

(fullscreen - trying to sound cool and collected, to maintain his dignity)

Oh, hi. Yeah, I'm fine. Busy. Doing things. Keeping myself occupied. You know...

(Errol visibly prepares himself to say something sincere... he sounds decisive) 

You know, I can't do this anymore. Any of this dancing around... pretending nothing matters, when there are so few of us left, so little time to make mistakes and then to move on and put them right with someone else. I HAVE missed you, I DO care about you and I HAVE spent almost every moment of the last ten years trying to work out what went wrong between us. 

These are fundamental truths and I'm NOT going to back away from them.

ERROL:

(fullscreen. Speaking more gently) 

So, maybe I never said it, but I DO care about you... I've missed every moment, every single thing that you said...

However ridiculous, however trivial. I miss them, now and I've missed them for TEN LONG YEARS...(wistfully) ever since that day... And I've missed THAT play you like so much. The only semblance of culture that you let in. 

And I think that I get it. I finally get it...and I found a quote from that play.. that I want to give to you now...as my gift 

(Errol clears his throat and prepares to perform. With real feeling and consciously performative)

 "As you are mine, I am yours; I give away myself for you and dote upon the exchange"

And that's it. I dote upon the exchange. Every video exchange that we've ever had. Every part of your life that I refused to acknowledge as an intrinsic part of you and (if you will allow) I will dote upon our mutual exchange of love and commitment. I really do get it, now. I don't care if we have a Civil-Partnership-by-Distance, or we don't.

Shall we try, again? Start slowly?

LAURA:

(fullscreen)

Sure, Errol. I've missed you so much.

ERROL:

(fullscreen - affectionately and gently chiding) 

You're really rubbish at this speaking from the heart stuff, aren't you?

LAURA:

(fullscreen) 

By the way, you'll never guess what. My heating's not working again.

(from this point until the end, slow audio fade, so that final lines from 'Blue' are barely audible - or merge into end music, possibly?)

ERROL:

(fullscreen - with patience and affection) 

Really, do tell.

LAURA:(fullscreen)

George says that it can't be done, but I'm unconvinced.

ERROL:

(fullscreen)

Aha...

LAURA:

(fullscreen)

Of course, that's 'home smart AIs' for you... always trying to get you to throw things away and then to buy a new one.

ERROL:

(fullscreen)

I know, right?

LAURA:(fullscreen)

Errol?

ERROL:(fullscreen)

Yes, Laura?

LAURA:

(fullscreen)

I do love you, you know.

ERROL:

(fullscreen)

I know you do, Laura.

Abruptly to black and stay there until end.

'BLUE' - A SMART-HOME AI ASSISTANT (V.O.):

(cough! cough!) 

You two do know that I'm still here, right? Get a room, or a private vid channel, or whatever it is that you humans do...

ERROL (V.O):

Blue, go to sleep, please.