seventy-five, right? for the half-hour.
and, typically, the size of the tip is.
of course.
no. i've done this before.
i don't know. another fifty dollars?
it pays the rent.
well, somebody thinks so. i get a lot of work.
you have a great smile, do you know that?
and i like your name. lorna. like the cookie.
hey, i'm not afraid of sick images. in fact, it's what i aspire to do, create pictures that are edgy, that really assault you, that reach out and slap you in the face.
well. i don't know. shake people out of their. complacency. your friend would understand. what's her work like?
uh-huh.
maybe that's the point.
what do you like?
me, neither. marriage, it's so. medieval. sometimes when i'm doing a wedding i look at the bride and groom and think, "what a couple of lemmings."
right. that, too.
yeah. was it?
really.
nothing. are you alright?
you never said anything about cab fare.
no. i swear, you didn't say a word about it.
you haven't told me where we're going yet.
can i ask you a question?
well, after we. after we did it, you didn't really mean what you said, did you? about me being so good.
what?
right. well, that's what i thought. i mean, a guy would have to be pretty lame to think that.
nothing.
yeah.
if i wanted to see you again--
lorna! lorna!
of course.
oh. about a buck and a quarter.
i'm sure you spend just as much on porn rentals.
you're right. i can't argue with that.
you did? why?
what?
what's sarah got to do with it?
sarah. that's a whole different situation.
i like sarah a lot. and i don't want to blow it by pushing too hard.
technically? no.
no, no, no. you don't get it. you can't equate the two. what i did with lorna--
that's her name. lorna. i mean, that's the name she gave me. what i did with her. that was like going to some exotic place. for a visit. haven't you ever wondered what that kind of person is like? what that world is like? i was just. doing research. the lower depths.
that's alright. i hear it's really overrated. and long.
done what?
he's your boss. being an asshole is part of the job description.
do what?
sarah. take a breath.
now, take another one.
not today.
shopping? for what?
something. somebody left in front the studio. i just picked it up.
what are you doing?
stupid of me. i should've left it.
no.
you have a perverse mind.
maybe you should put it back.
sarah. i don't know how to put this. this is our fourth night out, and i feel a lot of pressure. for this to work.
don't you think we're being a little. methodical about the whole thing? maybe we should just.
not exactly.
you can trust me.
of course not.
i told you. i'm not.
is that bad?
what? you should be flattered i don't ask. i respect you enough to assume you'd tell me if you're involved with someone.
are you serious?
i'm just worried that all this talk is going to kill the spontaneity--
okay.
i wasn't going to say anything.
you look beautiful--
what happened?
a bunion
oh, a foot spasm. here let me--
what can we do?
she has a better-looking body than i imagined. breasts are definitely bigger than i thought. you can just never tell with breasts, can you?. i don't know what to make of this foot problem. maybe she gets a spasm every time she has sex. i've heard of people with problems like that. people who can't have sex without laughing, or burping. oh, god, what if she's one of them.
the thought never crossed my mind.
she won't look at me. why won't she look at me?. i'll bet she's preoccupied with her foot. she's praying she won't get another spasm, another foot freak-out. she's being awfully quiet, too. why is she so quiet?. maybe she needs to concentrate. some women need to concentrate. i read that in a magazine at the grocery store. that blonde check-out girl who works there is really cute. i love the way she says, "paper or plastic?".
what's the matter?
is that why you're so quiet?
it's hard for me to tell if you're enjoying this.
that's not what i. sarah, i just want to make sure i'm doing something right here.
i know. i just want to make sure i'm. you know, in the ballpark.
you didn't like it.
a myth. you're right.
i agree.
and at the end of the day, sex is only one part of the picture.
i know this couple. they had nothing in common but good sex. they went at it like a pair of rabbits. and guess how long it lasted? a month. they were hot for each other. but there was nothing else.
you don't want it work out, that's what you're saying.
you want your pickle?
you know what the problem is? the first night we went out, we should've just fucked. right away. without thinking. two dumb bunnies. without any history, any baggage. a pair of blank slates. fucking. it could've been perfectly meaningless. you want chemistry? the less you think, the better the chemistry. less talk, more action.
the least you can do is give me your goddam pickle.
dammit.
sarah.
pickles. huh.
sarah's told me a lot about you.
todd.
living together? no.
i know it. used to be a cool dive. now it's ultra-hip and overpriced.
sure.
i'm fine, thanks.
very.
no, that's not it.
we dated a few times, and to be honest, i was on the fence about sarah. i liked her, but i didn't think we were in a good groove. then, a couple weeks ago, her grandmother died. things changed.
it wasn't unexpected, but sarah took it really hard. so where did that leave me? i was ambivalent about things, right? but then my ambivalence had to take a back seat. i had to be there for her. completely. and, ready or not, our relationship became. a real relationship.
you know, i wasn't ready to be that involved with anybody. i don't know. death has a funny way of making you get outside yourself.
i'm sorry. have we met?
you must be thinking of somebody else.
excuse me.