You Are Happy Read online

  She disappears behind the bathroom door

  Two or three minutes go by

  Jeremy scratches the back of his head

  I cough a bit

  Uh?

  JEREMY

  . . .

  CHLOE

  What’s going on?

  JEREMY

  What?

  CHLOE

  Come on! I mean. Do you want to go take a bath with her?

  JEREMY

  Jealous?

  CHLOE

  . . .

  JEREMY

  That’s so cute.

  BRIDGET

  I come out of the bathroom

  That feels so much better! Mm! Something smells good. What’s cooking?

  JEREMY

  Butter chicken.

  BRIDGET

  That’s very Indian, isn’t it?

  JEREMY

  Yeah.

  BRIDGET

  Good.

  CHLOE & JEREMY

  Long pause

  JEREMY

  We were doing great, before!

  BRIDGET

  All right, all right. I’m going. I just wanted to say hi.

  JEREMY

  She comes over to me

  Strokes my cheek

  BRIDGET

  It’s soft. Freshly shaved.

  JEREMY

  Go, already!

  BRIDGET

  Jeremy, don’t be mean to me in front of your girlfriend.

  CHLOE

  I’m not his girlfriend.

  JEREMY

  Oh! Nice to know.

  BRIDGET

  Of course she’s your girlfriend. It’ll take a few days and then you’ll see. She doesn’t mean what she’s saying.

  CHLOE

  I totally mean what I’m saying.

  JEREMY

  I sulk

  BRIDGET

  No. Don’t cry. She’s like that at first, but then she settles down.

  JEREMY

  . . .

  BRIDGET

  Well! I’m off. Chloe, see you next month, okay? Just take care of my brother.

  JEREMY

  Bridget leaves

  CHLOE

  She’s your sister?

  JEREMY

  I’m still sulking

  CHLOE

  Your sister?

  JEREMY

  Yeah.

  CHLOE

  I don’t get it.

  JEREMY

  Augh!

  CHLOE

  Why didn’t anyone tell me that—

  JEREMY

  All right, stop.

  CHLOE

  What?

  JEREMY

  Let it go.

  CHLOE

  Are you pouting?

  JEREMY

  . . .

  CHLOE

  You’re pouting!

  JEREMY

  . . .

  CHLOE

  Seriously!

  JEREMY

  Yup.

  CHLOE

  I don’t know how to respond

  JEREMY

  I roll and unroll the cuff of my shirt

  CHLOE

  I don’t know how to respond

  JEREMY

  I stare at the tiles on the floor

  CHLOE

  I don’t know how to respond

  BRIDGET

  I hide behind the door

  On the fire escape

  Put my ear to the door

  Silence

  Are they kissing?

  What the heck

  What are they doing?

  CHLOE

  I don’t feel so good

  It’s like too much

  I go to the fire escape

  Fling open the door

  BRIDGET

  The door hits me right in the forehead

  I fall to the ground

  CHLOE

  Jesus! What are you doing there?

  BRIDGET

  Oh! Nothing . . . not a thing. I was looking at your herb garden.

  CHLOE

  I don’t have one.

  BRIDGET

  That’s just what I was thinking.

  CHLOE

  . . .

  BRIDGET

  Well!

  I run down the stairs

  Bye, Chloe!

  CHLOE

  Wait.

  BRIDGET

  Yes?

  CHLOE

  He’s your brother?

  BRIDGET

  Oo! That’s my phone. I have to take this. It’s for, for—it’s the company. Hello?

  I disappear

  CHLOE

  I start laughing

  Like never before

  Like not for ages

  Jeremy comes to join me

  I have tears in my eyes

  From so many emotions at the same time

  JEREMY

  Are you crying?

  CHLOE

  Are you done pouting?

  And I laugh

  And I laugh

  JEREMY

  What are you doing?

  CHLOE

  Nothing. I’m thinking it over.

  And I laugh

  And I laugh

  JEREMY

  She laughs so hard that I start laughing

  Too

  JEREMY & CHLOE

  We laugh

  Together

  CHLOE

  Then we stop

  JEREMY

  All of a sudden

  CHLOE

  We look deep into each other’s eyes

  JEREMY

  Come on. We’ll think it over together.

  CHLOE

  We go back into my—into our—apartment

  Why are you doing this?

  JEREMY

  What?

  CHLOE

  All this.

  JEREMY

  What do you mean, all this? Loving you?

  CHLOE

  He comes towards me

  Gently

  Kisses my neck

  A shiver

  His lips are soft

  And it’s been a long time since I—

  Ah shit

  JEREMY

  You smell good.

  CHLOE

  Okay.

  Our faces come towards each other

  He has really good breath

  Hope I do too

  Oh God

  I can’t do this

  It’s not—

  I mean—

  I don’t want—

  I feel like I’m—

  He places his hand on my head

  Strokes my hair

  Like I’ve turned into the softest thing in the world

  I’ve turned into

  The softest thing

  In the whole entire World

  And suddenly I’m running on hot sand with my blue dress blowing in the breeze and I don’t smoke anymore either I’m healthy and I love the hot ocean wind over wide-open landscapes

  We’re going to kiss in less than three seconds

  I’m scared I’ve forgotten how

  I feel like a twelve-year-old at a bonfire

  He kisses me

  JEREMY

  You taste good.

  CHLOE

  You too.

  JEREMY

  Your lips are soft.

  CHLOE

  Yours too.

&
nbsp; JEREMY

  Thanks.

  CHLOE

  We kissed.

  JEREMY

  True.

  CHLOE

  That happened.

  JEREMY

  True.

  CHLOE

  It’s not normal.

  JEREMY

  Why?

  CHLOE

  We don’t know each other.

  JEREMY

  A little better now.

  CHLOE

  Where did you come from? Why is your sister doing this?

  JEREMY

  Shall we eat? We better hurry up. It’s already 5:49.

  CHLOE

  We’re talking.

  JEREMY

  You always want to talk!

  CHLOE

  Huh?

  JEREMY

  No?

  CHLOE

  Not so much, no.

  JEREMY

  Oh . . . sorry. I thought that’s how it always is.

  CHLOE

  How it is?

  JEREMY

  You know.

  CHLOE

  Nope.

  JEREMY

  I want this, us, to work.

  CHLOE

  Why does your sister want us to be together so bad?

  JEREMY

  For your sake.

  CHLOE

  For my sake?

  JEREMY

  So you’ll be happy.

  CHLOE

  . . .

  JEREMY

  So we’ll love each other.

  CHLOE

  . . .

  JEREMY

  She’s probably afraid I’ll try to kill myself again.

  CHLOE

  What? I mean, when did that happen?

  JEREMY

  What?

  CHLOE

  All that.

  JEREMY

  Suicide, Chloe. You can say the word.

  CHLOE

  Yeah yeah, right, suicide, when?

  JEREMY

  About two months ago.

  CHLOE

  How?

  JEREMY

  How what?

  CHLOE

  How suicide.

  JEREMY

  Pfft! Details.

  CHLOE

  Details?

  JEREMY

  The end justifies the means.

  CHLOE

  Oh yeah?

  JEREMY

  But I know that you understand me, at least.

  CHLOE

  I’m not a social worker.

  JEREMY

  No, but you have a heart of gold. My sister told me how much you love grandmothers. It comes down to the same thing, right? Suicide. Old age.

  CHLOE

  I hate grandmothers.

  JEREMY

  Me too, actually.

  CHLOE

  And now? I mean . . . Are you feeling better?

  JEREMY

  Yeah. Thanks to you.

  CHLOE

  I shut my yap

  It’s true he’s a cutie

  With his little dimples

  JEREMY

  Do you want kids, Chloe?

  CHLOE

  Yes.

  JEREMY

  Me too. Do you want someone to make love to you every night as if you were the softest thing in the world?

  CHLOE

  Yes.

  JEREMY

  Do you want someone to understand you just the way you are?

  CHLOE

  Stop it.

  JEREMY

  I’m here.

  CHLOE

  Stop.

  JEREMY

  When my sister told me about you, I was at the drugstore buying four bottles of pills. Instead of which, I bought a chocolate bar. You are necessary. You understand?

  CHLOE

  Yes.

  JEREMY

  Come here.

  CHLOE

  He takes me in his arms

  I don’t know if I’m just losing my mind

  But it seems to me we’re good

  As in “we’re good together”

  We’re exactly the right size

  A comfortable fit

  I even feel like—

  Like we could—

  Like our bodies would—

  You’re smiling

  Ah shit

  JEREMY

  We’re good, right?

  CHLOE

  I nod my head

  He takes my hand

  And kisses each one of my fingers

  Which must smell like cigarettes

  That’s it

  I’m gonna quit

  JEREMY

  Well. Hey! It’s six o’clock. Better hurry if we want to have time to take our time.

  CHLOE

  Yeah. You’re right.

  We sit at the table

  He pulls my chair out

  Kisses the top of my head

  He serves me

  Lights a candle

  We eat

  It’s so good

  JEREMY

  So, you’re not going to get on my case ’cause I’m going to have a few beers, right?

  CHLOE

  No, but don’t get wasted either.

  JEREMY

  You’re not my mother.

  CHLOE

  Jeremy gives me a thumbs-up

  To say yay or yes

  JEREMY

  You see. It’s not so hard.

  CHLOE

  Your butter chicken is delicious.

  JEREMY

  You’re delicious.

  CHLOE

  . . .

  JEREMY

  You eat nicely.

  CHLOE

  . . .

  JEREMY

  I couldn’t have fallen in love with a girl who’s a noisy eater. But you’re perfect. Do you really like that picture?

  CHLOE

  Which one?

  JEREMY

  The one with the girl eating an ice cream cone beside a field of cows.

  CHLOE

  I think so. You don’t like it?

  JEREMY

  You can leave it there, as long as I get to repaint the living room.

  CHLOE

  Oh?

  JEREMY

  We’ll find a colour we both like.

  CHLOE

  Okay.

  He takes my hand

  I put down my fork

  JEREMY

  I knew it was going to work. I knew it!

  CHLOE

  What?

  JEREMY

  Us.

  I get up

  Sit down

  Get back up

  Goddamn I’m happy.

  Then I kiss her

  Then I kiss her again

  Bunny, your bath’ll be cold.

  CHLOE

  My bath! You’re right, I forgot about the bath.

  JEREMY

  I called you bunny.

  CHLOE

  . . .

  JEREMY

  Do you like that, bunny?

  CHLOE

  Okay.

  He gets up

  Goes to add hot water to my now-cold bath

  JEREMY

  You should put on a pretty dress to go see your friends. That way, I can imagine you in it the whole time you’re gone.

  X

  CHLOE

  The first night goes well<
br />
  His friends come over

  I go meet my girlfriends in a bar

  I tell them I met someone

  Screams of joy

  Cheers!

  Cheers!

  They ask me how I met him

  How it happened

  I make up something vague

  I come home

  I open the door

  Jeremy’s there

  Smiling

  Happy to see me

  JEREMY

  Bunny! How was your night, did you have fun?

  CHLOE

  Yes.

  JEREMY

  Me too. But I thought about you a lot.

  CHLOE

  Thanks.

  He kisses me

  JEREMY

  Should we go to bed?

  CHLOE

  Yes.

  We walk to the bedroom

  My legs make spastic movements

  That I can’t control

  JEREMY

  It’s been a long time since I made love.

  CHLOE

  Yeah.

  JEREMY

  I’m nervous.

  CHLOE

  Me too. We don’t have to. We can wait.

  JEREMY

  You’re right.

  CHLOE

  It can happen in its own time.

  JEREMY

  I love you.

  CHLOE

  We make love

  You are happy

  JEREMY

  Very happy

  BRIDGET

  Right now you’re here with me under Jeremy and Chloe’s

  bedroom window

  Like me

  You can hear

  That they have become a couple

  Now

  We can

  Hear

  Know

  That their bodies seem made for each other

  A man passes me in the street

  Stares at me

  Like I was a pervert

  I point at the window smiling

  He invites me back to his place

  For a roll in the sack

  fuck you!

  He runs away

  But

  Now

  Up there

  I don’t hear the bed

  Or the sighs

  CHLOE

  Did you hear that?

  JEREMY

  What?

  CHLOE

  Your sister.

  JEREMY

  No.

  BRIDGET

  I run

  All the way home

  CHLOE

  Sorry. I think I’m paranoid.

  JEREMY

  Come here. My beautiful paranoiac of love.

  CHLOE

  He gets me to climb on top of him

  My breasts on his torso

  BRIDGET

  I open my door

  With my key

  I leave my shoes next to my shoes

  I find the house just the way I left it

  I put on some music I love

  And I dance

  Like a madwoman

  Ugly

  Not pretty

  I don’t dance pretty

  But I feel so good

  CHLOE

  And I feel so good

  XI

  JEREMY

  I get up before her

  I go to the kitchen

  I whistle while I make her coffee