Strangely in Love

Mm, we land in Minneapolis late tonight.

Yeah, we're gonna meet with Bill and his brother

from California.

Yeah, he's the reason I got the.

A customs official.

Here's to hoping, yeah, go to New York

and take care of that.

That's it, simple as pie.

Go to our office, man.

Cool, simple, yeah.

Yeah, he's the reason I got the.

This is, this is dot the Is and cross the Ts,

and it's all done.

Biggest day.

So, I had this, uh, dream last night

that I was here at work till pretty late.

Fyo?

Oh, my God, Fyo.

- You know who I am? - Of course, you look so good.

You've changed so much.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

Oh, hey, nice dogs.

Uh, what kind of dogs are they?

Oh, hey, how's it going?

You wanna try me?

It's lunch. Hey, it's lunch.

Uh, excuse me.

Excuse me.

I was wondering if maybe you could tell me if there's a bus.

I'm just waiting.

I've been at this bus stop for a long time,

and I thought I heard one,

but I don't know if it's the right bus.

If you could just look at there

and, and tell me maybe if the bus has the right colours,

or if you could just tell me what street to go down.

Hello?

Hello?

Hey, hey!

Hey!

Maybe, no, longer, no.

Steve?

Who is it?

Who's there?

Please don't. Please don't.

I, I, I have your purse.

Uh, I, I saw the mugger.

I chased him down, and I, I protected it with, with my life.

You have my purse?

Yes, here.

Oh.

Uh, it's a...

There's nothing in it really.

I, I didn't give him the chance to take anything.

I, I hope. Is everything in there?

Oh, everything's fine.

You're staring at me.

Oh, uh, sorry.

I, uh, I've just never met a blind person before.

I, I mean, I've never interacted with a blind,

uh, I'm bad with women, people in general, really.

Thanks for saving it.

You're welcome.

Bye.

So you're really blind?

Yes.

Like, blind blind, full blind?

Sorry, I, um, oh, that's a nice stick.

Where'd you get it from?

Can you just leave?

Yeah, uh, sorry, I'm just not good at conversating.

Um, where are you from?

- Look, I wanna be alone. - I mean

Please.

Yeah, sure, uh, yeah, yeah.

Okay, I, I understand.

Bye.

- Can you help? - What?

You help me?

Absolutely, yes, but what can I do?

Can you take this rope and tie it to the tree?

Just toss it over the branch, secure it to the tree.

Sure, sure, I'm, I'm really good at tying knots.

Thanks.

I, I used to tie knots all the time as a kid.

I used to get tied to the tree by all the neighbourhood kids,

and they'd leave me there for hours.

It was a game we used to play.

I miss those days. Boy, that was fun.

They were just kids, you know.

I, I actually got really good at untying rope

'cause I used to have to untie myself all the time.

And it's kind of a lost art, but, uh, anyway,

what are you doing here?

Uh, I'm Fyo, by the way.

Theo as in Theodore?

No, I wish, as in Fyoni.

Uh, my parents were hoping I'd be a girl

so they can call me Fiona after their good friend Fiona,

but, well, they used to say, uh,

"You were born with a penis, so..."

Uh, here's your rope. - Oh.

Here you go.

Yeah, that's perfect.

- Good. - Is this about right?

- What? - Placement-wise?

Oh, um, no, actually,

you wanna, well, it's pretty good,

a little bit to the left.

Here.

- Oh. - Careful.

Thanks.

Wait, what are you doing?

Oh, what's it look like I'm doing?

But wait. No, you can't.

I can do whatever I want.

But, no, please, you're, you're

the most beautiful blind girl I've ever met.

- You're an idiot. - Huh?

- Put me down. - Oh, yeah, sure.

Ah!

Oh. - You really had no idea?

- Uh- - You were just helping me

kill myself.

Uh, I thought you were,

I don't know what I thought you were doing.

- Nastenka. - What?

- Nastenka. - What?

- Nastenka! - I...

- My name. - Oh.

It's Russian.

You're Russian?

No, just the name.

Oh, it's a beautiful name, Nastenka.

I, I don't know anyone with a name like that.

My grandmother's Russian.

Wow.

Sorry if I scared you

with, with my staring, I mean.

Sometimes people can't look at me

because I stare. - Oh.

Is that bad? I don't know, maybe.

Oh, oh, but I swear I'm harmless.

Uh, I'm not as hideous as people seem to think I am.

You're funny.

No one's ever said anything like that to me before.

Uh, I- Oh.

Uh, are you hungry?

- No. - Oh, no, hmm.

Uh, I'm am exhausted.

Yeah, me too, right? I know, ah.

- What? - What?

Oh.

I swore to stop coming here.

I can't come, church, tree, embassy.

No church, tree, embassy.

No church, embassy.

Shame on me.

Can you walk me home?

Yeah, yeah, I, I, I can, uh.

- Okay. - Sure.

Oh, here, here's your coat.

- Oh. - Here.

And, and your stick here.

Uh, and your bag and your chair.

Oh, I'll get this stuff.

Wait up.

Just a sec, uh, I'm coming.

So what do you do, Fyo?

Oh, you won't think much of me if I tell you.

Now you have to tell me.

I work in a print shop.

- Oh. - It's pretty lonely.

Can be exhausting work, especially on Thursdays.

Why Thursdays?

Can I tell you something, Nastenka?

Yeah, you may.

When I saw you yesterday, my fear of women just went away.

You have a fear of women?

Yeah, it's always been that way.

Oh.

Yeah, every time I fall in love with a girl,

she ends up with another guy.

- That's so sad. - I know.

- Oh. - I mean, they never know

who I am or anything.

I don't actually talk to them.

I tend to fall in love from a distance,

but when I saw you, I

You mean to tell me that you've never been with a woman?

No, not in person, no, in

- Oh. - In my head,

many times, yeah.

What?

Clearly, you're your own worst enemy.

I can imagine you ruin any chance you have

even before you say hello.

- Really? - Yeah.

I mean,