Idled

[electronic drums & melodic voice come in]

[lyrics unknown, pop sound & nostalgic]

: Please leave your message.

Hey Aaron, um--

I'm just finishing up here at the storage.

Just want to give you a heads up, um-- somber keyboard]

I'm gonna start heading out your way.

Ehmmm--

Yeah...yeah man uh, thanks again for--

you know--

letting me--

stay with you guys.

Um, hopefully I'm not--

you know intruding, or--

causing any kind of--

trouble with the lady friend or anything.

Um--

but, uh--

yeah looking forward to it man, uh--

you know I haven't seen you in a while so it'll be good to--

hang out again--

maybe like old times.

Yeah...that'll be good.

Alright buddy well uh...um--

I'lll see you soon, alright.

Oh and if you need anything just let me know, um--

I can,,,pick something up.

Okay.

Cool.

Alright bud.

Bye.

Toiletries--

Laptop--

Bare essentials--

Anthing else--

ss.ss,ss,ss,ss,ssssss.

Uhhh.

Numbing anxiety to the point where it feels hard to breathe.

: So how many people are going to be there?

: I don't know--

: A couple.

: A couple not a few?

: What's the difference?

; Oh, okay, no no no, don't play that game with me--

: You know there's a difference--

: Is it a "couple". Or a "few"?

: A few.

: A few, okay. So that's including us.

: I don't know.

: What do you mean you don't know? Don't lie to me.

: I'm not lying--

: Don't start.

I'm not starting anything--

How many people?

Go.

: Ahh, I honestly don't know--

All I-- I don't.

: How? How can you not know?

: Well...because--

Okay, I don't know.

All I know is--

I don't. [Val}: Got that part.

All...I just know that we're gonna over to her house, were gonna have drinks--

Okay? I don't know who else she invited--

: As of right now I know that it's us--

And her boyfriend--

: And... : And the truth comes out.

: What?

: It's a fuckin' double date--

: I knew it. : I didn't say that.

: I knew it.

: I didn't say that it was a double date.

: Okay you didn't have to say it because I knew it.

: You didn't know anything.

[Val}: At any point in time--

did she ever use the words "double" and "date" in--

the same sentence?

the same sentence? : I don't remember.

: I don't remember.

: How convenient--

And I call bullshit.

: I really don't.

: I think you'd remember something like that.

: I really don't--

I don't.

: You're good--

: You're good at this you know. : I don't...just--

it wasn't one conversation--

it was many conversation--

You know, I feel like a jerk I've been dodging out on her invites for a while--

: Alright. : I feel like a jerk we're going.

: Well why are you even dodging out on her--

do you not like her?--

Because if you don't and we go to this-- -

thing, it's just gonna make it even more fucking awkward--

What is she, some kind of annoying person?

: No I like her--

I do like her--

I think she's really cool--

I just--

I don't do well--

transitioning from--

co-worker to buddy.

: So you're bringing me along as a buffer?

: I'm bringing you along because--

her boyfriend Mike is going to be there--

and in case other people don't show up--

I don't wanna be the third wheel.

: Because it's a fuckin' double date.

: Maybe--

like what's the big deal?

: You wanna know what the big deal is?

: Mmh hmm.

: Double dates are awkward--

You know what kind of people double date?--

: hmm?

: Swingers--

And last time I checked we don't swing.

: You're so stupid.

: Wha', I'm serious here--

Okay, maybe not about the swinging thing--

but definitely about the awkward thing--

Look we're gonna be sitting there on their couch--

We're gonna be--

gauging eachother--

Eye-balling eachother--

Being awkwardly polite--

Until we find some kinda common ground to riff on--

And then that conversation is going to be short lived--

because you can't base an entire conversation off of--

one, small, thing--

So that's going to lead them into --

prying into our business, asking about--

our family, or even how we met--

and I'm sure at one point in time--

you and "Vivi"--

[Val': Are gonna go-- : Dude don't put her in quotations.

: Shush!

: Don't put her in quotations.

: Shush--

You two are gonna go off on a tangent--

talking about the "chisme" at work--

"oh did you hear what that person did--"

"oh my goodness can you believe what that other person said"--

And, I'm gonna be sitting there with Mike--

trying to figure out what the fuck to talk about--

and huh--

grrh, I don't wanna--

I don't wanna--

: I don't wanna be there with these people. : Val these are...stop that--

stop that. These are real people--

like they're real people--

why do you keep using quotation marks?

: They're bunny ears. : And when did I become a cliche.

: Okay, I'm almost done with my point--

I don't wanna be sitting there with Mike--

trying to figure out what to talk about--

because what if he likes sports, alright--

eh, I don't like sports--

I don't think people should get paid millions of dollars--

to do something they learned how to do during recess--

What if I say that?--

I'm probably gonna say that and it's gonna be fucking awkward--

I'm probably gonna say that and it's gonna be fucking awkward-- and I'm just trying to avoid--

and I'm just trying to avoid--

: Okay.

: having an awkward encounter. : Uh huh, okay, okay, okay--

I get it--

I understand--

But we're still gonna go--

Okay? We're still going.

: Gay 'ol couple time. It's gonna be good.

: Gay 'ol couple time, alright-- : Gay 'ol couple time.

: My favorite time. : It's gonna be fabulous.

: Gay 'ol couple time.

: Viv.

: Hi! [Mike}: Your friends are here--

: hey hello. : Hi. : Hello.

: Don't mind him he likes to talk tough. : He's good.

: He's- : He's good.

: He's crazy. : HI. : Hi.

: So good to see you.