The Nesting

Get out of my house.

Look, we don't want no trouble.

Just give us the baby and we're gone.

This is none of your business!

We're making It our business!

Hey, lady, why don't you make up your mind?

And this has never happened before?

Try to remember.

In school perhaps.

No, never.

The whole thing is absurd.

I haven't been able to leave the house in a week.

And yet you were able to come here today.

Oh believe me, it wasn't easy.

Mark practically had to drag me here.

I just lose all control.

When you say lose control...

I mean, I literally cannot go out.

When I try to, I go into such a sweat.

It's like my legs turn to jelly,

my lungs feel like they're about to burst.

It's like I'm having a heart attack or something.

I have palpitations.

Have you seen a doctor?

You mean a real one?

Hey listen, one of my few blessings is

that I am not a hypochondriac.

I'm not sick.

I mean, when I get home and settle down, it all stops.

Well Lauren, I'm sure you know

that what you described IS a classic anxiety attack.

Of course I know that.

But why?

Why all of a sudden out of nowhere?

And why only when I go out?

Are you very nervous about the new book?

Could you be resisting the public exposure?

After seven years with you,

are you actually suggesting that I am publicity shy?

Lauren, I'm not suggesting anything.

I'm asking.

Well, we already know that I am an uptight,

neurotic, creative, brilliant nut job.

Am I going completely crazy now?

Lauren, you are not going crazy.

Then what the hell is it?

It's called agoraphobia.

Of all the lousy phobias,

trust me to come up with one I've never even heard of.

Actually, agoraphobia is quite common.

Many cases begin quite suddenly

and often appear to come out of the blue.

Lauren, it is curable.

Total relaxation is the key.

Your jaw is loose,

free of tension.

You can barely feel the weight of your own body.

Now that you are completely relaxed,

you will begin to feel yourself rising.

You are very calm.

There is no pressure.

You are now taking your keys and bag.

You are now opening the door.

You are in the hallway.

Now lock the door and return the key to a pocket

where you can readily find it.

You are now descending the stairs.

You are completely calm.

You are at the bottom of the stairs.

You are now passing through the lobby door.

Now you are opening the front door.

Now you are walking calmly down the street.

No I'm not, you asshole.

Who's there?

I got your delivery, ma'am.

If you want it, you better open the door.

- Hi. - Hi.

How are you?

I'm fine. I got worried when you didn't ring back.

I couldn't imagine where you could be.

That's a coincidence.

I was trying to imagine the same thing myself.

Ah so, you was doing the visualization, fraulein.

It's so awful.

I feel like such an idiot.

You will take your medicine and you will love it,

and you will hug me and kiss me and ravish me,

and you will love it too, nein?

Seriously, how's it going? - Oh, I don't know.

It seems like bullshit, but I guess it's working.

When you rang the bell, I just opened the front door.

You did?

Mark, please don't be patronizing.

I may be sick, but I am not retarded.

I think you've done exceptionally well

in the last six weeks.

Better, in fact, than I'd expected.

Sure. I can go out now, come home, go shopping,

but I still dread it every time I leave the house.

That's the problem with behavioral techniques.

They work to get you out of the house,

but until we can uncover the real roots of the trouble,

you can never be sure that the panic won't strike again.

You mean the improvement is only temporary?

Yes.

I told you that from the very beginning.

Well, then it's hopeless.

I have been trying for years to remember who my mother is

and whatever it was that she did to me,

and I just can't.

I've never been able to remember my dreams

and I still can't.

And I'm as frigid as ever.

Lauren, you're much better now.

Your relationship with Mark--

Oh, terrific. Now I'm a functioning refrigerator.

Lauren, what is it?

You really seem tense today.

Well, you yourself said that agoraphobia is aggravated

by cities and crowds and noise and all that stuff.

So I've been thinking.

Maybe I should try to get away, uh, get out of the city.

You think you're ready to make that kind of a trip?

Who knows if I can get from the building to the car,

Mark said he'd drive me.

What made you choose Dover Falls anyway?

I had a dream.

Bullshit.

You can't even remember your dreams.

It sounded quaint.

Quaint, my ass.

Quaint like Peyton Place.

Oh, gee, I hope so.

"Troubled, uptight writer goes to small, sleepy town

in search of peace and inspiration.

Instead, she finds an erupting volcano of lust and passion."

And perhaps love.

You know I love you.

Yeah, like a big brother.

That's my problem.

Well, now look who's got us lost.

Mark, watch out!

Well, now look who's gotten us stranded.

We're not stranded, silly.

Come on. Let's just take a break.

Don't you think we ought to be heading back soon?

It's all right. We've got plenty of time.

The real estate agent Isn't expecting us till 2:00.

Oh, it is so lovely here.

Yeah. The Loch Ness monster thinks so too.

I think he heard me.

Lauren, what now?

Where do you think you're going?

Come on. We've been driving for hours.

I just wanna stretch my legs.

Besides, you need the exercise.

Uh-oh. Here come the jungle.

Mark.

Okay, I'll shut up.

Hey, there's a house up there.

Okay Lauren, fess up.

You knew exactly where you were dragging me.

You're really clever, you know that?

Conning me all the way through the bramble bush.

Lauren?

Lauren, where the hell are you?

Mark, I've never been here before.

Oh, sure. It's all a big coincidence.

No, no. I mean it.

It's not a gag.

Well, how gullible do you think I am?

There she is,

the frightened girl in the foreground.

The brooding, mysterious mansion in the background.

All we need now is a light in the window.

Mark, I'm not kidding.

I've never been here before.

All right.

Well, maybe the illustrator knew the place.

No, he didn't.

He drew the cover from my descriptions in the book.

He even thought it was a bit too fanciful.

Well, he's not very well-informed.

A house of this kind is--

Mark, that's not the point.

How oblivious can you be?

I know this house.

Oh, so you finally admit it.

No!

I-I mean, I saw this house or

I imagined it all the time I was writing the book.

I described it exactly.

Well, then you had a déja vu, my dear.

Or maybe you saw it in a picture in one of my books.

Hey, believe me, an octagonal house of this kind

Is certainly rare enough to merit a write-up.

Mark, look.

What?

Someone was at that window.

Hello!