The Night Listener

- Ready? -

- Yeah, let's try it like that. -

From the studios of WNYH in New York City,

I'm GabrieI Noone, and this is Noone at Night.

As a storyteIIer, I've spent years Iooting my Iife for fiction.

Like a magpie, I tend to steaI the shiny stuff and discard the rest.

The facts can always be altered when you're telling a story.

But this time. I have to be careful.

I'll lay out the events exactly as I remember them.

I want you to believe this. after all.

That'll be hard enough as it is.

This one is called "The Night Listener."

It began in the Worst of all possible Weeks.

Jess had moved out. saying it was only temporary.

And I was miserable. Nothing made sense anymore.

I was trying to read one of my ridiculous yarns. the kind I had built a career on.

A sentimental piece about our eighth anniversary.

But it felt so phony. I couldn't put the words into our mouth.

This isn't working.

- It wasn't that bad. - It just doesn't sound Iike me.

The IeveIs are the same. I couId adjust.

No, no. It-it just sounds fake.

Look, GabrieI. We can't do this again.

Just run an oId one, OK?

I-I'm... You know, I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't.

Hey.

- Why are you here? - I thought I was gonna buy you a drink.

What happened in the session?

We're just having sound probIems. Listen, I'm ready to coIIapse.

- You sure you don't wanna go? - I'm sure.

None of my business, but the station is worried.

You owe them five shows.

I reaIIy don't wanna taIk about that.

- I'm worried about you. - I'm aII right. ReaIIy.

AII right. Look.

- Take this with you. - Oh, no. Come on, Ashe.

- You don't have to write a bIurb. - Thanks.

Just want you to read it. We're pubIishing it next quarter.

"A Diary of Transcendent Hope and Courage." Oh, pIease.

It come with aromatherapy?

Save it, wiII ya? You'II have reaI questions after you've read it.

- Hang in there, OK? - Yeah.

See ya.

Jesus! You scared me.

- Just, uh, picking some stuff up. - No probIem.

See you brought Lucifer.

Lucien. He's just a friend.

Oh, babe, I toId ya. I just need a IittIe space.

- It's aII right. - I'II see ya.

- No, Hugo. Go. - Hugo. Hugo!

"Charles Dickens," Wrote Pete Logand.

"Was only 12 when his parents sent him to make boot polish"

"in a factory by the docks."

"This screwed him up forever and made him a writer."

"I think we've all got a blacking factory. some terrible something

that makes us lose our baby hearts as surely as we lose our baby teeth."

Mine was in the basement in Milwaukee.

It was converted into a room that was supposed to be my playhouse.

No one ever wondered Why my dad made it soundproof.

I knew all his games by the time I was seven.

By the time I was 11. other grownups were with him.

I wondered how much my mom knew .

Then one night I heard her there in the playhouse. Whispering.

Telling somebody to move out of the way.

I realized she'd been there all along.

"That was what the blindfold was for - to keep me hidden.

"So they could sell the tapes on the Internet. "

- -

You've reached Gabriel and Jess. Leave a message at the tone.

Hi. it's Pete Logand. The guy who wrote that book?

Ashe gave me your number. so I just wanted to...

He said if I talk long enough you might...

Oh. Well. Bye.

- Ambushed? - That's as good a word as any.

I thought it'd make you feeI better to distract yourseIf.

The way I'm feeIing, I might say something wrong.

You won't say anything wrong. Did you Iike the book?

It's somewhat raw. But powerfuI.

- He's a brave kid. How oId is he? - 14.

Jesus.

How'd you get it?

Right over the transom. No agent, no nothing.

- Donna just maiIed it to us. - Who?

The sociaI worker who adopted him. She got him to write as therapy.

You must have edited Iike crazy.

- WeII... - What?

It's the cIeanest manuscript I've had aII year.

Damn.

I wouIdn't do this to you unIess I thought there was a reaI connection.

- Remember the basement? - Yeah.

WeII, he Iistened to the show after they'd gone.

- Jesus. - He wanted me to give that to you.

Jess?

What the heII are you doing?

Hi.

I can't do your books unIess you Ieave me your checkbook.

This pIace was a mess.

Besides, I Iike Iaundry. It makes me happy.

The power went out. Your fuse box is fucked up. And your dad caIIed.

- You didn't pick up, did you? - I had to. He kept saying:

"Pick up, goddammit. I know you're there."

He's a nice oId coot.

If he met you, he'd caII you "that cute Chink gaI" behind your back.

- I am a cute Chink gaI. - Mm-hm.

How oId is he anyway? He's got to be, Iike, ancient.

Why? Because I am?

I just hope that I'm over my parents by the time I'm your age.

Good Iuck.

They asked about Jess. You haven't toId 'em yet, have you?

No. 'Cause he'II be back by then.

Right.

Hello. Please leave a message after the tone.

Hi, Pete. This is GabrieI Noone.

Ashe gave me your number and, uh...

I read your book. I reaIIy Iiked it.

- Hey. - Hey.

You swear it's really you?

Why wouIdn't it be me?

I dunno. You don't sound like yourself.

Well. I'm a little less dramatic in person.

- You sound Iike hammered shit. -

That pins it down pretty well.

No offense. Just can't fuckin' beIieve it's you, man.

You just fuckin' have to.

I'm sorry. My new mom says I've got a trashy mouth.

Really? Well. she's fuckin' right.

Anyway. I was really impressed by your book. I want to wish you good luck.

So what do you guys do for Christmas?

What do you mean?

- You and Jess. Do you have a tree? - Oh, no.

We're not that big on Christmas.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

We got a rusty water tank across the street. They hang a damn star on it every year.

A star. That sounds nice.

Yeah.

Except it doesn't face this way. Just Iights up the graffiti.

The rest of the town gets "BethIehem." AII's we get is "Roberta bIows."

I swear. big ol' red letters. "Roberta blows. "

They painted it out last year. It came back.

- She must reaIIy bIow. -

You OK?

Shit.

Pete?

Shit.

Yeah, I'm OK. Gotta warn me if you're gonna be funny, man.

- Drink this. - Sorry.

- What is it? - Well. Donna's here now being a pain.

I wouldn't put up with it. except she's a babe and I like redheads.

It's him. Say something.

- Hi. This is Donna Logand. - Hey.

I'm sorry to cut this short. This cough is worrying me.

- WeII, sure. I understand... -

HeIIo?

It's Donna.

He's asleep now. We had to drain his lungs.

- Has he toId you about the AIDS? - Yeah. he did.

Listen, there are some incredibIe drugs nowadays. They worked wonders for Jess.

Yeah, we've tried a Iot of them but he had syphiIis when he was eight

and his Iungs are Iike Swiss cheese.

He doesn't have very long. A few months at the most.

It probabIy doesn't make it any easier, being out here in the middIe of nowhere.

But I just can't have those creeps knowing where he is.

I thought they were in prison.

His father was. But his mother disappeared after her arraignment.

- They don't know where she is. - Surely after all these years...

We don't know what she's capabIe of.

But the point of moving here is not to be paranoid. right?

The thought of that haunted me all night.

Over the next few weeks. Pete and I talked almost every day.

Who do you want to talk to when your book is published?

What do you mean?

You know. Somebody famous Who really likes your book.

Derek Jeter wouId be cooI.

WeII. OK. Yeah.

You don't know who that is. Do you?

Of course. He's a sports guy.

Yeah, what sport?

Gettin' picky on me.

Just 'cause you're a dick-smoker don't mean you can't watch baII games.

What?

What. A dick-smoker? You've never heard that?

No.

WeII, no offense or nothin'.

You and, uh... Jess seem pretty cooI.

So, how's he doing?

- He's OK. - So when can I talk to him?

WeII, that's gonna be kind of difficuIt. He moved out a coupIe of weeks ago.

Oh, man. That sucks.

He says he needs to be aIone,

but he says he's coming back.

I'm sure. It seemed Iike you had something speciaI.

I think you've just gotta be patient. Gabriel.

Something like that doesn't come every day.

That's what I want.

That kind of thing.

One of these days.

Don't worry. You'll get it.