The Humans Read Online Free Page B

the lake house?
    ERIK
    Uh, no, that’s a ways away.
    Erik drinks.
    BRIGID
    Â Â Â Â Â  (Passing Deirdre)
    Hey . . .
    DEIRDRE
    Your bathroom doesn’t have a window . . .
BRIGID
DEIRDRE
I know, go downstairs.
. . . I love you, I’m just saying.
    Brigid enters the bathroom.
    Deirdre is on her way downstairs but stops to eavesdrop on Richard and Erik’s conversation.
    RICHARD
    I actually like having the design process to look forward to, I like the planning stages.
    ERIK
    Yeah, well our budget’s—we’re gonna use one of those places where, they’ve got predesigned homes you can choose from? / . . . but . . .
    RICHARD
    Sure, good idea . . .
    ERIK
    . . . yeah, and the place we’re looking at has good designs, you know? . . .
    RICHARD
    Yeah, no that’s great.
    Richard prepares for dinner during the following exchange. He’s listening, but multitasking.
    ERIK
    I’ll tell you, Rich, save your money now . . . I thought I’d be settled by my age, you know, but man, it never ends . . . mortgage, car payments, internet, our dishwasher just gave out . . .
    RICHARD
    Oh man . . .
    ERIK
    Yeah, yeah . . .
    Â Â Â Â Â  (Small beat)
    . . . don’tcha think it should cost less to be alive?
    RICHARD
    Ha, absolutely . . .
    ERIK
    I even started cutting my own hair to try and save a few bucks . . . messed it up pretty good. Thank God I’m married.
    Richard smiles. Erik drinks. Beat.
RICHARD
ERIK
So you want—no, sorry what?
Brigid said you’re—
    ERIK
    [Nothing, nevermind.]
    Erik drinks.
    RICHARD
    You want some ice?
    ERIK
    Uh, sure.
    RICHARD
    Â Â Â Â Â  (Getting the ice)
    So you’ve been . . . having some weird dreams too?
    ERIK
    Huh?
    RICHARD
    . . . just . . . you can hear a lot through the [hole where the spiral staircase is], just caught that you haven’t been sleeping, thought maybe—I’ve been having weird dreams all week, think it’s because of the move . . . last night I was polishing a silver refrigerator and . . . my dog was caught inside it? . . . and I don’t have a dog? / . . . just weird stuff . . .
    ERIK
    Oh man . . . sounds like it . . . no, I don’t remember my [dreams] . . . even when I have one of those ones where, uh . . .
    Erik takes a sip of beer.
    RICHARD
    What?
    ERIK
    . . . [no, nothing important] . . . you know the ones where you need a minute just to . . . figure out it isn’t / actually [real] . . .
    RICHARD
    Oh, sure—
    Knocking at the downstairs door startles Erik a bit—he spills his beer. Richard moves to help—
ERIK
RICHARD
Sorry about that, Rich, I got it, I got it . . .
Don’t worry about it—
    More knocking. Richard opens the door as Erik cleans up his spill.
    Aimee wheels Momo inside.
    RICHARD
    Welcome . . . / come on in . . .
    AIMEE
    Hello, hello . . . so this is what lies beneath . . .
    RICHARD
    What are you drinking, Aimee?
AIMEE
MOMO
Whatever’s open . . . red
          (Barely audible)
wine? This is really a lot of space . . .
      . . . where do we go . . . where do we go . . .
    RICHARD
    Yeah if you sacrifice sunlight you can get some / extra square feet . . .
    MOMO
    Â Â Â Â Â  (Softly, mumbled)
    Where do we go? Where, where do we go? / Where do we go? Where do we go where do we go where do we go where do we go . . .
    ERIK
    Hey, you waking up a bit, Mom? . . .
    AIMEE
    She keeps asking me that . . . Where do we—Momo . . . we’re going into this room is where we’re going . . .
    UPSTAIRS : Brigid exits the bathroom, is surprised to find Deirdre by the stairwell.
    BRIGID
    What are you doing? . . .
DEIRDRE
MOMO
Just wanted a breather . . .
          (Tapering to barely audible)
 
. . . where do we go do we go where do we go do we go . . .
    Erik massages Momo’s hand.
    BRIGID
    You’re holding a present.
    DEIRDRE
    Ha, I am, it’s for you and Rich. Open it