Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 16:58:28 -0600 From: cate meredith Subject: Re: [WRITERS] INT: the eMJay dream? Cate's Place, Texas Alison looks at her freshly painted Amazon green nails again. "I dunno. He just seems so _oblivious_ sometimes," she says, and then blows lightly on the enamel. "They all do," I say, then glance at Jeff, who is painting Alison's toenails. Alison and I are wearing matching flannel pjs from the Gap and Jeff looks dashing in black silk Donna Karan pjs. "Present company excluded, of course." "Of course," Jeff replies. He wrinkles his nose. "How the hell do you put up with the stench of this stuff?" "We just do," Alison says, and reaches over to get her margarita. "Hey, turn it up, the eMJay's will be on soon." I zap the television. There's still ten minutes before the ceremony. "I am SO glad we didn't go." "Me too." "Yeah, me too." "I mean, What exactly is the point?" "Right. It's all just for show." "Totally." Just then, the doorbell rings. "That's the pizza," I say, scurrying over to the door. I grab the money off the table in the foyer and open the door. "Oh my gosh! Hey look everybody! It's Susan! Susan Minyard!" Alison and Jeff look up to Susan, who has brought us pizza. "Come in sweetie, pour yerself a margarita, I'll get plates." I scamper into the blue and white kitchen to fetch plates and return to the livingroom. Susan's wearing matching flannel pjs! Now all the girls match. "Oh, I brought this," Susan says, handing me a small envelope. A telegram? Who uses telegrams anymore? Opening it, her eyes widen. "Why, it's from Anthony." "What does it say?" Alison asks. Cate reads aloud: Season's Greetings Stop Take Off Hosers Stop. "Aw well... I'm sure he meant it in a nice, Holiday kind of way." Cate puts the telegram by a nice bowl of potpourri and sits down to eat the artichoke-eggplant-goatcheese pie, specially made by Tink himself. But the doorbell rings again, just as the pizza is equidistant between Cate's mouth and the plate. "I'll get it." Jeff gets up and walks to the door. He look so dashing in black silk. We three females exchange glances and giggle. Jeff shoots us a Shut Up or Die look and they dissolve into laughter as he goes into the foyer. A minute later, he returns with four pairs of ice skates. "Who was at the door?" Cate asks. "Alison's mom. She brought these and told us to have a great evening." Alison's mom sure is nice! We all lace up our skates and head out in our pjs, noticing for the first time that the ground is covered in 4 inches of smooth ice. Piles of fluffy snow are piled around the trees and on the curbs. It's a windless night, starry and cold, but we don't feel anything but good as we skate down to the end of the cul-de-sac and turn around. While we're skating, a big red pickup truck rounds the corner, all done up like a reindeer with huge antlers and a glowing red nose. "Hey, it's Mat!" Alison says, and we all race over. "Did you bring skates?" Cate asks. "Of course I brought skates, mate. Why would you come all the way to Houston from Austrailia if not to ice skate?" Mat parks in the driveway and skates with us for a while until we notice that there's a fire at one of the houses down the street! The Christmas lights must have overheated and caught something flamable. We skate over as fast as we can, wanting to help but the house is covered in flames and we can feel the heat on our faces as we stand there helpless on the curb. Beyond the gates of the neighborhood, sires start to wail. Cate turns to Jeff and holds his hand. It's so hot, so very very hot.... Cate awakens with sweat soaking through her PJs. The fire in the fireplace has gone dead and nestled in bed with her, Alison and Jeff and Susan are radiating heat like little furnaces. The heavy eiderdown and flannel sheets feel oppressive, and she quietly climbs over Jeff, who is adorably vulnerable when he sleeps- he looks like a hurt little kid- and walks out to the livingroom. The heater is up way too high and even in the livingroom, she feels hot. She turns off the alarm and goes outisde for some fresh air. The flashes of the cameras shock her as she blinks into the lights. People lunge at her, cameras popping. Her front yard is covered in lights and.... presents. All kinds of presents. The reporters are stepping over them but some are getting smooshed underfoot. "Cate, do you have anything to say?" "Say...?" "You won!" "Won?" "The eMJays..." She lifts her hands to her eyes, staggering back as they thrust microphones in front of her. "I... I was hot."