The New Twenty Page #2

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"What's your greatest success?"

You know, that kind of thing.

Totally not listening.

He's lookin' at the ceiling,

starin' at his watch.

Completely bored.

So then, all of a sudden,

he looks at me and says...

"Do you have any tattoos?"

Nice.

I have no idea

what he's thinking.

But he's listening

for the first time.

So I look at him and I say...

"Well, yes, Rick.

I do have one.

Right across here...

And it says Merrill Lynch.

No! You didn't.

I totally did.

And it got me

the f***ing job!

Men are pigs.

Oink.

So?

What do you think?

I think you hate your job

and you really want to do this.

What about the apartment?

Maybe it's not

the right time to buy.

No. It is.

Okay.

Well, I mean...

I could swing the mortgage...

...for a while.

Yeah?

That would be great.

I mean, I haven't

decided decided.

But... that could be great.

Ow, ow!

- Sorry.

- Wait.

Hey.

- Yeah?

- What's the story?

What?

In the steam room...

the disdain.

Excuse me?

I'm Tony.

Robert.

- Hey.

- Hey.

So you some kind of hot shot?

Some kind.

You have tenure?

I do.

Cozy.

And do you talk

when you teach?

I do.

Awesome.

How about you?

The teacher...

The... work thing, I mean.

I'm a total sellout.

Oh, I doubt that.

You guys know

what you want?

I want him to talk more.

Another drink.

"Friends. "

No, we didn't pay

our cable bill.

Maybe this is how

they punish us.

Maybe we shouldn't

pay our phone bill.

Free phone sex.

Maybe we shouldn't

pay our gas bill.

It's the students...

The students

continually surprise me.

In class?

Not so much.

Well, yes and no.

You have a limited view

of them in class, is the thing.

You don't see them operating...

...with their whole

selves in there.

They withhold that.

But when you do see that...

I mean, for example...

...if you have a student in class

who doesn't talk much...

...and that's how you know

her or him...

And then you see her

in a performance...

...as a musician...

...or you see her

as an athlete.

Or maybe you get

invited to a dinner...

...and there's something

in the conversation...

...that surprises you...

Some joke, some remark.

And suddenly you realize you're

teaching human beings there.

Full human beings.

Not that you

didn't know that...

No, no. Sure.

And when that happens...

...it redeems the whole thing.

What?

You're talkin' finally.

Yeah.

I'm talkin' finally.

Very nice.

Thanks.

You want a drink?

Uncomfortable silence.

Yeah.

I'm positive.

Bummer.

I'm healthy.

My viral loads

are undetectable.

Felix!

Hi, this is Robert.

I'm not in right now,

but you know what to do.

Robert.

It's me, Tony.

Are you there?

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