EDNA AND JOHN, MERE CARE ACTORS, WORKING FOR KAISER, ASSIGNED TO THE EVENT... THEY SIT OFF TO THE SIDE WAITING TO BE UTILIZED BY THE DOCTORS IN THE ROOM. THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES EDNA AND JOHN HAVE WORKED TOGETHER. EDNA SOFTLY MUMBLES NOTES TO HERSELF REGARDING THE CHARACTER SHE IS ABOUT TO PERFORM - A FAMILIAR RITUAL FOR AN ACTOR, A SORT OF INCANTATION FOR WHAT SHE IS ABOUT TO PERFORM. NOT BIG ON FOCUS, JOHN SIMPLY WATCHERS HER. HE DULLY LOOKS AT EDNA AND IS CURIOUS WHY SHE HASN'T NOTICED HIM DOING SO AS SHE CONTINUES TO MUMBLE RELEVANT GIBBERISH TO HERSELF. JOHN, CHALLENGED, PURPOSELY STARES AT EDNA AS SHE CONTINUES HER SOFT CHANT, INVOLVED WITH HER WORK, SHE MISSES THE WEIRD, RENEGADE GLARE THAT JOHN GIVES HER. HE NOTICES THAT SHE SEEMS LIKE AN OUTRIGHT PROFESSIONAL. HIS PERFORMANCE ANXIETY IS NOT LIKE HERS... HE APPEARS DETACHED AND DISTRACTED. HE DIVERTS IN SEVERAL DIRECTIONS, THEN, HE LOOKS OVER TO THE DOCTORS. THEY FURTHER DISCUSS EMPATHY. PERHAPS HE IS BORED. HE LOOKS BACK AT EDNA. SHE STILL HAS NOT STRAYED FROM HER FOCUS AND CONTINUES TALKING TO HERSELF WITH HER LOVELY HISPANIC ACCENT. THIS SOMEHOW BOTHERS JOHN (NOT HER ACCENT, BUT, HER AMAZING FOCUS). THE TWO ACTORS SIT ALMOST KNEE TO KNEE.
JOHN
Hey.
EDNA LOOKS UP. HER EYES APPEAR GENTLE. SHE IS EXCEEDINGLY SINCERE. SHE IS AMAZINGLY WARM.
EDNA
Hey.
THEY SPEAK SOFTLY SO NOT TO INTERRUPT THE ONGOING EVENT. JOHN MATCHES EDNA'S SINCERITY. HE FULLY UNDERSTANDS HE IS BREAKING HER MOMENT BEFORE, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT EDNA IS ABOUT TO BE CALLED UP FOR UTILIZATION WITHIN THE ONGOING PROGRAM.
JOHN
Are you okay?
EDNA IS GENUINELY PERPLEXED.
EDNA
Yea?
READING JOHN'S FACE EDNA BECOMES CONCERNED. AFTER A MOMENT SHE CONTINUES, ALMOST WITH GRAVE CONCERN.
EDNA
Why?
JOHN MATCHES EDNA'S GRAVE CONCERN - AND HE REALLY WANTS TO CLARIFY BECAUSE HE FULLY APPRECIATES THE FACT THAT EDNA HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED JOHN'S DISPOSITION ON THINGS OF THESE MATTERS. MAKING HER WAIT HE EVENTUALLY CONTINUES.
JOHN
You look nervous.
PERPLEXED FOR A MOMENT. EDNA LOOKS AT JOHN, THEN, REALIZING IT WAS A JOKE, SHE LAUGHS ONE OF THE LOUDEST, MOST GENUINE LAUGHS JOHN HAS EVER HEARD IN HIS LIFE, COMPLETELY INTERRUPTING THE ONGOING SESSION. EVERYONE IN THE ROOM LOOKS AT THE TWO OF THEM. JOHN SHRUGS HIS SHOULDERS AND POINTS TO EDNA INDICATING SHE IS THE ONE CAUSING THE DISRUPTION. EDNA SMILES. AND SHE HOLDS BACK FROM LAUGHING AGAIN, THEN, GENTLY, SHE NODS TO HIM AS THE DOCTORS ALL TURN THEIR HEADS AT HER WITH DISAPPOINTMENT. A MOMENT LATER, THEY RETURN TO THEIR DISCUSSION. JOHN NOTICES EDNA FULLY REALIZES THAT HE HAS "HAD ONE ON HER" AT HER EXPENSE. EDNA GLINTS A SOMEWHAT DASTARDLY SMILE, WHICH INDICATES TO JOHN, THAT, ONE DAY, SHE WILL, CERTAINLY, HAPPILY, JOYFULLY, COMPETENTLY PAY HIM BACK.
EDNA
You...
AND, AS ANTICIPATED BY JOHN, THE DOCTORS CALLED EDNA UP. SHE LOOKS TO HIM AGAIN, WITH MORE THAN A HINT OF GLEE, OR PERHAPS IT'S AMAZEMENT THAT HE HAS MESSED WITH HER SO...
EDNA
You...
EDNA TURNS AND WALKS AWAY FROM JOHN, AND JOHN KNOWS HE HAS ENCOUNTERED A PERSON OF AMAZING HUMAN QUALITY, CERTAINLY, BEYOND MOST - EDNA!
SCENE:
The above silly scene is my long handed way of telling you that my lovely buddy, Edna Alvarez, passed away yesterday. I'm not surprised, since soon after I met her in the above scripted, true first, fact checked encounter, she confided in me that she was not long for this planet. I, of course, argued the point endlessly with her. Regardless, I do regret that I did not get to do any scenes with her, yet, I did get to spend quite a bit of time with her. I truly enjoyed her as an equal at busting chops... Throughout our collective tenure at Kaiser we laughed loud and constantly, the two of us tended to interrupt much of what was suppose to be going on anywhere/whenever we sat together. From the outside, we couldn't have been more different. No matter. I loved her profoundly, and, I am compelled by her bold spirit to suggest to always look for the common ground. We constantly shared stories and perspectives that where damn near the same, yet, we grew and evolved from amazingly different environments. Yes, my lovely buddy, Edna Alvarez passed away yesterday. I love/ed her profoundly.
Sorry for your loss John. On a lighter note...the picture you put up has NOT been stolen from The Dresden. It is still up there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your consideration on my friend...
DeleteAs to the picture, I'm very happy to see it's still there every time I show up for work. You are an amazingly talented fellow, thanks for playing the joint!