M, G. Duramen_Approximately Words Counted 200

450 Cottage Road, Three_M, G. Duramen

Madison 3716_Disposable Copy

222-3372

'SAD –' – SHORT INTRODUCTION

by

Mark Walter Meredith

December 24th eight-fifty-five PM Eastern Time STANDARD time –from here on in –Alison-"Grey-baby" sounds sad. Why does "Aly-"Grey-baby sound sad? It is a joke hidden in the "play" version by Larson (John!)—! Angel SchunardJUSTkilled the dog AKITA JUST before Mr. Collins chose that phone booth back where Angel set up his drums! You get it already? Frickin' hilarious right? Larson (John) was a genius at stuff like that! This story happens after Akita "swan dived" out of "Aly-"Grey-baby's window into Gracie Mews! What was happening during the beginning of the "rock opera" song called, "RENT"! Larson (John) rules over Larson (John's) characters wherever used throughout the universe!

- - -30- - -

M, G Duramen_Approximate Words Counted 1,900

506 Cottage Road Three_M, G. Duramen

Madison 16_Disposable Copy

3372

MID RENT INTERLUDE—'—ALISON BABY'

by

Mark W. Meredith

It was December 24 –8:55 –PM –EASTERN STANDARD Time.

Allison sat at the edge of the couch –slumped down sadly –sadly enough. Ever since the marriage Allison felt bad and guilty for the scene "Benny Grey-Coffin's" old friends made at the wedding. Allison told Coffin during the beginning of the after wedding celebration that "Coffin" might as well give Coffin's friends the news. Coffin then went over and told Thomas Collins, Mr. Davis, Maureen and Mark. Coffin was going to buy the building down the street near the corners of 11TH St. from the old music-publishing factory. Moreover, the empty lot next door and that Roger Davis, Maureen and Cohen were going to have to say good-by to their little homeless friends that Maureen, Cohen and Mr. Davis do pictures about or talk to them or whatever they do.

Allison watched some "sort-of" from afar as Mr. Davis looked mad and stern—looking hard at"Coffin" and then looking at"Coffin" strangely out of the corner of Mr. Davis's eyes silently as if Coffin was "crazy" and they finally got their chance to speak.

Meredith-2 …LUDE—ALISON BABY

Allison remembers how Maureen had Maureen's arm around Cohen's shoulder because they were standing there together because sometimes Maureen fawned all over Cohen because he was so smart about electronics. Cohen and Maureen stood there looking like that old cartoon with the short guy and the tall man, "Mutt and Jeff." That "Amazon" stood over Cohen with one arm touching Cohen. Cohen said, "Maureen does modern art performances about such a disregarding attitude towards the homeless at times –how can you say something like that right in front of us 'Coffin'? What about the ideals you said that you had when the Coffin we thought we knew used to live with us?

Coffin merely replied "I still have the idealisms I once had of helping poor people like I once was to –but in a different way. I still believe that that the bums have a right to stay on 'a' empty lot that the owner doesn't do anything with while they get back on their feet. I just believe that the owner of the lot could help the bums by telling the bums get off the lot and get a job. I have to help myself and my family first don't you think?"

Mr. Davis finally got up the anger up to state this "point," "Society won't let them have a job! ' The machine ' will only allow them rags to survive!"

Coffin simply replied, "Is that my problem? What does that have to do with me? The clothes I wear—now that I am making a 'more comfortable' living probably has just as many atoms as rags –my clothes are just made of rarer atoms 'that cost'! My wearing finer molecules on my atomic structure doesn't connect my molecular structure of any of those bums –so why do you blame —Coffin for their misfortunes? All 'Coffin' is doing is telling the police that those 'bums' are trespassers on my on my lot. All I'm doing is moving the molecules in my mouth in such a way that the police can understand the vibrations coming out of 'Coffin's' throat. All Coffin is doing is making vibrating air. Coffin is not to blame for how the Societal Machine is."

Meredith-3 …TERLUDE—ALISON BABY

Cohen said, "Coffin ...you can break down everything you're doing into math and calculus and scientific explanations and it looks like simple logic until nobody could understand it all you want –but nothing can change what you're actually doing—destroying people's lives! Coffin you are causing a number of homeless people to scream out in pain! Coffin— ...you are stinging people's throats with gas grenades and people's eyes with mace spray and you are too bad a person to care!"

Coffin – –then said, "Of course I am a good person because I'm logical –and logic means I am right. Good means the same as right. I have feelings like anybody. There are times I almost pity bums but being a man of great character means taking over and becoming the leader".

Cohen then said, "If you can't accept and act upon a simple immutable fact that you can't hurt another human being –then you are not logical –it only means that you are not right. It means that you can't listen to the facts— –it means that Coffin is too stupid to make an informed decision".

Meredith-4 …RENT INTERLUDE—ALISON BABY

"Coffin" seemed almost to spit out the words like they were poison, "I don't believe that I'm stupid. I will tell you what I think –though: I think you all are ignorant."

Collins –being the college student that graduated said, "You don't even know what ignorant means in this case because you're the one being ignorant in this case."

Coffin retorted, "You all just are not logical enough. You all know what? You all know what? If you're all going to call me stupid when technically I obviously am not the 'pack' up and leave my wedding. Get up and do a 180 around—leave my father's back yard if you are going to disagree with me again tonight in my own wedding!"

Maureen said, "It's your father-in-law's back yard—Coffin. If you want to get people dragged off someone's property then maybe the actual owner should have the guts to tell them to get off——Coffin."

Coffin called back as he walked away to the center of the reception to talk to more "important" people", I'M trying to help people like me when we all lived together in that loft together! I promised that I would follow our dreams and buy that building so that we could have a place to practice modern art, write songs and produce films! There's no money in that –I have to compromise to follow my dreams. I have plans for us still! Just you wait see! You'll see! You'll see!" Allison had stood at one of "the hors d'oeuvre" tables next to the wall of the back of "Daddy's" house that was white – –Grey turned sideways –pretending that Allison wasn't listening to it all. Grey suddenly felt very visible to everybody at the reception –even though Allison knew nobody was. Allison felt as though the small group of Coffin's old "guy-friends" were giving Allison a dirty –long stare but knew that they weren't the kind of people to do that.

Meredith-5 …RENT INTERLUDE—ALISON BABY

Suddenly—Mark finally said, "What do you guys say –Coffin says we can stay since we're not going to disagree with him again today anyway. Do we stay?"

Collins said, "I'm stuffed enough now –what do you guys say? I don't even want to think about food for the rest of the night. I don't want to fill up napkins with food or fill up on food all night when people might be thinking that we're no longer friends of 'Coffin's' and we're just filling up on food because we're poor people."

Cohen said, "I'm stuffed for today –I could go home."

Meredith-6 …TERLUDE—ALISON BABY

Mr. Davis said, "I'm stuffed for tonight. I'll go with you."

Maureen said, "I'm stuffed. Let's go. Everybody here is all 'old' here anyway. We don't want to think about food right now and all we can do is live for the moment –so let's leave for right now."

Cohen said, "I'm starting to hate when Coffin is around (fuck!) (That is all shit!). If only he could show one act of empathy –one kind act that shows us that Coffin can sympathize with someone in real pain. If only there was some way Coffin could show us that Coffin himself can show us that Coffin has a different life now—but that he still emotionally in contact with us as a real friend." They all eventually began to walk away from the wedding—and from Coffin's life. Allison finally came back to the real world from the world of Allison's memory. Did Allison come between Coffin's friends and Coffin? Why can't people see when people are "trying to help them?" Why can't people just be logical andjust not feel it when people that live in "comfort" get angry and throw them off their property for no reason or any reason? Why can't BUMS just not allow themselves to get angry or sad when comfortable people get angry at them when "people who are financially comfortable" just get in an angry mood? Daddy said that it would be hard to help people who are poor—but how could that be? Allison thought about how Allison didn't believe Daddy when Allison was 17 –so how could Allison force Allison herself to not believe it now that Allison was entering the real world? Why can't Allison be that logical now that it's actually happening to Allison? Is it true—as some religion says that bad people create their own Hell? Are bad things coming back to Grey? All of the single frames of the life memories of the picture Allison made of Allison's life through Allison's eyes were "fast forwarding" through Allison's memories of the poor persons Allison had hurt in the real world—along with the guilt, the depression, the sadness, and the anger until it became the crescendo of an insane symphony. Was this irony? It can't be! "Grey" is a good person –isn't she? The "insane" opera symphony is still racing upward—higher-and-higher until Allison only can do one thing –call the number of the one person Allison could admit Allison feels guilty too. The insane crescendo raises –, ...raises –as Allison's fingers fumble at the button-dials of the fancy—old fashioned –golden telephone and Allison quickly brought the receiver over and up to Allison's face. Allison quickly dialed across the buttons—the number that would bring Allison the voice of the one person who knew the same guilt, depression and sadness about kicking "poor people" off of Allison's land.

Meredith-7 …RENT INTERLUDE—ALISON BABY

Meredith-8 …RENT INTERLUDE—ALISON BABY

This was the one voice that agreed with Allison no matter how wrong they both were in this matter. This was the voice that would keep asking and talking with Allison about, "Why don't poor people realize that we are trying to help them –"-? until they both forgot how wrong they both were in the whole matter. After the other cell phone rang—Allison interrupted the word, "hello?" Grey – –immediately called out, "'Coffin—' ...is it you"?

Coffin finally said to her, "Allison baby? You sound sad …. "

- - -30- - -