Alive

Scene 1
-----------------
Alex: I need to feel inspired.

Issac: Well I was about to say hi. But seems like you're in no mood to waste time in pleasantries. So what inspiration you were talkin about there.

Alex: Do you remember Emily from college.

Issac: How can anyone not remember her. 5 feet 6 inches tall brunette with brown eyes and a mean streak in her stride.

Alex: Of course how can you miss the mean streak even if you’ve seen her just once. I was always just too fond of her. And all that meanness of hers went no deeper than the surface.

Issac: Well i don't know about that but what i do know is that that punk was a total knock out.

Alex: That no one could disagree with. Anyways as unexpected as it was she called me last night saying she just ran into a tape that we recorded together after we had gotten ourselves really drunk one night.

Issac: What are you saying man. I mean you are more than i had ever imagined. Brunette, alcohol and video tape. That too no ordinary brunette we're talkin about Emily Parkinson here. You know what, from this moment on, you are officially my hero.

Alex: It’s not how you think my li’l pervy boy. It’s an audio tape where all of us are singing ‘dumb sugar get outta here.’

Issac: That’s too bad. But what song is that. Never heard of it.

Alex: That’s a song i had written back in college.

Issac: One way or the other you surprise me Elvis.

Alex: Me aint no Elvis. I just used to write and sing some casual stuff here n there back then.

Issac: So i am guessing her calling you had something to do with your special talent. Am i right?

Alex: Well you don't have to be a genius to guess that. The thing is she’s releasing her private album. So she’s asked me to write a song so that both of us can do a duet for her album. She’s in the finishing stages of the album and i am like a last minute fix for her album. So now i have to complete this song in like a week. I spent the whole night trying to scribble some stuff on paper but none of it was any good. Seems like i’ve totally lost the touch.

Issac: Well the Elvis has been buried for the last five years. It sure will take some time before it gets singin again. What kinda song does she want anyway.

Alex: Well she said she wants something tangy something that feels like pop rocks romance. You know like free spirit, don’t give a damn about tomorrow kinda romance.

Issac: Ah disco lights with pouts and giggles and lipstick.

Alex: Yeah something of that order.

Issac: So whats the plan now Elvis.

Alex: The plan is that i’ll try writing some stuff tonight. Then go see her tomorrow with or without the song. If i come up with something, good for us and if i can’t deliver the goods she better make some alternate arrangement in time.

Issac: I am sure you’ll come up with something. I can see a song in your eyes. It’s only a matter of time before it comes out. Anyways office is here time for me to get down. You work up the magic Elvis.

Alex: Yeah thanks for all the encouragement. I’ll see you tomorrow mate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scene 2
---------
Next morning. Alex is at Emily’s residence. Knock.

Emily: Hey Alex. Come right in.

Alex enters the house.

Emily: It's so good to see you after all this time. And you look great.

Alex: Well thank you. And you look stunning as ever. Getting younger with time it seems.

Emily: Oh yeah go on. I could sure use some flattery. By the way i am so sorry to have bothered you with this thing on such short notice. But when i listened to your song from the old times i just knew that you’re the one who I want to do this song with.

Alex: Oh no not at all. In fact i should thank you instead. I mean i used to enjoy writing songs so much back then. But after college it’s all been very dry. You just gave me a good reason to go back to that old interest of mine.

Emily: That’s good to hear. I’d asked Sarah to be at the keyboard for this song in the album. And she was also saying something similar to what you are saying. It’s amazing how easy it is for us to forget how things were when they were and now they no longer are.

Alex: Yeah that’s so true. But i am here to give you a bad news. I’ve been trying to write this song for the last two days without any success. Frankly, i don’t think i am the man for the job. A lot of time’s passed since i last wrote or sang. I am too uninspired right now. Somehow there’s just not enough motivation now. I mean earlier when i used to write songs i always had the idea of all of us singing it at the roof of Bart’s apartment on the 15th floor around a bon fire. Now without that picture somehow the inspiration has gone.

Emily: I think it’s natural for you to think this way right now. I had similar feelings before Bart himself convinced me that i should do it. In fact he didn’t give me an option. I think i’ll have to do the same with you now. Guess we all have our own Bart’s roof but you need to find a way around it in this case.

Alex: Well not all of us. Heres you going all out. A private album release is a major step.

Emily: Well i don’t know if it is or not. But i am doing this album just because i really want to. I mean i am not seeking anything from this. Just sing a few songs put my compilation out there. See if there are any takers. I am seriously hoping that the world’s still left with a few people with bad taste in music.

Smiles

Alex: All jokes aside i sincerely think that what you’re doing is super-cool. It’s like gifting yourself with something.

Emily: Actually, that was precisely my intent or should I say Bart’s intent for me. And you know what we got all our friends to chip in with every aspect of this album be it the lyrics or the music or any of the technical work. So that in the process all of us get a chance to make ourselves happy again. Old style. Whatever we make from this album will serve as the seed fund for someone among us to reverse the Bart’s roof condition.

Alex: Well what can i say that’s a very noble idea. So who’s first in the list of beneficiaries?

Emily: Technically speaking i was the first beneficiary. It all started with Bart trying his luck with his amateur interest in painting. He recently organized an exhibition. As it turned out the exhibition did way better than our expectations. The finances for this album come from the proceeds of that exhibition. And now like i said the earnings from this album will help some other friend of ours to take his interest more seriously. None of us here’s hoping to make a career out of our interests. The whole idea is to enjoy ourselves doing what we like doing. In fact this ‘movement’ if you can really call it that was Bart's idea. He calls it the DIFY club.

Alex: And what exactly does DIFY stand for?

Emily: Do It For Yourself.

Alex: Well that’s vintage Bart. Always giving. Always working to bring out the best in people. Come to think of it it’s only fair that Bart came to the rescue of the BRS afflicted.

Emily: BRS?

Alex: Bart’s Roof Syndrome.

Emily(Smiling): And that’s vintage you with your awful sense of humor.

Smiles

Alex: Well clearly somethings don’t change. Like this little laugh of yours.

Emily: What about this laugh?

Alex: You know in college you used act all catty with loads of attitude n all but whenever you laughed you gave it away. Gave it away too easy. You laugh like a child you know that.

Emily: Ah. Really, n all these years i thought i was doing a great job at being a really mean girl.

Smiles.

Alex: Well those days were something. Driving 50 miles at 3 a.m. just to eat pancakes and why? Just because we felt like. There was no need for a reason to do things. At times i wonder how did we become so hard along the way. Hard on ourselves and hard on others. It’s difficult now to even believe that there was a time when i used to be like that. How i long for those days.

Emily: You know i've always felt that the natural order of things wants us to just flow. Theres joy in flow. We become hard because we evaluate everything from people to situations to actions and god knows what not. Always calculating whats in it for me. You sit next to a person on a 2-hr flight. You say to yourself theres no point talking coz in 2 hours we’ll go separate ways so whats the point in talking. So read a lousy book instead or worse sleep. You need to be a little mad to enjoy life. Too much reason takes all the fun away.

Alex: And because of this same need to find reason everywhere you end up killing your interests and all the ideas of what you were going to do and become. Sooner or later all of it just begins to look unreasonable. And you just end up numb and dumb going through a patterned life trying to make money, more money and still more money.

Emily: And you know what when enough time passes you get so used to living without these ideas of yourself that it doesn’t even hurt anymore. You get used to a lesser life. But to really understand the difference between what life could be and what it is you need to go back to whatever made you feel alive. That feeling is a high.

Alex: Well thats DIFY. Ain’t it.

Emily: Precisely that.

Pause

Emily: I've got an idea. Get your car we are going.

Alex: Going where?

Emily: I don’t know. We’ll see. Till the time I figure that out we’ll just drive. It might take a couple of days.

Alex: But…

Emily(With intent in her eyes): No buts. You know at times what you really need is to get yourself out of your comfort zone. I don’t want you to waste away your life just trying only to avoid negatives because this way the best you can hope for is a zero. Take a chance make a mistake or else where’s the fun. This way there’s no joy. So all i need you to do right now is to feel like you have nothing to lose and just flow with me. No questions. No reasons. Just flow. You said you need to feel inspired. Maybe this is exactly what you need.

As Alex fires the engine Emily turns his face towards her, her hands in his hair she leans over and gives him a kiss.

Emily: I don’t know. Maybe i just wanted to feel alive.

Smiles.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scene 3
----------
Two days and 252 miles later. Emily knocks on a door while Alex stands by her side. The door opens.

Alex: Bart!! That’s you man!! Bart Lindermann.

Bart: Bang on Alex Brogan. Welcome once again to Bart’s roof. This time it's here to stay.

Alex: So this is the DIFY club.

Bart: Exactly. And i want you to gift yourself a new way of life. We call it Alive.

Alex and Bart lock into a tight hug. Alex then turns around towards Emily and looks into her eyes with her face held between his hands and then closes his eyes as he leans in to kiss her.

Alex (Smiling with his eyes): I don’t know. Maybe i am just feeling alive.

Smiles all around.