Amanda

Sunday, January 1 (After Chapter 37 of Triptych)

[knocking]

aroslav: Hello?

AMANDA: Who is it?

aroslav: aroslav. Is it too early?

AMANDA: What time is it?

aroslav: 12:30.

AMANDA: In the morning?

aroslav: No. Sunday afternoon. Happy New Year.

AMANDA: Oh shit. Just a minute.

[Pause. Door opens.]

AMANDA: Sorry, Uncle Ari. I forgot.

[hug]

aroslav: How's my Mandy? Did you overdo it last night?

AMANDA: No. We were late is all. It was so much fun.

aroslav: Well, shall we go have lunch? Or breakfast?

AMANDA: Do I have to get dressed up?

aroslav: If you're comfortable, I'm fine. I've always liked girls in sweats.

AMANDA: You're a dirty old man, Uncle. I love you.

aroslav: Love you, too, Mandy. Let's go.

[seated at Denny's]

AMANDA: Thank you for including me. It's really been fun.

aroslav: You wanted to be in the story.

AMANDA: I thought you were going to make me a bitch. I like the way I'm turning out.

aroslav: It's hard to get it right when I'm dealing with someone so smart. Sometimes it comes off bitchy.

AMANDA: Well, keep going. I want to really break loose.

aroslav: Well, I have to record all the details in order to make that work. Who is Amanda Fortier?

AMANDA: You mean like whole name and stuff? Okay. Hi. I'm Amanda G. Fortier, age twenty, born on July 28. I'm a junior at Seattle Cascades University in the Pre-Med Program. I hope to finish here next year and go to Johns Hopkins Med School.

aroslav: What's the G stand for?

AMANDA: Grrrr.

aroslav: Really?

AMANDA: No. It stands for Graco.

aroslav: Um ... sounds like a story.

AMANDA: My stupid older brother. As the story goes, his toddler car seat sat next to my infant car seat on the way home from the hospital. He'd just begun sounding out words. The buckle on my car seat said "Graco." That's what he started calling me. My parents actually registered it as my middle name as some kind of bribe so that he wouldn't kill me. The bastard still calls me Graco.

aroslav: You were named after a car seat. Should I bring that up in the story?

AMANDA: Don't you dare.

aroslav: Okay, so tell me a little more about yourself.

AMANDA: Well, I'm five-five and weigh one-forty. I'd like to lose ten pounds, but I haven't been exercising enough to make it happen. I'm 34C, 28, 36. I'm afraid if I lose weight I'll be 32B, 28, 36. I don't fucking care. Just let me get on with my life.

aroslav: Whoa! Okay. And if it helps or not, I'd never have guessed you'd need lose ten pounds. You've always been my favorite niece and I think you're beautiful.

AMANDA: And you're my favorite uncle. Oh. I guess you're my only uncle, aren't you. Still...

aroslav: Let's just move on.

AMANDA: Okay. I've got medium light brown hair down to my shoulders that I usually keep tied up on top of my head. My eyes are blue.

aroslav: Bright aquamarine blue.

AMANDA: That sounds like something Tony would say.

aroslav: Which brings us to a subject we should talk about.

AMANDA: I admit. He's cute.

aroslav: Really?

AMANDA: Not in a movie star way. He's just ... all there. My view of him could be based on more than his looks, though.

aroslav: You're not falling for him are you, Mandy?

AMANDA: Um ... no. Of course not. I mean, what would he see in me? He's surrounded by beautiful women all the time and I mean for-real supermodel women. The tall blonde he plays racquetball with actually used to be a model. And all the rest of them are beautiful. And I'm ... well, I don't care.

aroslav: That sounds like a little bit of denial.

AMANDA: Well, I do care. But even if I lost a little weight, or a lot of weight, I'd never be able to compete with them. I'd still be a nerdy pre-med student who's been up all night. By the time I'm through my residency, these bags under my eyes will be permanent. Tony's cute and a nice guy and sometimes, maybe, I can trick him into a kiss or something, but that is all.

aroslav: Like your night in his chair at Tent City?

AMANDA: Oh. Uh ... we didn't really do anything.

aroslav: Mandy?

AMANDA: I just kind of warmed his hand in my armpit. He didn't touch me anyplace inappropriate ... with his hands.

aroslav: Okay. I'll let that slide for now. But why Tony?

AMANDA: You remember my last boyfriend?

aroslav: Not that slimy redneck who thought he owned you.

AMANDA: You make it sound like I have no taste at all.

aroslav: Well?

AMANDA: All right. He was slimy. I didn't think so at first. I thought he was rebellious and outside the box. And the more Mom said he was bad for me, the more I thought he was my bad boy.

aroslav: And?

AMANDA: Yeah. Well, he's in jail and I'm in college. I haven't had a boyfriend since.

aroslav: Mandy, you were fifteen then.

AMANDA: Kinda ruined it for me, you know? I mean, it's not like I never go out. I do, sometimes. But I don't develop a relationship. I've got too much going on to bother with the work. Boys are just dildos with emotions. No offense, Ari. But Tony is pre-tested. He's even got Bree under control and God knows that had to have been a task. And he's safe. He's got more relationship than he can handle. He doesn't need one with me, so if I can just borrow him once or twice or three times ... a month ... that would be fine.

aroslav: I'll keep that in mind. That exhausts the topic of Tony. Why don't you tell me about school? What made you choose to become a doctor? I really thought you were going to be a musician.

AMANDA: Yeah. Some days I regret it. But not usually. I still play my flute and violin. I don't have a piano. I've started playing guitar a little, but I don't really have the time to practice. This course is pretty demanding. I can do it, though.

aroslav: Why?

AMANDA: Do you remember Doctor Lila Faulkner?

aroslav: Your pediatrician? I only met her that one time when I had to take you in.