1:08 PM

 

“Don’t write me an essay”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you’re hurting, but don’t write me an essay”

“What else could I possibly do?”

“Write me a song, a melodious tune, a Top 100 hit”

“I can’t play and you can’t sing. So what’s your point?”

“Just don’t write me an essay”

“Isn’t a song basically an essay?”

“You’re in pain. Do you really think reading will change that?”

“Singing makes me more miserable. The good ones are about love, the great ones about heartbreak”

“And that won’t help?”

“They remind me of you.”

“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

“Maybe this was a bad idea...”

“Make us a movie.”

“And fund that with the enormous fortune you see lying around?”

“Good movies always get made.”

“The audience will cry.”

“They should. You did.”

“Kids won’t like it”

“It should be PG-13, considering...”

“Isn’t a script basically an extended essay?”

“Whatever, just don’t write me an essay.”

“What else can you suggest?”

“Write me a book.”

“Reiterating my previous point...”

“No, write me a book. It can start happy, then get sad, then end happy.”

“Life is seldom like that.”

“You can’t seriously believe that.”

“It should be happy with hints of sadness on every page.”

“And could you fill enough pages?”

“730 of them.”

“One for each...”

“Yes exactly”

“You like this idea, don’t you?”

“I can cover everything. The start, the honeymoon phase, the anti-climax-“

“A book is just an extended essay.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Write me a TV show.”

“A drama, romance or comedy?”

“What would you suggest?”

“Start with comedy, transition into romance and end with drama.”

“Shakespeare would be envious.”

“Do I write about the pain?”

“If the ratings allow.”

“And if I win an award?”

“Dedicate it to me.”

“If I still remember you.”

“You’ll never forget me.”

“So what will we call this award-winning TV Series?”

“Oh, it’s a series now?”

“Would one season honestly be enough?”

“The best things happened in Season 1.”

“And the worst in Season 22.”

“You should give up when it’s at its best.”

“Never. What’s the fun in that? I want the good times and the difficult ones.”

“The difficult ones will destroy you.”

“The important things in life always find a way to hurt.”

“Name it something vague but meaningful.”

“How is 1:08 PM”

“Makes no sense and great sense. Absolutely perfect.”

“TV show won’t work. Ending is too abrupt.”

“Audiences love that.”

“Audiences despise that. They want the farewell, the last kiss, the drive into the sunset.”

“And you don’t like our current ending?”

“Do you? I hope you don’t.”

“Depends on if this is truly the end.”

“After what you’ve put me through, it should be.”

“I don’t care, just don’t write me your stupid essay.”

“Well then, learn to be more helpful.”

“Write me a poem.”

“Isn’t that just a shorter essay?”

“No. Make it rhyme. Make it unique. Make it subtle yet mysterious.”

“Only kids in school read poems.”

“A sonnet, then?”

“You mean, a love sonnet?”

“Too painful. Write me a monologue.”

“Isn’t that just a fancy way to complain?”

“So complain. Say bad things about me. Curse me. Berate me. You know you want to.”

“I do. But explain to me first. Why not an essay?”

“Just because.”

“Thank you for your detailed answer.”

“Because nothing pains like a well-written essay”

“Care to elaborate?”

“An essay captures everything. The first lingering glances. The first touch. The first memory. The first laugh. The compliments you paid. The lies we told. The things we did. The time we spent. The comfort we felt. The sacrifices we made. The tears we cried. The fights we had. The moment we knew we were soul mates. The moment we knew we weren’t. The bad ending. The separation. The pain at the end. The transition into the next person. The doubt of making the wrong choice.”

“Well, any work of literature could represent that.”

“Not like an essay. Not like your essays. They know just how to say enough. The beauty lies in the missing lines. You can smell the tears on the hand-written page. You can touch the characters with your fingertips. You can make everything real until the last full stop.”

“And isn’t that what you wanted?”

“No. I trust your skills as a writer too much to know exactly what’s going to happen.”

“And what is that.”

“The second you finish, you’ll find...”

“I’ll find?”

“Closure.”

“And that makes you fear-“

“Oblivion.”

“Oh.”

“Hmm.”

“Well then, I’ve decided to write you an obituary.”

“Why is that?”

“Because my heart already knows you’re dead.”