can fix?â
BRIGID
Everyone whose opinion I value has read thisâ
ERIK
Your grandma grew up in a two-room cesspool and your tragedy is whatâhaving to figure out how to get a new letter of recommendation? / Sorry if Iâ
BRIGID
DEIRDRE
It takes years to build relationships withâ
She knows all this . . .
ERIK
âyouâre lucky to have a passion to pursue, if you donât care about it enough to push through this setback you should quit and do something else . . .
DEIRDRE
AIMEE
All right . . . weâre sorry,
     (To Erik)
Bridge, that guyâs a jerk . . .
Wow, what is up with you today?
UPSTAIRS : The light above the staircase burns out. The only light upstairs now comes from the open bathroom door.
BRIGID
RICHARD
Shit, another bulbâs out . . .
Oh great . . . welcome to New York, guys . . .
DEIRDRE
Itâs just a light bulb . . . weâll live . . .
Brigid goes in search of a spare bulb. Erik follows her.
ERIK
     (To Brigid, who is still angry with him)
Hey, hey, I donât wanna see you bent outta shape over something you can fix. / The Blakes bounce back, thatâs what we do.
BRIGID
Thanks . . . . . . uh-huh, yeah . . . . . . thanks, Dad, I donât really need a lecture now . . . Richâwhy didnât we ask the landlord to replace all the light bulbs before we moved in?
RICHARD
Because thatâs a crazy thing to ask for, babe, no one asks for that.
DEIRDRE
ERIK
     (Stifiling laughter)
Well, theyâre all probably on
Yeah, no one asks for that /
their last legs . . .
. . . and even if you did, it
Â
wouldnât matter, âcause . . .
Â
AIMEE
What are you laughing at?
DEIRDRE
. . . sheâs burning out the bulbs to get our attention . . .
BRIGID
AIMEE
What?
Whatâwho is?
DEIRDRE
She-With-No-Face . . . / she strikes again!
ERIK
AIMEE
Now you got her started . . .
Whatâs so funny? What?
BRIGID
Dad sees faceless women in his sleep . . .
DEIRDRE
     (Going upstairs, wobbly ghost wail)
. . . woooooooo . . .
RICHARD
Tough crowd, Erik . . .
AIMEE
ERIK
Where are you going, Crazy Lady?
Youâre telling me . . .
DEIRDRE
The bathroom . . .
     (Using a flashlight)
. . . this is gonna be like spelunking just to go pee . . . woooooo . . .
Now they are all laughing, even Richard.
UPSTAIRS : Deirdre proceeds to the bathroom.
AIMEE
Who is this headless person?
BRIGID
Faceless , sheâs got skin covering her eye sockets / and mouthâ
AIMEE
ERIK
Ewwwww . . .
All right, ha ha . . .
Brigid, still miffed by Erikâs tough love, goes to the kitchen area.
BRIGID
. . . yeah, and I hope she visits you tonight in your sleep and casts an evil spell / on youâ
ERIK
Oh yeah, smart-ass?â
Erik stops Brigid and bear-hugs her, making her laugh involuntarily.
BRIGID
ERIK
Stop! Dad! Oh now you wanna be compassionate?!
You donât know how good you have it . . .
Stop! The eyeless sorceress has all my support . . .
Â
RICHARD
Last week I dreamed I fell into an ice-cream cone made of grass and became a baby.
BRIGID
Richard, / are you kidding me with the sharing . . .
RICHARD
What?âI can share it if I want / âI restarted my life . . .
BRIGID
You can, and I love you, / but when you share dreams in front of my family I become a crazy personâ
AIMEE
Hey, why donâtâall right, Lover-Of-All, come on, come with me, letâs get rid of some of this . . .
RICHARD
You want help?
AIMEE
No, youâre good, you boys keep talking . . .
They exit into the kitchen talking, carrying some of the food dishes. Richardâs a bit embarrassed.
RICHARD
I got to re-boot my life, it was good . . .
ERIK
I dunno. Doing life twice sounds like the only thing worse than doing it once.
They drink. Audible-but-indecipherable conversation from Aimee and Brigid in the kitchen.
RICHARD
The cone was made out of