The Cafe

A park at midday
Bright sun
Green green grass
Blue sky
Citizens at their benches, rugs, trees
Children
Birds
The wind in the leaves
– You came.
— You weren’t expecting me to come?
– I didn’t know if my message would get through.
Pause
– And so it comes, the day you want explanations.
Pause
– Are you ready?
— I don’t think that has anything to do with it – whether I’m ready.
– Come with me then.

City streets
Towers of glass and steel
Grand buildings of stone
Alley-ways shaded by the buildings around them
— Where are we going?
– To get your answers,
pause
– of sorts.
— What does that mean?
– Obscurity is the nature of the day, I can’t be any more clear than that.
— I don’t like it.
– Of-course you don’t, you tend to function under logic.
Pause
– You can forget about logic if you want to understand this.
— Do you understand this?
– No.
— How can you give me answers then?
– You don’t need answers.
Pause
– What you need, is to stop asking the wrong questions.
Pause
— You’re going to give me the right questions?
– I’m going to take you to someone who can.

Alleys that become more and more narrow
More shaded from the midday sun
Shadows and shapes
Darkening
Eyes adjusting
— Where are we going?
Pause
Turn around
– Either you come with me or you don’t.
Pause
– That’s how it is.
— I can’t see.
– Close your eyes.
— What?
– Close your eyes, put your hand over them.
Movement
Silence
– Now take your hand away, open them.
Pause
— I see.
– Exactly.
— No I meant,
– I know what you meant. Are you coming with me then?
Pause
— I suppose I have no choice but to trust you.
– You don’t have to trust me, but if you want your precious rationalisation of what’s happening, you might want to.
Pause
— I don’t really deal with ambiguity and obscurity.
– Correction – you didn’t really deal with ambiguity and obscurity.
Pause
— I don’t follow.
– Where we’re going, you aren’t going to find much that revolves around logic.
Silence
Narrow alley-ways
Old blue-stone and brick
A door
The woman opens it
The man stops where he is
– How many times are you going to have to reassess your actions?
— Don’t rush me.
– Whatever processes you’re putting in place, I hope they’re… dynamic.
— You must understand that this is extremely difficult for me.
Pause
– I’m sorry. Yes, I know – it’s difficult for everyone.
— Thank you.
She moves towards him, into his personal space
– People like you don’t often see people like me. We live in different worlds.
— Have you ever known anyone before, from…
– No. You’re the first.
Pause
— I think I’m afraid.
A gentle laugh
– I know you’re afraid. Let me show you something. Hold out your hand.
A confused look
– Trust me.
— I don’t deal much with trust.
– I know. Just…
The man holds out his hand
The woman takes it in her own
– See how that feels?
Pause
– Come-on. Let’s go.

The woman leads the man through the door
A wide hallway
A maze of hallways
Out briefly into other alleys and into other doors
Brick and stone and the innards of the city
Passers-by in the shadows in casual attire
Low murmurings, laughter, serious conversation
Into a wide foyer elaborately tiled
A chandelier giving off the dimmest of illumination
A grand stair
Wood panelled and curtained walls
Clusters of antique furniture
A scattering of coffee drinkers
It is a sight the man has never seen
The woman pauses and allows him to survey
After a long moment, she squeezes his hand gently
– We’ll go around this mezzanine and down those stairs, you’ll be able to see the details closely.
She leads him slowly as he examines everything he passes
Paintings
Carved rails
Carpets and candlesticks
Down the main stairs to the tiled floor
She pauses once again and releases the man’s hand
He turns where he stands and gazes
She watches him
Finally he looks at her
— It’s beautiful.
She gives a small, brief smile, and offers her hand
He takes it
– This way.

A carpeted side passage
A stairwell which they descend
Footsteps reverberating down the square shaft
More passages lined with curtains
Thick carpets and low light
Through empty rooms set with dinner-tables
A maze of hallways and ballrooms
Lounges and salons
Some empty, some with people who speak in hushed tones
More hallways
Carpet gives way to tile
Then bare stone
The walls remain uncovered
More and more reverberation
One last stairwell, long and deep
— How far down are we going?
– Far enough.
The man’s grip on her hand twitches tightly once before relaxing
The woman gives a smile that he cannot see
Then a large door
She opens it
Once again carpet and curtains
Another door at the other end, elaborately carved
She holds the large door for him
He enters and waits for her to close it before following her to the second door
She turns to him and once again enters his personal space
– Before we go in, I want to show you something, similar to what I showed you before in the alley.
Pause
– Will you let me?
Pause
— Yes.
She reaches up with one hand and touches his face
Closes her eyes
Leans towards him and touches her lips to his
Instinctively he opens his mouth to receive her
Closes his eyes
Lingering
Their lips separate, but her face remains close
They feel each-other’s slow, deep exhale
Hear the rasp against the throat as the air exits
She moves her hand to his neck and jaw
Places her other hand on his hip
Tilts her head slightly and touches her nose to his cheekbone, slowly brushing his cheek
He whispers
— … Thank you.
She exhales
– Did you enjoy that?
Pause
— Yes.
– Put your hands on my hips.
He does so
She stills herself and together they stand motionless
Slow, deep breathing

The woman disengages herself and takes his hand again
Once again she asks
– Are you ready?
Pause
He doesn’t answer
She opens the door
The dimmest of spaces
Low ceiling with widely spaced smothered lights
On the left, a bar curling out from the wall
On the right, large, high-backed lounges
The woman leads the man inside, keeping his hand as she closes the door
She walks him to the bar and a man behind it walks to them
– Still here?
The barman nods, then gestures towards the back of the cafe
The woman leads the man through the cafe
A space whose size is deceptive in the gloom
It is much larger than the man initially thought when first surveyed
People sit in pairs, no more than three, in the settings of couches and low tables
They drink a variety of beverages, some with small cakes or biscuits
Most drink coffee
The bar curls back towards the wall to reveal more lounge settings in the rear
There is hardly any light at all
At one of the couch-settings there sits another woman
They stop some distance away from her
The other woman sits at her low table with a cup of untouched coffee
The couches have high backs, and there is only one opposing the one in which she sits
In the shadows the man barely makes out the shape of her eyes
Wide and staring
Face neutral
– Do you recognise her?
— No.
– You’ll know her name when I tell you. You’ve most likely never had to speak to her before, but you’ll know well of her.
The man turns to her
Her profile is beautiful in the dimness as she continues to look at the other woman

– Her name is Access.

Stillness
The muted sounds of the patrons movements and murmur
— Is she…?
Pause
— Has she been here the whole time?
– No.
Pause
— Where has she been?
– I don’t know.
Pause
— Is this where… is this where people come to…
– This is where she is right now. That’s all I can tell you.
He turns again to face the couches
— Have you spoken to her?
– Yes.
Pause
– More than likely she won’t give you direct answers, like I said, what I think you need are the right questions.
Pause
He begins to walk towards the couches
The woman releases his hand