Epilogue
Mark sat slumped in the back of the rideshare, hunched over his phone, thumbs flying over the screen.
Julie in sorry
I got fuckign carries away
I diint mean it. Didn't think about why I was sing
Staying
Fuck
Please talk to me
I'm sorry
I swear in yelling the truth. I'm not laying
Lying
I'm sorry. Sorry sorry story sorry syort sorry SORRY
He leaned his head back against the seat, letting his hands drop into his lap, and sighed deeply.
*
Act II
Mathilda put a lasagna on the table. “I made this myself,” she said in her Australian accent, grinning. “Took me all day.”
“I can tell!” exclaimed Ramsay. A lanky blond man, he vibrated with energy as he looked around the table. “Mathilda and I took a cooking class together. The instructor was a 90-year-old Italian grandma who barely spoke English, so it’s a good thing Mathilda speaks Italian!”
“Buongiorno!” Mathilda trilled, sitting down. Frank drained his glass of wine and reached for the bottle to refill it.
“Didn’t she turn out to be a Mafia boss or something?” asked Jennifer. She was a small Asian girl, her face flushed from the alcohol.
“She never admitted it!” said Ramsay, tapping his nose. “But there were some shady characters hanging around her all the time.”
“Christina loves cooking,” Frank blurted. “She’s a master. We’re thinking of getting a gas range in our new condo.”
Christina chuckled awkwardly. “I’m a terrible cook,” she replied, giving Frank a pointed look. “But I thought Frank didn’t like what I made.”
“Oh, I love it!” said Frank. “Cannot get enough of it.”
Ramsay and Jennifer looked at each other. “So you two are getting a condo?” Jennifer asked.
“Oh, a huge one,” Frank replied. “Waterfront view – we’re really breaking the bank on it. The time just felt right, y’know?”
“I heard,” said Jennifer, “all the Waterfront condos are being bought up by the Chinese government for nefaaarious purposes!” She waved her arms dramatically.
“That’s right!” said Ramsay. “They’re hollowing them out to use as tunnels back to China! Like in that Colin Farrell movie.”
“I loved that movie!” Jennifer exclaimed.
“Whaat?!”
“Buying one of those condos to disrupt their plans would be a great idea,” said Mathilda nervously, looking from Christina to Frank. “If I was a government spy…or something.”
“You know,” Christina said, slowly and deliberately. “It’s great to hear tonight that you think it’s the right time.”
“Why not?” Frank asked. “Why wouldn’t I think it’s the right time?”
“Exactly! I’m so glad that we’re talking about this now. It’s great to hear that question, again.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Not at all,” said Christina, her eyes narrowed. “I’m so glad we’re able to talk about this, in-depth, so we’re both on the same page.”
“You know I’m all in for this, Christina.” Frank grabbed the wine and drank directly from the bottle, draining it. “I am all. In. I can’t wait to get a condo, and a dog, and stay with you for the rest of my life!“
He put the bottle down with a clunk. There was a long silence.
“Okay, Mark,” said Mathilda finally, standing up. “You have to go.”
“Who’s Mark? I’m Frank.”
“The game’s over, Mark. Go home. Now.”
“Fine.” Frank stood up. “And let me just say: Can’t wait to do this again. Tonight’s been so much fun.”
*
Prologue
“It’s so great to see you!” cried Maddy, giving Julie a hug. “It’s been so long! Come in, come in!”
They stepped into the small foyer of Maddy’s apartment, closing the door behind them. “You’re the first ones here, but the others should be right behind you,” she told them. “It’s gonna be four people in total, plus me.”
“God, I’m so glad we could make it,” said Julie, leaning down to take off her shoes. “We never get to hang out anymore, Maddy!”
“I know! What’s going on with you? Tell me everything.”
“I can hang up your jacket,” said Mark to Julie, reaching out to help her take it off.
“Thanks, babe. What’s new with me? Um…well, I just started a new job downtown – I’m an Account Manager now, so I get a pay raise.”
“Not her own office, though,” Mark chimed in, hanging up the jackets.
“God, I wish. And, uh,” she looked at Mark. “We’re looking at getting an apartment together!”
“Oh,” said Mark. “I-“
“What?!” Maddy exclaimed. “That’s awesome, do you know where yet?”
“No, we just started searching. But I have lots of ideas.”
There was a knock at the door. “Oh, perfect,” said Maddy. “Mark, could you grab that? Chuck! Ashley!”
Chuck and Ashley turned out to be a tall blond man and a small Asian woman, bundled up in windbreakers. Everyone exchanged a flurry of greetings as they took off their jackets and shoes. Maddy remained in the doorway, blocking the way into the apartment’s living room.
“Okay, everybody,” she said, once all the jackets had been hung up. “Tonight we’re playing a game. There’s four of you here tonight, you haven’t met each other before – right?” Everyone nodded. “Right. The goal is to get through the night saying as few true things as possible.”
Mark frowned. “What?”
Maddy touched the doorway. “Once we’re through this doorway, we’re all going to lie our arses off. About everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything. Say that you’re a South African mercenary that guards oil wells in Nigeria. Or that you’re possessed by the spirit of a Scottish soldier from World War I.”
“I can’t do accents, Maddy…” said Mark.
“Okay, bad examples. But also, you don’t have to go crazy if you don’t want to. Tell people you actually grew up in America, or you have a pet snake. It doesn’t matter what you say, it just has to not be true.”
“Maddy,” said Chuck. “This sounds amazing.”
“This sounds kinda stressful, actually,” said Mark. Julie touched his arm.
Maddy grinned mischievously. “That’s why everyone brought two bottles of wine. So, first of all, everyone has to pick their name. Tonight, I’m Mathilda.”
“Ramsay!” Chuck barked. “I’ve always wanted to be a Ramsay!”
“I wanna be…Christina,” said Julie.
“Jennifer?” said Ashley tentatively, looking up at Chuck. “Jennifer,” she repeated, more firmly.
“Mark?” asked Maddy.
“Do I…? Um, Frank, I guess.”
Maddy giggled. “All right! To be Frank…you’re not allowed to be frank tonight. Come on.” She took a step across the threshold, and turned to the group. “Remember. Once you’re through this doorway, you have to say anything but the truth.”
She grinned. “This is going to be so much fun!”
Harmon Moon 