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Interlude: The Stars in Their Courses--Sam

The most difficult thing to explain in life is the simplest truth called LOVE.
--Ramanathan Srinivasan

I think I like my best friend.

Yes, I know how stupid that sounds.

Here’s another one.

I think I like like my best friend.

Ooooo. How fifth grade.

I think I’ll pass a note:

Dear Danny,

Do you like me?

Please check one:

O YES

O NO

Love,

Sam

Each “i” will be dotted with a little heart.

And he’ll pass it back…with a mark in a box that he’s written in himself, next
to the word:

X MAYBE

Because that’s how those notes always come back.

Not that I’ve ever written one or anything.

So, says the audience, what you’re saying is that you feel a physical and
emotional attraction to the sorry looking figure over there, currently being
helped to his feet by his sister.

X MAYBE

So, says the audience, what you’re saying is that you Love the sorry looking
figure over there who has just stumbled and has been caught by your erstwhile
companion Tucker while you just stand there and gape.

X MA—YES

Of course I love him. He’s my best friend.

So by that logic, you love Tucker.

…

X YES

That’s the problem.

Oooo. Triangle.

Very funny.

The problem is love.

What is love?

Dictionary definitions:

An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.

…

X NO

I, I don’t think of Danny like that. I don’t think of Tucker like that. I don’t
own them, I don’t think that I own them. I…

I’m bossy. I’m pushy. I like to have my own way. But everyone’s like that
sometimes…

I’m a crusader.

Uhuch. That sounds so pretentious.

A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is
disposed to make a pair; the emotion of romance.

…

X MAYBE

Ah, Wuv, twu wuv, wiw fowow you…

Ennnnnnhhhh.

Womance. Wuv.

I—Ay yi yi.

Well, I don’t feel that way about Tucker. I can tell you that. He’s a wonderful
friend, but no.

Do I feel that way about Danny?

X MAYBE

Do I really feel that way about Danny, or am I deluding myself as some sort of
odd psychological reaction to his attraction to Paulina?

Paulina. We used to be friends. We used to play handclap games.

Time to play the match up game
When you miss pick out a name
Ickle Mickle
Fireflies Tickle
Bumblebees are better
Tell me who I’ll marry now
When I call out the letter

A…

B…

C…

D…

I’d miss on D every time.

On purpose.

When you’re five you don’t know what marriage means. It’s the person that you
play house with. Forever.

Hopefully forever.

So of course I’d want to marry my best friend.

I’m not five anymore.

A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a
person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities,
or a sense of underlying oneness.

X YES

That’s me and Danny and Tucker.

We Love each other.

We have fun together.

We fight Ghosts together.

We’d…we’d die for each other.

And sometimes I think we’ve come close.

Like now. Danny’s stumbling again.

I go to him. I help Tucker support him.

He looks so sick. He looks so vulnerable. He looks…he looks little.

No, not little…young.

That’s so weird.

I think it’s the puffiness. It’s smoothed out the angles in his face.

It makes him look smaller and sicker and...I don't know.

Jazz goes over to one of the cabinets and grabs a fire blanket.

She drapes it over all of us. She holds it around us.

We head for the stairs.

Tucker and I are practically carrying Danny. Jazz supports us all.

Danny…

I love him.

I love Tucker.

I love Jazz.

And I think they love me too.

And maybe that’s what will get us through this.