Dave Eggers - Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?

— Wait, what? That was a pretty dramatic change in tone. Oh, I get it. You want me to talk to her so she can wonder who I am, why I’m here, maybe report me to the local police, maybe express some vague concern about the man staying at the closed Army base. And that’s why I can’t talk to her. I’m smarter than that, Kev! But shit, on the other hand, it must be a sign, right?

— It has to be a sign.

— It does, right? Why would a woman like that, who in every way fits the description I’ve had in my head since I was ten, be walking alone on this deserted beach? Where did she come from?

— She’s looking for you, Thomas.

— Don’t patronize me.

— I believe in destiny, Thomas. That’s how I met my wife. We shouldn’t have met at all. I missed a plane, ended up seated next to her in the airport lobby, and that was that. I believe in true love, and destiny, and love at first sight. And I think you have all three happening right there on the beach now. So you’re a fool if you don’t pursue it.

— Shit. This is so tough.

— It’s easy. Easiest thing in the world. Go for it.

— I have to, right?

— You do.

— Damn. I’m stuck, though.

— You have to act, dude. You have to talk to her. How far could she have gone? Go get her. This is the scene in the movie when the guy goes after the woman he’s meant to be with. Go.

— You think I should?

— I do.

— Fuck. Maybe this is what this was all about. You, the congressman, my mom, Hansen, maybe it was all meant to lead me to this woman in the sweater.

— It’s the only logical answer.

— You’re back already. No luck?

— No. No sign of her at all.

— But later today. You’ve got to look for her then.

— Why?

— If she’s walking her dog now, she’s got to be walking it in the afternoon, too.

— I’ve never had a dog. You walk them twice a day?

— At least, man. At least twice a day. So you’ve got to stay on watch. She’ll be out there again for sure.

— Okay.

— You already missed one opportunity. The universe was telling you to go after her this morning.

— Shit. Okay, I will. I will. I probably have what, two days left, max.

— Tops. All the more reason to go after her.

— Okay, thanks.

— No problem.

— I’m really sorry you’re chained like this.

— You want to let me loose? I can help you with whatever.

— No. You know I can’t.

— Thomas. We’re friends.

— I know, I know.

— I can watch things here when you’re on the beach. I can do whatever. We’re in this together now.

— No. I shouldn’t.

— You should.

— I shouldn’t. It’s not that I don’t trust you.

— You do, right?

— Absolutely. But think of it — if you go around helping me, you’ll be complicit. I can’t have that. I need you to stay innocent.

— Thomas.

— No. I know I’m right. I’ll see you soon.

— You awake?

— No.

— Mom. Wake up.

— Oh Thomas.

— Why are you sleeping? It’s three in the afternoon.

— I’m in pain. Thomas, you have to let me go. I’m in such pain.

— That’s just withdrawal.

— Withdrawal from what, you fool?

— How would I know?

— I’m not on anything, Thomas. But I am sixty-two years old. And being chained up like this is very hard on my body. Have you seen my leg?

— It’s ugly, but that’s just because you’re leaning on it funny. If you just laid your leg down like everyone else it wouldn’t turn all purple. Jesus. That is disgusting.

— You have to unshackle me, Thomas.

— I can’t. Just lay your leg down, and it’ll take the pressure off. Give it an hour.

— I can’t believe you.

— I just came in to tell you that this was all happening for a reason.

— That’s what you’ve been saying.

— No. I mean that I think there’s a more divine purpose.

— Oh no.

— I saw a vision this morning and I think it’s a sign. I mean, here I am in the middle of nowhere, and you’re here, and the astronaut is here and the congressman, and then I see this woman who has been in my dreams since I was ten or so. It all has to mean something.

— Thomas, you brought us all here. This is no coincidence.

— Right, but that was just a prelude to this woman on the beach. She was wearing exactly what I always saw her wearing in my visions, jeans and a cable-knit sweater. And there she was, alone on the beach with her dog. And now I feel like I’m so close to something. Once I talk to her, she’ll know who I am and why we were on the beach at the same time.

— And what? You go skipping down the coast and fall in love? Or you bring her back here to show her what you’ve done? She’ll want to be with a kidnapper? She’ll fall for you and your wonderful achievement here? You’re nuts, I know this, but you’re not this nuts, are you?

— This is the problem with you. You’ve never had any kind of optimism. You’re such a dark-hearted cynic. You pretend like you have these New Age ideas about things, and every so often you have some experience you think is magical or whatever, but really you’re a very very pessimistic, black-hearted person. So you can’t even conceive of something like this happening. Something pure and good, like a woman appearing on the beach for me. You don’t believe in anything clicking into place. Your life has been a sloppy mess so you assume mine will be, too. You don’t believe in destiny.

— Well, Thomas, I actually do. I believe you are destined to go to jail, and be evaluated by a clinical psychologist if you’re lucky. And they’ll determine that you have delusions of grandeur, and display acute antisocial behavior, and have monumental control issues, and you think destiny is seeing a woman on the beach during a suicidal kidnapping escapade.

— Good. That’s good.

— It’s not good. None of this is good.

— You know what’s telling? The astronaut, who I barely know, is more supportive of me pursuing this woman than you are.

— Because he wants you caught , you imbecile. Of course he wants you making contact with some woman on the beach. He wants her to report you.

— On the surface, sure, that might seem true. But you know what? Kev actually cares. You know that he and I were friends in college, right?

— Of course you were.

— How would you know? We were. That’s why he’s out here. He confided in me when we were in school, he told me he wanted to go up in the Space Shuttle, and now it’s fifteen years later for him and now there’s no chance that will ever happen. So I’m trying to help him see a new path, and he’s appreciative of me.

— I’m sure he is, Thomas.

— And he met his wife in a similar way that I met this woman.

— While kidnapping his mother and locking her to a pole.

— No! No. No. Why do you have to be so cynical? Don’t you see that something extraordinary is happening?

— Thomas, I think you are very very ill.

—

— Where are you going?

— Back already! You see her?

— I saw her, but not the right her. Tell me something, Kev: Your parents were probably perfect?

— They were not. They got divorced and both remarried.

— But they’re probably all best friends. You all have Thanksgivings together.

— No, we do not. No one likes anyone else.

— But that’s recent. Growing up?

— I had eleven different bedrooms before I was in high school. I was beaten repeatedly by my father, and he once broke my arm on purpose.