The Dinner Reunion: Philippe et Armelle

THE DINNER REUNION

Philippe Mulroney: This place has a great menu; I came here with a bunch of friends the other day.

Armelle Cherise: When did you get back into town?

Philippe Mulroney: Thursday.

Armelle Cherise: How was home?

Philippe Mulroney: Awkward, unpleasant, but you know, no surprises.

Armelle Cherise: You're so negative about your upbringing . . .

Philippe Mulroney: It’s a sad town with a lot of bad memories, why do you think my visits are so infrequent?

Armelle Cherise: It was less than a week in the place you grew up; you can't handle doing that once in a while for your mother?

Philippe Mulroney: That is pretty much the only reason to visit there. It's the only reason anyone would visit there except for tourist season.

Armelle Cherise: It didn't seem so bad when we went those few times.

Philippe Mulroney: Well, we went during tourist season, and we spent all our time at the beach and in the woods. They have great beaches, the traffic isn't too intense. It's a great place to spend a summer. But there is no reason for anyone to live there unless they are a foundry worker, or a tool and dye maker.

Armelle Cherise: Or a teacher?

Philippe Mulroney: If you like a quiet, uncultured life then I suppose it would be a fine place for a teacher too.

Armelle Cherise: Oh come on....

Philippe Mulroney: I'm serious. That town is indifferent to it's own survival, it's ignorant of what it has become. Billow Lake has fallen into oblivion. And like a manged cat before the gas, soon it will be spared the torture of its own self-awareness.

Armelle Cherise: If I wanted something uncomfortably heavy I would have ordered the Steak Dianne.

Philippe Mulroney: Well I knew you wouldn’t order that.

Armelle Cherise: Because I'm off red meat?

Philippe Mulroney: Sure there is that, but also, you would have had to ordered a red wine, which you never drink. Also, you don't like anything to be heavy, even when it is.

Philippe Mulroney: (Raises Brow) How about you? How was home for you? Make any lifelong memories?

Armelle Cherise: I remember sitting on my Grandfathers bed, crying. It had a urine stain on it.

Philippe Mulroney: A good as place as any for you to turn tricks I suppose. I hope you turn tricks better than you pick candidates to support. :: cackles lightly:: What am I talking about? Of course you do.

Armelle Cherise: My grandfather died.

Philippe Mulroney: (Stunned) I'm sorry. How are you handling it?

Armelle Cherise: I'm handling it.

Philippe Mulroney: I guess sometimes the most you can hope for is that they find peace in death that they couldn’t find when they were living.

Armelle Cherise: I find my peace with chemicals. I'm more worried about my grandmother.

Philippe Mulroney: (Nods, listens)

Armelle Cherise: Life, death, not living, not dying. It's all complicated.

Philippe Mulroney: That sounds pretty uncomplicated, truth be told.

Armelle Cherise: Maybe.

Philippe Mulroney: My grandfather died a week before that Senate race two years ago. There were too many emotions running to have either a proper funeral or a proper campaign after that.

Armelle Cherise: (Her eyes well up with tears as she nods slowly).

Waitress: Are you ready to order?

Philippe Mulroney: I think so. Armelle?

Armelle Cherise: Yes...another glass of the Chablis. And. . . I’ll have the Chicken Avocado.

Waitress: Chef or Caesar salad?

Armelle Cherise: Caesar please.

Philippe Mulroney: Grilled swordfish please.

Waitress: Chef or Caesar salad?

Philippe Mulroney: Caesar.

Waitress: Another glass of the Chablis?

Philippe Mulroney: Could you 86 her glass and bring us a bottle

Armelle Cherise: (Raises brow)

Waitress: Ill be right back with your carafe of Chablis.

Philippe Mulroney: Thank you

Armelle Cherise: Are you trying to get me drunk?

Philippe Mulroney: (Laughs) No, why would I want you to be drunk? You’re a terrible drunk

Armelle Cherise: Because having your company inebriated makes you feel like less of a drunk?

Philippe Mulroney: Is that your theory?

Armelle Cherise: That’s part of it.

Philippe Mulroney: What's the other part?

Armelle Cherise: The other part . . .you'll think ill of me for saying.

Philippe Mulroney: I already think ill of you.

Armelle Cherise: Oh really? Do you? Is that why you're trying to drink me into bed?

Philippe Mulroney: Drink you into bed? I don't appreciate that accusation seeing as last time you weren't drunk at all.

Armelle Cherise: No? Well I must have been on something.

Philippe Mulroney: That wouldn’t surprise me. But you weren’t.

Waitress: (Pours wine from carafe into first Armelle's glass, and then Philippe’s)

Philippe Mulroney: Thank you.

Philippe Mulroney: How are things on the ground in Iowa?

Armelle Cherise: We're going to win.

Philippe Mulroney: God, I hope not. Last I saw it looked like a three way clusterfuck with low turn out helping Edwards and a high turnout helping Obama. . .and clear warm weather on caucus day.

Armelle Cherise: Obama's not ready.

Philippe Mulroney: He will be. Besides, I think we're ready. We need serious transformation, we need an end to the failed ways of the past. Establishment politics can't produce the transformative change we need in the post-Bush era.

Armelle Cherise: Hey look, Senator Clinton has spent a lifetime as a change-agent.

Philippe Mulroney: Senator CLINTON? Change Agent? Are reading me the same fucking talking points your surrogates read on Hardball?

Armelle Cherise: And when she wins you can come work with me in the White House communications office.

Philippe Mulroney: I'd love to be an Obama speechwriter. I'm far too eloquent and idealistic to write for Hillary.

Armelle Cherise: Aww, I thought maybe we could get one of those condos near the stadium?

Philippe Mulroney: I'm not going to root for Hillary to be with you.

Armelle Cherise: You know what? Fuck you, I had to pay off student loans, and car payments while you were here in Michigan playing idealist, playing idealist...playing The West Wing at the State Legislature. So why don't you get real and work for Senator Clinton after she wins the nomination? I can get you in, easy.

Philippe Mulroney: ::nods in disgust:: I mean. . .you're part of the establishment we BOTH used to fight against. You can't be trusted.

Armelle Cherise: Was I ever trusted?

Philippe: (—pauses—) Yes.

Philippe: But that was my fault.

Armelle: Oh yeah? . . .here we go.

Philippe: No no, here we don't go. We aren't going anywhere. We didn't before and we wont now.

Armelle: (::face loses composure toward frowning and tears::)

Philippe: And we never will.