STUDY: The Water That Falls On You From Nowhere

SCENE ONE: (2243)

NEW RULE: Water starts falling on people when they lie in this world. NEW RULE: When you utter a paradox, you are filled with a sense of angst and doom, and you’re forced to speak something unequivocal. Gus, the protagonist’s boyfriend is doing it for fun. And then he says “I love you.” No water falls. In fact, his sweat evaporates. So the guy is telling the truth. This makes protagonist uneasy. He doesn’t want to hear this. They start to make out. Protagonist stops him. Protagonist says I don’t love you as much as you love me. It’s a lie. Freezing cold water falls on him. Gus laughs. It’s funny because he did this roundabout way of saying I love you. Protagonist apologizes about the couch. BACKSTORY: Instead of moving in with Gus, biotech engineer protagonist has been buying up tons of furniture for Gus. They get out of wet clothes and huddle under blankets. Gus proposes to him. Protagonist hesitates to say yes. He hasn’t told his family. He’s been using Chinese ambivalent word of ai ren and not naming him to avoid telling parents that Gus is a man. Gus interrupts and goes, but you just called me a spouse to them? Gus tells him we can wait as long as you need. Protagonist regrets not telling parents a decade ago. They talk about books and work (gene splicing). It’s a “normal evening” but it’s not. Protagonist blurts out, “Let’s visit my family for Christmas.” Gus says, don’t do it just because of me. Are you sure? They don’t have sex that night. protagonist is thinking about parents saying he is responsible for carrying family name.

SCENE TWO: (852)

They’re at their sister’s mansion. It’s Victorian Christmas Land. Protagonist thinks family is disappointed to see a man. Mom asks if they’ve eaten. Protagonist introduces Gus to Michele (sister), husband (Kevin), nieces and surprise, Kevin’s parents. Language is a issue. Gus talks to nieces and makes friends. Sister marches him into home office to grill him. Accuses him of trying to kill mom and dad. She slaps him. She hates he gets to be selfish. She says he’s embarrassing them in front of Kevin’s parents (po po and guo guo - this device is important later). Sister reminds him his job is to give parents a grandson. Slaps him again. Tells him to put his penis in a Chinese woman’s vagina. And tells him not to come out to them this Christmas. Protagonist reminds himself he’s doing this for Gus.

SCENE THREE: (1393)

Christmas day. Protagonist is sneaking out of Gus’ bedroom back to den. He’s supposed to join Dad for his daily early morning walk. It’s a ritual for him to join him on Christmas. Sister there to run interference to ensure they don’t get alone time together for him to come out to them. He plays her game and tells her to go with him so he can go to Plan B and tell Mom. But sister is smart and maneuvers dad to come home before mom wakes up. TELLING SKIP. It’s a “tedious game of basketball”. She’s even helping with making Christmas dinner. He helps mom knead dough. BACKSTORY about her nagging him to find a girl so she can teach her how to cook for him. Gus is pretending to be flat mate. She leaves in and out, but never enough time for protagonist to come out to mom. Mom is pulled away by nieces to play with a new toy. Sister fucks with him more. She tells her that Gus is too hot for him. He remembers all the time his sister fucked with him. She says he’ll cheat on him. It’s a lie, but thankfully, protagonist saw through that and pulled the pan of boiling oil away. he saved her life. She gets in her last words. Saying he’s abandoning his family. He admits to be hiding all this time.

SCENE FOUR: (1053)

Dinner is going well. Gus loves pig’s ear and cow’s tripe. Nieces love him. Everyone is telling stories. mom, Gus. Parents suddenly ask protagonist about biotech work. Kevin’s dad asks about the over thirty, where’s grandson question. He thinks about hiding one more time, saying he hasn’t found the right woman yet. But he choose to tell the family that he proposed to him last month. Sister FREAKS OUT. Tells him to get out of her house. Somehow, protagonist is upstairs packing without realizing he’s upstairs. Gus is telling him that he’s acting out of spite. He says poe poe and gohng gohng don’t care. He realizes that his parents had known already. Mom comes in and calls him lonely boy. Mom makes a concession and says as a bio-engineer, you can still give me child. They need to talk about kids now. Mom leaves, and it’s Gus’s job to walk him off the edge. But he still leaves.

SCENE FIVE: (957)

They’re back at the motel. Gus tells him that they’re his only blood relatives in the country. He thinks about all the time he went home and forgot about the ordeal, but he can’t this time since he brought Gus with him. Protagonist (Matt) outpours all the shit his sister did to him over the years. He wishes Gus isn’t there (so he doesn’t have to face his own demons). Gus says, you don’t have to put up with her, but are you going to give up your parents too? Don’t you want them to meet their grandchild? Gus convinces him to go back to her sister’s house. He leaves him alone to sort himself out.. He says I love you and the comforter dries up.