Mini-Episode: Michael's Farewell to Gemma

FAREWELL GEMMA

[Charlie on the MTA plays.]

VOICES
This is…

This is…

This is…

Greater Boston.

[Sounds of a train station. Crowd milling about.]

[Someone walks and whistles Charlie on the MTA.]

[Buzzer rings.]

GEMMA (Muffled)

Who is it?!

BERNIE (Clearing his throat through the exhaust)

It’s your mail carrier, Officer Linzer-Coolidge.

GEMMA

You couldn’t just leave it in my PO Box?

BERNIE

No, ma’am. This stack had a special note requesting hand delivery wherever possible.

[Gemma sighs as the train door opens and she pulls a surprised Bernie into her rail car, before shutting the door again. The train departs.]

BERNIE (defeated)

I wasn’t quite done with my deliveries to that station, Officer.

GEMMA

Just Gemma, Bernie. I’m a private citizen again.

BERNIE

I’m sorry to hear it.

GEMMA

I’m sure not. 

BERNIE

It’s just… the logistics of hand-delivering a piece of mail in Redline are a bit of a nightmare. I don’t know how you residents do it? First, you’ve gotta know the whole schedule like the back of your hand, but then you’ve also gotta remember which car number you live in? It’s a helluva lot of math to do this late on a Tuesday.

GEMMA

You get used to it. The schedule is nothing if not prompt these days.

BERNIE

Sure it is, but even then, you’ve only got seconds to get to the right car before the train leaves again and you’ve gotta wait hours until it comes back around again? Or try and hoof it to another station on foot?

GEMMA

Yeah, the cardio is wonderful… So, uh, what’s this important note you’ve got for me?

[Bernie ruffles through his mailbag.]

BERNIE

Oh, yes, of course! That Michael Tate fella. Sent a big ol’ stack of these to the post office all at once with some very specific instructions. Wild what happened to him.

GEMMA

It certainly is… Would you like anything while you wait for the next stop? 

BERNIE

I’m fine, ma’am, thank you very much. I’ll just wait right here and hop off once we get there. Don’t mind me.

GEMMA

Let me know if you change your mind. I’ve got some really great wasabi peas—

[Gemma tears open the letter and unfolds it.]

GEMMA/MICHAEL

Dear Gemma,

[Music plays.]

MICHAEL

I’m writing to you from what will likely be my death bed, or, well, my death floor I guess. I don’t really have the strength to make it back to the bed. It’s not quite how I saw myself going, trapped for months inside the publisher’s secret apartments atop ThirdSight, but it’s nicer than my place. And a lot less full of squeezy stress balls, so at least there’s that. At this point, it’s no one’s fault but my own that I’m in this situation. I mean, sure, I didn’t trap myself up here, and I’m not the one who hid the passcode from myself. But I’ve had access to all these pneumatic tubes for all this time and am only reaching out now when it’s probably too late.

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies in that way, don’t you think? We try our best to do what’s right, at least in our own minds, and sometimes it’s to the detriment of our own good. For a while, after I was trapped up here, there was a regular grocery delivery. Nothing fancy, but enough bread, milk, eggs, and some produce to get by. I suppose the publisher didn’t want to add murder to his laundry list of crimes, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Phil was at least partially responsible for those. Because as soon as I warned Louisa of his betrayal and the two of you took him in? Those deliveries dried up. You see, it was so important to me that Louisa be protected from his dishonesty, that I may have doomed myself in the process.

I’m sure this all sounds very familiar to you. If not in the exact details, then at least in the experience of it, no? Gemma: you are a person I sincerely think I could be very close friends with. And I’m extremely glad that Louisa has you in her corner. You’re a good person, and I do believe that. But sometimes? Your quest for truth and justice, when it comes to this city and the people living in it, your need to be absolutely right about any given situation stops you from being sympathetic, at best. And at worst? It sees you dragging yourself and everyone else around you deeper into danger just so that you can say I told you so.

I hope you’ll take this to heart: sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie. Because then you can focus on fostering the good in your life. Rather than constantly obsessing over the bad. At the very least, it’ll stop you from making our mutual friend accomplice to another illegal break-in while she tries to establish a legitimate name for herself. If you don’t? I’m afraid you’re on track to lose more than your cushy job in Redline. You’re gonna lose your friends, and maybe even your family too.

[Music stops]

GEMMA (Taken aback)

Wow, Tate. Really didn’t wanna pull any punches there, did you? Just, sat there starving to death, using whatever last bit of energy you had left to stab me in the jugular. I’m glad to know you had all this running through your head at that moment, as life slipped away. That’s just super comforting and not at all weird. Nope. Not one bit.

[Music resumes]

MICHAEL

Please, just recognize that you’ve already done so much to earn the love and respect of the people lucky enough to have you in their life. And maybe, for once, cling to that? I think you’ll find things will be a bit easier when you do.

On that note, if I haven’t already been saved at this point, I hope you’ll at least find a way into the secret office at ThirdSight so that this won’t be my final resting place, please don’t let it be. There’s a secret elevator behind the kombucha machine. It’s impossible to miss, as long as you know what you’re looking for, so. Please come get me. And…

I love you, Gemma.

Goodbye.

Your friend,

Michael Tate

[Music ends]

GEMMA

Huh.

BERNIE

Something mighty illuminating in that letter?

GEMMA

Not really. I mean, nothing I didn’t already know in the back of my head anyway. How many of these did you say you’ve hand-delivered so far?

BERNIE

I didn’t. But it’s been quite a few.

GEMMA

You know, if that shitbird Tate had spent half as much time worrying about his own health and safety, rather than writing these little screeds telling all the people in his life how they’re living wrong, we probably could have found him a whole lot faster than we did. But I’m glad the kid’s alright. His heart’s in the right place. Even if he can be a bit of a space cadet.

BERNIE

I’m just happy he’s safe.

GEMMA

Me too, Bernie, me too.

CHEESE ROBOT

Now approaching JFK/UMASS. 

GEMMA

I’m sorry again, for, you know kidnapping you and all. But I’m not exactly the new mayor’s favorite person these days. And I get kinda jumpy when people show up to my rail car uninvited.

BERNIE

Say no more, Mrs. Linzer-Coolidge.

GEMMA

Please, Bernie. You’ve known me long enough that you can call me Gemma. Do you need any help getting back to Braintree? 

BERNIE

I’ll make my way there.

[Train stops. Door opens.]

BERNIE

Take care of yourself, Gemma.

GEMMA

I’ll try, Bernie. It’s harder than it sounds.

[Bernie exits. Doors close. Train leaves again.]

CREDITS

Greater Boston is written and produced by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason, with additional support from Jordan Higgs, TH Ponders, Bob Raymonda, and Jordan Stillman. Recording and technical assistance from Marck Harmon.

This mini-episode was written by Bob Raymonda.

Content warnings at end of show notes.

This episode featured:

• Lydia Anderson as Gemma Linzer-Coolidge (she/her)
• Josh Rubino as Bernie the Mailman (he/him)
• And James Oliva as Michael Tate (he/him)

MUSIC

Charlie on the MTA is recorded by Emily Peterson and Dirk Tiede

Moog Tune by Dirk Tiede

CONTACT

Find us online at GreaterBostonShow.com.

Follow us on Twitter @InGreater Boston.

A production of ThirdSight Media LLC.

You can support Greater Boston on Patreon at Patreon.com/GreaterBoson

Content Warnings

• References to death
• Mild Kidnapping of a Public Servant

COOKIE

JOSH RUBINO

[whistling]

Oh, wait! Okay, wait! I’m going to…just look up…that…train music that’s always going on. I’ll have him whistle that.

[Whistles full tune to Charlie on the MTA with the theme playing in the background.]

And also…I’m sorry! That this is a long thing that I initially thought was cute. But now, I’ve devoted too much time to it! Do not keep it in here!