Mini-Episode: One Question

One Question

[“Charlie on the MTA”.]

Multiple Voices

This is…

This is…

This is…

Greater boston

[Music fades.]

[Outside Wonderland. We are at Guy’s food truck.]

Guy—Mike Linden

Order up. One burger. One water. Next!

Marlo—Mike Linden

Oh, wow, would ya look at that! I was just comin’ outta the amusement park and thinking to myself, “ya know…I’m feeling pretty hungry.” And then I look over and see a truck right there that says “Guy’s Good Food Truck,” and I think, well, that’s a pretty lucky thing. Here I am hungry, and there’s a food truck right there, and not just a food truck, but a good food truck. And now, it’s maybe a little bit ambiguous whether it’s good food from a truck or if it’s just food from a good truck, but either way, it solves my problem, now, don’t it? And anyway, it could be both! Good food from a good truck. That’d be real nice. So then I start thinking, “now that sign says Guy’s Good Food Truck.” And now wouldn’t it be funny if the Guy with the food truck was the same Guy I used to know who didn’t have a truck, until he did have a truck, only if that really is the same Guy I knew, then maybe now he has two trucks, and I thought, “wow, two trucks, that’s pretty wild!” But then I told myself, “Marlo, don’t you be like that. You are living in the modern world, and not everyone is meant to be monotruckymous. If both trucks are happy, and Guy is happy, then it ain’t no place of yours to judge. Maybe that is Guy, and maybe he’s got two trucks, and one of em’s got food in it, maybe even good food. And if that’s the truth, well then, good for him. And lo and behold, I walk up, and here you are!

Guy

Marlo.

Marlo

That’s me!

Guy

Yes. That is you.

Marlo

So, let’s see… four items on the menu, no questions, no substitutions. Gotcha. Now, I know better than to doubt that you really mean it, so I’m gonna go ahead and order exactly what you’ve got on the menu there. Let’s see… street corn and water. I think that’ll do me. I do love corn. It don’t got no nutritional value, but it sure does taste good. Yessiree, I love me some corn. It’s all nice and sweet cuz it’s full of sugar.

Guy

Marlo. It is… good… to see you.

Marlo

Oh, wow, thanks, pal! It’s good to see you too!

Guy

I was… dismayed… by your arrest. I want you to know that I understand that you had no choice but to mention me in your testimony. I am not angry. Your description of me was… fair.

Marlo

Oh, wow, now that’s actually really good to hear! I sure wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings, no sir.

Guy

Marlo. I have decided to give you another gift.

Marlo

Another gift? What was the first gift?

Guy
NO QUESTIONS!

Marlo

Oh, right, sorry! That’s just a reflex is all!

GUY

But. The gift I wish to offer you is this: An exception to the rule. The rule of No Questions. Marlo, on this day, you may ask me… one question. You may ask only one question. BUT. You may ask.

Marlo

Oh, wow. One question. That’s a toughie. It’s like pickin’ wishes when you know you only get three. Only even harder, because it’s just one! One lonely question.

Guy

You may not ask about the first gift that I have given you. That is a secret that you will never know.

Marlo

A secret, huh? Well, I’m gonna be thinkin’ about that one for a long time! I sorta wish I could use my question for that. I dunno if that woulda been what I used it for, but now that I’m not allowed, it just makes me wanna ask it all the more. You know, like those old stories where somebody’s got a huge perfect house and they’re allowed to use the whole house except for one room, ‘cuz that one room has a locked door, and it’s the only door in the house that they’re not allowed to open, so naturally that’s the only door that they want to open, you know, because it’s not allowed. That’s just human nature. But I can’t ask that question, no sir, and I have to respect that. Well then. Guess I have to come up with a good one. I only get one, so I better ask something important, something I’d really like to know. There’s a lotta possibilities! So many things I don’t know about you, like whether Guy is even really your name, or why we did any of the things we did when you needed my truck, or what the deal was with that tube we put the groceries in at that abandoned building. Man, those are all good ones. Let me think. Thinkin’, thinkin’, thinkin’.

Oh, I got it! I know what I wanna ask. 

Guy

Marlo. I am ready. Ask your question.

Marlo

Okay, here goes…. So… how ya’ been?

Guy

How… have I been.

Marlo

That’s my question. It’s been a real long time since I’ve seen ya’, but I keep thinkin’, “I wonder how that Guy is doing? I hope things are good with him.” But now here you are, and I’m allowed to ask, so I’m asking! How ya’ been?

Guy

I have been… fine.

[Silence.]

Marlo

Well… that’s good, I guess. Now… I understand that technically that’s an answer to my question. “How ya’ been?” “I been fine.” Asked and answered. But it’s also kinda like… not an answer to my question. It’s how people answer that sorta question all the time. But usually because they’re talking to someone who isn’t really asking, like when you’re at the supermarket, and the cashier asks “how are you today?” and I’ll say “oh, I’m fine today, thank you for asking,” even if I’m not feeling particularly fine. But like, if I’m feeling sad or lonely, I know the cashier doesn’t really want me to take up her whole afternoon telling her why I’m feeling sad or lonely, ‘specially if there’s a whole line of people behind me with carts full of groceries.

But the thing is, when I ask someone how they’ve been, I’m really asking, cause I’d really like to know. Like, the other day, I was in Red Line, and I asked the guy next to me how he was doing, and he told me like this whole long story about how nobody liked him and his son moved out without telling him. And I could tell it made him feel a little better to have someone ask how he was, and really listen to the answer. And I liked that.

So when I asked “how ya’ been,” I was asking an earnest question. And if you really mean it about how I get to ask you a question, then I think that means you’re supposed to give me an earnest answer. And I don’t think “fine” really cuts the mustard as far as earnestness goes, no sir.

Guy

Marlo… you are… right. My answer to your question was… inadequate. I will try again.

[Deep breath as he gathers himself.]

[As though really asking himself now:] How have I been?

My life has… has transformed. When you and I met, I did not have a truck. Today, as you surmised… I have two trucks. One of them is a food truck. It is a good truck, inside of which I make good food. Good food from a good truck. I will update my sign. For clarity.

Before I had a truck, I did not live a good life. I was not a good person. I did not do good things. I will not tell you what things I did. But they were not… good. The work I did seemed necessary. It was my work. I must work. You must work. We all must work. So I worked. I did not question the work. But it was not good work. 

I worked alone. I had clients. They did not want to be my friends, and I did not want to be theirs. I had targets. I could not be their friend, and they could not be mine. I did not have partners. I did not have colleagues. I did, occasionally, have subcontractors. People I paid to provide a service. Or equipment. Equipment, such as… a truck. At times, a truck was required for the work. This was good. It was good to work with a truck. But. I did not want a “guy with truck.” I just wanted truck. But every truck came with a guy. Guys-with-trucks did not want to be my friends. And I did not want to be theirs. I did not understand the bond between truck and guy-with-truck.

I yearned for a truck of my own. But I did not understand why.

One day, I subcontracted another guy-with-truck. But that guy-with-truck was not just “guy-with-truck.” That guy-with-truck was Marlo-with-Bertha. Marlo-with-Bertha was different. Marlo-with-Bertha offered to be…a pal. I did not want a pal. I rejected the offer of palship. But my rejection did not take. You… you were persistent. You would be my pal whether I wished for a pal or not. I still do not want a pal. I do not want to be your pal, or you to be mine. And yet… yet you have been a pal to me nonetheless. You are a juggernaut of friendship.

And in being my pal, you showed me the bond you share with Bertha. You opened my eyes to the true meaning of “guy with truck.” And so, when finally a truck chose to be mine… I was ready. You helped me to be ready. Finally, I could be Guy-With-Truck.

But it was not enough to be ready. When finally I had a truck of my own, I realized… I must also be worthy. Was I worthy of my truck? Was my work worthy of my truck?

I had begun to question. I was asking questions. Until finally, I was unable to avoid asking myself the one question that changed everything: do I want to do this work?

The answer… was “no.”

And so… I stopped.

Now I do other work. Good work. Work that is worthy of my trucks. Both of my trucks. Work that is worthy of me. So that I can be worthy of my trucks.

And so, how have I been? I have been… fine.

“Fine” as art may be fine. “Fine” as a wine may be fine.

For the first time in my life.

I am doing fine.

[Music]

CREDITS

Greater Boston is created by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason, with support from Amanda McCormack, T. H. Ponders, Bob Raymonda, Jordan Stillman, and Theo Wolf.

This episode was written and sound designed by Alexander Danner, with dialogue editing by Bob Raymonda.

This episode featured:

• Mike Linden as Guy and Marlo Beauchêne.

• “Charlie on the MTA” is performed by Emily Peterson and Dirk Tiede.
• “Crested Hens” recorded by Dirk Tiede
• “Leaving of Liverpool” recorded by Adrienne Howard, Emily Peterson, and Dirk Tiede

Transcripts are available on our website at GreaterBostonShow.com.

To keep up with Greater Boston news, sign up for our mostly-monthly newsletter.

Greater Boston is a ThirdSight Media production.

COOKIE

Mike Linden

The problem that I have is that it’s very easy for me to–with Guy–Marlo is always Marlo. Marlo is easy. I can just do Marlo, and he’s Marlo. Guy–if I pitch it wrong, it can sound very different–

Alexander Danner

Mm-hmm.

Mike

Like, this is Guy, or [lowers voice slightly] this is Guy, or [lowers voice more] this is—or—this is—

Alexander 

Yeah. 

Mike

I don’t have enough in it. 

Alexander

And—and—and—and—and it is that, like, you pointed out to me at one point that Guy gives the impression of having a very low voice when he actually has a really high voice. 

Mike

[High, soft] It’s really me doing this, right, yes. This is Guy’s voice. [Lowers voice] Except I just put some rasp behind it. [Alexander laughing.] [Soft voice again] But really, I’m Guy. 

[Alexander laughing more.]

[Mike laughing.]

[Boston accent] Hey, you know, buddy, you’re sounding a little bit rough there; have a lozenge. [Soft voice again]  This is very helpful. Guy is feeling much better now. Thank you. 

Content notes:

• Moral introspection
• Loneliness and yearning (for trucks)