Mini-Episode: Tag

[Charlie on the MTA plays]

MULTIPLE VOICES

This is
This is
This is
Greater Boston

[Phone ringing]

[beep]

MICHAEL (Voice message) – James Oliva

Hey! This is Michael Tate. If you need to reach me, feel free to try my extension at ThirdSight media, 1315. There’s a very good chance I’m staying late at the office researching various ways to predict the future. Thanks!

[BEEP]

LOUISA – Julia Propp

Michael Tate? Hi — uhh, we — I think we’ve met a few times before. This is Louisa Alvarez, I dated Leon for a little while? I — I uhh. Well, I’m just gonna come right out and say this. I’ve been kinda…following you. You’ve even uhh — you must have noticed me a few times because you seem to have …posed for me. A couple times. Which, that’s. Uhh. Thank you? You strike a good pose. The Saturday Night Fever one was particularly inspired. Umm.. Anyway. Sorry. I wanted to explain myself. You see, Leon and I had this shared Google calendar thing. And you know Leon, if he was going to make plans he needed me to see them, all of them. And then like a few weeks after he died, these new events kept popping up and — and it kinda creeped me out and I needed to know what was going on. So I tried to track down the person who was updating it and I’m like 99.99% certain that person is you. And I don’t want to keep following you because this whole stupid thing is already weird and “stalkery,” and at the same time, I’d like to maybe meet and talk to you about it. If that’s okay. Let me know when would be a good time. Umm. Based on our calendar, I think next Wednesday might be good? Also feel free to like delete me from this shared calendar whenever you’d like. I would have done it a while ago but I was, you know, trying to figure out who you are. Right. Thanks. Bye.

[Phone ringing noise]

[beep]

LOUISA (Voice message)

Hi, this is Louisa Alvarez. I’m no longer taking any professional photography requests but if you’re looking for someone similar to my style, I highly recommend Emily Sterne, she does fantastic work. Thanks, leave a message and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

[BEEP]

MICHAEL

Hey! Hi. Louisa. It all makes sense now. I uhh — I could never get a really good look at you because you were always, you know, in the distance. But now that I know it’s you I have to admit there was always something really familiar about you. Anyway, the calendar. Yeah, I can see how that would be — kind of weird! A little creepy. I’m really sorry. I do have an explanation. I’m not sure it’s a particularly good one, but uhh — I would like to explain. In person. Umm. How about a cup of coffee? I’m not sure where you live. There’s a coffee place in a good centralized location. 1369 Coffee Shop? The name is the same as the address. Next Wednesday looks good for me. 6pm? Hopefully I’ll see you there.

[BEEP]

LOUISA

Hi, Michael. It’s Louisa again. Not sure what happened. Umm. I’m at the coffee shop but I don’t see you. Give me a call back.

[BEEP]

MICHAEL

Louisa, I’m terribly sorry, I realize what happened. There are two 1369s and I think I went to the wrong one — the one in Central Square. There’s another in Inman Square — and that’s the original one and the one that’s the same as the address on the street. Agh, confusing, I know, I apologize. Umm. Saturday afternoon looks pretty clear, maybe around lunch? I’ll leave the location up to you this time. Sorry about that. See you soon.

[BEEP]

LOUISA

Michael, no worries. There’s this taco place I’ve really wanted to try out your way. Lone Star? They’re on Cambridge street. See you at 12:30? See you there.

[BEEP]

MICHAEL

Hi, Louisa. Umm. I must be totally confused and I’m hoping it’s not my fault again. I swear this is the right place. Lone Star. Tacos. Cambridge St. I was here for an hour and just didn’t see you. I even asked — uhh — a couple of people that — well, they didn’t really look like you but I thought I’d check. Umm. Anyway, I’m really trying to figure out how this is my fault and I’m not sure how it is but I’m pretty positive it is so I apologize no matter what. We’ll try again soon, I guess. Sorry!

[BEEP]

LOUISA

Oh my god, Michael I am SO sorry this was all my fault. Get this. There are TWO Lone Star Taco places. Yeah. One in Cambridge, which is where I was, and one in Alston, which is where you must have gone. The kicker? THEY ARE BOTH ON CAMBRIDGE STREET! Come on! I even asked the taco guy once I figured this out — like, this must happen often, right? And he was all like “No. I don’t think so. Most people have their shit together.” Like I don’t have my shit together. But of course I don’t have my shit together because I would have never let this happen otherwise. I’m so sorry. Umm. Let’s try this again. Name the location, name the place. Let’s stick to something that only has one location and we’ll try again. I’m really sorry. This one was all on me.

[BEEP]

MICHAEL

Hey Louisa. So funny that after all that we just randomly bumped into each other downtown. It was nice to meet you face-to-face. Mere feet away from each other and not, you know, from a long distance and through the lens of your camera. Thank you for being so understanding about the calendar. I’m calling because you mentioned this Crystal Ball thing that you’re looking for? I realized that my employer gives crystal balls to employees after so many years of service. I was just curious if that was any interest to you. Also, I’m going to be writing some stories about the Red Line and I could use a source if you’re up for it. I’m not sure if you’d be comfortable, but I figured I’d ask just in case. It’s not everyday that I meet a city forensic photographer in passing. Well, “in passing.” You know what I mean. Take care and I’ll see you next week for coffee.

[BEEP]

LOUISA

Michael it as great running into you. I’m curious if you know the person who asked me to look for this stupid ball in the first place. Gemma Linzer-Coolidge? Let me know if that name rings a bell, because I think she used to work at ThirdSight. Also, since we’re constantly playing phone tag, let’s say we take this conversation to text. We might actually be able to communicate more directly that way. Okay. Talk to you soon. Bye.

[Charlie on the MTA plays]

ALEXANDER DANNER

Greater Boston is written and produced by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason.

This episode featured:

• James Oliva as Michael Tate (he/him)
• Julia Propp as Louisa Alvarez (she/her)

Charlie on the MTA is recorded by Emily Peterson and Dirk Tiede. This was a rough demo version that Dirk and Emily recorded very early in the process, after I gave them my musically illiterate description of what I thought an instrumental version of the song should sound like. But man, did they ever deliver.

In our recent hiatus update, we ended with shoutouts to a few of the people and shows we love, and we’ve decided to keep doing that through the remaining mini-episodes. So here’s a little more love to go around.

[Music ends]

First up is Our Fair City, one of the long running stalwarts of audio drama, and such an amazing show, that grows so much from season to season. Set in the remains of an insurance company, long after the rest of the world has fallen apart, this is a very big world in a very small space. It’s funny, exciting, heartbreaking, it’s got everything. And in many ways, this is the show I see as closest kin to what we’re doing in Greater Boston.

Next, Uncanny County, an wonderful anthology series, at turns creepy, clever, and always delightful. From inter dimensional clowns to unsettlingly cute rainbow kittens, this one has something new every episode. My personal favorite is still the deus ex machine episode.

And finally, we have just so much love for everyone behind Jim Robbie and the Wanders, particularly Iri, Laura, Shannon, and Jack. They were early and vocal supporters of Greater Boston, and we appreciate them so much! They make a wild show about two ladies and a surly robot traveling across a post-apocalyptic America. It’s a show with heart to spare and we hope you’ll check it out.

So if you’re looking for something new to listen to while you’re waiting for Greater Boston to return in full, check out any or all of those wonderful shows. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do. And we’ll be back with our next mini-episode in three weeks.