BOUNDARIES VII
[Transcript of a call made via payphone out of White Oak, North Carolina to Quinn Hallorann in St Petersburg, Florida]
QUINN HALLORANN: Hello?
BENJAMIN FARROW: Hey. It’s me.
HALLORANN: [overlapping] Fuck!
[sound of chair overturning]
HALLORANN: Where the hell have you been?
FARROW: Uh, the estate -
HALLORANN: [overlapping] I haven’t heard from you in three days! Weren’t you getting my emails? What the hell is this number?
FARROW: It’s a payphone.
HALLORANN: What the fuck is wrong with your phone?
FARROW: [strained] Uh, I think I lost it.
HALLORANN: You lost it?
FARROW: I’ve been, I-I’ve been really busy at the estate. It got lost in the shuffle. Sorry, it’s just I - haven’t been able to get away.
HALLORANN: “Get away?” You’re supposed to send me nightly reports! You’re supposed to - Ben, you haven’t been sleeping there, have you?
FARROW: [beat] What makes you say that?
HALLORANN: Oh my god.
FARROW: I’m sorry. I should have been in touch.
HALLORANN: Yes! You should have! Jesus, Ben, I thought something happened to you! I was about to call the police! Or take the next flight out! Fuck, Ben, what’s wrong with you?
FARROW: Jury’s still out.
HALLORANN: I am not joking around with you right now!
FARROW: I know! I’m fine. Really. [pause] You were really gonna call the cops?
HALLORANN: No! Obviously I wouldn’t -
FARROW: “Suspicious individual shot while trespassing at prominent historical site…”
HALLORANN: [overlapping] But I was looking at flights! You can’t just go dark on me, Ben! We’re in this project together! Mark is making my life a living hell and I promised him you would come through for us! I swore up and down you could do it!
FARROW: I - I got sick, Quinn! I can’t help it that I got sick.
HALLORANN: Are you okay, Ben? Is everything all right?
FARROW: Yeah. Promise. Listen, I’m calling because I need to ask you something.
HALLORANN: [long pause] Oh. OK.
FARROW: What?
HALLORANN: Nothing. What do you want?
FARROW: I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner, I was just so busy -
HALLORANN: [overlapping] What do you want, Ben?
FARROW: Is there any way I can get more time at the estate?
[sharp inhale]
FARROW: [hastily] This virus thing really threw me off. I’ve found something really promising, but I need lots of time to go through it the way it deserves. More time than I’ve got.
HALLORANN: What did you find?
FARROW: Uh … a library.
HALLORANN: A library?
FARROW: I think. It has records and stuff.
HALLORANN: [flat] Records and stuff.
FARROW: Like I said, I need more time to go through it all. Is there any way at all you could -
OPERATOR: [overlapping] To continue your call, please insert an additional fifty cents.
FARROW: [cont.] Shit - one sec …
HALLORANN: I could maybe talk to Jane Madigan …
FARROW: Shit, I’m out of change. Quinn, can you get me more time?
HALLORANN: Ben! You go get more change right now and call me back. We are not done talking!
FARROW: I can call you back tomorrow. I really have to get back to the estate. Please talk to Jane.
HALLORANN: Ben! Ben, do not hang up the -
[call ends.]