Difference between revisions of "Coffee with Gregory Atkins"

Latest revision as of 03:08, 9 August 2016

Coffee with Gregory Atkins is the fifty-third video in the Maddison Atkins video series. It is also the seventeenth video of chapter three.

Transcript

Marla:(Marla is in a chair adjusting the camera, a piece of cake and a cup of coffee on the table as well.) Okay, Um… Here… You can sit down right there. (She gets out of the chair to allow Mr. Atkins to sit)

Gregory Atkins: This is quite bizarre. Am I on camera? (Points at the camera, Marla is now off screen, but still heard.)

Marla: Yeah, um… yeah. (Can’t make out sentence) (Gregory offers his hand to shake hands)

Gregory: Hi. (They shake hands, partially off camera)

Marla: Hi. (Speaks at the same time as Gregory: I’m Greg) Nice to meet you. I’m Marla, Marla (Marla’s last name is bleeped out)

Gregory: Oh, finally

Marla: Yeah

Gregory: Wow. Well I wanna know about the, how’s the Mohawk? (Chuckles)

Marla: Oh, It’s cool.

Gregory: Can I see?

Marla: Yeah, yeah. It’s subtle.

Gregory: Yeah Very much.

Marla: I just did the sides so I can hide it if I need to.

Gregory: You know I had a Mohawk, I just didn’t know it. If it’s just short hair on the sides.

Marla: Well, for a girl it’s less conventional…

Gregory: Yeah, for a guy its, I don’t know what it is, but anyway… So, it’s… I’m amazed to meet you finally. I appreciate you letting me meet you. So will you tell me about yourself? (In the background Marla seems to quietly saying Well, I mean… but is cut off by the question.)

Marla: Um, yeah, of course. Um, well, like I said, I’m Marla and ah… I’m 23; I was a friend of Maddison's um online that is. I’m from Canada. (Gregory studies Marla, taking in the information she is giving him.) I’m just visiting here for now. I’m... I’m finishing a degree in broadcast journalism like Maddison was. Up in Canada, I’m just taking a year off for now.

Gregory: So, I (struggles briefly for words) How did you meet Maddison?

Marla: Um… Online.

Gregory: You didn’t know her then.

Marla: Well, I mean I did, but not in person. I wasn’t down here or anything. I mean I wish I could have been down here, but… I just knew her from online and the videos that she posted. I tried to help her.

Gregory: But you didn’t go to SFA.

Marla: No, no, no, no.

Gregory: Okay, I’m just trying to get this straight.

Marla: Yeah, I’m sorry; it’s a little bit complicated. Um, I came down from Canada recently. (Gregory nods and says Okay after each statement, still trying to absorb and understand the information) I’m traveling around the states for a year in my year off of school. And um…

Gregory: (Interrupts Marla) Are you rich?

Marla: No, I have a little bit of money set aside to do this kind of stuff (laughs slightly) I wish I were rich. If I were rich I could help a little bit more, but um… yeah, I’m just living the poor student’s life. I swear, and I’m just down here for a little while, and maybe I can help.

Gregory: I’m just curious, why have you come to Nacogdoches?

Marla: Um, I came to Nacogdoches for lots of reasons. I mean I came for lots of personal reasons. I have normal stuff going on that normal stuff that all 23 year olds go through and… I wanted to come to a quiet place to go through it, but I’m here for other reasons too. (Gregory studies Marla thoughtfully while she speaks.) I want to help Clara. I want to help with the documentary. I want to help you. (Cut off by Gregory)

Gregory: What kind of stuff do you have going on? I mean I don’t know what normal 23 year old girl stuff is.

Marla: Just finding myself, finding what I want to do. I mean I … I was in college, and I went through five years of it, and then decided I wasn’t sure anymore and now I’m kind of in this weird… middle stage. I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. So, uh… I’m doing other stuff.

Gregory: (still trying to understand) Okay, you told me, but tell me again. Its 23 year old stuff you’re going through? What does that mean? Is that like love? (Kind of smiles, and Marla chuckles)

Marla: Um… Love?

Gregory: Because I don’t personally believe in it anymore, much, but… (Marla still laughs slightly)

Marla: I … Um… Yeah, I guess you could say some of its love. (Very quietly) Yeah…

Gregory: Some. Is it love, or not? If it’s none of my business you can also tell me that.

Marla: Well… um… uh… yeah, yes.

Gregory: Its love. (Nods slightly)

Marla: Yes it’s… yeah.

Gregory: Um I may as well be fair with you because you’ve answered really honestly with me. The real reason I wanted to meet you is I want to find out about this documentary, I want to see it done. And I need your help. For Maddison. (not sure of this line, spoken very quietly)

Marla: Yeah. I… I mean of course. I would, I would do anything for Maddison’s memory. Um... and, and I definitely will help with the documentary. I have to admit that I’m concerned about Clara, and um…

Gregory: In what sort of way are you concerned about her?

Marla: Well, I did promise her that I would help finish her degree, and I want for any of this, anything that we do to help with that. I want her to graduate. I think this is a good way to do it still.

Gregory: (nods) That’s nice of you. I mean… I don’t quite understand Clara.

Marla: Um … (uncomfortable sound) Maybe, if I spoke to her I could understand her.

Gregory: Yeah, maybe if you could find her.

Marla: Right

Gregory: Where is she?

Marla: I… She… She’s not answering my phone calls. Um… funny, I went by Chili’s the other day because she used to work there, and they told me that she just doesn’t work there anymore, so… I don’t know.

Gregory: So is she here? (His questioning becomes slowly more irate and impatient, as does his body language.)

Marla: I have no idea. I mean um… I haven’t like knocked on her windows or peeked into her house or anything so I don’t really know, but…

Gregory: Have you asked her friends and stuff if she’s been around?

Marla: I don’t really know anybody; I mean I don’t know her friends.

Gregory: But you know where she lives.

Marla: Well I don’t want to snoop. I don’t want to…

Gregory: (interrupts Marla) that was not a yes or no. I mean, do you know where she lives?

Marla: (quietly) Yes, I know where she lives.

Gregory: So you could look in her window or rap on her door if you wanted to.

Marla: Yeah, I guess I could.

Gregory: So will you?

Marla: (after a long silence) Yeah, I mean yeah we could… we can check again.

Gregory: You’re being very evasive. I’m sorry I don’t want to offend you, but you don’t look at me a lot of times when you answer, especially if I ask a question. A lot of times you look away which means that you’re thinking, to me anyway. It means you’re thinking of what your answers are rather than saying what your answers are and I don’t want to be offensive, but it’s better to be honest.

Marla: I mean… (Marla is clearly put on the defensive)

Gregory: You see you’re not looking at me right now and when you don’t look at me, I don’t believe you.

Marla: Clara, (her voice stronger than it had been) isn’t well. I don’t know if you’ve noticed… (Gregory starts talking over Marla)

Gregory: What does that mean?

Marla: I don’t know if you’ve noticed that she’s hiding from something. She’s obviously not just in her room all the time, doing fun things. She’s not just…

Gregory: Do you mean she’s mentally not well?

Marla: Well yeah…. I mean, I, that’s what I think. I’m not a psychiatrist, I don’t know. I just see something different in her now and I’m scared of it. I don’t want to pressure her. I don’t want to poke around. I don’t want to make her feel like I’m stalking her.

Gregory: But I want this documentary finished.

Marla: And I know and it’s going to get finished, I promise. I’ll make sure it gets done.

Gregory: You know honestly when I set down here I was hoping that I would, that we would become great friends, and I would make you laugh a lot and I think you’re pretty uncomfortable. Are you?

Marla: Well… its kind of weird isn’t it?

Gregory: Yeah it is. It’s weird.

Marla: That’s all. (Marla’s hand reaches for her coffee cup, across the camera, the most we’ve seen of Marla since the beginning of the video)

Gregory: Well I appreciate you putting up with me, and um… I’ll tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you… I will make sure that this documentary and everything counts for Clara to graduate, or whatever you want it to… I don’t really understand that, but I will do whatever you tell me and that way … But in exchange for that. Actually, not even in exchange for because I don’t want a deal. Here’s what I want. I want the documentary to be finished. That’s the bottom line. Just, I want you to help me. I’m asking. Okay, if you … if part of that is your need for Clara to graduate or whatever I’ll do it, I’ll make sure that happens.

Marla: (quietly) Okay.

Gregory: Cool?

Marla: Yeah um, absolutely.

Gregory: (nods and holds up his pinky in a moment of levity) Pinky Swear?

Marla: Pinky Swear (Gregory laughs)

Gregory: See I’m a teenager now. (Makes hiphop type gestures, while Marla laughs)

Notes