Lonely Planet (2024)

[bunniefuu]

Ladies and gentlemen,

we are now approaching Marrakech, Morocco,

where the local time

is half past 3:00 p.m.

As we prepare for landing,

please make sure your seatbelts...

Thanks.

Katherine, it's Mona.

I think you're getting

to that retreat today.

That's great.

But I know those things sometimes

end up being more fun than work.

I just wanted

to remind you of our deadline.

If we want to make your publication date,

and it would be kind of disastrous not to,

we need your draft by...

Oh... thanks.

- Madame, welcome to Kasbah A'shab.

- Hi.

I'm Hamid.

And your luggage is where?

Somewhere between JFK and here.

Oh, no, it's lost.

I'm gonna be optimistic and say misplaced.

Madame Benzakour was really sorry

not to greet you herself.

She's dining with the other guests.

And this is you.

It's an ancient one. After you.

Oh.

Wow.

Oh, my God.

I, uh, RSVP'd so late.

I thought they'd put me in a broom closet.

Well, Madame Benzakour,

she insisted you have her best room.

Who got bumped?

This is amazing.

Oh, wow.

Well, I will wait for you outside.

And whenever you're ready,

I'll take you to dinner.

Oh, um...

No, no. No dinner for me.

You sure?

Madame Benzakour was eager to say hello.

Oh, Hamid, I'm so tired.

Do you think if I just took

the smallest room,

I could skip all the group activities?

I'm really... I'm just here to work.

Well, this is not a problem.

- Well, good night, madame.

- Good night. Uh, Katherine.

- Sorry?

- I'm not a madam.

Just a Katherine.

Very well.

Holy sh*t, Owen.

What are we doing here?

Don't ask me. I followed you.

Hey, Lily Kemp.

You made it.

Welcome. I'm Fatema Benzakour.

It's so nice to meet you.

And Owen. That's correct?

That's me.

Come, I'll show you around.

We are still waiting

for some guests to arrive,

but all the other writers

will be here by dinnertime.

This is the main kasbah.

But I have put you two

in one of our garden rooms.

This way, please.

Wow.

If you don't see

what you want in the kitchen,

just ask anyone,

and they will take care of you.

- All right.

- Okay.

Hamid, did you put their bags

in their room?

- Yes, Madame.

- Thank you.

- Hello.

- Hey, man.

Fatema, this is incredible.

Thank you.

Everything is from

my great grandfather's time.

Except the mattress,

which you will be glad to know is new.

- Good.

- Okay, I'll let you settle in.

c*ck on the terrace at 6:00, okay?

Thank you so much for having me.

It's such an honor.

Come on. The honor is mine. See you later.

I mean...

Oh, my goodness.

Pretty awesome.

Owen, look at this view!

You can see forever.

Seriously, how lucky are we to be here?

Hey, I know her.

Yeah. I still can't believe this is real.

I can.

What the...

Yeah.

Why am I getting real estate ads

from some random phone?

I gave a realtor your number.

What? You can't go giving out my number.

You said you'd find

a new place to live before you left.

I've been busy. I'm writing.

Kath, if we wait for you

to stop writing to move out,

you'll live here forever.

Neither of us wants that.

You know how hard this book has been?

That's why I flew all the way out here

just to get some quiet, all right?

- Kath.

- To concentrate.

You sending this apartment bullshit

isn't helping.

Yeah, well, helping you

isn't my responsibility anymore.

- Yeah, you are the crime writing...

- Yeah.

About crimes, yeah.

How long did it take you

to write your graphic novel?

Listen, I read one of your books,

and I want to tell you

you can improve yourself.

- I'd say two-and-a-half years all in all.

- Really?

We'll talk again later.

They're all literary giants,

and I wrote a glorified beach read.

They're just gonna take one look at me

and see what a total fraud I am

and then just kick me out.

Hey.

You wrote a great book.

- You got this.

- Thank you.

- Okay. Yeah.

- Just police story. I was bored.

I am sorry.

Oh, my God, it's Ada Dohan.

- I don't know who that is.

- Okay, she won the Nobel Prize,

- so act like you do.

- Okay.

Lily Kemp?

- Yeah.

- I'm Rafih Abdo.

Yeah.

- Uh, your memoirs...

- I was really excited

to know you would be here.

I loved your book.

Oh, my God. I... That...

Thank you.

This is Owen.

- Hey, nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you too, man.

Rafih wrote that beautiful memoir about

his time as a child soldier in Libya.

- Oh, right, yeah. You loved that.

- Yeah.

Listen, can I ask you

a question about your book?

- First of all, like...

- Okay.

When did you write it?

I started it right after college...

Hey, buddy.

How's it going?

All right.

Fiction or non-fiction?

I'm sorry?

Which do you write?

Oh. Neither.

I'm not a writer at all. I'm in finance.

I'm just here with Lily, my girlfriend.

Let me guess.

She dedicated her book to you, huh?

She did.

Yeah, I did.

I couldn't have done it without him.

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

Excuse me?

A book inside a writer

is like a fetus in a womb.

Once it's been conceived,

there is nothing anyone can do

to either speed or prevent its arrival.

Hmm? You're at best, an amenity.

Like the warm towel

in business class. Huh?

Did you have a good time?

You hardly said anything all night.

Yeah.

Okay, you can't take

that warm towel stuff personally.

She's a notorious sh*t-stirrer.

Okay? It's just what she does.

It's fine. It's fine.

Great.

I need an Ambien.

Are you going to take one?

No, I have my call.

Oh, yeah. Okay.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Wait, what?

Oh, sh*t.

Oh, come on.

sh*t.

Come on.

sh*t.

Thank God.

- Hey, it's me. Are they on already?

- It's okay,

- but they've been waiting.

- sh*t. Put me through.

Hey, Owen.

Hey, sorry.

Little reception issue, but I'm here.

All right, here's the deal.

We cleared the sale of the property

with the rest of his family.

They're all on board,

just waiting to hear from us.

And like I said, he'll only sell

if he can stay on as CEO.

So that should be part of it.

Yeah, we saw your email.

We got it. All good.

- We'll let you know when the offer is out.

- Okay.

Great. Just wanted to make that clear.

Hello?

f*ck.

Hey.

Hey.

Water.

Cell service. Barely.

Right.

Okay.

Hey. Um...

Did you happen to see

what door I came out of?

Uh, no.

- Sorry.

- That's okay.

Hold on.

- The stairs are over here.

- Okay.

Oh.

I know where I am now.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

Thank you.

I would have been on that roof all night.

No problem.

- Good night.

- Good night.

He almost always fails, right? It's 50%.

- Ah, there you are.

- Morning.

- Hey.

- This is Owen.

He was up all night making calls.

- You met Rafih.

- Hello.

This is Peng and Gunner.

Gunnar.

- It's Gunnar.

- Gunnar. Sorry.

Oh! So there's a reporter here

doing a story on the retreat.

Fatema asked a few of us to stick around

and talk to her, but I don't have to.

No, you should, for sure.

Yeah? You won't feel like I dragged you

all the way out here and abandoned you?

No. I'm fine. Do your thing.

- There's no water?

- Mmm-mmm.

I'm so sorry about that.

That's okay.

I'll do my best to fix it right away.

Great. Um...

But I tell you what,

In the meantime, I would...

I would love a quiet place to work.

Well, I'm afraid there will be

a lot of activity at the kasbah today.

Yeah.

But there is an expedition.

- No.

- No one has signed up.

The drive is long,

the car is air-conditioned.

And cherry on the cake,

the driver does not speak English.

Morning.

- Yes? Sorry.

- Is this car going to Chef-something?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah? Okay.

Oh! Hey.

Oh! Hey.

Thanks.

Just us, huh?

Yeah.

I'm Owen, by the way.

Katherine.

- Loewe?

- Mmm-hmm.

Yeah, I knew you looked familiar.

I see your face in bed a lot.

My girlfriend's always reading your books

and your picture's on the back.

- So...

- Right.

More nights than not, I get in bed,

and there you are, staring right at me.

- Owen.

- Mmm-hmm.

- Do you see this?

- Mmm-hmm.

Um, this is requiring

100% of my attention.

So, shut up?

Please.

Okay.

All right.

See you later.

Yeah.

Uh... One second.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

All right.

- Hey.

- Hey.

You sure? I don't want to disturb you.

- Oh, yeah, I need a break.

- Okay.

How's it going?

It's... It's going.

Yeah?

How was your morning?

My morning was fine, I guess.

Thanks.

- I'll have what she's having.

- Okay.

"Fine, I guess"?

You traveled thousands of miles

for, "Fine, I guess"?

Yeah, I...

You want to know the truth?

Always.

I don't think I love travel.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Just the whole thing,

you know, airports and flying and...

People always say it's going to be

this transformative experience, you know.

Go to a new, exotic place,

meet the new, exotic you.

But you get there

and you're not new or exotic.

You're just you.

That's true.

Flaubert said the point of travel

was to make us modest.

Right?

To show us the tiny place

we occupy in the world.

I grew up with four sisters.

So I know how small I am.

Okay.

- Thank you.

- Welcome.

- Bon apptit.

- Thank you.

- So then why'd you come?

- Uh...

That's a good question.

My girlfriend, Lily, was invited. Yeah.

I don't know.

I guess she needed a personal shopper.

What'd you get?

- You wanna see?

- Sure.

That's a f*ck load of little stars.

Yeah.

You can never have too many, right?

- Really?

- I don't know.

How about you?

How's your day been?

Fine, I guess.

What if you lived here

and didn't like the color blue?

Who doesn't like blue?

I could pick a fight with blue.

That'd be a great use

of your time and energy.

- Don't you think?

- Yeah.

Where are we going right now?

Some place new and exotic.

So why'd you fly

almost thousands of miles?

Oh, I'm finishing a book.

I just needed a place to write.

You can't finish it at home?

Nope.

Did you start it at home?

Yeah.

So what changed?

Oh, um... Excuse me.

Uh, I'm sorry. Do you speak English?

- Yes, I do.

- Thank you.

I lost my luggage and need some underwear.

Sure. Follow me.

Whoa.

What's...

Everything okay?

You get that?

I'm thinking engine trouble.

Terrific.

You don't see that every day.

Does that look normal to you?

No.

Definitely not.

Oh, my God.

- Hello.

- Hey.

Hello. How you doing?

Well, we're...

Great.

Hey, sir, madame.

I'm Sisi, the brother of Aziz.

So the car has a little problem,

which is easy to fix.

So please come with me.

I will take you in my car.

Come with you?

- "Easy to fix"?

- Yeah, in that car. Yes.

We're gonna be there

for a quick visit?

Because you said the car

will be a quick fix.

Yeah, I'm gonna do my best to fix it.

And if it's not,

hopefully when I go to my family's house,

- even my mom will be happy.

- How nice.

She will cook for you all the time.

That's what she do when we have a guest.

- So she's cooking, cooking, cooking.

- All the time?

- Hello.

- Hello.

- Hey.

- Hello.

Uh, any idea how long this will take?

Maybe someone else can come get us.

No, this is not necessary.

My brother has called the kasbah.

They know you are delayed.

So just please follow me, yeah?

So, please.

Yeah. Okay.

Thank you.

Sure.

Owen. Shee-th?

- I'm Mohammed.

- Mohammed.

Me, Katherine. You?

What's your name?

You. You? You're Katherine?

Look at you. A beautiful baby.

Congratulations.

I like it.

Perfect.

Perfect.

New and exotic.

Yeah.

Maybe a little.

Can I ask you something?

Yeah.

These, uh, retreats and stuff, are they...

are they a big part of being a writer?

Huge.

I mean, you kind of don't need to write.

You just travel and go to conferences,

hang out with people who get way too drunk

and only talk about themselves.

Lucky you. You get to be a part of it.

No, it's just...

This is Lily's first novel, so...

- Yeah, and it did well.

- Yeah. Yeah, really well.

I mean, she had never published anything.

And then overnight

she became a best-selling author.

- That is a tricky transition.

- Hmm.

How's she dealing with it?

Yeah, she's great.

You know, it's... It's a lot of change.

Things feel... different.

She feels...

I don't know.

Different.

Yeah, I...

I mean, it's all good.

I've never known anything that's all good.

No. No, I guess not.

So what are you gonna do

with all those stars?

Oh. They're for the apartment, I think.

To decorate?

I have no idea. To decorate something.

Yeah, I see.

Well, that was a fun day.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

I'm gonna go see what's going on.

You want to join?

- I'm good. Good night.

- Night.

Hey. There you are.

I was starting to get worried about you.

- Look at you.

- You were gone.

- How are we feeling?

- Good, good.

Okay, come sit, come sit.

Hey.

- It's all right?

- Yeah.

Everyone's so awesome.

Owen, I love these people.

What's going on here?

You know,

just a little Moroccan something.

- Hashish?

- You can try it.

I'm good.

What's been happening in here?

The reporter knew way more about me

than I thought she would.

Turns out my Europe sales

have been pretty good.

Of course they have.

How are you? How was your day?

Were you lonely?

Uh. Yeah, a little.

But not really, actually.

There was someone else on the trip.

Who?

It's that writer you like.

Katherine Loewe.

- Katherine Loewe?

- Mmm-hmm.

She's not here.

Yeah, she is.

And you spent the day with her?

I mean, part of it.

Not the whole day.

We did our own thing too.

Why didn't you tell me?

I am telling you.

Right.

So what'd you guys talk about?

Not much.

Owen. That would be like...

What?

It'd be like if I spent

the day with Warren Buffett

and you asked me what we talked about,

and I said,

"Not much."

I don't really care about Warren Buffett.

Great.

So the offer's in.

We're just waiting on the counter.

This dude serious about wanting

to hover around after the sale?

Yeah. He's been saying it all along.

Staying on as CEO

is an important piece of this for him.

We're already giving him

15% of the profits after the extraction.

His family's gone.

Why does he care?

I get it. I just know that's gonna be

item number one in his counter.

He's never run a real business before.

Owen,

you brought us a great property.

Help this guy see the light, will ya?

Okay. Ping me when we hear back.

- You'll be the first to know.

- Bye.

This is unacceptable. I mean...

I just need a quiet place somewhere.

I mean, honestly,

it doesn't have to be nice.

I work best in grubby spaces.

Literally, a closet would be ideal.

Anything.

Oh, perfect.

Madame Benzakour would not like you

to work in a storage room. It's...

Well, maybe we just don't tell her.

How's that sound?

Well, that sounds good.

Thank you, Hamid.

I'll leave you.

It's so beautiful.

Oh, my God.

This is awesome.

Hey, Owen,

how old do you think all this is, huh?

Mmm. Two, three years?

Yeah, right.

This is so cool.

So apparently this part

was called Qubbat al-Khayzurn.

And it was named after

the Sultan's favorite concubine.

- Wow!

- Yeah?

- She got her own wing.

- Apparently.

Must have really pissed off

all the other concubines.

Do they have ruins like this in Libya?

Oh, yeah, we do. We do. We do.

You know, we have Romans, Byzantine.

As a kid, I used to play...

What's the name of the hiding game?

- Hide and seek.

- Hide and seek.

Hide and seek. I used to play this

in ancient amphitheaters.

- Wow.

- Cool.

I'm sorry. I gotta deal with this.

- Sorry.

- It's all right.

AGVA is still at 5,200 an acre.

Our opening offer is generous,

more than generous.

Yeah. It seems fair.

I'm not sure what the holdup is.

If it's environmental sh*t,

tell him he can't saddle us with more

restrictions than the government does.

This clown

should be thanking us.

You talk to him, Owen.

Okay, makes sense. He trusts me.

I'll let him know he needs to counter

if he wants to move forward.

Keep us posted.

- Hey.

- Sorry, guys. Work stuff.

What?

Owen, what's your work?

I'm in private equity.

And what is that?

Well, we invest in assets

we think will appreciate.

So right now I'm buying a property

with some coal deposits.

Coal deposits for mining?

Essentially extraction.

Yeah, we don't pull

the stuff up ourselves.

We're just buying the field

as an investment.

When they do bring it up,

it'll be cleanly.

I've read about this.

They call it clean coal,

but it's still very bad, right?

Uh, sure, unless you want

to turn on the lights.

In which case, you're going to need

some form of energy, right?

So until wind, solar, hydro

can meet the global demand for power,

2,500 acres of untapped coal

is going to be a solid investment.

Yeah.

Excuse me. Sorry.

It would have been nice

if you were present at lunch.

You knew I'd have to work.

Yeah, but do you have to take

every call the second it comes in?

No one else is on their phone.

- I don't want to be on my phone.

- Yeah.

But I have bosses and a deadline

and a five-hour time difference.

I know, it just... it just feels like

you're not really here with me.

Lily, I'm... I'm here.

Katherine.

- Finally, I see you.

- Oh.

Thank you so much for having me.

Sorry, I've not been social

with jet lag and no luggage and...

Yes, Hamid told me.

I'm sorry. It's so inconvenient.

I love the room. It's great.

I've just been...

- Hey, can you get me a drink? Thank you.

- Sure.

- Excuse me.

- Yeah, see you.

Will you join us for the dinner tonight?

But of course. Yeah, sure.

- I'm counting on you.

- Okay. I will definitely be there.

Okay. See you.

Okay. Thank you for having me.

Excuse me, so sorry to bother you.

- No.

- I wanted to introduce myself.

- Hi.

- I'm Lily Kemp.

Hi. Katherine.

- Nice to meet you.

- You too.

I'm sure you're sick of

hearing it at this point,

but reading Not Here, Not Anywhere

- is the formative memory of my youth.

- Oh, wow.

It's the book that made me

want to become a writer.

Well, for that, I apologize.

No, no, no.

- I honestly don't know...

- Thank you.

Can I have a beer please?

So, thank you.

I'm sure you would have found your way,

with or without the book.

Hey.

Hey.

Oh! You guys have met, right?

Owen, Katherine.

Yeah, we met.

I... I remember seeing

photos in a magazine.

I don't know, a couple of years ago,

of the farmhouse you lived in.

With...

God, what was his name?

No, you don't remember.

Anyway, it was...

It looked like the perfect life.

Hmm.

Well, excuse me.

Okay.

- Was I?

- Yes.

I mean...

It's not about being terrific.

It was Nietzsche actually who talks about

truth and what it means to exist.

Oh, boy.

- French existentialist.

- Jean-Paul Sartre.

No. The woman, his lover.

- Simone de Beauvoir.

- Simone de Beauvoir, that's it.

Yes! Good.

- That was good.

- Everyone...

Let's kick some a*s. Come on.

Come on.

- Lolita's mother.

- Charlotte Haze.

Yes!

The Polish writer.

And he wrote in English.

- Conrad.

- Joseph Conrad.

- Conrad.

- Yeah.

Okay, okay, okay, it's my turn.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lily Kemp.

Oh! I know this one.

It was George Sand's real name.

- Amantine-Lucile-Aurore...

- Amantine-Lucile...

- Dupin.

- Yes! Yes.

- Dupin.

- Yes.

It's Gogol. Collection of essays.

Garbage.

Okay. An Evening on the Farm in Dikanka.

- Yes! Very good.

- Amazing.

Congrats.

Flaubert heroine.

She died vomiting bile.

- Madame Bovary!

- Madame Bovary!

- Yeah.

- Nice.

Okay, that's all, team.

- That's...

- I love this.

- Oh, hey. It's your turn.

- Okay.

Here we go.

Owen.

- Don't let us down. Come on.

- Show us.

- Let's see what you got.

- Yeah.

- Uh...

- Today.

Come on, it's not fair.

- Just say anything.

- It's not fair.

- Let's go.

- Hey, hey.

I think there were a few of them.

They sang backup for, uh...

No, no, no, no, no.

This is from literature, Owen, not...

No, this is music. It's early R&B.

- No, no, it can't be.

- It's like Aretha Franklin or...

It's not music. Stop thinking music.

- Is it a title?

- I don't know.

Is it a character?

Does it rhyme with anything?

- Okay, I have no idea.

- Does it mean anything?

Does it remind you of...

- Time.

- Time.

Sorry.

Don't worry.

- It's all right.

- Sorry.

It's all right.

Hey.

Forgive him, okay?

He only reads Sports Illustrated.

All right.

This is where we seize the victory.

- Okay?

- Okay.

Oh, my God. Okay, okay.

Okay. Okay. I know this.

The book from India

that tells you how to have good sex.

- Good sex?

- Kamasutra.

Good sex?

Everybody knows.

Hey.

Hey.

You locked out?

Yeah.

That empty?

Mmm-hmm.

- Oh.

- Yeah.

You got a better room.

Yeah, of course.

And I like what you've done with it.

Hey, thanks. Yeah.

I went to great effort, as you can see.

What do you think all this would cost

if we were paying for it?

I don't know, a lot.

It's weird, though, right?

- It is weird.

- Mmm.

To Pip, whatever the hell that is.

A Pip is a backup singer. Gladys Knight.

- Gladys.

- Knight and the Pips.

Thank you. That's who I was thinking of.

- Cheers, Gladys.

- Yeah, cheers, Gladys.

A Pip is also a character

in a Charles Dickens novel.

Great Expectations.

Right. Yeah. That's probably

the one they were looking for.

Yeah, I'm with you.

I'll take "If I Was Your Woman"

over Little Dorrit any day.

Can I ask you something?

Sure.

How does your guy

deal with all this stuff?

Who said I have a guy?

Wikipedia.

Did you look me up?

I did. I googled you.

Why?

Curious.

You could've just asked.

Yeah, but now I don't have to.

- Because I know everything.

- Oh, right. Of course. Yeah.

Like what?

Well, I know you published your first book

when you were still in college.

Mmm-hmm.

Which I gotta say, it's really obnoxious.

Yo, easy now.

I skimmed the whole

publication section. Too long.

Same with awards. Endless.

I got the gist. Prolific, successful.

And then I jumped down to personal

and I learned you're with a sculptor

who makes giant metal blobs

that, for some reason,

sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There was also a sh*t ton of Wiki quotes.

You are highly Wiki quoted.

Yes.

Yeah, that's my greatest

achievement in life.

But of course,

if you're looking for real familiarity,

you got to know things

Wikipedia doesn't tell you. Right?

Like?

Oh. I mean, like... Let's see.

What was your high school nickname?

Mmm.

That's an actual question. I'm asking you.

What was your nickname?

Who said I had a nickname?

Because you did. You're a nickname guy.

- You don't know that.

- I think I do.

Come on.

You weren't the guy on the football team?

You know, the clutch guy.

I don't know if you threw the ball

or caught the ball,

but you were definitely on the ball

as the clock ticked down.

And that guy always has a nickname.

I'm not gonna tell you.

- Oh, yes, you are.

- Mmm-mmm.

Yeah.

Are you gonna make me guess?

Sure.

- Yeah?

- Mmm-hmm.

Fine.

You really think you're going to get it?

I know I'm gonna get it.

I got it.

No, you don't.

Yeah.

The Big O?

Oh, f*ck you.

The Big O, is it?

You're really the Big O?

How did you get that?

That's so incredible.

Oh, I mean, come on.

If that was your nickname,

then cheerleaders

definitely had a cheer for you.

You know what?

I'm not having this conversation.

- Come on.

- No.

- Oh, you have to do the cheer for me.

- Ugh.

No, let's talk about your nickname.

- How about that?

- Come on. I don't have a nickname.

That's so obvious.

Tell me the cheer.

All right, f*ck it.

Give me the O!

Give me the Big O! Give me the O!

- Thank you so much for doing that for me.

- Oh, my God.

You want to know the worst thing about it?

You loved it.

- I loved it.

- Yeah.

I loved it so much.

Of course you did.

How come you can't

finish your book at home?

Long story.

Yeah?

I've got time.

- Yeah?

- Mmm-hmm.

Oh, sh*t.

No, I don't.

I'm sorry. Work calls.

- Next time?

- Next time.

Good night.

Good night.

I threw it, by the way.

The ball.

I was the quarterback.

It was my field

and I decided what happened on it.

Okay, so that was Dina on the phone,

and apparently Random House

wants to make a two-book deal with me.

Congratulations.

No, you don't understand.

In order to get my next two books,

they're gonna

have to make me an insane offer.

And I don't mean piddly, little,

freelancer money either, Owen.

I mean real money.

Owen, this is good news.

Like I said, congratulations.

I'm sorry. Uh...

Are you threatened by this?

Are you serious?

I mean, this is how you react to the idea

of me being financially self-sufficient.

Jesus.

What? I just didn't see you

as the kind of guy

who'd be threatened by my success.

I didn't see you as someone

who'd sh**t me down

in front of a roomful of people

'cause I hadn't read

the right f*cking Dickens book.

So I guess we're both learning

a lot here, huh?

Owen, that was a joke.

- That's funny to you?

- I was joking. It was a game.

No, games are fun. That wasn't fun.

Okay.

How did you know that was Dickens?

I don't know who you are here.

Look, you're having a bad day.

Fine, that's allowed. I get it.

But I'm not having a bad day, Owen.

I'm actually having a really great day.

And I want it to stay that way.

So I'm gonna head out. Okay?

Come find me when you're in a better mood.

Good morning, arm candy.

f*ck off.

I'm sorry.

Can I get you anything?

No.

Hey.

How you feeling?

Any better?

Uh. A little.

That f*cking sandwich.

What sandwich?

I had a sandwich in town.

When were you in town?

Yesterday.

Okay. Well, that overnight

to the desert leaves pretty soon.

There's no way.

It's all right. Just go without me.

Okay.

No desert for you?

Not this time.

You?

Seen it.

Doubt it's changed.

Hey, kid.

Do you want a beer?

Come on. Just admit you're stuck.

I'm not stuck.

You can always tell when she's stuck.

I'm not stuck.

What's the title?

No. If you don't have a title,

you don't know what you're writing.

- You want help?

- Oh...

You know my solution.

What's your solution?

f*ck him or k*ll him.

When you're stuck in life

or in literature...

you need to do something irrevocable.

Death and sex.

Two things that cannot be undone.

You know, she has a nice a*s.

Your girlfriend.

Dude, don't say that.

- It's a compliment.

- No, it's just creepy.

You know, Katie and I almost got married

when we were your age.

Why didn't that happen?

Ugo, I never, ever once

thought about marrying you.

That might be why.

Were you two together

for a long time?

No, we were kids. It was...

It died out fast.

Hmm.

He's... He's still pretty into you.

He's an alcoholic, sex addict. So...

- He's pretty into everybody.

- Yeah.

Right.

You followed me yesterday.

No.

Yeah.

I saw you in town.

I was there. But I wasn't following you.

Mmm.

Well, what were you up to?

Shopping.

For?

I happened to be in the market for a...

a tall mound of bright orange spices.

Nice.

No. He looked wasted,

and I just wanted

to make sure you were safe.

Am I?

Very pretty.

- Sure. Goodbye.

- Goodbye.

What's all the texting about?

Work.

Yeah, I... think my bosses

might be a bunch of dicks.

Oh. Why is that?

It's boring.

You don't want to hear about it.

No, I'm interested. Tell me.

Okay. I found this West Virginia property

sitting on a vein of coal.

My bosses got all excited about it.

Me coming in with a hot deal.

You know, it's all good.

But?

The seller wants to stick around.

It's his family property,

he doesn't want a bunch of New Yorkers

to come in and cut off his mountaintop.

So I gave him my word.

My bosses originally said,

- "Sure, not a problem."

- All right.

I'm looking at all these emails

that make it clear

they're going to dump him.

Uff. Sounds shitty.

Yeah, it is shitty, you know?

I mean, how hard is it

to just do the right thing?

For most people, practically impossible.

Well, I was

when I was a little kid...

- Yeah.

- Were you excited?

What's all your texting about?

Real estate ads. I hate real estate ads.

Whoever invented the phrase

"en suite bath" should be eviscerated.

Why are you looking at real estate?

I gotta get a place to live.

Well, what happened to the farmhouse?

Parted ways.

You and the house,

or you and the sculptor?

- Both.

- Ah.

- How long were you together?

- Um...

- Fourteen years.

- Wow.

Fourteen years.

That's a long time. What... What happened?

Funny story. Uh...

Actually, he got cancer.

And...

Yeah. Cancer is always funny.

He's fine. He's going to be fine.

Okay.

It was caught early,

wildly treatable. All of that.

But it was scary for a month or so,

and that was just long enough for him

to have a big ol' epiphany.

Which was what?

That he'd spent 14 years

with somebody who, uh...

and I quote...

"Has a heart incapable of love."

You don't believe that, do you?

I don't know.

Evidently,

I'm only bearable when I'm not writing.

Are you ever not writing?

That's what makes it funny.

Right?

So, are you stuck?

That's not the word I'd use.

What is the word?

"Stuck."

My favorite coach used to say,

"If it doesn't take hard work to get,

it's probably not worth having."

Yeah? I don't know.

I think sometimes great things

just land in our lap.

Guess they're back from the desert.

Good night.

- Hey.

- Yeah.

For what it's worth...

I think you're extremely bearable.

Good night, Owen.

Owen, what is your problem?

You've barely said a word to me.

Sorry. You've been

sleeping off your hangover.

You're upset

because I'm having fun.

You know, ever since we got here,

you've been just aloof and...

Hey, I'm not the one

throwing around bullshit words,

getting high every night,

and coming in without any clothes on.

Wow!

That's what's been occupying your mind

while you've been passing up chances

to see the Sahara Desert?

I had food poisoning.

If it wasn't that, it'd be something else,

you always find a way

to ruin the things I'm excited about.

What have I ever ruined for you?

How about this trip, for example?

That's bullshit.

You know, all this stuff

that you suddenly can't stand about me,

none of it's new.

This is me. This has always been me.

It used to be fine.

It wasn't fine.

Okay? It's always bothered me

that you don't read fiction

or appreciate art.

I just don't say anything because

I didn't want you to feel insecure.

Oh.

Thanks for being so thoughtful.

Look, Owen...

All of this stuff, like...

This is, like, core person stuff for me.

And you act like it's an annoyance.

I don't know what you want from me.

Sometimes I don't think

you know what you want. Period.

You're right.

Enjoy your time,

I'll stay out of your way.

Great.

Hey.

Hey.

Okay?

Thirsty?

Well, I couldn't

sort things out sober, so now I'm drunk.

Mmm-hmm.

So, what's the issue?

Uh...

You know, just...

What's the right way to live your life.

Oh.

Right.

- So, the easy stuff.

- Yeah.

The way I see it is you got two options.

There's my usual approach.

Which is?

When things get tough, you get tougher.

Right.

It's not hard to get,

then it's not worth having.

- Mmm-hmm.

- Right.

And what's the other one?

Be careful there.

I could fall for a kid like you.

What did you call me?

Kid.

Wow. Okay.

Owen. It's not a criticism.

That's good to know.

Thanks.

Owen.

Damn it.

Hey.

I was looking for you.

When I woke up this morning,

and you weren't there...

I thought you just left.

You know, just...

given up on us.

Look, I know we've been off.

Or whatever. I've been off.

But I also know that...

we've both been unhappy.

You've been unhappy.

Do you even like me?

I don't always like you.

Come on. You don't always like me.

I just... I'm not perfect, you know.

And neither are you.

Maybe all this...

Maybe all this stuff, it's just...

Maybe it's just a messy part of...

being together.

Maybe we should

just go home and start over.

f*ck.

Uh... I just want to apologize

for last night.

I got all drunk and stupid,

- and the truth is...

- Look...

...meeting you has been the best thing

to come out of this whole trip.

And also...

I'm leaving.

I'm gonna do some exploring.

Where you headed?

I don't know.

But I think you should come.

I'm a fool

For that shake in your thighs

I'm a fool

For that sound in your sighs

Thank you.

I'm a fool for your barely...

Thanks.

You're welcome.

So...

What exactly are we doing?

I'm not exactly sure what we're doing.

But I'm happy I'm doing it with you.

Me too.

I want to make this play

Oh, I know you're faded

Hmm, but stay, don't close your hands

I want to make this play

Oh, I know you're faded

Hmm, but stay, don't close your hands

Ooh, stay open

Ooh, stay open

Hey.

Look. Comes with a bed.

Nice.

You know,

I didn't think you'd come with me.

No?

Almost didn't ask.

Why did you?

'Cause I like you.

I felt good when I'm with you.

I feel like myself again.

Haven't felt that way in a while.

Same.

Morning.

Morning.

You're working?

A little.

I think I figured it out.

Oh, yeah?

Overnight, I just...

How all the... pieces come together.

Overnight, huh?

Yeah.

Sometimes it happens like that.

You know? You look the other way and...

kinda just sorts itself out.

It's probably what you do

before sleep, though,

that makes the difference.

Right?

I mean, yesterday you're stuck, and now...

I don't think you have it

all figured out yet.

- No?

- No.

I think I should come over here

and get a little more unstuck.

- Yeah. Olive. Okay.

- Olive.

And you know I love an olive. So...

It's good.

You want some alone time today?

Mmm... No.

I won't mind. I can go for a walk.

Let you work for a while.

No.

Sure?

I'm sure.

- All right.

- Yeah.

So, do you want to know what I did today?

Same thing I did, I think.

Yeah, yeah. And, uh...

I quit my job.

- What?

- Mmm-hmm.

I mean, not officially,

but I set the ball in motion.

Owen, that's huge.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But you know what did it was...

was watching you work.

Seeing you all lit up by it.

I mean, you really love

what you do, right?

Always.

I mean, even if I'm getting nowhere.

- Yeah.

- I... I do.

Yeah.

And I don't.

I mean, not how I'm doing it right now.

It's like, win at any cost,

doesn't matter who you destroy.

And I... I just...

I don't want to do it that way.

I don't want to be like that.

It's a compromise I'm not gonna make.

So you won't.

'Cause that's not you.

- I'm excited for you.

- Thank you.

Yeah. How do you feel?

- Yeah. Terrified. Yeah.

- What?

Which... which one of your books

should I... should I read first?

You're good.

You don't need to read a book.

No. I... I do need to.

The fact that people around the world

know things about you that I don't...

I f*cking hate that.

You know, you know things

about me they never will.

Yeah? Like what?

Like, my nickname.

What's your nickname again?

I'm not telling you.

I don't know.

Maybe I just live here.

You know?

Get a little apartment,

become a fisherwoman.

I love that.

Yeah?

Can I stay too?

Please.

Yeah. You're in?

- I would love to be.

- Great.

It's a plan.

That's a plan.

You know what I was thinking about today?

The swing route.

What's that?

It's a passing pattern in football.

You use it when things aren't exactly

going your way in the game.

But what it comes down to is trusting

your instincts enough to make the call.

Finding hope... in a big mess.

That's what this is.

Yeah.

sh*t. Your bag.

My book!

My book!

Stop!

f*ck.

f*ck.

I'm sorry.

Oh, my God.

Is it backed up?

No. It's not backed up.

I'm sorry.

Please. Please. Just...

Don't...

Hey. You're here.

Did you...

No luck.

I've been looking everywhere.

You okay?

Me, too. I was just walking around.

I was looking through trash cans,

thinking maybe they would

take the cash and dump the rest.

Sorry I... snapped at you.

- Shouldn't have done that.

- No, it's fine. You were upset.

No, it's not fine. I'm saying I'm sorry.

Okay.

So, I think I need to, um,

go home.

Well, I don't have one,

but find a place to live, you know?

And then...

Maybe that's where I start.

Maybe that's what I have to do.

Okay. Let's do that.

- Let's get on a plane tonight.

- I have to do that alone.

I think I have to do it alone.

I'm sorry.

Come on. I'm not letting you

fly home like this by yourself.

I mean, you should slow down

and take a breath.

Look at me. Please. I'm a mess.

I need to figure this out myself, and...

You don't know what I need

if I don't know what I need.

- All right. Stop, stop.

- I'm trying to get my...

I need to get out of here.

Hey. I know this is hard.

Okay? I do. And I'm sorry.

But I'm right here. Just let me help you.

How are you gonna help me?

I just lost two years of my life.

How do you help that?

I don't have the other stuff.

Hobbies and nicknames.

I just have my writing. That's it.

I'm sorry.

This is all my fault. It's not you.

I mean, my God,

rule number one as a traveler, right,

is keep your eyes on your bag.

Right? Like, what was I thinking?

And I just sat there looking at the ocean

with my bag sitting behind me.

That's just stupid.

Katherine, I know you're upset and...

and you want to get out of here,

but I don't think

you should leave like this.

No? What should I do? Stay?

Stick around and see what else I can lose?

That's not what I'm saying.

I came here finish a book.

I should've just finished my book.

I f*cked up.

I just let myself get distracted.

Distracted?

Distracted.

That's what this is to you? A distraction?

I'm really sorry about your book.

Okay. Final question.

This is your eighth novel.

How has the process of writing

changed for you over the years?

Well, I suppose the process

hasn't changed all that much.

What does change

is what I learned from it.

Every book gives me something,

teaches me something.

What did this one teach you?

The truth is,

I had no idea when I started.

Um...

My books often evolve

from some sort of confusion.

Some unresolved question

rattling around in there.

And this time I was thinking a lot

about the instinct to cut and run,

to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

And when we do that, we tell ourselves

that we're running from danger.

But that could just be bullshit.

It could be that we're not

running from danger at all.

But from safety.

Maybe that's the truly terrifying thing.

Being seen.

Known.

Loved.

But maybe that's just me.

Sounds like a perfect place to end.

Katherine Loewe,

thank you so much for your time.

Oh, thank you.

Thanks.

You keep me walking on the same line

When we get high on my break time

And we're just watching

From the same town

But that don't change

When it break down

Then we were talking

About the same crime...

- Thanks.

- All right.

Learnt my lesson at the same time

Go? Back on 74

Call this place my home

Never gonna cry anymore

Where did it all...

Hey.

Hey.

How are you?

Um... I'm... good. How are you?

Yeah, I'm good.

You, uh... You live around here, or?

Uh... No. Patricia...

I dragged her down here.

We're celebrating her latest book.

- Oh, right.

- It's brilliant.

I was gonna tell you why...

Can I...

No, it's okay. I gotta run.

I just wanted to say hello.

Um...

It's nice to see you.

Okay. That's a story

I need to hear in its entirety.

Oh, all of us.

There you are.

- You okay?

- Yeah. I'm good.

Let's go, we're gonna miss the start.

Owen?

Owen.

One second.

Hey, I get it

if you don't want to talk to me.

No, it's okay.

I've been trying

to figure out some way to...

to reach out to you.

To say I'm sorry.

My God. The way I left...

I picked up my phone 100 times,

but couldn't dial. 'Cause...

'Cause I was embarrassed.

All I can say is I was out of my head.

That is no excuse.

It's... It's just the truth,

and... I don't know.

I came back and I was...

I was barely functioning.

Walking around like a zombie,

trying to find

a place to live with a realtor.

I mean, not looking

for a place to live with a realtor.

But just...

Right.

The point is...

I missed you.

Every minute.

And that's the thing about writing.

It lets you hold on to something you lost.

So I did that.

Then I wrote a book...

called The Swing Route.

- The Swing Route?

- Yeah.

The Swing Route.

It's about finding hope in a big mess.

Something you said.

Yeah. Yeah, I remember.

You do?

Oh, yeah.

All of it.

- Owen, are you coming or no?

- One second.

Yeah, so...

You gotta go.

And, I just wanted to say...

just know you were never a distraction.

You were the whole point.

It doesn't matter what I tell myself

For a moment there I swear I saw me

I went to meet somebody new

Changed beneath the evening light

And she held me kind of like you do

I hope you know

I could have been somebody who

You wanted to have around to hold

I should have jumped

When you told me to

I wanna change but it's nothing new

And if I grow I'm gonna get so old

I wanna change but it's nothing new

And if I grow I'm gonna get so old

Will you hold me like you always do?