The Dancer's Common-Law Husband Is Moving Out Day!

She's a dancer, and so she walks the hardwood floors barefoot in short, quick paces. He's a sculptor of some former renown, but lately his money is running out and he's fallen in love with his assistant. Moving out was his idea. He doesn't know that she's been offered a big wad of money to choreograph a film. She's not telling him, for fear that he'll stick around. Instead, she's walking the hardwood floors barefoot in short, quick paces, manufacturing chores to make herself look preoccupied while one half of her last nine years is being sorted into wine bottle boxes.

"Hey hey slow down," he says to her. She stops with some junk mail in her hands. He takes a seat on the couch and waits for her to join him. She sits.

"I wonder what you think," he says. Her blood's picking up. He's going to ask if she wants to give it another shot. Maybe he found out about the money.

He rubs his face, exhausted. Or at least with the semblance of exhaustion. "I don't know. Does this shit ever work? Relationships?"

Oh Jesus, she thinks. He wants a pep talk.

"You're worried about Tina?" Tina's his assistant.

"No, I know that's not gonna last. She's twenty fucking five. But you and me, we're like over forty. Shouldn't we be ready to settle in to something?"

She says, "When we met you were thirty three. I was thirty-four. We both still had vivid dreams. Neither of them came true. Not the one I had for myself nor the one I had about you. We're disappointed is all. We wanna dream about something again."

He doesn't respond immediately. Just shakes his head with a silly smile on his face. Then, "Your dreams didn't all fade to nothing. Sure, your company's defunct, but that led to you choreographing a big Hollywood movie."

He knows. "Yeah," she says. Did he just throw that up in her face? Is he gonna try to stick around to live off her for a while? Does he know how much money she's gonna be paid (she's gonna be paid a whole lotta money).

"Tina's great though," he says. "I think we'll have a lotta fun for a while. And you'll be kept busy with this movie. It's gonna be cool."

Holy shit, he's giving her a pep talk. He feels guilty is all. "Yeah," she says. She wants him out immediately. "I'll be okay."

Dear God, he's getting up and crossing to her. He's going to give her a hug. Oh Christ, he's so going to give her a hug.

Happy The Dancer's Common-Law Husband Is Moving Out Day!