9th Opportunity :: Action/Video

[recognize_an_opportunity]

[Meyer doesn't always take a day off work. In fact, this is his first day off since the casino opened. That's why, on this lovely afternoon, he's wandering a little aimlessly now, cigarette in hand, looking for something to pass the time that isn't work.

For awhile, he wanders around the area by the fountain, occasionally stopping to sit down and write something down in a tiny spiral bound notebook, then standing up and wandering again. After awhile, though, he seems to get bored, and turns on the video to ask a question -- or rather, make a proposition.]

I'm going for drinks. Does anyone want to come?

[It may be a bit early in the day for drinking, but it's his day off -- this is what people do on their days off, right? With that question posed to the entire City, he strolls off in search of a bar that has relatively inexpensive and plentiful alcohol.]

Comments

[spotlighted]

We already found out the power of cigarettes, remember? [She can't help but laugh.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

That was not a particularly welcome reintroduction to the City.

[spotlighted]

How long did you go without in the end?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Forty eight hours.

[Forty eight miserable hours. And yes, he counted.]

[spotlighted]

Bet it felt a lot longer, huh?

[She takes a long drag of her own cigarette for good measure.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

It felt like forty eight years.

[spotlighted]

Well, you sure look good for forty-eight.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

I always knew looking young would be useful someday.

[He's once again surprised at how much of his glass of wine he's managed to drink. How could he have gone through it that quickly when they've been consistently talking? Still, he's not complaining.]

[spotlighted]

Yeah, I'm sure when you're fifty and being mistaken for younger, you'll appreciate it. At least, that's the sort of thing I'd appreciate, but I don't know if it's the same with guys.

[Refilling his glass is practically an unconscious gesture at this point.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

We're not as invested as women in looking younger than we are, I can say that much.

[In fact, sometimes he'd like to look older than he was.]

[spotlighted]

I'll bet you're all more worried about getting a woman that looks younger than you, at that age.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Probably. Or just about getting a woman at all.

[spotlighted]

Oh, there's plenty of them about.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Statistically speaking, 90% of them won't be interested in you, 7% of those that are interested won't be your type, and 2.5% of them will be involved with someone else. Not great odds, when you think about it.

[He made those numbers up from nowhere, but it sounds good to him in his less than sober state.]

[spotlighted]

That sounds more than a little pessimistic to me. ...Besides, 93% of statistics are made up on the spur of the moment.

[That one, for instance.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

The way I see it, pessimism and realism can sound remarkably similar. This is one of those cases.

[spotlighted]

I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You're good looking, you're smart, you've got a lot of things that girls go crazy for.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Sure, I could probably meet someone if I wanted to.

[spotlighted]

So it's that you don't want to rather than that you couldn't. That's a completely different way of looking at it.

[Already halfway through this third bottle of wine.]

[recognize_an_opportunity]

Sure, you could put it that way.

[He'll be having some more of that wine too. Is he smiling too much? He thinks he might be smiling too much, but it's hard to tell, because the alcohol is finally going to his head and making him feel more than a little inebriated.]

[spotlighted]

So when we went out before, that was a scientific exercise or something?

[recognize_an_opportunity]

It wasn't particularly scientific.

[But it was kind of an experiment, yes.]

[spotlighted]

If you were anyone else, I might be insulted.

[recognize_an_opportunity]

It's not intended to be an insult. You're a very attractive, talented woman.

[spotlighted]

I guess you're about as objective an opinion as I'm going to get on that, so thanks.