I’ve probed deeper into Trip and Gace and have generated further stageplays. The last few times I tried to take on more of a persona, such as the lonely Nicole, who wants to revive a relationship with Trip they experienced so long ago, and that Nicole who wants to leave the apartment and take a walk.
But I keep coming up against this:
GRACE
Nicole, I’ve actually been paying close attention to what you’ve been saying tonight.GRACE
You’ve really been pushing me.GRACE
It makes me wonder if you’re really my friend…?TRIP
Grace!GRACE
Nicole, I’ve got to ask you — yes or no…GRACE
Do you really think that…GRACE
praising me…GRACE
praising Trip…GRACE
telling me to make art…GRACE
and what you said about listening too much to your spouse…GRACE
that it’s all supposed to make me realize something about myself?
These are responses to a Nicole who has come to the apartment with light-hearted responses and lots of questions. But Grace has not been “paying close attention.” And there’s not much else I want to do.
I’d love to hear about more experiences with Grace and Trip.
Oh all right. I’ll go talk some sense into them.
I think Trip and Grace should just get a divorce. They don’t listen.
Actually, once Trip admitted that he manipulated Grace into marrying him, that she’s truly an artist (which she admitted she does while he’s away on business trips) and that he has had an affair, they thanked me for helping them and they’re going to sit down and talk. I left. I was Amy.
It would be curious to see if certain “friends” are tagged to a particular ending. Trip & Grace got kind of nasty with each other, but then the truth started coming out. I asked a lot of “whys” etc.
Susan, I’d love to see some of the stageplay to this. Can you put up the lead in to the breakthrough on Spinning?
How did you get Trip to admit to the manipulation? Very nice work. You may have a clue to the question: how to talk to G and T that could lead to more satisfying experiences.
Will post it tomorrow morning; I want to go back in a couple more times first. Actually, Trip admitted both to forcing the marriage, and to keeping
Grace from her art in two separate sessions, once to Chloe and once to Amy. Both ended where peaceably and with promise.
I’m just a born psych. Not psycho–psychiatristic.
Interesting. I had gone after this issue myself but had failed because by the time I addressed T’s manipulation the arguments were out of control. Is the key then to catch things early enough before you lose their attention. I want to try this.
But then what?