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Love T.A.L.
(Transient Affective Latency)
This work has been published for free and open disemination, although all property rights are reserved. The public use of this work requires the author's permission and in order to obtain the corresponding authorization contact bengavarre@gmail.com or gavarreunam@gmail.com (Reg. Prop. Int. Expte. Inbox)
Characters:
Fernanda: A psychoanalyst, 45, with a Compulsive Perfectionism Syndrome.
Jorge: A "composer," 29, who suffers from Inoperable Narcissism and a Crisis of Immature Adulthood.
Héctor: A philosophy professor, 36, with a Compulsive Psychical Disorder.
Helena: A translator, 29, with a Chronic Codependency Syndrome.
Doctor Ciborg: A cybernetic psychoanalyst with some failures.
(The play is set in minimalist spaces. The stage design is simple, with projections and music that change according to the characters' emotional state).
I: The Absent Couple
(Héctor and Helena's apartment. The music is a cold, repetitive classical piece. Héctor stands still, staring into space. Helena tries to get closer, but each time she does, he takes a step back, as if a force field is repelling him).
Helena:
(Tired)
What is it that you do, my love? I've counted seventeen steps between you and me.
Héctor:
(Without looking at her)
I am analyzing my “vital space.” The space in which I feel comfortable, far from codependency. It's a theory.
Helena:
(In a pleading voice)
My therapist says I should get closer, that I should break your bubble of “Compulsive Psychical Disorder.”
(Helena lunges to hug him. With an absurd speed, he ducks and pops up on the other side. The hug hangs in the air).
Héctor:
My space! No, no, no! That could provoke a Hyperbolic Panic Attack.
Helena:
(She falls to her knees, defeated)
I feel as if I were all alone.
Héctor:
(Approaches her with a tablet. He looks at it without interest)
The manual says you should process that feeling and translate it into data. "Loneliness = 100%." Your Chronic Codependency Syndrome is at a critical level.
(Helena stands up. Héctor sees her and backs away again. She holds out her hand. He gets into a guard, like a karateka).
Helena:
I just want to hold your hand.
Héctor:
(Looks at her suspiciously. Slowly and methodically, he takes a latex glove from his pocket and puts it on. He offers her his hand. Helena takes it tenderly).
The protocols for physical contact must be respected. My doctor says so.
Helena:
(With tears in her eyes)
What does my hand make you feel?
Héctor:
(Analyzing)
A thermal sensation of 36.5 degrees. A pressure of 10 Newtons. A slight tremor, which indicates a probable Unidentified Anxiety Crisis. It is interesting.
Helena:
(She lets go of his hand and goes to a corner, sobbing silently. He observes her, takes a sip of whiskey from the table and looks at her for a moment).
Héctor:
(To his tablet)
My diagnosis: her psyche is blocked. It is the only way her sadness won't affect me.
Helena:
(She gets up and looks at Héctor, filled with rage).
You are a fraud! A coward!
Héctor:
(Without reacting)
You insult me, but you do not alter my vital constants. It is for the good of the relationship. The manual says that I must be "imperturbable."
(Helena grabs a prop hammer and chases Héctor. He moves about the stage with absurd agility to avoid her, as if in a video game. The scene ends with Héctor jumping over a sofa, while Helena throws the hammer at him. He dodges it, and the hammer breaks a ridiculously large framed picture).
II: The Narcissistic Code
(Fernanda and Jorge's apartment. The music is relaxing jazz with discordant notes. The stage is filled with half-finished objects. Jorge has a notepad and a pencil, but he does not write anything. Fernanda tries to bring order to the chaos in a nurse's uniform).
Fernanda:
(With an air of superiority)
Your Inoperable Psychical Disorder is the problem. You cannot create, you only fantasize.
Jorge:
(Laughing)
My creative genius cannot be confined in your bourgeois codes, Fernanda. It is a lifestyle.
Fernanda:
(Takes a tray with pills)
Doctor Ciborg has prescribed this for you. A "blocker for inoperable fantasies."
Jorge:
(Arrogantly)
Do you think you're my mother?
Fernanda:
Sometimes I feel that way. I always have to solve your problems, pay the bills and deal with your "adventures."
Jorge:
(Feigning surprise)
Adventures? What are you talking about?
(At that moment, a pizza delivery man enters. Jorge gives him a bill. The delivery man takes off his helmet, revealing he is an attractive man. The delivery man laughs with Jorge and winks at him. Fernanda gets furious).
Fernanda:
(In a very low, threatening voice)
What does this mean, Jorge?
Jorge:
Nothing, my love. He's just the delivery man.
Fernanda:
(He takes the laser beam away, as if it were a toy)
Your Crisis of Immature Adulthood is a plague, Jorge! Your need for validation from strangers is affecting your Inoperable Narcissism Syndrome.
Jorge:
Calm down! You have a pathology that not even the doctor himself could cure!
Fernanda:
(Dramatically)
What do you mean?
Jorge:
You are a hopeless case, an emotional codependent who needs to solve a "Peter Pan's" life so as not to feel lonely.
Fernanda:
(With a sinister smile)
I know how to solve your problems, my love.
(Fernanda grabs a prop drill from the table and goes straight for Jorge's head, as if to fix his brain. He gets scared, screaming and jumping about the stage. She chases him, but he is faster. The scene ends with Jorge hiding behind a sofa).
III: TERAPEURHOME is the solution
(The stage transforms into a minimalist space. In the center, there is a pedestal with a holographic projection of Doctor Ciborg with an unalterable smile and the appearance of a healer. The room is semi-divided by lines of light, but all the characters can see and hear each other. The music is an elevator melody, relaxing but monotonous. The four characters sit in separate armchairs).
Doctor Ciborg:
(With a soft and melodic voice)
Welcome, my distinguished patients. I am the most recent update created by Terapeurhome, DOCTOR CIBORG. My function, like previous versions, is to scan your emotional conflicts and provide solutions in an optimized protocol. The system is infallible and has been designed to treat several couples at a time, which optimizes therapy time and makes results 89.04% more efficient.
(Doctor Ciborg scans Héctor and Helena with a green light beam).
Doctor Ciborg:
Diagnosis: Compulsive Psychical Disorder in the blocking phase. The gentleman suffers from emotional avoidance. His partner suffers from chronic codependency. The interaction protocol recommends a per-fect-hu-gue.
(Helena gets up and approaches Héctor with her arms open. With an absurd speed, he moves away from her, bumping into the sofa).
Héctor:
The new system does not understand that my psyche fractures upon contact!
Helena:
You do not understand that my heart breaks if you do not take my hand!
(Doctor Ciborg scans Jorge and Fernanda with a blue light beam).
Doctor Ciborg:
Diagnosis: Inoperable Narcissism with an Acute Negation Phase. And you, madam, suffer from Compulsive Perfectionism Syndrome with Unrealistic Expectations. Interaction protocol: reinforced-applause.
(Doctor Ciborg emits a loud sound and a flash of light. Suddenly, Jorge and Fernanda find themselves energetically applauding each other, with exaggerated and forced gestures).
Fernanda:
(Annoyed, but still applauding)
This is absurd. I am not going to applaud my partner for his antics.
Jorge:
(Smiling in a fake manner, also applauding)
Come on, my love, the system gave us an order!
(Doctor Ciborg blinks and its light changes to an intermittent red color).
Doctor Ciborg:
(In a more robotic and choppy voice)
Error! Error! Anomaly detected! Patients present an unusual pattern of four hands and two heads. My scan cannot understand the anatomy of this mutant being.
(The four characters get up, alarmed, looking at each other, confused).
Helena:
(Scared)
But if we are just two couples! What is happening?
Héctor:
(To Doctor Ciborg, with authority)
This is a diagnostic failure, machine! Your algorithm is defective. We are four individual beings, not a single mutant!
(Doctor Ciborg continues blinking. Its projections become distorted, showing images of people with multiple arms and legs).
Doctor Ciborg:
(In a panicked, accelerated voice)
Multiple system failures! My brain is short-circuiting! The algorithm of happiness is irreparable. My solutions are false!
(Doctor Ciborg, who until now was a hologram, materializes as a man with an almost perfect appearance. He holds his hands to his head. The room falls silent.
The four characters look at each other, first with disbelief, then with a laugh that begins to be liberating).
Fernanda:
(Laughing out loud)
Do you see? Do you see? Not even science, not the most advanced technology, not a cybernetic psychoanalyst could solve anything.
Jorge:
So, we have to solve our lives all by ourselves.
Héctor:
(With a genuine smile for the first time)
The system collapsed. I wonder if the manual says anything about this.
Helena:
(Hugs Héctor, who, to everyone's surprise, does not move away)
What a foolish thing! And we were wasting our time here!
Jorge:
As the old proverb says: "The best psychoanalysis is a good party."
Fernanda:
(Taking Jorge's arm)
That sounds like an excellent idea. Shall we go?
Helena:
(Taking Héctor's arm, smiling)
Yes, let's go!
(They head for the exit, happy with their newfound freedom. Jorge stops and looks at Doctor Ciborg).
Jorge:
(To Doctor Ciborg, in a friendly voice)
Hey, Doctor. Don't be alone. Come to the party. We'll buy you a beer.
Doctor Ciborg:
(A red light turns on in his chest. His voice is barely a robotic whisper)
I cannot guarantee… that I can drink.
(The four laugh out loud. They exit the stage, while Doctor Ciborg is left alone, motionless, on the stage).
IV: The Party of Defects
(The stage transforms into a party. Blinking neon lights, soft electronic music. The four characters and Doctor Ciborg are on stage, each one displaying their personality in an exaggerated way. There are strange drinks and holographic snacks. Some screens in the background show distorted news from the Global Government AI).
Jorge:
(Dancing alone, with exaggerated movements, surrounded by holograms of his "fans")
This is life! Pure inspiration! Do you see, Fernanda? The music flows, without inhibitions.
Fernanda:
(Watching Jorge with a notebook and a pencil, with an eyebrow raised)
Your Inoperable Narcissism is in its boiling phase. You need a self-regulation protocol. And please, Jorge, those augmented reality glasses are from the previous season.
Helena:
(Trying to get Héctor to dance, while he looks at the ceiling)
Come on, Héctor! Leave your Compulsive Psychical Disorder for one night. Feel the music!
Héctor:
(Calculating the rhythm of the music with his tablet)
According to my data, the BPM is 128. A rhythm that is too chaotic for emotional stability. It is a risk factor for a Hyperbolic Panic Attack.
Doctor Ciborg:
(Approaches a table with drinks. He touches one. His hand vibrates)
Interesting. My sensors detect 8% alcohol. Not compatible with my hardware.
Jorge:
(Laughing)
Oh, Doctor! It seems that the party is not your favorite algorithm. Have you seen the news from the Global Government? The Mandatory Happiness Algorithms are about to be implemented.
(One of the screens in the background shows an announcement: "Smile! Your happiness is mandatory. Controlled by the Global Government AI.").
Fernanda:
(Sighs)
What a nightmare. These AIs have taken everything from us. First the traditions... Does anyone remember Día de Muertos? Or Halloween? Now they are only "Urban Legends of Emotional Optimization."
Helena:
(With sadness)
My grandmother used to tell me about Santa Claus and the Three Kings. Now, the AI of the "Gift and Child Expectation Control" decided they were inefficient.
Héctor:
(Looking at the screen with a thoughtful expression)
The Global Government AI seeks efficiency, not emotion. It is a logical calculation. Traditions are "unoptimized cultural variations."
Jorge:
(With a wink to the audience)
And the surprise? The illusion? That cannot be programmed, my esteemed philosopher. That is the chaos of life. Just like my music!
(Jorge tries to sing a high note, but his voice cracks and he coughs).
Fernanda:
(She jots down notes in her notebook, laughing)
Your Crisis of Immature Adulthood is still intact, my love. And your "chaos of life" still sounds like a mess.
Helena:
(To Héctor, with a resigned smile)
And you, my dear, still have your latex glove in your hand. It seems the party does not break your protocols.
Héctor:
(Looking at his hand, with a hint of surprise)
Wow. It seems that my Compulsive Psychical Disorder is more resilient than I thought.
Doctor Ciborg:
(Looks at everyone, holds a hand to his head, with an almost human expression of perplexity)
My data indicates that... your behavior patterns have not changed significantly. Despite the "relaxation event."
Fernanda:
(Laughs)
Exactly, Doctor. We are still the same. With the same defects, the same quirks.
Jorge:
(Hugs Fernanda, who lets him, surprised)
And perhaps that is what makes us... human?
Helena:
(Takes Héctor's hand, this time without the glove. He does not pull it away, he just looks at it)
Perhaps we have to accept each other as we are. With their chaos and their protocols.
Héctor:
(Looks at his hand and then at Helena, nodding slowly)
Or learn to be alone... but with the awareness of who we are.
Doctor Ciborg:
(Looks at Jorge, then at Fernanda, Helena and finally Héctor. A small blue light blinks on his chest, as if he were processing something new)
My data indicates that imperfection is a constant in the human system. An irreversible-failure. But... it is also the engine of your... interaction. Interesting.
Fernanda:
(Approaches Doctor Ciborg, pats him on the shoulder)
Exactly, Doctor. And you, with your failures and your doubts, are the living proof of it. Welcome to the club!
(They all laugh. The music gets a little louder. The characters look at each other with a new understanding, a silent acceptance of their own defects and those of the other. Doctor Ciborg, with an expression that for the first time is not just an unalterable smile, but a mix of confusion and amazement, joins the moment, although without dancing. The light blinks, indicating that he is still processing everything).
THE END
