Sylvie - Yoo hoo? My love? Where are you? What’s going on?

Gaël – They’re sickening!

S – Who’s sickening?

G – The Arts Council have cancelled my grant.

S – Oh no! It can’t be true! That’s so annoying. I am sorry.

G – Sorry, sorry…that doesn’t get me my grant – Dammit!

S – That’s true. So what are you going to do?

G – (Says with sarcasm and disgust) I'll give it all up. That’s what I’ll do. Get a real job like the poor suckers who get up every morning to earn their pittance, never having the courage to change…

 S – You can’t do that! You have more sense – For heaven’s sake! You have so much talent! Look around you – it’s so beautiful what you’ve done. I have so much confidence in you. I love you. You’ll submit a new project and it will be accepted and … regarding money, (rolls her eyes and shrugs) that’s nothing! I just need to work an extra two hours every day at the hospital, that’s all! (cuddling up to him with her head on his shoulder)

G – (Paying no attention to her) They’re sickening, sickening, sickening! (as he throws paint at the canvas with his brush)

S – Yes, yes, yes! They’ll learn!

G – (Suddenly he becomes aware that she is beside him, he turns to face her and starts painting on her face) …Baby?

S  –  (As he speaks and paints on her face, she is staring deeply into his eyes, getting weak and limp, as if hypnotized.)…Yes, Darling?

G – Would it bother you, now that I've lost the grant, to give me another $1,000 dollars?

S – No, of course not, no problem.

G – (Completely uninterested again, he stands up and throws his brush on the table) Ok, you clean this up  - I don’t have the heart. (He walks away)

S – Oh, I understand. I’ll take care of it immediately. (She starts cleaning up his mess. She looks at the canvas that has only a few messy strokes of paint on it. She says with wonder in her voice…) Look at that! It’s soooo beautiful!

(Fade out)