Farce

A Farce in Two Scenes

Scene One:

She drives by the house and see that the stranger is not sitting on the front porch. She drives around the block and parks on a side street. From her car she calls the man to find out if the stranger is home. His door opens. He listens and goes back inside his apartment and closes the door. He tells her the stranger is upstairs and listening to music (Debussy) with his door closed. She leaves her car and approaches the house. She opens the front door and rings his bell. He walks down and ushers her onto the landing. When he doesn't hear the stranger approaching to open his door he motions to her. She runs into his apartment. He closes the door..

Time passes.

Scene Two:

He opens his door and shuts it, leaving her inside the apartment. He checks through the building making sure the stranger is not in the hallway, on the stairs, in the laundry room or out on the front porch. He goes back to his door, opens it and motions to her to go. She runs down the stairs, through the front door and out to her car. She drives away. The ruse was successful, the liaison took place, the deal was made.

The only problem with these scenarios is that the stranger saw and heard most of the amusing episode from his vantage point in the apartment above: the car driving by, the bell being rung, the opening and closing of the door, the footsteps on the stairs, the voices.

Is this a French farce or real life? There are other scenarios similar to this one such as confrontations between he and the stranger, transparent attempts to cover and the car driving on as she sees the stranger on the porch. And she has other tricks, like ringing the stranger's bell or calling his phone number. If he answers them she knows she dare not come in. But they all amount to the same thing: intrigue, underhanded maneuvers, sneaking, pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and pointless concealment of shameful actions.

Is it a French farce, real life, or both. Whatever it is it has become an entertainment for the stranger.

DB - the Vagabond
Never give up.
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