#audra corelli

[eternaltides]

A Terrible Depth

Prologue, April 1998

Transcript below the cut

April 1998

Walt Whitman High School

Bethesda, MD

JIP. So…you needed me to come with you to the fax machine…why? 

AUDRA. [Laughing] Because that mean front desk lady still scares me! I need you for moral support. 

JIP. Ugh, Mrs. Fullerton. The worst. But make it snappy, I have book returns to sort through. 

LIZ, AUDRA, PRINCIPAL NEWCOMB, MRS. BURNS, MR. EVERETT. SURPRISE!!! 

JIP. Oh, you guys!

LIZ. Welcome to your little office baby shower!

JIP. Oh, I’m so touched. This was so kind of all of you! 

MRS. BURNS. You know it was your girls who put this whole thing together. [Smiling] We just helped! 

JIP. You know you guys really didn’t need to do this for me! I’m up to my neck in baby stuff already.

AUDRA. We know, you said. That’s why when you said you wouldn’t be having a shower for baby boy #2, we knew we had to make you feel special somehow! 

PRINCIPAL NEWCOMB. Jip, we wanted to really congratulate you. Even if it’s this small little breakroom party. 

JIP. Well, this isn’t small to me. Thank you all; this means the world to me!