Standing Still

Outline

-The story begins with a young man arguing with his girlfriend.
-The young man leaves her apartment.
-He crosses a street and almost gets hit by a car on his way to the subway station.
-Once in the subway station, the young man runs into his childhood best friend he hasn’t spoken to in years.
-They speak briefly.
-The young man rides the subway.
-He gets off the train and walks by a homeless man he once met whose words had always stuck with him.
-The young man exits the subway station where he sees a big field.
-The young man sees a stray dog.
-It looks much like the dog he had growing up.
-The young man follows the dog down a path nearby that takes him to a lake.
-Fishing off a pier is his favorite teacher from college.
-The young man joins him on a boat.
-They spend the afternoon catching up.
-Next, the young man falls into the water and starts to drown.
-He awakes in a hospital bed to find he has been in a coma.
-He had been in a coma for over a year after being hit by a car.
-The whole story was really the dream he had while in a coma after his near death experience.

Major Characters

1)Andrew-
Andrew is in his late-twenties. He is tall and lean but athletic. He has brown eyes, short brown hair, and a tan complexion. His sharp features are softened by a five o’clock shadow. He is the type of person who puts everything he has into the things he does, but changes his focus quickly and easily, so he finds it hard to commit to jobs, girlfriends, etc. People often perceive his distractedness as absentmindedness. He also finds it hard to balance things in moderation because of the intensity with which he approaches things. He is wearing a sweater and jeans, since the story takes place in autumn in New York. He’s getting older, but still has the appearance of a college guy.

2)The childhood best friend-
This character has a more clean cut approach to life. He’s very organized and this is made evident by the suit-and-tie work attire the young man finds him in. He has brown eyes, fair complexion, and neatly styled light brown hair. He wears thick-rimmed designer glasses. He wears a wedding ring on his left hand and carries a briefcase. He is shorter and less fit than the young man. He is very practical. He always appreciated the young man’s passion for things growing up, but as an adult he cannot understand the young man’s lack of planning or balance when considering the future.

3)The college professor-
The young man’s college professor is middle-aged. Despite fishing on a pier, he wears a button down shirt and a blazer with slacks. He has a full head of salt and pepper hair, a round face, and pale blue eyes. His demeanor is warm and familiar, like a grandfather. He has a slow pace to his speech. He is very intelligent and has traveled in his life a lot. He has experienced great challenges and losses but he has taken lessons from everything that he enjoys passing onto his students in excerpts.

Scene

A few steps out of the subway, Andrew no longer felt the hard sidewalk under his feet. He looked up to see a field that stretched almost as far as his eyes could see. The wind blew it into a big green blur. He was starting to wonder if he had accidentally gotten off the train at the wrong stop. He had his headphones on when the train conductor was making announcements, so he figured it was possible he’d missed something. He looked back in the direction he had come from, but all he could see was trees. Before he had a chance to think any more about it, a rustling in the grass nearby distracted him.
“Hey,” he called out to the commotion, as he began to approach it. Looking down, he saw a beagle much like the one he had growing up. “Hi there,” Andrew said, bending down to let the dog smell his hand. The dog nuzzled its head into Andrew’s arm. “I used to have a dog just like you when I was a kid. He used to follow me everywhere. God, I loved that dog. I named him Jingles because I got him for Christmas.” The dog began to nudge Andrew’s feet. Andrew followed the dog through a tree-lined path that eventually led down to a lake. The dog jumped right in and began swimming around and playing. The lake was quiet except for one house at the end of a pier. On that pier was a lone man standing and fishing.
“Sorry,” Andrew called out, “is this private property?”
“It is private property, but I allow the occasional visit from old students,” the man called back. Andrew recognized that slow, distinctive voice.
“Professor Wright?” Andrew yelled.
“Aren’t you gonna come say hello?“ asked Professor Wright.
Andrew walked around the lake to meet his favorite college professor. “It’s so great to see you,” Andrew said as he hugged Professor Wright. “You haven’t changed a bit! What neighborhood is this? I got off the subway without paying attention. I think I missed my stop. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had,” Andrew continued. “Sounds like you haven’t changed a bit either,” Professor Wright laughed. “Grab that fishing rod. If you’ve got some time to kill, I’d like to hear all about your day. We can take my boat out on the lake and do some fishing. Fresh air always helps me.”
Andrew and Professor Wright spoke for hours. Andrew told Professor Wright all about losing his job, and how that caused the fight with Meg. Andrew explained how he had run into Steve in the subway station. Andrew tried to make sense of the day’s events, but he drew a blank. “It’s like everything is moving so fast around me sometimes, and I’m just standing still. Meg’s looking to get married and have kids, with or without me. Steve is a stockbroker who is married with 2 kids! What happened to the days when we could all just relax and let things happen? Now it’s like everyone is in such a hurry to get somewhere. Until there’s someplace to rush off to, I’m taking my time.” Professor Wright looked at Andrew and shook his head.
“Now Andrew, can you blame them? Are they rushing or just moving forward? You’re a smart person but you really limit yourself sometimes. It’s tunnel vision. Look at the big picture. Your refusal to accept the changes of adult life has left you alone. Meg and Steve want you to move forward. We all do. But if you keep pushing away the people who want to help you, it’s a lost cause. Indecision is a decision in itself. The world won’t wait for you to decide. You have to make things happen, or it truly will just pass you by. I remember when I came back from my first trip to Africa. Before I left, I couldn’t decide whether or not I should end the relationship I was in. Well wouldn’t you know, 7 months later I came back refreshed with a new perspective, ready for a commitment, but my girl had moved on. So you see my indecision became my decision, and time chose for me. I learned that sometimes things move fast, yes. But if you stand still, you miss out. Take life at your own pace, but don’t spend it idle. Don’t miss out.”
Andrew felt a tug on his fishing line. “Hey, I think I caught something,” he said. The line tugged harder. “Reel it in,” Professor Wright said. Andrew tried to pull his line up, but the fish on the other end was putting up a good fight. Andrew refused to let this fish embarrass him. He gave one final yank backwards and the line snapped, sending him tumbling backwards and over the side of the boat. He tried to swim to the surface but his limbs seized up like they might in a bad dream. Panic set in. Andrew had been a champion swimmer in high school and now he couldn’t seem to remember a single thing about swimming. He sank like a paperweight, unable to lift his arms or legs. The lake seemed bottomless. His panic began to ease as his oxygen supply diminished. He didn’t know if it was acceptance or denial, but he was going to die.