Scene Six: Keith and David's Apartment, Kitchen

KEITH is frying vegetables and meat in a large wok over the stove.

David: Are you ready for the bok choi?

Keith: Yeah.

DAVID puts it in and starts adding some pepper.

Keith: (annoyed, grabbing the pepper shaker) What are you doing?

David: Adding pepper.

Keith: I already added pepper.

David: Oh. (he backs away, then thinks better of it) Okay, I feel shamed.

Keith: What?

David: When you said, “I already I added pepper,” my perception was that you were irritated with me for not knowing that already, and that you were also angry with me, that I shouldn’t have done it.

Keith: Why would I be angry with you?

David: I don’t know. Maybe you don’t want me to be involved in the cooking process. Maybe you just want me to prepare the ingredients for you? Maybe you want total control over what actually happens inside the wok.

Keith: (frustrated) So, we have a little extra pepper in the wok. It’s not a big deal!

David: I know it’s not a big deal.

Keith: (pauses) Okay, I heard what you said. (there’s no tone of mocking in his voice here, he’s leveling with DAVID) It was not my intention to shame you.

David: I know.

Keith: Good. I love you. Are the carrots ready?

David: Yeah.

Keith: Good.

DAVID hands him the carrots, which he throws on the wok.

Keith: You know, I grew up in a family where people expressed their anger on a regular basis, so that’s what intimacy feels like to me. But you, you grew up in a family where no one ever expressed anything.

David: Yeah, we also never hit each other.

Keith: So whenever I’m slightly irritated, it scares you, right?

David: Right.

Keith: It just means I’m comfortable with you. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you.

DAVID thinks about this for a moment, and takes a sip of wine.

it's the last few lines... "It just means I’m comfortable with you. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you. " people we are comfortable with bear the brunt don't they. but that's the beauty. that's why we are comfortable with them.