Randi and Shane speak plainly about their inequities.
The First Evergreens
Cast
Randi Halle Millien
Shane Mark Millien
SFX and Music Contributors
SFX
Q Tone [Query] Tone 4.wav by patchen of freesound.org Q Tone [Response] Tone 3.wav by patchen of freesound.org
Music
Mara’s Letter
Shooting Star - Emotional Loop by 8thdiamond of looperman.com
Created by Mark and Halle Millien
Cover Art by Halle Millien
Written, Directed and Produced by Mark Millien
Glossary
blue hour: the elderly, infirm or predisposed are allotted certain windows of activity typically during four a.m. and 7 a.m. in most cities. This can include the obese, smokers, chronic drinkers, those who do not log a certain amount of exercise, etc. There has been evidence of people of color being given blue designations without merit by medical professionals either engaging in bias or systemic discrimination. A blue found out during sequester is at risk of being detained or involuntarily quarantined.
evergreen: a person who is considered genetically immune to historical pathogens due to vaccinations or novel ones due to inoculation. Evergreens typically only need to see a physician for a hazard status once a year or so. These individuals exist in a rarefied economic and social space in global culture.
green hour: the time allotted for people who have been seen by a medical professional within the last thirty days and deemed free of any viral impediment. They are given sway to roam as they wish.
haztag: an informal term for the irradiated tattoo that designates your sequester or evergreen status. It lasts for thirty days. The tattoo is embedded with a doctor’s signature code as well as an accompanying code that may allow someone travel dispensations during their sequester, typically tied to one’s employer. Anyone detained without a tattoo is risking immediate quarantine and potential jail. M.I.C: Municipal Integrated Corpsman. Tasked and equipped with assessing the medical threat of a person or group of persons. They are equipped with field tests for a variety of pathogens, body armor, advanced first aid, and both lethal and non-lethal armaments. They are military medics that have been sanctioned to operate within local governments with a great degree of autonomy. Derogatively referred to as “zombies” or “mikes”. orange hour: the time of day when hazard level individuals are allowed out into society. In most cities, this is between midnight and four a.m. sequester: the color-coded system that calls for people of various health or age dynamics to cede social spaces to others. Being outdoors outside of your hours is reason enough to be stopped by the police and M.I.Cs. Sequester is broken up between blue, green and orange hours.
Mara’s Letter:
From the very beginning, no one has been taking this seriously enough. Macro or micro. The ineptitude of the national response is criminal. They just released that more people have died from the virus in the U.S. than in any other country in the world. More than India. More than China. And we had the benefit of warnings, guidelines, the world’s largest economy, most accomplished epidemiologists. Granted, you can’t trust the numbers coming out of China. But they are going back to work. Their athletes are competing again, broadcasting to the world that they’ve put the worst behind them while for us, that’s still coming. And yeah, they failed us. People should go to jail for this. But I’ve seen the same juvenile lack of acceptance here in our own home. I’ve made it a point to never speak ill of your father in your presence. That has had its own set of consequences. It’s hard for us to be in the same room these days. I look at him and I’m not proud of the thoughts I have, of the way I feel. The house, the cars, most of the credit cards, are all in my name. I’m the one responsible for everything. So when it came time to call everyone and tell them we can’t pay you, I had to make those calls. They won’t speak to him, even as an authorized user of the accounts. So that’s up to me too. And I still have to work. They cut my pay by 50%, and I’m working three days instead of five, but I still have to work. I try not to pester him about filing for unemployment. I see the news. The system is managed state to state but it’s down everywhere. It wasn’t designed to handle 16 million people filing claims in three weeks. Nothing was designed for this. Including our marriage. Your father is a good man. He isn’t lazy. I’ve seen him work to the point of exhaustion for other people’s dreams. Bartending mostly. He’s got a way with people. But I’ve never seen him pour that much of himself into making his own dreams come true. For him there is always a tomorrow. I look at him and I can’t comprehend how he doesn’t see that nothing is ever going to be the same. That his tomorrows have come due and he has nothing to show for them. How can I truly respect a man like that, even if I love him? In this whole house of adults, I’m the only one setting up a plan for the future. Helen is still shell shocked and who can blame her? Her husband is at least out there making a difference, making some real sacrifices. But what does she think all of her morose self indulgence is going to accomplish? Boys. There are a lot of things I want you to take from your father. But my hope for you in your manhood is that you fight for what you want. Be your own boss. Be passionate about your worth. Discipline is self love. I hope this doesn’t come across as selfish or self absorbed. My biggest worry about right now is that the time I’ve taken away from you will have you thinking that I was cold or aloof and babies, that scares me. Because I’m doing it all for you. And if I didn’t say it, take this time to tell you here, I’m scared that you’ll never know and that would be worse than no future to plan for.
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