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May 24, 2004 I write fictitious stories, or so I thought, up until three months ago. Had I realized my present screenplay could be the cause of a potential divorce, a nervous breakdown, and numerous therapy bills, I would never have quit my day job. When my chiropractor, Doctor J, heard I was writing a romantic comedy about a chiropractor, he jumped at the opportunity to share some humorous material. He scribbled down several pages of funny chiropractic stories that I incorporated into my outline. Several weeks later, I emailed him the finished product for his review. A month later, he called sounding very anxious. I wasn’t prepared for his news. Dr. J said his wife left him a letter that morning in his car. She accused him of infidelity and informed him that she had been in therapy for a month on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I wondered what that had to do with me. We were on friendly terms, but certainly not enough for him to be sharing his marital problems. A light bulb went off in my head. The outline I had sent him was about a chiropractor in midlife crisis who has an affair with a cocktail waitress. His wife had intercepted my email and assumed that her husband was the doctor from my outline having an affair. With his very dry attempt at humor, he asked me if flowers might pacify her. I told him he was beyond flowers. He said he was canceling patients for the week and heading home to save his marriage. Guilt ridden, I told him I would e-mail her and attempt to clear up the situation. I would explain that I had used the essence of the real doctor’s personality to color my character. He wished me luck and I, him. Frantically, I emailed his wife. I stared at my computer screen for hours. She never replied. That night, I dreamed of a distraught screenwriter breaking up a marriage. I dreamed of patients screaming out in pain. And, I dreamed of me having to find a new chiropractor to adjust my very tense neck and shoulders. The next morning, I reread my outline over and over. Did my words have that much impact? Did I really hold the lives of a young family in my arthritic hands? Four long, writer’s block days later, I received an uplifting telephone call from the Doc. His wife had believed me and forgiven him. The marriage survived! I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to my world of fabrication. ------------ About the author Maria Iacuele: I am a screenwriter and proofreader. I presently have a romantic comedy optioned. I've written two romantic comedies, one supernatural thriller and a drama. Email: soulmate101@cox.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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