Workshop. Late night. A beautiful young woman stands ten feet from a strange, handsome man at work on a puppet. With a devilish grin – he nods at her. She nods back. Unsure of this exchange, she asks, “Are you ok there, buddy?” He responds quickly, “Of course I am... now that you’re here.” “Ok…weirdo. So original.” Blank stare. An extended awkward beat. It’s totally weird. The man goes back to working on his papier-maché puppet when the woman asks him - “So, uh… do you need any help with that?” He tells her, “I’d love some help. But it might get a little messy.” She rolls her eyes then walks over to his workstation. Color. Light. Smiles. Feathers. Their hands get dirty together. Scene.

Merida, Mexico. The night sky is a mix of crimson, blue light. Cobble stone streets, wet from a downpour of rain. The air is filled with the sound of hundreds of pedestrians walking in all directions. As they stand next to the doorway of their air bnb, Maya asks, “Do you really need to go to the store now?” “Yes, I am almost out of tobacco my lady.” Sigh. The door closes, and they head out to a plaza in the centro. Lakin grabs Maya’s hand and guides her along a zig-zag route over the crowded sidewalks. “Almost there.” –he says. And finally, they make it to the centro. They stand still for a moment. “So…are you going to get what you need or…?” –Maya. “Yeah. We’ll go on our way back. Let’s just walk around for a minute.” From an eagle’s eye perspective, we see them pacing clockwise around a large circular plaza. She is confused. He tells her, “There is a tradition in Mexico when prospective couples meet at plazas, particularly when courting each other. If they fall in love, guess what comes next?” He kneels and holds up a ring, which he presents to her. People sitting on the nearby benches notice what’s happening. “With all my heart…will you be my partner on this earth of ours my lady?” She says yes, happy tears in her eyes. Applause from the crowd. Congratulations are heard from all directions. They embrace. They kiss. They take a selfie. End scene.