Story Scene: โOh Freedom, Where Do I Begin?โ
In a quiet cafรฉ in Vancouver, the rain taps softly against the windows.
Nelly Furtado stares down at her tea like sheโs searching for an answer inside the steam.
โSometimes,โ she says, โI feel like every step of my life is being examined by doctors and experts. Charts, diagnoses, interviewsโฆ it never ends.โ
Across from her sits Joe Jukic, flipping through a small Bible.
Nelly sighs and half-laughs. โYou know that line from my song Party? I keep hearing it in my head lately.โ
She looks up and quotes her own lyric:
โOh freedomโฆ where do I begin?โ
Joe nods slowly and turns the page toward her.
โMaybe here,โ he says, pointing.
He reads aloud from Psalm 91:
โWhoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.โ
Joe closes the book gently.
โThatโs security,โ he says. โNot committees. Not psychiatric interrogations. Just faith and a quiet life. If someone needs to confess something, they go to a priestโnot a panel.โ
Nelly leans back, thinking.
Joe continues, half-smiling.
โAnd if you want greener pasturesโฆ weโve got friends. Even warriors.โ
He gestures jokingly like a bodyguard arriving.
โMarko Perkoviฤ Thompson will protect us.โ
Nelly laughs at the absurd image.
Joe shrugs.
โIโm serious about one thing though. People act like weโre trapped. But weโre not.โ
He points out the window toward the gray Vancouver skyline.
โWeโre not living behind the Berlin Wall.โ
He spreads his hands.
โWe can pack a bag, get on a plane, and go somewhere peaceful if we want. Nobodyโs stopping us.โ
Nelly looks out at the rain again.
โFreedom,โ she murmurs.
Then she smiles faintly.
โMaybe thatโs where the party actually starts.โ ๐ถ
Nelly Furtado sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through old photos on her phone. She sighed.
โMarriage,โ she said slowly, โis not what those therapists made it out to be. All those sessionsโฆ all that talking. Total scam.โ
Across from her, Joe leaned back in his chair.
โYou mean the therapy?โ he asked.
โYes,โ Nelly said. โThey sit there, nodding, taking notes, charging hundreds of dollars an hour. Meanwhile nothing actually changes.โ
Joe nodded thoughtfully.
Nelly looked up sharply.
โAnd another thing,โ she added, pointing a finger at him. โNo more lusting after girls on the internet. Iโm serious.โ
Joe straightened up like a soldier receiving orders.
โI will defeat the demon of lust,โ he declared dramatically. โThe ancient demon Asmodeus has no power over me.โ
Nelly raised an eyebrow.
Joe continued, getting more intense.
โLike Jesus saidโif your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! I will not lust with my eyes. I will rip out my eye if I have to!โ
Nelly burst out laughing.
โRelax!โ she said. โDonโt be so dramatic.โ
Joe blinked.
Nelly shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.
โBesides,โ she said, leaning back in her chair, โIโm done with those Tony Montana, Scarface wannabe guys anyway.โ
Joe smirked.
โGood,โ he said.
Nelly rolled her eyes.
โAll that macho nonsense. The suits, the attitude, the โsay hello to my little friendโ energy. Please.โ
Joe chuckled.
โSounds like youโve met a few too many of them.โ
โExactly,โ Nelly replied. โIโm finished with that whole movie.โ
Joe nodded thoughtfully.
โSo no Scarface typesโฆ and no internet lust.โ
Nelly pointed at him again.
โCorrect.โ
Joe folded his hands like a monk.
โThen the demon Asmodeus shall be defeated.โ
Nelly sighed.
โJust start by closing the browser tab,โ she said.
Nelly tossed her phone onto the couch in frustration.
โJoe, Iโve decided something,โ she said. โI want to become a holistic doctor. I want to actually help people heal, not just argue online all day. And in my spare time I want us to be MasterClass binge watchers. Weโll just sit there learning music, cooking, filmmakingโฆ real knowledge.โ
Joe laughed. โSo our new hobby is watching lessons on MasterClass instead of doom-scrolling?โ
โExactly,โ Nelly said. โIโm sick of social media. The bullying, the fake drama. Itโs like people go online just to tear each other apart.โ
Joe nodded slowly.
โYeahโฆ and half the accounts donโt even seem real,โ he said. โMy whole friend box on Facebook is full of random profiles with glamorous photos sending messages. Itโs like an army of online hookers.โ
Nelly shook her head.
โAnd who built that whole system?โ she asked.
Joe shrugged.
โWell, Mark Zuckerberg owns the platform,โ he said. โBillions of people scrolling every day. I guess attention is the real product.โ
Nelly sighed.
โMeanwhile people are getting bullied, addicted to their phones, and comparing their lives to fake profiles.โ
Joe leaned back.
โMaybe thatโs why your plan sounds better,โ he said. โHolistic medicine, learning new skills, watching classes togetherโฆ instead of arguing with strangers online.โ
Nelly smiled.
โExactly. Real life, real learning, real healing.โ ๐ฟ๐
Joe nodded.
โAlright,โ he said. โMasterClass binge night it is.โ
Joe leaned back in his chair, scrolling through his phone with a skeptical look.
โNelly,โ he said, shaking his head, โI checked the numbers on nellyfan.org. Your reality show isnโt exactly breaking the internet.โ
Nelly crossed her arms. โWhat do you mean? I thought people wanted something real.โ
Joe laughed. โReal? Thatโs the problem. Everyoneโs watching the Americanos and the Kardashians. Drama, luxury cars, plastic surgery, billion-dollar houses. Itโs like a circus.โ
He tossed the phone on the table.
โBut your show?โ Joe continued. โYouโve got people talking about healing, fixing their lives, learning things, thinking about the future.โ
Nelly raised an eyebrow. โSo?โ
โSo thatโs exactly why itโs not popular,โ Joe said. โPeople might actually learn something watching it.โ
Nelly smirked.
Joe threw his hands up dramatically. โGod forbid! Imagine thatโturning on a reality show and coming out smarter than when you started. The entertainment industry would collapse overnight.โ
Nelly laughed. โMaybe thatโs the real rebellion then.โ
Joe nodded. โYeah. The quiet revolution. While everyone else is watching billionaires argue about handbags, your audience is figuring out how to actually live.โ ๐