Mark's not fooled. Most people assume that he's oblivious, clueless, taking his inability to express himself and pulling that across to mean that he fails to understand others in turn. Sometimes, it holds true. People aren't often his priority. Instead, Mark has one track mind in every aspect of life, is the type to wire it in because he doesn't do well with multitasking and finds it more efficient instead to work on life one piece at a time until they all fall together of their own accord. But with the rare person that he invites into his life, all Mark does is process, taking snapshots of Eduardo and filing them away for later to decipher. Thus far, he's never prioritized that learning and understanding quite as highly as code, because code is how Mark gets to distinguish himself. What gives him worth in the eyes of others, and consequently what gives him self-worth in turn, because he can't stand being a loser. What hurts even more than Eduardo making this effort is when people look down their noses at him, pitying him, scornful in spite of the way that Mark's leagues about them in intellect and drive— it's insulting. But code doesn't leave him. Ideas don't leave him.
Eduardo, on the other hand, has a breaking point that isn't just a snag in Visual Studio. And now that Mark's been thrown in a place where really, his best friend is all that matters, he can't help feeling terrified, because this is the arena where he shoots himself in the foot the most. Erica made sure to tell him that; whether she realizes or not, Marylin's echoed the sentiment as well. So he stares again, a little longer, a little less pressing, because he feels the sudden compulsion to turn the other way and leave Eduardo standing right there. Instead, he peers down at his laptop and grapefruit, before suddenly tossing the latter over his shoulder and glancing back at the building. It suddenly strikes him that his things are there, that he has a perfectly functional bag purchased just for those depositions, but somehow the thought of breaking their progress isn't one that he likes. He can always go back for a bag. It's inanimate.
"S'just a laptop," he says as he turns back around, glad that the grapefruit he's just tossed is a whole lot more biodegradable than sandwich wrappings.
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Date: 2011-05-15 04:30 pm (UTC)Eduardo, on the other hand, has a breaking point that isn't just a snag in Visual Studio. And now that Mark's been thrown in a place where really, his best friend is all that matters, he can't help feeling terrified, because this is the arena where he shoots himself in the foot the most. Erica made sure to tell him that; whether she realizes or not, Marylin's echoed the sentiment as well. So he stares again, a little longer, a little less pressing, because he feels the sudden compulsion to turn the other way and leave Eduardo standing right there. Instead, he peers down at his laptop and grapefruit, before suddenly tossing the latter over his shoulder and glancing back at the building. It suddenly strikes him that his things are there, that he has a perfectly functional bag purchased just for those depositions, but somehow the thought of breaking their progress isn't one that he likes. He can always go back for a bag. It's inanimate.
"S'just a laptop," he says as he turns back around, glad that the grapefruit he's just tossed is a whole lot more biodegradable than sandwich wrappings.