Act 1. Mai’s car window was broken during the night. While she’s cleaning up the mess, Cedric walks by in the parking lot. She’s fuming: under the pile of broken glass she just found a souvenir left behind by the thief. A sex shop business card. “CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS SHIT?” she blurts out. Cedric has no idea what she’s talking about. Embarrassed, he just smiles and walks on. “Beautiful Stranger,” he thinks.
Act 2. Cedric’s roommate comes home. “I would like you to meet my friend Mai”, she says cheerfully. Cedric recognizes the beautiful stranger from the parking lot. The two girls met when they took turns feeding the same cat during a neighbor’s vacation. But Mai acts as a total Ice Queen. She barely acknowledges Cedric’s presence and ignores all his attempts at making conversation. He’s certain she can’t stand him, and he feels very frustrated. She’s his first crush since he moved from France to the U.S. six months ago. Why won’t she even talk to him?
Act 3. Cedric’s company is hosting a fancy schmancy Holiday Party. His roommate is also a coworker, and she brought Mai as her guest. An obnoxious guy has his eyes set on Mai and keeps stalking her. During the limo ride to the Tonga Room, the roommate decides that the only way to discourage the stalker is for Mai to have a date for the night. She grabs Cedric’s hand as they get out of the car. He’s very excited and gladly plays the part. The stalker disappears. Cedric can’t help but wonder if Mai really likes him or if she just used him for protection.
Act 5. Both Mai and Cedric are irremediably shy. Neither of them is brave enough to make the first move. One night, after Cedric’s roommate has gone to bed (right around 9pm), they chat and start drinking American Whisky (the cheapest kind of booze you find at Safeway, and the only alcohol available in the apartment). It tastes horrible but Mai and Cedric keep drinking because they know they need it. After the bottle is dead, the words finally come out: they like each other! Despite the taste of cheap whisky, their first kiss is very sweet.
Fast Forward. The lovebirds started living together very shortly after the American Whisky incident. It took them 5 years to tie the knot but they recently celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary and their 13 years as a couple. A few years ago they quit their jobs and sold their house for a one-year road trip across Latin America with their two dogs. But that is another story…