Esmeralda Pham

**Esmeralda** is one of the many passengers you can pick up in Night Call. She's the daughter of Ariane Pham. You can pick her up on a following night for a different conversation - doing so will allow you to also pick her mother up from the map, if desired.

## Passidex entries

* **You have met Esmerelda.**

This is unmissable. You'll get it upon your first interaction.

* **You lied to Esmeralda.**

You need to pickup Esmerelda on two different nights to get this.
On the second night, when she tells you she's running away, choose "*No way*", then tell her the cops are after you. When she asks if you've been to jail, you'll have a choice to lie and get the entry.

* **You said something really uncool.**

You need to pickup Esmerelda on two different nights to get this.
On the second night, keep silent when she tells you she's running away, then say "*It's for your own good.*"

The last two entries are obtained on the second interaction.

## Transcripts

### Night 1

*"Get me out of here... and to Nation."*

You park in front of the of the street number the central office gave you. Two minutes go by ... three... The building's main door opens abruptly. Out comes a teenage girl, followed by her mother. They are fighting but you only catch bits of their conversation. The mother, in her 40s and of Asian decent, is beside herself. When she raises her voice, you detect remnants of an Asian accent. The teenager cuts the conversation short and hops in the cab. She slams the door shut.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Nation."*

And buries herself in her phone. Head bowed, she is absorbed in one of those games where you have to crush fruit or crystals. After years on the job, you've learned to distinguish between apps, texting, games, email... Her phone suddenly vibrates. She answers.

**ESMERALDA:** *"What now?"*

There's a pause. You hear her mother's voice on the other end. Same raised voice. Same accent.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Yeah, I know."*

Another pause.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Yeah, I already told you I knew."*

She sighs.

**ESMERALDA:** *"I said "yes". God, what's your problem? Leave me alone."*

She hangs up.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Crazy old bitch."*

Her game starts blipping and chirping again.

« What are you playing? »
« The crazy old bitch is your mother? »
(Stay silent.)

« What are you playing? »
« The crazy old bitch is your mother? »
(Stay silent.)

« What are you playing? »
« The crazy old bitch is your mother? »
(Stay silent.)

« What are you playing? »
« The crazy old bitch is your mother? »
(Stay silent.)

She raises her head, pauses a second before answering. She is very calm, as if she's holding back, and there's a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

**ESMERALDA:** *"'Candy Slam DX.'"*

**HOUSSINE:** *"Is it any good?"*

**ESMERALDA:** *"It sucks, but at least the ads aren't as annoying anymore. Before, they constantly cut you off in the middle of your game. Or you had to watch a video to get more lives."*

And in a huff...

**ESMERALDA:** *"Fucking hell."*

A defeat jingle rings from her phone.

**HOUSSINE:** *"Between that and your bitch of a mother, it's not your day, huh?"*

She looks at you and smiles.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Not your average cab driver, eh?"*

**HOUSSINE:** *"I do my best."*

**ESMERALDA:** *"Yeah, my mum's a crazy old bitch and my dad's a shithead."*

**HOUSSINE:** *"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?"*

**ESMERALDA:** *"It's true. They hate each other and they hate me."*

« You sure about that? »
(Stay silent.)

« You sure about that? »
(Stay silent.)

« You sure about that? »
(Stay silent.)

↓

Your young passenger finds the awkward silence hanging in the air uncomfortable. When she starts speaking again, her voice is tight and sharp.

You keep driving without a word. The cab is silent, other than the occasional blip from the video game. She doesn't even bother to look up when she speaks to you.

**ESMERALDA:** *"You probably think I'm really rude... Like I care. My parents make my life a living hell. When they got divorced three years ago, it was a nightmare. When they got married again last year, I went fucking insane. Now, they're getting divorced again. They have day-long screaming matches on the phone. My mother's lawyer actually gave the case to one of his assistants because he couldn't take it anymore. I'll never have kids."*

She takes a break to catch her breath.

**ESMERALDA:** *"I mean, have you looked at the time? You think it's normal at this hour to put your kid in a taxi and send her to your ex-husband's? She totally freaked out when she found my dad's new girlfriend has been helping me with my French homework."*

She pauses.

**ESMERALDA:** *"So, yeah. Crazy old bitch. Shithead."*

« Maybe they're doing the best they can? »
(Stay silent.)

« Maybe they're doing the best they can? »
(Stay silent.)

« Maybe they're doing the best they can? »
(Stay silent.)

Her eyes go blank and she stares back at her phone.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Keep your lecture to yourself."*

Her tone is sharp, uncompromising.

↓

You see her watching you in the rear view mirror. She hesitates for a moment then...

**ESMERALDA:** *"My mum rips into me all the time, she makes my life hell, hacks into my Facebook account to spy on me, OK? I mean, she grew up in the friggin' jungle. She can't understand what life is like now. My dad though. He's just a pain in the ass for no reason. He likes giving lectures. He sits down on the bed or the couch, puts on his "holier than thou" look and starts in..."*

Her voice changes.

**ESMERALDA:** *"You need to lose weight. You need to do better in maths. You need to go to bed before 11 pm. You need to stop playing stupid video games... Then he flies off to southern Spain for four days with his new girlfriend. So that lecture of yours? I'll tell you where you can stick it."*

She stops for a moment to catch her breath.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Honestly, I wish I could divorce my parents. I'm 16. Just two more years and I'll never have to see their ugly faces again."*

There is a long pause. You are getting closer to Nation. She points to her street and you stop in front of the building. A man is pacing in front, his arms crossed and his expression serious.

**ESMERALDA:** *"How much do you wanna bet I'm gonna get a lecture?"*

« Good luck... »
(Smile.)

« Good luck... »
(Smile.)

« Good luck... »
(Smile.)

**ESMERALDA:** *"Yeah, right. As if you care."*

**ESMERALDA:** *"Yeah, right. As if you give a damn..."*

She hands you a bill and gets out quickly to join the man waiting for her outside. They exchange a few words in hushed voices... He puts his hand on her shoulder. You can't hear anything, but you are sure she won her bet.

### Night 2

*"I have to go to Boulogne. In the middle of the fucking night! "*

No need to find a parking spot, your next passenger is waiting for you on the sidewalk. She slips into the car and slams the door shut behind her.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Oh, it's you!"*

You recognise the young woman as well: you once drove her across Paris to her father's.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Cool. A friendly face."*

You start driving.

« Where to? »
« Are you headed to your mother's? »
(Say nothing.)

See below...

TBA

TBA

**ESMERALDA:** *"We're not going to Boulogne."*

**HOUSSINE:** *"Where to then?"*

**ESMERALDA:** *"If I ask you to drop me off somewhere, will you tell the cops?"*

**HOUSSINE:** *"Which cops?"*

**ESMERALDA:** *"The ones who will come to question you."*

**HOUSSINE:** *"Why would cops come to question me?"*

You can't help but smile at this conversation you're having with a teenager.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Well, I dunno. I suppose that after a few days go by, they'll probably go to the police."*

There's a hint of doubt in her voice.

« You running away? »
« A few days? »
(Say nothing.)

See below...

TBA

TBA

**ESMERALDA:** *"You got it. Yeah, I'm getting out. I'm leaving my parents. One of my friends gave me the keys to her grandma's apartment in Li..."*

She stops herself just in time.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Um... I mean... somewhere far away. I'm gonna go live there until I find a job in town. I can sell clothes, babysit... So... drop me off between Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est and then just... forget you ever saw me."*

You drive towards Boulogne, looking up her mother's address as you go.

« No way. »
« Why are you running away? »
(Say nothing.)

TBA

See below...

TBA

**ESMERALDA:** *"What the fuck. Are you blind? Did you not see me with my parents? Being dragged from one end of the city to the other... You think that's a life? I'm sick of being treated like a child. Stop the car."*

You're not far from her mother's now. You speed up. The stoplight ahead is yellow.

(Run the light.)
(Stop.)

See below...

TBA

The light turns red as you go through the intersection. A car coming from a cross street honks at you. It barely misses the trunk of your car. Your back seat teen screams.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Are you out of your mind?!! You almost got us killed!"*

You look at her in the rearview mirror. Shaking, she says in a whisper:

**ESMERALDA:** *"I'm gonna tell. You're not gonna get away with this..."*

She collects her thoughts and finds her usual loud voice again.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Why did you do that?"*

**HOUSSINE:** *"Guess."*

She stares at you. She knows that if she asks a question, she'll get a lecture. He face goes blank. She looks at her phone.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Loser."*

She turns the volume on her game up. From the back seat, you hear the noise of exploding crystals and bonus points adding up. Her eyes don't leave her phone until you've reached your destination. You glance back at her from time to time. She doesn't budge and remains absorbed in her game. Her anger reminds you of your own. Being misunderstood has blinded her. You know her threats are empty and that she won't do anything.

**ESMERALDA:** *"Fuck, she's already outside waiting."*

You pull yourself from your thoughts to park the car. The young lady's mother is waiting for her on the sidewalk: a small, jagged figure with crossed arms. She exits the car without saying a word. You certainly did not make a friend this evening.

## Notes

STORY - NIGHT 1 - [Distance: 12.17km, Fare: 41.36€ - Tip: 0.21] - See below.
STORY - NIGHT 1 - [Distance: 9.67km, Fare: 32.89€ - Tip: 0.16] - All choices explored. This time I chose « The crazy old bitch is your mother? », « You sure about that? », (Stay silent.), « Good luck... »

STORY - NIGHT 2 - [Distance: 10.98km, Fare: 37.34, Tip: 0] - « Where to? », « You running away? », « Why are you running away? », (Run the light.) {NO NEW PASSIDEX ENTRIES... :( }

This was the first conversation I transcribed... already regretting it.