Людмила Ансельм - Короткие пьесы
MIKE: The dress was completely transparent. Your tummy, belly button, breasts… and all the rest…
ANNA: You without pants… just wet underwear didn’t look so proper either.
MIKE: It made me excited…
ANNA: I was also excited by you… (With disappointment)… but nothing happened between us.
MIKE: You wanted…?
ANNA: Yes.
MIKE: Why didn’t you say something?
ANNA: What to say?
MIKE: That you also wanted….
ANNA: I tried. Remember I took your hand and pressed it to my hot cheek?
MIKE: I don’t remember… show me.
(Anna takes Mike’s palm and presses it on her cheek.)
MIKE: Pressing my hand to your cheek… shows… desire?
ANNA: What else should I have done?
MIKE: Press yourself against me.
ANNA: Why didn’t you hug me yourself?
(Pause)
MIKE: If you wanted to be woo-ed that rainy day you would of had to help me…it… it would have been my first time.
(Pause)
ANNA: Help you? How? As a man and a woman we have different roles: the man chases, the woman runs…
MIKE: Why is this important?
ANNA: I read…
MIKE: And you never learned that the woman could have an active part in sex?
ANNA: No! Never happens…except, in James Joyce’s memoirs. He said it happened on a bridge… an attractive woman walked by. Joyce called out to her. She walked right up to him, undid his pants and thrust her hands in… I just read it. I was so shocked…
MIKE: And Joyce?
ANNA: He was pleased…. He later married her.
MIKE: Look….
ANNA: MIKE, I’m sad that nothing more happened between us that day.
MIKE: Me too… I wasn’t persistent maybe… I was afraid…
ANNA: Why? You are a man! What were you afraid of?
MIKE: I didn’t know how to go about it… maybe if you had helped me that day, everything would have been different.
ANNA: Wait!
(Anna joyfully skips out to another room. She returns holding the thin white summer dress with pink flowers. She throws it into the washtub making it all wet.)
ANNA (starts to wring the dress out): MIKE, help me.
(Anna hands the other end of the dress to MiKEand they start to twist the dress dry)
ANNA: Careful it might tear.
(Anna holds the damp dress in front of her.)
MIKE: It’s the same dress!
ANNA: Should I put it on?
MIKE: Yes… yes…no… Not now… it’s…already late.
Anna (disappointed): Late? What do you mean?
Michael: It’s night.
ANNA: Why don’t you go then?
MIKE: I want…you want me to stay?
ANNA: The whole night?
(Pause)
MIKE: Look, I came to say I’m sorry. Anna, I came to say that tomorrow I go to Julie. We’ve decided to live together. The child needs…
ANNA (sadly): Really so sorry? Some things you don’t understand and never will. Like other peoples feelings… just as you never understood me.
MIKE: And how else should I say: “I’m sorry”?
ANNA: I don’t know… It is not a humane way, when a person is suddenly just abandoned…
MIKE: Anna, you are not abandoned. We’re such close friends.
ANNA (crying): Were!… We were close friends!
MIKE: And now?
ANNA: Now? I don’t know….
MIKE: No matter what, I want to stay your friend.
ANNA: Why?
MIKE: Anna I need you. I’m telling you about the baby before I’ve told anybody…you are the one closest to me…talking with you always quieted me…
ANNA (starts to cry): Don’t talk foolishness anymore! Go! Go! Stop upsetting me!
(Pause)
MIKE: I won’t go. I want to be with you. It’s my last night…our last chance… we must forgive in a humane way.
ANNA: I can’t stand the sight of you! (Pause) You want a humane way!
(Anna crying grabs the dress and beats MiKE with it. Mike manages to grab Anna’s arms. Then with his arms around her he presses against her and hugs her)
MIKE: Dear, dearest, cherished…calm…calm. Forgive me…maybe I’m lost… help me, I don’t understand, what I need. I don’t know who I need, what is happening to me? I just know that today we are together… like I want never to forget…calm down… nothing to say… press to me…tightly… there now… good girl… so wise… O God how long I’ve wanted you… you surely too? Say something… you…OK? You don’t want to talk… nod your head… and now kiss me…
(The dress slips off Anna’s arms. She hugs Michael, and presses him to her… kisses him.)
MIKE: Anna, I love you…
THE END
THE REHEARSAL
MIKE: About 65 years old, good height, stature, natty, grey flecks in dark hair, sporty looking and handsome, in pressed slacks. He is an actor and likes from time to time to play different roles during dialog…
JULIE: Also 65. She’s pretty, neatly dressed in business like way.
Scene:It’s summer’s heat. Mike is sweating and mopping his brow with a handkerchief. Mike carries a big bouquet of flowers as he knocks on an apartment door.
JULIE (shocked upon finding an x boyfriend standing there): Ah!…M.
MIKE: G’afternoon, Julie!
JULIE (still shocked): H… Hello… Mike!
(Pause)
What’s…going on?
MIKE (presents flowers with smile): Flowers for m’lady!… Can I come in?
JULIE (steps hesitatingly aside): I don’t remember such a big bouquet….ever….thank you!… Why did you come?… You want something!
MIKE: Yes… (Wipes brow) It’s hot out could you please get me a glass of water?
JULIE (disappearing into her kitchen): That I can do… for you…
(Meanwhile Mike walks around inspecting everything in the room particularly the pictures on the table.)
JULIE (returning): Your favorite glass…
MIKE (drinking the whole glass): Whew… Thanks…. Ok to sit?
(He moves to sofa and sits down)
JULIE (angry): I think, you still want the sofa!
MIKE: No, I don’t want the sofa any more.
JULIE:……..the Ocean painting your mother gave me?
MIKE: No…
(Mike looks around the room)
Every thing is as it was. Nothing has changed. Just like when I left.
JULIE: I can’t make myself change things yet…
(Pause)
MIKE: Julie, you haven’t forgotten our good times! Come to sit beside me here, on the sofa.
(Julie sits on the sofa, but not close to Mike)
JULIE:… Try to understand how insulted I feel… More than ten years together, and suddenly… All time I think, why you did up and leave… Now I guessed why…
MIKE: Oh? Why?
JULIE: As long as I had a good job and could support you, every thing was fine. Then when I retired we had to economize, and then you found a new sucker…
Mike: Sucker!… Oh.Julie….you are so…
(Mike stops short and decides not to reply)
JULIE: Remember? Remember how I loved you. How I cared for you when you were sick and depressed… after the “Evita” tour ended… Some times I had to force food in you with a spoon… Gave you black coffee in bed…
MIKE: The coffee was too weak…”economization!”
JULIE: Out on your own you must know how expensive coffee has gotten… I cooked what ever you asked for, baked potatoes, boiled potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cheese burgers…
MIKE (smiling); Ya, but your salads could never come up to restaurant level…, of course, you certainly did try.…
JULIE (offended): Can your Rita make a salad like Locke-Ober’s?
MIKE: Rita and I go out to restaurants a lot…
JULIE (sadly): We hardly ever ate out at fancy restaurants at the end…
MIKE: (peaceful): Julie, honestly you cook better than restaurants…
(Pause)
JULIE: You know what hurt me most, when we separated?
MIKE: What?
JULIE: The antique coffee table… You grabbed it from in front of the TV. And I never even fought for it…
MIKE: But, I bought it.
JULIE: With my money.
MIKE: No. I paid with my money.
JULIE: You bought this sofa with your money too?
MIKE: Why do you so begrudge me the coffee table?
JULIE: We sat here on this sofa, watched TV… ate at the table… and drank wine, talked… How I have dreamed… to sit together and talk peacefully… Like before…
MIKE: And I come to you in peace… (Joyful): Julie, better remember what good times we had too! Our cruise to Caribbean, the cast party on Fred’s boat! Beautiful sunrise! Sunset! We tangoed all night…I remember it so clear…
(Mike jumps from the sofa begins to tango. He bows and invites Julie to dance, but Julie waves her hands, refusing to dance. Mike sits on the sofa again closer to Julie)
May be you don’t believe me, but now I don’t want anything… I only need a bit of your help…
JULIE (suspiciously): Why are you so happy?
MIKE: I finally got a gig!
(Mike moves a tad closer to Julie)
JULIE: Who needs a 65 year old actor even if he has lots of awards?
MIKE: TV ads!
JULIE: You are kidding!
MIKE: Not at all… Remember, when I was younger I was in beer ads with Fred? Well. Fred is now a director and he found a good show for me…
(Julie looks doubtful):…
MIKE (continuing): Such a handsome distinguished actor, as me, is in a soap opera! Soaps make a lot by using products that pay when products are used on the show. There’s a younger market to be cultivated, but some things older people use too…
Julia: Like?
MIKE: For instance, uggs, bling, pugs, fossil… Viagra!
JULIE (moving further away exclaims): Viagra! Mike, why Viagra?…
MIKE: I had no choice… Don’t forget, I’m older…I’m in good company. They’re getting older sports figures, and fighters… Well known people, to hawk Viagra in short ads, but I’m going to do a couple of Soap segments!
JULIE: Can I see it?
MIKE: Na. Not yet… Later…
JULIE: How can a Viagra script be long enough for a Soap segment?
MIKE: (low serious voice moves a bit closer to Julie) Well, there are four separate steps… First, we see the guy buying a special trademark casual shirt and slacks, there are laughs as he flirts with the sales girl to get in the mood… Then home, we see him using a branded hair preparation that dyes white hair dark and…then he shaves with a branded razor… then mouthwash and under arm… and so on, and so on.
JULIE: Ok! OK!… OK! Men are a good new market, I suppose.
MIKE: Ya! Then on the street… The guy buys a big bouquet of flowers… and walks along singing a jaunty tune. Like a hit from the sixties.…
(Mike sings something from the Beatles: “I need you, I need you, I need you…” and walks smartly around smiling. He then abruptly sits down but closer yet to Julie and continues gaily)….
MIKE: Next: we see him going to his girl friend, and giving her the flowers.… He chats and has to go to the bathroom. In her bathroom he looks in her medicine cabinet, lots of laughs here… and uses her tooth brush… lots of laughs… and picks out a branded tooth paste. He then takes her glass and fills it with water, and swallows the Viagra.
(Julie with suspicious look, moves quite far away)
JULIE: Uh…Huh… go on…
MIKE: Some more chatter… Then they sit on the sofa and watch TV…
JULIE: And then?
MIKE: He has to talk her up for awhile…
JULIE: I suppose we see the man jumping on the girl…
MIKE: No! No, not yet. Viagra takes 10 to 20 minutes to take effect…
JULIE: You actually put on a branded condom and have sex?
MIKE: Nah! We see only the guy putting one leg on the woman. The next scene shows him turning off the lights. And then the TV goes black…
