LJ: Shut up Steph
STEPH: (Looks at her, shocked, indignant, beat, thinks.) You shut up (LJ looks at her.) I said it, shut up yourself (Beat, falters.) Sorry
Lights down on the two sitting in silence.
SCENE THIRTEEN
Wasteland, bus debris, GERRY sits in the middle of it. His behaviour is erratic. DANIEL walks around, he has the camcorder and is videoing what he sees. They pass a bottle of rum back and forth to each other. Both are tipsy and becoming more drunk as the scene goes on.
GERRY: It’s a bit…depressing here isn’t it?
DANIEL: I don’t think so
GERRY: Like a graveyard
DANIEL: It’s peaceful… I can think here…it relaxes me
GERRY: And they let you come and go?
DANIEL: It’s for my work
GERRY: Ah… (Beat.) That what that is for? (The camcorder.)
DANIEL: It records the intensity of the moment
GERRY: (Beat, thinks about this.) How do you know which one’s are worth recording?
DANIEL: (Beat.) You don’t
GERRY: Thank you. For today. I didn’t want to go alone. I didn’t know who else to ask.
DANIEL: Friends?
GERRY: Are we?
DANIEL: No I meant – (Realises GERRY is desperately looking at him.) Sure. (Beat.) You must be relieved
GERRY: Of course…to be accused of hurting someone that you love…
DANIEL: What’s it like? Watching a person die?
GERRY: You watched people die
DANIEL: That was different
GERRY: Why?
DANIEL: I had no choice
GERRY: She had tried it before and I just happened to walk in. (Beat.) I didn’t know what to say only ‘you’re doing it wrong, if you do it like that you won’t kill yourself you’ll just blow the front of your head off and you could live like a vegetable for years.’ (Beat.) She put the gun down, pushed her hair out of her face and said ‘thanks’ and we had tea and didn’t mention it. Then maybe a year on…she wasn’t getting any better and I was so involved with work I hadn’t really noticed so when she asked me to help her (Beat.) I said ‘what are you thinking? No, of course. No’…but not because I didn’t want to help her, because she wasn’t always so…unhappy…wasn’t always…you weren’t always so unhappy. (DANIEL looks at him.) But then… I experienced something I wasn’t expecting…a phase…a momentary lapse of concentration (He drifts off…stops talking suddenly and stares into space.)
DANIEL: What kind of lapse…?
GERRY: (GERRY looks at him like he had forgotten he was there.) Yes a lapse…and when I got home that evening she made me my favourite meal and we had wine and over dessert she asked me ‘Do you love me?’ and I said ‘Of course I love you’ and then she said…she just said ‘So help me’. Just like that…and the way she looked at me…the way you just looked at me… (Beat.) And I said yes. Just like that. Just yes. (Beat.) How do people change…so much…how can they be one person one month…one day…and then be something else entirely? And how are you supposed to love both sides? What if you love one side? The side you fell in love with and what if the other side…is like a stranger? What then?
DANIEL: Or what if you want to love someone because you know it would make them happy and it might even make you happy but you just don’t feel that way?
GERRY: (Looks at him.) That’s completely different
DANIEL: No it’s not…it’s the same thing…it’s guilt. (Beat.) I dream in guilt…last night I dreamt I saw them walking through the rooms at the gallery…looking at the pictures…one girl I remember seeing on the bus…she was holding her head in her arms…cradling it like a baby…walking from piece to piece looking for herself. But I didn’t use her picture (Beat.) Her family didn’t want me to. (Beat.) So she couldn’t find her face (Beat.) If I wanted to do it, end it, would you help me?
GERRY: (Looks at him, laughs.) You must be kidding, you? You?
He laughs again.
DANIEL: What? What’s so funny?
GERRY: It’s not enough
DANIEL: Not enough what?
GERRY: Pain
DANIEL: How can you measure pain? (Beat.) I thought you wanted to help people
GERRY: I do
DANIEL: So why aren’t you helping me? You helped David Wrixon. (GERRY squirms, it dawns on him.) Oh my God…did you? Did you…help him? (GERRY drinks from the bottle.) They said it was an overdose
GERRY: He never knew who he was going to be in the next ten seconds…
DANIEL: He was…a genius
GERRY: Some people just do not get better, they’re simply not able and David was suffering, life had become torturous, he simply couldn’t do it anymore (Beat, looks at DANIEL.) But I look at you and I see… I see…youth…and life…
DANIEL: I don’t –
GERRY: I’m the one who’s falling apart. You know I’m seeing things? (Beat, looks at DANIEL.) Buildings, sky scrapers, bridges, suspended in air. Just hanging there. (Beat, long beat, he shuts his eyes.) Oh I want to go back, take those words back and just…talk…say something else…say other words and hold you and make love to you there on the floor and find that part inside you…the part that I loved…as if somehow me in you would make you whole…as if together we were one full thing instead of two…pieces.
DANIEL stands, GERRY looks at him.
DANIEL: Are you speaking to me?
GERRY: (Breathes more than says it.) I’m speaking to her.
DANIEL: She’s not here
GERRY: How do you know?
DANIEL: Because… I can’t see her (Beat.)
GERRY: Hold me
DANIEL: What?
GERRY: Hold me
DANIEL: Who is helping who here?
GERRY: You like girls Daniel?
DANIEL: What?
GERRY: I used to love girls, all shapes, tall ones, small ones, fat ones, red hair, green eyes, black skin, freckles… (Beat, stands up, drunk swaying.) You think the dead can hear us? (Beat.) All the dead souls, with their dead ears, pressed against the thin veil between life and…and…whatever it is that’s after…life. Christ, now she knows when I was lying and wasn’t that often? My god, did I ever tell the truth? My head hurts, come and put your hands on my forehead, sit behind me and wrap your legs around me (Beat.) No matter what you think or what you see now that you could not see before (Beat.) I did love you (Beat.) I did. (Beat.) Once (Beat, he falls down.)
DANIEL: I want you to help me, I want you to help me like you helped David
GERRY: No
DANIEL: This much pain Gerry, this much pain is enough
GERRY: No, I won’t do it. I won’t.
DANIEL: Fine. (Beat.) I don’t need you. I’ll do it myself.
He exits, GERRY stares after him, he picks up the camera.
SCENE FOURTEEN (I)
Wasteland, as before. A long table with a hospital trolley/bed on wheels. There are boxes here and there, plastic cups and bottles of sparkling wine etc. LJ enters with a box on her lap, she pushes her way to the table and lifts the box on to it. She opens it. Takes out a series of knives, different sizes and shapes, she looks at them curiously then lays them out on the table. DANIEL enters with another box.
LJ: I wasn’t sure…how you wanted these done
DANIEL: Laid out flat… I have more here
LJ: (She watches him lift more knives from another box.) Why did you have to bring knives?
DANIEL: It’s part of it, you’ll see
LJ: I was so glad when you called, the things I said… I shouldn’t have said them… I shouldn’t have
DANIEL: But they were true?
LJ: No
DANIEL: You stayed on the bus because of me.
LJ: (Doesn’t know what to say lifting out more knives.) Who’s coming tonight? (DANIEL doesn’t answer.) It’s for that woman isn’t it? All of this, it’s for her?
DANIEL: Michelle, she is an important part of it yes
LJ: What do yo
u expect her to do?
DANIEL doesn’t answer.
DANIEL: She lost someone…they all did…and I’m here and I’m fine…and I want them to know… I want to give them the chance…
LJ: The chance to what?
DANIEL: You said you’d help
LJ: I am but –
DANIEL: That’s what you said and I know it’s asking a lot but I won’t ask for much more, I promise. Okay?
LJ: (Beat.) Okay. (She lays out more instruments, she takes out more knives, then a gun.) Where did you get this?
DANIEL: (Beat.) It’s not real…
LJ: It looks real… (She takes bullets from the box.)
DANIEL: (Taking the gun off her.) Look if you want to go –
LJ: No…no I don’t want to go… Danny talk to me…please…what are you doing this for?
DANIEL: I just need you both to be here… I owe you
LJ: You don’t owe me anything, I wish I could take it back, I would take it back if I could I would –
DANIEL: Doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done. Will you help me with the rest of the boxes?
DANIEL exits, LJ follows.
(II)
Warehouse. KARL and STEPH arrive, STEPH looks upset and has buttoned her jacket right up to the neck.
KARL: (Drinking from a bottle in a brown paper bag.) I never said they wouldn’t ask you to do that so just…give it a rest
STEPH: You never said…of course you never said…if you said that that’s what they wanted me to do I wouldn’t have gone…what you think that’s the type of girl I am? I’m not taking my top off for anyone. You told me it was a singing audition
KARL: There is some singing involved…look I was only trying to help you along…give you a hand up
STEPH: You call that a hand up?
KARL: Well it’s a video isn’t it? You said you wanted to be on camera?
STEPH: As a singer Karl…not as a…as a…that’s pornography is what that is
KARL: It’s not porn, it’s pretending, with porn you actually have to do it, and so what if it was? You know that porn makes more money every year than Hollywood…like fifty times over or something
STEPH: It’s not about money
KARL: Sure it’s not
STEPH: It’s not… I’m a singer… I can sing
KARL: Most everyone I know can sing… I can sing…that doesn’t mean anyone wants to hear me do it
STEPH: (Beat.) You think people don’t want to hear me sing?
KARL: I’m just saying…look….you said you wanted to make some money…get out of your brother’s place…get your own pad…those guys would have given you eight hundred for one day’s work
STEPH: And you wouldn’t care? If I slept with other people? (He goes to correct her.) If I pretended to sleep with other men? Have someone else touch me? For money? (Beat.) On camera?
KARL: (Beat, looks at her, bothered all of a sudden.) Why do you have to put it like that?
STEPH: (Beat.) Look I know you’re disappointed about your invention but –
KARL: I don’t give a toss about that. It’s a stupid fucking idea anyway and I told you that and then you went and made it seem like it wasn’t and then I end up looking like a fucking idiot
STEPH: Wasn’t your fault someone else had made it already –
KARL: I said I don’t fucking care about that (Beat.) This isn’t about that… (Beat.) I don’t know what you think is going on here sunshine but… I’m not exactly a one woman guy
STEPH: (Beat.) Thing is…if we’re not exclusive…if you’re seeing these other girls…how come you’ve been with me every night the last six weeks?
KARL: (Looks at her.) You know…you’re just…you’re just giving me a headache now and I didn’t come all the way out here with you to get a fucking headache alright? (Beat.) Where is he anyway? (Picks up one of the knives, STEPH isn’t responding, he turns and looks at her.) Look…look I know… I know I can be a bit…rough sometimes but… I do like you… I don’t know why but I like being around you and I don’t usually like hanging out with girls once the…the…
STEPH: Physical side?
KARL: Yeah the physical side…but you’re…you’re alright
STEPH: (Beat.) You shouldn’t have brought me there, you shouldn’t treat people like that, me like that
KARL: Okay I shouldn’t… I’m…look I’m… I’m sorry…see I said it…and I never say it
STEPH: So you do mind if I…if I go with someone else?
KARL: I mind…alright? I don’t want you saying it anymore…don’t like thinking about it… (STEPH smiles but KARL looks bothered.) I don’t like feeling like this…worrying about someone else
STEPH: You worry about me?
KARL: Can we stop talking about it? (He drinks from the bottle then hands it to her, spots the gun, he takes it.) Wanna go outside?
STEPH: What for?
KARL: So we can shoot this
STEPH: (Shocked but more fascinated than afraid.) Where did you get that?
KARL: On the table
STEPH: Is it real?
KARL: ’Course it’s real…want to have a go? (STEPH shakes her head.) Go on…just hold it…go on…just take it… (STEPH takes it hesitantly, she is surprised, she likes how it feels in her hands, she giggles.) You like it? (She nods, she strikes a Charlie’s Angels pose and flails the gun about, KARL ducks.) Woah…take it easy…
STEPH: Sorry
KARL: That’s okay… (Takes it back.)
STEPH: What you going to do with it?
KARL: Take it outside…maybe there’s some rats around here…or some dogs…
STEPH: You wouldn’t shoot a dog?
KARL: No…’course not… I was just kidding… (They exit.)
(III)
DANIEL is lying on the hospital bed, LJ is drinking sparkling wine from a plastic cup.
DANIEL: She’s not coming is she? Nobody’s coming.
LJ: (Beat.) Maybe she couldn’t handle it
DANIEL: Handle what?
LJ: The whole thing…the concept of it…maybe it was just too much
DANIEL: But she didn’t have to…to do anything if she didn’t want to…we could have just…talked
LJ: Maybe she didn’t want to (She wheels towards him.) Maybe she is dealing with what happened to her the best way she knows how
DANIEL: But it would have helped…it could have
LJ: Maybe (Beat, she looks at a video camera on the table.) You want me to switch it off?
DANIEL: Leave it…
LJ: Alright (DANIEL looks at her, she pours more wine into her cup.) What?
DANIEL: You were there
LJ: Huh?
DANIEL: You were there, on the bus, you were there
LJ: Yeah I know, what you on about?
DANIEL: You only stayed on because of me and I know you feel resentment…towards me?
LJ: No
DANIEL: You do, you said so
LJ: I didn’t mean it, I was angry with you
DANIEL: You must…no one could go through what you’ve been through and not feel…anger…resentment…regret
LJ: I’m trying to forget about it actually
DANIEL: How can you forget about it? You’re reminded of it everyday…every fucking day
LJ: Stop
DANIEL: Your legs
LJ: Stop
DANIEL: It’s ruined your life… I’ve ruined your life and I’m here and I can walk or run or –
LJ: (Yelling.) Stop! (DANIEL looks at her in surprise.) Just shut up will you, what you trying to do? You want me to stick a knife in you just so you can feel better about yourself? (DANIEL looks away.) You think I don’t know that you can walk and I can’t? (Beat.) You think everything hasn’t become about the fact that other people can do things I can’t?
DANIEL: (Beat.) Please
LJ: No
DANIEL: (He takes a knife and walks towards her.) Please
LJ: No
DANIEL: Please
L
J: No
DANIEL: Please please please please please please please please please please (LJ puts her hands over her ears.)
LJ: Stop
She choses a knife, she is shaking, He rolls up his sleeve, she is shaking so much now she can hardly hold the knife. She touches his arm, lets the tip of the knife rest on it, she is upset, he hardly seems to notice, is intent on her cutting him. She does it, cuts a straight line, he bleeds, she drops the knife. He seems relieved, he watches the blood.
LJ: I’m sorry
DANIEL: What for?
LJ: (Beat.) Come here (She hugs him, LJ doesn’t want to let go.) I think you’re fucking brilliant, you’re like no one I ever met before, ever saw before (DANIEL tries to pull back but she holds him tight.) And what do you think of me? (He tries to pull back.) No just stay like this, tell me like this (Beat.) What do you think of me?
DANIEL: (Beat, he is uncomfortable in the embrace.) I… I… I think you’re brilliant too
LJ: Do you think I’m pretty?
DANIEL: (Beat.) Sure
LJ: You ever think of me that way?
DANIEL: Why are you –
LJ: You ever think of me that way? (DANIEL pauses, then pulls away, shakes his head.) Right…okay… (Beat.) would you have before? (Beat.) Before…would you? Be honest
DANIEL: (Beat.) I don’t know…
LJ: That’s it is it? That’s all I get? I don’t know? (She looks down, long beat, DANIEL goes to say something.) Please don’t…please just…can you leave me alone for a few minutes?
DANIEL: But –
LJ: I’d like to be on my own for a few minutes
DANIEL exits holding his arm. LJ stares after him. After a moment, KARL and STEPH enter, drunk.
STEPH: Where is everybody?
LJ: They didn’t show
STEPH: What no one?
LJ: No one
KARL: Nice to see you again (LJ drinks more wine.) some fucking party this is then
STEPH: Where is he? Is he alright?
LJ: In the back
STEPH looks at KARL who is staring at LJ, she exits.
KARL: (Chooses a bottle of champagne and opens it, he sits on the bed and stares at LJ.) I figured it out (LJ looks at him.) How I know you…or where I know you from…just…didn’t recognise you with your clothes on is all
LJ: Thought you looked familiar
The Dark Things Page 7
