Play 32: Nights Like These

CHARACTERS
MAN, late 20s

(In the background there is a bed, a desk, and various objects strewn about the ground. The stage is lit by the light of a bright lamp by the bed. He is lying on the bed reading a book.)

(He looks up from the book.)

MAN
Nights like these I always start thinking.

(He lays the book down on the bed and stands up and walks to the front and middle of the stage.)

I miss you.

(Pause.)

Sometimes I think of how it used to be, and, I just can’t stop thinking. I remember conversations we had, sometime we’d talk about the big stuff, I’d complain about girls, you’d complain about boys, we’d talk about our parents, families. But most the time it was the little things. Something we saw on TV the night before, some line we read in a book, a joke we heard. That’s the stuff I remember now. Funny, I remember those little conversations more than I do some of the events that seemed so important back then.

(Pause.)

What happened? I remember when you left, we promised we’d stay close. You’d call at least once a week, we’d talk about how things were going, you’d tell me about you’re new job and how your boss treated you like shit and I’d say I was sorry. I’d tell you about my latest breakup and you’d tell me not to worry and that I was too good for her anyways.

(Beat.)

And then it was once a month. Instead of talking about what happened it became “Oh, the same as always.” And then that phrase lost it’s meaning, because I didn’t know what “the same” meant anymore and you didn’t know what “the usual” meant for me but we still couldn’t help talking like that as if pretending nothing had ever happened. As if by saying “oh, you know” we could delude ourselves into thinking we really did. But we knew we were just kidding ourselves.

(Beat.)

I remember the last time we talked. The conversation couldn’t have lasted more than five minutes, I had to work on that class I was teaching the next day so I had to get off the phone quick. I remember right before you said “okay, well I’ll talk to you soon okay?” you paused for a second. I’ve never been able to forget that. What were you going to say? Were you just gonna say something else to the same effect, or maybe it was something different. Maybe you were gonna bring up how we’d been drifting apart, maybe we would’ve talked about it and maybe we’d still talk now on the phone like we used to.

(Beat.)

No, who am I kidding, you were just gonna say “goodnight” or “see you later” or something.

(Beat.)

Then, long after the phone calls stopped, you started to fade from my mind. I’d start to think about you, and a friend would call me, or I’d remember something I had to do and I’d let the thought slip to the back of my mind, assuring myself I’d think about you later when I finished that one thing. And then after a while I’d forget about the thought and it would just rest there in the back of my head and I’d forget it was there but I could feel something back there and couldn’t put my finger on it.

(Beat.)

Sometimes when I’m up late I remember though. I’ll be reading and suddenly I’ll think of you. I’ll realize I’ve flipped the page and not read a single word I’m thinking so much, so I just lie there awake.

(Beat.)

Maybe I’ll call you! Yeah, I’ll call you and we’ll start talking again! Why didn’t I think of it sooner!

(He rushes over to a corner of the room where there is a phone on his nightstand.)

(He picks it up and starts dialing the numbers.)

(He pauses in the middle.)

MAN
Who am I kidding?

(He hangs up the phone.)

It’ll just be awkward and we’ll both feel so guilty for not having called earlier that we’ll never actually talk about anything.

(He hesitates, and looks back to the phone.)

MAN
But I want to know how you’re doing. How are you? How’s your job going? Are you still working for that same shitty boss? Are you still seeing, Greg, or whatever his name was? Maybe you’re married. Maybe you have kids and a whole family. I mean, i don't even know that!

(Beat.)

I wish you’d call. I’ve tried to call you a few times but I can never go through with it, I don’t know why.

(Pause.)

Look, I don’t know what I’m trying to say with all of this. I know I’ll probably wake up tomorrow morning and forget all about this. I’ll go back to my life and I’ll forget about you until another night like this. But, I just want you to know—

(Pause.)

I miss you.

(He walks back to his bed and turns of the lamp.)

(Blackout.)