Play 76: One Centimeter

CHARCTERS
KEITH, late 20s
SAMUEL, late 20s

(Keith is sitting in a dimly lit room on a chair by a bed. His hands are resting on his lap and there is a handgun in them, he is staring at it with wide-open eyes.)

(Samuel enters.)

KEITH
(Without taking his eyes from the gun.)
It’s strange to think about.

SAMUEL
What?

(he notices the gun.)

Keith, what the hell are you doing?

(Keith starts lifting the gun in his right hand, his index finger curls around the trigger.)

KEITH
A finger moves just one centimeter…

SAMUEL
Put the gun down.

(He starts walking towards him.)

(Keith continues lifting the gun, he rests the barrel against his head.)

KEITH
And, bam!

(Samuel jumps towards him.)

(Keith jerks the gun up and away from his head to feign it going off.)

KEITH
You’re gone.

(Samuel pulls back when he sees Keith didn’t shoot himself.)

(Keith looks up at Samuel.)

KEITH
Why are you so nervous.

SAMUEL
I (beat) I just thought…

(His voice trails off.)

KEITH
You thought I was going to shoot myself?

SAMUEL
Well, yeah.

(Keith laughs.)

SAMUEL
Well what the fuck was I supposed to think? You’re sitting here alone in the dark with your fucking gun in your hands talking like a madman!

KEITH
Doesn’t it ever get to you?

SAMUEL
What?

KEITH
What do you think?

(Beat.)

SAMUEL
No.

KEITH
How the hell do you deal with doing what we do every day and not thinking about this kind of shit?

SAMUEL
What kind of shit?

KEITH
This.

(He lifts the gun up slightly in his hand.)

SAMUEL
So what, we deal with guns.

KEITH
You know that’s not what I meant.

SAMUEL
Yeah.

KEITH
So how does it not get to you?

SAMUEL
I don’t know. I just don’t think about it.

KEITH
How?

SAMUEL
I don’t think about that either.

KEITH
You’re lucky.

SAMUEL
Yeah.

(Pause.)

KEITH
It’s just so fragile.

SAMUEL
What?

KEITH
Us.

SAMUEL
It comes with the job.

KEITH
I mean everyone.

(Beat.)

SAMUEL
Just get some sleep. We got to wake up early tomorrow.

KEITH
I know.

SAMUEL
He gets up at 7 every morning, leaves by 8.

KEITH
I know.

SAMUEL
Just checking.

KEITH
You don’t have to.

SAMUEL
Yeah.

(Beat.)

I’m going to sleep, you should too.

KEITH
I know.

(Samuel exits.)

(Keith continues sitting in the chair in the dark. He takes the hand the gun is resting in and places it back in between his two hands in his lap.)

(He looks at the gun. His eyes quickly go over to his bed, then back to his gun. He stares at it with unblinking eyes.)

(Fade out.)