Play 108: A Year part II

CHARACTERS
RYAN, 35
NATHAN, 35

(They are standing by the window in a living room of a small house.)

(Nathan takes a long drag on his cigarette, and slowly exhales.)

NATHAN
I miss her.

RYAN
I’m sorry.

NATHAN
Don’t be.

(He takes a long drag on his cigarette, then walks over to the couch and sits down. He puts the cigarette on an ashtray on a table in front of the couch.)

(Ryan walks over and sits next to him.)

NATHAN
A whole year.

(He shakes his head in disbelief.)

RYAN
Has it gotten any better?

NATHAN
Honestly?

(Beat.)

No.

RYAN
Not at all?

NATHAN
No. Everyone said it would.

(Beat.)

RYAN
Have you been seeing anyone?

(Nathan laughs faintly.)

NATHAN
No.

RYAN
You really should, you can’t stay in hiding forever.

NATHAN
I know.

(Pause.)

NATHAN
I’ve gone on a couple dates.

RYAN
Did any of them go well?

NATHAN
No (beat.) they just remind me of her.

(Pause.)

Just (beat.) every morning when I wake up, I think she’s going to be there (beat.) every morning I have to realize again that I’m never seeing her again and nothing can change that.

RYAN
You have to get over it eventually you know.

NATHAN
It’s not that easy.

RYAN
I mean, It took me a while to get over Jennifer leaving me, I didn’t get back to dating for months after that—

NATHAN
(Interrupting him.)
But you two broke up.

RYAN
So?

NATHAN
So it’s different.

RYAN
Not that different, I mean—

(His voice trails off.)

(Beat.)

RYAN
You’re right.

NATHAN
Yeah.

(Beat.)

You at least had some sense of closure.

RYAN
Nathan, you know it wasn’t because of you…

(His voice trails off.)

NATHAN
Do I?

RYAN
She loved you, you know that.

(Beat.)

NATHAN
I know.

(Pause.)

You know that drink you offered?

RYAN
Coming right up.

NATHAN
Thanks.

RYAN
No problem.

(He exits through a door in the back to the kitchen.)

(Pause.)

(Nathan takes out another cigarette and lights it. He takes a long drag, and blows it out in a large cloud.)

(Blackout.)