Play 227: Don’t

CHARACTERS
MAN

(The stage is empty at first, but after a couple second the man walks on, and to the front.)

(Beat.)

MAN
You don’t.

(Beat.)

Not really.

(Beat.)

You don’t know.

(Beat.)

I don’t care how much you’ve said you do, how much you’ve thought you do. I don’t care about any of that.

(Beat.)

You don’t.

(Pause.)

You say it’s the same for you, that you know exactly how it is. That you’re sorry but, you used to be like that and be in the same place, and hey! Look how it turned out!

(Beat.)

Because of course I’ll take comfort that someone who had gone through the exact same thing got through it all, so it’s the same for me, right?

(Beat.)

But you didn’t, and it’s not.

(Pause.)

And sure you’ve gone through your own troubles, ones I’ve never seen, I’m not arguing that. I’m not trying to say you have it better off than me, and I really don’t mean to come off as self-pitying, I really don’t feel that way no matter how much it might sound like it does.

(Beat.)

But that’s not what we’re talking about.

(Pause.)

I’m just tired of it.

(Beat.)

Tired of you trying to put everything I say in the context of your life, stretching details so it looks the same so you can say, yeah, me too!

(Beat.)

Tired you assuming it’s not a big deal.

(Beat.)

No, you don’t say that directly. But when you say it’s just the same as you, that’s what it means to me.

(Beat.)

That’s what you’re assuming.

(Pause.)

I’m tired of it.

(Beat.)

So don’t.

(Beat.)

Because you don’t know, and it’s not the same.

(Beat.)

Not really.

(He pauses, then walks off.)

(Blackout.)