Scene 4 (Age 17)
 

[JILL and TODD, who have remained frozen with JILL’s
hand above TODD's, come to life and switch so that their
hands are now opposite and TODD is giving JILL money]
TODD: Okay ... Here’s the money. An eighth, right?
JILL: Eight of an ounce ... It’s all there. [mimes handing him a baggie] You bringing this to
grad?
TODD: Oh yeah. It’ll liven up the dance a bit. [they laugh]
JILL: Are you going to after grad?
TODD: As if.
JILL: Really? What are you doing then?
TODD: I’m not sure ... There’s a rave in Kelowna.
JILL: Yeah, I heard about that. If you go could I get a ride with you?
TODD: What happened to your car?
JILL: Crashed it. [laughs] Last Friday, coming home from the party at Diane’s? I was too
drunk and I hit the telephone pole at the end of the street. Wham! Was gonna cost about
$4000 to repair so I’m just like, Keep the thing. It’s at the wreckers now.
TODD: Man.
JILL: Yeah. So anyway could I get a ride with you?
TODD: Yeah, sure. [begins walking away]
JILL: Where’re you going? Don’t you have a class?
TODD: English. Thought I’d go home and watch some TV before Physics.
JILL:  I’m coming with you!
TODD: [laughing] Okay.
[They exit. Slowly, in a melancholy fashion, SCOTT,
SARAH, and DIANE walk downstage, with DIANE in the
middle. Their heads are bowed. SARAH lifts her head and
addresses the audience.]
SARAH: [anguished] How could you have done this.
SCOTT: [to audience] I said I would get her back. It’s taken me ten years but I did it.
[DIANE suddenly drops to the floor, violently. She is
trembling. She brings her knees up to her chest and hugs
them.]
SARAH: [shakily] I can’t believe you did this.
SCOTT: You should have known! She should’ve known! She shouldn’t have ... She
shouldn’t have let me do this. This is her fault.
SARAH: I loved you.
SCOTT: Honey ...
SARAH: I believed in you, when everyone else thought you were an asshole. I thought
you were a good person.
SCOTT: I am a good person, Sarah ... I just ... [quietly] This is her fault. [stares moodily at
DIANE]
SARAH: Is she pressing charges.
SCOTT: How should I know.
SARAH: [addressing him directly for the first time] What? How are you supposed to
know? Who else is supposed to know? Am I supposed to know? I can’t even look her in
the face! I can’t ask her! I’m the one who should be saying, “How should I know,” not you!
SCOTT: [to SARAH, also for the first time] It’s not like I can ask her either. I raped her,
Sarah! I can’t exactly call her up for a chat!
SARAH: Don’t, don’t say that. Don’t say that word. Please.
SCOTT: Why not.
SARAH: People will hear ... People will find out.
SCOTT: Then you have spoken to her.
SARAH: All right I have! She hasn’t told anyone. [beat] And no, she’s not going to press
charges.
SCOTT: [tenderly] See then ... We’ll be okay. [tries to put his arm around her, but she
shrugs it off]
SARAH: Don’t touch me.
SCOTT: Sarah --
SARAH: Don’t! Just ... Just leave me alone.
SCOTT: I can’t leave you like this.
SARAH:  I’ll be fine.
SCOTT: Okay, so, you want me to go. Where should I go. Tell me where to go, Sarah.
SARAH: I don’t care. I honestly don’t care if I ever see you again.
SCOTT: You can’t mean that, Sarah. You said ... You said you loved me.
SARAH: I did.
SCOTT: Did what?
SARAH: Say that. [pregnant pause]
SCOTT: Last summer .. At the dance ... You said that nothing could
separate us. Ever.
SARAH: Well, things have changed, haven’t they? [she begins to walk away]
SCOTT: Sarah --
[SARAH stops, her back to SCOTT]
SCOTT: You weren’t lying. I know you, you don’t lie. Nothing ever can separate us. It’s ...
It’s a mathematical impossibility.
SARAH: [still not looking at him] We are divisible by one thing, Scott.
SCOTT: What.
SARAH: Ourselves. [she exits]
SCOTT: Sarah, wait. [he takes a few steps towards her exit, then stops.] Sarah!
[Hurt and angry with himself, SCOTT prepares to exit in
the opposite direction, but stops when he notices the form
of DIANE, huddled on the ground. He walks cautiously
behind her, his face a contortion of different emotions --
hate, anger, guilt, anguish, sorrow. He squats down a little
behind and to her left and reaches out his hand to touch
her shoulder. She stands up, suddenly. He does too,
scared.]
DIANE: [steely; looking straight into his eyes] Don’t. Touch. Me.
[DIANE stares at him with a look of pure, absolute pain.
They hold the look for several seconds. SCOTT suddenly
breaks away and makes for the exit. Just before he walks
offstage he turns to look at DIANE.]
SCOTT: [coldly] You shouldn’t have hit me, Diane.
[Another "look." SCOTT exits. Beat. ROBBIE walks upstage
to stand beside DIANE.]
ROBBIE: Hi, Diane. [she doesn’t look at him.] Why’ve you been so depressed lately? I
mean hey, I thought that was my job. [He smiles at her. Still no reaction.] You
know my brother Jimmy, well they put him in a new foster home, and --
DIANE: I am sick to death of hearing about your brother Jimmy! [ROBBIE is stunned] I
couldn’t care less about him. I couldn’t care less about you! What makes you think that
any of us care? All you do is whine about it. With any luck, that kid’ll die in one of those
foster homes and save all of us from death by boredom. Go away. Please go away. I need
to be alone. GO AWAY! [sobs] Why can’t people just leave me alone.
[DIANE holds herself and begins to cry. ROBBIE walks up
behind her. This would be an appropriate moment for a
gentle hug, and it appears that this is what ROBBIE will do.
However, at the last second he grabs her shoulders, turns her
around, and slaps her across the face. Hard. She gasps, and
touches her cheek.]
DIANE: [disbelieving] Robbie ... Not you, too ... !
[DIANE stumbles offstage. ROBBIE stares at his hand in
shock. Enter JILL and TODD.]
JILL: Hey Robbie! [smiles] Coming to the party tonight?
TODD: [to JILL] Why are you asking him.
JILL: [to TODD] Shush. [to ROBBIE] Are you coming?
[ROBBIE simply stares at them, hand still raised.]
JILL: Robbie ... Are you okay?
TODD: [to JILL] He finally flipped. I bet his brother died or something.
[TODD snickers, then covers his mouth, and glances over
to see how ROBBIE will react. ROBBIE merely shifts his
attention to his hand. Lights dim and some fast, harsh music,
perhaps Korn or Prodigy, plays at medium volume.]
TODD: Look at him, he’s psyching out!
JILL: Robbie, what’s wrong?!
[JILL catches his sleeve in her fingers but he shakes her
off, gaze riveted on his hand.]
JILL: What’s wrong?!
TODD: Hey man, snap out of it.
JILL: Robbie! ROBBIE!!
ROBBIE: Robbie! ROBBIE!
JILL: Robbie?!
ROBBIE: Hey man, snap out of it!
TODD: He’s crazy!
ROBBIE: Robbie! [delighted] You’re crazy!
JILL: Stop this! Stop acting like this!
ROBBIE: [imploring] Stop it! You have to stop!
TODD: [to JILL] Grab his hand or something, there’s something wrong with his hand!
JILL: [terrified] I’m not touching him!
[Volume of the music up. ROBBIE lets out a long, loud shriek.
JILL and TODD cover their ears in terror, as DIANE and SARAH
rush in from the right; SCOTT from the left. The five of them wrestle
ROBBIE to the ground and hold him there as he struggles,
still screaming. The music, which has reached a deafening
volume, slowly softens and then dies away completely.
ROBBIE calms as this happens. When the music is finally
off he gasps and pants. As he lays on the floor, recovering,
the other five slowly back off and retreat to separate
sections of the stage. They should form a semi-circle
around ROBBIE. Slowly, ROBBIE's gasps die away. He stares
at his hand one last time, then gets up and joins the circle. Lights
dim. Projection rolls.]


Scene 5 (Age 23)
 

[JILL and SARAH walk forward. They meet centre stage.]
JILL: Sarah ...
SARAH: Jill.
[They laugh self-consciously and embrace.]
SARAH: I can’t believe we lost touch like this.
JILL: I know. Criminal isn’t it. After we graduated, everyone just seemed to drift apart ...
You’re the first from our old group I’ve seen since I got married.
SARAH: [sincerely] Harrold's a nice man.
JILL: Yes ... Yes, he’s great. Makes a lot of money.  I love that in a man.
So ... How about you? Planning to get married any time soon?
SARAH: Oh ... you know me. I’m going to be a hockey player.
JILL: Haven’t found a man yet, huh.
SARAH: No, it’s not that, I’ve just not had the time ...
JILL: Oh, I hear you! So. Have you kept in touch with ... The
others?
SARAH: [slowly] Scott and Robbie ... went to the same university as me. I’m not sure if
you knew that.
JILL: I didn’t! Why didn’t you tell me?
SARAH: It didn’t ... It seemed ...
JILL: It’s okay. I know. So. How’s he doing now?
SARAH: Scott?
JILL: Yes, Scott.
SARAH: He’s got a little auto repair shop. He makes a living. I guess. I ... haven’t seen
him! In months. So, when’s your date?
JILL: Oh, early March, the doctors say ... But then the first two
were early, so with my luck this one’ll be a Leap Year baby. Babies ...
They’re wonderful, aren’t they?
SARAH: I wouldn’t say that.
JILL: Oooooh ... Sounding a little touchy for a woman who’s never had one.
SARAH: Yes, well ... It was nice to see you again.
JILL: Yes ... Nice to see you again.
[JILL exits abruptly. DIANE comes forward.]
DIANE: Sarah! I meant to tell you, Jerry’s invited me to dinner tonight, so I won’t be
coming home after work ... Could you look after Tyler for me?
SARAH: [smiling] I don’t know what you’d do without me. Hire a full-time babysitter,
and land yourself in the poorhouse within a year, I suppose.
DIANE: I don’t know what I would do without you. After that time in Grade 12 --
SARAH: Diane don’t.
DIANE: I have to. I’ve never told you how much I appreciate everything that you’ve
done. That you’re doing.
SARAH: Really, it’s --
DIANE: Amazing. After we graduated, when I found out I was carrying Scott’s kid --
SARAH: Diane, this isn’t necessary.
DIANE: Yes, it is! ... I’m ... You didn’t even like me. You thought I was annoying.
You tried to hide it because you're nice but I knew. No one liked me. I knew that too.
When you took care of me ... And once Tyler was born ... I knew that people can change.
That people must change. Thank you.
[DIANE exits. SARAH wanders off and freezes. TODD walks forward.]
TODD: Thank you sir, thank you ma’am. Aw, it’s been a pleasure guys. This has been the
most fun of my life! Yup, heading straight off to Vancouver ... Find myself a job at a hospital
there. I’ll be staying with my brother. Have to play uncle to three little kids. But it’s gonna be
great. [beat] I know it. What? Oh, I’m just looking for ... someone. Someone I went to school
with. He and I, we had this little contest. It was to see who could be doctor first.Well. I win.
[TODD wanders off. ROBBIE and SCOTT step forward.]
SCOTT: Okay, that’ll be 75 bucks.
ROBBIE: 75 bucks? For an oil change?!
SCOTT: Hey man, my education was expensive. Have to pay off the student loans.
ROBBIE: Yeah well so do I! You're gypping me.
SCOTT: The cash.
ROBBIE: You never did like me.
SCOTT:  That’s right, Pipsqueak. Hand over the seventy-five!
ROBBIE: I  haven't got seventy-five!
SCOTT: Then give me a check.
ROBBIE: It’ll bounce.
SCOTT: You’re impossible!
ROBBIE: And you’re a crayon stealer!
SCOTT: Go on, get out of here before I call the cops and tell em you ran out on your bill.Again.
ROBBIE:  Sucker.
[ROBBIE walks away and freezes. Music up -- something sad.
SARAH and SCOTT wander about not seeing each other. Stop
in front of each other, hands outstretched. Almost touching, but not
quite. JILL and TODD meet at stage right and handclasp; sit
down. ROBBIE and DIANE meet at stage left. ROBBIE raises
his hand as if to slap her; she touches his hand and moves it down.
They sit. SCOTT and SARAH allow their hands to touch. The
hold sustains, then breaks.]
SARAH: It was never meant to be.
SCOTT: It was never meant to end.
SARAH: [glancing offstage] Your kid, Scott. I have to go.
SCOTT:  Sarah wait.
[SCOTT pulls her back. They hold a look, and the lights dim.
As the video projection rolls, they watch it, and sit down after
a few seconds. The projection ends. Music fades. Blackout.]
END OF PLAY