Together

A mini-play or interlude

 

Two characters,
LEE and PAT.
There are four
possibilities
for casting:

 LEE PAT
1.womanman
2.manwoman
3.womanwoman
4.manman

At rise, the characters can be sitting, lounging, or standing. LEE is possibly reading. PAT is draped over and entwined around LEE.

LEE:Why do you keep clinging to me like that?
PAT:I thought you love me.
LEE:I do love you. I just don’t want you clinging to me.
PAT:I’m being affectionate.
LEE:You’re being clingy.
PAT:Your definition.
LEE:My body.
PAT:You don’t want me to touch you?
LEE:Touch, yes. Cling, no.
PAT:Show me.
LEE:You have to stop clinging first.
PAT:All right. [Disengages.]
LEE:[Silence as LEE fixes clothes, smoothes hair, etc. Pause.]
PAT:So show me.
LEE:What?
PAT:Touch me.
LEE:Just like that?
PAT:Just like what?
LEE:On command.
PAT:It’s not a command, it’s a request.
LEE:What about spontaneity?
PAT:It’s a spontaneous request.
LEE:What about my spontaneity?
PAT:Go ahead, be spontaneous.
LEE:[Thinks a moment, then lays fingertips on PAT’s arm.]
PAT:[Stares silently at fingertips.] Don’t know if I can stand all this passion.
LEE:[Quickly removing hand.] Look, I’m just not in the mood, all right?
PAT:But I am.
LEE:Tough break.
PAT:It’s not a break, it’s a way of life.
LEE:That’s simply not true. What about yesterday?
PAT:An aberration.
LEE:And two days ago?
PAT:A fluke.
LEE:And last week?
PAT:I don’t remember.
LEE:Let me refresh your memory. You were clinging to me like this . . . [demonstrates].
PAT:Mmm, nice.
LEE:. . . and even though we were in public—
PAT:Where?
LEE:Terry’s party.
PAT:That’s not public.
LEE:[Disengaging] There were fifty people there!
PAT:So what?
LEE:So what? They were staring at us.
PAT:You’re paranoid.
LEE:They were staring at us.
PAT:All right, so what if they were?
LEE:Don’t you have any sense of privacy?
PAT:Some things are more important than privacy.
LEE:I know, don’t tell me: love, affection, warmth, clinging.
PAT:I wish you’d stop calling it that.
LEE:That’s what it was.
PAT:We were dancing.
LEE:So you do remember.
PAT:It just came back to me.
LEE:Do you remember what I was doing while we were dancing?
PAT:Yeah, I remember.
LEE:Clinging back! I was clinging back to you!
PAT:Why don’t you try the word “embrace”?
LEE:Okay, I was embracing you, hugging you, acting just like you.
PAT:Not quite.
LEE:How not? Did I leave out something?
PAT:Not at all. You put in some extras. In fact, you were making a glorious fool of yourself.
LEE:What?
PAT:Well, you were. It was you they were staring at, not me.
LEE:What are you talking about?
PAT:You were drunk.
LEE:So were you.
PAT:I get affectionate. You get positively ridiculous.
LEE:I do not get ridiculous.
PAT:You do. You certainly do. But I’m not complaining.
LEE:What was I doing?
PAT:Trying to take my clothes off.
LEE:I did not!
PAT:[Shrugs.] Ask Terry.
LEE:[Pause.] Are you serious?
PAT:I may cling, but I don’t lie.
LEE:I don’t remember doing that.
PAT:Blocked it out.
LEE:What did you do?
PAT:I let you.
LEE:What?!
PAT:I let you.
LEE:You let me take your clothes off?
PAT:Most of them.
LEE:Why, for godssake?
PAT:Like I said, some things are more important than privacy.
LEE:But . . . what I was doing wasn’t one of those things.
PAT:It was.
LEE:It was drunken revelry.
PAT:It was love.
[Silence.]
LEE:Weren’t you embarrassed?
PAT:I was happy.
LEE:Because I was being a ridiculous fool?
PAT:Because you were loving me.
LEE:I still do.
PAT:This minute?
LEE:This minute.
PAT:[Joyfully drapes around LEE as at start.]
LEE:I love you . . . only . . . .
PAT:Only . . . . [Slowly disengages from LEE, then walks to side of stage, lowers self down on floor, and curls up in foetal position.]
LEE:Don't . . . . I didn't mean . . . . [Slowly goes over to PAT, and lowers self down as lights fade to black.]