"Tomorrow"
By, Dave Ulrich
Lights up.
Spanish bullfighting music is playing.
WILL walks into the room. He is whistling with
the music.
He tosses his keys to the table on the right... but
the table is on the left, so they land on the floor.
The music stops.
His whistling stops.
As he ponders what happened he begins to sit. As
he begins to sit, the THERAPIST enters and slides
a chair under him.
The THERAPIST then spins around the kitchen
table chair and sits in it with crossed legs.
WILL
I don't... know. Backwards, I guess. No, just out of whack.
THERAPIST
Whack.
WILL
Huh?
THERAPIST
Nothing.
WILL
No, what did you say?
THERAPIST
I repeated what you said.
WILL
Which was what?
THERAPIST
Whack.
WILL
Why whack?
THERAPIST
Precisely.
WILL looks down and scratches the top of his
forehead absently as he looks back up. He is now
alone.
The THERAPIST slips off.
A WOMAN comes in and sits at the table. She
crosses her legs and looks at her watch.
After a beat she glances over at WILL.
WAITING WOMAN
What are you doing?
WILL
Hiding my fear.
WAITING WOMAN
Of what?
WILL
Tomorrow.
(short pause)
Losing what I have. Living forever without the things I don't
have.
(short pause)
That everything will change. That nothing will.
(pause)
What are you doing?
WAITING WOMAN
Waiting.
WILL
For what?
WAITING WOMAN
Things to get better.
WILL
Do you think...
She leaves abruptly.
SARA enters and stands behind WILL. She points
out in the house.
SARA
What about her?
Will stands and looks.
WILL
Too confident, she'd rip through my facades before I could
trick her into intimacy.
SARA
Will, do you really have any idea what you want?
WILL
No.
MELISSA steps onstage and speaks toward the
house.
MELISSA
You can't lay there in silence debating an answer. We're in a
discussion now, so you discuss it now. You only ponder to
censor yourself from what you are thinking, but what you fear
to say is exactly what needs to be voiced, goddammit.
The THERAPIST appears and lingers in the
background.
THERAPIST
(to Will)
Do you think that without a woman in your life, you will
become stagnant in your emotional evolution?
As MELISSA goes, JACKIE steps on the opposite
side of the stage and speaks out toward the house.
JACKIE
It was unbelievable. Just because we were having this
terrific discussion, that does not mean that it is all right
to kiss me. What was wrong with him? With men? Can a man and
a woman have intelligent conversation without motives? Will?
Do you think it's possible?
THERAPIST
Why did you say that?
WILL
(to the THERAPIST)
Say what?
THERAPIST
That most every useful thing you've learned about being a
better human being came from the women you've had in your
life. But you're afraid to let one in again.
WILL
I said all that?
THERAPIST
Did you?
JACKIE exits.
SARA
You're being dramatic.
(pointing)
Now look at her. Go talk to her.
WILL
What would I say?
The WAITING WOMAN has returned and stands
upstage.
WAITING WOMAN
What difference does it make?
As WILL turns, she walks off.
THERAPIST
Do you think that's a healthy point of view?
GINA enters and speaks out to the house.
GINA
(tenderly)
Oh Will. You are sweet and all, but I can't stay with you
forever. You're younger than me -- and not just in
male/female years of emotional development, but actual
chronological age. You're fun, and great and all, but you
aren't ready. You need six more years of life under your belt
and then find yourself a nice girl six years younger than
you. We'll just fuck for now.
WILL
(to Sara)
Why did you marry Jasper?
GINA exits.
SARA
I love him. You know, all of that clichˇ stuff, I guess, but
more special because it's real to me.
WILL
I mean how did you know?
SARA
There was never a hesitation. I knew if he asked, stopping
myself would be a lie, not grounded in reality. Just fear.
And I knew that -- probably always.
WILL
I can't imagine feeling that.
THERAPIST
What do you imagine?
WILL
If I try imagine things, there is only chaos.
THERAPIST
Close your eyes.
WILL closes his eyes.
SARA
Imagine now.
SARA leaves. The WAITING WOMAN returns.
She doesn't turn to him.
WAITING WOMAN
What are you doing?
WILL
Hiding my fear.
WAITING WOMAN
Of what?
WILL
Waiting.
A beat.
WILL
And there's something else.
WAITING WOMAN
You fear losing me...
WILL
And I don't even have you yet.
WAITING WOMAN
I know.
Will opens his eyes.
He takes her in.
WILL
You're still here.
She picks up his keys from the floor and stands
over him.
WAITING WOMAN
Have you ever been to a bull fight?
THERAPIST
What?
Throughout the speech the THERAPIST slinks up
stage and exits.
WAITING WOMAN
Bull fights are a beautiful tapestry of theatre. The
pageantry is almost overwhelming. You find yourself caught in
the river rush of excitement. But underneath all of the
beauty you see in the moment, there is this horrible fear
welling up inside, because your mind's eye is always on the
horrific end. And yet you can't help but wait for it.
She holds a key to his neck like a knife, but she
does it warmly and sensuously, dragging it across
his throat.
WAITING WOMAN
You're just waiting in fear. You hope the inevitable
brutality will never come; yet you are certain it will.
She takes the key from his neck and tosses them
on to the table.
WILL
Why are you telling me this?
WAITING WOMAN
Because you shouldn't live in guilt or in fear for crimes not
yet committed.
(touching his face)
Sometimes the bull will live.
WILL
Will things get better?
WAITING WOMAN
Tomorrow.
She leaves.
The opening bars of the bullfighting music plays
and fades out as the lights dim to --
Blackout.
THE END
"Tomorrow"
IS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AND MAY NOT BE
DOWNLOADED, TRANSMITTED, PRINTED OR PERFORMED
WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR
"Tomorrow" debuted January 31, 2003 directed by J. J. Hickey with the following cast:
WILL - Christopher Clarke
THERAPIST - Eric Johnson
WAITING WOMAN - Monique Simms
SARA - Jenn Cousin
MELISSA - Toni Loppnow
JACKIE - Lori Rohr
GINA - Tory Seiter
Library]
