07-14-2014, 06:33 PM
[The lights come up on the apartment. Elijah is laying on the couch STAGE CENTER playing with a cell phone. Keys jingle and Jenn enters frm the front door, STAGE LEFT.]
- Jenn:"You're a reckless asshole, Elijah."
Elijah:"Huh?"
Jenn:"You. Are. A. Reck-less. Ass-hole."
Elijah:"This is a surprising amount of ire for this early in the morning-"
Jenn:"-what were you thinking?! With that guy-"
Elijah:"-I called nine one one-"
Jenn:"And then fucking held on to a guy with a bomb strapped to his chest!"
Elijah:"Look, at the time-"
Jenn:"You could have died-"
[Elijah]"-and?"
Jenn:"-W-what do you mean and?"
Elijah:"I don't mean it like-"
Jenn:"Then how do you mean it?"
[A beat passes. Elijah puts the cell phone down and sits up on the couch.]
- Elijah:"Just that... it didn't happen, nobody blew up, so what does it matter if I did something stupid-"
Jenn:"Are you just saying it was stupid, or are you saying it was stupid because you think I think it's stupid?"
Elijah:"Christ, Jenn! Badgering the witness! I wasn't the only person hanging on to that guy-"
Jenn:"I don't care what other people were doing, I care about what you are doing." [Jenn crosses to STAGE CENTER]
Elijah:"I'm not your responsibility Jenn."
Jenn:"Like Hell you're not!"
Elijah:"Like Hell, I'm not."
[Two beats]
- Jenn:"Will you just listen to me? Please?"
Elijah:"People usually say listen to me when they want someone to change their mind about something. What are you selling me?"
Jenn:"You're being defensive."
Elijah:"No kidding."
Jenn:"Knock it off, you're not listening to me."
Elijah:"About what? So far you've only called me defensive and a reckless asshole." [Elijah laughs]
Jenn:"If the shoe fits." [drolly]
Elijah:"Jenn."
Jenn:"What?"
Elijah:"I'm listening. You've got my attention and I'm listening; you don't have to resort to cliches."
Jenn:"When was the last time you took your medication?"
[Elijah stops laughing, and rises to meet Jenn STAGE CENTER]
- Elijah:"Jesus, really?"
Jenn:"I'm serious, Elijah, when?"
Elijah:"Since before we got here."
Jenn:"So..."
Elijah:"Two months?"
Jenn:"God, Elijah." [Jenn groans]
Elijah:"It doesn't work, and I don't need them."
Jenn:"Maybe you're just on the wrong doses-"
Elijah:"-Jenn, I'm telling you, I promise, I'm not hallucinating or having delusions of grandeur-"
Jenn:"Or suicidal ideation?"
Elijah:"What?" [with confusion]
Jenn:"I said you could have died, and all you said was and."
Elijah:"You're reading way too much into that."
Jenn:"Then what am I supposed to read into it?"
Elijah:"If I died, the world would keep going. I didn't, and the world kept going."
Jenn:"That's crazy, Elijah-"
Elijah:"No, Jenn, it's realistic. we could all die tomorrow, so why dwell on it?"
Jenn:"Because you leave people behind, that's why. Just because you're gone doesn't mean everyone else gets to just stop going on, and between this and the thing with that Abandonato guy-"
Elijah:"Wait, who?"
[A beat]
- Jenn:"Khaled Abandonato... Alicia's dad?"
Elijah:"What's Alicia's dad have to do with this?"
Jenn:"Everything."
Elijah:"So, Alicia will talk to you about this, but she doesn't want to talk to me?"
Jenn:"We're two separate people, so... yeah."
Elijah:"What did she say?"
Jenn:"Are you going to listen?"
Elijah:"Yes."
Jenn:"I don't believe you."
Elijah:"I'm serious, I promise, Jenn, I'm listening."
Jenn:"Good, because since she isn't talking to you right now you kind of have to get an ass-chewing by proxy."
[Elijah and Jenn both walk to the couch to sit back down. Both sit opposite each other and converse]
- Jenn:"I don't know what Alicia's dad was involved in, but Khaled sounds like he was into some really crazy shit if the freaking government came and swept him away."
Elijah:"Is that what Alicia told you?" [incredulous]
Jenn: "That's not important, what she told me is that he was involved in some crazy stuff, and at the end of it all he still tried to protect her because that's what dads do. He got picked up by some black ops kind of operation and grappling with dudes whose bombs don't go off is one thing Elijah, but seriously? Seriously? We're talking about the freaking government. The government that doesn't even get fucking acronyms because they're that freaking top secret. If you fuck this up, they're not going to kill you- they're going to stick you in a hole somewhere and if you're lucky? Forget about you."
Elijah: "Jenn, you don't understand, Alicia-"
Jenn: "Is a fucking wreck, and this? This isn't helping anything. After everything that happened, do you think she wants to risk losing her friends, too? Elijah, she is hurting-"
Elijah: "I know that, I just-"
Jenn: "Babe, I know you're trying, but this? This is just digging things up that she can't handle right now, and really? She shouldn't have to. I… I get that you're trying to help this guy, and that you want to do this because you care about Alicia, but you're hurting her. If you are going to keep this up, quit saying you're doing this for her and say you're doing it for yourself."
Elijah: "There's a guy out there who is probably being tortured-"
Jenn: "And there's one in Serbia and Croatia and Israel and Italy and all the places in between- somewhere, there is profound human suffering. Putting yourself in harm's way doesn't change that fact, Elijah. I don't want to lose you in some undisclosed location so god-knows-what can happen, and neither does Alicia."
[Elijah looks at Jenn; Jenn reaches out and puts a hand on his thigh]
- Jenn: "Just let her try to move on, okay?'
Elijah:"Yeah… yeah, I'll try." [quietly]
[blackout]