IN THE WAITING BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)
Lights up on a small hill in a big field.
NATALY is sitting near the top of the hill staring at the stars.
NATALY: It’d be nice if I could talk to you… Which one of you? Oh, any of you. Any of you stars would be a nice conversation companion I imagine… The way you can twinkle like that how could you not be good to talk to? You’re all just so beautiful. (Beat) Well actually… you might already be talking back to me! But in like… morse code. Are you talking to me in morse code?
NATALY squints to watch the blinks even closer.
NATALY: Oh what’s the use? What am I doing. I don’t know morse code. I couldn’t tell even if I wanted to. I guess I’ll just have to be happy with watching you twinkle. And talking to you. And waiting to… feel better. I guess.
NATALY sighs and lies on the ground, staring up at her friends in the sky.
After a moment, JOHN enters, walking backing in towards the hill.
Once he hits his spot on the hill, he sits down and brings out his telescope to look up.
What JOHN doesn’t realize, is he is sitting right next to NATALY.
As JOHN looks up at the sky with his microscope –
NATALY pops up – knowing she is no longer alone.
NATALY thinks of what to do for a moment.
NATALY: Hi.
JOHN jumps up startled.
JOHN: AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
NATALY: Sorry!
JOHN: OHMYGOD!
In the ruckus, JOHN almost drops his telescope and juggles it a round –
JOHN: Oh!
NATALY: Oh no!
JOHN: Oh!
NATALY: Sorry!
JOHN catches it.
JOHN: Got it!
NATALY: Sorry.
JOHN: It’s ok.
NATALY: I just didn’t –
JOHN: It’s ok.
NATALY: You were sitting next to me and –
JOHN: Of course.
NATALY: I thought I was alone –
JOHN: Me too.
NATALY: But we weren’t.
JOHN: We weren’t.
NATALY: So –
JOHN: You said hello.
NATALY: Right.
JOHN: Of course.
Silence.
Beat.
JOHN: Hello.
NATALY: Hi. Did I already say I was sorry.
JOHN: You did.
NATALY: Ok. Cause I am.
JOHN: I know.
NATALY: Good.
JOHN: And it’s ok.
NATALY: Good.
Pause.
NATALY: What are you doing here?
JOHN: Me?
NATALY: (Genuinely startled) Is there someone else?
JOHN: No. It’s just me.
NATALY: Then yes, you.
JOHN: I’m here to –
JOHN indicates his telescope.
NATALY: Stars?
JOHN: Yeah. Stars.
NATALY: Right. Me too.
JOHN: Stars?
NATALY: Stars. They’re my friends.
JOHN: Your friends?
NATALY: Yes, my friends. What about you?
JOHN: I just, um –
NATALY: Are they your friends too?
JOHN: Uh… No. I just like to… Look at them?
NATALY: Oh… right right.
JOHN: So I guess I wouldn’t call that friendship.
NATALY: But It kind of is, actually.
JOHN: Oh?
NATALY: I mean it’s kind of like my friendship with them.
JOHN: But they don’t, like, talk to me or anything.
NATALY: Oh me either.
JOHN: Right.
NATALY: They don’t talk to me either. Of course.
JOHN: Of course.
NATALY: But I do talk to them.
JOHN: Right.
NATALY: Yeah.
JOHN: I don’t do that.
NATALY: Oh.
JOHN: So maybe no friendship between me and the –
NATALY: You should try it!
JOHN: What?
NATALY: You should try it.
JOHN: Talking to them.
NATALY: Yeah! Why not?
JOHN: Why… not…
NATALY: Yeah! Go on.
JOHN: Ummm…
NATALY: It’s quite nice, really.
JOHN: What do I say?
NATALY: Whatever you want.
JOHN: Whatever I –
NATALY: Whatever you can’t say to anyone else… but need to say to someone else… Perhaps?
JOHN: … right…
Silence.
JOHN steps forward.
JOHN: Ummm… Hi. There. Hi.
JOHN looks around and picks up his telescope.
JOHN looks through the telescope up to the sky.
Lights isolate JOHN.
END OF PLAY.