E-MAILS BY JEFFREY LO
(DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)
On one side of the stage is CHO lying on a California King size bed in a hotel room.
CHO is listening to music on big studio-quality headphones.
On the other side of the stage, and probably the other side of the world is TONE.
TONE is sitting outside of a café drinking a Vietnamese coffee.
TONE takes his tablet out of his bag and begins to type.
After some time passes, the lights fade on TONE.
A ding comes from CHO’s phone.
CHO shuffles about on the massive bed to find his phone and pulls it out.
TONE (voiceover):Cho, how’s it going man. I’m sending you this letter from a coffee shop on the streets of Vietnam. The air on my face from the bicyclists passing me by give me something to feel which you and I both know isn’t always the case. Unlike most times, I’m visiting Vietnam alone and of my own – shall I say – need. I love it here. I love the people. I love the food. I love the solitude I feel here. I’m not sure why I feel it here and nowhere else but at least I can celebrate the fact that I’ve discovered where I can feel it. The reason I message you is because I’ve felt unwell of late. Unwell emotionally. There are ups and downs we both know but I wanted to reach out to see what you do to deal with it. We haven’t known each other for too long but talking with you made me feel like the demons I fight are not unlike the ones you fight and perhaps we can share some knowledge. Anyway. Hope you’re somewhere beautiful and feeling the same. Thanks for the time. As always, Tone.
CHO finishes reading the e-mail and begins to tap away on his phone.
After some time passes, the lights fade on CHO.
A ding.
Lights rise on TONE, now inside of a restaurant eating a bowl of pho.
TONE takes his phone out of his pocket and smiles to see what is waiting for him.
CHO (voiceover): Tone, it’s great to hear from you. You message me at a good time because I’m lying here on a top floor suite in Vegas on a California king sized cloud and to be honest… I’m bored out of my mind. Although boredom is definitely not what I want to feel and the opposite of what one comes to Vegas for, I am happy to report that this boredom doesn’t result in any dangerous impulses from my end. Or at least yet. For now, I have a nice e-mail to read from my friend Tone and a response to write him. So thank you for that. To answer your question about how I fight the ups and downs, I think the answer – for me at least – is that I’ve trained myself not to fight it. The downs – like this boredom – is just a part of life and I think that learning to accept and live with it is my only path to continuing to live life. It’s when I was in a constant state of fighting against it and running from it where things got dangerous. This is just me, though. I don’t know if it’s helpful for you but I am happy to share this. I’m glad you reached out. Always feel welcome to do so. I have all the time in the world and I’d rather spend it connecting with a good guy like you. Hope you’re still getting your inner peace in Vietnam and are eating a warm bowl of pho as you read this. Peace. Cho.
TONE laughs as he drinks another spoonful of pho broth.
Lights slowly rise on CHO.
TONE and CHO – from other sides of the world – look at each other and nod.
Lights fade on them both.
END OF PLAY.