SENSIBLE CHOICES BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)
ALI, in their 30’s, sitting with their best friend ALISON, in her 50’s.
In front of them are two empty jars.
Next to the jars are a whole lot of marbles.
ALISON: Ok.
ALI: Ok. You sure this is a good idea?
ALISON: What? The marbles? Of course it’s a good idea.
ALI: Ok.
ALISON: Before we say anything crazy –
ALI: It’s not crazy.
ALISON: Before we say anything – period – it’d be good to use the jars to help us really understand what we’re doing here.
ALI: But I know what I’m –
ALISON: It doesn’t hurt to take the time…
Pause.
ALI: Fine.
ALISON: I’ll start. I would need to stop you from jumping into brash decisions.
ALISON puts a marble in jar 2.
ALI: You do that anyway.
ALISON shrugs it off.
ALISON: Your turn.
ALI: The breakfasts you cook me.
ALISON: Where does that go?
ALI puts a marble in jar 1.
ALI: Obviously.
ALISON: Just checking. Ok. Um. You are almost always late.
ALI: Jeez.
ALISON puts a marble in jar 2.
ALISON: What?
ALI: Do you have anything in the good?
ALISON: Of course I do. Your turn.
ALI: You are really bad at washing dishes.
ALI puts a marble in jar 2.
ALISON: Am I?
ALI: I rewash all of my dishes when you leave my apartment.
ALISON: Gosh. I didn’t realize.
ALI: Well… I felt bad.
ALISON: Sorry.
ALI: Your turn.
ALISON: I would have access to your amazing book collection.
ALISON puts a marble in jar 1.
ALI: After a long day, you take off your shoes and your feet smell terrible.
ALI puts a marble in jar 2.
ALISON: We both have so many clothes, sharing a closet would be a nightmare.
ALISON puts a marble in jar 2.
ALI: You are on the road so much and without you I feel lonely.
ALI puts a marble in jar 2.
Silence.
ALI and ALISON look at both jars.
ALISON: The way you talk to me when I’m having a bad day.
ALISON puts a marble in jar 1.
ALI takes a marble and puts it in jar 1.
ALI: That’s worth more than one marble.
ALISON smiles at ALI.
ALISON: Ok.
ALI: The way I feel when you hold me.
ALI puts three marbles in jar 1.
ALISON: You are an excellent kisser.
ALISON puts four marbles in jar 1.
ALISON: And excellent at OTHER things…
ALISON puts another marble in jar 1.
ALI: Hey! You got two turns.
ALISON: I got excited.
ALI: I’ll allow it.
ALI adds another marble in jar 1.
ALI: And second that.
ALISON: Yes!
ALI: When I close my eyes and think about my perfect day – tomorrow, five years from now, ten years from now, whenever – it always includes you.
ALI puts a marble in jar 1.
ALISON smiles.
Pause.
ALISON puts a marble in jar 2
ALI: Hey, I thought we were done with that jar!
ALISON: When you are old, I will be even older and I will need to be taken care of…
Silence.
Beat.
ALI: The way I feel when we are together. And the way I will feel when we are old together.
Pause.
ALISON: Is… good?
ALISON takes two handfuls of the remaining marbles and dumps them into jar 1.
ALI: Of course. Dummy.
ALI takes the rest of the marbles and dumps them into jar 1.
ALISON: Same.
Lights fade.
END OF PLAY.