Guards at the Taj and Mr. Wolf: Two Plays by Joseph Rajiv

Author:Joseph, Rajiv [Joseph, Rajiv]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781619028555
Publisher: Soft Skull Press
Published: 2016-11-20T16:00:00+00:00

SCENE 2.

Julie enters through a doorway of light . . . into a room. She is nervous, possibly frightened.

The room has a standing chalkboard. It is different than the one in the earlier scene. This one has been scrawled on with colored chalk, but not with any discernable design—it appears manic, lunatic in nature. And this is punctuated—literally—by a hole in the center of the chalkboard, where someone must have punched it.

There are folding chairs that once were in a circle. A few are still sitting upright. Several are knocked over. A small table. The room is quiet, empty. Julie cautiously enters, walks around. This is not what she expected.

She hears someone coming and she steps back instinctively.

Michael enters. He appears to have just washed his face, but hasn’t really dried it. He’s a mess.

They stare at each other for a moment.

MICHAEL: Hi.

JULIE: Hi.

Michael begins picking up folding chairs and stacking them in a corner.

MICHAEL: There is nothing going on here.

JULIE: What?

MICHAEL: I said “There is nothing going on here.”

JULIE: Oh . . .

(awkwardly stands there, worried, then starts to leave)

Okay.

(but then she stops)

No, I, um . . .

Excuse me.

MICHAEL: What.

JULIE: (musters the courage to say this) I need to talk to someone.

MICHAEL: You came to the wrong place.

JULIE: No I didn’t.

MICHAEL: Today you did. They attacked me today. They asked me to leave. I have been asked to leave, can you believe that? They kicked me out, and I said I wouldn’t leave, so they left. Everyone . . . they simply walked out and left.

You missed quite the fireworks display.

(beat)

Anyhow.

“There is nothing going on here.”

JULIE: If I don’t talk to someone I’m going to kill myself.

MICHAEL: (beat; he stares at her) Oh. I remember you.

You used to come here.

JULIE: Not for a long time, I haven’t been here.

MICHAEL: There’s coffee. There are some doughnuts. I punched the chalkboard.

JULIE: Why?

MICHAEL: Why does anyone punch a chalkboard?

I hurt my hand.

(beat)

What happened to you?

JULIE: I just stopped coming.

MICHAEL: No. I mean. What happened? To you.

Awkward beat. Julie doesn’t want to say.

MICHAEL: You said if you didn’t talk to somebody you were going to kill yourself. Are you going to talk? Or are you going to kill yourself?

(beat)

My guess is neither.

(beat)

Language is worthless, isn’t it?

Worthless, saying things aloud, hearing things, discussions, etcetera. Which is why this whole mess, which is why everyone stormed out of here. Which is why you left. And now you’re back here with the same . . . whatever, loss in your soul . . .

(beat)

I remember some of your details. From when you came here. I remember that your . . .

(beat)

Anyhow. I remember enough.

Not your name, though. What’s your name?

JULIE: Julie.

MICHAEL: I’m Michael.

JULIE: My husband died.

MICHAEL: Sorry.

JULIE: It’s okay, he wanted to die.

MICHAEL: Just like you.

JULIE: I don’t want to die. I don’t want to live, it’s a crucial difference. Anyhow, you’re . . .

not nice. You’re not nice to talk to.

MICHAEL: I know, I’m sorry. I’m obviously not good at this.

(beat)

I try to live by rules.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.