Selected Plays 1999-2009 by David Greig

Author:David Greig [David Greig]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9780571274666
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2010-08-14T16:00:00+00:00

Act Two

The next morning.

Vivienne is sitting on the terrace.

The Man enters.

Something of a pause.

The Man Apparently you’re my wife.

Vivienne Keith.

The Man Keith.

…

Keith.

Vivienne Keith Sutherland.

The Man Pedro said you had a photograph.

Vivienne Sit down.

Something of a pause.

The Man sits down.

Vivienne pushes the photograph to him.

He looks at the photograph.

After a time:

It was taken at the Fisheries Department ball.

At the North British. Four Christmases ago.

With the McColls.

D’you remember?

We went with the McColls.

The Man …

Vivienne That’s Gavin, that’s Trish, and that’s you.

We were all a bit tipsy.

Your cheeks are red.

The Man This is Keith?

Vivienne That’s you. That’s right.

The Man This man. There’s a superficial resemblance but I don’t think –

Vivienne It’s you.

The Man I’m sorry, Mrs Sutherland.

I really have no memory of this event.

Of you.

Of any of this.

Vivienne Keith.

I know this can’t be easy for you.

I didn’t want to have to just come out with it.

That’s why I waited.

I booked in to the hotel and I thought, I won’t introduce myself.

I’ll just wait till he’s ready.

The Man You’ve been watching me?

Vivienne I was waiting for you to come to yourself in your own time.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy for you.

And I wanted to be there when it happened.

To help you through.

The Man Don’t you think that’s a bit –

Vivienne But when I saw the woman from the Embassy.

I thought –

The Man I think this is a little bit sinister.

Vivienne I thought I ought to – because she was –

The Man Stalking me.

Vivienne She was clearly forming a bond.

The Man Which is none of your business.

Vivienne I am your wife.

The Man So you say.

Something of a pause.

You and your husband –

Vivienne Keith.

The Man Have you been married long?

Vivienne Twenty-eight years.

The Man Really.

Vivienne Twenty-nine in June.

The Man Right.

A pause.

Any children?

Vivienne No.

The Man Where is it that you said you live?

Vivienne In Edinburgh.

The Man I don’t know Edinburgh.

It’s supposed to be very nice.

Vivienne It’s home.

The Man Your husband, is he a – what is he?

Vivienne A civil servant.

In the Fisheries Department.

The Man Really. How interesting.

…

Is he ‘Edinburghian’?

Vivienne From Aberdeenshire originally.

The Man Fascinating.

Vivienne Near Aberdeen. A little place called Fyvie.

The Man Och aye the noo.

It’s a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht.

Vivienne Don’t mock, Keith.

The Man I’m sorry.

Something of a pause.

The Man looks at the photograph.

The Man takes out a cigarette, lights it, smokes.

Vivienne You’ve started smoking again.

The Man Was Keith a smoker?

Vivienne Keith had given up.

The Man Look, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?

You and Keith.

Were you – happily married?

Vivienne We were married. It wasn’t unhappy.

We are –

Happy is probably not the most appropriate word, given the circumstances.

The Man I mean – whoever this Keith is –

He’s run away, hasn’t he?

He’s run off.

Disappeared off the face of the earth.

So, you can see what I’m saying.

He can’t have been –

Vivienne I think you were unhappy.

I think you’d probably been unhappy for some time.

I didn’t know anything about it – everything seemed normal right up until the day you disappeared.

But it seems that normal for me was unhappy for you.

You were having an affair with a young woman in London.

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