Orphan In The Snow

A play in five acts. Act III

Characters:

Jamie. Mid-20s. Muscular but not terribly fit.

Jessica: Earlier 20s. Very attractive.

Setting
A bachelor’s apartment. Well appointed, but with bachelor things. Video games, model kits, swords, concert posters, etc. Things a woman would never allow you to have in the living room. Jamie and Jessica are sitting on the sofa talking. Lights go up in the middle of their conversation, revealing how serious it is.

Jessica
I know what you want from me, and I just can’t do that.

Jamie
Do you know what I want? Do you really?

Jessica
Of course I do. I know you. I’ve known you for a while now.

Jamie
See, there’s this thing. You think it’s about sex.

Jessica
Isn’t it?

Jamie
Women think sex is a much bigger bargaining chip than it really is. I know maybe ten girls I could call who would have sex with me tonight. Maybe they’re not as pretty as you, but they make up for it with enthusiasm and convenience. They would do it because they like it, and they would do it with me because I’m nice to them and don’t have any expectations that the act means more than it does.

Jessica
I didn’t mean that…

Jamie
I think you did, though.

Jessica
What does it mean to you? The act itself?

Jamie
It means that, in that particular moment, it’s what I wanted and what someone else wanted. I try not to connect it to a bunch of other stuff. We’ve been together. It was great. You decided you didn’t want to do that anymore, so we didn’t. It hasn’t changed how I feel about you.

Jessica
What do you want then?

Jamie
I didn’t really know we were going to have this conversation.

Jessica
You said you wanted to find a way to say “goodbye”

Jamie
I didn’t think you’d try to talk me out of it.

Jessica
Tell me.

Jamie
Wait, did you think “saying goodbye” meant sex one last time?

Jessica
Tell me.

Jamie
How about this? Figure out what you think is fair. Then figure out what you would think is fair if you were me–and then don’t do either of those.

Jessica
What does that mean?

Jamie
It means nobody wants to be loved under those conditions. Love is about feelings and magic, not fairness and obligation. And don’t tell anybody about what happened between us.

Jessica
Why not?

Jamie
Because under the best of circumstances, people would say “oh, he’s such a nice guy!” Nobody gives a fuck about nice guys. Nice guys get married two or three times and die alone.

Jessica
Someone wonderful will find you.

Jamie
Yeah? Tell her to wear a hat so I’ll know it’s her.

Jessica
Why do you have to be like this?

Jamie
Realistic, you mean? Look, I know what the kind of guys you normally go for look like. I know what I look like. I got involved because you were hurting. I didn’t think it was fair you were hurting.

Jessica
You can’t blame me for this. I never asked you for anything.

Jamie
I tried to make sure you never had to ask. Making a woman ask for help when you can see she needs it would be pretty ungentlemanly. Look, I spent a little over a year trying to help you and your family. Some of it you know about, a lot of it you’ll never know about. I did it on my own terms. None of it obligates you.

Jessica
Then why are you trying to make me feel guilty?

Jamie
I’m trying not to. I’m trying to end all this so you can get on with your life with whichever of the ten guys trying to get your attention you choose, and I’ll get on with my life and whatever that involves. Truth be told, I’ve done all I can do. Even if I wanted to be able to help you more, I wouldn’t know how. My best advice is that you pick somebody great and move far away from here, away from all this.

Jessica
Why are you doing all this?

Jamie
I did it because you were crying. I could feel how much pain you were in. You’re pretty, but there are a lot of pretty girls out there. What was different here was that parts of you were broken because of things that happened to you that weren’t your fault, and you felt like you could share that with me. Now I’ve done the best I could and things are better. Now it’s time to end it.

Jessica
So, you’re just going to throw me away

Jamie
It’s not like that

Jessica
We could be friends

Jamie
That’s how it started.

Jessica
Why do you have to be like this?

Jamie
Being like this is why I stopped to help you in the first place.

Jessica
I don’t understand how you can be so cold-hearted about it

Jamie
That might be an illusion

Jessica
So what now?

Jamie
It’s time to say goodbye. I took you to dinner. We held hands. We talked. You cried, again, but for different reasons. It’s over. My part in this story is over. I was never supposed to be in the story past the third act.

Jessica
What does that mean?

Jamie
Can I kiss you?

Jessica
You’ve never asked before.

Jamie
(kisses her briefly) Goodnight Jess. Maybe when we’re older and you’ve had a bunch of kids, I’ll meet you at the mall, and you’ll tell me their names.

Jessica
I hate this

Jamie
I know…Goodnight jess

Lights