Who?

Patient: I believe I’m mentally ill.
Doctor: I doubt it.
Patient: What?
Doctor: You heard me.
Patient: I am though.
Doctor: You aren’t though.
Patient: Are you sure?
Doctor: Absolutely not. Let’s get down to the truth. You’re feeling depressed, lonely and worthless, right?
Patient: Yes.
Doctor: Of course you are. Ok you’re like anyone else in this world. You feel you’re not very good at anything so you fall into this terrible trap of depression and loneliness and dissolution. Very good. Why? Haven’t you ever been happy or passionate about anything?
Patient: Well…
Doctor: Skip it. I’m controlling this session. Listen I don’t like to hear people complain too much during these sessions so I do all the talking. We’ll figure something out. Your parents may have beaten you or paid you no attention, or you have a chemical imblance, or you have never had any friends or close relationships. Or you’re experiencing a psychotic break due to too much working or sleeping or doing nothing except griping and eating fatty foods. As you can tell I know every reason one could possibly be depressed and lonely. So what is it? Don’t answer. Don’t answer. Remember I know you better than you know yourself. I don’t go in for listening too much, only when it deals with the patient listening to the therapist. This is my country. I am a dictator, I can do anything I wish because I have all the power and all the knowledge. But, for a moment I would like to take a rest. Meaning I would like to leave this room for a moment to figure out what I want to say to you for the next several weeks, months or years. Do you understand?
Patient: No, I’m confused.
Doctor: Oh, boy, we have a slow one today. You probably won’t understand much else. That’s a shame. You’re going to be a very painful, frustrating client but as long as you’re paying your way I don’t care. Does all of this work for you? Of course it does. It always does. I am very good at what I do. I have always been very good at what I do. It’s what gave me a reason to keep living. I myself once was very depressed and I did nothing but think of suicide and despair from sunrise to sunset. It’s true. I’m not joking. I was very sad and useless, or so I thought. Suddenly one day I met a psychiatrist, a man who told me my problems, my weaknesses, my flaws could all be fixed since I was a human being, and all human being had been experiencing such negative, self-destructive feelings for thousands of years. Right? Yes, correct. This is getting quite boring. I understand boredom, superfluous time and space. It’s all so boring. All the songs and paitnings are beginning to be the same. All the landscapes, the arrogance of the self-portraits. How many songs must we hear about love and losing love, andf recapturing and discovering love for the first time. Or how about all the pessimistic artists and musicians who believe they have to constantly remind us how we are all destined to wander alone for all the days of our lives. It’s no wonder there is so much depression and laziness in this world, especially this country. We enjoy television, especially the biased news networks and MTV, and the other music channels which give us insipid lyrics, reality TV, meaningless dance moves and stances. They wear the worst outfits, and they just remind us of how empty and lonely we are. Don’t they? Do you find any solace in this world. Oh, there’s no doubt it exists. No doubt but where is it? I have seen hope. I have been to church. When I held my son for the first time I felt great, I felt happy, I felt elated. I had all kinds of emotions and feelings I cannot describe to you even today. All the education and the training in the world cannot prepare you for the moment when you feel all the futile things you have done in your life are worthwhile. I loved my Mother. I loved my Father. I even loved my sister although I always secretly planned to kill her. I was an odd one. I had a few friends though. It’s true, I did, even if you don’t believe me. I see you don’t believe me.
Commander: (Enters) Hello, Doctor. Will you please stop your rambling and step outside with me for a moment?
Doctor: Later.
Commander: No, now.
Doctor: Must I?
Commander: You must.
Doctor: Very well. I’ll return shortly. Remind me where I left off when I return. Do you understand?
Patient: Maybe.
Doctor: This is going to be more difficult than I expected.
(Commander and Doctor exit to the hallway)
Doctor: Yes?
Commander: You’re fired.
Doctor: I don’t believe you. I don’t see why. Are you serious?
Commander: Yes.
Doctor: I don’t understand.
Commander: You’re burned out. You’re finished. You don’t know how to talk or listen to anyone anymore.
Doctor: I disagree. Have you read my latest book?
Commander: You haven’t written a book.
Doctor: I certainly have. I don’t know the title of it off hand but it was all about the compassion we must feel for those who don’t understand anything that goes on in their lives.
Commander: I’ll read it when I have a moment. However, my previous statement stands: You’re fired.
Doctor: I don’t believe this. You should read the book. I can get you a copy of it somewhere, I’m sure. I’ll look into it. I can’t just leave though. I’m willing to work longer and harder.
Commander: No one works longer or harder than you do, but you aren’t getting any results. Half the time you’re not even talking to anyone when you begin to ramble and lecture about the nothingness our world had.
Doctor: What nothingness are you talking about? I have never believed there is much nothingness in this universe.
Commander: You have become too pretentious and delusional for our practice.
Doctor: May I inform my patient?
Commander: Your patient was not really a patient. Your patient was your third ex-wife.
Doctor: I have an ex-wife?
Commander: You have three.
Doctor: I don’t recall ever being married.
Commander: Three times.
Doctor: Strange how one forgets such things.
Commander: You must be out of here within the hour.
Doctor: Must I?
Commander: Yes, you must. Please pack you things. Wait, you have no things. In fact, leave right now. I’ll walk you to your vehicle.
Doctor: I don’t understand.
Commander: You don’t have to understand. Come with me.

Doctor: I think you’ll lead me to a place I don’t wish to be.
Commander: I won’t., I’ll lead you to the place you ought to be.
Doctor: This is getting too romantic and idealistic for me.
Commander: You always have been such things.
Doctor: Have I?
Commander: I don’t know. I’m saying things to say things as you often do.
Doctor: Do I?
Commander: Of course. Don’t you pay attention?
Doctor: I remember when I first saw my daughter.
Commander: You never had a daughter.
Doctor: Then it must have been my son.
Commander : You never had a son. You never had any children. None of your wives could bear children.
Doctor: Why?
Commander: No one knows and no one cares.
Doctor: That’s not fair.
Commander: Maybe. Maybe not. Come with me.
Doctor: May I stay here a moment?
Commander: No. You must come with me.
Doctor: I want to talk to Mrs. Merlin.
Commander: Mrs. Merlin does not exist.
Doctor: She does. I talked to her this morning.
Commander: That was a potted plant.
Doctor: Are you certain?
Commander: I’m not certain, but I’m fairly certain.
Doctor: That doesn’t seem right.
Commander: Nothing about you has been right for a long time.
Doctor: Are you serious?
Commander: Come with me.
Doctor: Where are we going?
Commander: Your car.
Doctor: Do I have a car?
Commander: No.
Doctor: Oh.
Commander: Come with me.
Doctor: If I don’t have a car then where are we going?
Commander: You shall soon see as soon as you come with me.
Doctor: I don’t wish to.
Commander: Cut out your idealism.
Doctor: What?
Commander: You heard me.
Doctor: Barely.
Commander: Cut out your idealism.
Doctor: Idealism? What does that mean?
Commander: It doesn’t matter what it means. Come with me.
Doctor: I don’t like this.
Commander: Neither do I but come. Come along and all of this will never have taken place.
Doctor: Are you erasing me from existence and memory.
Commander: Perhaps. You’ll see when you arrive there. But, to arrive you must begin to move.
Doctor: Must I?
Commander: Stuart! Stuart! Come here!
Stuart: Yes, sir.
(Leads the Doctor to the dungeon.)
Doctor: What’s a dungeon?
Stuart: Yes, sir. Come along, Doctor.
Doctor: I remember when I was a child and I saw my brother.
Commander: You had no brother. You had no sister. No Mother. No Father. No relatives. In fact, you never were.
Doctor: What do you mean?
Commander: You’ll see when you move.
Doctor: Do I dare move or do I dare  continue to pretend I lived?
Commander: Do as you wish but if you don’t move, we shall move you.
Doctor: Must you?
Commander and Stuart: We must.
Commander: Move him, Stuart.
Stuart: Give him a moment, Sir. He wants to remember how wonderful life could have been for him had it been real.
Commander: Doctor, you have thirty seconds.
Doctor: Very well. (Looks blankly for thirty seconds.)
Commander: Time is up. You must come.
Doctor: Yes. I must.
Stuart: Here we go, Doctor. Watch your step.
Doctor: Yes, my step.

(They all exit. From offstage we hear Stuart and The Commander exclaim loudly: “Dear God!”

(Doctor enters)

Doctor: It was a mistake. I do exist. They were wrong. I was right. But, what am I returning to? I must find a reason for living on this earth if it is all true rather than a delusion as those two… delusions….. attempted to tell me. I was right. They were wrong. Where do I go from here? Where do I go from here?

(End).

Reviews

[Senseless whatever]

This is pretty good. I get a sense that there is a lot more 'meat' to your writing than you are letting on.

[Sara Mercury]

This scene is so sarcastic, it's funny. Although there isn't much for direction in it. Leaves one to imagine the rest. But funny all the same. Insanity. Wow. Is that what it's like??? lol

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

I enjoyed this. Wonderful stageplay!