Wake

Short play about death, memory and handling loss

Characters

X, the same age as Y.

Y, the same age as X.

 

Act one

A restaurant.

It has one small round table with two chairs, over which a chinese lantern hangs throwing a red light. On the table are a candle, menu and two empty glass tumblers.

Y lights the candle. X looks around, examining the scene, and then back at Y.

Pause.

X

(Mumbling) Funny.

Pause.

Y

How’ve you been?

X

Well. You?

Y

The same.

X

It’s been a while.

Y

Looking around.

A lifetime.

X

Yes, in some ways it has.

Y

14, 15 years, perhaps.

Pause.

X

He had it coming, really. That’s to say, it was on the cards.

Y

It hasn't changed at all. The lanterns, the glow, the smell, this place, it’s all the same.

X

No one's fault but his own.

Y

I feel young here, you know, happy.

Pause.

X

Do you hear what I’m saying?

Pause.

Do you hear what I’m saying?

Pause.

Y (Examining X)

Of course I do. You’re upset.

X

I wouldn’t say upset is the word.

Y

Angry, then.

X

Good. Why?

Pause

Y

Because it's ... difficult ... for you … us. With …

X

With what?

Y

You know.

X

Know what?

Y

Everything that happened. Him.

X

Do you remember the last time we met? Where it was?

Y

Of course.

X

Tell me about it.

Y

It was after … before ... he … passed away. The hospital.

X

Ah.

Pause.

Before who passed away?

Pause.

Y

Him. Dad. Last year.

X

Our dad?

Y

Of course.

X

Not Michael?

Y

No.

X

Simon?

Y

Yes.

X

Before our dad, our father, our mother's husband Simon, died?

Y

Yes. Before Simon, Dad, died.

X

I see. Good. I thought that’s what you meant.

Y

I could never understand you.

Y looks at X and smiles, bemused. X picks up a menu and starts looking, puts it down.

Long silence.

Are you done? (Pointing to menu)

X

Please, go ahead.

Y picks up menu and looks.

Long silence.

Y

It hasn’t changed at all, has it? (Indicating menu)

X

I wouldn’t say that.

Long silence.

Y

Puts menu down.

What do you want?

Long silence.

X

To eat?

Long silence.

Y

Or drink.

Long silence.

X

This place is dead.

Long silence.

Y

That reminds …

X throws stare at Y.

Sam’s sorry. About not making it to the funeral.

X

What? The funeral? ... Sam?

Y

Sam.

X

(Concerned) You’re thinking of … I didn’t think … I thought …

Y

Sam and Dad.

X

Sam and Dad?

Y

I remember them at the twins’ birthdays …

X

Listen ...

Y

And the Christmases …

X

I understand Si ... the stories ... perhaps ... but not Sam. Don’t do this.

Y

Do what?

X

Please.

Y

I don't understand.

X

Sam. Simon never met Sam. You and I, that once, that New Year’s Eve, before the twins ... that's the only time we met Sam. You can't forget that. What Sam ... Sam was … Sam wasn’t … Sam’s a ghost. Sam and Simon, they’re ghosts. Both of them. Stains.

Y

You’re upset … No, you’re angry.

X

Grips glass tumbler, banging it on the table with increasing force, starting with a tap.

You need to … understand. You need to see. You need to stop. I need you to. We can't do this again, not all this, we can't go back. It's been years. You said you were better after ... they said you were better, otherwise, if I’d known, I could have ... we could have ...

Y

Can we just …

Reaching for the menu again.

X

No, we can’t ... look ... for f**k’s sake ... just, please, finally …  for both our sakes … just … stop this ... stop this f*****g bullshit about … about ... about these c***s. F**k ‘em both to hell and wake up. Just wake the f**k up. (Slams tumbler, spent)

Pause

Y

Speaking calmly.

No. Sorry, no. I am awake. I remember everything. Everything. It’s you … you drag us down. I feel like I don’t know you. If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you’re being cruel. I remember Sam and Dad together. I remember this place. Bringing Sam here. Watching Sam and Dad laughing in the corner. The glow. I remember how happy we were here as kids, the place it has in our hearts, the whole family here ... Mum ... I remember it all so clearly. Those moments, this place, that family, our family, it was love. It is love. I can still feel it. I’ll never forget it. Not after everything.

Y blows out candle.

Blackout

 

Reviews

[Grant P.]

Nice stage play. Found it interesting that you chose to have the sister and brother sitting at a candle lit dinner talking about the dead father. I thought though that at the end when the character got angry he said a little too much. Not the fact that he said the F-bomb about 16 times (thought it was kinda funny) in that line, I think it could be a tad shorter. I did like that the other character was calm after the crazy response. Good job, keep it up.

[Ben Martin]

Hi Grant, thanks for the feedback, it's really appreciated. You're spot on about the final bit from X needing tightening up - the writing was definitely a bit loose. I've made a few tweaks as a result and I'm now much happier with it, so again, thanks for the taking time.

[Joe Curtis]

I really like the ending Ben, especially with the new edit - plays nicely with the duality of the title now too! Write another please man