Excerpt from IMAGINING FELICITY
SYNOPSIS
In this offbeat comedic drama, a change in living conditions forces two young couples into each other’s worlds as they face the challenges of life and love. Struggling with unemployment and impending parenthood during the current economy, they explore conflicting ideas about truth, personal responsibility and the potential for happiness.
CAST
(2M, 4F)
- JUSTIN: Level-headed, commendable. (Male, 25-30)
- ZOE: Curious, grounded. Justin’s wife. (Female, 25-30)
- GIL: Cavalier and enthusiastic. (Male, 25-30)
- BRIDGET: Warm. Gil’s partner. Justin’s friend. (Female, 25-30)
- INGRID: Open, sincere, casual. Zoe’s Mother. (Female, 50-55)
- MRS. D: Sweet, penetrating, wise. (Female, late 70-75)
TIME
Now.
PLACE
The first floor of an apartment building.
STYLE
Comedy.
Set description >> click to expand The set is the interior of the bottom level of a two-story, four-unit apartment building. Visible are the living rooms of two apartments and an entrance hall, with stairwell, in between. The doors to the building are upstage, and a window in each living room looks out onto the street beyond. The set is slanted in favor of the stage left apartment (101), pushing it towards the audience. On the stage left side of the center entrance hall, a set of stairs ascends out of sight to an upper floor. Upstage of the stairs are double doors (the doors to the building). On the upstage right side of the entrance hall, mailboxes. The doors to the two apartments are skewed, with the stage right apartment’s door further upstage. Immediately downstage of each apartment door, the walls stop, unfinished. Apartments 101 and 102 mirror each other structurally, with a large window in each that faces the street (upstage). The structure, as it is, will have blind spots. These windows, however, should be visible to all. There is a kitchen area that begins as one proceeds from each of these windows towards the wings, and downstage of this an exit to each hallway, leading to bathroom and bedrooms. 102 has boxes indicating a recent move in, with a good number of them filling the space upstage of the apartment’s front door. For each apartment, there is living room furniture downstage and a kitchen table upstage somewhat parallel to the kitchen area. Against the would-be wall, downstage of the door to 102, is a pile of lumber. Directly opposite it, in 101, is a desk with a chair. Near the curtain line and at extreme stage left and right sit couches facing coffee tables.
ACT ONE, SCENE ONE
(The lights rise. It is Tuesday evening. The light of a sunset is streaming through both apartment windows and through the doors to the building into the building’s entrance hall. In the stage right apartment [102], BRIDGET is at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper. In the stage left apartment [101], ZOE is standing in the middle with an early pregnancy test in her hand, lost in thought. She starts at the sound of a car pulling up, and crosses to the window. Seeing JUSTIN, she exits down the 101 hallway to the bathroom. GIL enters from the 102 hallway wearing his signature hipster fedora, and carrying a book. He stops to kiss BRIDGET on the neck. BRIDGET smiles and they kiss.
GIL
What’s in the paper?
BRIDGET
Well, we’re bombing each other again. Another religious war.
GIL
Oh. Excellent. Who is it this time?
(GIL continues to the couch downstage and sits with his feet up, reading. BRIDGET turns the page.)
BRIDGET
Seriously. Why can’t we get along? Use our words. Communicate with each other a little.
(ZOE reappears from the 101 hallway without the test. Seeing a small paper bag, she quickly folds it and exits to the kitchen. JUSTIN enters the building through the double doors, briefcase in hand, into the entrance hall, stopping to check the mail. There is mail, which he sorts on his way to 101. GIL rises at the sound of the mailbox and crosses to peek at the peephole.)
GIL
I’m sorry. What?
BRIDGET
It’s Justin.
GIL
How do you know it’s Justin?
BRIDGET
The sound of his car.
GIL
I thought it might be the guy upstairs.
BRIDGET
Nobody has ever seen the guy upstairs.
GIL
He has to come out at some point.
(JUSTIN turns, crossing in front of the stairs and knocks on 102. GIL backs up from the door.)
BRIDGET
Come on in.
JUSTIN
Evening. Apparently the mailman is still working out who lives where. This is yours. Hey Gil.
GIL
Hey Justin.
BRIDGET
Thanks.
GIL
Justin. Ever see the guy upstairs?
(JUSTIN hands an envelope to GIL.)
JUSTIN
Old Mr. Wembley? No. Why?
BRIDGET
Gil wants to meet him.
GIL
See him.
BRIDGET
See him.
JUSTIN
Yeah, well. Good luck. Are you guys settling in alright?
BRIDGET
Yes. It’s nice. Thank you.
JUSTIN
Good. Excellent.
BRIDGET
Now go kiss your wife. We don’t want to break up your routine.
(ZOE reenters from the kitchen, sighs. She carries a glass of water, and puts her hand on her belly.)
JUSTIN
Well, I guess you guys are part of it now. Later, then.
GIL
How do you know that he’s old? Mr. Wembley.
BRIDGET
Ask about the suits.
JUSTIN
I just assumed he’s retired. I don’t know.
GIL
Justin. Bridget was wondering—
BRIDGET
Ah ah. This is you. Not me.
GIL
It was your idea. Fine. Anyway, I might have an interview.
JUSTIN
I’m sure I have something. We’re about the same build.
BRIDGET
Maybe you could say “thank you.”
GIL
You’re right. Thank you, Justin. Much appreciated.
(MRS. D enters the building, humming.)
JUSTIN
Sure. No problem. Goodnight then.
BRIDGET
Goodnight, Justin.
(JUSTIN leaves 102 and sees MRS. D, who has started up the stairs slowly, her back to us.)
JUSTIN
Good evening, Mrs. D.
(MRS. D ignores him.)
Good evening, Mrs. D!
(JUSTIN gives up and enters 101, setting his briefcase down. GIL crosses and hands the bill to BRIDGET, then returns to the sofa.)
GIL
Jesus, Bridge.
BRIDGET
You would have forgotten.
GIL
I would have taken care of it. You gotta give me a chance.
JUSTIN
How are you? How are you feeling?
ZOE
I vomited all morning.
JUSTIN
Really? All morning?
ZOE
All the time. I vomit all the time.
JUSTIN
You’re not vomiting now. What? Right now you’re not vomiting.
ZOE
Be a little sympathetic.
JUSTIN
That was sympathy. I was looking on the bright side. You’re not vomiting this minute.
ZOE
Yeah, well. The minute’s not over. You want a drink?
(ZOE holds up her glass.)
JUSTIN
Uh. I’ll, uh… I’ll get my own.
ZOE
Oh. Good idea.
JUSTIN
Maybe it’s the flu.
(JUSTIN exits into the kitchen to the dishwasher.)
ZOE
It’s not the flu. I know the flu.
JUSTIN (OFF)
Clean or dirty?
ZOE
Clean. Okay. I’ll say it again. I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant.
JUSTIN (OFF)
But you’ve never been pregnant. How do you know how it feels?
(JUSTIN returns with his own glass of water.)
ZOE
But I have had the flu. This is not the flu. Trust me.
JUSTIN
It could be a new strain, or, you know… something.
ZOE
Or, maybe you don’t want me to be pregnant.
JUSTIN
No. I just… I don’t want you to get your hopes up is all.
ZOE
I’m a fairly intuitive person. Leave some room for that.
(ZOE brushes past JUSTIN to the hallway. He drinks.)
JUSTIN
Where are you going?
ZOE (OFF)
I’ll just be a minute.
JUSTIN
You okay?
(GIL closes his book, sets it on the coffee table, folds his arms and dozes.)
ZOE (OFF)
You think it’s all in my mind… That I’m being psychotic.
JUSTIN
It’s “psychosomatic.” This dish-washing liquid. I taste it.
ZOE (OFF)
No kidding. Stop promoting it. Let me buy something else.
JUSTIN
Honey. I’ve got an idea. Just for peace of mind.
ZOE (OFF)
Just a second. I’ll be right there.
JUSTIN
We should buy a package of those tests. Early pregnancy tests. The kind that you umm—
(ZOE enters with test, handing the box to JUSTIN.)
ZOE
The kind that you pee on, like this.
JUSTIN
What? Where did you get this?
ZOE
The store. I waited for you. We’ve got two minutes.
JUSTIN
What are you doing?
ZOE
It’s done. Now we wait. This line should turn blue.
JUSTIN
Turn… Wait. Hang on a second. I’m not… I wasn’t ready.
ZOE
Well, get yourself ready then.
JUSTIN
God. Say “go” or something.
ZOE
Okay. “Go.”
JUSTIN
Jesus. We should talk about this.
ZOE
Go ahead.
JUSTIN
I just walked in the door. You need to give me a second.
ZOE
You’ve got sixty. We’re having a baby. It’s our resolution. This year we start a family. And here it is.
(ZOE takes the test closer to the lamp, upstage of the sofa. JUSTIN follows her.)
JUSTIN
What?
ZOE
I think I already see something. It’s a line.
JUSTIN
It hasn’t been long enough.
ZOE
But it’s forming. That’s it. That’s it right there.
JUSTIN
That’s not blue.
ZOE
It’s blue.
JUSTIN
It’s green.
ZOE
It doesn’t matter.
JUSTIN
Where’s the package?
ZOE
In your hand. If it’s a line at all, it’s positive.
JUSTIN
What do you mean, “positive”?
ZOE
I don’t know. They assume you’ll be happy.
JUSTIN
It has to be darker.
ZOE
That’s a definite line. That’s a line.
JUSTIN
No. That was there already. It has to be darker. How did it look before you put your stuff on it.
ZOE
My stuff? My pee. My urine, Justin. I do pee.
JUSTIN
Okay. Okay. How did it look before?
ZOE
No. I’m pregnant. Something’s wrong. Give it more time.
JUSTIN
God, Zoe. Give me a heart attack.
ZOE
We agreed about this.
JUSTIN
Sometimes it can take years. I’m telling you it’s the flu.
ZOE
Shut up with the flu. I know my body.
JUSTIN
I know you want this.
ZOE
No. We. We want this.
JUSTIN
I’m just talking about you.
ZOE
Check the expiration date.
JUSTIN
It’s fine.
ZOE
Something is wrong.
JUSTIN
Well, there are a lot of things going around.
ZOE
I’ll make an appointment with the doctor.
JUSTIN
Good idea.
ZOE
To confirm my pregnancy.
JUSTIN
Honey. Look. It’s… We’ll try again.
ZOE
Try again? I’m pregnant. Don’t talk to me like that.
JUSTIN
What? I’m trying to be supportive.
ZOE
You’re gloating. You really don’t want this.
JUSTIN
Look, it scares the bejesus out of me, okay? I’ll admit that. But I know we need to have one.
ZOE
What? To fulfill our quota? I want one. Do you want one?
JUSTIN
I’m just saying that we need to have one—
ZOE
A child. A child. It’s not a bicycle.
JUSTIN
Because we are going to want one. A child. Exactly.
ZOE
Going to? When? I want one now. And you had better start wanting one, because there’s something in there making me puke and it so happens that it’s your baby.
JUSTIN
You can’t possibly know that. There’s believing and imagining, and then there’s knowing.
ZOE
Yes. And I know that I am pregnant. God, Justin. Whose side are you on?
(ZOE exits through the hallway.)
JUSTIN
Where are you going? Zoe! Zoe!
(JUSTIN pulls at his hair with both hands. BRIDGET folds the newspaper. JUSTIN faces the hallway.)
BRIDGET
Oh look. Here’s something.
GIL
What?
BRIDGET
Listen to this.
JUSTIN
Honey!
BRIDGET
“Full time. Starts immediately. Inside sales. Phone work.”
GIL
I told you not to do that.
BRIDGET
I’m here with the paper. I just happened to see it.
GIL
Stop it. You don’t know how to read those things.
BRIDGET
What? Like there’s some kind of trick?
GIL
You don’t know what anything means. You’ve never had to do that, so you don’t know.
BRIDGET
I had to find my job just like everybody else.
GIL
Are you kidding? You just walk through the door.
BRIDGET
That’s not altogether true. Okay, what am I missing?
GIL
That’s a call center. It’s telemarketing.
BRIDGET
No. Is it?
GIL
Yes. Phone sales. Pretending to be something else.
BRIDGET
I don’t think so. “Inside sales.”
GIL
Yeah. Inside in a room with a bunch of desperate people calling people who don’t want to be called, trying to sell them something utterly stupid and usually preying on older people, convincing them to buy something they don’t need.
BRIDGET
Whatever. I’m just trying to be helpful.
GIL
Well, it’s not. You’re not. I’ve been through that paper already. And, I won’t do telemarketing.
BRIDGET
Why not?
GIL
Because I have to live with myself. I have my limitations.
BRIDGET
Maybe you need to lower the bar a bit.
GIL
The bar is low enough, Bridget.
BRIDGET
Would you do fast food?
GIL
I suppose. At some point. If it comes to that. Probably.
BRIDGET
Fast food. They’ll hire anyone. Well. Maybe not anymore.
GIL
God, you’re killing me. You want to help? Pump me up a bit. Tell me what a great guy I am. Talk about my positive attributes or something. Please. Jesus. Can you?
(GIL leans back. BRIDGET turns the page again. JUSTIN approaches the 101 hallway.)
JUSTIN
Honey? You okay? Honey?!
BRIDGET
Maybe Justin knows somebody.
GIL
Honestly. Give me a break. This economy is shit.
(GIL rises and exits into the 102 hallway.)
BRIDGET
I’m coming from a good place. Communication. Gil? Gil!?
(The lights fade.)
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