Act Two, Scene Six
Interior, cafe: Ray and Thomas sit together, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Shaggy is upstage at computer, online. James and Matthew sit on patio, Deborah enters.
Deborah:
Hello, boys.
Matthew:
Hi.
(gets up and hugs her, she hugs him and then looks at James)
Deborah:
Hi.
James:
Hello there, Deborah.
Matthew:
Can I get you anything?
Deborah:
Coffee, please. Thanks.
(Matthew exits into cafe, crosses to counter, as he is preparing, watches the two of them through window, Deborah sits across from James)
How are you?
James:
Doing well. You?
Deborah:
All right. Actually, what I mean is, what we talked about yesterday--
James:
Yes...
Deborah:
So, how are you?
James:
It comes, it goes.
Deborah:
Well, I'm here for you, you know, if you ever need to, talk, you know, as a friend.
James:
What about Matt?
Deborah:
He's great, really.
James:
Okay, just checking.
Deborah:
What?
James:
Nothing.
Deborah:
Actually, there has been some issues related to him and I.
James:
Yeah?
Deborah:
I think I love him, but I'm afraid to--James, can I ask you a question?
(lights fade out on them, fade in on Shaggy, turning around to face the rest of cafe)
Shaggy:
Did you see this? It says NASA is launching another ship into space, but not telling anyone. Going to their secret base on Mars, they've had one for years, you know. Its all a conspiracy, really. This article says they are going to leave us here, in the destruction of the planet, and the elite will leave.
Ray:
You believe that?
Shaggy:
Who knows?
Ray:
Why such an interest in NASA?
Shaggy:
You know something, its job-related.
Thomas:
What?
Shaggy:
So, my advisor at school recommended some summer internships, they were on the top of the list. I contacted them and, well, looks like I've got a summer job.
Matthew:
Well, that certainly is a surprise.
Ray:
You said it.
Matthew:
(not taking his eyes off Deborah and James)
So, why the change of heart?
Shaggy:
I just feel that, there is always something we can do...to fight. Never give up the fight. Sometimes you have to go on the inside in order to do that.
Ray:
Yeah, but what if it doesn't work?
Shaggy:
There is always a need.
(Thomas picks up paper.)
Thomas:
(reading paper)
Soul-mates. New study about the nature of relationships.
Matthew:
Yeah? What of it?
Thomas:
Says that scientifically findings do not show factual evidence of the existence of soul-mates. Furthermore, no logical reasoning for love or how one loves or chooses to love is reported or discovered.
(looking up)
Guess it really is a matter of the soul, then? A spiritual thing?
(silence.)
Ray:
So, think I'm going to be taking a little trip.
Matthew:
Where to?
Ray:
Not sure, up north perhaps. Anyway, I wanted you all to be the first to know.
Matthew:
Things will be different without you, lawn gnome.
(lights fade, fade in on Deborah and James)
Deborah:
Do you believe in soul-mates?
James:
Like there is just one person for all of us?
Deborah:
Yeah, something like that.
James:
I used to think Danielle was my soul-mate--
Deborah:
Danielle?
James:
My ex-wife. But, then she went and cheated on me.
Deborah:
Oh, god, my ex cheated on me. Don't know why I stayed with him after that.
James:
With the whole town, practically.
Deborah:
Really?
James:
Yeah, and that was during the time of all the craziness, when I was being followed. So, I really wasn't aware. Slept with one eye open after that.
Deborah:
Oh, James, that's terrible. Is that true?
James:
Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?
Deborah:
I don't know, it just seems too crazy to be true.
James:
Well, yeah, it happened. I don't like to talk about it much, you know.
Deborah:
I can see why.
James:
Kind of makes you think, who can you trust?
Deborah:
Right, I can see that. So you no longer believe in soul-mates?
James:
I don't know, maybe there is more than one soul-mate just brought to us at different times, to teach us different lessons, in different times of our lives. Hopefully.
(Lights up on Shaggy and Matthew, who is getting ready to take coffee to Deborah)
Shaggy:
Never give up the fight.
(Lights fade in on Thomas and Rae)
Matthew:
Right, never give up, I'll remember that.
Ray:
Our souls will always be, connected?
Thomas:
Yeah, guess so.
(Matthew crosses downstage right to patio with coffee, hands her cup and hands it to Deborah.)
Deborah:
I want to believe in that. In soul-mates.
(lights fade out.)
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