Day 28 - Tomorrow

Note. Whenever a character speaks, a spotlight lights them.

The chatter of a busy street.

TOURIST (Repeated) Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry. Can I just… Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry.

Presented on the stage is a single chair surrounded by a circle of another eight chairs, facing the audience. ADAM sits on the central chair, while the ENSEMBLE sit around the circle in the following order (clockwise, beginning at the chair furthest UCS):

1 – TOURIST
2 – GIRL
3 – BOSS
4 – empty, except for a 7-year-old girl’s backpack draped across the back
5 (DCS) – SISTER
6 – FRIEND
7 – empty, except for a couple of crumpled scraps of paper and general litter
8 – WIFE

TOURIST Excuse me. Can you take my picture, please?

Silence.

ADAM climbs backwards onto the seat of the chair and then climbs onto the back support. He is perilously close to losing his footing. The support creaks. He holds his breath and comes to a calm freeze. He falls forwards.

Lights out.

He comes back to sitting on the chair.

A baby’s cry echoes, completely out of place. Adam listens and bows his head, briefly.

ADAM That’s me. And I know exactly what sort of life he’s going to have. I can see it all – all of it. It’s a road. Filled with potholes and smooth driving. Stretching from birth to death in an unending highway of shit and magnificence.

The baby stops crying.

WIFE Come on, Adam. Please. Of course now is the right time!
ADAM Soon. It’ll be soon. Let’s just get a little more settled before we…
WIFE You know our first anniversary was last month.
ADAM Our wedding was in June?
WIFE No. When we moved into this place. We’ve always said we’d turn that spare room into a nursery.

At the same time:
WIFE Come on, Adam.
FRIEND Come on, Adam!

FRIEND Shots are only a quid tonight. It’s that new place, where Carnival used to be.
ADAM You know I’ve got lectures in the morning. Nine am.
FRIEND But it’s Amy’s birthday!
ADAM I’ve got an essay due…
FRIEND Stop worrying about it, bro.
ADAM Fine. But I’m leaving at one. A couple couldn’t hurt, I suppose.
GIRL You suppose?
ADAM No! I didn’t mean it like that.
GIRL You could’ve met me by the school gates you know.
ADAM I could?
GIRL Here’s fine though.
ADAM I dunno. I thought. I dunno.
GIRL Are you gonna kiss me, Adam?
ADAM What? No. I wouldn’t…
GIRL I wouldn’t mind. If you were thinking…

At the same time:
GIRL Is this your first time? Don’t worry.
BOSS This is your first time, isn’t it? There’s no need to worry.

BOSS It’s very simple.
GIRL Just, kiss me.
BOSS This is your work screen. It looks complicated, but it’s not. Are you listening? Good. Like I mentioned in the interview, it’s your job to monitor the overall usage against consumption. We’ll start you off with a relatively small catchment area, let’s say, Lower Basingstoke. They rarely exceed their quota, except maybe at peak times, before the morning rush, after Corrie, half time coffees, that sort of thing. We can siphon power from the grid – energy coming straight in from the offshore turbines. You can do that by pressing that button. Twenty-five thousand kilowatts each time. If you feel like you need more, use code five, four, eight to contact the hydraulic dam in Langley. They’ll be able to spot us for a while. All of this information is in the handbook.
TOURIST Excuse me.
BOSS I hope you’ve got it with you. You’re going to need it!
TOURIST Excuse me. Can you take my picture please?
BOSS Have you got it?
ADAM Yes, of course.
BOSS Excellent. It’s all quite simple when you’ve got the hang of it. Relax. You’ll do fine.
TOURIST Can you take my photo? Excuse me.

At the same time:
TOURIST Can you take my photo, please?
SISTER Take it already. I can’t smile forever.

ADAM Flash or no flash?
SISTER What does it matter? Just take the fucking photo, dick-brain.
ADAM Hold still then.
SISTER The flash didn’t go off.
ADAM Fuck off.
SISTER So, what’s this for? Something to remember me by?
ADAM Why, are you going somewhere?
SISTER Dick. Uni. You are.
ADAM And I’m sure you’ll be able to survive without my beautiful mug around the house.
SISTER Adam.
ADAM Hmm?
SISTER Adam. Are you listening? Adam.

SISTER, BOSS, WIFE
Are you listening to me?

ADAM Yes. I am, yes.

At the same time:
SISTER I’ll miss you, Adam. You’ll Skype me, everyday, won’t you?
BOSS Adam. Keep it steady. At around fifty. You’re spiking.

WIFE Adam! I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father!
ADAM There’s something I need to do.

SISTER, BOSS, WIFE
What?

ADAM I have to find him.

A tape starts playing. MAN, who is emptying a series of wheelie bins into a garbage truck, talks through the tape recorder. Spotlight on the empty chair surrounded by litter.

MAN Oi, kid? What do you want? (Beat). Am I s’posed to know you or something?
ADAM No.
MAN Then fuck off.
ADAM Are you James Horner?
MAN What’s it to you?
ADAM And you used to know someone called Susannah Porter.
MAN Fuck off, kid. I ain’t got time for this.
SISTER He obviously didn’t want to talk to you, Adam. Mum’ll kill you if she finds out you went looking for him.
FRIEND Leave him, bro. He’s a tosser, sounds like. Good job he left, I say.
ADAM Susannah. She remarried.
MAN Fuck off, kid. I won’t tell you again.
ADAM How could you leave her like that?
MAN I don’t know what you’re talking about.
ADAM You really don’t care, do you? What you did to her?
MAN If you don’t piss off right this second, kid, I’m not responsible for what happens next. Accidents happen.

Spotlight off the empty chair.

WIFE What were you expecting, Adam? Him to well up with tears at the sight of the son he left behind? You weren’t even born when he left. (She shifts uncomfortably) Adam? Adam! I think my water just broke. (She tenses and gasps) Adam!

A baby starts crying. ADAM suddenly overjoyed. He is close to tears. He tales his bay in his arms and the crying stops.

ADAM I know who are you. Come here, sweetie. Hello you. It’s nice to finally welcome you to the world. She’s so small. She’s so tiny. What if I drop her? No. No. Of course. Hello. Welcome to the world, Michelle. It won’t seem too long until your first word. Your first kiss.
GIRL Adam. Just, kiss me.
ADAM Of course, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
GIRL (Laughs). Urgh. What ever was that, Adam? (Look down at his crotch) Oh god, Adam. Seriously.
ADAM No, I just…
GIRL That’s just disgusting. Hey, Jodie! I got him to kiss me! Yeah. He’s such a loser.
ADAM But it doesn’t matter now. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Michelle. This is good. This is good.

The baby vanishes.

BOSS Adam. Listen to me. Adam. You can’t keep turning up late. I’ve got a staff of eighteen people and if one of them doesn’t keep their eye on the job then we’re going to have outages. We don’t have outages around here. Not since I took charge. I’m not saying this is the end – but I need you to start taking more responsibility.
FRIEND Ah, so what, man! There’s plenty of other jobs out there. If he doesn’t think you’re up for it, then find something else.
BOSS You’re good at what you do, Adam. I just need some extra commitment.
FRIEND Let’s blow off our plans tonight and go for a drink, yeah?
BOSS Everyone on the team loves working with you. It’s a long time since Lower Basingstoke, eh? They all say you’re a down-to-earth guy. That’s what I need around here.
FRIEND No, no. I get it. That’s cool. You don’t need anyone, bro. Go fly solo for a bit. Stay home. Have a night in. Relax.
BOSS I can’t pester you to get the job done. Your reports at the end of your shifts aren’t consistent and it’s throwing all our estimates out. I feel like I have to badger you, all the time, and I shouldn’t have to.
FRIEND Watch a movie. Get a take away.
BOSS I can’t keep doing it, Adam. You arrive and I badger you.
FRIEND Have a wank.
BOSS Badger.
FRIEND Wank.
BOSS I know you’ve been having some other problems lately. I overheard you talking about it the other day. Something to do with your sister?

SISTER is curled up on her chair, crying.

SISTER Adam? Can you hear me? Are you there? Please pick up.
WIFE You’ve got to get back there. She’s called you four times this week. I think it’s really serious this time.
ADAM I can’t just leave you and Michelle.
WIFE Of course you can. Your sister is in trouble and she needs her big brother.

At the same time:
WIFE We can cope without you, for a few days at least.
SISTER I thought I could cope without you. Adam. Adam.

SISTER Can you hear me? I don’t know what to do. I need help.
WIFE You told her, right at the start. That guy she was dating was trouble.
ADAM She said he’d changed. She said he loved her.
WIFE If you love someone, you don’t send them to hospital Christmas Eve. She blacked out. God knows what he’s done this time. She needs your help, Adam. She’s scared and alone and she’s got no one else to turn to. Take my car. If you leave now you’ll get there before it gets dark.
ADAM Ok. I’ll be back in a few days. Ok, Michelle, you be a good girl for Mummy.
WIFE She’s always a good girl, aren’t you, sweetie?
SISTER Adam, where are you? I need you to help me. I don’t know what to do.
WIFE Michelle. Come back here. Daddy will be back soon. Stay away from the road. Michelle!

ADAM lunges forwards to try and pull his daughter away from the path of an oncoming car. Tyres screech and there is a thump. A spotlight appears simultaneously on the empty seat with the backpack on it.

SISTER Adam, are you on your way? What’s taking you so long?

Silence.

ADAM Is anyone sitting here?
WIFE No, no. Go ahead.
ADAM Thanks.

Silence.

WIFE Do you need the paper? Today’s paper. The guy before you left it here. I’ve been using it to prop up my laptop.
ADAM No, thanks though.

Silence.

WIFE No, no. You’ve got it all wrong.
ADAM It all sounds too complicated to me.
WIFE It only matters once economic growth hits three percent. Any lower than that and inflation can’t take hold. Take Lincolnshire for example, without a growth rate of at least two point four percent, the…
ADAM Another coffee?
WIFE Sure. Thank you.

Silence.

WIFE I’ve got to go. I’ve already stayed later than I should.
ADAM Yeah, me too.
WIFE I’ll see you next week. Same time. I’ll be here.
ADAM How about tomorrow?
WIFE My place.

Silence. Spotlight off the empty chair.

WIFE, BOSS
Adam. You need to listen to me.

WIFE I wish she hadn’t run after you, Adam.
BOSS I’m sorry to hear what happened.
WIFE I don’t know you’re thinking and I’m so worried about you.
BOSS Life goes on.

WIFE, BOSS
Are you listening?

ADAM Yes.

At the same time:
WIFE We can’t carry on like this.
BOSS I can’t let this continue.

At the same time:
BOSS It’s been three months.
WIFE It’s been six months Adam. You can’t just lock yourself away like this. We both need to pick ourselves up and carry on. You were a great Dad.

FRIEND Hi, Adam. I’m just calling, again. Just to see if you’re alright. I haven’t seen you since the, you know. There were plenty of people there. I’m just worried about you. You’re so…
WIFE You’ve been…
BOSS You’re…

At the same time:
FRIEND …out of it.
BOSS …unresponsive.
WIFE …vague.

BOSS And I can’t have that. Not here.
WIFE Adam. Things have changed.
FRIEND Come on. You’ve got to look forwards.
BOSS Life goes on Adam. It always does. But I’ve already given you enough second chances.
WIFE What about your sister? She’s still with that twat-head. She needs you just as much as I do.
BOSS I’m sorry Adam, I really am. But I think it’s best if you pack up your things.
FRIEND Ring me as soon as you get this. Maybe we can go for a pint?
WIFE Because… we’re not the same any more. And you know what’s worse?
BOSS I’m sorry, Adam.
WIFE You’re not even going to fight to make it better again. You’re just going to let it all end. We’ve both lost our child, Adam. But now we’re going to lose each other, too.

A baby starts crying again.

ADAM That’s me. And I know exactly what sort of life he’s going to have. I can see it all – all of it. It’s nothing but potholes in the road. Birth to death on an unending highway of shit.

The baby stops crying and the sound of the busy streets returns. ADAM stands.

ADAM And what do I have to show for it? Why should I believe in myself when no one else does?

The ENSEMBLE repeat the following lines quietly and sporadically. The pace quickens until it’s a loud, uncomfortable voice in ADAM’s ear.

GIRL I got him to kiss me. Yeah. He’s such a loser.
BOSS Life goes on Adam. It always does.
SISTER Don’t ever leave me alone again.
FRIEND You don’t need anyone, bro. Go fly solo.
MAN I’m not responsible for what comes next. Accidents happen.
WIFE You’re not even going to fight. You’re just going to let this end.

ADAM climbs onto the back of the chair, facing the audience. When the chaos has built for several seconds, he puts his hands out in front of himself and grabs onto an imaginary rail. The ENSEMBLE falls silent.

ADAM I just want someone to stop me, and ask me if I’m alright. I’ll tell them the truth. All of it. No. I’m not alright. And I won’t jump.
TOURIST Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry.

ADAM looks down and out to the audience.

TOURIST Isn’t the view amazing? Would you mind taking my photo, please?

ADAM and the ENSEMBLE gasp and hold their breaths. ADAM lets go of the rail and falls backwards. The audience should feel the effect of him falling. Before he hits the ground: blackout.