Left Long

Chasing an Amy

(A bus. SHE is sitting down already when HE ENTERS. SHE wears a knit skully, a windbreaker, jeans, hiking sneakers and her hair in pigtails. Headphones poke out from her half-covered ears. In the zone and staring out the window, SHE does not want to talk to him.

HE searches around and even with other options hovers over the aisle seat adjacent to her. HE thinks he knows exactly what he wants to say.)

HIM

Hey.

(SHE shifts up towards the window. This is not postive body language.)

HIM

(continuing)

Seat taken?

(A beat. HE awaits an answer long enough for her to feel obligated to respond.)

HER

Maybe.

HIM

Maybe someone's there or maybe someone isn't?

HER
(flatly)

Maybe anybody else.

HIM
(to himself )

Huh. (A beat.) Maybe I shouldn't have asked that one.

HER

(A beat.) Maybe not.

HIM

I'm sitting.

(SHE slightly shifts her shoulder against the window as acknowledgement. Is it more positive?)

HIM

(continuing)

Whatcha listening to? (A beat. Another.) Rap? Rock? Country? Blu —

HER

Not you

HIM

Ouch.

(A beat. HE starts to speak, thinks the better of it, begins and aborts a second attempt and lapses into a pensive pose.)

HIM

(continuing)

I really am sorry I upset you, you know. You're a cool kid. You've got more different colors than a gobstopper and maybe even a softer center.

HER

I'm not listening to this.

HIM

Okay, don't. But I'm continuing.

(A beat. SHE repeats the shoulder shift from before.)

HIM

(continuing)

You intrigue me greatly, kid. You're complex and beautiful and smart and make sense to me and then don't and I hate it and I love it and I don't know what I think about that and then I do.

(HE pauses. Does SHE repeat the shift?)

HIM

(continuing)

But I can't apologize for saying that last night.

(SHE starts to rise out of her seat with the intention of climbing over him. HE restrains her, gently locking her in place. SHE resists, doesn't break through and then slackens slightly. HE is officially in 30-seconds-to-explain territory.)

HIM

(continuing)

I meant it. I did and I'm sorry I couldn't explain why any better than I did. Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it was a bad read. Any way you look at it, it was wrong and I'm glad it was. Because the last two days have been absolutely fucking amazing. I felt like we clicked on a special level. It wasn't even sexual, though in honesty I might have entertained the thought.

(SHE shifts to leave. HE physically waves off the comment.)

HIM

(continuing)

Irrelevant. Sorry. Anyway. I felt the dialogue we opened was pure and I didn't want it tainted by lies, even if they were by omission. Maybe I'm immature or an idealist or what-have-you, but I didn't want to hide anything. Even if we never speak again, you can't say I've ever not told you the truth. And if that means we're not going to be friends anymore — and everything about you right now screams that — well, that sucks. But sometimes when you gamble, you lose, and you were worth taking a risk on, because people like you are rare. I got two days and it looks like I'll be taking solace in that.

(A beat. Does HE let her go?)

HIM

(continuing)

I'll miss you.

(SHE EXITS)

Curtain