A scene

Somewhere in the past/present/future. Night. Bedroom.

Man and Woman are lying in bed. Lights are out.


Woman. Why is the dog still barking?
Man. Go to sleep.
Woman. Maybe they’re still in there.
Man. No I heard the car drive off.
Woman. Maybe it was a different car.
Man. Go to sleep. (pause)
Woman. I can’t.
Man. How wrong can you turn out to be sometimes. He was a guest of honour at my last birthday.
Woman gets up.
Woman. Not to mention how you were groping his wife.
Man. She is pretty.
Woman. I’ll go and see how she is.
Man. They probably took her too.
Woman. No they haven’t I heard her yelling at the door. If she got to go with him she wouldn’t have been yelling. (Pause) It’s quiet now.
Man. She probably fainted.
Woman. The kids… I better go see her.
Man. Get back here! And don’t speak so loudly for Chris sake!
Woman. They are good people.
Man. I said don’t speak so loudly! (pause) I suspected something for some time.
Woman. Right.
Man. I did.
Woman. Whatever you say. Someday someone might be saying that about you.
Man. How dare you?! The SCA needs me!*

Woman puts on a dressing gown and starts to move towards the door.

Man. So you want to be a hero? You want to go there and feed the crying children and make her better with the smelling salts? Not giving a damn about your own family. I’m getting chest pain. Get me some water.

She brings him a jug of water.

Man. Are the streetlights off?
Woman. (standing by the window) Yes.
Man. Thank God. It means it’s over.
Woman. For the night it is.
Man. Come to bed.
Woman. (wipes her eyes) The dog is still barking.


*SCA – State Control Apparatus.