Phantom for Reality Delaney Porter, Agnes Scott College I. Setting: The sitting room of a house. It looks Cast of Characters neat and clean, but the furniture and fashion are outdated. LENA: a woman in her 60s, intellectual and introspective At Rise: A morning ritual: LENA and JIM sit in their respective armchairs. LENA drinks coffee and JIM: a man in his 70s, Lena’s husband, dead reads Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf. JIM has coffee but does not drink it, and he reads a news- SHANNON: a woman in her 40s, Lena and Jim’s paper. daughter, strong and impulsive LENA ROXY: a woman in her late teens/ early 20s, (laughing) Shannon’s daughter, queer “As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.” (continues laughing) Dear, did you hear? As long as she thinks of a man— Place Lena and Jim’s house JIM Oh, I heard. Time present (within 2015-2020), late autumn LENA She makes me laugh. JIM Hm? LENA Virginia. (sarcastic) My dear friend, Mrs. Woolf. (pause) Have you ever read anything of hers, dear? JIM (slowly) Not that I can recall. LENA Are you sure? Because I— JIM I’m sure. LENA Why so short with me lately? What’s the matter? JIM Nothing, dear. (pause) Is something wrong? LENA JIM Well, it seems as though you’re less—you’re less like (JIM gestures to LENA’s worn, over-read yourself lately. book.) New, you say? JIM Well, you know I’m— LENA Something without age. LENA (pause) Yes, I know that, but I mean you used to be so enam- You almost wish you could be Orlando, you know. ored… with books and things. You used to—well, I’m You’re just a duke with an unfinished poem and a almost sure you’ve quoted Woolf to me before. Or broken romance, and you suddenly wake up a twenti- Sackville-West, maybe. eth century woman. Encounter gypsies and an ice age, adventure, time travel… JIM (LENA looks around her house, realizing how I don’t recall. her surroundings and life don’t stand up to those of Orlando.) LENA I think it’s funny, the quote. JIM It is fiction. (LENA returns to reading for a moment but is both uncomfortable with silence and unable to contain her LENA enthusiasm about her reading.) Fiction. Of course. (pause) LENA But romantic, Jimmy. (stifling a laugh) “As the male novelists define it… Love is slipping off JIM one’s petticoat!” Oh, dear Virginia. Hm. (to JIM, after a moment) I know it doesn’t interest you, but I think it’s absolute- LENA ly lovely. The way she dismantles and ridicules soci— You remember romance, Jimmy? Remember when you were ali—I mean, when we were planning on JIM going to Spain? You wanted to see the bullfighters and You’ve read it before, Lena. eat tapas? You used to send me those letters… LENA JIM You of all people know that doesn’t make a difference. Sure, dear. JIM LENA It gets tiresome, reading the same text a thousand (teasing) times over with different students, listening to them We’ll go see El Museo del Prado? Share churros and having the same things to say a thousand times over… chocolate in the moonlight. LENA JIM I still don’t understand how you got bored of your own Yes, I remember. But I can’t do that now. subject. LENA JIM I know. I said tiresome, not bored, my dear. The same thing (pause) over every fall. Just got tired. You’re—I understand. But you wanted to. I bet Orlan- do’s been to Spain. And we’re just— LENA Maybe you would’ve liked literature better than histo- JIM ry. Some new stuff every now and again? Lena— LENA (JIM laughs as if he’s not taking her seriously and goes Dear, you were much livelier in life. back to reading.) (LENA and JIM pause for a few moments and try to go back to reading.) LENA (CONT.) I’m sorry. “Let us go, then, exploring…” (pause) (LENA pauses and skims the page for a I—I visited your grave yesterday. moment. She looks up.) We’ve stopped exploring, Jimmy. JIM (She closes the book abruptly and looks I know. Morning glories. Thank you. expectantly at JIM, who does not look up.) (LENA and JIM continue to read. A moment passes to JIM relieve some tension.) What do you mean, dear? LENA LENA “Love is slipping off one’s petticoat…” I think I’m going to run a bath. (chuckles) Jim, you always used to think these things were funny. (LENA rises and exits. JIM doesn’t look up.) (LENA pauses, but JIM doesn’t answer.) Why aren’t you answering me? (pause) I think it’s funny. What do you think? You used to tell II. me what you thought. You always tell me what you think. Setting: A bathroom in the house. JIM At Rise: LENA is taking off her clothes and (attempting a chuckle) stepping into the bathtub. The scene should move I guess it is, a little. slowly with pauses where appropriate and much med- itation on LENA’s part. LENA I mean, more than that. You told me all sorts of funny LENA things. You had read everything. I mean, you do read (mimicking JIM) everything. You still— “I’m still me...” That’s not the old Jim… “Death doesn’t change anything...” JIM I know. I’m still me. Death doesn’t change that sort of (LENA stops as she settles into her bath. LENA’s thing. thought of what she feels is the winning line to an ar- (LENA and JIM sit in silence for a moment, as gument that she thought of too late.) if LENA might disagree.) How is Mrs. Woolf? LENA (CONT.) Death is change, the bastard. LENA (with a sigh) (LENA calms down and begins to read letters from a “Life, it sings, or croons rather, like a kettle on a hob, younger JIM. Perhaps they’ve been tucked in the pages life, life, what art thou?” of her book. The pages are old. This is habitual.) JIM LENA (CONT.) Well, hell if I know. “My dearest darling…” He used to be so damn senti- (pause) mental. “I miss your soft skin. I miss holding you in How many times do you think you’ve read it? my arms every night, my love. I feel so empty now without you…” LENA (LENA begins to tear up. She flips to another (mumbling under her breath) letter.) Not nearly enough times. “When I finally come home, let’s honeymoon in Spain. You’ve heard of Madrid and Barcelona, I’m sure, with SHANNON all that reading you do.” Great, so you’re free? (laughs) “I want to love you in the Spanish heat and listen to LENA everything you feel about the art and the literature, Well there hasn’t exactly been a lot on my schedule the bullfighting and dancing. Let’s learn Spanish, my lately. darling. Te quiero. I love you. J.” SHANNON (LENA is crying. She puts the letters aside on a table or Right, since Dad— floor. She slowly recovers.) LENA LENA (CONT.) I’ll cook. I miss him. (LENA begins to stand and wrap a towel around her- (LENA relaxes and reclines in the tub, maybe putting self.) her head back. She breathes slowly and deeply, stop- ping herself from crying. She begins to mess with the LENA (CONT.) water a bit, as one might do when alone and thought- I have some tomatoes from Wednesday’s farmer’s ful, by making waves and ripples. She traces designs market. I didn’t know what to do with them, but or words on herself with the water, eventually going to they’re gorgeous. Maybe some caprese or spaghetti touch herself. She stops abruptly, feeling embarrassed and— and guilty. She looks toward the room where Jim might be. She returns to the letters.) SHANNON Perfect, Ma. LENA (CONT.) (pause) “I want to love you in the Spanish heat and listen—” Thank you. (LENA’s cell phone rings. She isn’t expecting a LENA call. She reaches for it and answers with a start.) Can I expect you around five? LENA (CONT.) SHANNON Shannon? Five? Is that when you eat? Holy— Never mind. We’ll be there at six. SHANNON Mom—hey, how’s your morning? LENA I love you. I can’t wait to see you both. LENA Um, good, yeah. I’ve just been reading. SHANNON Love you. We’ll be there, Ma. SHANNON You alright? You sound distracted. (SHANNON hangs up. LENA laughs a bit as she dresses.) LENA (LENA puts the letters down.) Yes, I’m just fine. How’re you doing? III. SHANNON Oh, I’m great. I—Roxy’s back for the weekend and I Setting: The dining room of the house. Some was wondering if you wanted to see her? It’s been a hours have passed. while since you two— At Rise: LENA, ROXY, SHANNON, and JIM sit LENA at a table mid-dinner. There is no place setting for Jim That sounds wonderful. You’re right; it’s been too and he does not eat. long. SHANNON ROXY Well, I wasn’t in Bangkok the whole time; they wanted Yeah, Mandarin, actually. And I was thinking of pick- me to write about the waterfalls on Ko Kut. A small ing up Arabic too. island off the coast? LENA LENA Sounds like you’re doing good in school.