lust then, a flickering light in the upstairs window goes on. Neither notices the slight light it spills.) scorr: Come back in the n eee: Yeah? scorv: And we'll clear the path to the lake. seer: Cool yo! Gonna do some work. score (Moving to house): Now I have to get some rest, sue: Okay. ning, Jelt (Scott lightly taps Jeff on the head with the book.) scort: Good night, little man, (Scout goes to the door. Before going inside, he turns to Jeff) Sweet dreams to you. sere: Good night, Scott. (Scott exits. Jeff surveys the lawn fiom the porch for abeat. Then hhe moves off. As he crosses to the driveway, he sees the light Flickering in Jaime’s window. He stops and looks up at it. Quietly, as if to himself) Good night, Jaime. (old) 190 The Coming WorldProduction History ‘The Coming World was originally produced by the Scho Theatre Michael Pavelka, the lighting design was by Jason Taylor and the stage manager was Lorraine Tozer. The cast was as follows: every Andrew Scott pons Doraly Rosen, Characters bora, ry 2 Ed and Ty are played by the same actor. Place A beach on the coast of New England. Time ‘Summer 2001. The Design Tam not a designer but it is, I think, worth noting that as I wrote this play, I imagined it taking place on a bare stage (no with no costume change or use of makeup effects, etc. While the play may benefit from a careful nod toward more tant that they not overwhelm t no makeup effec rgely and a mostly bare stage made of gray the ocean were created bj id thin flashlights which washed light over‘The Text Dialogue in the play often overlaps. A slash inthe text (/ ) indi- cates where the character wiho speaks next begins. je punctuation to convey a distinct nse of the unspoken. The meaning should be clear to both the the idiosyncratic and wmunication the lovers use in their dis- sed to portray a gap in communication, a ‘manner of speech is conveyed. For instance, if the dia~ logue in the text reads: ona: (You said) What? ‘The actress would speak, and the audience would hear: ona: What? ‘The parentheses are meant to clarify the meaning of what is actually spoken (rather than implied), to avoid a situation where actor wot bona: Wh And the audience would understand it to mean: owa: What (do you mean, ‘Sure, what do you care for money? ‘You'd give your last penny to the first beggar you met— if he had a shotgun pointed at your heart! —Bucene O'NEILL A Moor for the Misbegotten --uthis music's almost unrecognizable, so utterly of the coming world it is. Manx Dory Pannel Music”Scene 1 ‘The beach. Dora and Ed are laughing. ‘ome on, dare me. a little handful of sand at her) Come / ont ora (Laughing): Ah! Don’t throw sand at me! —Go ahead, tor- ture yourself. ep: Here we go. One. (Bd does push-ups. Dora brushes sand out of her hair.) powa: Hey, the DVDs are coming in a couple weeks, they called ora: They're starting slow, building them in slow. They did a survey I guess, and not that many people here have DVD players yet. up: Yeah, ‘cuz there’s no fucking place to buy DVDs! What am. Lat, forty? ona: Yeah, right. That's gonna be a pain, though, building them in, we're gonna have to totally rearrange the store to make room for new shelves. 187Christopher Shinn eee (Ed stops and catches his br ep: What are we doing tonight? oR) eb: Get some drinks? Dona: We could watch a movie... 20: Go out, have a couple gin and tonics ' gonna be out tonight. (Ed starts doing push-ups again.) ep: You remember Martin, ona: Yeah, no shit. Why, wh eb: They're hiring, He said—at the—they need money / runners: ora: You're not gonna fucking work at the casino, ep: Maybe—not, like, right away, But—: time’s passed, ona: Every day going there? ep: The pay is so good. They're hiring, Where / else ona: So, if you gamble it, so, who cares how much the pay is, ‘you know? it was the coke that was the thing. The ng wasn't—I don’t even like gambling. Plus I feel so ‘hbetter now— » Tmean—I don't even know—it’s not like I got ota: No, [don’t wanna go out drinking tonight. (Pause) The Coming World Yeaaeareee nb: Dora— bona: No, I worked! all day, [don't / wanna xp: [can’t just / blow him off ona: So go without me. up: No... (Pawse.) Ra: Why not? up: 'Cuz I wanna be with you tonight. Pause.) ona: All right . xp: Uh-oh. Dora's got an idea. ona: I'll go out for drinks if you call Ty and invite him out. Pause.) ep: Why? ora: T wanna meet Thave no idea what he’s /like ep: He's not gonna come out. oa: Why not? fe doesn’t go out. : Tell him I want to meet him. —I wanna meet the guy! (Pause. Ed looks at the ocean. Then turns to Dora and Grabs Dora's foot and kisses tly. He Ticks her foo 3p: What's so funny? (Ge tickles her foot, she shrieks, laughs.) ora: No! ED: No? No? (He embraces her.) ona: Stop! You're all smelly! 199Christopher Shinn See 0: I'm smelly? bora: Yes! ep: Then I guess I'm gonna make you all smelly! ora: Na! (Ete tickles her, she shrieks with laughter. Then he stops. Then he tickles her again, she shrieks with laughter. Then he stops. He starts to tickle her again, she laughs ess, as though exhausted. He stares at her a beat, then looks out at the ocean. She follows hhis gaze to the ocean.) (Ba turns to her) ep: No. You. You have the most beautiful face, then turns away.) smacks Dora’s thigh) Call my weirdo Scene 2 ‘The beach. Dora approaches Ed. She startles him he jerks kD: Sorry. ona: Jesus. xD: Sorry, (Ed looks at Dora, smiles.) powa:( (Pause) ‘The Coming World ere eo:( ora: don"t wanna be here, ep: I know— ona: I can’t get in your shit now— ep: Nothing for you to get into ... Sit just—if you want something ... (ust tell me now) ‘want —serious—all I want isto just ...( )... (She doesn’t Miss you. Okay that I say that? ep: Took bad? bona: Ye (ora sits.) orA: Circles under your eyes, unshaven ... bora: Are you... (on drugs)? ep: No. ora: No? ep: Yow look good. ora: I worked all day, Took tired. ep: How was work? ora: (You wanna tall about) Work? =D: What movies came in today? ora: They come in Tuesdays, ep: You put them up Tuesdays, but you get them before. bora: Pause.) 0: (Pl) Rub your feet. ora: (No.) =p: Shoulders. You look tense. ora: I don’t (want a massage). 0: Stressed-out, standing all day, the kids, annoying, come on. bona: Not everyone hates their job. ep: Thanks.Christopher Shinn —eea_ao_ov—v—X—N ona:*The kids, annoying” —(actually) I like my job. 20; Good for you, ora: = saying, you're malking it like [hate ray job. 0: [just said do you want a massage that place stresses you out. (Pause.) ona: You have to stop calling me Pause.) up: Who's talking about this. just wanted to talk, Am T doing anything? “Can Trub your feet.” oa: You don’t do the same things after you break up. Ye 80: He's probably just heavy into work. Computer shit. Big money. I thought it was maybe the money (he lent me) but yesn’t make sense, Why he would be mad about that. fe lent me money. I think he sent it, I think he sent it the next day, day after we hung-out. We were broke-up when ‘The Coming World oe Igot the check so didn’t tell you but. In the mail. Five thou- sand dollars. (I was like) Shit! Five thousand dollars! Ju my mail! No note, no anything, and so—I called like—1 don't know, to thank him or to say (why - (keep) Calling, jet so drunk that night? st—(sent you) five thousand dollars. ona: Because—you don’t look so good, you don’t look like a guy, ‘who has five thousand dollars, so—(do you need more?) . (Ed reaches into his pocket, takes out ten singles.) ‘What (are you doing). pp: Ten dollar powa: (kn ep: (This But (why)? have left. (Pause.) ona: I don’t (understand). ep: Paid bills, paid—not like five's a fortune, I me: to set things up, x: [paid off the credit card (with that). powa: Where did it (go)? (giving you anything) —Nothing. zp: (got paid a) Thousand a week. pora:..- ED: You want me t start of it? ona: Tdon't (care) 1p to the end of the story or start at the 2sED: It's just, I doi now which way (makes more sense)—start~ ing and going forward or going to the end and then back, Makes sense—(not the story, but) telling ona: I'm not going to get all (wrapped up in ep: But do you want to hear just the outcon there. oma: It’s not gonna make me do something 80: (Do you know) toos to? Lever 1 “or how I got not gonna do). n the only person Ty ever showed his tat- you that? ” trying to talk ike—like there’s none of this shit in between us. ora: (So you lost) Five thousand dollars. 8b: You think I should get a tattoo? ona: —They're gross. so: Why? Tike self-m =p: Ty showed me tion, they're ugly. ‘m the only one. ona: Ed. Come on, (2d looks at her. Pause.) ep: Okay. Allright. (Pl tell you) What happened. (Pause.) need all kinds of details. on to get—out of the way—so wed because, just—T... th me). I had no money. 1m in debt, Thave no job, 204 ‘The Coming Warld eee cea " But—if there’s (another reason)—you can tell me, I just (wanna know)— ona: No, there's no other reason, Ed. ep: Allright, okay, that’s all T wanted (to know) . (She looks out at the ocean.) Okay. Okay. $o. There's least, I promise you, thi ora (Tur (guy). I'm in the (casino) —at the 2p: They just know each ot! Martin knows him from 20: (Sorry, I'm getting ll excited.) Okay. So. Okay. $o John’s like, ‘a big guy, maybe thirty, well-groomed, but, lke, hairy back. kind of guy. (He's) Mob— (and he's like—) Dona: ? ep: But (not scary). 20sChristopher Shinn avery simple thing, Ba” Simple. 'm) sitting there, like—*T sup- supply a local man. with Ecstasy. He distributes it to his people at six school. ten thousand dollars of pills, drive half an it over, take the cash, bring it back, youa sand, and you'll go home” (Pause) I mean, problem. solved! Before Christmas! Four th speaks highly of you. Whi '8 good drinker. He s ‘80 he contracts it out to keep it out of ever got caught better for connected to it. (Ed pauses, staring at Dora.) cr ‘The Coming World eee ep: Okay, So, Next day. Iget the backpack. They give me a phone ‘number: (Of) The guy I'm handing over to. I'm supposed to go to the pay phone in the parking lot of the bank near the Burger King. I call and let it ring. I can only use that pay phone because what the guy is going to do is, is look at his Caller-ID, and when he sees that pay phone mumber, he’s gonna come meet me at the bank. That way there's no talking on any phones. So. get the backpack. Iget in my car and go. Get ‘to the Burger King, the bank, pullin, pull around back oma: (Wait,) What time is it? ep: What? ona: Ts it dark? (Short pause) This is the phone, the one behind bank, out of sight of the road? ep: There's—the Burger King bona: There's the fence between the bank and the Burger King. ‘And it’s dark. (Do you si ona: (You're sitting where) No one can see you. pp: Why would you want anyone to see? 's a) Backpack —you could hand it over in the Burger / Pause.) 0: (So 1) Pick up the phone. Dial. Ringing, Then ([hear) a tap on ‘the glass. (Out of) Nowhere. (1) Look. (It’s a) Gun, Passenger ha gun, tapping on the glass. (1) Turn around, © @ause. Dora looks away.) © $0. porta: Do you know what happened? ep (Grabbing stomach): Fuck, my stomach, Can you hear that? ‘What? suess only I can hear it, ‘cuz of the vibrations in my body. aChristopher Shinn Seeceseenneeceeeeeaee bona: What are you talking about? D: My stomach is making weird noise: bona: —Ed, they didn’t see the Caller-] ‘what time you were gonna be there? wess—I figure John probably expect me. So they were probabl ‘Waiting for a car to pull in ther ora: But ... you don't see? ep:( 2 bona: Okay. So—Martin and John know each other a little, they it hurts, so how did they know guy—the distributor guy, the dealer gives him nine thousand ona: (They) Pumped you up, gave you a bullshit story—the whole thing was planned out. Robbing you they both save a face, and now bucks. Which, if there’s no holes. eo: ( ), (Short pause.) id, these guys, they know what they're doing. This dealer is gonna rob a mobster? No one robs mob- sters. They hat whole system, this whole thing together, rob him? It’s where he gets zp: Oh Goa. (Pa ona: (Tell me the truth,) Are you doing coke? ep: Not—really, I don’t know, a couple of times— ona: Five thousand dollars part ep: T haven’t (been partying that much), I've been paying (off my s.)—you doing coke? fe're) Talking about me now? leave now, what [came up with. I thought —Tcan move home, lls my rent, (that) kills my bills. I gotta pay Jol, God knows what he’s gonna make me do to pay it off So, get the ten thousand out of the way, hold off my other debts— ona: So, what, this ten thousand shore? np: Well—I gotta find a job, Obviously. ona: How do [fit into this, ep: Well... Tknow I can’t—stay with you. pona: You already figured that out, you're gonna stay with your folks. | ep: Right. just gonna wash up on. (Pause.) you don't have any money Icould...(). x: know. ona: So all that’s left that Ican do for you is fuck you, basically. ep: (Seriously)? pora:! 2p: Kidding, Dora! I'm not (that dumb). But what's going on with, ‘you, you seeing anybody?Christopher Shinn eee ona: ( uD: {hope he's good to you, that’s all I hope. bowa: Ask Ty for more money. ep: No, ona: Why not? 1: That's not right. bona: Why not? ep: No! ona: He gave you five thousand, ask for it. He just gave it to me. ‘ep: What I don’t understand is. Because you said you loved me. So when How do you jst sop. Two people / who ona: ). 1p; If you loved me one month / ago ona: Ea : Do you love me? (Pause.) Did you? pona:( ). eps? ona: Yes (but)— 2: So when did you stop. pona:( ). (Pause) e: I'm sorry. ona: I'm gonna / leave, Eel eb: Okay, wait. Wait. I got this idea. It’s a way you can help me. Ws a really good idea, (Dora looks at Ea Ed looks at Dora.) wanna. Okay. Ready? pona:( ep: L wanna rob the Blockbuster. bona: —What? aia ‘The Coming World i Seeceeeeaeeecicaeee) is it before you put the final night's total in the t feel a thing. A couple thousand, right? At 80 easy, just you in the store ona: 0: Tknow there’s all those cameras and stuff, but I put ona mask. with, iE get into trouble with John? (What if I have to do) Some ghetto shit? Pause.) All right. Whatever. (Starts removing clothes) Thanks for the help! ‘What are yo fo: (I'm gonna) Take a swim. You wanna? bora: Fuck you. (Dora starts to exit. Ed stands naked, laughs.) b: You now you want me, ‘That’s why you're leaving! (She keeps going. Then she is off) saving! Come on, come mning with me. (Pause. He yells) WHY DON’T YOU COME BACK HERE AND COME SWIMMING WITH ME. WHY DON'T YOU COME BACK AND SUCK MY DICK LIKE YOU USED TO! (Long pause. He's ching. ‘Sereaming) WHY DON"? YOU COME BACK AND TELL ME ‘YOU LOVE ME. Hold.) aunChristopher Shinn eee Scene 3 ‘Ty approaches Dora on the beac! wv: Dora? yw? You didn’t hear? : No. ora: The Blockbuster got robbed. (Pause.) ly. But I got roughed-up .. sve told you. Just some ran= sned to happen to me, so. ona: Just normal pa ‘ry: What's normal pain? ora: Just—you know. Pain you can live with. ae ‘The Coming World eee ) (Short par \st—wanted| to talk to someone, jecanse—I didn’t —fee! like I could go to the wake. I was gonna, but. Your folks didn’t—they always said to Eddie how Twas “loud.” And Eddie's friends ... Eddie partied so much less when he was with me so they ...T would hav in, fuck ‘em, but—my face ‘rv: Right, ona: They don’ information, got your num and just came here and . .. —What—was it—nice, or? jing basically. Ed's friends, I can’t stand those guys. And I guess Ed never told you, but I don’t—I don't speak to lidn’t know that. Why not? ing about something you sai ‘rv: What? ona: That’s the thing. It's like, [can’t remember good—I can’t talk that good. But it was something like— \die was getting drinks, or in the bathroom or it was so loud and dark—in the if you want to hang out with your ‘you come toa place 2 Where it's ‘can’t hear them and so dark you can’t see them. Do you remember what you said? ‘rv: think... I said that guys don’t like to ah. But you kept going, ‘ry: Well, that they go out because they're looking for a girl to sleep with or a guy to fight. ora: Yeab, no, it was after that. ‘ry: Right—that they communicate with actions. Not words. Guys. Ik. asChristopher Shinn e—acaea_—_ because I was thinking—vwhat you said, with Eadie, i say. That he would do this, (Short pause) That he’d—shoot himself. (Short pause) ‘that one night with him. He was a mess. with him the next day. You didn’t know that? vv: No, Ino. ona: I didn’t know if you talked to then /and— wv: Right, powa: Did you? ‘ev: What? owa: Talk to him at allor ...? \go—he showed up at my apartment sort in the time... between sv: Yeah. bona: That fucking night, After you left. It was horrible. Ei kept drinking, right, ‘Then this guy Martin showed up, later than he was supposed to. Do you know fou now ‘hy you get so many free drinks in a casino?” the more au ‘The Coming Warld ———e—=c=—cvv— the casino with getting something for free, with generosity. "That's what makes you gamble more. We actually don't want you crunk, we actually pump oxygen into the casino to keep ‘you sober andl awake.” And Martin laughs. I think it's gross, this guy, talking about how they trick people into losing their money, but I look at Eddie—and Eddie's got this look “3 entranced. Like this is the coolest ing, But Eddie—I'm thinking, like —Eddie works hard. has jobs, you can't fuck anyone over in those jobs, they can just fuck you. Edie moves boxes. Eddie drives trucks, mows lawns, plows snow. Eddie gets fucked-over all the time, s0— why does he think this is all cool? Anyway, the night goes on—Martin doesn’t say a word about any job. Takes out a bag of coke, Eddie's eyes go real big, like—that was it Draggedl him out of there, drove him hor himself. Called him the next day and dumped him. ‘ry: actually—sent him some money after that night, ona: You did? ‘py; Just to—I don’t know what. Something . . Pause.) bora: I told Eddie to invite you ont that night. [wanted to meet you. He was kinda weird about it. He didn’t talk about you a ‘ry: Not really. bona: Yeah right. ‘vy: No. Lust have a skill most people don’t, pona: What exactly do you do? ‘rv: You really want to know? ora: Yeah. ‘vy: It’s pretty boring. ona: No, what Ido is boring. ‘rv (Laughs) I design educational programming for use in schools.Christopher Shinn eee cesarean) bona: Uh-huh? rv: Which means—I take what would have been a schoolbook, and put it on a computer screen. So what I'm really doing is taking what something is—the content—andl changing the look of it—the form—to fit a different medium, ora: Uh-huh... ‘vv: I'm making it sound more complicated than it is, Like—all you have computers at BI -y do? ona: The computers. just—keep track of your account. What ted, if it’s overdue, like that ive programs—meaning they do le tasks—but even so—think about before those com- puters. Someone would have had to write down all the infor~ mn, what you rented, when it was due, and store it in a cabinet, and retrieving that information would have time a business . .. $0, now, instead of lots of file cabinets and paper cuts ai five notebooks for his different classes— ing away at a computer. I'm sort of the wry (Laughs): Meaning, we've n have books. ‘They still write notes is pens. But they ‘won't always. Someday, they'll ype notes onto a computer, and read lessons on a screen, and the teacher will type lessons during class, which they'll read on their sereen, and be able to re hey go home, because they'll be doing, their homework ona: ‘The backpack companies won't be happy. (Laughs) 1 my job. It’s okay. Peopl jays wanna watch movies Tguess. ae ‘The Coming World eee (Dora clutches her jaw.) ‘tv: Are you okay? ona: The d-d-doctor said not to. T-t-talk too mitch. Ninh. (Pause, Dora holds her jaw, 32, takes out « Vicodin evident Dona: The pain. It just, out of nowhere, this throbbing. I'm okay. Pm fine. —You had a horrible night, too, right. sr: What? ora: At the bar that night ‘rv: No! ora: Come on, you hated it. Iking to you. I left because—I just couldn't watch hhim like that ora: You were so uncomfortable ike Eddie's friends. I just ie loved taking me out to bars. Thated it, but. He said he always wanted to show me off. I thought that was stupid, but. Idon't know, is that how guys are? ‘vy: Is that—are guys? do you like showing off your girlfriends, or? .. I don’t—I never really thought about it ., do you like to go to the movies with your gitl, or do you ‘rv: guess it ora: Yeah. Do you have a gitlériend now or depends not at the—... /no, )h—secret’s out—Ty’s a player! ‘ry: Ha! / Right! ora: You are, for real. I sce that little grin, that’s a player grin. (fy laughs. Then clutches his stomach.) Are you okay? ‘ry: Oh, I'm fine, just—my stomach. pora: Is, anChristopher Shinn Talways thought it was how much erap he ate. Do you eat, like, Burger King every day? vy: Pma vegetarian, ona: That must suck. ‘vv: No—it's really easy being a vegeti Teook / my own le always assume because you have a twin, you're the same in all these ways, Ih. Yeah, When I was a kid—I hated it, Everyone thought iked-—because what Eddie liked was what ona: Is that why you got tattoos? (Pause) To be different? ‘ry: How do you? hope it’s okay that Ihe was so proud, ttoos. hat? ise) They're—you can’t see them on your Zarms— ‘vy: [ wanted them to be private. ona: Right. ‘vy: But. If you pora:l just—T'm so t pause, Ty stands. Dora follows. A beat. Then Ty lifts his his head, covering his face.) ‘Oh my God. So many. ‘(Short pause. She takes his T-s 1 rest of the way to the ground. Ty a9 ‘The Coming World actually pause. Dora looks at him) He knew that Ihad them, but Inever showed them to him, her hand on his chest, slowly moves it ona: Where did you get them? ‘vv: =I did them myself. bona: Wait—you did them? ‘ry: Yeah, I—bought the tools and studied and (Pause. They look as if about to embrace; th Dora looks out at the ocean. ‘ty reaches shirt.) ‘Ty turns away. wn to pick up his ora: Wanna go swimming? av: Now? ona: You think I'm crazy? nv: I’s—a little / cold ona: You ever done it? ‘vy: Swim—in the / ocean at bona: At night? ry: No, ee Dora; Ty appears far behind her ‘way to her.) aaChristopher Shing Se rye "S COLD! bona: TY? ry: IT’S FREEZING! ona: CAN YOU SEE ME? ty: NO! bowa: WHERE ARE YOU? vv: BACK HERE! ona: COME TO WHERE I AM! I'LL KEEP TALKING! FOLLOW ‘THE SOUND! ‘vy: OKAY! ona: HELLO HELLO HELLO! GOOD-BYE GOOD-BYE GOOD- BYE! ‘vy... GETTING CLOSER, Dona: I HEAR YOU BETTER. HELLO HELLO HELLO! ‘vv: HELLO HELLO HELLO! bona: SEAWEED! SEAWEED! SEASHELL! SEASHELL! ‘vv: Yeah—a hideous mistake but—here I am. (they are a few feet away from each somewhat past each other, as though st oka: God it’s so dark, ‘rv: No moon. No stars. ona: There's clouds. Are there clouds? ona: You can tell ‘cuz the sky feels so low. Can you feel how low. the sky is? Look up. ‘ry (Looking up): It is low. bona: You can feet it, right? ‘rv: It’s colder than I thought, Dona: It gets warmer. ‘tv: Ha, does it? ona: You're x ‘ry: Shivering, ly cold? ‘The Coming World eeGVC7=ee"«s pona: Come closer. (She moves somewhat blindly toward him, while he remains rel- atively still, groping a bit dumb.) Am I—T'm right /in ‘ry: Yeah, I'm right /here ona: Hold my hand to stay warm. ‘ry: Hold your—where—but [can’t / see ora: Find my 1 / water vvy:Tean’t / even ona: Just move your hand around... (Beneath the water, both hands search. And connect.) ‘Theret ‘ry: Yeaht ona: Found it. (Silence. They look at each other, still significantly obscured by darkness, so that though they are inches away from each other, they stare intensely as if far apart. Their hands stay clutched.) ‘Your face... ‘ev: My face? ora: Tean’t see you... wy: Pm here mona: You are... God. ‘ev: What? wraps her arm around Ts waist, and moves behind him, ‘She sways with the gentle tide.) (Dora presses against Ty, swaying; he begins to sway as well.) Do you feel it? (Now they are swaying in unison to the tide.) zaEheistopher Shinn ve think. ona: Close your eyes .. (A beat. He does. The swaying grows more close, more intense, Do you Feel it? av:Mmm. bona: Right? (Ty opens his eyes. He turns his head are closed. He stares at her a ong look at Dora, whose eyes bona: Can [tell you something, Ty? cry is back, closes his eyes.) ‘vv: —Sure. bona: Itsa secret vy: A—secrel oka: You don’t have to say anything, what? .a: A secret from that night at the bar ... tokiss his neck. to speak. She con~ She puts het sense of ion they embrace. They kiss. ‘and whispers:) avs Tean't ona: Shhh, vv: Dora, (She continues to kiss his neck.) Tknow, Dora. ae Tha Coming World eee ona: Mmin.. (She runs her hand up and down bis chest, toward his groin.) ‘rv: Oh God— (She puts her kand beneath his boxer shorts.) Dora— bora: Mmmm (She continues to kiss his neck.) | tv: Tknow—Dora—No—oh God—oh— (fy releases from Dora almost violently. Her eyes open. Ty strides back to shore, through the thick water. Dora watches sheemerges, the ocean, She sucks in air and chokes, then takes in a monstrous, gcsping breath. Slowty her breathing normalizes, and she stars her way out of the vast davk ocean to shore. Onshore, Ty sits, dressed, his head between his knees. Dora comes onto the beach anc starts to dress. Ty picks np and sees, Conversational) ora: [do not wanna work tomorrow. ‘ry: What time are you working? ona: Morning. The corporate people are sending all these peo- ple down—it’s this thing they do after a robbery, this whole 1g, But since they didn’t get any money it shouldn't be that bad, hopefully. ‘rv: Right. ora: You should come in sometime. I got this stack of free rental coupons for dissatisfied customers, but we can use them for whatever. ry: Cool bora: Someone was telling me .. . (She's fully dressed) You can rent movies online now or something? Do you do that: 22sChristopher Shinn —_—eeEEe (Dora looks to Ty. His head is bowed again.) ty (Ty looks up to her. A beat.) What's wrong? ‘vv: Tknow it was Edward that—did this to your face, Dora. (Pause, Dora chuckles.) ka: What are you talleing abou for what, / but he seemed really desperate—and ka: He always needed money— He told me he was going to rob you. (Pause) He was really (Suddenly Dora elutehes her jaw.) bona: Nnnnh, Nannnh, Nana. (ty rises. Dora breathes. T Abbhh, Ahbbhhbh, (Ty moves toward Dore.) wv: Let me take you home— (ly reaches out to her. Dora slaps his arm away, her purse flying offher takes a shocked step back.) What's wrong? zee The Coming World eee (Dora doesn't answer. She slowly removes her hand from her jaw ‘She gains her balance, then starts to move to where her pus ‘Ty takes a few steps as head no. She reaches her purse and, in agony, down. Ty takes a step ‘They stare at each other for a she turns away from him and looks out at the the beach. Dora does not turn to see that he is gone.) Scene 4 ‘Day. Dora approaches Ty, whois st headphones. So is she. She sees Ty and takes off her headphones. ora: Ty. (Fle doesn’t respond. She sees he’s wearing headphones. She ‘moves infront of him and smiles. He looks up. Eventually he sees her, and takes his headphones off) Hey! wy Hil ona: Sorry I'm late. Twould have called but I don’t have your cell (He vises.) rev: It’s okay. ‘bona: What are you listening to? ‘ey: Oh—Just—a mix T poxa: Trade for a seco ay Si ona: You're gonna IV's GOOD. WHAT IS IT. 225Christopher Shinn nee) vv: P'S THIS FRIEND OF MINE. CREATES IT’ ALL HIMSELF, JUST HIM, A KEYBOARD AND A MAC. powa: COOL. —DO YOU HATE MINE. ‘y: WHAT'S THERE TO HATE ABOUT CYNDI LAUPER, wv more seconds. Then Dora takes lows. They band headphones back (Dora laughs. They the headphones off, and Ty. to each other.) ona: Your fiend is good. Is he from here? ‘vy: Yeah, he's in school here. Doesn't go to class much, spends day writing songs on his computer. Big into Eestasy, kind a drug freak, Tell me about it. It took ff that Vicodin. solong to get get it on the internet? My last refill ing, and then this guy was like, I get ne, They have like online pharmacies and doc- tors talk to you on the phone and stuff, and just prescribe it. So then he got me some ‘vy: But you're—you're off them? ona: Yeah, I'm basically fine. I still have a Tdo this water therapy, ‘cuz the water jon program or? Tdo it on my own, tle back thing, but ips it supposedly. bona: I went to this acupuncturist too for a while, for my back. ‘vv: Oh yeah? It really helped. They rake it in, those guys. Good line of, iness to be in, Everyone's back is a wreck, right? Nobody n for that. You like Ambien? rev: Never hadl it. ona: Ambien-Vicodin combo . .. like peanut butter and jelly. (ry laughs. Short pause.) ‘Tha Coming World eee) T¥: You look—amazing, ora: Ido? ‘ry: Like—nothing happened. ona: They did a good job, right? When they did the operation on my nose, they actually, I think they made it better than, before, The girls at work are all ike, “Did you get a nose job?” ry: Wow, ona: I swear to God. I thought the rest of my life, people were gonna look at me, like, “What the fuck happened to her?” Like one of those people. rv: Right, DoRA: ‘Cuz I see those women. They come in to Blockbuster. ‘lone. The ugliest guy can come in, there's some woman ‘with him, Ugly women, forget it. I got two new teeth too, see? Discolored, just (She bares her teeth.) ‘vy: Watch out, she can bite. (Short pause.) bora: What about you? ‘ry: What about me, ona: What's going on, player! ‘ry (Laughs): Not much. (Short pause) I've—missed you. (Short pause) Been thinking of quitting my job. just tired off. There must be something else [ean do. ora: Don't quit your job. y:No? Dora: No. You have a good job, Ty. | (Short pause.) ‘rv: Just something I'm thinking about. Pause.) aChristopher Shine ————Ee owa: I'm going to this therapist. ‘vv: Really? ora: Yeah. 1's good, you know? We tall a lot about—we tall. about everything that happened and, (Short pause.) "3 okay, (Dora smites at Ty and looks ai ‘m sorry about that night, Ty. And not eal 'm sorry. (Dora’s cell phone rings again. She answers:) Hey. Yeah. P the whole store and it's taking forever. No, Soon. Okay. (She hangs up.) Sorry. Meeting someone later 's olay, ona: The last thing I expected. ple days after to check on me, Turns cool guy (Pause. Ty looks away.) My therapist thinks it’s a really good thing for / me ‘ry: F'm sure itis. (Pause.) hing to you that 228 The Coming World Reenieseesearees eee) Pause.) want to -—have to get somewhere, so. (ly rises.) Can Tget yor ‘rv: Calling me at home is the best way /to DORA: Well—give it to me anyway. sry: Why? (Pause.) ona: —I don’t wanna say anything stupid to ‘ty: So don't Pause.) ona: —Twant ‘vv: Fine, Call me when. (fy starts to go. Dora rises.) know that’s not how I—wait, Ty. (He stops and t ns.) Forget all that, okay? Thete’s one / thing. ‘vv: Forget it? ona: Just—there’s something I need you to tell me. (Pause) Tneed you to tell me the truth. ‘CuI know you know it. rv: What? (Pause.) bona: When I think about that night. I think about how you said you should have done something. How you should have done something but you just let him go. (Pause) Sometimes [think about things Idid to him. Things Isaid. And my ther- 229Christopher Shinn ee apist, she says, she always says, “It's not your fault that he killed himself. It’s not your fault, Dora.” But. Like, What Tthink is, Whose faul hen? (Pause) Because. In a way. It is my fault, (Pause) Is it? (Dora and ‘Ty look at each other. Pause. Dora turns away from Ty at the ocean. Ty turns away, toward the shore. ‘He watches her ‘ocean. Then, as if sensing his eyes on her, she to him. A long silence. Then:) Where Do We Live vs (No) (Pause.) ona: (Thank you) (Hola) 280