Conversations

What will follow for several days are conversations between various characters. Some of these may find their way into the play. However, their main purpose is to allow characters' voices to develop.

Evening, Gil and Marie sit at an outdoor table. As always Monsieur is in the background at his table. Tonight he is playing solitaire.

Marie: It's awful, but it's not the end. I don't understand why you seem intent on just giving up.

Gil: I've got a deadly disease and whether they cure it or not, I get gelded in the process. What's the upside?

Marie: Maybe that I'm still here. We're still here. Lance Armstrong won most of his Tours after he had it and he became a dad. Gil I love you, why are you quitting?

Gil: Armstrong used dope. He didn't get that baby the old fashioned way. I don't want to take up biking.

Marie: (standing) I'm glad I wasn't in that response. I'm here Gil, but (sits) Gil, I don't think this is about cancer.

Woman: You always think I'm so stupid. Okay, so I never paid attention that Europe had a space program. All my life it's the US and the Russians. It wasn't something I cared about anyway.

Man: I don't think you're stupid, but you don't pay attention to the world. I don't get that. How can you not know these things, that's what I don't understand. They're on the news, in the papers.

Woman: Do you know who Kendra Petersen is?

Man: Who? No?

Woman: She's the latest runner up in American Idol. She's been talked about on TV, in newspapers, there are constant references to her by Djs on the radio stations you listen to.

Man: That's different. That's gossip news.

Woman: No. You're interested in rockets. So when you hear something that refers to space you listen. I like music; I listen when people talk about it. It's not because one is more important than the other.

Steve: Monsieur, it's late no one is in, shall we close?

Monsieur: (glances up from his cards and looks around) If you wish.

Steve: It's your call. It's your bar.

Monsieur: For now. Probably not much longer now (pause) though I've thought that before. You're friend Gil, he is not well?

Steve: Testicular cancer.

Monsieur: That is a disease. I mean he's not …. responding well.

Steve: They haven't started treatments yet. The surgery is Friday.

Monsieur: No. I'm sorry. I meant he thinks he's dead.

Steve: Oh, yeah. Yeah, even Marie can't seem to get him to be even a little optimistic.

Monsieur: It is perhaps because he is already dead.

Steve: Pardon.

Monsieur: Deciding to live. It is not as easy as everyone seems to think. Everyone, they seem to think it is inevitable.