Not to drame (day 31)

A fourth possibility to end Act II and begin Act III. And I think it is working for me.

Celeste: Some try to live by being saved. They get religion. Religion offers forgiveness, it offers hope. It says some other day, somewhere else, it will be ok—it will be good. The problem is that isn't living. For some, it can be enough to last until they get out. For most it is a way of putting off existing or wasting away. But if they don't get out, one of the other two will happen. Because to live, you have to figure out how to make now work. Not someday.

Monsieur: Oui. That is it.

Steve: But, what's the difference when...so am I “living” or “wasting away”?

Celeste (laughs): It's your choice.

Monsieur: Yes, which have you chosen?

Steve: Neither.

Monsieur (with finality): Wasting away.

Lights out--then up the bar is ready to close, Monsieur is still at his table though it is completely clear.

Celeste: Monsieur?

Monsieur: Un moment. (he stands) Celeste, I think it safe to say I will not live much longer (Celeste starts to protest). No, Celeste, I am not being morose or predicting my imminent demise. We have both faced the death before and come to terms with it. But I have done the last thing I ever expected to do and that is live a long life—an extraordinarily long life. But it will not go on forever. We have not talked about it in a long time, but I was a young man when my life ended, or so I thought.

Celeste: For me as well.

Monsieur: Oui. The prison, it is a dream now.

Celeste: That is good I think.

Monsieur: Ah, oui. The café will be yours of course.

Celeste: Monsieur...

Monsieur: There is no one else Celeste, do not be sentimental. There is no pension for us, non? Only the chance to keep working. And I have not done that for a long time. Truly you have been supporting me for many years now.

Celeste: I never thought so. It is your place.

Monsieur: Yes. But it is long since I worked with you. I have sat here for many years.

Celeste: When you stop sitting there, the café will stop being the café.

Monsieur: Eh, the people will not stop drinking because I'm dead. I am not a fool, so I will not pretend that I don't know I'm part of the scenery—the, what do the American's call it—ah yes, the “ambience.” Why can I never remember their French expressions? But, you should not dismiss yourself either. The people they will come and they will eat and they will drink and laugh and fight and cry and sometimes make love. (he pauses)

Celeste (truly curious): Remorse?

Monsieur: About love? No, I know the choice I made. I do not regret the past—that is the key as you know. But here is what surprises me. Here at 99 and however many increments, I find I would like...(long pause)

Celeste: Yes?

Monsieur: ...to see that launch tomorrow.

Celeste (takes a beat): Well, that is not what I expected, but why does wanting to see a rocket launch surprise you? I think we have stood out here and watched the show a few times at night.

Monsieur: Celeste, It is not the launch . . . I have not thought of tomorrow for more than 60 years.

Lights out

Act Three

Morning Matt and Mdala are having breakfast at separate tables but conversing.

Mdala: Senegal. I came here 14 years ago to help build a hydroelectric plant. I'd meant to go home and work there, but another project came along...and probably more importantly, a woman.

Matt: Ah.

Mdala: It didn't last, or lasted only long enough for me to settle here. Now perhaps it's time to go. There is work to be done in my homeland, and sitting here protesting something that is not going to change in a country that is not really mine does not make sense.

Matt: You could stop protesting.

Mdala (leaping at the bait): Rockets are a major polluter. The space center destroyed thousands of acres of forest just to be built. Every launch spews the pollution equivalent a day of New York City traffic—and equals it in noise.

Matt: Every new technology brings problems, I'll grant. That's no reason to halt progress. We learn how to control those problems by having them, and often through something we've learned in the process of developing that technology to begin with.

Mdala: God gave us this world in a functioning state. We've completely fouled it up and your argument is to keep fouling up more?

Matt: If you're arguing for a static earth—that God had made something in which everything just worked in perfect balance, you're arguing for something for which there is no evidence, and that means going back before humans entered the scene.

Mdala: Evidence generated by your technology. No. Mine was a metaphor. Take god out of the equation, the point is the Earth needs our help and launching rockets into space isn't helping.

Matt: The environmental movement's biggest boost came from the Apollo photo “earth rise over the moon.” That photo galvanized the world into recognizing the tiny place we lived and how important it was to help it. So, actually, space flight did help save the earth and continues to do so. Most of what we know about environmental problems and their scope we monitor by satellite.

Mdala: So we pollute to conquer?

Matt: We advance, and we create trash. You would stop humankind?

Mdala: I would ch . . . (he stops himself) . . .What do you protest?

Matt: What do I protest?

Mdala: Surely there is something in the world you think should change.

Matt: Well, I guess so, sure.

Mdala: So what do you do to make that change?

Matt (pausing): I guess I don't.

Mdala (waits for him to continue and speaks only when he does not do so): Then why live?

Matt: Aren't you stretching the topic? Turning a legitimate disagreement into a theological issue?

Mdala: Alright, then where's your advancement? If you aren't actively pursuing change aren't you just as much “stopping” humankind as you claim I am?

Matt: Why can't I “actively” support the space program just as you “actively” try to stop it.

Mdala: Because it doesn't need you? Going along with the status quo isn't being active. You are right, “active” does not have to be negative, but you can't claim to be active just because you are paddling you're boat toward the waterfall.