Moritz. I met the perfect couple the other day.
Prerana. What do you mean?
Moritz. My wife and I went to see a movie, and there was a young couple who sat next to us, and during the movie, both the guy and the girl were making comments to insignificant details of the movie.
Prerana. Oh, I hate that. What were they saying?
Moritz. The girl was like, “Oh, I would never wear something like that,” or, “I’ve been to London, and I don’t remember being there.” It was curiously obnoxious.
Prerana. Was it only the girl?
Moritz. That’s where they become the perfect couple. The guy would actually answer her with comments like, “You might not wear it, but I think your sister would,” and, “I think you’re right, it doesn’t have that British feel. It might not have been filmed in England, but somewhere cheaper.” They would talk like this all throughout the movie. It was like they were just sitting comfortably in a plushy couch at home watching whatever was on TV. They were not aware of anyone else.
Prerana. I think that would have gone wild.
Moritz. Yeah, it drove my wife crazy. She told me she had to say something, but I asked her not to.
Prerana. Why not?
Moritz. I wanted to understand this couple. They were perfect for each other. The girl found a boy who listens to her thoughts while the boy found a girl who is comfortable to share her thoughts with him.
Prerana. It sounds like you’re jealous.
Moritz. They created this invisible union between themselves and whatever was flickering in front of them. Nothing could separate them.
Prerana. I think I could find a way.
Moritz. And so did my wife. She finally let them know that we were involuntarily participating in their connection, but she didn’t say it like that.
Prerana. Good, they were being rude.
Moritz. But perfectly rude.
End. Perfectly Rude

First.

Pavol. I made a mistake.
Natassya. What happened?
Pavol. When you asked me what I thought about your pants I just said they were OK.
Natassya. Do you want to change your answer?
Pavol. Yes, I do.
Natassya. I think it's too late, though. My pants are OK. That's that. They can't be anything else to you.
Pavol. But I didn't notice the buttons near your hem.
Natassya. Yes, they're pretty nice, aren't they?
Pavol. Now see, if you asked what I think about these buttons, then I would ask what buttons, then you would show me those buttons on your hem, then I would tell you that they are very enticing.
Natassya. Enticing? How are these buttons near my hem enticing?
End. Pavol sits Natassya down on the couch, loosens the buttons on her hem, and reaches up her leg

Second.
Natassya. I’m a little embarrassed.
Pavol. Why?
Natassya. My legs are ugly. They have stretch marks all over them from when I sought out to eat everything around me. I can never wear anything to show of my legs because all I’ll be showing are my unnatural looking lines.
Pavol. Let me massage them out.
Natassya. Can you do that?
Pavol. I don’t know. Let me try. How does that feel?
End. Natassya sits comfortable on the couch and lets Pavol massage her stretch marks away

First.

Larrisa. Did you meet Magalie?
Alun. I did.
Larrisa. How was it? Did she play for you?
Alun. She did.
Larrisa. Well how was it?
Alun. It was like walking through a path in the forest alone during the late evening. The moon lit the sky above and the branches crisscrossed in a quiet, breathing wind.
Larrisa. The music was like that?
Alun. At first I was not ready to go into the forest, but it was the only path to walk. The forest was too thick to go anywhere else. So I continued deeper into the forest and it seemed like the path behind me erased itself. I could not go back from where I came.
Larrisa. Do you know where you were going?
Alun. That's the thing. I knew there was something in the forest itself. I had to find it. So I started looking off through the trees and branches. I knew there was something out there.
Larrisa. Did you find anything?
Alun. I did find something off of the path. It was a stone like the ones that you would step on to cross a shallow creek. When I saw it, I knew there was something under it, but when I reached out, two tree trunks stopped me short. I tried to wedge my shoulder between the trees so that my fingers barely scratched the ruggedness of the stone.
Larrisa. Did you get to it?
Alun. No, but then Magalie stopped playing and the forest disappeared. The stone disappeared. I wanted her to continue, but she said she couldn't. The music that she played was too dark, like drowning in a pulling current.

Second.

Alun. Why did you stop?
Magalie. This is too overwhelming. I felt like I was drowning in a pulling current.
Alun. Do you need take a break?
Magalie. Yes, but I do not think I can play anymore. Not today at least.
Alun. I was so close to getting to the stone.
Magalie. What stone?
Alun. You didn't put it there?
Magalie. Put what where?
Alun. There was a stone in the forest that I couldn't get to. I know there's something hidden under it, but the trees held me back.
Magalie. What do you think was under the stone?
Alun. I don't know. I'm hoping that you might know. I felt like I was about to discover something about you.
Magalie. I think that stone is yours. Not mine.
Alun. Really? I thought I was going through a forest that you created.
Magalie. That forest was yours.
Alun. Was I drowning you?
End. Current Possession

Eoin. A while back someone predicted that I was going to be lonely. He read my palm and told me a couple of things about me, but then he said that I was going to be lonely.
Magy. Are you lonely now?
Eoin. I guess so, but I wasn't sure if he meant that I was going to be lonely for the rest of my life or there will be a great moment of loneliness that I will experience.
Magy. Where is this person? Maybe you can go back and ask him.
Eoin. I can't. He's in India.
Magy. Were you lonely in India?
Eoin. I guess I was. And that's the thing. Was he just talking about my time in India, or was the prediction stretching my life's span?
Magy. Did you have a great moment of loneliness in India?
Eoin. I don't know how great it was. I wasn't lead to talking to strangers or anything. I think I went thought a sort of celebrity loneliness.
Magy. What is that?
Eoin. It's like this: One time I traveled alone to a hill station in India to escape the heat, and on the way there, our bus pulled into a bus station to refuel. We had about twenty minutes to stretch out. I think I bought a chai. There were a lot of travelers that day - mostly men for some reason. So there I was at a bus station sitting at a bench sipping on chai. There was this little girl who was staring at me, then she finally came up to me and asked for my name. When I told her, she went straight to a policeman and started to point at me.
Magy. Did you do something?
Eoin. The policeman approached me and asked me for my passport. I was a little confused, so I asked him what it was all about. He showed me a poster in his hand with a photo of someone who looked like me who was wanted for something I didn't do.
Magy. Did he understand that it wasn't you?
Eoin. Eventually, but while I was explaining who I was and was not, it seemed like most of the men in the station surrounded us trying to find out what was going on.
Magy. So you were the celebrity.
Eoin. I was lonely traveling like that.
Magy. Did they ever catch the guy?
Eoin. I don't know. I was hoping to meet the guy at the hill station. I could have told him to avoid the station.
Magy. You know, I think I experienced a great moment of loneliness when I returned to college. I came back in the middle of the school year and all the friends I made when I first went were gone. I just had no friends. I didn't want to bother with joining clubs and going to parties by myself so all I did was study in the library, listen to music in my room, and rent movies. I guess I could have asked a guy to help me with studying or something stupid like that, but I didn't. I was so paranoid about my loneliness. It probably wasn’t true, but I could feel the campus could see that had no friends. I must have seemed pathetic. The worst moment was when the Campus Theater decided to screen The Graduate. I had to see it, but going to a theater by yourself has to be the worst. I arrived fifteen minutes too early, and I sat there waiting through every grinding second for the lights to go out and Simon and Garfunkle to take me out of there. I will never go to a theater alone.
Eoin. You're okay now, aren't you?
Magy. Sure. I'm fine now. But what about you? Are you lonely?
Eoin. I guess I am, but I wouldn’t call it a great loneliness, so I'm not too worried. It just reminded me of the time that man predicted that I was going to be lonely.
Magy. Are you depressed? You sound depressed.
Eoin. It's been a while, but I think I am.
End. Great Moment of Loneliness

Thaddea. Have we ever been here before? I don't think we've been here before.
Haluk. It's one of the first places we've been to. Don't you remember?
Thaddea. I don't remember. Are you sure it was with me? Maybe you're mixing me up with some other girl. Some other girl you dated before me.
Haluk. I definitely remember that the girl I was with was this absolutely gorgeous girl. Beautiful.
Thaddea. I think I have been here before.
End. Placed With What is Fair

Micaela. Do you consider me as your equal?
Kacper. I don’t think so. You do come up to me for advice, so I would say I am slightly wiser in a way.
Micaela. In what way?
Kacper. I don’t know. Things like keeping monkeys away from the camp, that sort of thing.
Micaela. That doesn’t seem to be very important.
Kacper. What’s important then?
Micaela. Relationships would be one.
Kacper. Do you need help with your relationships?
Micaela. No, I don’t think so.
Kacper. I wouldn’t think so. You seem pretty grounded.
Micaela. Thanks.
Kacper. But if you did need help, I might be able to help.
Micaela. Is that another thing you’re wiser?
Kacper. What do you think?
Micaela. Well, you’re getting married. Maybe you do have a slight advantage. I’m not close to being married. I think I need to know what it means to be married before I go forward.
Kacper. The first night I arrived in India, I met a girl from Japan. She was staying in the same hostel, but she was traveling alone. It was very curious. Why was this girl traveling alone in India?
Micaela. Why was she?
Kacper. I didn’t ask.
Micaela. Why? Did you like her?
Kacper. She was attractive. She was one of those girls that a dozen guys would be attracted to at the same time.
Micaela. Do you think I’m one of those girls?
Kacper. I remember my neighbor wrote a song about her. Kaiyo was her name. He was lying on his bed with his legs against the wall and his guitar on his stomach singing about Kaiyo.
Micaela. Kaiyo. I can’t tell if that’s a pretty name or not.
Kacper. I did find out what her story was from the neighbor. She was getting married, so she decided to travel to India before she got married.
Micaela. Sounds like she was figuring out what it meant to be married.
Kacper. I think we all have our thoughts and words on marriage.
Micaela. What are yours?
Kacper. I’ll let you know when I’m married.
Micaela. Do you think Kaiyo ever figured out what it means to be married?
Kacper. She would have been married for eight years now. I would hope so.
Micaela. I guess she’s that much wiser.
Kacper. I didn't know anything when I was in India.
End. Eight Years Wiser

Jake. How was the new ball park?
Vince. There was something familiar and refreshing in seeing the color red - something like the first brisk day of Autumn.
End. One Citizens Bank Way, Philadelphia, PA 19148-5249

Giulia. What are you thinking about?
Kornel. I can't get this one lady out of my head.
Giulia. Who is it?
Kornel. I was driving towards the Susquehanna and I stopped at an intersection. I signaled right and there was a No Turn on Red sign, so I was just waiting for the light to turn green. Then some lady pulls up behind me and taps her horn.
Giulia. She wanted you to go on the red?
Kornel. When I didn't go, she then pressed down on her horn. The blare and accent was directed towards me alone.
Giulia. Are you serious?
Kornel. I saw her through my rearview window. With no sophistication, her eyes wanted to spring out and hurt me for not taking the right. Someone in one of the row houses across the street came to his front door out of curiosity.
Giulia. Why are people like that? What gives them the right to be like that?
Kornel. Impatience and ignorance give them that right. So I tried to communicate that there was a No Turn on Red sign by opening my window and pointing towards the sign, but she continued with her horn.
Giulia. Did you do anything?
Kornel. No. The unexpected can happen when approaching a stranger's car.
Giulia. I think I would have lost it if I were you.
Kornel. But my problem is that I can't let it go. I am overpowered by that incident. I've let her have this control over me. I think about more often than I should.
Giulia. Do you think you should have gone to her car?
Kornel. The way she was, I could have offered her flowers and a puppy and she still would have taken offense from me. There's no point in talking to a person stubborn-blind like that.
Giulia. But it sounds like she haunts you.
Kornel. She does. How do you get someone like that out of your head?
Giulia. I wonder if there's a support group for dealing with obnoxious drivers.
Kornel. Yes, I've been traumatized by one.
End. Obnoxious Driver Trauma

Ivaylo. You look tired.
Martijn. I think I'm just going to give up.
Ivaylo. What do you mean?
Martijn. They want to catch me more than I want to escape, so I'm giving up.
Ivaylo. I don't understand; all this time invested in running.
Martijn. Exactly. The goal of escaping is being free, not constantly running. I should not be running anymore. I am tried of it.
Ivaylo. What are you going to do? Give yourself up?
Martijn. I don't know. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could.
Ivaylo. So you still want to escape?
Martijn. I should have been free by now. How long am I going to do this?
Ivaylo. I still want to escape more than they want to catch me. I am going to keep running.
Martijn. How do you keep running?
Ivaylo. I can actually imagine being free. To me, it is very real.
Martijn. I lost that. Running is the end for me.
Ivaylo. Look, there’s Murad. He’s found us. Do you think you can imagine being free? Let's go run. Murad's tired too. There are people to easier catch than us.
Martijn. But we're the catch.
Ivaylo. Yes we are. Here he comes, are you ready to run?
Martijn. What if I caught you?
End. Martijn Runs a Different Path

Matej. I've decided to take the car on its last trip.
Amit. Your car? Where are you taking it?
Matej. I'm going to make my way towards Colorado. Maybe rent a kayak and find the center of one of them still lakes.
Amit. I don't think you'll make it. That car's going to fall apart before you get there.
Matej. That's a possibility, but if the car falls apart, I'll call it the end and depending on where I am, I'll continue to Colorado on a bus or go back home.
Amit. You love your car don't you?
Matej. It's the only one I've had.
Amit. It's about time. You've had that car for too long.
Matej. It's served me well. You know the saying.
Amit. I bet you it won't last for two states.
Matej. Three if I'm lucky.
Amit. I've never been to Colorado. Can I come with you?
Matej. No.
End. Without Amit

Csilla. Hey, I'm going to meet with Matwe at Bagdan's. Do you want to join us?
Thiemo. Perhaps not.
Csilla. Why not?
Thiemo. It's Matwe. I do not think I can maintain myself around him.
Csilla. What? Really?
Thiemo. He's just one of those people that bring out the worst in me. It's overbearing. I subconsciously consent to his influence.
Csilla. What would be you at your worst?
Thiemo. I am insecure, defensive, and awkward, and then I start to hate myself.
Csilla. I hope that's not how you feel when we meet.
Thiemo. Not at all. I would say that you bring out a truer sense of me.
Csilla. Well good. I guess I can say the same about you.
Thiemo. We should meet more often.
Csilla. Why don’t we?
Thiemo. When did you have to go to Bagdan’s?
Csilla. I’m a little thirsty. Did you want to go get a drink?
Thiemo. I know a place.
End. Thiemo’s Best and Worst

Thiemo. You know, I don't blame him. It’s really my issue. I actually respect Matwe, but I'm just not mature enough to handle him.
Csilla. Do you think there will be a point where you will be able to handle Matwe?
Thiemo. Sure, but it's not something that I'm working on. It'll happen when it happens, and I won't even notice it.
Csilla. How do you know when it happens?
Thiemo. I'm hoping it doesn't.
End. Hoping for the Worst

Marse. Amadine? It's me.
Amadine. Hey, what's up?
Marse. Are you home?
Amadine. Yeah, I was about to go out, why?
Marse. Can you do me a favor?
Amadine. What is it?
Marse. Can you find the pair of pants I wore yesterday and take out the chili pepper in one of my pockets?
Amadine. Hold on.

Hello? I got it. It's pretty cute. Where did you get this?
Marse. I got it at the grocery store.
Amadine. You just got one? How much was it?
Marse. I didn't pay for it.
Amadine. You stole it?
Marse. Well, not really. It was on the floor. It was going to be thrown out, so I decided to take it. It's just one pepper.
Amadine. Wait, you always discourage me from taste testing cherries.
Marse. Yes, because you need to also discard the stem and seed somewhere.
Amadine. What about grapes? Would you have any problems me taste testing grapes? I mean seedless grapes.
Marse. Not as much, but it's still different from why I took the pepper.
Amadine. How?
Marse. Well, one thing, the chili was going to be swept up and thrown out since it was on the floor. You're taking perfectly good cherries and eating them on the spot.
Amadine. I don't know. This one looks perfectly fine. You could have simply returned the pepper back with the others. Whoever would have taken it would probably have washed it. But, I don't get it anyways.
Marse. Get what?
Amadine. What are you going to do with one pepper?
Marse. I'm taking the seeds to dry then plant them.
End. The Cost of Chili Peppers

Yera. Andemir?
Andemir. Hey Yera.
Yera. Hey where have you been? I haven't seen you around in a couple of weeks.
Andemir. I was getting tired of all these lights. You can't see anything but the lights around here.
Yera. Light pollution.
Andemir. Exactly. So I wanted to find a dark place, a place where light was necessary.
Yera. Did you find it?
Andemir. I had to consider it, but I did. I had to find an observatory. There would be darkness there.
Yera. I've been to an observatory once. It was in India. Remember Gvidas?
Andemir. Ah yes. Gvidas.
Yera. We went trekking along the southern coast and found our way to one of the British hill stations near Madras to get away from the heat. It had an observatory there at the top of one of the hills. It was weird though. No one was there. All that was there were black beetles the size of golf balls.
Andemir. No one was at the observatory when I got there either, but it was what I was looking for. By half past nine, it got dark. All color faded to black, the stars came in clusters, it was what I needed.
Yera. So you stayed there for a couple of weeks?
Andemir. Yeah, I found a cheap place to stay.
Yera. What did you do when it was light?
Andemir. I went to the library and did some reading, did some hiking in the forest, ate at the diners and cafes there.
Yera. You know, when I was at the observatory with Gvidas, it didn't occur to me that we should have stayed until it got dark. We hitchhiked our way back down the hill and had dinner at the first place we found. I can only remember the sprigs of mint in our lemonade.
Andemir. It must have been deeply dark at that hill station.
Yera. It might have been, but I guess I wasn’t looking for it. You were escaping the light. I was escaping the heat.
Andemir. I can’t remember if it was cold.
End. Unnecessary Light and Heat

Alisee. Hey do you want to have the watermelon in your fridge?
Laurentiu. Maybe not. It's been there for a good three weeks.
Alisee. Really?
Laurentiu. I don't know what it is. Every week I used to cut up a whole watermelon, store it in my refrigerator, and eat it all through out the rest of the week. Now I can't even finish one in a month.
Alisee. You sound worried about eating watermelon.
Laurentiu. My motivation to eat watermelon is gone. I’m done with slicing through the flesh, the resistance of the rind’s curve, the occasional snap of splitting a seed, spitting them out, my wet cutting board with red juices and whatever's left over.
Alisee. Are you motivated to eat anything?
Laurentiu. I think I've lost the joy of eating.
Alisee. That's horrible. How can you not enjoy eating?
Laurentiu. It's become just a task in order not be hungry.
Alisee. You love food.
Laurentiu. I do.
Alisee. Does all this have to do with watermelon?
Laurentiu. I don't know. Probably not. It's just the result of something heavier.
Alisee. What if I cut the watermelon? Do you think you'll have some?
Laurentiu. Maybe. Sure.
Alisee. Where's your knife? I'll go ahead and cut it.
Laurentiu. There should be one drying on the rack by the sink.
Alisee. Oh, you know what? This watermelon's bad.
Laurentiu. Yeah. Thanks, though.
Alisee. Let's go out and get another one. Do you think you'll enjoy eating watermelon again?
Laurentiu. Let's find out.
End. Motivation for Watermelon

Florent. Micaela?
Micaela. Hey, what are you doing here?
Florent. I'm just returning some books at the library.
Micaela. Anything interesting?
Florent. Not really actually.
Micaela. Bad batch?
Florent. You could say that. So what happened to your finger? Did the kitten bite it?
Micaela. Oh yeah. Look at this.
Florent. What happened?
Micaela. I guess Kitty doesn't like to be put in a laundry basket.
Florent. Might bring back memories of cages from the past.
Micaela. I noticed something about her jaw though. Take a look at it.
Florent. It's a little off, isn't it?
Micaela. I think she's been abused before I got her. Kitty’s definitely has a distrust on me. She doesn’t like to be pet. This is the first time she drew blood.
Florent. It'll take some time, but I'm sure she’ll learn to trust you. What about strangers? Does she distrust strangers as well?
Micaela. Try petting her.
End. Kitty bites Florent

Pawel. Hey Erling?
Erling. What's up?
Pawel. Do you think I could hitch a ride with you?
Erling. Aren't you supposed to go with Galina?
Pawel. Yes, but I do not feel safe with her.
Erling. Why? You've driven with her before?
Pawel. Actually no, but here. Come look at this.
Erling. Is this her car?
Pawel. Yes.
Erling. Why is her mirror tilted like that?
Pawel. She uses it as a vanity mirror alone.
Erling. Would you like to sit on Daouda's lap in my car?
Pawel. I don't mind being in the trunk.
End. Galina Sees Galina

Pirmin. I saw myself in an elevator yesterday.
Giada. What?
Pirmin. I was just getting off the elevator to my apartment and there I was, in another elevator going down to the first floor.
Giada. I don’t understand. Are you sure you saw yourself? Maybe it was someone who looked like you.
Pirmin. Before the elevator closed, he had this expression of confidence like we knew what we were both thinking.
Giada. What were you thinking?
Pirmin. I had thoughts of confusion when seeing myself and he in turn sympathized.
Giada. You didn’t try talking to him, at least try to catch the elevator to make sure it was you?
Pirmin. I guess I was in shock and nothing sensible came to mind.
Giada. I would have tackled him and demanded that he tell me who he was.
Pirmin. He probably would be ready for it.
End. Pirmin Sees Pirmin

Play

Claes. Someone wrapped a few newspapers together and left it burning in front of the warehouse.
Nadeza. Really? Was anyone hurt?
Claes. No. It didn’t cause any alarm. It was a small fire whipping near the curb of the street. Someone may have stopped in front of the gate, lit the bundle, dropped it, and drove off.
Nadeza. A form of protest maybe?
Claes. Like dropping anonymous anger for us to see.
Nadeza. Did anyone extinguish the fire?
Claes. I don’t think so. I came back after work and found it still smoldering. Thin flakes of newspaper smoked off in circles close by.
Nadeza. The warehouse wasn’t evacuated?
Claes. I don’t think anyone said anything to management.
Nadeza. You would think someone would have called the police to come in and check to see if it was a bomb or something.
Claes. Yeah, I don’t know. It turned out to be someone’s expression on how they felt.
Nadeza. Claes?
Claes. Yes?
Nadeza. You weren’t the one who did it, were you?
Claes. I wish I had.
End. Dropping Anonymous Anger

Evgueni. How are you Mr. Mose?
Rouslan Mose. Well, you know why I’m here.
Evgueni. Yes, and I just called one of our drivers. He’ll be in with your car in a few minutes. It came straight from the factory.
Rouslan Mose. He’s driving from the factory? Where’s the factory?
Evgueni. No, it was just shipped in from the German factory. It’s coming from the port.
Rouslan Mose. So the car will carry a German smell.
End. A German Intimation