Ribbon: A Play for Two Voices
by Justin Palmer

<a heart beat>

<dial tone>

<the heart beat speeds up>

i am here

to tell you

that

this has all

become one big mess

it started

it started

when he left a message

i left

a phone message

<pick up>

"hey this is barb"

she didn't answer it

i didn't answer it

she was doing something

i was cooking

i couldn't stand to face her

and, besides,

i knew she had one of those

i heard it all

because

i have one of those

old school answering machines

where i can

where she can

hear the thing being recorded on a tape

<pick up>

"hey this is barb, you know what to do"

<beep>

<sigh>

hi

it's me

i'm sure you're cooking

something

cooking something fabulous

for us

at this very minute

but

and i didn't have the time to pick up the phone

i was brushing olive oil on the bruschetta

and

i just want you to know

i'm not coming over

i stopped brushing the bruschetta

<sigh>

i'm not coming over

i'm not ever coming over

i

i can't

i'm actually out of town right now

i can't really say where

i can

but

i guess i won't

<sigh>

goodbye, barb

i'm sorry

<hang up>

the dinner was supposed to be for our five year anniversary

<dial tone>

i threw away the bruschetta

and replayed his message

<rewind>

i'm not coming over

i'm not ever coming over

i

i can't

i'm

<rewind>

i'm not coming over

i'm not ever coming over

i

i can't

i'm

<fast forward>

—really say where

i can

but

i guess i

<rewind>

i can

but

I gue—

<pause>

i took the tape

you know, the tape that's in the answering machine

to record these kinds of things

i took it out of the machine

or

rather

i guess it fell out

when

i

threw the machine against the wall

i kept it

i kept the tape

and i kept

i kept replaying it

in my mind

which meant i had to actually replay it

on my stereo

i kept replaying the tape

<rewind>

i'm actually out of town right now

i can't really say where

i can

but

i guess i won't

<sigh>

goodbye, barb

i'm sorry

<hang up>

the dinner was supposed to be for our five year anniversary

<dial tone>

<phone rings>

<phone rings again>

<pick up>

hello?

hello?

hey, barb?

who's speaking, please?

hey barb, it's dodge.

...

dodge, from the—

oh oh right! hi!

hi

i hope it's not

oh oh of course

i hope it's OK for me

oh no no no no no no

late or

it's fine

something, i

it's ok

ok

really

ok, good

<a laugh>

what's funny?

what?

you're laughing

i'm nervous

nervous?

yeah

why?

why?

yeah?

i'm calling you

and?

and well

isn't it

isn't that something to be nervous about

i didn't hang up on you did i?

no

so?

you make it sound easy

…

<a laugh>

so what's up, dodge?

what’s up?

you called me, right?

<pause>

i did

your name’s dodge?

yeah

dodge?

it's a nickname

funny

i guess...

i don't know

i guess

because

because i

i don’t know

i guess because i’ve

i’ve

been known to

dodge?

you mean like a verb?

yeah

sometimes

i see

yeah

<pause>

but

but i'm calling

yeah?

because

because...?

because

i was

i was wondering

do you want to go

to go

to go on a date?

yes

<heart beat>

he called me

<heart beat>

i called her

i

he

i left

he left

a message

<rewind>

<sigh>

i'm not coming over

i'm not ev—

<pause>

i threw away the bruschetta

and replayed his message

—er coming over

i

i can't

i'm actually—

and then i destroyed the tape

<heart beat>

i cracked the tape

in my

in my hands

and pulled out the ribbon

crumpled it

strung it around

my arm

my neck

my face

my nose

my mouth

it

it became

it became my

it became my skin

my blood

the ribbon

and

and i was

the ribbon

i was sorry i

i threw away the bruschetta

because i

because i got hungry

real hungry those days

because

because i stayed

in my house

what ended up

what ended up being

30 days

and

30 nights

without leaving

trying

trying to

trying to put the ribbon

put the ribbon back

back into the tape

<warbled voice:

<sigh>

i'm not coming over

i'm not ever coming over>

and

on day 31

the phone rang

<phone rings>

<phone rings again>

i didn't

<phone rings again>

i couldn't

she wouldn't answer

i knew

<phone rings again>

i knew who it was

it kept ringing

it had to be

it wouldn't stop

it wouldn't stop because

<phone rings again>

because

there was no machine

<phone rings>

it rang

<phone rings again>

for 30 days

<phone rings again>

and 30 nights

and then

<pick up>

hello?

hello?

hey, barb?

who's speaking, please?

hey barb, it's dodge

it's dodge

barb?

where are you?

<pause>

i'm—

<hang up>

<dial tone>

<THE  END>