their life in the car

Their Life in the Car

Characters

NARRATOR, a womanGEORGE, a manMACY, a woman

Setting

A car.

Their Life in the CarCopyright © 2004 by William Donnelly

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Their Life in the Car 2

(GEORGE and MACY stand on one side of the stage. The NARRATOR stands onthe other.)

NARRATOR (FEMALE)They met back in school. She was seeing someone but it was over. He’d been left behindand had finally given up. He made his move after class—Intro to Cultural Anthropology.

GEORGEWanna go for a drive or something?

NARRATORThat’s where it started . . . their life in the car.

(GEORGE and MACY sit in two chairs representing a car.)

MACYDo you like the Sugarcubes?

GEORGEI like the girl.

MACYYeah, she’s cool.

GEORGEShe’s like a little pixie or something.

MACYBut with this huge voice.

Do you like the Pixies?

GEORGEI really like the first three records. Bossanova . . . I don’t know. I mean, I like it . . .

MACYI know what you’re saying.

GEORGEThe songs are good, there’s just something . . .

MACYThe production.


GEORGEYeah, the overall sound is just kinda . . .

MACY and GEORGETinny.

(They look at each other.)

MACYOh, we’re totally gonna get married.

NARRATORThey did, of course. But not for some time. First, there were many nights spent drivingthen parking. Idling in front of her dorm, not being able to say goodnight, carbonmonoxide creeping through tiny holes in the rusted out floor. After graduation they got anapartment in the city. Temp jobs. Trips home for the holidays.

GEORGEI don’t think your mom likes me.

MACYOf course she likes you.

GEORGEShe looks at me weird when you’re not around.

MACYShe looks at everybody weird. She’s insane.

GEORGEIt’s different, though. She doesn’t look at your sister’s boyfriend as weird as she looks atme.

MACYShe has to go easier on him, he’s not that bright.

GEORGESo he gets preferential treatment based on intelligence?

MACYYou’re gonna wanna turn up here, hon.

GEORGEI’m just trying to understand . . . does that mean if I was stupider . . . ?


MACYIf you want to play dumb to get on my mom’s good side, I’m fine with that. I’ll tell heryou took a blow to the head or something.

GEORGE(Beat.) Do you think that would work?

NARRATORIt was a very mobile period. Day trips. Quick drives to the Cape just to look at the water.Weekends up North. Thousands of miles in a car you wouldn’t expect to have manymiles left in it.

(MACY has her head buried in a map.)

GEORGEIs this us? (Beat.) Hon?

MACYYyyyyyy . . .

GEORGEIs this our turn?

MACYAhhh . . .

GEORGEIf this is us . . .

MACYWait, wait, I think . . .

GEORGEAnd there it goes. That was our turn, wasn’t it.

Hon?

MACYI think.

This map is confusing.

GEORGENo, see, the map alleviates confusion. Our minds are confused.


MACYI blame the map. It says too much.

GEORGEDo you want to drive?

MACYNo.

GEORGEThen you have to be the navigator. That’s the arrangement. There’s a driver and anavigator and we reached this agreement—

MACYLook, I fucked it, okay? What do you want me to say?

GEORGEYou don’t have to curse.

MACYCourtmartial me. Hang me from a yardarm.

GEORGEWhere do you get “yardarm”?

MACYIt’s a nautical thing.

GEORGEWhy nautical?

MACYBecause I’m the navigator.

GEORGEOh. (Beat.) Well done.

MACYShould we turn around?

GEORGEI’m trying.

MACYWhat about there?


GEORGEThat’s someone’s driveway.

MACYSo?

GEORGEI’d prefer a street.

MACYUse a driveway.

GEORGEIt’s an intrusion.

MACYWell, I don’t see any streets and we’re getting further and further from our turn. What ifwe can’t find our way back?

GEORGEI suppose we’ll have to eat each other.

MACYMe first.

NARRATORAs time passed, freeform wandering gave way to a more goal-oriented approach—eventdriving—destination determined by obligation. Weddings. Anniversaries. Christenings.Funerals. There was always a funeral.

(Silence.)

GEORGEYou okay?

MACYMm.

GEORGEI wish I knew what to say.

MACYThere’s nothing to say.

Did you see how skinny she looked? And pale?


GEORGEI’ve never seen her before.

MACYDid you see her skin? Like tissue paper. Like you could tear it. I’m a horrible niece.

GEORGENo.

MACYI never visited.

GEORGEYou’ve been busy.

MACYNot that busy. I’m thoughtless.

She could’ve used me. All alone like that.

Imagine being that alone.

GEORGEI want to say something, but I’m afraid it will be misconstrued as coming directly andinappropriately out of this particular conversation and not out of the true and real placefrom which it actually emanates.

MACYOkay . . .

GEORGEWould you be interested in marrying me?

(Pause.)

MACYLet’s talk about it at home.

NARRATORAnd they did talk and a date was set. It was a small affair—intimate, quiet. For theirhoneymoon they went to Europe and refused to rent a car for fear of European road maps.When they got back and picked up their life, time, as is often the case, was a blur . . .

MACYGeorge . . . I’m pregnant.


GEORGEAlready?

NARRATOR. . . telephone poles on the side of the road . . .

(MACY in labor.)

MACYOh God!

GEORGEJust breathe.

MACYKeep driving!

GEORGEYou’re not going to have this baby in the car.

MACYProve it!

NARRATOR. . . trees whipping past . . . leaves flying up in the wake . . .

GEORGEIs that car seat right?

MACYI think so.

GEORGEWhy is her head all floppy?

MACYIf she’s uncomfortable, she’ll cry.

NARRATOR. . . a blur in the brain . . . motion swallowing time . . .

GEORGEStop kicking the seat!

MACYYour father’s trying to drive!


NARRATORGrocery store. School. Soccer field. Gas station. Movie theatre Friday nights. Breakfastplace Sunday mornings. Traveling became more localized. Tiny circles set by necessityand habit. Before long, years were decades.

GEORGEThat wasn’t so bad.

MACYWhat was it? Three-and-three-quarters?

GEORGEThree-and-a-half. And we stopped for directions.

MACYThat’s right, too. It’s a little much to do in one day.

GEORGEThere are places to stay, though. And we won’t be coming up every weekend.

MACYAs long as it’s right. That’s my only concern. I want to be sure it’s the right choice.

GEORGEOne of the best schools in the country.

MACYAnd she looked happy, right? I wasn’t imagining that.

GEORGEShe’s happy. (Pause.) Remember when we were in school?

MACYGod . . .

(They remember.)

NARRATORWhen they bought the white car, it was a sign. Not to say that only old people buy whitecars, but old people only buy white cars. One day they were one thing, and the next, theywere old. Thirty miles an hour to the Early Bird Special.

GEORGEHow’s this?


MACYIs it too far from the door?

GEORGEI could drop you off.

MACYI don’t want to have to stand there.

GEORGEIt’s best if we walk together. That way, if I fall, I can drag you down with me. Ready?

MACYLet’s just sit a moment.

(Silence.)

GEORGEThey’re already talking snow.

MACYReally.

GEORGEJust a dusting. Nothing much to worry about.

MACYSeems too early.

GEORGEDoesn’t it? Guess it isn’t, though.

I’m gonna go see if there’s a wait. Don’t take off without me.

(GEORGE stands. He regards the NARRATOR for a moment and then exits.)

NARRATOROn long car trips, it’s easier to stay awake when you have someone to talk to. I’m suresomething similar could be said about life, but I don’t really know what it is.

(NARRATOR takes GEORGE’s chair. They drive. MACY stares out the window.)

NARRATORYou okay?


MACYMm.

NARRATORI wish I knew what to say.

MACYThere’s nothing to say.

Did you know we met in school?

NARRATORI did. You told me.

Do you want to stop somewhere?

Mom?

MACYJust keep driving.

their life in the car

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