GIVE ME A REASON a play in one act by Chris Anthony CHARACTERS ELIZABETH A high school science teacher in a small town. Still defensive about it. 28. PETER A photographer on his way to a funeral. Drives a Volvo station wagon. 25. SETTING An intersection in the countryside, about a mile from Elizabeth's house. East Coast temperate. TIME Late morning. Spring, 2006. ACT I SCENE 1 (The side of the road. Elizabeth is approaching Peter for the first time. Elizabeth has on a light jacket over a dress, and Peter's wearing a black suit.) ELIZABETH Are you all right? PETER I'm fine. ELIZABETH You're bleeding. You're -- PETER Where? (He looks himself over.) ELIZABETH Your forehead. PETER Oh -- it's just a scrape. ELIZABETH It's a lot of blood. PETER It's on my forehead. Head wounds bleed a lot. I'm really okay. ELIZABETH I'm really sorry. (Pause.) PETER Don't be. I mean, it's okay. ELIZABETH No, it's not. I wasn't paying enough attention. PETER It's a tough intersection. ELIZABETH You can't see around that curve. PETER They should put a mirror -- ELIZABETH Someone keeps shooting it out. Probably the high school kids. Shooting mirrors, knocking over mailboxes. PETER Do you live around here? ELIZABETH Just down this road, about a mile. PETER You could walk home from here. ELIZABETH It's a good thing I wasn't walking when you came around the bend. PETER Where were you going? ELIZABETH To work, at the high school. You? PETER I was just passing through on my way to White Hall. ELIZABETH Is that where you live? PETER No, I'm from the city. Just outside it, really. I have a townhouse in -- (Pause.) ELIZABETH In what? PETER Never mind. ELIZABETH O-kay. PETER You'll probably find out when the police arrive anyway. In Mount Vernon. ELIZABETH When the police arrive in Mount Vernon? What happened there? PETER No, when the police arrive here. I live in Mount Vernon. ELIZABETH Mount Vernon? But you drive a Volvo. PETER So? ELIZABETH I thought everyone in Mount Vernon drove Audis. PETER It's really not that upscale. ELIZABETH Still. You're driving a 1988 Volvo -- PETER It's a '97. ELIZABETH Still pretty old, for a neighborhood like Mount Vernon. Don't your neighbors complain? PETER We don't talk much. Anyway, she isn't that old, and I keep her in good shape. Kept. ELIZABETH You should buy a new car, if you can afford to live there. PETER I did! In '97. ELIZABETH Of course. PETER You drive a Miata. I thought you were a public-school teacher. ELIZABETH My husband bought it. PETER So it's his. ELIZABETH He bought it for me. Because he was away so much on business. PETER I though the ring was supposed to remind you of him. (Pause.) PETER And him of you. ELIZABETH It does. PETER Do you think the police will arrive soon? ELIZABETH I have no idea. Weren't you the one who called them? PETER No, I thought -- damn. (Pause.) PETER Why don't you call them? ELIZABETH Why don't you? PETER I -- You live around here. ELIZABETH What does that have to -- PETER It's a small town. ELIZABETH So, what, I hang out at the police station? PETER No, I just meant -- ELIZABETH You think because you're from Mount Vernon that you're better than us hicks out here in the country? PETER I -- what? (Pause.) ELIZABETH I'm sorry. PETER It's okay. I mean, don't be. I'm a little stressed. ELIZABETH I think we both are. PETER I didn't mean to insult you. I'm sorry. ELIZABETH No, no. My in-laws -- PETER Oh. They're from the city? ELIZABETH Worse. New York. Manhattan. They hate it out here. PETER "Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue." ELIZABETH Exactly. PETER Did you grow up here? ELIZABETH No, we moved here about... six months ago now, I guess. PETER Why here? ELIZABETH Is there something wrong with here -- no, I'm sorry. PETER Don't worry about it. No, I was just wondering if there was something about this area in particular that drew you. Or was it just that it's so quiet? ELIZABETH It's not very quiet, really. You're just used to traffic. PETER It sounds quiet. No, wait, I think I hear a deer. ELIZABETH You learn to hear the noise. PETER You'd hate the city. ELIZABETH I grew up in Portland. PETER Really? Which one? ELIZABETH Maine. PETER My brother lives in the Oregon one. ELIZABETH What does he do out there? PETER He's an EMT. He has a wife and two kids, and he spends all day riding in ambulances. ELIZABETH Speaking of ambulances -- PETER I'm fine. ELIZABETH No, I hear one. PETER It's not a cop? ELIZABETH The ambulances here have different sirens. PETER Really? ELIZABETH It's so you can tell them apart. The fire engines too. PETER I thought I heard an air raid siren a few minutes ago. What was that? ELIZABETH An air raid siren. The fire department uses it to let the neighborhood know that they're sending trucks out. PETER Not to us, I hope. ELIZABETH You never know. Did you know that they have to send a fire truck along with the ambulance any time someone calls a heart attack in? PETER Why on Earth -- ELIZABETH I have no idea. I guess if you have a heart attack while you're cooking - but what if you have something else while you're cooking? They should just build hoses into the ambulances. PETER It would be efficient, but I think it'd cause more trouble than it was worth. Besides, what if there was actually a fire? You'd want the firefighters to stick around, you know, while the victim was rushed to the hospital. ELIZABETH Why "victim"? PETER Why not? ELIZABETH It's like you're assuming that every injury was caused by someone else. PETER No I'm not. Do you ever watch "ER"? They talk about burn victims, trauma victims, you know. All kinds of victims of things that aren't other people. "Victim" just means you didn't do it to yourself on purpose. (Pause.) PETER Didn't you say you heard an ambulance? ELIZABETH I don't hear it anymore. It must have gone out into the country. PETER When are they going to get here? ELIZABETH We didn't call them, remember? PETER Right. You should do that. ELIZABETH And an ambulance, too. PETER I'm -- ELIZABETH You're not fine. I think you might be a concussion victim. PETER Very funny. Look, I can still walk in a straight line, and I remember my mother's face. And I can't go to the hospital today. ELIZABETH Why not? PETER I'm late. ELIZABETH They'll understand. PETER Yeah, but I won't. ELIZABETH What do you mean? PETER No, you don't need to hear about it. ELIZABETH No, what? PETER I -- (Pause.) PETER My uncle Robert was -- he died a few days ago. ELIZABETH Oh my God. PETER So I was on my way to -- ELIZABETH Oh my God. I'm sorry. And I wasn't paying enough attention -- PETER It's okay. ELIZABETH No, it's not -- oh my God. PETER It really is. ELIZABETH How can you say that? You're missing your uncle's funeral. PETER I'm -- (Pause.) PETER It wouldn't have done much for me. ELIZABETH How come? PETER I just don't get a lot out of funerals. ELIZABETH You need to see a shrink. PETER I'm sorry? ELIZABETH ...I'm sorry. PETER Don't be. (Pause.) ELIZABETH That's a cop siren. PETER Living in the country gives you great ears. ELIZABETH It's good for the skin, too. PETER It really is. And the hair. ELIZABETH Thank you. PETER What does your husband do? ELIZABETH Sales. PETER Retail? I thought he traveled a lot. ELIZABETH No, corporate. He's always off in other cities, other countries... (Pause.) PETER I'm Peter. ELIZABETH I'm -- call me Beth. PETER Listen, this was a pretty minor accident. I think your Miata's worse off than my Volvo is. ELIZABETH Did your Volvo even get a dent in it? PETER I think you might have scraped the bumper a little. ELIZABETH I'm not sure I can even close my door anymore. PETER I'm sorry. ELIZABETH Why? It was my fault. PETER No, I damaged your -- I mean, your husband gave you that car. ELIZABETH It's not like he's ever seen me drive it. PETER But it's a reminder, right? You see it, and you remember how much he loves you. ELIZABETH No, I see it and I remember how much he's not here. I can't take a Miata to bed, or out to see a movie. I loved him so much in grad school. PETER Then -- I don't know whether I should be sorry or not. ELIZABETH Don't be. PETER Are you sure? ELIZABETH Yeah. (Pause.) ELIZABETH I should see if I can get my car started. PETER Going somewhere? ELIZABETH I'm late for work. PETER I'm late for a funeral. And we've been in a car accident today. I don't think anyone will complain too much if we're not where we're supposed to be. ELIZABETH My kids will be expecting me. PETER Your kids will understand. You can call the office and say you've been in an accident and can't get in. ELIZABETH Can I use your phone? PETER I don't have one. I thought you did. ELIZABETH That's why you didn't want to call the police. PETER We could go back to your house. Call the office, call a tow truck if you need one. I assume you have a phone out here in Nowheresville. ELIZABETH Hey -- PETER Relax. (Elizabeth laughs briefly and half-heartedly.) ELIZABETH Right. Yes, I have a phone. It's even hooked up. PETER After that, maybe you could show me around. ELIZABETH Show you around what? PETER The area. I'm a photographer. This looks like a nice setting. ELIZABETH I don't know. PETER I'll buy you lunch. Or dinner. ELIZABETH You sound like you're asking me out. (Pause.) ELIZABETH ...okay. PETER We can just push your Miata to the side of the road. We can take my car back to your place. I'd like to walk, but two cars by the side of the road -- ELIZABETH At this intersection, yeah. PETER -- and my car's not really even damaged that badly. A few scrapes on the bumper. Are you okay leaving your husb-- sorry, your Miata by the side of the road? ELIZABETH It's fine. Are you okay to drive? PETER Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.