Scene
One
Morning.
A restaurant in the city.
Catcher Straub sits at a table with his younger brother Ben.
The two are eating as they talk, though the conversation is quite one
sided. Catcher is a thirty year old businessman who wears a gray three piece
suit. Ben is in his mid twenties,
and he wears a white oxford shirt with khakis.
Ben:
I admit she’s beautiful Catcher, but the most beautiful in the city?
Catcher:
I have no doubt. Besides,
what weight am I to place in the opinion of a confirmed and hardened bachelor?
Ben:
Hardened,
not in the least…(he pauses, and places his fork on his plate) Besides, there is
nothing wrong with being single.
Catcher:
Ben you’re so naïve. Can’t you see that I am so much happier than
before I met Amelia. She is the
best thing that ever happened to me. Why
can’t you find one for yourself?
Ben:
One, what? Another
Amelia? (Sarcastically)
But Catcher, I thought you said there was none like her in the world.
Catcher:
A wife. God Ben, sometimes
you are so immature.
Ben:
Well,
at least I’m not henpecked.
Catcher:
I’m not henpecked.
Ben:
No?
Catcher:
No.
Ben:
You
don’t match today. Do you know
that?
Catcher:
(Without pausing to contemplate
the implications of Ben’s question) Yeah, Amelia is at her mother’s so
I was on my own this morning.
Ben:
I
rest my case, Catcher. I rest my
case.
Catcher:
What, just because my wife has impeccable taste, I am to be deemed (using
his fingers to quote) “henpecked”?
Ben:
Does
she still brush your teeth?
Catcher:
Now that’s just ridiculous. She
never…
Ben:
I
know. I’m sorry.
It’s just that when she says jump, you say how high.
When she calls for you, you drop your life and run to her.
Christ, Catcher you’ve been married for four years and I’ve barely
seen you since the wedding. (Catcher
motions and begins to open his mouth.) No, wait, I’m not finished.
It seems to me that you’ve given up all that was familiar to you.
When I first saw you today, I didn’t recognize you. When you called
out to me, I looked around to see who would respond.
Your walk wasn’t the same. Once
so effortless, today it seemed labored like you were being weighed down by
some unseen burden. Your clothes,
your appearance… You’re a
fool, who is so blindly in love with her that you would die for her.
Catcher:
Would I die for her? Did Alcestis
die for her mate? Yes, I think I
would…Ben; I’d die a thousand deaths for her.
Ben:
Who?
Catcher:
Alcestis.
She died so that her husband could live.
Ben:
Catcher she has changed you. Can’t
you see you’re not living? You
are merely pandering to her every whim. You’ve
changed.
Catcher:
Ben, you’re a fool. Amelia
has not changed me in the slightest. It’s
you who’ve changed. The brother
I had was fearless. You sound like
a coward now.
Ben:
(Rather defensively) I’m no coward Catcher.
Catcher:
(In appeasement) Easy.
All that I meant to say is that it seems that you are a beaten man.
Ben:
Beaten
by what?
Catcher:
Women.
Ben:
How
am I beaten by women Catcher?
Catcher:
Because you haven’t had a woman for months now.
Ben:
I
still fail to see how that garners me “beaten”.
Catcher:
Oh, little brother, can’t you see that you just aren’t whole
without a woman.
Ben:
Catcher
I don’t need a woman to be whole. I
just…
Catcher:
(In sheer disgust, Catcher throws
up his hands)
Fine! Let’s
talk about something more pleasant, shall we.
How’s work?
Ben:
(Sarcastically) More pleasant you say…
Catcher:
Come now Ben, not everything in your life has to be so dramatic.
Ben:
Life
is but a play Catcher. And
who are we to question the Playwright. (He
motions towards the heavens.)
Catcher:
The Playwright?
Do you mean to tell me that you believe in all that fate crap?
Ben:
I
have to believe in something. It’s
what gets me through the day.
Catcher:
Why don’t I ever see you in church then?
Amelia and I go ever Sunday.
Ben:
I
said that I had to believe in something, Catcher, not that I believed in what
you believe.
Catcher:
So you don’t believe in God?
Ben:
That’s
not what I said, and you know it. I
have my doubts about every religion Catcher, including the one which you seem
to hold in such high esteem. I don’t
think that anyone needs a church to be a religious person.
Catcher:
You’re wrong. The Bible
says that the Church is a representation of the body of Christ.
Ben:
Yes.
The Bible also says that there are only four true gospels, when roughly
eighty were written in the same circumstances as the others.
Catcher:
That’s a lie!
Ben:
No
it isn’t, but it’s no matter. Believe
what you choose to believe. Have
faith in what you choose to have faith in.
And Catcher, don’t ever tell anyone that they are wrong about their
religion. It’s rude.
And by the by, work is fine. How’s
yours?
Catcher:
(Somewhat stunned and slow to
react)
It’s…well it’s just fine.
Avery and I are looking to close a big deal this week on that property
on the corner of Weston and
Ben:
Isn’t
that were the Paradise Hotel used to be.
Catcher:
It’s long since been torn down.
Ben:
What
are you planning to put up? A
parking lot?
Catcher:
Nope. Condos.
That’s where the money is. High
rise condominiums.
Ben:
How
is Avery? Is he still married to what’s her name?
Catcher:
Do you mean Melissa?
Ben:
(Sarcastically) Oh, Melissa indeed.
Catcher:
She is a lovely woman who, granted lacks some personality…
Ben:
She
has as much personality as this fork, (He
holds and shakes his fork) and about as much color on her skin as this
napkin (He holds and shakes his napkin).
Catcher:
I realize that Melissa is not beautiful, but next to Amelia anyone can
look homely. She does, however,
love Avery more than he probably deserves.
Ben:
What
do you mean by that?
Catcher:
Oh nothing bad, I just meant to say that she loves him blindly.
She would do anything for him. It
is almost like an addiction. It’s
sad really.
Ben:
(To himself) Yes…it is.
Catcher:
(Unaware of Ben’s murmur)
Little brother, I need to get going. I
have a meeting with Avery and the Sam Watson at eleven.
It was good to talk to you though. (He
gets up from the table.)
Ben:
Good
luck with the condo deal.
Catcher:
(Walking away from him, Catcher
turns and faces Ben.) Who
needs luck when you’re this good? (Exit
Catcher)
Ben:
(Aside) And so modest too.
Curtain
Closes
Act
One
Scene
Two
Catcher and Avery’s office.
Spartan layout.
There are four chairs positioned around a round table with a projection
screen in the background. Catcher
and Avery sit pensively waiting for their client to arrive.
On the table there are three glasses of water and a glass pitcher.
Avery wears a suit also, and he seems to be far more comfortable in it
than Catcher.
Avery:
Where the hell is Sam?
Catcher:
It’s not like him to be late. You
don’t think he got cold feet, do you?
Avery:
No. He said the deal was as
good as ours.
Catcher:
I need this one Avery.
Avery:
You and me both Catch.
You and me both. (Takes
a sip of water.) How’s
Amelia?
Catcher:
Oh, she’s doing fine. She’s
visiting her mother for the weekend. That
old bat hates me.
Avery:
I was so sorry to hear about her aunt.
Catcher:
(There is a visible mood change
with Catcher) Did I tell you about her aunt?
Avery:
No, I think Melissa must have.
Catcher:
Oh, well I suppose that makes more sense.
How is Melissa?
Avery:
Lovely.
(A
door opens. Sam walks onstage with
a briefcase and sits in an empty chair. He wears a cheap suit and a Stetson
hat.)
Sam:
Sorry I’m late. I won’t
keep you fellas any longer than I need to.
I’ve got the contract right here.
(Opens briefcase and pulls out a contract)
It’s what we agreed on, and so all you fellas have to do is sign
it.
Catcher:
I have a pen.
Avery:
Wait a minute Catch. Sam,
do you mind if I look at that before my witless friend signs his life away.
Sam:
(Visibly shaken by the question,
he stutters the first words.) What’s the matter?
You fellas don’t trust me? (Slides
contract towards Avery)
Catcher:
Now Sam you know that’s not true.
It’s just…
Avery:
We can never be too careful. You
know that.
Sam:
Right, but…
Avery:
Sam these aren’t the figures we agreed on.
In fact they aren’t even close. What
are you trying to do here Sammy, screw us? (Avery
slides the contract back towards Sam.)
Sam:
Mr. Unger…Avery….Catcher…you know I’d never try to screw you
out of anything.
Avery:
I am a busy…we’re both busy men Sam, and frankly we don’t have
time for your little games.
Catcher:
(Obviously taken aback) What
my partner is trying to say, Sam, is that we want to do business with you, but
we obviously want what we agreed upon.
Sam:
(Pulling a second contract from
his briefcase) I think, then, you will approve more of this one.
(Avery
and Catcher look the contract over, and talk quietly amongst themselves for a
brief moment.)
Avery:
Ok Sam, you got yourself a deal.
(Both
Avery and Catcher sign the contract, and Catcher pushes it back towards Sam,
who puts it in his briefcase post haste.)
Sam:
Thank you fellas. I will
bring the paperwork by tomorrow morning.
Avery:
(Rather sarcastically) It’s
lovely doing business with you Sam. (Exit
Sam)
(Sam
rises from his chair and leaves through the same door from whence he came.)
Avery:
Prick.
Curtain Closes
Act
One
Scene
Three
A bar.
Catcher and Avery sit at the bar alone.
A bartender stands in the corner drying a glass.
Catcher and Avery both have glasses of whisky in front of them and sip
sporadically.
Catcher:
It’s really getting dark early now.
Avery:
Yeah it is.
Catcher:
Well…Here’s to condos. (He
raises his glass to toast to Avery.)
Avery:
To condos! (Raises glass to toast.)
Catcher:
I want to thank you for stopping me back there.
You know…stopping me from signing.
Avery:
What are
partners for? (They
drink.) You know Catch; you have to be a little more careful.
There are people in this world, who will
screw you as soon as look at you. There
are people who would think nothing of stealing your very livelihood from right
under your nose.
Catcher:
Don’t you think you are being a little cynical?
Avery:
I might be, but
cynical is the only thing that saved us five million dollars back there.
Catcher:
Yeah.
Avery:
Hey Catch, I
hope you don’t mind, but I invited Melissa to celebrate with us.
Catcher:
Oh, sure.
Avery:
I would have
invited Amelia, but with her being out of town and all...When is she getting
back in town?
Catcher:
I pick her up at the airport tomorrow at
Avery:
When she gets
settled in, we need to do dinner…the four of us, that is.
(A woman walks into
the bar wearing a black dress. She
immediately heads for Avery and throws herself upon him.
They kiss, and she sits on the opposite side of Catcher.)
Melissa:
Congratulations Catcher.
Catcher:
Thanks Melissa.
Melissa:
(Looking at Catcher) So,
Avery told me you all had a bit of trouble with old Sam Watson today.
Catcher:
You could say that. Could
you both do me a favor? Amelia has
always said that I am far too trusting, and that something like this was bound
to happen. Could
you possibly not mention this to her?
I mean, I just don’t want her to think that I wasn’t listening to
her.
Avery:
You can trust
us not to say a word about it.
Catcher:
Thanks.
Melissa:
(Loudly)
Hey barkeep, who do
you have to kill to get a dry martini around here?
Avery:
I’ll get that
dear.
Melissa:
So when does Amy get back Catcher?
Catcher:
What?
Melissa:
Amy…Amelia…oh, what’s the difference among friends.
Catcher:
She gets back tomorrow. I
was just telling Avery that I pick her up tomorrow at
Avery:
She’s only
been gone for a week.
Catcher:
And it’s been the longest week of my life.
I really miss her. I’ve
tried calling her at the old codger’s home, but the butler hangs up as soon
as he knows it’s me. She has
called me twice and I missed her both times.
Melissa:
(Looking at Avery) I don’t
know that I could go a week without talking to you.
Avery:
I’m sure you
could manage.
Melissa:
No, I’m serious. I don’t
know what I would do. Catcher, I
don’t know how you can still be sane.
Catcher:
Alcohol. (He raises and shakes
his glass.)
Melissa:
Oh. (She laughs.)
Catcher:
It’s not the healthiest way, granted, but I can’t miss Amelia when
I don’t know where I am.
Avery:
(Raising
his glass)
Here. Here.
Catcher:
I wonder what she’s up to now?
Avery:
Christ Catch,
we’re here to celebrate our biggest conquest, not to mourn the absence of
yours.
Catcher:
My what?
Avery:
Your conquest.
Catcher:
Amelia is not a conquest. She’s
the most beautiful woman I have ever met.
The sweetest, most loving, most compassionate woman I know.
Avery:
You’re so
whipped.
Melissa:
She is beautiful, though.
Avery:
Oh, no.
I don’t deny she’s beautiful, and compassionate, and all that jazz;
but have you seen the look in your eyes when you talk about her?
It’s almost pathetic.
Catcher:
I hardly think that adoration of my wife qualifies me as pathetic, or
whipped, or henpecked.
Avery:
I didn’t say
henpecked, though I should have I suppose.
Catcher:
Ben told me I was henpecked just this morning.
Melissa:
How is Benny? I haven’t
talked to him for ages. We really
need to do lunch sometime soon.
Catcher:
He’d like that.
Avery:
Is he still
single?
Catcher:
Yeah, and he gives me a hard
time about my relationship with Amelia.
Melissa:
I understand how you feel Catcher.
I know how it feels to be so in love with someone that the sunrise is
only beautiful because it gives you the light to see your lover lying next to
you.
Catcher:
Thank you Melissa.
Avery:
(With
stinging sarcasm) That was almost poetic, dear.
Melissa:
(Missing the sarcasm entirely)
It’s the truth, though.
Avery:
I know.
(They kiss.)
Catcher:
Well on that note, I suppose it is time for me to go home.
If I get back soon enough I might just be able to catch Amelia’s call
before the machine gets it.
Avery:
You’re leaving me already Catch?
You haven’t even finished your first drink.
Catcher:
There’s plenty of this where I’m going Avery, (he
raises and shakes his glass) and there’s still the chance that Amelia
will call me.
Avery:
(Stressing the “wh”
in order to imitates the cracking of a whip) Whipped.
Catcher:
It was lovely to see you tonight Melissa.
You are as beautiful as ever.
Melissa:
But not as beautiful as Amelia?
Catcher:
(Backpeddling
out of the bar’s door) Well, not everyone can be perfect. (Exit Catcher)
Melissa:
He truly loves her doesn’t he?
Avery:
Like a fool.
Melissa:
Avery!
Avery:
Look, all I am saying is that he’s stupid for her, and she doesn’t
even love him back.
Melissa:
That’s a terrible thing to say. She
loves him.
Avery:
Melissa, you are a damn fool. Have
you seen how he looks at her?
Melissa:
Yes.
Avery:
And then have you seen the way she looks at him?
She disdains him, and he is too blind to see.
He is not good enough for her. She
needs something more to satisfy her.
Melissa:
Listen to yourself Avery, you’re drunk.
Avery:
That may be true, yet I speak not with loosened tongue.
I mean what I say. She will
not stay faithful for long. Mark
my words. She will stray.
(He looks at Melissa, who is
shocked at his words.) I’ll
get the check then.
Melissa:
Give me the keys, I’ll get the car.
(Exit Melissa)
Avery:
(To the bartender)
Amelia will stray.
I can be sure of that. She
will stray, because I will lead her away from his fatuous magnanimity.
He is fool, a jester, and I am his king.
I control him. I will own
him, and he will be none the wiser. Amelia
will be mine, and Catcher will have been caught in the net that his own
ignorance cast. (He throws money on the
bar and exits)
Curtain
Closes
Act
One
Scene
Four
The
interior of two homes.
The scene will take place on the phone. A partition divided the stage in two.
Catcher sits at a table with a white tablecloth.
On the table sits a black rotary telephone.
Next to the phone sits a decanter of brandy: a glass of which is in his
hand. He waits for a moment, takes
a drink, then the phone rings. He picks up the phone, and the scene begins.
Amelia sits on the opposite side of the partition.
Catcher:
(Excitedly) Amelia?
Amelia:
Hello Catcher.
Catcher:
God it’s good to hear from you. I
have missed you so much. I have…
Amelia:
Calm down Catcher. I’ve
only been gone for a week.
Catcher:
And it’s been the longest week of my life.
What have you been up to? Has
the old bat let you out of her sight?
Amelia:
That old bat is my mother Catcher.
I realize you two never got along…
Catcher:
Never got along! She told
me that if I married you she would kill me…slowly.
Amelia:
(Laughing) Oh, mother is
always one for the dramatics. Didn’t
you have that meeting about the condos today?
Catcher:
Sure did, and let me tell you we…I mean I
saved us nearly ten million on the deal.
Amelia:
Ten million. Really?
Catcher:
Really. Old Sam Watson
tried to screw us over something fierce. Avery
was about ready to sign, but I realized the mistake.
Can you believe that Sam had another contract in his briefcase with the
right numbers, just in case we found the mistake?
Amelia:
Carter some people are just heartless liars and others are just fools
who will believe anything they are told. It
was good that you were there.
Catcher:
Yeah, it was. Amelia I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward
to seeing you tomorrow.
Amelia:
It will be good to get home. Catcher,
it is getting late, and the flight leaves so early tomorrow.
I think I’m going to go up to bed now.
Catcher:
Ok, well… (She hangs up the
phone, and the light on her goes out.) Amelia? Amelia?
Well, my love I hope you get your sleep, though a goddess needs none. I
love you Amelia more than life itself, and I wear my heart on my sleeve.
I know that you must love me too, yet when will you be able to express
your love for me as freely. Is
there one who sits by you now who can see your love as clearly as an
astrologer can see the stars? Surely
there is not, yet equal to a god he seems to me, that man, who would sits
across from you, or if it is lawful to say, greater than one.
And yet still I sit here alone a mortal, subject to your every whim.
I envy the down in your bed, for it cradles and comforts you even now.
I envy the moth drawn to the light in your room,
for he may watch you turn in blissful sleep whilst I can only dream.
Of all things I envy the every breath you take, for they alone come
close to touching your soul. Good
night my sweet Amelia, and may the choir of angels
sing you softly to sleep.
Curtain
Closes
END
OF ACT ONE
Act
Two
Scene
One
This
scene takes place in the Straub home. Catcher
is carrying three bags, and Amelia comports only her purse.
Catcher seems quite weighed down, and Amelia walks through the room
insouciantly.
Catcher:
Can you believe all of the security at the airport today?
Amelia:
You can’t be too careful.
Catcher:
Still I think it’s a bit overkill.
I mean not every person is out to get us.
Amelia:
You’re far too trusting.
Catcher:
Well, are you out to get me?
Amelia:
No.
Catcher:
Well, that’s good enough for me. (He
leans in for a kiss, but she balks.) The house felt empty without you
here. I tried to get out as much
as I could, but you know how I despise the insipid nightlife.
Amelia:
I can almost remember what the nightlife was like.
The lights, the music…
Catcher:
You don’t miss that do you? I
mean we can still go out if you like. It’s
not like we are tied to the house at night.
Amelia:
No, I am content in the house with a nice bath and perhaps a nice book.
Are you sure you don’t want any help with my baggage?
Catcher:
Oh, yes, quite sure. (He
struggles still to bring in the luggage.)
Amelia:
My mother says hello, by the way.
Catcher:
Does she now? Has she
forgotten her death threat, or was that all in jest.
Amelia:
No she has not forgotten, and in fact mentioned it before I left today.
She had hoped that saying hello to you would have been enough to give
you a heart attack.
Catcher:
(Sarcastically) She
has such a quirky sense of humor, that one.
Amelia:
What time is it Catcher.
Catcher:
It’s (Looking
at his watch) Christ it’s
Amelia:
What’s the matter?
Catcher:
I have to pick the condo papers up from Sam at twelve.
I was meant to meet him at the site.
Amelia:
Well, you still have thirty minutes.
Catcher:
Yeah, but it’s across town, and the traffic is horrendous at this
time in the morning.
Amelia:
It won’t hurt that you’re a little late.
Maybe Sam will be scared that you are having second thoughts about
buying from such a prick.
Catcher:
No, with his scruples he’ll be selling to a different buyer at
Amelia:
Well, you best get a move on then.
Catcher:
I’m so sorry; I know I promised you lunch.
Amelia:
It’s fine. I’m sure I
can manage to find lunch somewhere in this big city.
Catcher:
I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Amelia:
I won’t be here.
Catcher:
(So shocked that he stops in his
tracks) What did you say?
Amelia:
I said I won’t be here. I
think I’m going to go to the park after lunch.
Catcher:
(Relieved) Oh, fine then.
I’ll see you for dinner then.
Amelia:
Dinner it is.
Catcher:
Bye. (He kisses her on the cheek
and leaves.)
Lights
go out
Act
Two
Scene
Two
The
scene begins in total darkness with only Avery’s voice heard.
When the lights come up Avery sits alone at a table set for two in a
Bistro. Amelia walks in quite
overdressed with a wide hat and dark sunglasses.
Avery:
Amelia, it’s so great to hear your angelic voice once again.
We have missed you. Is
Catcher there by any chance?…No?...He’s making the deal with Sam…What’s
that…oh he really saved my ass in
that room by reading the contract before signing it you say…Yes, well.
Listen, Amelia will you have lunch with me?
I really need to tell you something about Catcher…No, I can’t tell
you now. I’d rather tell you in
person at lunch…Yes, it’s imperative that you hear me out…You will have
lunch with me then…wonderful…Meet me at the bistro in, say, half an hour…I’ll
see you then.
Lights
go back on
Avery:
When she learns that her lap dog is a bumbling fool, she will be mine.
And if that doesn’t stop her love for him, I won’t stop until I see
the look of defeat in her watery eyes. She’ll
look at me and say, “Oh Avery, how could I have been so blind?”
And I will tell her that it is not her fault, that some men are just
like wanton snakes in the grass, who would prey on
every innocent soul that might pass. Innocent
indeed. And Catcher, dear
Catcher, you will never know who dealt you your final hand.
For my dearest friend, you are but a fool, and I your master.
(Amelia walks on to the stage and sits opposite Avery.
She removes her hat, yet leaves her glasses on.)
(Avery speaks in a somewhat muted and somber tone and Amelia in a
detached tone.) Ah, my dearest
Amelia.
Amelia:
Hello Avery.
Avery:
Oh, Amelia I hate to meet you under such circumstances, but I need to
tell you some things that have happened in your absence.
I questioned whether or not to tell you, since Catcher is one of my
very closest friends…
Amelia:
Cut to the chase Avery, what did you invite me here to talk about?
Avery:
Amelia, what did Catcher tell you went down with the Sam Watson deal?
Amelia:
He said that Sam tried to screw you both out of…ten million was it?
Avery:
Five.
Amelia:
Oh, well Catcher said ten. He
said that you took the contract and were ready to sign, but he grabbed it away
from you, read the fine print, and saw the mistake.
He said that you almost cost him ten million dollars.
Avery:
He did, did he?
Amelia:
What really happened Avery?
Avery:
(Surprised) What?
Amelia:
Well, you don’t invite me out to lunch sounding all film-noir without
a reason. So, I figure that there
is more to the story.
Avery:
Amelia, I hate to say this to you, because I know how much you care for
Catcher, but he lied to you.
Amelia:
What’s the truth then?
Avery:
The truth is that it was Catcher who took the contract without reading
it. He is always trusting people
like that. If I hadn’t seen the
look in Sam’s eye, and read the contract before Catcher signed it.
We would be five million dollars in the red today.
I was up all night weighing whether or not to tell you.
In the end the truth defeated loyalty.
Amelia:
(Ambiguously sarcastic) You
are a true friend.
Avery:
Aren’t you surprised that Catcher would lie to you?
Amelia:
Oh, not really. I figured
that he wasn’t telling the truth. He
was never one to question anything, and he always takes your word.
So if you were signing the contract, there was no reason for him not
to.
Avery:
Are you upset?
Amelia:
Upset, no. I knew marrying
him I was not getting a knight in shining armor.
Hell, that’s why I married him.
If I had wanted some egocentric homogeneous GQ clone, I would have had
my choice of every other guy in this city.
I married Catcher because he looks at me like a fine porcelain doll, to
be viewed from a safe distance. He
treats me like a queen, the way I should be treated.
He tells me everyday just how beautiful I am, and he buys me gold
mirrors so that I can see the beauty he sees.
He is like a foolish puppy. He
looks at me, and I almost feel sorry for him.
He loves me so blindly, and I feel nothing for him.
It’s almost pathetic really.
Avery:
That’s the thing. I
wouldn’t have called you if Sam had been the only issue, but that is the
least of our worries. I think you
are beautiful. I would even hasten
to say that you are more beautiful that even my Melissa, and for the longest
time Catcher told me that you were the most beautiful woman in the city, and
that no one compared to you. But
Amelia…He’s been having an affair with his secretary.
Amelia:
What? With
that old hag? I guess he
has more balls, and less taste than I gave him credit for.
Avery:
No, not with Jeanette. He
fired her a week and a half ago.
He up and hired some blonde bimbo from the local college, who is ten
years his junior.
Amelia:
(Agitated) Seven years
younger than me.
Avery:
He shamelessly flirts with her, and flaunts his newest conquest in my
face, because he thinks I would never tell you.
I couldn’t keep this from you though.
Amelia:
No you couldn’t…Thank you Avery.
Avery:
The worst part is…
Amelia:
It gets worse?
Avery:
The worst part is that he calls her these names…
Amelia:
What names?
Avery:
Something like his goddess.
Amelia:
He calls me his goddess.
Avery:
Worst of all he tells her that she is the most beautiful woman he has
ever seen. More
beautiful than even you. I
tried to fire her, but I’d need his signature, and that’s one contract he’d
read.
Amelia:
More beautiful than me?
Avery:
That is what he said. God,
Amelia, I am so sorry that I have to be the bearer of such bad news.
I only wish…
Amelia:
He actually told this woman…this girl that she was more beautiful
than me?
Avery:
Yes.
Amelia:
(Slamming her napkin down on the
table, she gets up to leave.) Avery,
do you suppose I could come and stay with you and Melissa for a while.
Until Catcher comes to his senses, or I to mine?
Avery:
I would all but insist.
Amelia:
Thank you Avery, for everything. (Exit Amelia.)
Avery:
It is not propitious for the wounded doe to sleep in the lion’s den.
For he can smell blood, and he will make the kill.
Amelia, you have fallen headlong into my trap so well baited by my
deceit and your conceit. I must
confess though, I did not expect that it would have been so easy to turn the
tides of love. Indeed, Amelia, it
is not Catcher alone who is inflicted with the venom of trust.
You too are too quick to change face at my whim.
I fear that you are indeed a porcelain doll, and I shall play with you
howsoever I see fit. Like a
partridge in a snare, your struggle will further you from freedom and closer
to me, the trapper. You shall be
my greatest conquest. In quick
time I can rid myself of the blight that is my wife, and take you, a once
beaten wife, to be my own. It
will be a red letter day when I no longer dread waking up next to the same
woman each day. By the light of
the dawn I shall see you, yet you will never see me for who I truly am…
(Ben
and Melissa enter.)
Ben:
Of
all the gin joints in all the world…
Avery:
(Surprised) Ben…Melissa…what
are you doing here?
Melissa:
Well I said last night that Benny and I needed to do lunch.
It just so happened that we were both free today. Why the surprised
look?
Ben:
Yes,
Avery, you do look as if you have seen a ghost.
Melissa:
Did I see you hugging Amelia?
Avery:
Yes.
Ben:
Yes,
Avery, why were you hugging my
brother’s wife?
Avery:
She needed to talk to me about something, and I was consoling her…purely
as a friend, of course.
Ben:
But of course.
Melissa:
You sure seemed to be enjoying your conversation.
What on earth were you talking to her about?
Avery:
I’m not at liberty to discuss. I
promised Amelia that I will hold anything she tells me in my strictest
confidence.
Ben:
So,
you’ve had these meetings before, I’d take it?
Avery:
Why do you ask, Benny?
Melissa:
You’ve never had lunch with Amelia before have you?
Avery:
No, mostly we have dinner.
Melissa:
You have…
Avery:
Oh, she oft calls me to dine, and I so often have to decline the
invitation. You see she enjoys my
company and my proclivity to listen to her grievances against your brother.
And, by the by, she will be staying with us for a while Melissa.
Ben:
(With gritted teeth) You arrogant son of
a…
Avery:
Watch yourself Benny; you are in the company of a lady.
Melissa:
And a lecherous old man! How
could you let her do this to you Avery? Is
no man decent? (Exit Melissa)
Avery:
(Arrogantly) Good day
Benjamin. Now run along and tell
your big brother how his wife has flown the coop.
Oh, I fear he will be devastated. (He
gets up to leave.)
Ben:
Don’t
play innocent with me. I heard
your little soliloquy. I know what
you’re trying to do, and don’t think you will get away with it.
Avery:
(Innocently) Oh, but Benny I
already have. Who do you think your brother will
trust – me or you, the very man who has made him a bachelor once more? (Exit
Avery)
Curtain
Closes
Act
Two
Scene
Three
This
short scene takes place in Catcher and Avery’s office.
Same setting as Act I, Scene II.
Ben runs onto the stage and is out of breath.
Catcher is studying papers strewn about the table.
Ben:
Catcher
I need to talk to you.
Catcher:
In a minute Ben, I need to proof these contracts.
I won’t be made a fool of twice.
Ben:
I need to talk to you now.
Catcher:
(Slamming down the papers he held
in his hands) What could be so important that
it couldn’t wait five minutes?
Ben:
Ok…(taking a big breath) I
thought about how to tell you this as I ran over here.
Catcher:
Where did you come from?
Ben:
The
Bistro on forty-ninth.
Catcher:
That’s almost a mile away. Well,
this has to be important, or else you’re just too cheap to pay for a cab.
Ben:
Like
I was saying, I thought of the best way to break this to you, and I figured
that I should just tell it to you straight.
(Tersely) Amelia is
having an affair with Avery.
Catcher:
Let me get this straight. You
ran almost a mile to tell me that my wife, who loves me dearly, is having an
affair with my best friend, with whom I would entrust my life.
Is that right?
Ben:
Yes.
I know it sounds ludicrous…
Catcher:
Because it is! (Laughing) Who put you
up to this? Avery? Melissa?
Did Melissa put you up to this?
Ben:
Catcher
it’s not a joke. Melissa and I
were having lunch at the Bistro, and I overheard Avery talking to Amelia.
I didn’t catch what he was saying when she was there, but once she
left he started going on about how he had laid this trap, and Amelia had
fallen headlong into it, and that she was just as foolish and trusting as you.
I just wanted to kill him, but Melissa was there.
Catcher:
(Sternly) Did Melissa
overhear this?
Ben:
No,
I was closer to their table.
Catcher:
Ben, I can’t believe a word of this.
What makes you think that I would believe that my best friend would
seduce my wife? Why, Ben, should I think that he holds and feelings towards my
Amelia?
Ben:
(Visibly taken aback) Isn’t my word
good enough?
Catcher:
What are you trying to gain by this?
Are you so jealous of my happiness with Amelia that you try to sabotage
my marriage with these lies? Are
you so jealous of me?
Ben:
(Rising from his chair, and speaking in a dry almost fiendish voice)
You know Catch, I just might be.
But you will never know. You’ll
never know if I’m lying or telling you the gospel truth.
You’ll never know because you’re too scared to find out. (Exit
Ben)
Catcher
takes out his cell phone and dials Avery.
Only Catcher’s voice is heard.
Catcher:
Avery, it’s Catcher.
Listen I need to talk to you. Could
you meet me at the office as soon as you can?
(He hangs up, and the lights go
out.)
Curtain
Closes
Act
Two
Scene
Four
This
scene takes place in the office. Catcher
sits in the same seat as before. He
has his elbows on the table and his head betwixt them.
When Avery walks in he lifts his head.
Avery:
Catch, what’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?
Catcher:
I…I just needed to ask you a question.
Avery:
What?
Catcher:
(Desperately) Well…Ben was
just in here telling me that Amelia is having an affair, and that you were
having lunch with her, and... Tell
me that he’s lying. Tell me that
he’s just jealous of me.
Avery:
He very well might be jealous as sin, but he wasn’t lying about
Amelia having an affair.
Catcher
springs to his feet and takes a windmill swing at Avery.
Avery ducks and pins Catcher’s arms behind his body.
Catcher:
(Struggling) How
could you do this to me? You
ungrateful son of a… After all that I’ve done for you…
Avery:
Catch, what the hell’s wrong with you?
Catcher:
How could you be having an affair with my wife?
Avery:
I’m not…is that what he told you?
That she was having an affair with me? (Avery
laughs.) (Avery releases Catcher,
and they face each other.)
Catcher:
She’s not having an affair with you?
Avery:
Heavens no!
Catcher:
Then why did you invite her to lunch?
Avery:
Catch, she invited me. I
was halfway across town.
Catcher:
At the
Avery:
No, the Belmont. I heard
that they were looking to sell.
Catcher:
Oh, alright. Then why did
she invite you to lunch?
Avery:
She invited me because she had something to tell me that she couldn’t
say over the phone. When I got
there she sat me down and told me that she had been doing a lot of thinking
while she was away, and that she couldn’t live a lie anymore without someone
knowing. She thought of all the
people she could tell, and she picked me.
She couldn’t tell her mother that she was having an affair, because
of how much she hates you already. She
couldn’t tell Melissa, because you would find out too quickly.
And she couldn’t tell you yet, because it would have been
devastating. She told me because
she thought I was such a good friend that I wouldn’t dare tell you.
(Sarcastically) A good friend
indeed!
Catcher:
You are a good friend. You
told the truth. Why couldn’t she
have told someone else, like Ben?
Avery:
She didn’t mention Ben.
Catcher:
Well who is the craven man that has stolen my wife?
Avery:
She refused to say. Catch,
she was really distraught and said that she couldn’t look you in the face.
She said that she needed a place to stay, and not thinking I told her
that she could stay in one of our guestrooms.
Catcher:
(Incredulously) You what?
Avery:
Maybe Melissa can talk some sense into her.
Catcher:
Why would she not mention Ben?
Avery:
I don’t know Catch, maybe she didn’t think of him.
Catcher:
Or maybe she thought of him far too much.
Yes that must be it…Why else would he have spread slanderous lies
about how you were ensnaring my wife like a trophy?
Why else would he have tried to pit us against each other?
Avery:
Catch, that’s just speculation.
Catcher:
Oh, Avery you are so trusting. How
could they do this to me? My
family: one my own flesh and my own blood, the other my own by the vows we
shared. Why did they do this to me? They will pay for
this Avery. Avery you are a true
friend, truer to me than even my Amelia.
(Exit
Catcher)
Avery:
I could not have dreamed that my plan would find such sweet and facile
fruition. He had all but indicted
his own brother with my crime. (Avery
laughs.) Not only does my wife
think that I’m innocent, but so too does Catcher’s.
With fools it is far too easy to play God.
She will be mine more quickly than I first supposed.
They are but pawns, and I their king.
Curtain
Closes
Act
Two
Scene
Five
This
scene takes place in the same bar as Act I, Scene III.
Melissa is alone, save the same bartender, who like before remains
silent. She is obviously drunk,
and her rant is incoherent in parts. She
talks to the bartender who goes about his business.
Melissa:
Can you believe that my husband – (shouting)
MY HUSBAND – has been lured away from me by some yacht club jezebel.
She is beautiful. I don’t
deny that, but am I not beautiful? I
am. I’m gorgeous.
So she will be staying with us for a bit will she?
My goal becomes clear then. I
shall become her closest counsel, and I shall know her heart better than even
she knows it. A woman burdened
with a secret should especially avoid the intimacy of her closest friend.
I shall play upon her heartstrings like a lute.
I shall crucify her from the inside.
I shall place her upon the rack and spin the wheel.
I shall transform myself into her own
personal fiend, and I shall devote my every waking moment to exacting my
revenge upon her. Only a spurned
lover can imagine so intimate a revenge, more terrible than any mortal has
ever wrought upon an enemy. I
shall watch, and listen, and comfort, and instruct, and tighten the noose
about her neck. I shall be her
gallows master. I shall not be
content until I have exacted my fullest revenge, and my revenge will only grow
by the day, fueled by the fiery rage that I harbor against the harlot.
She will see me thoughtful, craving little for myself, kind, just, and
true. It’s so very Hawthornian.
“To make myself the one trusted friend…All that dark treasure to be
lavished on the very woman, to whom nothing else could so adequately pay the
debt of vengeance.” She will pay
for what she has done to me. She
will pay for stealing my unwilling husband.
She will pay a price far greater than her life. The greatest hate is
the greatest love ignored or betrayed. And
mark my words – she will pay.
Curtain
Closes
End
of Act Two
Act
Three
Scene
One
The
Straub home.
A knock is heard, but no one answers. Melissa enters to find a visibly
distraught Amelia pacing back and forth in front of the table with the white
tablecloth.
Melissa:
Amelia, I knocked but no one answered, so I let myself in.
What’s the matter? Why
are you pacing?
Amelia:
(Distraught) Oh, Melissa!
(At Melissa’s feet, Amelia
falls to her knees crying.)
Melissa:
What’s wrong Amelia?
Amelia:
It’s Catcher…
Melissa:
(Faking shock) Did
something happen to Catcher?
Amelia:
I hope so. The bastard
deserves it.
Melissa:
Amelia! What has Catcher
done to deserve such ingratitude? He
didn’t hit you did he?
Amelia:
(Rising to her feet) No,
Catcher would never lay a hand on me. It’s…It’s
much worse.
Melissa:
What on earth has he done that would make you cry like this?
Amelia:
He’s…having an…aff…affair.
Melissa:
(With mocking incredulity) NO!
Amelia:
Yes, and with a much younger and more beautiful woman – his secretary
of all people. Oh Amelia am
I so wretched that he needs the touch of another woman?
Melissa
hesitates for a moment.
Amelia:
Well, am I?
Melissa:
No dear, you of all people do not deserve this.
Amelia:
Then why is he doing this to me?
Melissa:
(Hesitating) Why
would anyone lie to those they love?
Amelia:
You’re not telling me something.
Did you know about this?
Melissa:
Well…
Amelia:
(Yelling) You
knew about this! And…and you
didn’t tell me.
Melissa:
Avery told me that Catcher had been flirting with his secretary, but I
assumed at first that it was innocent, like when you flirt with the Avery to
make Catcher jealous.
Amelia:
But that flirting doesn’t hurt anyone.
He knows I mean nothing by it. Doesn’t
he?
Melissa:
I’m sure that it is innocent, but at some point it escalates, like it
did with his secretary. I really
thought that Catcher would have the sense to end it before it really began,
but I seem to have the propensity to misjudge people in this respect.
Amelia:
How long has this been going on?
Melissa:
Roughly three months.
Amelia:
Three months! But he only
hired her a week and a half ago.
Melissa:
Right…after he fired Jeanette.
Amelia:
Right.
Melissa:
Well don’t you find it strange that he fired the woman whose husband
started the firm, and in turn hired a harlot in her stead?
Amelia:
Yes, well…
Melissa:
I suppose that was keying to hire her for quite a while before he
finally worked up the gall to fire Jeanette.
Amelia:
That son of a…
Melissa:
And the worst of it is that he isn’t bashful or tactful about it in
the least. We were at the bar last
night to celebrate the
Amelia:
I think I am going to be sick. (Exit
Amelia, running)
Melissa:
Carter could never have an affair.
He loves you as much as I love my Avery.
Who has planted this seed of discord?
Where is Eris
and her golden apple? Amelia, do
you think yourself the fairest? (Holding up a picture frame) Is this the face that will launch a
thousand ships? Hardly I
think! You are a fool.
How ignorant and arrogant you are.
Is this your pain, your agony? Am
I to exact my revenge by kindling these lies into a bonfire of your vanity?
So be it. I shall exact my
revenge upon you, the person who stole my love from my grasp. (Amelia re-enters looking sickly).
Amelia:
What were you saying just now Amelia?
Melissa:
Oh, I was just musing to myself as to how someone could be so foolish.
Amelia:
The hardest thing is that I don’t love him.
I have told myself a thousand times that I do not love him, and yet I
shed tears at his ignominy.
Melissa:
You don’t love him?
Amelia:
Is it so terribly far fetched? I
married him not because I was stricken by him, but because he had a five year
plan. He knew where he was going.
He knew how to treat me, and I needed only to pander to his lust.
Melissa:
So what you are trying to say is that he fed your ego, and so you kept
him around. And to what end?
Amelia:
Oh, don’t sermonize me Melissa.
I know how you feel about Avery, and I know it is tantamount to how
Catcher felt about me. He
worshipped me.
Melissa:
Your self pity is touching, really.
Amelia:
Oh, I couldn’t expect you to feel sympathy for me – not on such
short notice, but don’t hate me. You
don’t hate me, do you?
Melissa
hesitates for a moment.
Amelia:
Do you?
Melissa:
Of course not. You are
going through hell. I wouldn’t
wish that upon my worst enemy. I
only hope that I have helped by telling you what I know.
If I remember anymore, I will make sure that you are the first to know.
Amelia:
Thank you for being such a true friend Melissa.
Melissa:
I’m as true a friend as you are to me.
Amelia:
(Grasping Melissa’s hands) Thank
you. (Exit
Melissa)
Curtain
Closes
Act
Three
Scene
Two
This
scene takes place in the Straub home. Amelia
is pacing as the lights come up and mumbling incoherently to herself.
Catcher comes into the room in a rage.
He comes as Amelia has her back turned.
Amelia:
(Hearing the door open, without
turning around) Oh Avery have you come to take me away.
I can’t bear… (She sees Carter and stops abruptly.)
Catcher:
(Sinisterly and resolutely) You
can’t bear to what – lie to your husband anymore?
Because if that’s your worry, don’t fret my dear.
No – your time for fretting has long passed.
Amelia:
(In disbelief of her husband’s
emotions) What are you saying Catcher?
Catcher:
Oh, don’t play innocent Amelia. It
doesn’t fit you. No, your part
is more of a backstabbing, conniving, arrogant, selfish…
Amelia:
Where do you get off saying…
Catcher:
Where do I get off? (Yelling) WHERE DO I GET OFF?
Amelia:
Catcher you are scaring me.
Catcher:
Oh, I’m sorry my dearest. Well,
I guess you didn’t know I had this in me.
What? Did you figure I
would take all of this in stride? Did
you think that I would go gently into the sunset?
Did you think I would just roll over and let my love be trampled in my
stead?
Amelia:
What are you talking about?
(Catcher
grabs Amelia’s shoulder and pushes her to the ground.)
Amelia:
(Crying)
Who are you? My
husband would never lay a hand on me?
Catcher:
So soon they forget. I am
that same man who promised to have and to hold you till death
do us part. I am the same
man who would have died for you, but now Amelia you are dead to me.
Amelia:
I don’t understand.
Catcher:
(Mocking her in a very high
feminine voice) I don’t understand.
(Irate) WHAT THE HELL DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?
You betrayed me and all my trust. I
wouldn’t have believed that you could have done this to me, but I have been
shown this. I have been shown this
convincingly.
Amelia:
But Catcher…
Catcher:
Don’t you dare try to play me up for sympathy.
Your face which lit my way is now wan and shadowed.
Your brow once so supple, now furls, and is creased.
Though you once knew of beauty, you know of it no more.
You know of it no more, because you forsook me.
Amelia:
(Getting to her feet)
So you admit it?
Catcher:
Admit what?
Amelia:
You admit that you no longer find me beautiful.
Catcher:
How do you expect me to find you beautiful after all that you have done
to me?
Amelia:
How can you no longer find me beautiful?
Catcher:
Because you have felt the touch of another man, and you’re now
desecrated. Who is he?
Is it Ben? Are you sleeping
with an immature version of me?
Amelia:
Ben is far more mature and level headed than you ever were, and ever
will be. But, no I am not having
an affair with your brother, or any other man for that matter.
I cherished our relationship, but you threw that away Catcher.
You threw that away?
Catcher:
How did I throw that away? I
have loved you more than my own life from the first moment I laid eyes on you.
Amelia:
Then why did you need to find a younger version of me – a more
beautiful version?
Catcher:
What the hell are you…are you trying to say that I’m having an
affair. Do you think that I would
have wanted any woman other than you? You
are a fool! How can you look me in
the eye and suggest that I am being unfaithful, when the evidence that you
yourself are an adulteress is insurmountable?
Amelia:
Don’t you see? That is
exactly what you are doing. How
can I make you believe me that I am telling the truth?
Catcher:
You can’t. I once trusted
you above all others, but trust once lost is the
hardest thing to regain. You
spurned my love, my completely foolish love for you, and I hope you burn in
hell for it. (Exit
Catcher)
Amelia:
(Yelling at the door through
which he exited) You arrogant, self-righteous…How
can you come in here accusing me of the very crime you committed?
You looked me in the eye and said that I was no longer beautiful to
you. Avery and Melissa were right;
you have forgotten my beauty. You
loved only my beauty. (Looking
at the same picture Melissa had looked at in the previous scene) How could
you love me? I am hideous.
Curtain
Closes
Act
Three
Scene
Three
This scene takes place in the very same
bistro in which Avery lunched with Amelia.
Ben sits at a table with a young woman, and
the two are flirting shamelessly with each other.
Catcher walks in and punches Ben in the face without saying a word.
Ben is knocked to the floor, and the young woman leaps from her seat.
Ben:
(Rubbing his jaw) What the hell was that
for?
Catcher:
It seems Casanova that the game is up.
(To the woman)
Did he tell you that he’s having an affair with my wife?
Did he tell you that?
Molly:
What?
Ben:
(Getting up) Molly, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Molly:
Go to hell Ben Straub! (Exit
Molly)
Ben:
Catcher
you’ve got a lot of damn nerve coming in here and destroying the first real
date I’ve had in months.
Catcher:
Yes, well I suppose you haven’t had much time to date (Increasing in anger and speed, accelerando) while you were sleeping
with my wife!
Catcher takes another big swing at Ben,
which he ducks. Ben pushes Catcher
into Molly’s recently vacated chair.
Ben:
Catcher,
calm down and tell me what the hell is wrong with you.
Catcher:
You had me so fooled, telling me that your bachelor’s life was so
hard. You are a playboy, but this
is not a game. I realize now how
you can be so happily as a single man. You
take the joy of my marriage, steal it, and circumvent the very vows that
consecrate the love.
Ben:
You’re
not making any sense…
Catcher:
(Catcher gets up) No I
suppose I’m not. It is rather
hard, you see, to have a cogent thought when you are looking at the man who
stole your wife from right under your nose.
Ben:
I
did nothing of the sort.
Catcher:
Oh come off it Ben. You’re
such a coward. You don’t even
have the courage to admit your faults.
Ben:
Why
should I…
Catcher:
(Interrupting) What?
Ben:
(Louder than before) Why should I admit to something that I have had
no part in. Who told you that
Amelia was having an affair, and that she was having it with me of all people?
Catcher:
Well I…
Ben:
Who
told you all these lies? I know it wasn’t Amelia.
Was it Melissa? Was it
Avery?
Catcher:
I can’t really…
Ben:
It
was Avery wasn’t it: the same
person whom I saw having lunch with Amelia, the same person whom I overheard
uttering such horrible things. And
may I remind you that you did not know about their lunch date before I told
you.
Catcher:
It wasn’t a date. Amelia
needed to tell Avery that she was having an affair with someone.
She refused to say who it was, but intimated that it was you.
Ben:
And
you would trust him over your own brother?
Catcher:
Avery is the only one I can
trust these days.
Ben:
Hasn’t
it occurred to you that it just might be Avery who started all of this
nonsense?
Catcher:
Don’t try to pin all of this on Avery.
No Ben, this was all your doing. Now
you listen to me, and listen good.
Stay the hell away from my Amelia.
If I ever see you with her again, I will kill you.
(Exit Catcher)
Act
Three
Scene
Four
The
scene begins in darkness. Amelia
is heard on the phone with Melissa. Only
Amelia’s voice is heard. The
scene takes place in the Straub home.
Amelia:
(Desperately) Melissa.
Oh my God, I’m so glad you were home.
I need to talk to you. It’s…It’s
Catcher. I think he’s lost it.
He came in here accusing me of the most unspeakable things.
After all that he’s done, he’s accusing me.
I really need you, now more than ever.
Catcher hit me. Could you
please come over? I’m scared to
be alone.
Lights
come up.
When
the lights come up, Amelia is pacing in front of the table with the white
tablecloth. Her hair is
disheveled, and her clothes are out of order.
This is noticeably incongruous for such a debutante.
Melissa enters and is quite composed.
She has a Mona Lisa like smile, as if she knows something she is not
telling. When she enters, Amelia
rushes to hug her.
Amelia:
(Sobbing and muffled by the
embrace) Oh Melissa, why me?
Melissa:
Amelia, calm down. Tell me
what happened.
Amelia:
(Breaking the embrace and wiping
her tears away) It’s Catcher.
He came in here and started yelling at me, saying that I’d broken his
trust, that I’d forsaken him. He
pushed me down, and then he told me…
Melissa:
What did he tell you?
Amelia:
(Breaking down) He told me
that he no longer found me beautiful.
Melissa:
Why on earth would he say something like that?
Amelia:
Because he thinks that I’m having an affair?
Melissa:
(Feigning surprise) What?
Amelia:
I know. Of all the
ludicrous things, he thinks that it is me
that is being unfaithful.
Melissa:
Well, are you?
Amelia:
Am I what?
Melissa:
Having an affair.
Amelia:
How could you ask that? Of
course not!
Melissa:
Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that.
Amelia:
I couldn’t have an affair.
Melissa:
Why? Because
of Catcher?
Amelia:
Well…not exactly.
Melissa:
If not for the love you have for Catcher, why couldn’t you have an
affair?
Amelia:
(Throwing her hands in the air) Because
I don’t love him.
Melissa:
Oh that’s right you don’t love him.
How could I have been so foolish to think that you could love him.
Amelia:
I can’t…I just can’t love him.
Melissa:
Why not? He seems like a
wonderful guy.
Amelia:
He is. It’s not that at
all. It’s not him.
It’s me. I can’t love
him, because I can’t love anyone – except for myself.
Melissa:
Oh.
Amelia:
In all of my years, I have never felt an emotional love for anyone, not
my parents, not even Catcher. Through
college, the only relationships I had – if you would call them that – were
purely physical. There were no
pretensions about them, but then Catcher came.
I caught myself falling in love with him, and I hated the feeling.
I was helpless, and I couldn’t let myself become helpless and
dependent. He saw me for the woman
I projected. I cherished his
foolish infatuation. I could own
him, and make him pander to my every desire.
But I suppose he’s lost now.
Melissa:
You can’t have an affair, because you can’t let yourself feel love?
Amelia:
It makes me feel weak and dependent. I can’t stand depending on
someone else, and I can’t stand feeling weak, which is why I hate to cry in
front of people.
Melissa:
You can’t feel emotional love?
Amelia:
Yes. Why are you dwelling
on this?
Melissa:
(Burying her face in her hands) Oh
my god Amelia.
Amelia:
What? What’s wrong?
Melissa:
I…I just realized something horrible.
Amelia:
Oh, Melissa, please don’t hate me because I can’t love anyone.
Melissa:
It’s not that.
Amelia:
Then what’s the problem?
Melissa:
Nothing. Everything’s
fine. Amelia, are you telling me
the whole truth?
Amelia:
Melissa, I’ve told only one lie in my life.
I told Catcher that I loved him, and this was a lie.
But Catcher…he walked in here and lied to my face.
Not only did he deny that he was having an affair, but he accused me of
having one – with Ben of all people.
Melissa:
But you don’t love Catcher, so why do you begrudge him an affair with
someone who might love him back?
Amelia:
Because she is younger than me. Because
she’s more beautiful than me. Because
I’m jealous.
Melissa:
So you don’t have a problem with Catcher having an affair, only that
he is having one with a younger and more beautiful woman.
Amelia:
That’s right. Does that
make me a bad person?
Melissa:
Yes. Yes it does.
Amelia:
Oh, Melissa. Look at me, don’t you think I’ve suffered enough
without your help.
Melissa:
Yes, I do believe that you have suffered enough.
Amelia:
Then you are fine with me coming to stay with you for awhile?
Melissa:
Oh, I nearly forgot about that. Yes,
by all means. I’ll send Avery
over later to get your bags.
Amelia:
Oh, thank you so much Melissa. (Amelia
grabs her hands.) You’re the best friend I could ask for.
Melissa:
You best get packing. I’ll
go find Avery.
Amelia:
He’s at the office with Catcher.
Melissa:
Very well. I’ll see you
later.
Amelia:
I’ll be waiting. (Exit Amelia)
Melissa:
I have wrought my revenge upon the wrong person.
Indeed my lover has betrayed me. Instead
of seeking revenge on his behalf, I will wreak my revenge upon him.
He shall pay the ultimate price, but I won’t pull the trigger.
There is no need. Catcher
believes his wife to be having an affair, and Avery no doubt planted this seed
too. It only makes sense that he
is in love with Amelia, and he aimed to drive Catcher away the only way he
could – by telling him that his wife didn’t love him anymore.
It is pathetic fallacy, for she didn’t love him in the first place.
His foolish love has driven him mad, and mad I will send him to finish
my work. Oh, what a scene will it
be when he finds his wife in the embrace of his best friend.
My husband will be dead by nightfall, and his blood won’t be on my
hands. It is too easy to play with
the hearts of foolish lovers.
Curtain
Closes
End
of Act Three
Act
Four
Scene
One
This
scene takes place in Avery and Catcher’s office.
The two sit opposite of each other and are deep in discussion.
Catcher:
And she had the nerve to tell me that I was having an affair.
Avery:
Now that’s just ridiculous. You
alone have valued her above even your own happiness.
I remember when you wanted to move to
Catcher:
I would have done anything
for her – anything Avery. And
now she is cavorting with some man whose mission is to cuckold me.
Avery:
Now Catcher, I realize that she has hurt you, but you don’t suppose
that her lover’s mission is to hurt you?
Catcher:
It seems completely plausible to me.
Avery:
Well in any case…
Catcher:
Avery, are you sympathizing with the man who has whor’d
my wife?
Avery:
No, I was just… It’s of
no matter.
Catcher:
Can you believe she accused me of having an affair?
I mean who would put such nonsense in her head?
Avery:
I don’t know. Though I
suppose it could be the one who has led her away from you.
I mean, what better way to bed her than to convince her that her
husband is also being unfaithful?
Catcher:
(Rising from his seat excitedly) It
makes so much sense. Yes…that
must be how she was lead away. (His tone changes from excitement to stern resolution.) But it is of
no matter. She strayed.
I was faithful, and she left as soon as she could find an iota of
justification…(Breaking down)
I just can’t believe it. I
refuse to believe it.
Avery:
I don’t know what to say Catch…
Melissa
enters the room, and Avery is visibly shaken.
Avery:
Melissa! What are you doing
here?
Melissa:
Hello lover. (She kisses him
passionately. She looks at Catcher, gets up, and hugs him.) Oh, Catcher, I
am so sorry.
Catcher:
What…what are you talking about?
Melissa:
Oh, Catcher, Amelia told me everything.
How she accused you of having an affair.
I tried to tell her that you couldn’t have loved anyone other than
her, but she just wouldn’t believe me. I
came to the realization, however, that it was more that she did not care to
believe me.
Catcher:
What?
Melissa:
You see Catcher; she admitted everything to me – that she was having
an affair.
Catcher:
No. She can’t be having
an affair.
Melissa:
But Catcher you knew all of this. You
told her that you knew that she was cheating on you.
Catcher:
(Curtly) That
doesn’t mean that I believed it.
Avery:
What do mean
you didn’t believe it.
Catcher:
I couldn’t believe that you were telling me the truth, though I had
no reason to doubt you save my better judgment.
I couldn’t believe that my wife who loved me as much as I loved her
could ever leave me.
Melissa:
Catcher…
Catcher:
(In desperation) What?
Melissa:
She never loved you.
Catcher:
(Pointing violently at her and
moving towards her menacingly enough that Avery has to restrain him) You
take that back.
Melissa:
Catcher she told me that she never loved you.
Catcher:
(Struggling with a quavering
voice) Liar!
Melissa:
She said that she couldn’t love you, because she couldn’t love
anyone save herself.
Catcher:
Shut up!
Melissa:
She said that she used you for her own edification.
She fed off of your love, though she couldn’t herself love.
Your wife is a leech.
Catcher:
You are lying!
Melissa:
(Yelling back at him) Why
would I be lying to you? What do I
have to gain from your pain?
Avery:
(Releasing Catcher) Catcher,
she’s telling the truth. I saw
the way you looked at her, and the way she looked at you in return.
There was nothing to her gaze.
Catcher:
So…so now she is shacking up with my younger brother, and feeding off
of him, the one man I know who can’t love either.
They will fit together perfectly.
Melissa:
Ben?
Catcher:
Yeah, that’s who the bastard is…isn’t it?
Melissa:
Heavens no!
Catcher:
(Looking to Avery) I thought
you said it was Ben.
Avery:
I never said it was Ben. I
told you that Amelia refused to tell me who the guy was.
Catcher:
(Looking at Melissa) How
do you know that it is not Ben?
Melissa:
She told me that you accused Ben of being the man with whom she was
having the affair, and she told me that this claim was ludicrous.
Catcher:
Well…then who?
Melissa:
She refused to say.
Catcher:
I…I can’t do this anymore. (Exit
Catcher)
Avery:
Catch! Catcher!
Melissa:
Let him go. He’ll be back
soon enough.
Curtain
Closes
Act
Four
Scene
Two
This
scene takes place in the bar. Ben
sits on a stool at the bar drinking slowly.
He rubs his jaw with one hand, and drinks with his other.
Catcher enters, and Ben refuses to look at him.
Catcher:
Ben…Oh Ben, I’m so sorry. I
just can’t believe that I accused you of…of all of this. I’m sorry.
I know now that I can trust you, but how could I have known then?
Ben? Christ Ben, at least
look at me…I came here to apologize. You
could at least have the decency to acknowledge my presence. (Ben
takes a sip of his drink.) Ben
you’re being really immature. You
could…
Ben:
I’m being immature? You
are the one who walked up to me, and without a word, punched me in the jaw.
Catcher: I’m sorry about
that. I really am.
Ben:
Do
you really believe that I would have lied to you like that?
Catcher:
Well, I didn’t suppose that Amelia would have lied to me either.
Ben:
Granted.
Catcher:
I wasn’t thinking…I was acting purely on adrenaline-charged
emotion.
Ben:
Have
you sorted it all out now? Have
you realized that Amelia couldn’t be having an affair?
Catcher:
But she is. (He sits at the bar,
and motioning to the bartender) Vodka stinger with a
whiskey back. (Looking back at
Ben) Melissa just told me that Amelia confided in her that she was
cheating on me.
Ben:
Oh
God Catcher. I am sorry.
(The bartender hands Catcher the
drink.) I just figured that the affair was a figment of your imagination.
I never thought…
Catcher:
Oh would that I be dreaming, but no it is all too true.
Anyway, I just wanted to apologize. (Catcher
finishes his drink and lays money on the bar. He turns to leave, but Ben stops
him before he takes his second step away.)
Ben:
Catcher.
Catcher:
What?
Ben:
I
was just wondering, why did Avery ask Amelia to lunch that day when Melissa
and I saw them at the Bistro?
Catcher:
Avery didn’t ask her. Amelia
called him and said that she had something really important to tell him.
Ben:
But
Catcher, she didn’t talk the entire meal.
Avery was talking nonstop, and she didn’t even respond.
If she needed to tell him something, wouldn’t she have talked to him
quite a bit?
Catcher:
What are you saying?
Ben:
I’m
saying that I think…
Catcher:
Are you going to accuse Avery again, because we’ve been down this
road.
Ben:
Listen:
I’m just saying that it doesn’t make any sense that Amelia would call
Avery to lunch in order to talk to him about something important, and then not
say a word. Besides, why would she
call Avery of all people?
Catcher:
Because of all the people she knew she trusted him not to tell me…
Ben:
But
you’re his best friend…Why not her mother?
She hates you.
Catcher:
Listen Ben…
Ben:
Look
Catcher after what I saw and heard at the restaurant, all I’m saying is that
it seems that Avery is lying, because someone sure as hell is.
Curtain
Closes
Act
Four
Scene
Three
There
is an obvious tension between Avery and Melissa, because Avery senses that she
knows more than she is letting on to. The
scene takes place in the office, and the clock on the wall evidences that
nearly thirty minutes have elapsed since Catcher left.
Melissa is on her cell phone. Avery
is not present, though he waits outside the door.
Melissa:
Yes dear, I understand. I…ok…very
well. Tonight it is.
Avery
walks up behind her and startles her.
Avery:
(In an accusatory tone) Who
was that Melissa?
Melissa:
Avery! You startled me.
Avery:
Well, who was it?
Melissa:
It…It was Amelia. She
says that she wants to see you tonight at six.
Avery:
(He looks at his watch.) In
an hour?
Melissa:
Yes. She said that she
needs to talk to you – about Catcher no doubt.
Avery:
No doubt.
Melissa:
She didn’t tell me anything else other than she doesn’t want me
there. It’s something only you
can hear – that old nonsense. I
suppose it is much like the lunch you two had the other day.
Avery:
Yes, I suppose so.
Melissa:
Well I should get going. I’ll
see you later on this evening, right?
Avery:
What…oh yes, I’ll come right home. (He
kisses her on the cheek, and she exits stage right.)
Oh could it have been this easy? Does
she want me so soon? It’s been
but two days. I know she will feel
no love, but mine will suffice for the both of us.
Oh Amelia I will be the happiest man, and
you will be my greatest conquest. I
have fooled them all. They were
like flies to my web. You will be
a trophy for the mantle, and I fear my dear – little more.
(Exit Avery stage left.)
(Enter
Melissa)
Melissa:
(Imitating Avery’s voice) And
I will be the happiest man and you but a trophy in my case. (Returning
to her normal voice) You are
so full of yourself Avery. Am I a
fly? Am I a fool?
No, Avery it’s you who are the fool!
It’s a shame that in an hour you will be no more.
Your dreams will be shattered, and your trophy will too lie in pieces.
(She laughs.)
Melissa
takes out her cell phone and calls Catcher. A spotlight shines on him sitting
alone in a chair at stage right.
Melissa:
Catcher?
Catcher:
Melissa is that you?
Melissa:
Yes, it is. Listen I can’t
talk long. I’m at your house,
and I just overheard Amelia on the phone asking someone to meet her here in an
hour. She sounded far too amorous
to be talking to anyone…except…
Catcher:
Her lover.
Melissa:
I’m afraid so.
Catcher:
Thank you Melissa. It’s
time I got some answers. (He hangs up,
and the spotlight goes out.)
Melissa:
(In a sardonic voice) Oh
Catcher, you won’t do anything drastic will you?
This is so tragic. (She laughs,
and she dials another phone number. A
spotlight shines on Amelia who sits in a like chair at stage left.)
Amelia, dear is that you?
Amelia:
(Frantically) Oh Melissa,
have you heard from Avery? Is he
coming to take me away? I can’t
take this house anymore.
Melissa:
Calm down Amelia. Avery
will be over in an hour. He said
that he has something more to tell you about Catcher?
Amelia:
There’s more to tell?
Melissa:
Honey I don’t know. Just
sit tight and he’ll be over soon.
Curtain
Closes
Act
Four
Scene
Four
This
scene takes place in the Straub home. Amelia
is waiting anxiously by the phone, and there is a ring at the door. Amelia
runs to answer it.
Amelia:
Oh, Avery, I’m so relieved to see you.
I just can’t take this house anymore.
Avery:
I can understand.
Amelia:
I’m all packed, and…well…Avery, don’t you have something more
to tell me about Catcher?
Avery:
What’s that? Oh yes…right…about Catcher.
It’s just that he’s been seeing so much of her lately.
Amelia:
I figured as much.
Avery:
It’s worse than you think. He’s
been buying her all these gifts.
Amelia:
Like what?
Avery:
You name it he’s bought it for her.
I don’t know where he’s getting the money for these things, because
up until the Sam Watson deal we weren’t doing so well.
Amelia:
Catcher said that you guys were doing great business.
Avery:
I wish that we were, but we couldn’t land a deal to save our skins.
We were on the brink of selling our offices, and he goes and buys her…
Amelia:
What? What did he buy her?
Avery:
It’s not important Amelia.
Amelia:
God damn it Avery, what did he buy her?
Avery:
A mink coat. He bought her
a gorgeous mink coat.
Amelia:
But…but…he refused to buy one fore me.
It’s the only thing he ever refused me.
He said that the animals were slaughtered, and that if he bought me a
coat he would be fostering their murder. I
pleaded and pleaded, but he refused.
Avery:
And she prances about the office in it like the princess de jour.
Catcher is no better; he has no remorse or tact anymore.
He even had the gall to ask me if I liked the coat.
Amelia:
Avery, how could he do this to me?
(She embraces him.)
Catcher
enters through the door while the two are in mid embrace.
He brandishes a pistol in a quavering hand.
Amelia and Avery don’t unlock their embrace until he speaks,
and he startles them with his first words.
Catcher:
My best friend and my wife. (Motioning to Amelia with the gun) You know I refused to believe
that you were having an affair. (Motioning
to Avery with the gun) And you Avery…how could you betray me and all my
trust.
Avery:
Catcher. This is not what
it looks like. I was just…
Catcher:
You were just what? What
were you telling my wife now?
Amelia:
Avery, what the hell is he talking about?
Catcher:
DON’T DO THAT!
Amelia:
Do what?
Catcher:
Play innocent. I know you
are just as guilty in this as he is.
Amelia:
No Catcher, I’m not guilty…
Catcher:
Oh no? So you still love
me. Is that what you are trying to
say?
Amelia:
Catcher I never loved you. I’ve
never loved anyone.
Catcher:
(Angrily) You
loved him, enough to forsake me.
Avery:
It’s sad but true.
Amelia:
Liar!
Avery:
Oh, come off it Amelia.
Amelia:
He’s lying. Catcher,
listen to me this is a trap. Avery
is trying to trick you. I never
loved him. I couldn’t have.
I can’t love anyone.
Catcher:
(Incensed) You’re
lying. I saw how you used to look
at me. You loved me.
Amelia:
(In a breathless whisper) It
was all a lie.
Catcher:
(Quietly) So
is all of this. (Catcher shoots her in
the face.)
Avery:
Christ Catcher, what have you done?
You shot your wife.
Catcher:
She was already dead to me.
Avery:
Listen, I wasn’t having an affair with your wife.
Catcher:
Do you take me for a fool? Do
you see a jester standing in front of you?
Avery:
No Catcher…I…
Catcher:
What? What lies do you have
for me now? I am quickly tiring of
your lies, Avery.
Avery:
Fine. What do you want to
hear? Do you want to hear that I
loved your wife? Is that it?
Well I did love her Catch. I loved her as much as you for a time.
I courted her long before you came around, and I would have for long
after. I knew she couldn’t love
me back, but I accepted that. I
knew that she never loved you either, and I rejoiced in your foolhardy
oblivion. It was pitiful how
foolishly you loved her. There
were so many times I wished to tell you, and so many times I did in stride,
yet you never believed me. It’s
ironic that the one instance I told you the truth was the very instance you
didn’t believe me.
Catcher:
It’s unfortunate, Avery.
Avery:
Don’t you see that I played you like a lute.
Don’t you see I have succeeded in luring your wife from you, though I
didn’t suppose it would end this way? This
is my wife’s doing no doubt. It
is just the same. You were merely
my pawn, my marionette, and I your puppet master. (He
laughs)
Catcher:
Is life a game to you Avery, and I your poor player?
(With gritted teeth) Well I
shall strut no more for you. (He shoots
Avery.) I hope you burn in
hell Avery Unger.
From
another entrance Melissa enters, quietly clapping.
Melissa:
Oh, he’ll burn in hell for sure.
And he’ll have good company too.
Catcher:
Melissa, what are you doing here?
Melissa:
You were never one to listen to explanations, Catch.
Catcher:
What are you talking about?
Melissa:
And to think. My husband
thought that he was the puppet master.
Catcher:
Melissa, what the hell are you saying?
Melissa:
Are you really that thick Catcher?
You’ve been played for a fool. You’ve
waxed idiotic. Your wife wasn’t having an affair.
Avery just tried to make you despise her so that he could have her.
He told her that you were having an affair with your secretary, and he
left it to up you two to do the rest. That
is until I learned about my husband’s sizeable transgression.
You see Catcher, you and I are a lot alike.
We both loved our spouses blindly and wholeheartedly, and in the end we
got burned. But I was smarter.
I used you to get to Avery…You should have seen the look on his face…It’s
kind of like yours right now.
Catcher:
How could you do this to me Melissa?
Melissa:
Oh, Catcher, you of all people should understand the wrath of a spurned
lover. I just was smarter than
you.
Catcher:
You killed them.
Melissa:
Oh no honey, I’m not the one holding the gun.
You’re the one who pulled the trigger.
I just helped.
Catcher:
(Realizing what he’s done he
leans over Amelia’s corpse) Oh, Amelia, how could you?
Melissa:
If it helps, she really never did love you.
Catcher:
Shut up you depraved psychopath. Do
you realize what you’ve done? What
you made me do?
Melissa:
No one made you kill them Catcher.
No one made you bring the gun.
Catcher:
I’m suddenly glad that I did. (He
aims it at Melissa’s head, but there is a gunshot, and he falls down in a
heap next to Melissa’s feet.)
Ben:
(Stepping through the open door) Hello Brother.
Melissa:
Hello lover. (They kiss passionately.)
Ben:
It’s
sad really. It started as a simple
lovers’ quarrel, but it escalated into a double murder.
And then he pointed the gun at you.
(Imitating crying and stuttering)
Officer…we ttrried tto
ssstop them.
It wwas ssself
ddefense.
Melissa:
Open and shut.
Ben:
(Laughing) People are fools.
Melissa:
(Laughing) Yeah, they really
are.
Curtain
Closes
END
OF ACT FOUR
END OF PLAY