Challenge: Drink makes people lower
their inhibitions.
Write a play where the character all
become progressively more and more
drunk.
drunk.
Structure possibilities:
Ticking time bomb- set it early and
watch it explode
Escalate past the breaking point
Pattern establishment and breakage
Happy/Sad sandwiches
(Author’s note: Yeah, I totally
ignored this challenge, too. These other
new characters from the Treat Yourself challenge keep speaking to me. So - )
TV
BOYFRIEND
The ride back from the airport.
JAKE driving, ROBIN riding shotgun.
Awkward silence.
He’s waiting.
She’s trying to figure out the best way into this
conversation.
After a moment so drawn out it’s almost comical -
ROBIN
OK,
I’m gonna start with “I love you.”
JAKE
Uh
oh.
ROBIN
Are
you out of your fucking mind?!
JAKE
I
gave you a heads up about the “coming out” article because I wanted your
support.
ROBIN
And
here I thought you told me so that then I’d have the pleasure of telling mom
and dad.
JAKE
Surprised
I did that myself, huh?
ROBIN
Honestly? Yeah.
JAKE
Still
waiting for the supportive part of your visit to kick in.
ROBIN
You
really sat down and considered all the ramifications of just unleashing this
truth bomb a couple of months before the X Games?
JAKE
I
couldn’t do another X Games carrying this secret around with me.
ROBIN
You
mean this guy couldn’t do the X Games if you weren’t both out in the open.
JAKE
This
has nothing to do with Ken.
ROBIN
Bullshit.
JAKE
He
hasn’t been pressuring me to come out.
If anything, he’s been the one telling me to slow down and take a
breath.
ROBIN
Then
you should listen to him.
JAKE
I
did listen to him – six months ago. And
he was right. I needed to be sure that
it was the right time for me. But it’s
years overdue.
ROBIN
The
sponsors?
JAKE
I
gave them all the same heads up. *They*
were actually quite supportive.
ROBIN
Well
they have to be, in public, now don’t they?
JAKE
The
article hasn’t dropped. No one’s said
anything publically yet. These were
private meetings. The press statements
will, naturally, be a bit more muted in their support.
ROBIN
Uh
huh.
JAKE
But
nobody’s dropping me.
ROBIN
The
sneaker? The energy drink? The personal action camera?
JAKE
Their
brands are all safe. I know that’s all
they care about. It’s not like I’m
slamming energy drinks so I can bone my boyfriend all night and film myself
doing it while wearing nothing but a pair of sneakers.
ROBIN
Please
God, tell me you’re not making sex tapes.
JAKE
What? Ew!
No! That was a joke. Do you not know me at all?
ROBIN
You’ve
been carrying your secret so long I thought you’d made your peace with it,
figured out a way to compartmentalize.
JAKE
Oh,
like that’s been a foolproof strategy up to now.
ROBIN
Well,
hasn’t it?
JAKE
How
the hell do you think that spectacular wipeout in Telluride happened
anyway? That was me, distracted. What do you think’s been distracting me?
ROBIN
But
you’ve been doing so well.
JAKE
I
wanted to kill myself, OK?!
ROBIN
What?
JAKE
When
Billy left, and took Moose with him, I wanted to die.
ROBIN
Jake
–
JAKE
I
didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t
want to eat. I didn’t want to work
out. And those are the three things that
I’m most excited about doing when I open my eyes in the morning. I just didn’t see the point in going on
anymore.
ROBIN
But
you did.
JAKE
Yeah. I forced myself. I knew I needed to do those things if I
wanted to keep skiing. And I wasn’t
gonna let Billy take that, too.
I
felt so alone, Robin.
I
didn’t think anyone was ever gonna love me.
ROBIN
That’s
ridiculous.
JAKE
I
know. But that’s where I was.
And
I couldn’t tell anybody.
I
had no one to talk to.
I
couldn’t say “I’m sad ‘cause my boyfriend left me AND the sonofabitch took the
dog while he was at it” because they all thought he was just my “traveling
buddy.”
ROBIN
Should
I be worried?
JAKE
No. I haven’t had thoughts like that in almost a
year. And you know why? Because of him.
ROBIN
Ken.
JAKE
Yeah.
ROBIN
But
if you break up, you’ll be right back in that same place.
JAKE
No,
because I can finally talk about it.
Openly.
And
thanks for the vote of confidence in my relationship, by the way.
ROBIN
A
breakup wouldn’t be your fault.
JAKE
He’s
good for me, Robin.
ROBIN
I’m
not gonna go easy on him.
JAKE
I
don’t expect you to. I just need you to
know how important he is to me.
ROBIN
Duly
noted. But if he isn’t pushing you to be
out, why are you rushing into this?
JAKE
There
are kids out there, Robin. And they’re
killing themselves.
And
there are probably more important places to look for role models – political
leaders, artists, people in the military – but some kids are into sports, some
kids might be watching me. How can I
convince them that it’s OK to be who they are if I’m not OK with who I am? If me coming out keeps one kid from taking
their own life, isn’t any cost worth that?
ROBIN
I
know this is gonna sound harsh, but when did these kids become your personal
responsibility?
JAKE
They’re
all our responsibility, Robin. They
always have been. I used to be one of
those kids.
ROBIN
Who
are you and what have you done with my brother?
JAKE
I’m
not wrong about this.
ROBIN
No. But I have a right to be more concerned about
you than anyone else.
JAKE
I’m
a better man now. Because of him. He wouldn’t give himself that much credit but
watching him walk through his days, so comfortable with who he is, that’s
changed me.
ROBIN
You
said he works in theater. How the fuck
hard is it to be gay in theater?
JAKE
It’s
not easy being gay anywhere. And the
degree of difficulty isn’t the point.
ROBIN
What
is?
JAKE
Visibility. The more of us that are out there, the less
of a big deal it is when the next person comes out of the closet. And if the larger society is making room for
us, then maybe some kid in a farming community or an oil field or a factory
town thinks there might be room for them, too.
But it’s not going to become a non-event until more people step up. It’s my turn, Robin.
ROBIN
Is
he ready for the shit storm that you just called down on both your heads? He better stand by you.
JAKE
If
I haven’t scared him away by now, he’s staying put, trust me.
ROBIN
If
he hurts you, I will have his balls on a plate.
JAKE
Hands
off his balls, they’re mine.
ROBIN
God,
Jake. Gross.
JAKE
You
brought genitalia into the discussion, not me.
ROBIN
He’s
ready for me?
JAKE
I
don’t think anyone’s ever ready for you, sis.
But he knows how important you are to me, too, so I’m willing to bet you
find middle ground pretty quickly.
ROBIN
Ever
the wide-eyed optimist, aren’t we?
JAKE
Behave.
ROBIN
You
first.
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