A One Act Play

(The lights go up on Emily. She is just leaving a seminar at Yale and is failing to flag down a taxi.)

Emily: Wait! Please, wait!

(Emily enters the taxi.)

Emily: What? What are you doing here?

Sam: I am here for a job interview. It is so nice running into you like this!

Emily: No, no it's not. I’ll just walk home. (Emily opens the car door.)

Sam: No! No please, can we please talk?

Emily: I don’t know if I can-

Taxi driver: Let’s go here! Are you in or out lady?

Emily: Ok fine, but only until I get to my apartment, not a second later!

Sam: (nods) Ok, so we have a deal! So how have you been? I see you are going to Yale now, huh? It seems like I haven’t seen you in so long!

Emily: Yes, but I have a feeling this isn’t what you wanted to talk about.

Sam: Well, no, but-

Emily: (Pulls her face in her hands) No, no, no, no! I really don’t want to revisit this! It was so hard for me to see you with someone else. Do you realize that? I spent every night thinking what I could have done differently.

Sam: I know, I was stupid, but do you think you could just put the past behind you and move on?

Emily: Are you kidding? You say it like its easy! I can’t just forget everything you did to me and move on. I will always be afraid that you will treat me the same.

Sam: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just… do you think you could ever forgive me?

Emily: I don’t know. It’s just so hard for me to believe anything you say.

Sam: Please, I just want things to go back to the way they were.

Emily: I know but I don’t think anything you say ever sounds sincere.

Sam: I’m sorry. I just… I just get so nervous around you. You always seem so perfect, it’s like if I’m not perfect too, I’m not good enough for you.

Emily: (Blushing) I doubt you actually believe that.

Sam: No, I swear it’s true!

Emily: (Smirking with arms crossed) Then prove it!

Sam: (Starts scratching head) Um, well, you remember our first date like three years ago.

Emily: Yeah, of course I do. We went to the movies.

Sam: Well, you know how when I accidentally ran into a table, and at the end of the day I said I just did that to try and be funny?

Emily: Yeah, how could I forget! You practically flipped the table over!

Sam: Yeah, I wasn’t trying to be funny at all, I was just nervous, but I guess it was funny anyway!

Emily: Yeah, but how were you nervous? I was terrified! I literally felt like I was going to puke with all of those stupid butterflies in my stomach.

Sam: Really? You didn’t seem terrified at all.

Emily: Well when you weren’t looking, I totally ran into this little kid and he practically balled his eyes out. I felt so bad but I had to play it off cool.

Sam: No way!

Emily: Yeah…

Sam: (Looking straight into Emily's eyes) What’s wrong?

Emily: (Looks out window) Nothing, I just don’t think I can do this.

Sam: (Turns her head with his hands so she is looking right at him) Do what?

Emily: (Pushing his hand away) You know what I’m talking about. This. Us. Together. I can’t do it.

Sam: Can’t we work these things out?

Emily: I don’t think so, I don’t think I could ever trust you again. I thought we would always have each other’s backs, but one day you just disrespected me in a way that I could never forgive.

Sam: I understand that Emily, but that was a whole year ago and I still have feelings for you and I haven’t stopped thinking about how stupid I was and… I can’t stop thinking about you Emily.

Emily: I’m sorry but I can’t do this.

(Emily storms out of the car. Sam puts his head in his hands)

Sam: I blew it. Again.
(Taxi pulls away from the curb)
Emily: I blew it. Again.