grapefruit

Characters:
DANNY: mid or late 20’s. He is handsome and clean cut, somewhat narcissistic.                    
NORA: Danny’s girlfriend, same age                                                            
SEAN: Danny’s roommate, somewhat self-conscious, in love with Nora.
WOMAN: attractive lady in supermarket

Scene 1
Set: Sean and Danny’s apartment. There is a couch in the center of the room, and a couple of comfortable chairs around. Sports posters are pinned on the walls, and clothes are strewn around on the floor and on the chairs. Danny sits on the couch with his arm around NORA.

DANNY: You know, I don’t think I’ve seen a more beautiful girl than you. Do you know that?

NORA: Danny, don’t.

DANNY: No, really, I mean it.

(Nora smiles and leans in closer to Danny.)

NORA: You know, Danny, I answered your phone earlier, while you were out, and there was a lady calling to confirm reservations for that little Italian place on the corner! (She nudges him with her elbow) Danny, I didn’t know you were gonna take me out for my birthday!

DANNY: (Not looking at NORA) Restaurant? Birthday…? (After a beat, he turns to NORA) [Of course I made plans for your birthday! You didn’t think I’d forget, did you? Come on now, I wouldn’t do that.

NORA: I’m sorry… I guess I did think you’d forgotten. I really wasn’t expecting anything special. I know how absent-minded you are about dates. But…I guess I was wrong.

DANNY: I can’t believe you’d say that about me.

NORA: well, you’re not exactly the romantic type, are you? Or you haven’t been, anyway. And you do forget things, Danny. But you’re right. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry. I can see you’re trying to change, and I’m really proud of you.

DANNY: I am trying

NORA: I know you are (she leans her head against him. There is a moment of silence, and then she looks up at him.) So how’s your roommate been? He’s always so quiet. He seems lonely. You really should let me set him up with a friend of mine. She’s very outgoing. I bet she could get him to open up.
DANNY: what, Sean? He’s not lonely; he’s just a little uptight, is all. A bit too serious, if you know what I mean. Good guy, though.

NORA: Even so, I think you should try to be a little nicer to him. Maybe he wouldn’t be so uptight all time if he felt like he had a good friend he could talk to.

DANNY: Ahhh, he knows he can talk to me if he wants.

NORA: Danny.

DANNY: All right, all right. But I really wouldn’t worry about him too much. He’s just jealous that I have such a sweet, sexy girlfriend.

(He leans in towards her, and they are about to kiss when Sean enters SR, talking as he comes in.)

SEAN: Hey Danny, did you get any calls for me? I’m supposed to—Oh… Hi, Nora. I didn’t know you’d be here…Uh…Nice to see you.

NORA: Nice to see you too, Sean.

SEAN: (Fidgety) Well, I’ll just be going, uh, to my room. I don’t want to, uh, interrupt anything.

NORA: It’s okay, Sean, you’re not interrupting anything. Danny and I were just talking. Why don’t you sit down and have a drink with us?  Come on, I’ll pour you a scotch. (To Danny) You don’t mind, do you Danny?

SEAN: That’s okay; I’m really very tired. (Yawns.) I think I’ll just get to bed.

NORA: you sure?

SEAN: Yeah. (He crosses room and exits through door SL)

DANNY: Hey, Sean

SEAN: (Popping his head back in the room.) Yeah?

DANNY: Don’t forget, man, were going grocery shopping on Sunday. I could use some new fruit.

SEAN: Right, Dan, I remember. Well, goodnight…Goodnight Nora. (He exits)

NORA: (Pulling her knees into her chest) So… Tell me more about this date you planned for me.

(Blackout.)

Scene 2 
Set: A table and two chairs. There is a white tablecloth and a lit candle on the table.

(Nora sits slouched over at the table. She is wearing an evening gown, and has her hair up. As she waits, she taps her fingers on the table, and glances around the room. She checks her watch several times, and finally gets up and leaves the restaurant. Blackout.)


Scene 3.
Set: A small supermarket produce isle. A display of assorted fruit is placed in the center of the stage. Danny and Sean stand behind it. There is a door at stage right, and a stack of grocery baskets is placed next to it. Fruits and vegetables can be painted on a backdrop and on panels at the sides of stage, or they can be left bare. 

DANNY: (Picks up a grapefruit and holds it in front of him) Ahh! Now that is a grapefruit! Just look how ripe and plump it is. You can smell its sweet perfume from across the room. A grapefruit like this can’t be resisted.

SEAN: What’s wrong with the grapefruit you have at home?

DANNY: Nothing’s wrong with my grapefruit at home. But after seeing a grapefruit of such superb freshness, you can’t possibly expect me to pass it by without even a taste? (Places grapefruit in grocery bag.)

SEAN: That’s what you said about the nectarines until you turned one over and found it had a soft spot.

DANNY: That was different. Nectarines can be choosy. Besides, I’m sure this grapefruit is flawless.

SEAN: You know, you don’t always have to try every fruit you look at! Every time you go shopping for new fruit, you seem to forget the ones you already have. And believe me, I’d kill for that grapefruit of yours at home.

DANNY: Sean, you’re so serious. Why don’t you try to loosen up a little. Be a little more adventurous. Trust me, there’s nothing wrong with shopping around a bit and trying something new once in a while.

SEAN: Once in a while maybe, but you’re here every week!

DANNY: (Coyly) Are you feeling jealous?

SEAN: Jealous? Why would I be jealous? I’m not…you’re getting off the point.

(Enter WOMAN from SR door. She picks up a grocery basket and places it over her arm. She walks across stage and starts to browse through the fruit directly across from DANNY and SEAN.)

DANNY: (Glancing at woman) Hey Hey.

SEAN: Danny!

DANNY: What? I’m not doing anything. I knew that lady in high school, and I think I should say hello. Just to be polite. (Sarcastically) Is that all right with you?

SEAN: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything. Go say hello

DANNY: Thank you. (Danny casually strolls over to the other side of the fruit display to where the woman is standing. Sean stays back and watches him. The woman is picking out nectarines and holding two in her hands.)

DANNY: Hel-lo

WOMAN: Hey

DANNY:  I couldn’t help noticing, but that is a lovely pair of nectarines you have there. Do you mind me asking you how you get them like that?

WOMAN: I usually squeeze them, to see whether they’re soft. (She squeezes the nectarines in her hands)

DANNY: Really! I always like to give them a little squeeze, myself. What a coincidence!

WOMAN: (Stiffly) That is a coincidence.

DANNY: Well, your nectarines look so fresh. Would you mind picking some out for me? I tried picking one out earlier, but mine had a soft spot on it.

(Sean, who has been watching from the other side of the stand, loses it and runs after Danny. He catches up to him and starts to pull him away by the collar.)

SEAN: Danny! You’ve got to stop doing that! You don’t need more nectarines! You’ve got nectarines at home! (Sean drags Danny across the room)

DANNY (Whispering) Look, I know I don’t need nectarines. I just wanted to see if I could get them.

SEAN: (Shaking his head) Honestly, Danny, do you ever stop?

DANNY:(Pulls away from SEAN and looks him in the face.) Well, I guess it’s no use trying to change me now, is it?

SEAN: You know what? You are going home. That’s right. Home.  (Starts pushing Danny towards the door.) I’m gonna finish the shopping myself, if you don’t mind. And I’m sure the fruit will thank me for it, too.

DANNY: Fine. I can see when I’m not wanted. You don’t have to tell me twice. Do me a favor though, and find yourself some nice fruit, so you won’t have to be jealous over mine all the time, will you?

SEAN: Goodbye, Danny.

(DANNY exits. SEAN resumes picking out fruit. NORA enters, picks up a fruit basket, and starts browsing the fruit isle. She is in an irritable mood, and starts tossing fruit into her basket without looking at it. Because she is not paying attention to where she is going, she ends up bumping right into SEAN.)

NORA: Would you watch where you’re going! You could’ve hurt some—

SEAN: Nora?

NORA: Sean? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be out with that lowlife, scumbag friend of yours?

SEAN: You mean your boyfriend? Yeah, he was just here; I sent him home, but—

NORA: You mean he was here, and I missed him! Figures. I was gonna give him a piece of my mind, too.

SEAN: What’s wrong, Nora? What did Danny do? It can’t be that bad, can it?

NORA: He stood me up! The bastard stood me up

SEAN: (uncomfortable) I don’t know what to tell you, Nora… that sounds pretty bad. But I’m sure he had a perfectly good explanation for not showing up. Maybe…Maybe his car broke down, or, or, something.

NORA: (Calming down) You really think so?

SEAN: Yeah, Nora, I do. I mean, he’d better have. Nobody in their right mind would want to stand up a great girl like you.

NORA: Well, I dunno if I believe you, but you’re sweet to say so, anyway.

SEAN: Believe me, Danny’s lucky to have you.

NORA: Thanks. (beat) Hey… Danny’s supposed to come over tonight. It’s just game night; but do you want to come over?  I don’t think I could stand a whole night alone with him. I’d kill him. And anyway, we could use an extra player. What do you say? It’ll be fun.

SEAN: Well… Sure, why not. I’m up for anything.

NORA: Great. I’ll see you tonight, then.


Scene 4
Set: Living room of Nora’s apartment. The room is sparsely furnished with a couch, a small coffee table and a lamp. There is a RISK board game and pieces messily set up on the table. DANNY and NORA are curled up on either ends of the couch behind the table. DANNY sits holding his head in his hands. SEAN is sitting on the floor making paper airplanes.

NORA: (Exasperated) It’s your move.

DANNY: Are we still playing? You’ve already taken over all of Asia. Can’t we just say you won and be done with it?

NORA: It was your idea to play. Don’t tell me you’re gonna give up on this like you do with everything else in your life.

DANNY: What’s that supposed to mean?

NORA: Nothing. (beat) It’s still your move.

DANNY: Fine. I’m attacking your precious South America (He rolls dice)

(DANNY and NORA lapse into silence. Lights focus on SEAN, who looks up at the audience.)

SEAN: (Folding a paper airplane as he speaks) Nora invited me over for a little game of Risk. Said something like ‘It’d be good to have someone new to play with; an extra person.’ I was a little nervous about coming (and with good reason I guess), but she asked me to come, so I came. I mean, of course I came; who wouldn’t? Look at her... When I got here though, they were already like this. They’ve been at it for half an hour. I wonder if they’ve forgotten I’m still here.

SEAN finishes his airplane and tosses it at DANNY and NORA.

DANNY: (Catching airplane) Where’d this come from? Oh! Sean, How long have you been sitting there?

SEAN:(Sarcastically) Not long, Danny.

DANNY: What are you sitting over there by yourself for? It seems like you’re always by yourself.

NORA: I thought you were gonna play with us.

SEAN: I was, but you seemed busy. You were already playing when I got here.

NORA: I’m sorry. We could have started over. I did ask you over so you would play with us.

SEAN (Slightly embarrassed) I know, but I didn’t want to interrupt you. You look so sweet when you’re concentrating.

NORA: Oh. Well, we’re almost done anyway. We’d be done already if Danny here would at least stick with the game. (To DANNY) But I guess that’s hard for you isn’t it? Sticking to things?

DANNY: Nora, what are you talking about?

NORA: Get a clue, Danny. Or better yet, get a calendar.

DANNY: Oh… Oh…Yesterday, right? What was it?

NORA: My birthday. You promised you’d take me out! Tell me, how come you can remember to come over to play board games, but you can’t remember that?

SEAN: It was your birthday? You should’ve told me. I would have brought you something.

NORA: (Ignoring him, standing up) Danny, this isn’t even the first time you’ve done something like this. And we had reservations at that restaurant and everything. What happened?

DANNY: I’m sorry, Nora, I screwed up. You see, I had a problem at work that I had to figure out, and I guess I was thinking about that so much that it slipped my mind. But it won’t happen again, I swear. You’ll forgive me, right, Babe? You’ll forgive me, won’t you?

SEAN: You know what? That’s enough. I know this isn’t my place to bud in, but I have to say this. Look, I know I stood up for him before, but Danny didn’t “screw up.” He’s just immature. And until he learns to be responsible for his actions, he really doesn’t deserve you, Nora.

NORA: Thank you, Sean! (SEAN looks at her adoringly) See Danny, you’ve got to learn responsibility, and until you do, I think you’d better leave.

DANNY: I—What? (Beat) Fine. (Walks toward door; then turns and pauses) I guess I’ll see you around.

SEAN: (awkwardly) I should go too.

NORA: Nonsense Sean! You can stay here and help me finish off this game. At least with you, we might actually get somewhere. (Turns to DANNY) Goodbye Danny. Call me if you clean up your act.

(DANNY exits.)

SEAN: I’m sorry

NORA: Don’t be. (Sweetly) You’re a real pal, Sean, for standing up to him like that. That was sweet of you.

SEAN:(shocked, but happy) So, you mean you really want me to stay?

NORA: Of course I do. We can finish the game if you like. (There is a pause and then she continues almost to herself) Maybe you’ll make him jealous enough that he’ll start treating me right. (Laughs.)

SEAN: (Crestfallen) You know, Nora, I think I have to get home after all.

NORA: Oh... Well don’t forget your paper airplane. (Hands it to him)

SEAN: Right, thanks.

(SEAN crosses to door and exits quietly. Blackout)