Enigma

ENIGMA

by

Russell Coy

Adapted from the play by Floyd Dell

CHARACTERS

Helen, a bitter, cheating, emotional masochist
Paul, a cold, weak, passive/aggressive son-of-a-bitch

INT. KITCHEN-EVENING
(This location will be sustained throughout the action)

HELEN stands at the counter, mixing an Incredible Hulk, which she does viciously, while PAUL sits at the table. They have just had a hellish fight.

                                       HELEN
                   So, this is really what you want?

                                       PAUL
                             (BEAT)
                   Yeah.
                             (BEAT)
                   Let's face it, this isn't
healthy. It'd be a joke for us to keep going like this. I think we should call it quits while we both have some sanity left.

                                       HELEN
That's healthy for you, is it? Throw a tantrum without even raising your voice.

Helen mocks him by waving her hands and making little girl boo-hoo noises.
         
                                       PAUL
What the hell do you want me to do, make it rhyme? We've been putting pretty words over everything long enough. I feel like my face is covered with cobwebs.

                   HELEN
It's not my fault you're weak.(Walks to the table and sits)
Can you do me a favor and at least act like a normal man instead of a screeching drama queen?

                   PAUL
A normal man would've strangled you a long time ago, Helen. It takes a crazy man to stay with you long as I have.

                   HELEN
I suppose you blame me for everything, don't you?

                   PAUL
No. I'm past blaming anybody. Even me. I mean, look at us. We're hacking each other to pieces. This has got to stop.

         (BEAT)

                   HELEN
So you want me to go.

                   PAUL
You go, or I'll go-makes no difference. We've just got to split ways. Permanently, forever.

         (BEAT)
         
                   HELEN
You really think-I mean, you think there's no way?

                   PAUL
We've found a way before, Helen-twice. And this is where we end up. Now, I'm at the end of my rope. This has got to be the end.

                   HELEN
Yeah, but-

                   PAUL
But?

Helen is about to say something, but loses her nerve.

                                       HELEN
                             (Resignedly)
Fine, Paul.(Stands up)If this is what you want, I'll be gone tonight. But I didn't want it to happen this way.

                   PAUL
         (Coldly)
What way would you have preferred?

                   HELEN
I know I hurt you. Before I go, I want one last thing.

                   PAUL
What?
                   
                   HELEN
I want you to forgive me.

Paul gets up and leans back against the counter.

                                       PAUL
Can't we just finish this without getting sentimental?

                   HELEN
That's not fair, Paul. All I want is to make you understand.

                   PAUL
More explanations, huh? I thought we were both tired of excuses.

                   HELEN
Don't, Paul. Please. This is the last time we'll ever hurt each other. Will you listen to me?

Paul sits back down.

                   PAUL
Go on.

                   HELEN
First off, I know you hate me, and you have every right to. I'm not trying to excuse myself, but I didn't know what I was doing. I mean, I didn't know I was hurting you.

                   PAUL
We've been over this a million times, Helen.

                   HELEN
I know. I've said that before. And you said that excuse would hold up the first time, but not the second or third. And on that, you accused me of being cruel. And I never said anything to that, cause my real reasons were...too crazy. Now, I want you to know the real reason.

                   PAUL
A brand new reason, huh?

                   HELEN
Yeah. You were right about me being cruel to you. I was...on purpose. I wanted to hurt you. You were so strong, so confident. You acted like nothing could hurt you, like you were a god. And I wanted to break you down.

                   PAUL
Was I ever really that strong? I don't remember. If I was, you succeedly beautifully in destroying it.

                   HELEN
You're still strong. And I still hate you for it. I wish I could make you suffer now. But even now, there's nothing.

                   PAUL
Aren't you satisfied with what you've already done? Seems to me I've suffered enough.

                   HELEN
No, you haven't. Or you couldn't sit there and talk like that. Maybe I've hurt you a little bit, but you'll get over it in no time. You always have. You're not human. If you were, you'd remember that we were happy one time, and you'd be sorry that it's over now. But you can't.

                   PAUL
Hmm, that is an interesting explanation.

                   HELEN
I wonder if I can even make you understand. Paul, do you remember when we fell in love?

                   PAUL
         (Shrugs)
I guess something like that must have happened to us.

                   HELEN
No, it happened to me. You just made up your mind and walked in, like you were on holiday. But me- I was dizzy and blind. I didn't want to love you. I prayed against it. But I had to give myself to you, even though I knew you didn't care. You could have thrown my heart in the trash for all you cared.

                   PAUL
Very romantic. But did I throw your heart in the trash?

                   HELEN
No, that wouldn't have been convenient for you. You put it in your pocket. And you had absolute power over me. You have no idea what that's like. I tried to fight against it, but it was no use. Because I was in love with you. And you-you were free, and your heart was your own, and no one could hurt you.

                   PAUL
Well, that's all fine and good, except it wasn't true. As you found out.

                   HELEN
Well, when I found out, I couldn't believe it. I didn't think it was possible. You'd told me a thousand times that you wouldn't be jealous if I slept with someone else. It seemed like a part of your whole...super-humanness.

                   PAUL
Yeah, I said all that. But I wasn't super-human. I was just a fucking idiot.

                   HELEN
When I realized that it was hurting you-that you might be human after all-I stopped. You know I stopped.

                   PAUL
For awhile you stopped.

                   HELEN
I stopped because I thought I was hurting you the way you hurt me. And it wasn't easy to stop. It tore me up. But I suffered instead of letting you suffer.  But then, a day later, you were fine, like nothing had happened. And I hated you for it.

                   PAUL
Did I deceive you that well?

                   HELEN
And the next time, I wanted to see if it was real. If you really were that serene and godlike. I wanted to tear off your mask. So I cheated on you again.

                   PAUL
And the third time-what about that?

                   HELEN
No. No, I can't talk about that. Not him.

                   PAUL
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into your private affairs like that.

                   HELEN
If you were human, you'd know there's a difference between your last lover and the ones that went before. I can talk about the others-but this one still hurts.

                   PAUL
That's okay, I understand. Maybe next year, we'll have a chance meeting and you can tell me about it then. Joys of new love healing the pains of old, you know.

                   HELEN
No. No more joy or pain for me. That part of me is dead. Do you think I've come through all this without a scratch? No, there's nothing left for me. All I have left is regret that we were happy and I ruined it.

                   PAUL
You know, Helen, I wasn't exactly faithful to you either...

                   HELEN
You weren't?

                   PAUL
No.

                   HELEN
Well, at least you had the decency to lie about it. I might have never found out. But I trusted that tough-as-nails attitude of yours and flaunted all my affairs in front of you.

                   PAUL
Be careful, honey. You're on the verge of contradicting yourself.

                   HELEN
I know I am. And I don't give a fuck. I want to know why all this happened. Why did you let it happen? Or why did I? I want it all back.

                   PAUL
Come on, Helen.

                   HELEN
Don't you remember, Paul, when we were happy? How beautiful it all was? I want it back. Say you'll give it back to me, Paul!

                   PAUL
Do you really it'd be that easy? That we can just poof! and everything's back to the beginning?

                   HELEN
No. But I know we can be happy again. We had something that was all ours, baby, and we can have it again, just the way it was. Please, Paul.

                   PAUL
Hold on! Just-just let me think.

                   HELEN
Oh, you're thinking. All your thinking. I'll tell you what-think of all the things I did to you. Think about all the men I've had inside me. And think about how I always described it to you right afterwards. Think hard, and save yourself the inconvenience I've been causing you.

                   PAUL
What are you talking about?

                   HELEN
You didn't really believe everything I've been saying this whole time, have you?

                   PAUL
You know, I almost did.

                   HELEN
Well, don't.

                   PAUL
You've been lying to me all over again, huh?

                   HELEN
Yep, all over again.

                   PAUL
I suspected you might've been.

                   HELEN
You suspected, huh? Oh, you're such a wise, perceptive man!

                   PAUL
So you don't still love me?

                   HELEN
Of course not-why the hell should I? Why, do you want me to love you?

                   PAUL
One way or another. You know it makes no difference to me.

                   HELEN
You don't think you'll miss me at all?

                   PAUL
Why should I?

                   HELEN
Good. Then I might as well tell you the truth.

                   PAUL
The truth! Now, this will be interesting. What's the truth?

                   HELEN
The truth is, I was afraid you did want me. And I was sorry for you for it, Pual. I thought if you did want me, I would stay and start over again and try to make things up to you-if that was what you wanted.

                   PAUL
So, that was it.

                   HELEN
That was it.

                   PAUL
Well, then, enough said. Are you going, or should I?

                   HELEN
I'll go. But before I do-since we might not meet this time next year-I think I'll go ahead and tell you about that third time. When you asked me about it before, I said I couldn't talk about it. But now I can. I had a special reason for being cruel to you that time. Do you want hear it?

                   PAUL
If you want to tell me, tell me.

                   HELEN
The reason was that I'd finally found out what love feels like. And I knew that I'd never, ever loved you. So, I wanted to hurt you so you'd leave me. I wanted to hurt you so bad that you'd never want to come near me again. I was afraid that if you forgave me and put your arms around me, you'd feel me shudder and you see in my eyes how much I hated you. And there was still part of me that cared about you a little, so I wanted to spare you from it.

         (BEAT)

                   PAUL
So are you going?

Helen walks over to the calender thumbtacked to the wall and tears off this months leaf. She holds it in front of Paul.

                   HELEN
Did you notice what day it is? We used to celebrate once a year. The day we kissed for the first time.

Helen drops the leaf on the table in front of Paul, then walks slowly out of the room. The camera stays on Paul as we hear narration taken directly from Dell's play.

                                       NARRATOR(V.O.)
He sits looking at her. For a moment it seems clear to him they might still love each other, and that a single word from him, a mere gesture, will reunite them. And then he is filled with doubt...she is watching him, too. Then she turns at last toward door, hesitates, and then walks slowly out. He takes the torn leaf from the calender and holds it in his hands, looking at it with the air of a man confronted by an unsolvable enigma.

FADE OUT.

THE END