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Susanna Roxman "Dream in Two Scenes"
Scene 2 (contd)
Alicia paces the path alone for a
while. Then Matthew, entering, comes walking. He’s tall,
blond, green-eyed. If he wasn’t a bit overweight, he’d be
quite handsome.
ALICIA (standing still, can’t
believe her eyes): Matthew!
MATTHEW: Yes. Here I am. Didn’t you
expect to meet me?
ALICIA: No, I can’t say I did.
MATTHEW: Why not?
ALICIA: I wouldn’t have thought you
were important enough, to me.
MATTHEW: That you’ve met me here proves
I’m important enough, doesn’t it?
ALICIA: I’m not so sure.
(Matthew tries to embrace her, but
she steps aside.)
MATTHEW: I wanted to meet you for
lunch, in London, three years ago. But you said no.
ALICIA: Because I was involved with
somebody else.
MATTHEW: Yes, but for lunch! What could
have been more innocent? What could happen during lunch, in
a crowded place?
ALICIA: He wouldn’t have liked that.
MATTHEW: He needn’t have found out.
ALICIA: Of course I’d have told him.
MATTHEW: But why?
ALICIA: Oh, I tell him everything.
Well, most things.
MATTHEW: If it had been dinner, I might
have seen your point.
ALICIA: What point was that?
MATTHEW: That there might have been
some danger.
ALICIA: Danger?
MATTHEW: Yes.
ALICIA: So dinner is dangerous, lunch
innocent?
MATTHEW: Something like that. (He
draws a little closer.) I always admired you
tremendously. You were streets ahead of the rest of us
students at King’s. And better read than our poor teachers.
ALICIA: You could have done better
yourself if you hadn’t had that weird idea of doing your BA
in one year.
MATTHEW: Well, I very nearly succeeded.
One year and a few months, actually. But I only just passed.
ALICIA: You only just passed.
MATTHEW: But you, you were different,
Alicia. A goddess. I admire you tremendously. (He moves
even closer to her.)
ALICIA: Please leave me alone!
She stalks off, irritated. Looking over her shoulder, she
finds that he has disappeared. A couple of minutes later,
when she bends over some shrubs to see if there are any
raspberries, Charlie suddenly appears, walking up to her. He
is middle-aged, tall, quite athletic, with short dark blond
hair and a beard. Charlie’s eyes are kind and blue, and he
wears spectacles. He’s casually dressed and carries a small
rucksack.
ALICIA (straightening up): Oh Charlie!
CHARLIE: Oh Alicia! (They embrace.)
ALICIA: I didn’t know you were here!
CHARLIE: I didn’t know, either.
ALICIA: What are you doing here?
CHARLIE: Same as you.
ALICIA: I don’t know what that is. I
was looking for something.
CHARLIE: Raspberries.
ALICIA: No. Something important.
CHARLIE: I thought raspberries were
important.
ALICIA: I believed I had lost it.
CHARLIE: And had you?
ALICIA: Perhaps not. Perhaps I was
mistaken. This is a nice place, isn’t it?
CHARLIE: Yes. Have we been here before?
ALICIA: I thought so at first. But this
is special. It’s new.
CHARLIE: But those pine trees look very
old. Ancient.
ALICIA: They’re new. Everything here is
new.
CHARLIE: How can you be so sure?
ALICIA: Everything is always new and
startling.
CHARLIE (conceding the match):
That’s true.
ALICIA: Where are you going?
CHARLIE: I was looking for you. Were
you looking for me?
ALICIA: I’m not sure. I think I was
looking for . . . me. This is an odd place.
CHARLIE: An odd place.
ALICIA: Will you stay?
CHARLIE (with genuine regret):
No, I’m afraid I can’t. I have a train to catch.
ALICIA: I have a train to catch. Or so
I think. At least, I had a train to catch.
CHARLIE: But that is your train. I have
to catch my train.
ALICIA: Oh, of course. Didn’t think
about that. Same destination, though, isn’t it?
CHARLIE: Always the same.
ALICIA: Why does one say that one
catches a train? Isn’t it rather that one is caught by one?
They’re ruthless, trains, tear you away from where you are
to somewhere odd that you don’t recognize. Or perhaps
recognize only vaguely. As if you’d seen it in another life.
CHARLIE: That’s the whole point. The
state of shock.
ALICIA: Will you feed Melissa?
CHARLIE: I’ll feed Melissa. When will
you be back?
ALICIA: Soon. I don’t know if I’ll meet
anybody else here.
CHARLIE: Three encounters, that’s quite
enough.
ALICIA: How do you know I’ve met two
other men here? Have you been spying on me?
CHARLIE: No. But three is a lucky
number. Even, I think you’ve said, a sacred number, once
upon a time.
ALICIA: Yes, that’s right. (But she
looks puzzled.)
CHARLIE: See you soon, then.
ALICIA: How soon?
CHARLIE: Soon. Soon. You know how soon
“soon” is.
(They embrace, and Charlie walks off.
Alicia stands there gazing after him.)
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