Valentine's Day Script

Hello, sorry to bombard, I know I said I'd post but I'm short on time! And it's very cold. My fingers don't want to type.

Here's a sample of a 15 minute script themed around Valentine's Day. It's unfinished, but feedback welcome!

Scene One

There is a table with two chairs centre stage. Gabby is anxiously occupying a chair. A waiter is  at the table checking in on her.

Waitor:        

More water, Madame?

Gabby:              

What? Oh, uh, no, I’ll only need to pee...

Waitor:

Pardon?

Gabby:

I mean no, no it’s ok, thanks, thank you...

WAITOR EXITS

Gabby is sitting and checks the menu. She drops it as Nate enters the stage and looks around.

NATE ENTERS

Gabby resurfaces and peers in his direction.

Gabby:

Yoohoo!!! Yoohoo! 

Nate hesitates as he spots her, and looks as if he might leave. He makes up his mind to stay and takes a seat next to her.

Gabby:

           Don’t worry, you’re not late, I just--

Nate:

           Oh, it was bad traffic, I—

Gabby:

No, no! It’s ok, I like to get places early, it’s my fault, I—

Both fall silent, smile, and look at the menus.

Gabby:

           Did it take you long to get here?

Nate:

           No, not long.

Gabby:

(Pause) No, nor me. I don’t live far away. Do you live far away?

Nate:

           Not far.

Gabby:

           Oh that’s good then, did you need a taxi or –

Nate:

           No, I walked.

Gabby:

           Oh good. That’s good... Walking... Do you like         walking?

Nate:

           Um, I suppose so. I’ve never really thought about it.

Gabby:

No, nor me. It’s funny isn’t it, how you don’t think of things... and then suddenly you think about them, and that’s all you can think about then; you thinking about something, and you’ve never thought about it before...

Gabby:

You look quite similar to your photo actually. That’s good, isn’t it! Imagine turning up and we didn’t look like our photos! I suppose that would be quite awkward really, you know, turning up and not recognising each other!

Nate:

           Yeah. Pretty awkward.

Gabby:

Yeah. Exactly like your photo. Do I look much like my photo? I know I was drunk at the time, so my eyes aren’t crossed anymore, ha! I’m joking...

Gabby:

(Pause) I don’t really remember where I had that photo taken... I like it though... do you like it? Did you think I look the same now as the photo? When you first walked in?

Nate:

Er, no actually, I uh, I took a moment to find you...

Gabby:

Oh really? Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, I was worried that might happen, after we made the arrangements, I mean, you logged off and then we’d already made the plans and it didn’t seem like a problem because we had photos... and we’d look like the photos... so it didn’t matter... but I was thinking after, what if I don’t look like my photo... I dyed my hair you see, and it’s quite an old photo... and I thought, oh god, maybe we should have had something... like a rose or something... so we could recognise each other... but I didn’t want to email you in case I seemed clingy, or like, a psycho girlfriend... cyber girlfriend... psycho cyber girlfriend, ha! That’s funny...

Both fall silent again. 

          

Nate:

It must have been the hair. Weren’t you, uh, dark in the photo?

Gabby:

Dark? I don’t think I’ve been dark... Oh! Oh, yes! Yes, I was dark! Very observant of you!

Nate:

           Ah, yes, I thought that was it, I wasn’t sure...

                                           ENTER WAITOR

Waitor:

           Would you both like to order?

Gabby:

Oh, uh, I haven’t really looked yet, I mean I looked, I just wasn’t sure if we were ordering, are we ordering? I mean, I don’t mind if we do order, I don’t want to force you into ordering, like I mean, you don’t have to commit to anything if you don’t want to, we could have drink? Or, we could just have water even if you want? I’m easy... totally easy... it’s all fine by me...

Nate:

No, I uh, you go ahead, I don’t mind, I... it’s up to you...

Gabby:

           Food?

Nate:

           Uh,

Gabby:

           Wine?

Nate:

           Um...

Gabby:

Water? We’ll just have water. Shall we have another water? Oh, you haven’t had any yet, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise how much I’d drank! Not that I was here long, I wasn’t waiting! I was just thirsty...We’ll just have another water, shall we?

Nate:

           Or we could have wine?

Gabby:

Are you sure? We don’t have to, I don’t want you to feel you have to spend money because you’re out with me, we don’t have to commit to anything here, we can just pass in and out of each other’s lives without it having to change anything if you don’t want to...

Nate:

           Or we could just have a glass if you don’t want—

Gabby:

Oh no, I want to, I just don’t want you to feel pressured, you know? I hate that. Being pressured. You know? I don’t like to pressure...

Waitor:

           Two glasses of...

Nate:

Red?

Gabby:

           I’m easy... totally easy...

                                     WAITOR EXITS

The two fall silent again. Their gaze wanders around the room.

Gabby:

I say I’m easy... I don’t mean like, I’m easy!... like, turn up, dye my hair blonde and say I’m easy type thing, ha! No, I mean like, you know... I’m ea-sy...

Gabby:

           Do you like my name?

Nate:

           Sorry?

Gabby:

           My name. Gabby.

Nate:

           Er, yeah... it’s uh, lovely...

Gabby:

Really? Do you think so? I don’t like it... I always worry it sounds too much like gobby, you know? Gabby gobby... or Gobby Gabby, that’s better really... but yeah.. no... I don’t like it...

Nate:

           ...I like it...

Gabby:

           I like yours. Nate. Sounds like mate! Nate...my mate...

Nate:

           Yeah...

Gabby:

Not that you’re my mate! Well, not like that anyway, we just met, ha! No, I mean like mate, mate! Init, mate! Well, I don’t suppose we’re friends really... just like... you know. Acquaintances. I don’t mind, I don’t just assume you’re my friend! I’ve got loads of friends, I don’t need to just go around making friends with strangers! No! Hell, I’ve got loads of friends, in fact there’s one now! (She waves)Oh, Hi Jane! Hi! Yes, I’ve got lots of friends. Do you know anyone here?

Nate:

           No...I—

Gabby:

Oh really? Oh! Because I know lots of people here. Nearly everyone in fact. Yeah. Lots of friends...

Nate:

I don’t mind... being friends...I mean, it’s up to you... I don’t want to impose...

Gabby:

Oh no! You’re not imposing. No, no, I mean, having all these friends can be quite lonely sometimes. You know?

Nate:

           I er, don’t actually have many friends you know...

Gabby:

           You what?

Nate:

           I don’t have many.

Gabby:

           What, friends?

Nate:

           No.

Gabby:

           Oh.

Nate:

Like, I have friends, you know, I have friends. Just not many, you know?

Gabby:

           Oh.

Nate:

           Yeah. 

                                                    WAITOR ENTERS

Waitor pours the wine into each cup and leaves.

WAITOR EXITS

Gabby:

           It can get quite lonely.

Nate:

           What?

Gabby:

           Having lots of friends.

Nate:

           Oh.

Gabby:

           I have lots of friends.

Nate:

           Yeah. It can get quite lonely...

Gabby:

           What?

Nate:

           Not having lots of friends.

Gabby:

          Yes. I suppose it can.

Nate:

           I think I scare people off sometimes.

Gabby:

           Well I wouldn’t say you’re bad looking?

Nate:

No, not that, thank you though, I don’t think you’re ugly either, no because of the way I sound...

Gabby:

           A bit posh?

Nate:

           No, I uh... 

They both fall silent.

Nate:

           Nice building this.

Gabby:

           Yeah, it is nice.

Nate:

           Have you been here before?

Gabby:

           No.

Nate:

No... I asked my mum a few weeks ago. I asked her why she didn’t email me much anymore. She said it was because I sounded depressed.

Gabby:

           Depressed?

Nate:

           Yeah.

Gabby:

           Are you?

Nate:

           Depressed?

Gabby:

           Yeah.

Nate:

           No! I’m lonely. There’s a difference.

Gabby:

           Did you tell her that?

Nate:

Yeah. I told her I just felt lonely, and she asked why, so I said I just didn’t really talk to anyone, and she said she thought I talked to lots of people, and I said no not really...Just people at work and stuff...

He pauses for Gabby, she doesn’t say anything.

Nate:

She said she was sorry. She didn’t know. She said she’d email me more so I had someone to talk to. But she doesn’t, she says I sound too depressed. 

Toyland Poems

This is the first in the sequence of my Toyland Poems. Hope you enjoy, please leave feedback! I can't rhyme....

You are cordially invited to a party,

Enchantment of the highest kind,

Be sure to follow my directions,

As Toyland is hard to find,

Go down to the Mystic Wood,

Where the trees glitter and sigh,

Ask no one for directions,

Pretend to be but a passer-by.

Find the tree with a purple branch,

And pull it to get inside,

Behold a banquet of magical beings,

Where no creature needs to hide.

A place where the sky glitters auburn pink,

And the river flows full of ice cream,

A party of dancing and music,

To warm even the old Ice Queen.

A place to throw back your hair,

Where evil needs not battle good,

Each one sharing their tales of the day,

Laughing aloud as they should.

But beware of the one in the corner,

Who lingers by the Fountain of Youth,

A single red apple in her hand,

This maiden speaks not the truth.

So be careful weary observer,

Although it might seem rude,

In Toyland the rules are firmer,

To leave you must eat no food.

The Mystic Wood awaits you,

But an RSVP we cannot receive;

Toyland has no forwarding address,

To enter you need only believe.

Update!

Hello all and apologies for lack of posting. Tomorrow it will be exactly a month since my last post and I literally can't believe how well the blog has done, I've had over 100 new views without actually posting anything, so thank you to all those who are checking back regularly!

I haven't had a great deal of time in the last month, and deadlines are coming in thick and fast. There was also a point in the last month where I had 3/4 jobs, but due to serious lack of writing time I had to pack in two of those and just stick to the one. I've also finished uni until January too, so hopefully I might get a bit more time to post some stuff.

In case anyone's interested, I'm currently working towards three deadlines of work submission.

The first is a 7000 word piece of fiction. My submission is called Letters from Lucy and tells the story of a young widow from the perspective of the family cat. I'm hoping to show the grieving process through her eyes and add in a few catty pieces of humour with stories of her friends, the neighbours dog and a friendly robin. Please, wish me the best of luck with that one... I'll post some extracts as they come, feedback as always is much appreciated!

The second is a 2000-3000 word collection of poetry. This is very much a weakness of mine, so apologies for dodgy rhymes and please feel free to chip in with any advice! Sadly, I can't plagerise, so if you're gonna mail me things, do it in secret and I'll pay you later ;) The theme I've decided to go with is a collection of adult fairytales, the first of which I'll post for you in a moment.

The third is a 50 minute one act play, some of which will be performed in a June showcase of student's work (which I could literally pee in excitement for!) I've decided to base my play inside a Welsh valley Residential home. It doesn't sound exciting, I know. If anyone wants to write that for me, please, be my guest!

So yeah. Apologies for the lack of posting and thank you for staying loyal! I had an extremely embarrassing but interesting experience with my Dad at Starbucks earlier which was cringe worthy enough to blog, just not tonight... I'll tell y'all tomorrow when I'm not asleep.

Over and out,

Fat Brad x