Outside and near the front entrance of a hotel Michael and Anne Hartlen stand talking. Michael is angry and hurt. Anne is cool but impatient with him.
ANNE You don’t have to pout about it.
MICHAEL I’m not pouting. I’m angry and disappointed.
ANNE Oh, Michael! It’s only a meeting.
MICHAEL Only a meeting? It’s an important board meeting.
ANNE It will be over in twenty minutes.
MICHAEL The length of the meeting is not the issue here.
ANNE (Trying to calm him) Mi-chael! PAUSE I’ll make sure you come to the next one.
MICHAEL That’s what you said about his one.
ANNE I do my best.
MICHAEL How can I get a good grasp on the company when the board won’t allow me to attend meetings?
ANNE Darling…
MICHAEL (Interrupting) Don’t darling me. You’re the chairman and you should see that I’m at every meeting.
ANNE (Coldly) Now, now, Michael. Let’s not be childish. Once we reorganize, you’ll be allowed to attend.
MICHAEL But…
ANNE …and not before.
MICHAEL (With resignation) Sure, sure.
ANNE Good. Now let’s forget about business. I’ll be ready in about a half hour. Shall we meet at the restaurant?
MICHAEL No. I think I’ll stay here until you get back.
ANNE What are you going to do?
MICHAEL (Smiling) Oh, don’t worry, Anne. I’ll use my time wisely.
The scene opens in a lounge. The bar with a mirrored wall is centrally located. Although there are several couples and a small group of women at tables, the lounge is rather empty. A young attractive woman, Sharon Wells, sits at the bar alone. She is 24 years old, a dedicated career woman. She is tall, slender and tastefully dressed. As she drinks, her tension is apparent. The bartender, Sean, is a pleasant, teddy bear in his thirties. The song, Trust In Me, by Dakota Staton is playing in the background.
SHARON (To the bartender) Another, please.
BARTENDER (Fatherly) That’s your second double.
SHARON I know.
BARTENDER You’re hitting the hard tonight.
SHARON I suppose I am. PAUSE
BARTENDER Anything you want to talk about?
SHARON Not really.
BARTENDER (Smiling kindly) You know me, Sharon. I’m a real good listener. (He gives her another double)
SHARON I really don’t want to talk about me, Sean. PAUSE How’s your family?
BARTENDER (Always cheerful, but hiding something) Ooh, they’re just fine…just fine. Only thing…this work doesn’t agree with me. Too quiet. I’d rather be home spending time with them instead of being here.
SHARON Funny about that.
BARTENDER How’s that?
SHARON You’d rather be home than here, and I’d rater be here than home alone. (He wisely just listens) How’s your boy?
BARTENDER That little boy couldn’t be better. He’s a perfect good little, bad boy. He’s got the perfect blend of both.
SHARON Does he talk?
BARTENDER Does he talk? Why just this morning we got into an argument and he called me germ. Can you imagine that? Three years old and he called me a germ.
SHARON What did you do?
BARTENDER I called him a vegetable! (Sharon laughs) Then he called me a porcupine and I called him an asparagus and he called me a turnip. Then I called him a lobster claw and he said, ‘wait until you here this one.’ He called me lobster lips.
SHARON Lobster lips? Here years old and he called you lobster lips?
BARTENDER (Smiling) Yeah. And I don’t have a clue where he got it.
MICHAEL HARTLEN, 40, SLIGHTLY LESS THAN SIX FEET TALL, ENTERS THE LOUNGE. HE IS LEAN, STANDS TALL, YET IS VERY RELAXED. WITH HIS TOPCOAT DRAPED OVER HIS ARM, HE STOPS MOMENTARILY AND IN A GLANCE TAKES IN THE TABLES AND THE BAR. SUBCONSCIOUSLY, HE EXTENDS HIS LEFT HAND ON HIS ABDOMEN JUST BELOW HIS BELT LINE AND HE LOOKS AT SHARON. HIS EYES FLASH, AND HIS HAND SLIDES AWAY FROM HIS ABDOMEN AS HE GOES DIRECTLY TO THE BAR AND SITS, ALLOWING TWO STOOLS BETWEEN HIMSELF AND SHARON. HE PLACES HIS COAT ON THE STOOL BETWEEN THEM, BUT CLOSEST TO HIMSELF
SHARON You have a nice family.
BARTENDER Yes, yes, quite a boy, quite a boy.
MICHAEL (To the bartender) Scotch, please.
BARTENDER On the rocks?
MICHAEL Yes, on the rocks.
MICHAEL TAKES HIS WALLET FROM THE OUTSIDE POCKET OF HIS TOPCOAT, PULLS OUT A TWENTY-DOLLAR BILL AND LAYS IT ON THE BAR. HE SWINGS HIS STOOL CLOCKWISE WITH HIS BACK TO SHARON AND LOOKS AROUND THE LOUNGE
BARTENDER (Placing the drink on the bar in front of Michael) Scotch on the rocks.
MICHAEL PUSHES THE TWENTY TOWARDS THE BARTENDER, AND APPEARS TO NOTICE SHARON FOR THE FIST TIME. HE DOES A DOUBLE TAKE, CAUGHT BY HER BEAUTY
BARTENDER Your change.
MICHAEL
THE SPELL IS BROKEN. MICHAEL PUSHES SOME COINS IN THE BARTENDER’S DIRECTION. HE RETURNS HIS WALLET TO HIS COAT. HE TAKES A CIGARETTE FROM A CASE AND IS ABOUT TO LIGHT IT…SAYS TO SHARON
Mind if I smoke?
SHARON (Quickly) Mind if I don’t?
MICHAEL (Puts the cigarette away) Sorry.
HE SMILES, SHE TURNS AWAY
Oooohh….
HE FEINTS PAIN IN HIS CHEST
SHARON (Caught) What?
MICHAEL (Smiling – charming) It’s nothing really.
PAUSE
I’m allergic to rejection.
SHARON TURNS AWAY IN DISTAIN
It’s okay. I know how you feel. But I recover quickly. Three or four years and you wouldn’t know there was a thing wrong with me.
BARTENDER (to Sharon) Would you like another?
MICHAEL (Gestures) May I?
BARTENDER WAITS.
SHARON Pardon me?
MICHAEL (Pleasantly) May I buy you a drink?
SHARON TURNS AWAY WITHOUT RESPONDING
Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. The offer was a simple gesture…
SHARON I know what it was.
MICHAEL (Pleasant to himself as much as to Sharon) You sure make it hard to carry on a conversation.
SHARON (Mock surprise) Do I? What makes you say that?
PAUSE. MICHAEL SMILES, AND SHARON CONTINUES WITY SARCASM
Everyone I know tells me that I’m the easiest person in the world to talk to. People I meet for the first time say that after a few minutes they feel as though they’ve known me all their lives.
MICHAEL’S SMILE FADES. SHARON TURNS AWAY
BARTENDER (He places a drink in front of Sharon and waits protectively as she sips it.) Is it okay?
SHARON (Smiles) It’s fine.
BARTENDER TAKES HER MONEY
MICHAEL You know why I come here?
SHARON LOOKS AT HIM AND THEN AWAY.
SHARON I can hardly wait to find out.
MICHAEL I like the excitement.
SHARON DOES NOT LAUGH. HE SHRUGS. AFTER A PAUSE, HE LOOKS IN THE BAR MIRROR
…and, of course, the view.
SHARON (Caustic) Breathtaking! Simply breathtaking!
MICHAEL You can see for miles and miles.
SHARON (Tiring) If you close your eyes.
MICHAEL TAKING PEANUTS FROM THE BOWL ON THE BAR AND AS HE CHEWS
But the food could be better.
SHARON DOES NOT RESPOND
I’m glad you agree.
SHARON (Sharply) That’s because I am so agreeable.
MICHAEL (Still pleasant and charming) I’ll bet you could be…if you didn’t spend so much energy on trying to be cruel.
SHARON You think I’m being cruel? You’ve seen only my gentle side. .
MICHAEL (Charming) I think you’re trying to be cruel. .
SHARON (A little harsh) And I think you are trying to measure me from a distance. .
MICHAEL God! You’re absolutely beautiful. .
SHARON (Flattered but with sarcasm) Oh? What’s it like to be with a beautiful woman? .
MICHAEL It’s like looking at you through a binocular. .
SHARON (Amused) What? What is that supposed to mean? .
MICHAEL CUPPING HIS HANDS OVER HIS EYES LIKE A BINOCULAR AND LOOKING AT HER
I get a close up view, but you’re still really at a distance.
SHARON IS HURT BUT DOES NOT RESPOND
Sorry. I only wanted to….
SHARON (Sad) I know what you wanted. .
MICHAEL (Changing tacks) May I buy you a drink?
SHARON LOOKS AT HIM IN DISBELIEF AND THEN TURNS AWAY. MICHAEL MOTIONS FOR THE BARTENDER
BARTENDER Another? .
MICHAEL Yes.
HE POINTS TO SHARON’S GLASS.
BARTENDER One for you?
SHARON LOOKS AT HIM
It’s on him.
POINTS TO MICHAEL
No, thank you.
SHE PUSHES HER GLASS TOWARD THE BARTENDER FOR A REFILL. HE RETURNS QUICKLY WITH BOTH DRINKS. MICHAEL TRIES TO PAY FOR THEM
BARTENDER The lady prefers to pay for her own.
MICHAEL (To himself) I don’t know, maybe it’s me.
SHARON (Almost to herself) Maybe it is.
MICHAEL (Gently) In my humble opinion…
SHARON I’ll bet you never had a humble opinion in your life.
MICHAEL I refuse to be intimidated.
PAUSE
But I bet that ninety percent of the people who meet you are.
SHARON (Sharply) Guess again!
MICHAEL Ninety-eight percent, huh?
SHARON (More sarcasm) You must be in marketing research.
MICHAEL No, actually…
FLINCHING
Insurance.
SHARON Oh, lovely!
MICHAEL What’s that mean?
SHARON Adore your work, do you?
MICHAEL (Shrugs) It’s all the same. Offices, you know, small or large.
SHARON Tell me about it!
MICHAEL It’s depressing. Sometimes you forget what it’s like.
SHARON IS MILDLY INTERESTED
Cigarette smoke filters the air; the overwhelming blend of excessively used aftershave and perfume. Men and women overdressed…
NOTICES THAT SHARON IS LISTENING
Look at you…high expectations…and rightfully so…I don’t know…I don’t know why you’re here tonight, but…but when I saw you, I thought I’d like to sit down and talk to you…really talk to you.
JOKING
I know how anxious you are to talk to me but…but
GOES INTO A ROUTINE
…but…but
SMILES CHARMINGLY
I’m not really a but man, you know; but this, but that…everything is okay, but…I like the way you do that, but…
SIGHS
Indulgent word, but. Yes, but…
SOMEWHAT SADDENED
It goes with the office turf.
SHARON HAS BECOME INTERESTED
I really did want to sit down and talk o you…but…
SHARON CHUCKLES
I live alone here.
ARMS OUTSTRETHED TO INDICATE THE LOUNGE
There is something terribly dignified about living alone.
PAUSE
SHARON So? What if I talk to you? What then?
MICHAEL (Taken back) Well…a…I don’t know. A…a…who knows? You might find me…a…
SHARON I might find you…?
MICHAEL You might find an articulate person behind the but…and the charm, of course.
PAUSE
And I might find out a little about you.
SHARON Yes, you might.
PAUSE
And you might be sorry, too.
MICHAEL (Direct but gentle) Or, perhaps you’d be sorry.
SHARON SHRUGS
What do you do for a living?
SHE DOES NOT RESPOND
Work for the government?
PAUSE
You’re in law…politics?
SHARON Whoa! What’s your hurry?
MICHAEL Okay…sorry.
SHARON Why did you come here tonight?
PAUSE
…To meet me?
SMILING
MICHAEL If I were psychic, saw you in a vision, yes, because it would be very difficult to stay away.
SHARON Are you always so direct and chaming?
MICHAEL Yes, I think I am always direct…
PAUSE
…Charming…uh…I don’t know. Charm is what others see in you…I don’t know.
SHARON You are quite unusual.
MICHAEL Really?
SHARON You must be aware of that.
MICHAEL (Smiling) When you live with yourself everyday, for so many years, everything seems usual.
SHARON (Softening) It seems you find it easy to talk about yourself.
MICHAEL Easy?
SHARON Easier than it is for me.
MICHAEL Let me tell you how easy it is for me.
SHARON (Interrupting)
Are you married?
MICHAEL I was married once…for about give years…madly in love…
SHARON Are you still in love with her?
MICHAEL That was a long time ago.
PAUSE
In a way…I hold on to and remember every love I’ve ever had. And I try to forget all the bad parts.
PAUSE
That isn’t to say that I’d want the relationships back again.
SHARON I’m just the opposite. It’s difficult to recall the love I felt for those who have hurt me.
MICHAEL Perhaps it’s too soon…the pain still too strong?
SHARON NODS, HE FINISHES HIS DRINK
SHARON Drink?
MICHAEL (Taken back) Well…a…
SHARON It’s my way of apologizing.
MICHAEL IS INDECISIVE
Please let me buy you a drink.
MICHAEL Okay.
RESENTFUL
Might as well…everyone else does.
TO THE BARTENDER
The rest room?
BARTENDER (Pointing) It’s around the corner.
MICHAEL GET UP AND SLOWLY GOES TO THE REST ROOM
SHARON (To the bartender, smiling) Two of the same, please.
BARTENDER
THE BARTENDER TAKES THE EMPTIES AND LOOKS AT SHARON WITYH CONCERN. HE BRINGS FRESH DRINKS
Be careful, Sharon.
SHARON Don’t worry about me, Sean.
BARTENDER I wouldn’t like to see you get hurt again.
SHARON I can take care of myself.
BARTENDER (Knowingly) Yeah?
SHARON Well, most of the time anyway.
BARTENDER Like the time you met that oil guy from Alberta?
SHARON Well, that was a little different.
BARTENDER I’ll say. Terrific sense of humor he had.
SHARON Oh yeah, he was a million laughs.
BARTENDER He sure went for you.
SHARON I’ll say, and fast at that!
BARTENDER And he got mad just as fast.
SHARON Mad? That’s putting it mildly. I never saw anyone get that ugly before.
BARTENDER (Sees Michael returning) He was the first and only person I ever had to physically throw out of here.
HE MOVES MICHAEL’S DRINK TO WHERE HE HAD BEEN SITTING
Here you go.
MICHAEL (Sits) Thanks.
LIFTING HIS GLASS TO SHARON
Thank you.
SHARON Cheers.
PAUSE. SHE SMILES
You mentioned that you were once married.
MICHAEL NODS
Do you have any children?
MICHAEL (With sadness) There are two times of the year like most…
LONG PAUSE
SHARON Yes?
MICHAEL (Contemplating) When the leaves are budding and developing on the trees…
SHARON (Softly) And the other?
MICHAEL When the branches of the trees cradle snow in their arms.
MORE SADDENED
But when the trees are barren…no leaves, I find it unbearable…terribly unbearable.
TEARS RUN DOWN HIS CHEEKS
SHARON (Touched) Then?
MICHAEL Yes…I have no children.
SHARON (Gently) I’m not sure I see children in my life.
MICHAEL Children are more precious than diamonds.
SHARON (With sincerity) That’s beautiful. Actually it is very poetic.
MICHAEL (With sarcasm) You’re very observant.
SHARON Then it’s from a poem?
PAUSE
Yours?
MICHAEL No, one a friend wrote…and never published.
SHARON (Relenting) My name is Sharon.
MICHAEL (Smiling) Hi Sharon.
SHARON Well?...What’s yours
MICHAEL (Smiling) Michael. Michael Hartlen.
SHARON (Somewhat saddened) Places like this depress me, Michael Hartlen.
MICHAEL Really? Then why do you come here?
SHARON (With dark humor) To enhance my career image?
SHRUGS
I don’t know. Maybe, just to get a drink.
MICHAEL A little early in a career for that.
SHARON It’s not a problem, if that’s what you mean.
MICHAEL I was thinking only of the pressure.
SHARON Once you’ve decided on a direction, it really doesn’t matter how old you are. You accept the territory that comes with it.
MICHAEL If you accept the territory…
SHARON …then the pressure shouldn’t be so bad?
MICHAEL Yes.
SHARON And sometimes it isn’t.
PAUSE
I’ll bet you’ve had your share of pressure.
MICHAEL Why do I look pressured?
SHARON No, but looks are deceiving.
MICHAEL Did you come here to look?
SHARON (Ignoring the question) Was it pressure that brought you here?
MICHAEL There are different kinds of pressure.
SHARON For example?
MICHAEL I left something that I loved doing…and went into insurance.
SHARON Why?
MICHAEL It was lucrative. It meant security.
SHARON Security isn’t everything.
MICHAEL How would you know?
SHE LOOKS AWAY
You’re doing something that’s important to you?
SHARON Yes.
MICHAEL And it’s secure?
SHARON Well…
MICHAEL Materially and career wise?
SHARON Yes, I suppose.
MICHAEL (Strongly) I suppose, yes! There...you’ve answered your own question.
PAUSE
The difference is your pressure manifests from a situation you love being in, and mine from one I detest being in.
SHARON Then how can you be so nice and charming about it?
MICHAEL I’ve accepted it. I take full responsibility for the situation I’ve put myself into.
SHARON That’s amazing!
PAUSE
I’m beginning to feel guilty.
MICHAEL Why?
SHARON You know the adage…I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes…ten I saw a girl who had no feet.
MICHAEL Oh yes, I remember that; one of the more cheerful ones.
SHARON That’s what I’ve been doing, feeling sorry for myself. Now I realize that you are in a worse situation than I am.
MICHAEL (Teasing) Oh, I see. It makes you feel good to see someone worse off than yourself, huh?
SHARON (Laughing) You know what I mean. I was…
MICHAEL (Interrupting) Sharon.
PAUSE – SHE SMILES
You came here looking?
SHARON How about you?
MICHAEL I have on occasions, but not tonight.
PAUSE
I’ve never had any luck.
SHARON You? You’ve never had any luck?
MICHAEL (Laughing) I should clarify that. I mean I’ve never had luck meeting someone I liked.
PAUSE
I’m not talking about a meat market.
SHARON (Laughing) To put it bluntly.
MICHAEL And you? So far, you have successfully avoided the question.
MICHAEL Well, I suppose I’ve tried to meet men here. God! It’s so depressing. I don’t know…it’s worse than depressing…it’s so undignified and humiliating trying to meet someone interesting an exciting in these places.
MICHAEL Generally speaking, of course.
SHARON Yes, present company excluded.
PAUSE
You know, Michael, I hate the way it makes me feel…trying to meet someone. It makes me feel like…like a dog.
MICHAEL A dog?
SHARON Yes, a dong. Those poor things that on occasion get stepped on.
MICHAEL I feel quite privileged that you’re telling me this.
SHARON Quite frankly, I never thought I would; at least, not under these circumstances.
MICHAEL (Most charming) Shows you what a little trust will do.
SHARON After what I’ve been through, I’m surprised that I am able to place trust in God.
MICHAEL Well, this may sound trite…but…
SHARON Go ahead, say it.
MICHAEL …you can trust in me.
SHARON That’s nice, Michael. I would like to.
MICHAEL I’ll give you every opportunity to.
SHARON What was it you left behind, Michael?
MICHAEL What?
SHARON The thing that you loved doing so much…yet left it for security?
MICHAEL Oh?
SHARON What was it?
MICHAEL Theatre.
SHARON Theatre?
MICHAEL A career in acting.
SHARON Oh how marvelous. I bet you were a wonderful actor.
MICHAEL Fifteen years ago I was the fair-haired boy on his way to making it big.
SHARON It must have been a very exciting life.
MICHAEL My life was very rich in those days.
SHARON What was it like?
MICHAEL (With fervor) I studied for a long time. I tuned my body, my senses, my entire being…
SHARON You make it sound like you are an instrument.
MICHAEL That is exactly what I was. There was no spare time. Every minute was devoted to the art…studying other people…enhancing my senses…it was so…so…it was being so alive. You can’t imagine the feeling.
SHARON (Intensely) O, yes, I can.
THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER FOR A LONG MOMENT
MICHAEL If you could, what single thing in your life would you like to change most, Sharon?
SHARON (Without hesitation) I would like to change my marriage and my child.
MICHAEL (Mildly shocked) You’re married? You have a child?
SHARON I was married, and yes, I have a child.
MICHAEL (Righteous) Why aren’t you home with him now?
SHARON You mean her.
MICHAEL Her then.
SHARON That’s the thing I’d like to change.
MICHAEL What is?
SHARON Well…she doesn’t live with me.
MICHAEL She lives with your husband?
SHARON My ex-husband. No. She doesn’t live with him either.
MICHAEL I’m afraid I don’t understand.
SHARON It’s not as complicated as it sounds. My ex and I were married when I was seventeen, and we had Debbie almost immediately.
PAUSE
MICHAEL Then what happened?
SHARON Then things began to change. Our relationship changed. David, my ex, didn’t find me…as attractive as he had before.
MICHAEL Surely he didn’t find you unattractive?
SHE NODS
I find that hard to believe.
SHARON Believe it or not, that’s what happened.
MICHAEL Just like that?
SHARON Not quite. It didn’t happen overnight. It was gradual…I think it would have been less painful had it been a quick breakup.
MICHAEL Sharon, if you don’t want to tell me anymore…
SHARON No, that’s all right. I want you to know…I want you to know what happened; what I felt. The…it’s important to me that you know.
MICHAEL Then please go ahead.
SHARON My younger sister came often to help me with Debbie. After a while, she began spending more and more time with David and less with me and Debbie.
MICHAEL You mean your sister and David…?
SHARON In a hundred years, I never would have suspected my own sister of having a relationship with my husband. It was too incestuous to even consider. Yet…
PAUSE
It’s almost six years…and they’re still together.
MICHAEL And Debbie?
SHARON She’s with my mother. I could never ask David for help.
WITH SADNESS
The only security I can offer Debbie now is financial.
MICHAEL No wonder you seem so bitter. I mean…
SHE HOLD HER HAND UP TO SAY IT’S OKAY
You know, Sharon..
SHARON (Stopping him with a gesture) I’m frightened.
MICHAEL Me too.
SHARON I’ve just never, and I mean never met anyone…here…it has never worked out before.
MICHAEL I know.
PAUSE
Yes, I know.
SHARON You think…?
MICHAEL (Interrupting her) I’m reluctant to say this…but…there is…
BOTH …always the first time.
THEY LAUGH
SHARON I have a very good feeling, Michael, that this time, somehow, is different.
MICHAEL I feel that way too.
SHARON Michael?
MICHAEL Yes?
SHARON (Hesitant) Would you…?
MICHAEL Sharon, be sure.
SHARON I am sure.
PAUSE
Would you come home with me?
MICHAEL NOTICES THE WOMAN WHO HAS ENTERED. SHE IS 38 AND PRESENTS A STUNNING FIGURE. SHE LOOKS AROUND, SEES MICHAEL AND GOES TOWARDS HIM.
MICHAEL (Very charming) I’d be a fool not to. And that means yes. Yes, most assuredly.
THE WOMAN APPROACHES MICHAEL FROM BEHIND
ANNE Michael!
MICHAEL (As charming as always) Hello, Anne.
HE TURNS HIS BACK ON SHARON
ANNE I’ve been looking allover for you. Where have you been?
MICHAEL (With weary defiance) I’ve been here. How did the meeting go?
ANNE It went as usual…Oh yes, since I was at the office, I decided to go through Daddy’s files
MICHAEL I told you I wanted to go through those myself.
ANNE You have trouble enough running he company. You shouldn’t have to go rummaging through old files.
MICHAEL (Charming) Nevertheless, I’d like that to be my decision.
ANNE Michael, don’t make me remind you that I’m the Chairman of the Board.
MICHAEL I don’t think you’ll ever let me forget that.
ANNE Let’s not discuss business today, Michael.
MICHAEL Oh?
ANNE Have you forgotten?
MICHAEL Haven’t forgotten a thing, my dear.
ANNE We still have reservations?
MICHAEL Yes, of course
SHARON HAS BEEN LISTENING DISCREETLY AND SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING UNCOMFORTABLE
ANNE You seem to have had a few drinks.
PAUSE
Did I keep you waiting?
MICHAEL (Smiling) There is nothing to be concerned about. I’ve been keeping myself amused.
SHARON TENSES
SHARON (To herself) You son-of-a-bitch!
ANNE It would be best if you didn’t drink any more. There will be people there, after all.
MICHAEL (Controlling his anger) I thought we were going to dine alone. Christ! It’s our anniversary.
ANNE (Patronizing him) Now, now, Michael.
SHARON’S IS EXTREMELY TENSE AS SHE FIGHTS TO HOLD BACK HER TEARS
MICHAEL Okay, Anne, okay, let’s go.
THEY GET UP TO GO. MICHAEL TURNS TO SHARON, SMILES, P;OINTS HIS FINGER AT HER.
Bang!
ANNE Michael! Are you coming?
SHE GRABS HIS ARM. A TEAR RUNS DOWN SHARON’S CHEEK AS MICHAEL AND ANNE EXIT. SHARON SMILES, TAKES A WALLET FROM HER POCKET. IT IS MICHAEL HARTLEN’S WALLET. SHARON OPENS THE WALLET. IT IS FILLED WITH CREDIT CARDS AND CASH. SHARON COOLY PEELS OFF A HUNDRD DOLLAR BILL AND HANDS IT TO THE BARTENDER WHO SMILES ANDPOURS HER ANOTHER DOUBLE
BARTENDER I’ve seen you do this a hundred times, Sharon, but tonight…tonight was something else. Tonight you almost had me believing you.
LIGHTS FADE OUT |