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Female Monologue - (2) From

TANGLED UP IN BLUE

By Brad Boesen

[Copyright by author. All rights reserved.]

**Author's note: A couple of visitors have expressed confusion over the bits of extraneous dialogue from secondary characters that I've included in my monologues. "Aren't monologues supposed to be just one person talking?" Yes. They are. The extra dialogue is included, mainly, to provide context so that the performer knows what happened just before, and what is going on during his or her speech. It is also included for completion's sake (this is how the monologue appears in the actual play). When this dialogue appears in the middle of the monologue it can usually be fairly easily ignored in performance (sometimes requiring some minor re-wording) or (my preference) the dialogue can be responded to as if the other actor were actually on stage with you. The monologue will be more dynamic and interesting that way, and the audience will still understand perfectly well what's going on. Hope that clears things up. Feel free to e-me with any other questions or comments.

                                   SHE
            Wait.  (he stops, still facing away from her.  Pause.  He
            turns to look at her.  She collapses into a chair still
            holding and looking at the swing set)  God... (pause)  Why
            couldn't you just be drunk and horny?  I could handle that. 
            If that's all it was... (pause)  ...but this... (long pause)

                                   [HE
            Well...if it helps any, I am drunk and horny.]

                                   SHE
            (laughs.  Pause)  You can't just leave.  You...  We've been
            friends too long.  You've got a key to my apartment, you
            know?  I mean, who am I going to throw things at in the
            middle of the night?  (he smiles, but remains where he is
            standing)  I need...  I need us.  You know?  I...  You keep
            me sane.  You can't just leave.

                                   [HE
            (laughs)  Jesus.  What are you like when you're not sane?]

                                   SHE
            (laughing, but serious)  You don't want to know.  Really. 
            You don't.  That's why...  I used to get to this--point...  I
            don't know, I can't explain it, but the only place I could go
            to...get away from everything was the park.  The swings.  I
            could just close my eyes and...  And it wasn't perfect, you
            know, it didn't fix everything, but it helped.  It made
            things--bearable for a while.
            And I never thought about it before, but I just realized,
            just now, when you gave me this, that when I met you I
            stopped going there.  I didn't need it anymore, I guess. 
            'Cause, now, when I start feeling crazy, I talk to you.  And
            it helps.  A lot.  It really helps.
            And I don't know why it's not more than friendship, I don't,
            but I think that if it was, if it was more than friendship,
            it wouldn't be--as good.  It wouldn't be special.  And I
            can't just stop.  I can't.  I don't want to.  Do you?
                          (pause)

                                   [HE
            No.  I don't.]
                          (pause)

                                   SHE
            Let me make some coffee or something, we'll...  Just don't go
            yet.  I'll make some coffee, and we'll figure this out. 
            (pause)  OK?


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