The Distance

Deborah Bruce

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781780015163
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

A painfully funny play about motherhood (andfatherhood), about keeping control, and about letting go.

Good friends should be there for one another – nomatter what. But when Bea returns home after five years abroad, having made a bold choice about herlife, old friends struggle to support her, or even tounderstand. One night in Brighton, things threaten to slide into chaos...

Deborah Bruce's play The Distance was premiered at the Orange Tree Theatre, London, in October 2014. It was a finalist for the 2012-13 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Scene One

A blank functional hotel room.

A MAN sits on the edge of the bed.

BEA stands near the door.

There is luggage on the floor.

BEA. I’ve changed my mind.

MAN. Okay. That’s a shame.

BEA. I’m sorry.

MAN. It’s okay. Have I done something wrong?

BEA. No, not at all. It just feels, different, in this small room. Being alone with you.

MAN. Of course, I understand.

BEA. It’s not you. I’m sure you’re very nice.

MAN. I’m quite nice.

BEA. I know you’re not going to murder me or anything!

MAN. I’m pretty sure I won’t.

BEA. I.

MAN. I mean I’ve never murdered anyone before –

BEA. No, it’s just –

MAN. Of course, it could be that all first-time murderers think that.

BEA. I really don’t think you’re going to murder me.

MAN. Good. Well, I trust you. (Pause.) Look. It’s fine. Let’s go back to how we were. That seemed to be working well.

BEA. No you take the room –

MAN. We can go back to those hard seats in the departure lounge and maybe grab another coffee from that machine. It’s only, what, seven hours till check-in. The time will fly by. You can entertain me by juggling some small milks.

BEA. I’m sorry. You think I’ve led you on.

MAN. No, I don’t think that. I’m only joking. We’re in a room. There’s a bed in it. We’re both tired after the flight, we should sleep. We’ve ruled out the murder thing.

BEA. I find. I feel that I’ve made a mistake.

MAN. No mistake.

BEA. I feel unsafe. And –

MAN. Okay. You are not unsafe. Baffling you with double negatives there. You are safe with me.

BEA. I feel lost.

MAN. You are tired.

BEA. I don’t know where I am.

MAN. It’s disorientating. We’re halfway between two solid places. You are, literally, in Kuala Lumpur. I know you know that. It’s kind of meaningless. Look. You are in a room with a very reliable, trustworthy guy. I’m an architect. I play tennis. I’m the oldest child in a large family, I am the very embodiment of responsibility. You are entirely safe here.

BEA. Sorry.

MAN. Look. Let’s. I’ll go and get another room. How about that?

BEA. No.

MAN. I’ll go and get another room, maybe just down the corridor, maybe the one next door is free. I could dump my bags in it and then maybe we could just chat. In your room. Or you could come to mine? It was really nice talking to you before. We were getting on quite well, weren’t we?

BEA. Yes.

MAN. Okay. Well, shall I go and see if they have another room?

BEA. The queue was quite long.

MAN. It might have gone down by now.

BEA. It was really long behind us.

MAN. I don’t expect anything. I just liked you.

BEA. Don’t you like me any more?

MAN. No, I’ve gone off you now. No, I’m joking. Of course I like you. (Pause.) Come here.

BEA moves into the room a bit.

BEA. The nearer I get to you, the more like a stranger you seem.

MAN. Okay.

BEA. It felt different on the plane, and in arrivals. With lots of people about. But now there’s no one else here.

MAN. Shall I go and see if some of them would mind popping back?

Pause. BEA stands in the room.

BEA. I feel like I’m a stranger. In a room with a stranger.

MAN. Okay. Is that a bad thing?

BEA. No.

MAN. We strangers are famous for our particular brand of kindness. It is often remarked upon, in fact. Shall we stick with it and see how it goes?

BEA. Okay.

MAN. Okay.

BEA moves to MAN and sits beside him on the bed.

Hello, stranger.

Blackout.

Scene Two

Large sitting room in KATE and DEWI’s house, just outside Brighton.

Early evening.

BEA sits in the middle of the sofa motionless, still in her coat, with a glass of water. As if in some sort of shock.

ALEX sits on the arm of a chair.

DEWI hovers in the doorway. He has a muslin over his shoulder.

KATE stands in the centre of the room. The air is thick with some horror.

KATE. We are all here. We are here for you, Bea. We want to do everything, and anything we can to help you get, Nat’s so sorry she can’t be here. She’s gutted. Totally. Isn’t she, Alex?

ALEX. Yes.

KATE. She’s emailed through a whole load of paperwork, about custody laws, and Family Law Something. Have you got the printouts please, Dewi?

DEWI. They’re on the kitchen table.

KATE. It’s all printed out, we can call Nat if we need to, she’s at the end of the phone. It was just that Pete had said he could have the kids, and then at the last minute there was a meeting he had to, he wasn’t going to be back in time. Pete let Nat down basically. She ended up having to pick Connie up from karate, and taking Billy to his rehearsal for a dance show for Harriet Harman. At the same time as doing some other complicated. And Pete had said he could do it but at the last minute. And so, she really wanted to be here, she’s going to phone later, she’s emailed the custody. Laws.

Bea, do not worry. We are going to sort this out.

BEA. I’m fine.

KATE. Aren’t we, Alex?

ALEX. We are going to absolutely.

KATE. We are going to get your boys back. (Starts to cry.) And Dewi’s made a lasagne!

DEWI. Yup.

KATE. And you can just relax, we’ll wrap you in a blanket and we will look after you. We are going to look after you, Bea. This is going to get sorted.

ALEX. Jesus Christ. This is so awful.

KATE. We are here. We are your friends and we are here.

Silence. KATE and ALEX look at each other. DEWI comes into the room.

ALEX suddenly moves towards BEA and sits beside her on the sofa and puts her arms around her.

That’s it. Come on. Why don’t you take your coat off, Bea?

ALEX. Do you want to take your coat off?

KATE. And your shoes. Take your shoes off, Bea.

ALEX starts to take BEA’s coat off. KATE moves forward and takes off her shoes.

BEA. Thanks.

KATE (to DEWI). Get my slipper socks and the bottle of fizzy water.

DEWI goes.

(Calling after him.) And the printouts.

That’s better.

ALEX stands and hands the coat to KATE who folds it carefully and unnecessarily. They look at BEA.

ALEX. God, you’ve lost weight.

BEA. Have I?

KATE. Yes you have.

ALEX. You are so skinny.

BEA. I don’t think I have –

KATE. We are going to fatten you up.

...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Original Production
• Characters
• The Distance
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information