Other Hands

Laura Wade

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781840026504
• eBook ISBN: 9781849432627
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

'I don't tingle anymore. I used to. To tingle. Everything I feel, feels like it's in my hands. Rest of me's totally….numb.' In a world of systematic, high-speed technology, some people expect to live life as efficiently as the machines they depend on... and when a machine breaks down, there is usually someone with the skills to fix it. But in an age where things that don't work and can't be mended are thrown away, what do we do with something as human and messy as love? Laura Wade's plays, Colder Than Here and Breathing Corpses played simultaneously at Soho Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre respectively, and are both published by Oberon Books. Breathing Corpses earned her the Pearson Best Play Award 2005 and she was joint winner of the 2005 George Devine Award.

SCENE 1

LYDIA’s studio flat. Late morning.

LYDIA is standing in front of the computer, looking at STEVE. He stands by the door, a motorbike helmet in his hand. The air fizzes.

LYDIA: You’ve got an hour.

STEVE: Um

LYDIA: What?

STEVE: It’s. I can’t predict how long it’s

LYDIA: How long

STEVE: I mean, it can take longer

LYDIA: Longer than an hour?

STEVE: Well, it. I don’t always know till I. Start. How long I’m going to be doing it for is all

LYDIA: Right. Well / I

STEVE: Sometimes it’s just thirty seconds or so sometimes and sometimes it’s I do try and keep it as quick as possible but

LYDIA: OK

STEVE: But it can take longer and I can’t really tell until I, you know, get down to it

LYDIA: Get down to it

STEVE: Have a go

LYDIA: You don’t think with your, your experience you should be able to predict

Because I did tell you quite clearly what I wanted on the phone

STEVE: There’s lots of

LYDIA: And you are a professional so

STEVE: I mean it just isn’t possible to

Beat.

LYDIA: I can only afford an hour.

STEVE: Right.

LYDIA: Sorry.

STEVE: No

LYDIA: I should have said on the phone

STEVE: OK

LYDIA: So

STEVE: Well let’s give it an hour and see how we go.

LYDIA: OK.

STEVE puts his helmet down and moves towards the PC.

STEVE: It’s the modem, you said

LYDIA: God, I don’t know, I mean

God knows what’s going on in there just won’t connect to the internet

STEVE: Since

LYDIA: Monday

STEVE: OK well let’s

LYDIA: I might not be using the right words, the terminology

LYDIA is still standing in front of the PC, barring STEVE’s way.

STEVE: Can I

LYDIA: Um

STEVE: Have a look?

LYDIA: Um, yeah

LYDIA starts to move away, then darts back to stand between STEVE and the computer.

Sorry

STEVE: What?

LYDIA: Sorry I just

Thing is I can’t let you start, you see, because

If you start and then we get to the end of the hour and it isn’t fixed, and you. I’m not questioning you know, but. If it isn’t fixed and you go away, or it’s worse because I don’t know, you’ve run some kind of programme on it and now it’s worse it’s made all sorts of crawlies come out of the. I mean I’m not saying you would, you know, but

I mean then I’m

Then I’m really stuck

STEVE: Yeah

LYDIA: I really need it, I

STEVE: Yeah. Yeah

LYDIA: And you, you did say that. You know, sometimes, doesn’t it, it takes more than an hour you said and I can’t afford it because

And you can’t tell, can you, with people, sometimes it’s an hour and five minutes and you get charged for the second hour, for breaking into it but I really

I mean, when I say I can’t afford it it’s not that I think it shouldn’t take longer than an hour, like I’m opposed to the idea of paying for this this service that you do, which I actually think is a great idea and you know it’s a godsend for people like me so it’s not that I don’t agree with the idea of paying more than forty pounds it’s just that

I mean I just don’t have it, I really can’t.

I’m sorry

STEVE: No, I

LYDIA: I should have said before

STEVE: No

LYDIA: ’Stead of making you come all the way over here from

STEVE: Fulham

LYDIA: Fulham. Oh, not too far

STEVE: Not too far, no

LYDIA: Quite direct on a bike I should thi

STEVE: I, um

LYDIA: I’m sorry. I really am.

Beat.

STEVE: I could

LYDIA: Yes?

STEVE: You could just pay me for the hour and I’ll. I’ll stay till it’s done.

LYDIA exhales. ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication page & Acknowledgements
• Characters
• Cast
• Contents
• Scene 1
• Scene 2
• Scene 3
• Scene 4
• Scene 5
• Scene 6
• Scene 7
• Scene 8
• Scene 9
• Scene 10
• Scene 11
• Scene 12
• Scene 13
• Scene 14