Cost of Living (TCG Edition)

Martyna Majok

• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781559369107
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama

Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2018

Winner, Edgerton New Play Prize, 2016

Winner, Jean Kennedy Smith Prize, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2016

Winner, Women's Invitational, Ashland New Plays Festival, 2016

NYTimes' Critics' Pick

Two

Early September.

It’s raining outside.

A different accessible apartment. In Jersey City, New Jersey. A largely empty one, in transition and under-loved.

A woman enters. Ani.

She is in a wheelchair. Severe incomplete spinal cord injury.

Quadriplegic. Though some of the fingers of one hand are partially functioning.

Ani is a woman whose world has not extended very far beyond North Jersey and just you try to say something to her and watch what happens. She has her own ways and she is fine with those ways and those that do not agree don’t need to stick around—as many haven’t. She can seem brusque or intense to some people. A cat that resists being pet. Until it wants to be.

Eddie enters with her, holding an umbrella over her. Then remembers the umbrella:

EDDIE

Oh shit.

Bad luck.

(Eddie closes the umbrella. Sets it aside.

Their interactions used to have ease. Eddie muscles it now.)

So this is yer new …

(He is surprised at the place. Takes it in.)

Ani.

You need to get some color in here. (The worst) This beige? No. Feel like I’m walkin into a paper bag. You could get some kinda yellow in here. Some baby blue, some yellow. Good for emotions. I read that. It’s therapy. Colors work on yer feelings. Blue’s for stress, like—relief. Red’s for passion. And yellow I dunno but it’s yellow.

Ask yer nurses. Watch. They’ll tell you. Shit’s science.

ANI

(Bone dry) I thought I’d try yoga.

Fer my emotions.

EDDIE

… Can you // do—?

ANI

NO.

EDDIE

Okay.

(He looks around for something helpful to do.)

ANI

What’re you doin // here—?

EDDIE

(Looking for tasks) OkayOkayOkay. Pillow! Got yer pillow here.

(He tries to put it somewhere behind her head or back. Sees she’s strapped in all over …)

I’ma just fluff THAT.

(… Fluffs and sets the pillow aside.)

Okay. Blanket. Just blanket you with THAT.

(He tucks a blanket around her chair.)

You lose weight?

…

I will punch myself later for that. On yer behalf.

Or—Y’know what:

(He takes her paralyzed arm.

She’s confused at what’s going on at first but has no control over it.

Oh no. Is he really doing this?

He is. He’s really doing this. She can’t believe he’s doing this.

He punches himself with her paralyzed hand.

She doesn’t look happy.

He sees her face, not looking happy.

And he awkwardly puts her hand back down by her side.)

ANI

The fuck is wrong // with you?

EDDIE

I don’t know.

ANI

Strap it back in!

EDDIE

Sorry sorry.

(He straps her wrist back on the arm of the chair.)

ANI

Flatten it out.

EDDIE

What?

ANI

My fingers, you gotta—Flatten // o...