PART ONE: BEFORE
SCENE ONE
EVELYN AND JASON
VIDEO PROJECTION: Evelyn and Jason’s internal world
Bright lines of colour, jagged and broken, emanate from around Jason and surround Evelyn. As the tension in the phone call increases, the lines become a frenzy of colour around them.
EVELYN and JASON stand at a distance apart from each other. A telephone rings for several rings before being picked up.
JASON: … Hello…
EVELYN: Hi, Jason.
JASON: Hi. Who is this?
EVELYN: It’s me…
JASON: I can’t really talk now.
EVELYN: How are you going? Have you been out and about today; it’s a really gorgeous one out there. On my lunchbreak—
JASON: I haven’t been outside.
EVELYN: Oh, okay. So… how are things going?
JASON: Okay.
EVELYN: Yeah? When I left for work—
JASON: I’m okay.
EVELYN: Did you end up going to the appointment this morning?
JASON: Well… no… they called and it got… rescheduled.
EVELYN: Rescheduled?
JASON: They had two people coming in at the same time or something like that.
EVELYN: … Right…
JASON: I’m not lying— /
EVELYN: I didn’t think / you were.
JASON: That’s actually how it happened this / time.
EVELYN: / Alright. Okay.
JASON: Jesus.
EVELYN: So… when is it now?
JASON: I don’t know, I wrote it down somewhere.
EVELYN: What are you going to do today then?
JASON: I don’t know. I’m not feeling so great.
EVELYN: How do you mean? Like sick?
JASON: No, not sick. Just all… all the same stuff as usual.
EVELYN: Right.
JASON speaks in a very small voice.
JASON: Maybe I wasn’t going to go to the appointment anyway.
EVELYN: Pardon?
JASON still speaks in a very small voice.
JASON: Maybe I wasn’t going to go…
EVELYN: Sorry, Jas, I can’t hear you.
With great effort JASON raises his voice.
JASON: You were right. I wasn’t going to go today anyway.
EVELYN: Why?
JASON: I don’t need a lecture, alright Evelyn? The last thing I need is a lecture from you, okay?
EVELYN: Please stop.
JASON: I wish you would.
EVELYN: I love you. [Pause.] Jas…?
JASON: I heard you.
EVELYN: Then say it back.
JASON: I should go.
EVELYN: Are you feeling like you might hurt yourself? [Pause.] Jason? [Pause.] Hello?
JASON: … I’m okay…
EVELYN: You’re okay?
Pause.
JASON: … Yes…
EVELYN: Yes, you’re okay?
JASON: Yes… I might…
EVELYN: You might hurt yourself?
Pause.
JASON: … Yes…
EVELYN: Suicide is something you’ve been thinking about again?
JASON: … A bit…
EVELYN: Right so do you—?
JASON: Don’t worry / about it.
EVELYN: Do you / have a plan for how you might do that?
JASON: What?
EVELYN: Do you have a plan?
JASON: Do I have a fucking plan?
EVELYN: The internet says you should just ask outright.
JASON: You fucking googled it?
EVELYN: Yes I ‘fucking googled’ it, I don’t know how to deal with this any better than you do, alright?
JASON: … Jesus…
EVELYN: So… do you have a plan for how you might kill yourself?
Pause.
JASON: Kind of…
EVELYN: What’s the plan?
JASON: I’ve got some… a few… I’ve got a bunch of rope and stuff… or… a few different things…
EVELYN: So you’ve actually got the things you would need?
JASON: … Yeah…
EVELYN: All there with you right now? [Pause.] Jason?
JASON: In front of me on the table here…
EVELYN: Okay… um… okay… that’s pretty serious. Have you hurt yourself in anyway just yet?
JASON: No… not yet.
EVELYN: I’m going to call the ambulance.
JASON: No.
EVELYN: Or the acute care team, they’ve helped you before, right?
JASON: No. I don’t want them screaming up in here and everyone seeing—
EVELYN: But, Jason—
JASON: I should never have answered the phone. I told you this...