THE RUNAWAY

A young woman constantly on the run, has finally been found.’

By: Sheila Alvarez

[A young woman sits on a bench]

[NARRATOR stands off to the side of the stage]

NARRATOR: Each day a young woman sits on a bench in a large park

everyday. She sits and waits. One day a young man sits beside her.

[NARRATOR holds a Time Placard to signal the passage of time. “Day 1”]

YOUNG MAN: Hello there!

YOUNG WOMAN: Hello.

[NARRATOR holds a Time Placard to signal the passage of time.“Day 2”.]

YOUNG MAN: Hello.

YOUNG WOMAN: Hello.

[A beat of silence]

YOUNG MAN: What’s your name?

YOUNG WOMAN: What’s yours?
YOUNG MAN: You’ll find mine out one day.
YOUNG WOMAN: Then you’ll find out mine someday as well.
YOUNG MAN: I’ll let you in on a secret. I already know your name.
YOUNG WOMAN: Then why did you ask?
YOUNG MAN: I was hoping you would tell me.

[NARRATOR holds a Time Placard to signal the passage of time. “1

Month”.]

NARRATOR:A month goes by of the pair meeting at the same bench.

[Lighting signals time passing.]

NARRATOR: They talk endlessly of the YOUNG WOMAN’S life. Never once
does the YOUNG MAN speak of himself. One day the YOUNG WOMAN decides to
sit somewhere different. Prompting the YOUNG MAN to look for her.

YOUNG MAN: I found you. I spent an hour searching for you.

YOUNG WOMAN: Oh? And why would you do that?

YOUNG MAN: You have evaded me for a long time, so I came looking for
you.
YOUNG WOMAN: I don’t even know you. Each time we talk, we talk about
me, but never about you. So I ask again, how could I have evaded
someone I do not know?
YOUNG MAN: You will find out soon enough
YOUNG WOMAN: It’s been a month and you still so cryptic
YOUNG MAN: It’s part of the job description
YOUNG WOMAN: What job?
YOUNG MAN: Can’t tell you that
YOUNG WOMAN: Why not?
YOUNG MAN: You will run when you find out.
YOUNG WOMAN: What can you tell me?
YOUNG MAN: I can tell you that we have met before, but you keep
running.
YOUNG WOMAN: I think I would recognize you.
YOUNG MAN: The thing about me is when people meet me, they wish they
hadn’t. Some are happy to see me, but many try to run.
YOUNG WOMAN: Say I do know you. Why do I keep running?
YOUNG MAN: Because once I catch you, there is no going back.
YOUNG WOMAN: But haven’t you caught me?
YOUNG MAN: No, I have simply found you.
YOUNG WOMAN: That doesn’t make sense
YOUNG MAN: It's not supposed to make sense.

[YOUNG MAN looks at his watch.]

YOUNG MAN: I should go.

YOUNG WOMAN: Why?
YOUNG MAN: Well aren’t you full of questions. If you must know, I am a
businessman of sorts. Keeps me busy 365 days a year.
YOUNG WOMAN: What kind of businessman?
YOUNG MAN: Hmm. There is no way to explain what I do without giving
myself away. You could say I “sell” a relief from life.
YOUNG WOMAN: You sell vacations?
YOUNG MAN: (laughs) I suppose.

[YOUNG MAN exits]

NARRATOR: The young man’s response unsettles the YOUNG WOMAN, but she
is unsure why.
YOUNG WOMAN: He is so infuriating. I wish he would just tell me who he
is. He seems so familiar, but I cannot place him among any of my
friends or family. A schoolmate? No. A past lover? No. I know nothing
of this man. Perhaps he has simply gone mad. Or maybe, I should ask
around if anyone knows him.

[The YOUNG WOMAN approaches a vendor who occupies a space by her bench]

YOUNG WOMAN: Excuse me?

VENDOR: Yes?
YOUNG WOMAN: The man who sits with me everyday, do you know who he is?
VENDOR: Yes, I do know who he is.
YOUNG WOMAN: You do!? Could you tell me who he is.
VENDOR: He is someone who has helped me find peace.
YOUNG WOMAN: That does not tell me who he is.
VENDOR: That is all I can say to you.
YOUNG WOMAN: Why?
VENDOR:His identity is something you have to find out for yourself and
the sooner you figure it out, the sooner you will be at peace.
YOUNG WOMAN: I- What?

[Vendor exits with his cart]

YOUNG WOMAN: What is going on?!

NARRATOR: The young woman leaves the park more confused than before and
is now determined to figure out what the young man is. The next day the
young man and the vendor share an interesting conversation.

[YOUNG WOMAN exits. Time Lapse to the next day. Vendor renters with
YOUNG MAN]
[Enter YOUNG MAN. He approaches VENDOR. Narrator signals passing time
with a placard. “The Next Day”. Lighting cues assist in the passage of
time.]

VENDOR:She was asking for you

YOUNG MAN: Was she now?
VENDOR: She wanted to know who you are.
YOUNG MAN: Hm.
VENDOR: When are you going to tell her?
YOUNG MAN: She needs to figure it out.
VENDOR: But she doesn’t even suspect or understand anything.
YOUNG MAN: No, she doesn’t suspect anything. To her, life is as it
always was.
VENDOR: So I ask again, when will you tell her?
YOUNG MAN:I will give her hints, but she needs to realize the truth on
her own. This journey is not something I can force on her. This is a
journey she needs to take herself.
[A beat of silence]
YOUNG MAN:Come she will be here soon. I’ll buy a flower from you.
VENDOR: Very well.
[VENDOR exits and the YOUNG MAN sits at the bench waiting for the YOUNG
WOMAN. YOUNG WOMAN enters.]

YOUNG WOMAN: Hello.

[YOUNG MAN hands YOUNG WOMAN a flower]

YOUNG MAN: For you.

YOUNG WOMAN: Thank you. What’s this for?
YOUNG MAN: A gift. For your patience and for not running away again.
YOUNG WOMAN: I asked the vendor yesterday, after you had gone and he
gave me the same cryptic answers you do.
YOUNG MAN: Ahh yes, he told me about that.
YOUNG WOMAN: So are you going to tell me who you are.
YOUNG MAN: No. As I have said before, that is something you have to
figure out on your own. I can’t tell you what to do. I can help you
figure out the truth, but I cannot decide for you if you want to accept
it.
YOUNG WOMAN: Well perhaps you could give me a hint?
YOUNG MAN: No.
YOUNG WOMAN: How about a thought for a thought. I tell you something
and you tell me something?
YOUNG MAN: Hm. A thought for a thought. Alright. But you first.
YOUNG WOMAN: Very well. When you say I know you, I can feel you are not
lying, but I still cannot match your face to anything in my life.
YOUNG MAN: Hmm. I can tell you that I am not anyone you met while
living.
YOUNG WOMAN: What do you mean while “living”

[the YOUNG MAN gives her a pointed look]

YOUNG WOMAN: I know, I know. (Imitates YOUNG MAN.) “I have to figure it
out for myself.
YOUNG MAN: (Laughs) Yes. But I gave you a hint. I’ll give you another
one. What are you afraid of? And do not say something like spiders. I
mean what are you truly afraid of? When you find that answer you will
know who I am.
NARRATOR: The young woman turns away from the young man, staring off
into the distance, trying to piece together the hints the young man has
given her. Her mind races to find the truth. A gasps escapes her mouth.

[YOUNG WOMAN GASPS]

YOUNG MAN: Do you know who I am?

YOUNG WOMAN: I think so.
YOUNG MAN: Who am I

[YOUNG WOMAN shakes her head violently]

YOUNG WOMAN: Not yet.

YOUNG MAN: Why not?
YOUNG WOMAN: I don’t want it to end.
YOUNG MAN: But it’s already ended.

[The YOUNG WOMEN stays silent.]

YOUNG MAN: I’ll leave you be.

[YOUNG MAN exits]

NARRATOR: The young woman’s mind is in turmoil. She is aware of the

truth, but the instinct to run is far too great.
YOUNG WOMAN: Oh. I wish I didn’t know. Now that I know every instinct
in me is telling me to run. I’ve been running from him my whole life. I
was so afraid of it all coming to an end, that I convinced myself THIS
was my life. But it’s simply an illusion. For once I do not want to
run. I want to rest.

[YOUNG WOMAN exits.]

NARRATOR: The next day comes and the young woman sits waiting for the
young man, but he does not come. Again the next day she waits. But he
does not come. A week has gone by and the young woman begins to realize
she misses the presence of the young man. For the first time she does
not wish to run, but it seems as if he never existed.

[The VENDOR enters.]

YOUNG WOMAN: Have you seen him.

VENDOR: NO.
YOUNG WOMAN: It’s been a week and I have not seen him once. Where is
he?
VENDOR: Do you know who he is?
YOUNG WOMAN: Yes and for the first time I do not want to run. I want to
rest.
VENDOR: Then go find him. This time it’s up to you to catch him.
NARRATOR: The young woman searches for hours along the seemingly
endless park. She races around frantically, searching and scanning for
the familiar shape and face of the young man. After hours of searching,
she finally finds the YOUNG MAN and approaches him.
YOUNG MAN: I figured it was your turn to look for me.
YOUNG WOMEN: Well, I found you.
YOUNG MAN: Indeed you have. And what conclusion have you come to?
YOUNG WOMEN: I’m ready. I don’t want to run anymore.
YOUNG MAN: Then you know what to say.

[The YOUNG WOMAN nods. A smile dances on both their faces as a beat of
silence continues.]

Young Women: Hello Death.

[The YOUNG WOMEN extends her hand to the YOUNG MAN. The YOUNG MAN’s
smile grows as he reaches to shake her hand]

Young Man: Hello.

The End