Fosse: Plays Six

FIRST WOMAN

But listen

FIRST MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

No it was nothing

FIRST MAN

No

FIRST WOMAN

I am not here

somehow

quite short pause

even if I am here

FIRST MAN

You’re somewhere else

FIRST WOMAN

Yes

quite short pause

yes in a way

FIRST MAN

But you’ve been here

for so long

quite short pause

we’ve been here

for so long

FIRST WOMAN

hesitates

Yes

short pause

but that girl

she

FIRST MAN

Who do you mean

FIRST WOMAN

The girl

FIRST MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

Her

FIRST MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

The one who came alone

FIRST MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

Did you know her

FIRST MAN

No

FIRST WOMAN

You didn’t

FIRST MAN

No

Pause

FIRST WOMAN

But then

quite short pause

yes

yes why did you nod

to her then

FIRST MAN

I didn’t nod to her

FIRST WOMAN

Yes

yes you did

FIRST MAN

No

I don’t think I nodded

to her

FIRST WOMAN

You know her

She kept looking at you

FIRST MAN

Who

FIRST WOMAN

That girl

her

the one who came alone

FIRST MAN

No

FIRST WOMAN

Yes

FIRST MAN

No I didn’t know her

FIRST WOMAN

So you say

FIRST MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

But I saw it

of course

quite short pause

yes

yes that you know her

I could see it on her

FIRST MAN

How could you see it

Because I don’t know her

FIRST WOMAN

You just see things like that

Quite short pause

I saw it in the way

she looked at you

And of course you nodded to her

FIRST MAN

No

FIRST WOMAN

No

Why do you say no

FIRST MAN

Because I didn’t know her

FIRST WOMAN

Why do you say that

FIRST MAN

Why I say that

FIRST WOMAN

I could see it on her

yes in her eyes

that she knew you

FIRST MAN

You could see it

FIRST WOMAN

Yes

FIRST MAN

How can you see

things like that

FIRST WOMAN

I just did

You just do

Quite short pause

And you didn’t nod

to her

FIRST MAN

No

no I didn’t

I don’t think

I nodded to her

FIRST WOMAN

How do you know her

FIRST MAN

I don’t know her

Short pause

You mustn’t be so scared

You don’t need to be scared

FIRST WOMAN

No

And you

breaks off. Pause

SECOND WOMAN

But

quite short pause

SECOND MAN

Yes

SECOND WOMAN

continues

but

quite short pause

yes why

SECOND MAN

continues, a bit flippantly

why are we standing here

holding hands

SECOND WOMAN

Don’t you want to

hold my hand

SECOND MAN

Yes

yes I want to

yes of course

SECOND WOMAN

Why did you say that then

SECOND MAN

I just said it

SECOND WOMAN

Yes

Short pause. The Second Man lets go of her hand. Long pause

FIRST MAN

I wonder

FIRST WOMAN

Yes

FIRST MAN

Yes

Yes if this could be wrong

yes if something isn’t

what it should be

It suddenly struck me

FIRST WOMAN

That something is wrong

FIRST MAN

Yes

Short pause

FIRST WOMAN

I too think

something is wrong

FIRST MAN

I don’t know

But something is wrong

somehow

yes

quite short pause

yes something is not quite right

quite short pause

I shouldn’t be here

somehow

quite short pause

and it’s

breaks off

FIRST WOMAN

You think that

FIRST MAN

Yes

Short pause

FIRST WOMAN

We are here

We live here

We’ve been here a long time

FIRST MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

And I suppose it’s

yes neither

right nor wrong

FIRST MAN

No

FIRST WOMAN

And then it’s wrong

all the same

FIRST MAN

Perhaps

FIRST WOMAN

Yes

Pause. The Lonely Man turns to The First Man

LONELY MAN

Well once

breaks off

FIRST MAN

Yes

Pause

But

yes

quite short pause

yes do you know

yes by the way

yes if this is right

LONELY MAN

questioningly

If this is right

FIRST MAN

Yes

LONELY MAN

No

No I cannot know that

FIRST MAN

No

LONELY MAN

That’s just

how it is

FIRST MAN

Yes

yes of course

LONELY MAN

Of course

yes

FIRST WOMAN

So that’s how it is

LONELY MAN

Yes

Pause

FIRST WOMAN

And you

why are you standing there

why are you here

LONELY MAN

I’m just here

FIRST WOMAN

You’re just here

somehow

LONELY MAN

Yes

FIRST WOMAN

And why are you tricking us

LONELY MAN

I’m not tricking you

FIRST WOMAN

Yes you’re tricking us

LONELY MAN

No

no I’m not tricking anyone

FIRST WOMAN

No

You’re just standing there

quite short pause

you were just standing there

quite short pause

you’re just standing there

yes

somehow

quite short pause

yes to trick us

LONELY MAN

To trick you

quite short pause

no

no not at all

FIRST WOMAN

You trick people

do you

LONELY MAN

No

no of course not

FIRST WOMAN

For if that’s how you are

breaks off

LONELY MAN