Stage directions are in italics. Characters are in bold.

“The Sweetest Goodbye”

Carlson University post-graduation ball. The room is large with a black and white checkered floor and a large chandelier. A large crowd dances in formal attire. Large windows line the walls and outside, the sky is dark and stormy.

Enter ETHAN and LAURA.

ETHAN

Care to dance?

LAURA

Since when do you ask? I’d grown used to you pulling me into the crowd and jiggling obscenely.

ETHAN

Would you prefer I did that?

LAURA

Whispers. No.

Ethan extends his hand and they walk onto the floor. They begin to dance slowly and closely.

LAURA

Ethan… Do you think this is the end? Do you feel it?

ETHAN

Of school? Of course. You know I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. We’ve worked so hard for so long. Why? Don’t tell me you’re going to miss Professor Albury spitting into the front row whenever you mentioned Kafka.

LAURA

Short laugh. No. Of course not. But I’ll miss this.

ETHAN

Me stepping on your feet?

LAURA

The moments. Just you and me.

ETHAN

I’ll be back in two months. Europe is… much closer than you think. I’ll be back in no time.

LAURA

Sadly. That’s just the thing. I’m not sure I’ll be here when you get back.

Ethan parts from her and they stop dancing.

ETHAN

Come on.

He takes her hand and they push through the crowd to the next room, an empty classroom.

ETHAN

Angrily. Is there something you want to say?

LAURA

Sheds a tear. Ethan, where do we go from here? Honestly? I know you had to have thought of this.

ETHAN

No! Of course not! What happened to happily ever after? A house in Boston! Two kids and a dog?! Oh… I see.

He gives a small nervous smile, reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box, kneels down on one leg and takes her hand.

ETHAN

Laura, I’ve known you since we were kids. I’ve passed this from pocket to pocket, waiting for the right moment to ask you. Hell, I’ve been thinking about it since second grade, but it never occurred to me that you needed to hear it. It was just so obvious to me. I’m sorry I waited till now. I know you’ve been hinting me that you wanted to talk and the last thing I needed was to hear you give me an ultimatum. But please, for all that we’ve meant and all we have left ahead of us, marry me.

A moment of silence. Laura cries softly and looks away. He places the ring on her finger and stands up.

LAURA

Whispers. No... I can’t.

ETHAN

What?

LAURA

Louder. I can’t marry you, Ethan.

ETHAN

No I heard you. I just want to know what the hell you’re thinking.

LAURA

Ethan, you can’t just—

ETHAN

Tell me why not!

LAURA

I don’t love you.

ETHAN

That’s a lie. Tell me the truth!

LAURA

Why should I? It’s not going to change anything! I’m not marrying you. I’ve been hinting to talk because I’ve wanted to end it.

ETHAN

End it? Seriously? For how long?

Another moment of silence.

LAURA

Softly. Two months.

ETHAN

Chokes. Two months? You know the exact date? What’s his name?

LAURA

Scoffs. What?

ETHAN

What’s his name?!

LAURA

There’s no one else, Ethan. Can you just accept that I don’t love you anymore?

ETHAN

No. Because when I kissed you this morning, I felt it. I’ve always known. You love me. You still do. And I can prove it.

Ethan grabs her arms and pushes her back against the edge of an empty desk. He kisses her roughly. Laura pushes him off and storms towards the door. The door won’t open.

LAURA

Screaming. Help! The door is stuck! Someone open the door!

ETHAN

Laura, I’m sorry.

LAURA

Someone! Anyone! Please open the door!

ETHAN

No wait. Stop. Do you hear that?

LAURA

What? I don’t hear anything.

ETHAN

The music stopped.

Lightning sounds loudly. Both run to the windows. The glass shakes. A great twister comes their way.

LAURA

No. That twister should have hit the next town. I heard it this morning.

ETHAN

Oh yes. Tell that to the giant death machine coming our way. Yells and pounds on the glass. Hey! Newberry County is 20 miles that way!

Laura sighs and walks towards the desk and sits down on the floor.

ETHAN

What are you doing?

LAURA

Can’t you see the students running? They’re heading for the shelter, Ethan. No one’s coming to get us out. That door isn’t stuck. It’s probably locked.

ETHAN

So you’re just going to give up?

LAURA

Either I die now or I die in a year. I’ve made my peace.

Ethan stares at her and walks over, sits beside her on the ground against the teacher’s desk.

ETHAN

Don’t talk like that. It’ll probably turn again.

LAURA

Dear God, boy. You breathe in freakin’ rainbows or something, don’t you? Things aren’t fine.

ETHAN

It’s better than contemplating my death.

LAURA

I don’t have to contemplate anything.

ETHAN

Surprised. What?

LAURA

Whispers. It’s a brain tumor, Ethan.

Ethan chokes again, covers his mouth with his hand.

LAURA

Don’t do that. Please. I had to deal with it alone. I can’t bear to see you—

ETHAN

You found out two months ago?

Laura nods.

ETHAN

Damn it, Laura! Why didn’t you tell me?!

LAURA

For you! I wanted to break it off so you didn’t have to deal with this. You have your job lined up. You have a life ahead of you. I didn’t—

ETHAN

Did you ever think that life means nothing if you’re not there?! Slams his fist on floor.

LAURA

There’s nothing we can do now. Whatever happens today, it’s the last you’ll see of me.

ETHAN

What are you talking about? Two minutes ago, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and now you’re just disappearing?

LAURA

I’m going to a clinic. There might be some hope. There might not. You never know with these things.

ETHAN

If there’s hope, and even if there isn’t, I want to be there.

LAURA

I don’t want you there. I spent 6 hours today on hair and make-up. Another couple of days picking out this dress. Just for you. Just for tonight. Whatever happens, I want you to remember me like this.

Ethan tries to cover up tears.

ETHAN

Nah. You know what I’ll think about? Do you remember fourth grade, when we sneaked off during PE to go to the playground in the rain. You fell off the jungle gym and started laughing. I jumped off and we both landed in the mud.

LAURA

Small laugh. Yea. We got so sick we couldn’t come to school for a week.

ETHAN

Spent it talking on the phone for hours.

Laura starts to cry uncontrollably. He hugs her tightly and lets her head fall on his shoulder.

ETHAN

No baby. It doesn’t end here. I’m there till… till the end. I’ll hold your hand. I’ll wipe your tears. I’ll be on the other end of that phone every day. I’ll be there. I love you too much just to let you walk out of here.

Laura stands up and goes back to the window. The sky is clearing up and the twister seems to have missed the school completely. Lightning still sounds.

LAURA

Ethan, come here.

Ethan wipes his face on the back of his hand and walks slowly behind her. She turns around, looks up into his eyes, and puts a hand on his chest.

LAURA

I’m going to walk away today, it seems.

ETHAN

We both are.

LAURA

No, love. I walk through that door alone.

Voices sound outside. The crowd is returning to the party. A knock comes at the door.

LAURA

Increasingly tearful. You see, I’ve thought of this day for two months. This is goodbye. But I want you to know the truth, because I know how you feel about me and how you treat all those around you, with complete compassion and trust. I do love you. I’ll love you till the day I die. But you will go on long after that, and you cannot hover on my death. You have to move on. So, you will meet someone new, someone that will make you forget about me, which I completely understand. You will marry her and you will bear many children. And when the first is born, I want you to look into its little face and remember me and the life we never had. And I want you to go to my grave and tell me of your life, of all I’ve missed, and I will listen and mourn for you our lost life so you never have to bear it yourself.

ETHAN

Damn it, Laura, don’t do this.

Louder knocks come at the door.

LAURA

Oh my dear boy. Just listen! I want you to know that you are one of the most brilliant, amazing people I’ve ever met, and the time we’ve spent together, I will treasure always. I take nothing back. I only thank God that I could spend as long as I did with you, that I could share my life with. Because, you see, I can bravely face anything that comes knowing a little of me intertwined with you, that I will live on in you above all others… that a part of you will never forget me.

ETHAN

Laura…

The door is pushed in. Enter FIREMEN with axes.

LAURA

Whispers. Goodbye, Ethan.

Laura breaks from his embrace and runs out through the door, past the firemen.

FIREMAN

Are you alright?

ETHAN

I… No. I’m not. But it’ll all be alright, in the end.

----

THE END.