Thin Walls

Sierra: 25ish, Pretty, but tired looking, thin, messed up hair

Ethan: 29, Blonde, skinny, sleepwear (boxers and undershirt)

It is night. Sierra walks through double doors to the balcony of her apartment, leans on the railing, facing the audience, and wipes her eyes dry with the back of her hands as she sniffles softly.

SIERRA: Now what am I supposed to do? Do I just stay here and wait for him to come back? I don’t even know where he went and if he’s coming back at all. This has to be the last time I let this happen. Day after day. It’s always the last time. He says it, I say it. (Beat.) I wonder if the neighbors can hear us. I wonder if Ethan can hear us. I hope he can’t.

Light goes on in Ethan’s room next door. He is lying on a bed, facing the opposite direction of Sierra’s room, looking at the ceiling.

ETHAN:Why can’t I sleep? Any other neighbor that heard would probably just block it out, roll over and go to sleep, worry free. Why can’t I be like them? Why does it bother me so much? I barely know the girl. God, if I had the balls, I’d give that guy a piece of my mind. I’d tell him that she deserves better than him and there’s no reason to treat any woman the way he does, especially not her. He should be lucky she stays with him, night after night, putting up with his bullshit. God knows why she does. She must love the guy.

After a slight pause, Ethan gets up and walks through his own double doors to stand on the balcony adjacent to Sierra’s.

ETHAN: Oh, hey.

SIERRA: Hi Ethan, how are you doing? Can’t sleep?

ETHAN: Yeah, I guess I’m just not tired. How about you? It looks like you’re not getting much sleep either.

SIERRA: I like the cool night air. I’m not much of a sleeper.

ETHAN: Well, I can keep you company until you get tired, if you want.

SIERRA: We can keep each other company.

ETHAN: Sounds good. It’s nice out tonight. I like the fall.

SIERRA: So do I. It’s my favorite season. The beginning of fall always smells so good, so fresh. Even now, it smells like something… I don’t know, familiar. Like a memory. Do you ever get that? Maybe I’m not making sense.

ETHAN: No, I know what you’re talking about. Sometimes when I’m walking down the hallway to the office, I always smell something that reminds me of my childhood. It’s hard to place, but I always think of my Grandma’s neighbor’s house, where we would go when she had to go get tests done. Anyways, it’s the only thing I like about work.

SIERRA: I miss childhood.

ETHAN: Yeah. Nothing to ever worry about, huh?

SIERRA: That would be nice.

ETHAN: Someone like you shouldn’t have to worry. I mean, no one should have to.

SIERRA: But I do.

ETHAN: That’s too bad. (Beat.) So why do you do it?

SIERRA: Do what?

ETHAN: Stay. With him, I mean.

SIERRA: Brad? I don’t know. He’s a good guy. And he means well. He has things to worry about too. We’re adults, Ethan. Things get serious when you grow up.

ETHAN: There’s no excuse. Being an adult doesn’t mean…

SIERRA: I love him. Is that a good enough reason?

ETHAN: You do?

SIERRA: Of course I do. And this isn’t your place. I think you should just leave me alone. I don’t need someone to keep me company.

ETHAN: Sierra, I’m sorry. I just… it’s because I care.

SIERRA: Why do you care? You shouldn’t care. I have someone to do that for me already. It’s not your place to care.

ETHAN: Well, where is he now? If he cares, wouldn’t he be here to keep you company when you can’t sleep?

SIERRA: I don’t need anyone to keep me company. If I did, he would be here.

They are both silent

SIERRA: I don’t know where he is.

ETHAN: I’m sure he’ll be back soon, wherever he is. I mean, he’s got you to come home to right?

SIERRA: That’s nice of you to say, Ethan, but I don’t know if he particularly wants to see me right now. To come home to me. Sometimes when he leaves like this, late at night, he doesn’t come back till morning, sometimes a couple days later. It gives me plenty of time to think. Like, about what he’s doing. Who he’s doing.

ETHAN: He would be a madman to want to cheat on you.

SIERRA: Ethan…

ETHAN: I’m serious. I just wanted to say that. You won’t hear another word.

SIERRA: No, it’s… fine. It was a nice thing to say. Just unexpected.

ETHAN: Oh.

Ethan catches her smiling at him and quickly looks away.

SIERRA: Why don’t we ever talk like this, Ethan? The only times we ever see each other are when we get to the elevator at the same time, or when we pass each other in the hall. I like talking to you, that’s all I’m saying. My friends aren’t the “talking” type.

ETHAN: Yeah, I know what you mean. I don’t have many friends myself. Working all day with people I don’t like, never meeting anyone else. We should use these balconies more often.

SIERRA: There’s no reason not to.

ETHAN: Right. (Beat.) So, I’m sorry, I don’t even know what you do for a living, Sierra.

SIERRA: Well, nothing right now. I was waitressing at a Buffalo Wild Wings downtown, but I didn’t show up a couple of times and… you know, they fire you for that.

ETHAN: I guess so. I should try that. Not showing up. Maybe that’ll release me from my imprisonment at ReMerica. God, I hate that name. ReMerica. I don’t even like this country and I’m working for a company named after it. Where did my life go wrong?

SIERRA: I guess I could be asking myself that same question.

ETHAN: Sorry.

SIERRA: No, don’t be. (Beat.) Tell me something. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Ethan is silent

SIERRA: Are you ok?

ETHAN: Yeah.

SIERRA: So are you going to answer the question?

ETHAN: I would have you.

SIERRA: What?

ETHAN: If I were to change one thing about my life, I would give your boyfriend a piece of my mind and I would… have you. But, I mean, these things are always hypothetical, they never actually happen.

SIERRA: (Beat.) Or… you never make them happen.

ETHAN: Sometimes you can’t always change what you want to.

SIERRA: I know.

ETHAN: The stars look pretty tonight.

SIERRA: What guy ever notices that? You are so strange, Ethan.

ETHAN: I know. I like it that way. I may not get all the ladies, but at least I am me.

SIERRA: That’s good. But ladies would be nice too.

ETHAN: Yes they would.

SIERRA: Sometimes I don’t really know myself. Like, who I am and all that bullshit.

ETHAN: You should find out.

SIERRA: There’s never any time.

ETHAN: There’s always time for yourself. Make time.

SIERRA: I guess there’s always now. Right now, out here, with you.

ETHAN: There’s that.

SIERRA: Yes.

ETHAN: So?

SIERRA: So what?

ETHAN: So here we are. Let’s find out who you are. Who are you, Sierra?

SIERRA: Well, first of all, my full name is Sierra Valerie Lambourne.

ETHAN: Keep going.

SIERRA: That’s all I got.

ETHAN: It’s a good start. Tell me about your family.

SIERRA: I had a mom and a dad and a sister. My dad’s dead from lung cancer, and my mom lives in a house in Colorado. My sister graduated from Princeton and is now a professor of Engineering at Northwestern. I had a dog named Trigger and when I was six, we would roll around in the leaves that my dad had raked up. He would get mad, but always eventually joined in. Trigger’s dead now. That was a lifetime ago.

ETHAN: I’m sorry about your dad. And Trigger.

SIERRA: That’s what you get for smoking two and a half packs a day. I do miss him though. He was always the one I could call in a crisis. My mom and sister never really… they... I don’t know. And Trigger, well… Like I said, it was a long time ago.

ETHAN: And that means it doesn’t hurt?

SIERRA: Time passes and things hurt less. You miss people less.

ETHAN: I miss my family.

SIERRA: Why don’t you go visit them?

ETHAN: (uncomfortable) Because, they disowned me. Ten years ago.

SIERRA: What? Why?

ETHAN: Umm…

SIERRA: Oh, do you not want to talk about it?

ETHAN: No, it’s fine. It’s just been a while since I have talked about it.

SIERRA: So maybe you should.

ETHAN: It was a girl.

SIERRA: Your parents disowned you over a girl?

ETHAN: Yes. My parents were always supportive of me in every way and when I got a gig playing sax in a jazz club, they were so proud. All they had ever wanted for me was to succeed. Then I met this girl. She was Indian and she was beautiful. We fell in love and when my parents met her, they acted very nice and polite, but as soon as she left, they screamed at me to get rid of her. I couldn’t take their harsh words one more day, so I told them I broke it off with her. Soon after, I took all my savings and bought her the most perfect ring I could find. When my parents found out we were engaged and I had spent all my money on her, they kicked me out. I think they had hoped this would wake me up and I would change my mind about her, but it didn’t work. When they heard we had married and moved to Vegas, they were done, and told me as much. They never admitted that the reason they didn’t like her was her race, but I know it was. They couldn’t get past it, and still, even now, they haven’t forgotten. I haven’t heard from them in over ten years. Not even on my birthday. I just know it, the next time I go home to visit will be the day one of them dies.

SIERRA: That’s so sad. Intolerance…

ETHAN: Yeah. I try not to think about it too much.

SIERRA: What happened to the girl?

ETHAN: We lasted two weeks. One day I came home and she wasn’t there. I heard from a friend that she had been cheating on me and was going to sell the ring. It took me a long time to get over her, mostly because I couldn’t believe she would do such a thing. Maybe my parents saw through her the whole time. Maybe not. Either way, I shoulda listened.

SIERRA: Wow. You lost your family, and the girl.

ETHAN: I sure did.

SIERRA: (Beat.) I didn’t know you played the saxophone.

ETHAN: I haven’t in a while. It’s buried somewhere in my closet. Maybe I’ll start again someday. It was really the only time in my life that I was happy. Happy with my job at least. I’ve heard you practicing your cello sometimes during the day. I like hearing you play.

SIERRA: You can hear everything through these walls, can’t you? Yeah, I like to play too, but Brad doesn’t always like to hear it. He says the screeching hurts his eardrums.

ETHAN: I don’t think you screech. I think you play beautifully. Sometimes I just listen and it puts me right to sleep.

SIERRA: So you’re saying I don’t captivate your attention? You can’t even listen to me play one piece without falling asleep! (Laughs).

ETHAN: No, no, no! I just meant, that it is peaceful, that’s all.

SIERRA: Yeah, yeah. Say what you want, you just dug yourself into a hole.

ETHAN: I guess I did. (Beat.) Getting tired yet?

SIERRA: Nope, you?

ETHAN: Nope.

SIERRA: So, since the girl…

ETHAN: Monica.

SIERRA: Since Monica, has there been anyone else?

ETHAN: No one.

SIERRA: You must be lonely.

ETHAN: Not when I’m talking to you.

SIERRA: We don’t talk much.

ETHAN: We’re talking now. And I’m not lonely now.

SIERRA: Me neither.

ETHAN: Good.

SIERRA: (Beat.) Do you…

ETHAN: Yes?

SIERRA: Do you sometimes get lonely, even when you’re with someone? Even when you’re in love?

ETHAN: With Monica, I was never lonely. Maybe that’s because I was blind.

SIERRA: Do you think I’m blind?

ETHAN: Slightly nearsighted.

SIERRA: (laughs) Maybe I am, but maybe I am seeing exactly what’s there. Maybe other people perceive only what is on the surface and that is why they can’t understand why I stay. The reason I stay is because I can see more than everyone else can, I can see beneath the violence and anger.

ETHAN: If there is anything beneath, it can’t be anything good. How can violence come from love?

SIERRA: See, you don’t understand. It’s the same with you and Monica. Did her leaving you come from love? Who knows, but was the love that you felt for her real? Was there something between you two that transcended everything, made you ignore what other people said, what your family said? Even if it was only for two weeks, even if it was only in your head, it existed.

Ethan is silent.

SIERRA: So, maybe I am doing the right thing, sticking this out, taking him back every time.

ETHAN: Maybe.

SIERRA: You don’t agree. I know. See, this is what I do; I have all this time to think, so I convince myself that he loves me, that things will be different. Sometimes I convince myself of the opposite though, that when he comes back, I will kick his ass out, and tell him I don’t have to take it anymore. For some reason it’s easier to convince myself of the former.

ETHAN: You can’t always take the easy path.

SIERRA: I know. But it’s been working so far.

ETHAN: Has it?

SIERRA: I’m alive, aren’t I?

ETHAN: Is that all you want out of life? To “be alive?”

SIERRA: Living is good. Breathing. That’s pretty much all anyone needs.

ETHAN: Don’t forget food and water.

SIERRA: Right.

ETHAN: Speaking of drinking, hold on one second. Wait right here.

Ethan runs into his dark apartment and comes outside again, with a bottle of rum and two shot glasses.

ETHAN: It’s all I got, but it tastes pretty good. I think we could both use a drink.

He pours them both shots, hands Sierra’s over to her and raises his glass.

ETHAN: Cheers.

SIERRA: To… to what?

ETHAN: To the stars and fall and childhood… and Trigger.

SIERRA: And having nothing to worry about.

ETHAN: May it someday happen for the both of us.

They drink.

SIERRA: This does taste good. I gotta be careful with this stuff. My dad was an alcoholic.

ETHAN: I’m sorry, I didn’t know.

SIERRA: Stop apologizing. I can make my own decisions. But thank you for your concern. Now gimme another one of those.

ETHAN: Alright, if you say so.

They drink again and when they finish they both look up at the stars.

ETHAN: Hey, I’ve been thinking about this lately. Do you ever have a hard time being able to tell the difference between the mundane and the important? I don’t know if it’s just me having a really boring and routine life, but I never seem to notice anything meaningful happen.

SIERRA: I know what you mean.

ETHAN: I wanna feel like, damn, this right here, this matters.

SIERRA: This matters.

ETHAN: Really? You think so?

SIERRA: Friendship is one of the most important things in life, I believe.

ETHAN: Yeah. Friendship. You’re right. This does matter. All we’re doing is standing here, drinking cheap liquor, looking at the stars, and this is the most important thing that has happened to me in a long time. That’s crazy.

SIERRA: You are a good man, Ethan.

ETHAN: Thanks. (awkwardly) You’re a good woman.

SIERRA: Do you remember your answer to that question I asked you? What is one thing would you change about your life?

ETHAN: Yeah. I remember.

SIERRA: Would you really do it, if you could?

ETHAN: It’s not my place.

SIERRA: Right.

ETHAN: (Beat.) But if there was any way, and I would feel right about doing it, I would. Know that.

SIERRA: (Beat.) You’re a good man.

ETHAN: You already said that.

SIERRA: Oh yeah. Well, I meant it. Know that.

ETHAN: What would you change?

SIERRA: I would make our balconies adjoining.

ETHAN: Good idea. Or we could just go for coffee.

SIERRA: That too. We’re not going to go for coffee though, are we?

ETHAN: It’s not my place. But whenever you need company…

SIERRA: You’ll be awake.

ETHAN: And we’ll drink and talk and look at the stars.

SIERRA: Things will work out.

ETHAN: You’ll be happy, eventually. You will. You deserve it.

SIERRA: What about you? You should date or something.

ETHAN: I don’t want to.

SIERRA: What do you want to do?

Ethan says nothing. He looks away from Sierra and towards the stars. Soon after, she does the same. A slight pause, then Ethan raises his glass to her, nods his head, then enters his apartment and we see him get into bed. He rolls over to face away from the audience and the light goes out on him. Sierra walks into her apartment soon after and we see her pick up a cello that is sitting by her bed. The light goes out on her and the stage is completely dark as we hear fading sounds of a cello playing part of the Elgar Cello Concerto.

13