RICARDO. Did you love him?
CANDACE. Not as much as I love her. She and I were best friends. For as long as I can remember. She’s always been there for me.
RICARDO. And now?
CANDACE. There’s no one here but you and me and you’re a complete stranger to me.
RICARDO. Maybe it’s safer that way. I’m pretty messed up right now.
CANDACE. You seem all right. (Beat.) So, do you love him?
RICARDO. Who?
CANDACE. The guy you left waiting at the bus station. Your best friend.
RICARDO. (With a shrug:) I don’t know how.
CANDACE. That’s the worst kind of love. Feeling it but not knowing how to express it. It makes you crazy.
RICARDO. Are you crazy?
CANDACE. Definitely.
RICARDO. It’s a shame we didn’t meet under better circumstances.
CANDACE. We probably would’ve been best friends.
RICARDO. What are your plans now? I’m assuming the wedding’s been called off.
CANDACE. Everything’s been cancelled. Going someplace else and starting all over seems very appealing right now. What about you?
RICARDO. Miami sounds nice.
CANDACE. It does. I’ve never been there.
RICARDO. Hey, are you allowed to eat now?
CANDACE. I’m starving. (Beat.) And I’m single. Know any cute guys?
RICARDO. Just me. (Beat.) Chocolate ice cream?
CANDACE. Do you have any whipped cream?
RICARDO. Sorry, no. Rosie liked nitrous oxide. She drained all the bottles last weekend.
CANDACE. I’ll settle for the ice cream. (He starts to exit. She stops him.) Hey. I guess Kimberly isn’t showing up.
RICARDO. No, she probably had better places to go. (Beat.) For the record?
CANDACE. Yes?
RICARDO. I do love him.
CANDACE. I know. I can tell. When you talk about him, I can see it in your eyes.
RICARDO. You don’t think it’s wrong?
CANDACE. For two people to love each other? (Ricardo nods.) Who am I to judge? (Beat.) Can you hurry with the ice cream? I think I’m due for a panic attack. (Ricardo exits. Candace sits at a table, furthest from the main entrance.)
DEREK. (He enters from the main entrance, carrying his backpack. He stops at the sight of Candace.) Wow. You look like an angel.
CANDACE. (She sees him for the first time.) That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day.
DEREK. You have a pretty smile.
CANDACE. So do you.
DEREK. Is Ricardo here?
CANDACE. Who?
DEREK. You’re not from here, are you?
CANDACE. No. I’m from — I used to live in Chicago.
DEREK. Ricardo works here.
CANDACE. Oh, are you his best friend?
DEREK. Did he tell you that?
CANDACE. As a matter of fact, he did. You’ve been waiting for him at the bus station.
DEREK. What else did he tell you?
CANDACE. I shouldn’t say this, but he told me that he loves—
RICARDO. (He enters from the kitchen.) Bad news. (He notices that Derek has arrived.) We’re all out of ice cream.
DEREK. I waited for you, Ricardo. Just like I said I would.
RICARDO. Derek, I’m sorry.
DEREK. You promised me.
RICARDO. I should’ve met you at ten-thirty.
DEREK. Do you have the map?
RICARDO. It’s in my bag.
DEREK. I never thought my sister would die. I thought she would live forever.
RICARDO. The sheriff said it was only one shot.
DEREK. At least it wasn’t from her own gun. She had it to protect herself but she won’t need anything to protect her now.
RICARDO. Neither will my sister, Derek. I said good bye to her tonight.
DEREK. The bus came and went, Ricardo. We’re still here. You changed your mind because you don’t love me.
RICARDO. That isn’t true.
DEREK. I waited for you for so long. (Beat.) I’m cold.
RICARDO. Let me get you my jacket. (He starts towards the kitchen.)
DEREK. (He opens his backpack and pulls out a handgun. He moves towards the door to the restroom.) Don’t worry about it, Ricardo. I won’t be needing nothing else from you. (Quick beat.) I love you.
(Derek moves to enter the bathroom, but Candace tries to intervene by blocking his path. Derek shoves her out of the way and she falls to the floor. She scrambles to catch him, reaching for his pant leg and screaming for Ricardo to help her. Derek slips into the bathroom and locks the door.)
RICARDO. (He rushes to the bathroom door. Candace crawls to get out of his way. Ricardo tries desperately to get the door open.) Derek. Derek, open the door.
CANDACE. Derek, please! (To Ricardo:) He has a gun.
RICARDO. Derek, listen to me. Are you listening? I love you. I love you so much. I’m sorry I didn’t meet you. I got scared. Sometimes it makes me crazy. It makes me feel bad because I don’t know what to do with it all. Please, Derek. Let’s go. We can go right now.
CANDACE. (She goes to the counter for the telephone. As she picks up the phone, she knocks over a container of sugar packets and they spill down the front of her dress and on the floor around her. She starts to dial the phone, frantically.) Keep talking to him. I’m getting help. (Into the phone:) Hello? Hello, is anybody there?!
RICARDO. (Terrified:) Derek, open this fucking door right now! Do you hear me?! We’re getting out of here tonight and we are never coming back. I swear to you, we are leaving. We’re going to Miami at midnight. (From inside of the bathroom, a single gunshot is heard and the noise echoes through the diner, piercing the air. Horrified, Candace drops the phone and begins to cry. Ricardo is overwhelmed with emotion.) We’re going to Miami!
(Ricardo stays at the door for a moment. Finally, he moves away from it slowly. He turns to Candace, who is motionless behind the counter. As Ricardo kneels to the floor, Candace discovers the bus tickets to Miami on the counter. She picks them up and holds them tightly. She rushes to Ricardo, kneeling beside him. Sobbing, Ricardo moves to her. She wraps her arms around him and holds him, cradling him while he weeps. She glances nervously at the door to the restroom, looks down at Ricardo, at the bus tickets and then towards the main entrance of the diner.
Lights slowly fade to black.)
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
David-Matthew Barnes is the bestselling author of ten novels, including the young adult novels Fifty Yards and Holding, The Marijuana Mermaids, Mesmerized, Swimming to Chicago, and Wonderland. He is also the author of Boys Like Me, a collection of short stories, and Roadside Attractions and Souvenir Boys, two collections of poetry. He has written over forty stage plays that have been performed in three languages in eight countries. He is the writer and director of the feature film Frozen Stars and the dramatic short film Threnody. His literary work has been featured in over one hundred publications including The Best Stage Scenes, The Best Men’s Stage Monologues, The Best Women’s Stage Monologues, The Comstock Review, and The Southeast Review. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.davidmatthewbarnes.com.