(A man sits on a bench in a park looking through an old photo album. He is in his mid 30s, wearing a business suit, glasses, and a baseball cap. It’s cold outside. He has a scarf around this neck and fingerless gloves. Each time he turns a page, he blows on his fingers to keep them warm. Each time her turns a page, he has some reaction to the photos that he sees. After 5 page turns, a woman enters. She is also in her mid 30s, dressed more casually but also more appropriately for the weather. She stops short of the bench and looks at the man for a moment.)
WOMAN (softly)
Steve?
(The man doesn’t hear her.)
WOMAN (with more volume)
Steve?
STEVE (without looking up, turning another page, having a reaction)
Yes?
WOMAN
What are you looking at?
STEVE
What does it look like I’m looking at, Julia?
JULIA
Well, I can see that it’s a photo album but that’s not what I meant.
STEVE
Then what did you mean?
(Julia is kind of already out of patience with this, but she re-sets herself and tries again.)
JULIA
I was wondering what you were looking at in the photo album, Steve.
(Steve pauses a moment. Turns a page. Has a reaction. Looks up at Julia for the first time.)
STEVE
Pictures.
(Steve goes back to the photo album.)
JULIA
Oh my God. Yes, Steve, you’re looking at pictures in a book marked “Album!” WHAT A CONCEPT!
STEVE
There’s no reason to yell, Julia.
JULIA
I'M JUST TRYING TO--
STEVE
If you don't stop yelling, someone will call the police.
JULIA
Ahhhh. What are you doing out here?
STEVE
I'm looking at pictures.
JULIA
I know you’re looking at pictures! I know that. I can assume that from just watching you and—
STEVE
You should never assume anything. It makes an ass out of / you
JULIA
Oh, for / Christ's sake
STEVE
And me.
(Steve looks up at Julia, smiles, and goes back to the album. Julia goes to speak again, opens her mouth, nothing comes out, she shakes her head, looks at him one more time, and turns to walk away. As she does, Steve turns the page, looks at the photo, gasps, and puts his hand to his mouth in surprise.)
STEVE
Look at this! It’s our fifth birthday party!
(Julia stops in her tracks. Without turning around she addresses him.)
JULIA
Why do you have that album?
STEVE
I just picked it up off of the shelf next to Dad’s desk, and I walked out here to the park to look at the pictures.
JULIA
It’s freezing out here, and you’re not dressed for it. Why didn’t you just stay in the house and look at the pictures?
STEVE
There’s no peace in that house.
JULIA
We're the only one's there. How can there not be peace?
STEVE
The energy’s bad in there.
JULIA
What?
STEVE
The energy’s bad. In that house. I can’t concentrate in there even now that it’s empty.
JULIA
What are you talking about? It's not empty, and it’s quieter than it’s ever been.
STEVE
It’s not quiet, Julia. It’ll never be quiet.
JULIA
What do you mean?
STEVE
Look at this picture! (tries to show her the album, but she turns away) What? It’s of you and your best friend Emily at our birthday party.
JULIA
I don’t want to see that.
STEVE
Sure you do. You’re wearing that frilly little dress that Mom got you from the Sears catalog. You thought you were such hot stuff in this dress. I remember you pulled the page out of the catalog one afternoon before Mom got home from work. As soon as you heard her key in the front door, you made a beeline up to your bedroom and hid it.
JULIA
I knew she’d be mad that I ripped it out of the catalog. Mom loved that catalog. Every time a new one came, she got so protective of it.
STEVE
But then you got the dress somehow, didn’t you?
(Julia doesn't answer.)
STEVE (with a little more force)
Didn’t you?
(There’s a bit of a pause before Julia answers.)
JULIA (quietly)
I did.
STEVE
You most certainly did.
JULIA
And? (Steve doesn’t answer her.) So I got the dress. What’s the big deal?
STEVE
No big deal. I was just making an observation. (turns a page) Aha! And here’s a picture of me with my best friend, Amy.
JULIA
I thought your best friend was Mark what’s-his-name. That’s our kindergarten birthday party, right?
STEVE
It is. We had the Smurf theme that year.
JULIA
So why are you saying your best friend was Amy when it was Mark what’s-his-name.
STEVE
Mark’s last name is “Jackson.” We’re Facebook friends now, but I don’t know why you’re thinking he was by best friend in kindergarten.
JULIA
Uh, because that’s what you used to tell everyone. And he followed you around on the playground all the time. And you used to have him come over and ride bikes around the block—
STEVE
We weren’t allowed to ride our bikes around the block in kindergarten, Julia. You know Mom would never let us do that.
JULIA
Ok, whatever, but why are you saying Amy was your best friend in kindergarten? Was she even in our class?
STEVE
You can’t remember anything, can you?
JULIA
Well, with a husband and two kids I have enough trouble remembering the stuff that they need me to remember. There’s not enough room in my head to remember things from when we were in kindergarten.
STEVE
That’s not how the brain works, Julia. You don’t run out of room for stuff. Your brain might choose to forget things, but it doesn’t run out of room. That’s why human beings will never be replaced by computers. Computers have limited capacity. The human brain doesn’t run out of megabytes.
(Julia is silent after this, not quite sure how to respond.)
JULIA
Do you think we could continue this back at the house? It’s cold and you shouldn’t be sitting out here without a heavier coat. You’re going to get a kidney infection.
STEVE (laughing, mocking)
Now, that’s something that Mom would definitely say.
JULIA
I don’t care. She was right about some stuff.
STEVE
WOW! Did I just hear that right? Hold on! Lemme rewind that in my brain and play it back. (He makes some silly noises, like tape rewinding sounds, presses his nose, clicks his teeth, then presses his nose again and pretends to see the replay in his mind.) Yep. YEP! That’s what you said. “She was right about some stuff.” My twin sister is finally saying that our mother was right about some stuff.
JULIA
Well, so?
STEVE
So it’s a shame that you waited until after she was dead to come to that realization.
JULIA
Steve—
STEVE
It might have helped ease the transition for her if she’d known that’s what you thought, maybe even heard you say it, God forbid.
JULIA
Lay off, Steve.
STEVE
I’m not going to lay off, Julia. I’m just saying what I think.
JULIA
Yeah, well you’re getting really good at saying what you think at really shitty moments.
STEVE
After 35 years it’s about time, don’t you think?
(Julia and Steve just look at each other. Julia starts to try to say something but nothing comes out. Again. Steve goes back to the album. There is a long awkward pause.)
JULIA
OK, then. Seems like you’ve got it all figured out. Clearly more than I do.
STEVE
It comes with time.
JULIA
Uh huh.
STEVE
Uh huh.
JULIA
I’m going back to the house. I think you should come back. It’s cold out here and—
STEVE
I heard you the first time.
JULIA
You should have a heavier jacket and—
STEVE
I’ll be there in a few minutes, MOM.
(That last word shuts Julia down. She turns and exits the scene in the same direction she came from. Steve turns and watches her go. He looks at the album, looks up at the sky, and snow begins to fall on him. He smiles.)
STEVE
Thank you.
End of scene.