Letting Go
Based on the short story by P.D. Cacek
Scene: Cody and Jenna’s living room, which is now turned into Jenna’s sickroom. Center stage is a hospital bed with an IV stand to its left. A mannequin or something of human shape should occupy the bed, as long as the body is thin but not entirely visible to the audience. A straight-back chair and nightstand are to the right of the bed, a rocking chair to the left. On the nightstand are a vase of silk flowers and a tape recorder, which is softly playing selections from Mozart’s
Jenna enters the theater as the lights begin to rise and remains standing towards the front in the audience, far stage left almost against the wall of the theater. There should not be any special lighting for her other than the illumination from the footlights while she stands in the house of the theater. She is tall, has long auburn hair, and holds herself with the grace of a professional model. She is wearing a gray pullover and faded jeans stuffed into cowboy boots. In her hands is a kelly green watch cap. She watches the scene with detached interest.
Cody enters through the DR door, dressed for the cold and carrying a stack of mail. He is broadly built and is obviously athletic, but has a slight limp due to a football injury to his right knee. He stomps off and snow that might have accumulated on his shoes and begins to remove his coat when he sees Jenna in the audience. He freezes his movements, and then shakes his head and proceeds with removing his coat and hat. It is identical to the hat Jenna is holding in her hands.
Jenna: Gee, and I thought you hated that hat! You thought if my agent saw me looking like that she’d burn my modeling contracts and head for the hills. Maybe the Bag Lady look suits you better than it did me? [Laughs gently and briefly twirls the hat on one finger.]
Cody: [Closes his eyes, shutting out the voice] Jenna?… [Opens his eyes again and this time addresses the figure in the bed] Jenna, it’s snowing outside today, absolutely gorgeous powder. [Places the mail on the
Jenna: [Slowly climbs the stairs on stage right] It is a good recording. Excellent soloists, perfect conductor. Lacrymosa was always the piece that moved me the most, even before you took me to see Amadeus on our honeymoon. [Sits on the top step of stage left staircase] Interesting that you’re playing the Requiem Mass for me, considering my… current state.
Cody: [Quietly, to himself] You’re not real.
[A knock at the DR door startles him. He shakes his head vigorously. There is a second knock. He now believes the knock, at least, is real and crosses to answer. At the door is Helen, a slightly overweight middle-aged woman. She is holding a foil covered baking pan and an envelope. She is wearing a hooded down coat, large rubber boots and knit mittens.]
Helen: Ohmygod! Are you alright, Cody? [Shoves the tray into Cody’s hands and takes off her hood as she pushes past him into the room DC.] That was a tough slip you took on the driveway out there! I tried to get out there to give you a hand, but you were inside before I could get my galoshes on. It didn’t look like you hit your head but I was concerned all the same.
Cody: [Smiling slightly and shaking out his right leg carefully] Yeah, I’m fine. Just demonstrating how graceful ex-running backs can be when we put our minds to it.
Helen: [Takes back the tray and waves it under Cody’s nose.] Well, you can still rush, even with that bum knee. I figured since I was already halfway out the door anyway I’d just come over and check on you. Thought you might like some fresh cinnamon rolls. The pan isn’t too hot but the rolls are still good and warm. Oh, and you dropped a letter when you took that spill. I think it’s attached to the foil by some icing, I hope it isn’t too important.
Cody: [Smiling more broadly at the rolls, then grins at Helen and speaks jokingly.] Are you trying to make me fat, Mrs. E? How am I ever going to make a comeback if you keep doing this to me?
Helen: [Giggles flirtatiously and tosses her head. Slaps playfully at Cody with the envelope and shoves it in his hands.] Oh, you silly boy! Didn’t I tell you I like my men chunky? I’m going to put these in the kitchen for you and you can pop them in the oven whenever you’re ready for a little treat. [Crosses to offstage left with the pan.]
Jenna: [Still seated on the step and laughing at the exchange.] She may like her men chunky but you seem to like your ladies comatose. [Cody turns away from Jenna’s voice, pretending to be distracted by the contents of the envelope. Helen returns and taps him on the shoulder. Cody jumps slightly at the unexpected contact.]
Helen: Everything is set up!
Cody: [Gathering himself.] Thanks, thanks Helen.
Helen: [Reacts shyly to Cody calling her by her first name.] You know, I got a crock-pot full of beef stew cooking right this minute. Like to set it up early so I won’t miss my soaps. Anyways, there’ll be more than enough… [She looks over at the bed.] You’ve spent the last four years nursing that poor lamb and you never take care of yourself. How about I send some stew over for dinner? Save you the trouble of having to cook.
Cody: Um… I’d love it. Thanks. You’re a good neighbor.
Helen: I’ll stop in after Oprah with a big helping for you, but now I need to troop back home to see if my favorite couple survives that accident. She’s in a coma in the hospital and … [Looks at the bed and cuts herself off. Crosses to the door and opens it to go.] Oh, you don’t need me to rattle off plotlines. Your goodies are getting cold.
Cody: [Laughing.] Mrs. E, now that the door’s wide open, all of my goodies are a little chilly!
Helen: [Pokes him lightly in the ribs.] You’re just terrible! What am I going to do with you? [Pulls up her hood and exits.]
Cody: [Looking after the door.] Very little, Mrs. E. [Looks down at the envelope in his hands, this time reading the contents.]
Jenna: Letter from the
Cody: [To himself.] Lies with fancy names and huge price tags. [Sitting in the stage right chair by the bed and addressing in it.] Hey, baby, did you hear Mrs. E was here to visit? She sent over some fresh cinnamon rolls. They must be a thousand calories each, with enough cholesterol to kill every truck driver from here to the turnpike. How about I bring you one a little later? I could soak a piece in some warm water and feed it to you. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? We should get a little more meat on you, babe. I know models are supposed to be skinny, but I think you’re overdoing it just a little.
Jenna: [Rising and walking into the living room slowly as Cody continues to look down at the bed.] I think you’re the one who’s overdone it. Yes, I’m sure a cinnamon roll would be great, a lot better tasting than that liquid diet from the catheter, but that’s the least of our problems. I think you know that, Cody. You fired that last nurse who dared to be honest with you. You made up a planned sabbatical saying you were writing a book about teaching physics through sports so you had an excuse to sit in this room all day. This house has a second mortgage and a home equity loan sunk into all this life support equipment.
Cody: [Continuing to talk to the bed, but is obvious that he is listening to her.] Remember when we first bought this house? You’d never lived in snow country before… poor little Californian. Jesus, you ran out into the first blizzard of the season wearing nothing but pajamas, just like a kid. I was sure you were going to catch pneumonia!
Jenna: I remember. You yelled at me all the way back to the house.
Cody: [Almost in a whisper.] I didn’t mean to.
Jenna: Cody, we have to talk. You need to let go.
Cody: I can’t, babe.
Jenna: [Mockingly.] You always were a coward, weren’t you, Cody? Afraid to face anything that might go against the Great Man’s Ideals, huh?
Cody: [Looking at Jenna for the first time since he walked in the house.] NO!
Jenna: [Crosses to stand left of the hospital bed.] Oh no? Then I guess you just like keeping me trapped in a rotting carcass. Makes an even better trophy than those stuffed dear heads your drunken buddies hang up over their fireplaces. Tell me, how much do you charge them for a look when they visit? [Cody jumps to his feet in anger. Jenna smiles.] Angry with me? Good. Anger’s one of the easier emotions to tackle, and you get to do the tackling rather than getting smacked with the ball in your hands.
Cody: [Weakly.] Sacked. Not smacked.
Jenna: I never learned how to speak proper football. [Twirls the watch cap on her finger again and laughs.] You know, you’re even sexier than usual when you’re angry. I think it’s the flared nostrils.
Cody: I’m losing my mind.
Jenna: [Holds her hat in both hands.] No you’re not, Cody.
Cody: [Closing his eyes.] Oh yeah, I’m gone.
Jenna: Cody, open your eyes and look at me. [Cody does not move.] It shouldn’t be that hard to look at me. After all, you’ve seen me plenty of times before without makeup. It should be a piece of cake after the last couple of months. Or have you gotten to the point where you like your women brainless and drooling?
Cody: Jenna. [Opens his eyes and looks at her. She smiles and waves back at him.] But you can’t be! You’re not dead!
Jenna: Aren’t I? This isn’t me in that bed. It’s nothing anymore.
Cody: You’re wrong, it’s still you!
Jenna: Oh really. Do you really think that’s me smiling up at you, just about to sit up? That’s an involuntary facial tic brought on by atrophy. [Reaches out to the figure and then draws back.] The cancer destroyed my brain. There is nothing left to wake.
Cody: [Stroking the head of the figure in the bed.] But I made you a promise, and I can’t go back on it. [Walks around the bed and sits on the left edge between the figure and Jenna.] I promised I’d do everything in my power to keep you alive. I promised you it wouldn’t end like this.
Jenna: But it’s already ended, Cody, don’t you understand? The only thing you’re keeping alive now is a memory. Please, let me go!
Cody: [Reaching back toward the figure behind him.] I can’t, Jenna. I love you.
Jenna: [Sits in the rocking chair and rocks gently. Speaks quietly.] I know. Love’s a pretty powerful thing… but sometimes it can do more harm than good. You’ve been holding on to something that doesn’t exist anymore. That shouldn’t have to exist. [Stops rocking and sits on the forward edge of the rocking chair.] Cody, I want to die now.
Cody: [Shakes his head and rises suddenly. He crosses back to the right side of the bed, pacing between it and the life support system.] No, Jenna, I won’t let you die! I can’t—… [He chokes and is unable to continue, standing by the machine.]
Jenna: [Smiling.] Oh, honey, you always did have delusions of grandeur, didn’t you? Is it fun playing God with my life in the balance? It can’t be. The truth is, you aren’t really doing anything but prolonging the agony, yours and mine.
Cody: Jenna…I…
Jenna: [Stands and pulls the watch cap onto her head.] I know, but it has to end sometime and it might as well be now. So how about it, cowboy? [Strikes a pose with her legs apart, pelvis out, head tipped back.] Is the little lady worth it? [Cody turns and reaches out for the machine, his hand shakes and drops, as does his head. He turns back to look at her. Jenna’s pose relaxes.] No, Cody, you’ll just be letting me go.
[Cody takes a sharp intake of breath and turns back to the machine. As he touches it, the hospital noises fade out one at a time. Each time the noise diminishes Jenna steps backwards towards offstage left and the lights lower. Finally, only the music is playing the end of Lacrymosa from Mozart’s Requiem Mass and Jenna is almost off stage left. He turns to the tape player and shuts this off as well as the set goes dark.]
Jenna: Thank you.
