Time: Present Day

Scene: Long time friends Anthony and Margret sit a four person Jacuzzi nestled between a series and trees and bushes outside of a small summer resort. It is a cool almost cold July evening just perfect for relaxing in the hot steaming pool. A moment ago Margret’s boyfriend headed back to the hotel room to retrieve his phone. Anthony mood quickly changes, no longer playing around and telling jokes Margret takes notice, feeling something is wrong she turns towards him.

Margret: Why so quiet, lately when you and I have been alone you get like this, what’s wrong?

Anthony: [Looking up at her then quickly looking away] [Sheepishly] Have I?

Margret: Yeah, when we are all together your telling jokes being the life of the party then next thing I know you are sitting alone away from the group looking depressed.

Anthony: [Still looking away] well you can’t be happy all the time. [His eyes widening slightly] When did you see my alone looking depressed?

Margret: Like tonight at the wedding, after dinner you spend most of the time sitting on the patio staring towards the garden.

Anthony: [Turning to look at her] I wasn’t depressed I was just… tired. We have been up since eight and we didn’t get much sleep. I was on tonight I had some great jokes. Besides you were having fun with Joseph I wanted to give you guys some space.

Margret: [Slightly pouting] Space? This trip was about the three of us to come out here, attend Williams wedding and have fun. I don’t need space from you and I know Joseph doesn’t. I have known you to long Anthony, just talk to me tell me what’s wrong.

Anthony: [After a long pause] it’s nothing… That story he told about seeing her in the coffee shop and taking three years to ask her out then marrying her a year later. [Shaking his head] I don’t buy it.

Margret: I don’t get it. I t was sweet. [Pause] I thought it was sweet.

Anthony: [Sarcastically] Yeah sweet. I know Will. Roger, Vincent and William were all best friends and I knew all three. I never heard anything about this girl but I will tell you what I know. First Vincent get’s involved with a woman and two years later they are married and they just had a kid a year ago. Almost a month after Vincent was married Roger gets in a [Air Quotes} serious relationship.

Next thing you know his girl is pregnant and they get married. So where does this leave William? Along and with his two best friends locked down he now has no choice but to get hitched. So with no where else to go and no friends to hang with he decided its time to get married and pulls the trigger.

Margret: [Puzzled and shaking her head] I don’t think that’s why he got married and even if it was so what why do you care? [Tilting her head back looking up towards the sky] He’s in his thirties; you know sooner or later you have to settle down. You can’t live the post college life forever.

Anthony: [Depressingly] I guess not.

Margret: [Trying to look in his eyes] this isn’t about William is it? Come on Anthony talk to me, what’s bothering you?
Anthony: [Looking into her eyes sadly] When it was the three of us just hanging out having fun it didn’t bother me. [Pause] But after my dad’s accident I felt even more alone than I did before. He had so many plans that I was willing to make come to fruition. I guess having him around and you guys allowed me to deal with it.

But now I feel it more than ever. I once believed that with me focusing only on my own goals it would keep me occupied enough but it hasn’t. But again I had you guys and I was willing to deal with it. When you guys told me a few weeks ago that you were getting back together I was happy for you both. I always felt you guys made a great couple but then there was another feeling.

I felt like my best friends understood me because they didn’t have anyone either but now you have each other and… [Turning away from her] it’s not important it’s stupid to sit here whining about it.

Margret: [Touching his arm] it’s not stupid. I knew it would be hard because of your past feelings for me but it was important that we be completely honest. I didn’t want this to harm our friendship. You’ve been through so much the last year and you have done great for yourself better than I would have.

Anthony: [Lifting himself out of the Jacuzzi sitting on the edge] Adapting to something I have no control of is something I have always been able to do. It’s in the family DNA. [Dipping his hand in the water] This is different, [Looking directly at her] I have no ill feelings towards you or Joseph [pause] maybe it’s that since I pulled myself back from the brink I now wish I had someone with me to enjoy these times.

Margret: [Thinking] What about Nina? She is smart and funny what happened with her?

Anthony: [Slightly upset] what happened? You want to know what happened. I’ll break it down to you but this isn’t just what happened with Nina but with ninety nine percent of the women I meet.

[Calmer] It’s a beautiful spring day; I’m in my BWM coverable driving down a four lane highway just me and Nina the road is [spending out his arms] completely ours. The road is called interstate getting to know you and it’s a calm informative drive.

On the right side of the road signs and billboards telling me about her what she likes what she does not. It’s a great ride and on the left side everything she needs to know about me. With the wind in our hair and the sun on our backs we were well on our way to the relationship off ramp.

[A little bit darker] The road tightens into two lanes ahead of me I can see that the road splits into two directions. On the left is the off ramp to the relationship super highway and might I say it looks great with all the must see attractions. To the right the exits to the dead end town known as friendship its cold and very boring and the worst part is once you enter you can never truly leave.

[A bit excited] I know where I want to go and I am pretty sure she wanted to go there to. I move into the left lane my eyes focused on the relationship off ramp. I have a big smile on my face the road is clear and I’m almost home.

[Slightly depressed] Then it starts to rain, [A bit happier] No worries it happens I can deal with it. Just keep pushing forward I know I am doing the right thing making the right moves I will get there [with emphasis] I can taste it.

I’m almost there the rain is pouring down and the top won’t come up but the ramp is just a few feet away. [Excited] There’s a flash of light but I don’t need to see I know when I want to go [with emphasis] where I need to go.

[Calm but depressed] My vision returns but what I see makes me wish it hadn’t. I know I kept it straight and steady but some how [Angrily loud] by the hand of satin [Shaking his head and sighing, softly deeply depressed] I roll slowly into the town of friendship, a broken man.

Margret: [Smiling, trying not to laugh] It can’t be that bad after all you and I are great friends.

Anthony: [Nodding his head] Yeah, but I guess it is different with you. I wanted to be your friend before I realized I had feelings for you and even once those feelings were there I was scared to act on them. I guess I have been watching too many movies because I was afraid my feelings would affect our friendship and I really didn’t want that to happen.

Margret: [With a question mark face] Well I… you know Joseph and I were in high school together and even through he was much different at the time I guess I had feelings for him even then. [Wiping her hand across her eyebrow] You know about the relationships I had since we met and to be honest I just don’t want to bother with all that anymore.

With everything going on with my classes and home I just wanted … [Pause] Well I guess what I am trying to say is that I am happy with this how we are now.

Anthony: [Sliding back down into the Jacuzzi] I understand I guess that is what I am looking for now. [Looking directly at her] Trying to find a way to be happy to not feel alone [Frowning, rubbing the back of his neck] I know it seams stupid I was never one to have all these thoughts in my head I always tried to look at the logic of the situation.

Growing up I didn’t have any emotional problems I didn’t sit around feeling sorry for myself I always thought people who did that were weak. [Sternly] You deal with what you can and don’t fret about what you can’t control. Accept it, deal with it, this is what I did and it was working…at least I thought it was.

[Slightly upset] Now look at me I am on a vacation in a five star resort with my life long friends. I have a good job, good credit, and good health. I should be happy one of my friends just got married to the love of his life But what am I doing? Sitting in a Jacuzzi feeling sorry for myself wishing I had someone.

Margret: [Her face saddened] I…

Anthony: [Depressed] have you ever gone to a party where all your friends were there and everyone is having a great time. You should be just as happy as they are but your not. You are surrounded by friends, real honest friends but you feel alone. You try to tell a joke crack a smile but inside you feel sadness and the worst part is you really don’t know why.

Margret: [Concerned and saddened] I remember at some of the parties we use to have at Roberts frat house I would see you being the life of the party one minuet then sitting outside alone looking depressed the next one. [Sincerely] I wanted to know what was wrong but every time I asked you would push me away, you didn’t want to open up to me so I felt its best I give you your space.

I know that you sometimes feel as if you need to be “on” especially when it’s not just us three. I think because of the bond we three have we feel comfortable just being ourselves we can drop our guard and relax. But when our other friends join in the guard goes up and we feel that need to put on our best face.

Anthony: I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how I felt but I guess the reason I didn’t was because I wasn’t sure why I was feeling that way. Even now I can’t say everything I am feeling is just because I am not in a relationship. Perhaps its stress from work and school, worrying about keeping my head above water while moving forward my sister thinks because I was so close with my father I am still feeling the affects of losing him.

[Staring off into the sky letting a sigh out] I don’t know, I miss my father…a lot. I guess sympathy wise it would be better if that was it. But I think it’s what I said before. While dad was alive I felt it didn’t matter that I had someone I had him to take care of to work towards his goals but now all that is left is to work towards mine.

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