Characters:
PJ, a girl in her 20s
Jay, a boy in his teens
Nix, a boy in his 20s

Scene: The stage is dark and empty. A girl, PJ, holding a rose enters from stage right, lit by warm spot light. She crosses diagonally to center stage. She stops and looks up and out towards the audience. A soft blue light rises from background to reveal a boy, JaySee, sitting to the girl's left and rear. He is drumming on his knees.

Jay: Chicle, is that you?

PJ: (Laughs) Chicle. I haven't heard that nickname for a while.

Jay: So how's the ol' two cups of cream doing now a days?

PJ: (Smiles) I'm getting by. Some days are better than others.

Jay: Good good. (Excited) You know, it's the first time you've come to visit me here. I didn't think you were going to come. The others visit, Erin… my family. Not as often any more. I'm glad you're here PJ.

PJ: You're my friend Jay. You knew I'd be here sooner or later. I'm not going to say it was easy coming…

Jay: Did you drive the whole way by yourself?

PJ: No (pause). Nix drove me here. But that's not what I meant.

Jay: I suppose the drive is shorter now that you live in the south.

PJ: It feels much farther away. (Sighs) Its funny, how close we were when we were thousands of miles apart. It just figures, right when I'm about to move down here, and we'll finally be near enough to visit more often… (Trails off). And now, now you're farther away than you've ever been. The drive here was short, but the anticipation was making me ill. It made every mile feel like a hundred.

Jay: Have I told you about the music yet Chicle?

PJ: No Jay, you haven't told me much at all in the past few years.

Jay: The music here is just wonderful. And me, I'm part of it. I'm the best drummer they've had. The choir sings beautifully… like angels. And the band. The band is just heavenly. They're lucky I came along. Rat-ta-tat-tat-tat. I'm fixing to use those drumsticks you gave me next time…

PJ: Always were so modest about your talent.

Jay: Oh hush, I'm not that conceded. I'm just the best there is. (Both laughing). It's good to hear you laugh Chicle. We don't talk much any more and when we do, it's never when you're happy.

PJ: Well, whose fault is that? (Pauses) Sorry.

Jay: You're still mad?

PJ: Of course I am. Not at you, I guess. Just, I'm afraid I'll always be stuck in anger. (Silence. PJ looks around. Wipes brow and eyes.) I'll never get used to this southern heat.

Jay: I don't notice it anymore.

PJ: You never could handle much cold. I remember when you came up north to bring in the New Year with me. You couldn't even be outside for more than 10 minutes (laughs).

Jay: (Frowns) I hate the cold. It invades your body and your bones and never leaves. Nothing, not even the Louisiana sun makes it go (shivers and looks up, pauses. Looks at PJ, smiling). The snow was amazing though. White like a dream.

PJ: I see you on my driveway with your arms outstretched looking towards the sky, catching snowflakes on your lips. I just stood there next to the door watching you. You were like a little kid with a new toy. You just kept laughing and yelling to me. I had forgotten how wondrous a light snowstorm could be. But watching you, watching you made me feel like it was magic. (Pauses, wipes a tear) Maybe I shouldn't have come back. I could have been content to pretend you were living your life and just too busy to call. I could have lied to myself for years and say we just lost touch, that's all. I would have been fine just saying over and over again that you were just a call away, if only I picked up the phone…I could have believed that, but being here. Seeing your… (Starts to back away).

Jay: Wait. Wait! Please don't go yet. We spent so much of our last year just missing each other. You, wrapped up in your life, your friends. Me, spending every moment playing those drums… and we let it all slide, because there would be time. There would be time to catch up, time to get together later…and then, time was up. Just like that. We're here now. Stay and chat. Let's have one of our little powwows. They meant so much to us. Like old times?

PJ: There's nothing I would like more Jay. I really would. I could talk to you for hours. I could walk along the road laughing at everything you say. I could sit on swings and discuss life's mysteries. But neither of us can go back to that, Jay. Neither of us. I came to say good-bye this time. I can't keep hearing your voice in my head. I can't keep rereading old letters. I can't keep dialing a number that doesn't ring and writing an address that won't get checked. (Sits on ground) You're so distant. You'll always be distant. All you had to do was open your mouth and the world made sense. Now you're silent and nothing tastes the same. Sometimes I feel so lost without you. I have a hard time remembering why I am doing the things I am doing. I remember your face, your hair, your voice. And I know what I've always known and that's that I must keep going. But that doesn't take away the thoughts or questions or the sometimes sudden urge to run away from what I thought was my purpose here. I get troubled by the thought that I couldn't protect you. How can I save anyone when I couldn't save you? Why did you leave? Why did you leave? How could you have been so stupid. So careless. (Slamming fist on ground).

Jay: It was an accident! I didn't have a choice in it. No one did. It had to happen that way. And you're angry? What about me? How do you think I feel? You think this is easy? Being here? Seeing you, seeing everyone move on? When I can't? When I will always be the same skinny eighteen year-old with so much potential, clouded in everyone's memory? Don't you think I wish every minute that I could change the past?

PJ: (Crying) I couldn't save you!

Jay: I didn't need you to save me! (Both lock eyes, angry.)

PJ: You never did (sobbing). You never did… It was always you who saved me. It was you who comforted me, who took all of my problems away.

Jay: (Quiet.) That doesn't mean I didn't need you. It doesn't mean that it wasn't…that we weren't real.

PJ: That's all I needed to hear. I always felt so unjustified for missing you. Like I didn't have a right to claim your friendship in the face of your family. (Stands)

Jay: I will always be apart of your life.

PJ: No, you'll always be a part of my past.

Lights rise. Nix enters from stage left. Blue light dims, JaySee barely visible. Nix puts arm around PJ.

Jay: See you on the flipside. Much love.

Nix: PJ, are you ready to leave?

PJ: Yes. (Throws rose to ground) I think so.