SYBIL

Characters

BEN, a college professor

CLAIRE, his wife

Setting

Ben’s office and a table back home, where Claire is at the phone.

Scene 1

(As the lights fade in, Ben’s wife walks over to a telephone on a table and dials. The phone rings and the lights fade in to a telephone on a desk in Ben’s office. He is going through some papers, then answers.)

BEN

Hello.

CLAIRE

Hello, Ben?

BEN

Jennifer, I told you. You have to got to stop calling me at work. I can’t get anything done, and besides, my secretary is getting jealous.

CLAIRE

Very funny, Ben.

BEN

Oh, Claire. I didn’t recognize your voice. I get so many calls from strange women. You know, it’s a big campus and there are so many that want to get into my classes.

CLAIRE

Right.

BEN

So what did you want?

CLAIRE

I just called to remind you about tonight.

BEN

(pauses)

You mean my meeting Charlie after work for a drink?

CLAIRE

No, I mean your coming home to pick me up to go to my mother’s for dinner.

BEN

That’s not tonight, is it?

CLAIRE

Ben, you forgot. We talked about it last week.

BEN

Were we having sex at the time?

CLAIRE

Not with me. Who knows in your mind.

BEN

Well, if I wasn’t having sex with you, I wasn’t having sex with anybody.

CLAIRE

Why am I not reassured? So what are you going to do about Charlie?

BEN

That’s the one I have to give up I suppose?

CLAIRE

Ben! This evening was planned over a week ago.

BEN

O.K. O.K.

CLAIRE

Besides, we never do anything together anymore. Is something wrong? You’re not really seeing someone at school, or anywhere else, are you?

(Ben hesitates.)

That was a rhetorical question.

BEN

Of course I’m not.

(Ben turns to the audience.)

I only wish that I were.

(Ben turns back to his wife.)

But why does doing something together mean going to your mother’s?

CLAIRE

It’s only tonight, Ben. We don’t see her that often.

BEN

(Ben turns to the audience.)

It just seems that way.

(Ben turns back to his wife.)

CLAIRE

You did agree.

BEN

And I’m a man of my word.

(Ben turns to the audience.)

A mature man, a man of responsibility, a man who sees things through.

(Ben turns back to his wife.)

I’ll be there. (beat) What time was that again?

CLAIRE

Six o’clock.

BEN

Yes, I remember.

CLAIRE

Sure you do.

BEN

Say Claire, I’ve got some work to finish here and I’ve got to give Charlie a call. See you later? (beat) At six.

CLAIRE

At six.

(Ben’s wife hangs up the phone and the lights fade on her. Ben hangs up, looks up a phone number, and dials.)

BEN

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Oh, it’s artificial Charlie. “I’m not here right now but if you leave a message I’ll get back to you.” How clever, Charlie. (beat) Charlie, we regret to inform you that we are disconnecting your answering machine due to lack of creativity. (beat) Further, we regret to inform you of the unavoidable death of Benjamin tonight at his mother-in-law’s for dinner. He won’t be able to go out for a drink tonight as his life blood is being sucked from him.

(Ben hangs up the phone and the lights fade out.)

BLACKOUT