EM Lewis

THE EDGE OF ROSS ISLAND   Victoria "Vic" Velasquez (32) -- A Portland cop.  Wears a uniform, including a jacket, leather gloves and a knit watch cap. Ben Kranes (28) -- A Portland cop.  Wears jeans and a Pendleton shirt, his uniform jacket and leather gloves. Kevin Babcock (46) --  A businessman.  Wears a long dress coat over a suit. Sarah Foster (35) -- A veterinary technician.  Wears flannel pajamas under a warm robe, and slippers.   SETTING: The Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon, and the porch of Vic's house, on a very cold, misty night.                               Voices in the darkness, overlapping. BEN (O.S.) Ten thirty-one, we got a-- VIC (O.S.) Take it easy, okay? BEN (O.S.) --10-31 on the Ross Island, over. VIC (O.S.) Sir?                         Lights come up -- a street light glaring down, throwing                         stark shadows.  It is night.                          Kevin Babcock stands on the far side of the railing of the                         Ross Island Bridge, facing out toward the water.                          There is a light mist in the air -- either falling from the sky                         or rising from the river below.                         Vic Velasquez stands ten feet from Kevin Babcock, with                         one hand out.  Her eyes never leave him.                         A slow blue light, from her police car, turns slowly over                         the scene. KEVIN It's not jumping. It's just letting yourself fall. VIC I'd rather you don't do either one, okay?                                                 (beat) What's your name? KEVIN I don't want you here. VIC My name's Vic. People call me Vic. What do they call you? KEVIN You don't have to be here for this. VIC It's my job to help people.  And maybe you could use a hand today.  Maybe somebody to talk to today, right? KEVIN No. BEN (O.S.) (softly, from off-stage) ...Ross Island Bridge.  What's your ETA, over?                         Vic takes off her gloves, glances behind her, toward the                         car, then looks up at the man again. VIC What's your name, sir? Silence. VIC Sir? KEVIN (glances over his shoulder at her; beat) Kevin. VIC Kevin. KEVIN Kevin Lawrence Babcock.                         Vic takes a step toward Kevin. KEVIN Don't come any farther! VIC You must be cold. KEVIN Don't come any farther. VIC Okay.  Okay!  But you gotta talk to me. KEVIN (smiling oddly) I don't have to do... anything.                         Kevin looks out.  Shivers.  Vic rubs her hands on her pants. VIC I got some good coffee in my car.  I got a whole thermos full of good coffee.  Nice and hot.                         Kevin looks down at the water. VIC Kevin!                         Slowly, Kevin pulls his gaze from the river to look back at Vic. VIC We can help you with things.  Let me help you. KEVIN You should go, now. VIC I'm not goin' anywhere.                         The lights rise on the porch of Vic's house.  She takes a                         step back and sits on the edge of the porch, still watching                         Kevin on the bridge, as the light on the bridge begins to                         fade.                         Vic pulls a pack of Marlboro cigarettes out of the inside                         pocket of her jacket, lights one with a match, and smokes.                         Sound of a car, pulling up and parking.  After a moment,                         Ben Kranes walks up to the porch.  He carries a six-pack                         of beer.  He watches Vic smoke for a moment. BEN Didn't we say we were gonna quit? VIC Not today.                         Ben sits on the steps to the porch, sets a beer between                         him and Vic, and opens one for himself. BEN Twenty eight degrees.    (pause) Said on the radio.  Twenty eight degrees.  Fog's gonna freeze on the Terwilliger Curves, be a mess in the morning.  What the fuck are you doin' out here on the porch?                         Vic takes a drink, then, while continuing to smoke her                         own, lights another cigarette and hands it to Ben.  He                         takes it and smokes. BEN Where's your gloves?                         Vic looks down at her hands, then closes them into fists. VIC You should be somebody's mother.    (pause) Sarah doesn't like me to smoke in the house. BEN She doesn't like you to smoke period. VIC Yeah. BEN    (beat) You gotta sign off on those reports. VIC Tomorrow. BEN Yeah.    (beat) I hate typing.  I'm no good at typing.  I'm thinking maybe I'll take a course.  They have courses over at the community college. VIC Benny? BEN Yeah? VIC Shut up. BEN I bring you beer and you talk to me that way.                         Silence.  They smoke and drink for a moment. VIC I just want to have a smoke.                         Ben looks at her.  Vic pulls her legs up, so she's sitting                         cross-legged on the edge of the porch, looking down. BEN Say something.     (pause) You been makin' me nervous all night.                         Vic glances over at Ben, then takes a drink. VIC Something is... hard about me.  Since I was three years old. BEN What happened when you were three years old?     (pause) Somebody...    (beat) Did something happen? VIC Nothing happened.  That's when you become... like, a person.  Three. BEN You got weird ideas about things. VIC That's the first I remember, is three years old.  And I was...  I never cried.  Even before then.  My mother thought I was possessed by evil spirits. BEN You think I want some girl out there with me? VIC I don't feel anything about that guy. BEN That guy tonight? VIC I got no feeling about him. BEN    (beat) You're thinking about him. VIC    (beat) Yeah. BEN That's feeling. VIC No.  It's just...  I don't know.  I don't know! BEN Take it easy.  It's been a night.  Right?  However you are or aren't, in your head, is okay. VIC What, you a fucking Democrat now? BEN Don't be mean to me just because you're pissed off at that guy. VIC I got no feeling about him. BEN Yeah, well, you're having it really loud.                         They drink some more. BEN They're gonna shrink you tomorrow.                         Vic throws down her cigarette and stamps on it, then                        bends forward, lying on her own legs, staring down at her                        boots. BEN Maybe they'll sort out your crazy head. VIC I hate that shit. BEN It's not your-- VIC    (cutting him off) Yeah.                        Ben stands.  He goes over to Vic, and reaches his hand                        toward her shoulder, as if to lay his hand on her shoulder.                         She doesn't look up.  He pauses, then closes his hand into                        a fist and punches her shoulder gently.                        She rocks with it, but doesn't look up.                         He looks down at her.                        She lights another cigarette. VIC Goodbye, Benny. BEN (pause) Take it easy, kid.                        Ben heads back toward his car. VIC    (calling after him) I'm older than you.                         Ben turns, smiles at Vic, then exits.                        The lights rise on the bridge, and fade on the porch.                        On the bridge, Kevin stretches one hand out, over the river.                        Vic leaps up from the porch and moves toward him.  She's closer to him, now. VIC Kevin! KEVIN    (with a voice like glass) Don't come any closer. VIC Just take it easy. KEVIN Stay there. VIC I'm staying.  I'm staying right here.     (pause) There's no hurry, right?  The river is gonna be there. KEVIN    (peering down) It's dark. VIC So we can talk a little.                        Vic bites her lip, then glances back toward the car (off-stage). KEVIN I know it's down there, though.  I've walked here before. VIC On the bridge? KEVIN All the bridges.  Steel Bridge.  St. John's Bridge.  Burnside Bridge.  Hawthorne Bridge.  Railroad Bridge. VIC I like St. John's. KEVIN Yes. VIC It's quiet. KEVIN    (rubs his forehead) Quiet. VIC It's a ways out, though.  Of town. KEVIN    (pause) I... haven't been sleeping. VIC    (beat) Makes it hard to think.  If you're not sleeping too good. KEVIN Yes. VIC I got a blanket.  In my car.  If you wanted to come and sit down and rest a little.  KEVIN You should go, now. VIC Why this one? KEVIN    (beat) What? VIC This bridge.  Ross Island.  Why this one? KEVIN I don't know. (beat) I can see the whole city from here. VIC Foggy tonight. KEVIN You can still see it, though. VIC Yeah.    (beat) You're not facing the city, though. KEVIN    (beat) No.                        The light goes down on the bridge and comes up on the                        porch.                        Sarah opens the door and comes out onto the porch, all                        sleepy-eyed and rumpled. SARAH Vic?                        Vic turns toward Sarah, looks at her a moment, then                        walks back to the porch and sits down.  She looks out. VIC Sometimes I don't understand if I love you.     (beat) Sometimes I don't understand if what I have for you is love. SARAH    (beat) Christ.     (pause) Jesus Christ. VIC I'm sorry. SARAH Middle of the night, I come out here and-- VIC I'm sorry. SARAH --and you say something like that. VIC I'm sorry. SARAH And you're fucking smoking.                        Vic puts out the cigarette. VIC You said you wanted me to talk to you more. SARAH That was in April.  And I didn't mean...      (beat) What's wrong with you? VIC I don't know.    (pause) I'm sorry. SARAH Are you okay? VIC I didn't mean to hurt you by saying that.  It just... came out of my mouth.  I love you. SARAH You're scaring the shit out of me.  What happened? VIC Nothing. SARAH You're okay? VIC Yeah. SARAH Benny? VIC Yeah!  Yes!  We're...  I just had a...    (beat) Come here, okay?                        Sarah comes over to Vic.  Squats down beside her.  Vic                        pulls Sarah down into her lap and holds her.                        They stay there for a moment.  Breathing.  Sarah takes                        Vic's hands, winces at how cold they are, rubs them                        between her own, then opens her robe and tucks Vic's                        hands up under her pajama top, between her breasts, to                        warm them. SARAH Talk.                        The bridge light begins to rise. VIC You smell good. SARAH Talk to me. VIC    (beat) Jumper tonight.  Up on the Ross Island Bridge.                        Sarah squeezes Vic's hands.                        On the bridge, Kevin takes a deep breath. KEVIN I'm not even sad.  I'm... I'm something else.  I don't know what I am.  VIC He told me he wasn't even sad. KEVIN I'm alone. SARAH They why did he...?                        Vic untangles herself from Sarah and pulls away.  She                        stands on the edge of the porch, looking out at the bridge. SARAH Tell me what happened. VIC He said he was alone. KEVIN I've been so... but I'm not any more. VIC    (to Kevin) Kevin. SARAH Kevin? VIC    (beat) That's his name. KEVIN Now I don't feel anything. VIC I asked him why the Ross Island. SARAH I hate people. VIC    (smiling a little) Yeah. SARAH Don't they know what they-- VIC No.  I don't know. SARAH What did he say?                        Kevin half-turns, to look at Vic.  Then he steps off the                        bridge and disappears into the darkness. VIC He didn't.     (beat) You gotta get up in the morning. SARAH Yeah.    (beat; gets up) Come on. VIC I don't think I can sleep.    (beat) He said he could see the whole city from there.  But he wasn't facing the city.  He was facing out into the dark.                            Sarah goes to Vic.  Vic turns. VIC Something is hard about me.                        Sarah touches Vic's face, then strokes it, then kisses her. SARAH Soft lips.  Good heart. VIC I don't know. SARAH I know.  And another thing... VIC    (beat) Yeah? SARAH    (firmly; no-nonsense) You're not alone.  Not anymore.  You remember that.                        Sarah exits into the house.                        Vic watches her uncertainly, but follows her into the house.    Mist swirls around the empty house and bridge.                    END of PLAY       - - - - - -

EM Lewis (playwright: The Edge of Ross Island) won the 2009 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award from the American Theater Critics Association for her play SONG OF EXTINCTION, which premiered in Los Angeles.  It was published in Dramatics Magazine and by Samuel French.  Lewis also wrote the Primus Prize-winning hostage drama HEADS.  She lives in Santa Monica, California. Website: http://www.dramatistsguildweb.com/members/emlewis