Pools of light cover the stage. Rotating with the music. Another 90s song. The Verve Pipe or someone like that.
After a moment, CARLY and KENT dance into view. Arm in arm but not really looking at each other.
CARLY … you don’t really like slow dancing much … do you? I mean …
KENT Nah … it’s alright.
CARLY Bullshit.
KENT Ha! Maybe … (Thinking.) Just been an odd night. That’s all.
CARLY Events like this are always weird. I knew it was gonna suck …
KENT I didn’t.
CARLY No?
KENT Uh-uh. Thought it’d be fun and … you know, strange to see everybody … (Beat.) Most everybody.
CARLY Like …? Greg, you mean … that it’d be strange to see him again or her, too … Steph? Or did you mean other people as well? (Beat.) Which?
KENT Ummmmm … you know …
KENT thinks about this, considering it. CARLY waits for him.
KENT Pretty much him. And Steph. A few of the others who’ve moved away.
CARLY It isn’t, though … right? Is it?
KENT No … not that much, I guess.
CARLY I know. It just gets kinda … sad or, you know, something, when you see people again. You think it’ll be so fun and funny and—but it’s not really. Not when you’re at an evening like this … that is basically designed to remind you just how fucking hard life is and how bad everyone else your age looks and to stir up all that shit again. (Beat.) In the end it’s just kinda fucked.
KENT Yeah. (Beat.) Glad they have food, though … at least …
CARLY Yes, Kent. At least we got some ribs outta the deal …
KENT Well! That’s some-thing …
CARLY Yep. Sure is.
They dance a bit more. Moving in circles. CARLY puts her head on KENT’S shoulder.
KENT … Carly?
CARLY Yeah?
KENT Can I ask you something …?
CARLY Of course.
KENT Yeah, but I mean … without you …
CARLY What?
KENT I don’t know … going off, I guess.
CARLY Well, I think so.
KENT ’Kay.
KENT is about to, then stops. CARLY looks up. Waiting.
CARLY In this lifetime, or …?
KENT Oh, yeah … yes. Sure. Now’s good.
CARLY Go ahead.
KENT So … (Beat.) It’s about Jack.
CARLY (Looking at him.) Yeah? (Beat.) What?
KENT I just … nah, it’s nothing. We do not need to get into it tonight.
CARLY No, Kent, what? Tell me.
KENT I’m just … feeling like … I’m …
CARLY Kent. WHAT?
KENT Nothing! (Beat.) Look, You know I was really pushing for him to do pee-wee sports when he gets old enough … and you were all, like, “no way, no way, that’s way too young” and stuff … but I kept at you about it and so … I was just thinking about it a lot more … and I feel like we should do it by how he feels. Not you or me, but see what Jack responds to and then go from there … (Beat.) There. That was my big “thing.” (Beat.) Stupid, right …? (Beat.) Not very big at all but I just been wanting to say something …
She reaches up without saying anything else. Kisses him.
KENT pulls away, smiles at her. Unsure. She smiles at him and then they go back to kissing.
KENT Guess I said the magic fucking word or whatever … huh? For once.
CARLY Yep. I guess you did …
Their mouths come together again as they sway to the music.
CARLY … hey Kent …
KENT Yeah, sweetie?
CARLY You ever …?
KENT What?
She looks at him for a moment, then shrugs. Finally says:
CARLY I dunno. (Beat.) You ever think of moving away from here? Somewhere?
KENT Like where … New York?
CARLY Ha! No. (Beat.) But somewhere … some place where we could just start over in a way … now that we’ve started over as people … and having Jack as well … it just occurred to me to ask … to see if you’d maybe want to.
KENT I mean … I’m open to whatever … with you … but I don’t see why. (Beat.) We got family here … you got a good job, and I’m on the edge of being head coach now … I think our life is here. (Beat.) I’m not 100% against it … but …
CARLY Yeah. No, you’re right …
KENT But, you know … you got some big dream of living in Fiji or whatever … you should tell me now … (Beat.) Also so I can look it up ’cause I got no idea where the fuck Fiji even is!
CARLY Ha! Near Hawaii, I think …
KENT Yeah?
CARLY I think so. Or Australia, maybe.
KENT Cool. It’s an island, so … maybe.
CARLY Uh-huh, yeah. The Pacific, I think.
KENT Really? Not by Africa?
CARLY No! Wait … or … is it?
KENT I can check if you want me to … take two seconds.
CARLY Not for me. (Indicates.) It’s just out there … somewhere … that’s all that matters. A jungle paradise.
KENT Yep. “Fiji.” (Mock toast.) “To Fiji. Wherever the fuck you are …”
CARLY Ha!
KENT But … seriously … do you want that? Some new life? In the Pacific …?
CARLY No … not in the Pacific! Or a new life, even … I like the one we’ve got … I’m just thinking about what it would look like wrapped up in, like … a different package …
KENT You sure you don’t mean “New York”?
CARLY Of course not.
KENT … sure …?
CARLY Yes! God, Kent … obviously.
KENT Ok.
CARLY I just feel like … I dunno … that maybe there’s still something out there somewhere … for us … beyond here. This town. This place.
KENT I mean, yeah … maybe so. Haven’t thought about it much … (Beat.) Hey … you doing alright? Carly?
CARLY Yep. I just … (Stops herself.) Yep.
KENT No, but I mean … are you happy? Not just right now—today—but like in an “everyday” way? Even if we don’t live on some island getaway?
CARLY Yeah. I am. (Beat.) Yes.
KENT Yeah? But like “happy” happy?
CARLY Uh-huh. (Beat.) Mostly.
KENT Ok, then. “Mostly” is good …
CARLY …
KENT “Mostly.” (Beat.) Back in the day … I wouldn’t’ve even heard you, what you just said … because I’d be so fucking worried about me and what I wanted … but now, I really want to make you feel satisfied. (Beat.) God! Sometimes this shit sounds … so fucking stupid, or just … fake coming outta my mouth … but I hope you know that I mean it. Carly … (Beat.) I wanna make you happy … that’s my big goal now. In life.
CARLY You do make me that way, Kent.
KENT Promise?
CARLY I promise.
KENT Okay. (Beat.) If I fuck it up, then just remind me and I’ll fix it …
CARLY Will do.
KENT Good. (Beat.) I mean, I just don’t want you to ever … you know …
KENT Just do me that favor.
CARLY What, Kent?
He touches her face and gets very serious now. A tremor in his voice. Really putting himself out there for once with her.
KENT Don’t be an asshole like I was … (Beat.) Don’t ever run around on me or, you know, meet someone else or, like, just up and leave me, ’kay?
CARLY Ok.
KENT No, but I mean it … please don’t. (Beat.) … please give me a chance first. Just one chance to win you back or whatever … before you ever go away and disappear forever … or anything like that. (Beat.) Please. (Beat.) Do that for me, ok, Carly? (Beat.) Please?
CARLY Alright, baby … (Beat.) You got yourself a deal.
They look hard at each other again, and then CARLY puts her head back on his shoulder.
They turn in small circles. KENT closes his eyes and holds her tight. Smiling.
Music carries us to: