THE LIVING ROOM

Same as before, but dinner has been cleared. Pushed aside, at least. Blankets on the couch. TV turned on.

SHARI sits in a V-neck tee and undies, watching the tube. DARRELL just kicking off his shoes.

DARRELL

—fucking early, huh?

SHARI

Yeah.

DARRELL

Still here, though.

SHARI

Uh-huh. Car wouldn’t start. Rich said he’d look at it in the morning.

DARRELL

Great.

SHARI

—the, uhh, baby’s in your bed. Hope you don’t mind.

DARRELL

Nah.

SHARI

Your mom said it’d be okay.

DARRELL

Yeah. Sleep on the couch or whatever.

(He moves toward the sofa and looks down at SHARI, who just slides a bit down to make room.)

’S that a problem?

SHARI

Well . . . umm, shit.

DARRELL

What?

SHARI

Cammie said I should sleep out here, you know, give the baby some space. He’s been kinda sick.

DARRELL

Oh.

SHARI

And they gotta work tomorrow.

DARRELL

Right.

SHARI

Yeah.

DARRELL

—umm, no, I’ll take a couple cushions, sleep in the kitchen.

SHARI

No, you don’t have to—

DARRELL

Fuck it, it’s sleep, right? All the same to me.

SHARI

Thanks.

DARRELL

’S all right.

SHARI

That’s sweet, Darrell, thanks.

DARRELL

No prob’. I’ll just take ’em off the back there, okay? Leave you the bottom—

SHARI

I appreciate it. Don’t really wanna be in there with the baby, he puked up earlier.

DARRELL

Yeah, I can smell it—

SHARI

Sorry.

DARRELL

Don’t matter. I’ll be in the kitchen . . . smells worse in there!

SHARI laughs lightly as DARRELL smiles at her.

SHARI

Have fun tonight?

DARRELL

’S all right. Saw some guys I know, shit like that.

SHARI

Nice.

DARRELL

Yep. ’Kay, good night—

He almost makes it to the door but SHARI speaks again.

SHARI

Darrell?

DARRELL

Yeah?

SHARI

I ever tell you . . . that I always liked you?

DARRELL

No.

SHARI

I mean, as kids. When we were all living together. Right after they got married.

DARRELL

Really?

SHARI

Yep, I always did. Thought you were really cute and everything, but, you know, brother and sister and all.

DARRELL

Step.

SHARI

True, but, I mean, supposed to be like it. Brother and sister. They wanted us to pretend like we were, right?

DARRELL

I guess.

SHARI

Anyway. I liked you. You were funny and kinda nice so I just liked you.

DARRELL

Huh.

Silence as DARRELL slowly undresses in front of SHARI. Shirt and pants. He stands now in his briefs, looking at her.

SHARI

I told you that before, though, right?

DARRELL

No. You never did.

SHARI

Oh. Well . . . (BEAT) Come ’ere a second.

SHARI motions and DARRELL sits. The baby begins to cry.

DARRELL

What?

SHARI

You’re filling out, huh?

DARRELL

Little.

SHARI

No, you definitely are. Definitely.

DARRELL

We do weights at school sometimes . . . Univesal Gym or whatnot.

SHARI

Looks good. Grown up—

DARRELL

Whatever.

SHARI

Look . . . you don’t have to sleep out there, on the linoleum. ’Cause this pulls out to, like, you know, a Queen.

DARRELL

What, sleep here? Umm—

SHARI

Yes. We could just set it up and—

DARRELL

—nah, I should just—

SHARI

I’m gonna be running back and forth all night, anyway.

DARRELL

Yeah?

SHARI

I mean, listen to ’em! Fuck—

DARRELL

I guess.

SHARI

Just a lot more cozy, that’s all I’m saying.

DARRELL

True.

SHARI

Be like when we were younger, times we’d do blanket forts and shit. We can pretend it’s like one ’a those—

DARRELL

Oh, man, come on!

SHARI

Seriously.

DARRELL

That’s funny, I remember that—

SHARI

With that big flowered comforter out on the porch, ’member? And the dog, that little spaniel thing would come tearing in there and knocking shit over, stepping on our sandwiches and all—

DARRELL

Yeah. (laughs) That was funny—

CAMMIE appears from a hallway, yawning and a bit cross. Long T-shirt on with a tear in it near the belly.

CAMMIE

—fucking crying, huh?

SHARI

Yeah.

CAMMIE

Think you can maybe . . .?

SHARI

Just gonna. Go back in, sorry.

CAMMIE

Coming right through the wall, you know.

SHARI

I’ll get ’em, you guys sleep.

CAMMIE nods and lights up a smoke. Inhales deeply then looks over at DARRELL, who quickly stands.

CAMMIE

Hey. Fuck you still up for?

DARRELL

Just got in.

CAMMIE

Oh. Didn’t know. I mean, standing in your undies there—

DARRELL

Yeah, gonna hit the sack.

SHARI

We were just talking and stuff.

CAMMIE

’Bout what?

SHARI

You know, when we were kids. Shit like that.

CAMMIE

Uh-huh.

SHARI

When we played together, over in that one house, downtown?

CAMMIE

I remember.

DARRELL

We made a tent on the porch. Shari was telling me about it.

CAMMIE

On the porch?

DARRELL

With that flowered throw ’a yours, the big scratchy one off your bed.

CAMMIE

—I don’t recall that. Flowered? No—

DARRELL

We did it, though, a couple times.

SHARI

On the back porch.

CAMMIE

Hmmm. I dunno . . . maybe I was at work or something.

DARRELL

Whatever. No big deal.

CAMMIE takes another puff, motions to SHARI about the crying.

SHARI

I’m going. (BEAT) Hey, Cammie, I was thinking that Darrell could maybe—

CAMMIE

You’re set in the kitchen, right?

DARRELL

Ummm—

CAMMIE

You got the cushions there, so—

DARRELL

—’s fine. Yep.

CAMMIE

Great.

DARRELL

Whatever.

CAMMIE

Good, get going, then. And don’t eat everything, neither. Leave some milk.

DARRELL

’Kay. (BEAT) I was just gonna have some more ’a that salmon, if it’s all right—

CAMMIE

Smart ass.

She goes off to bed. SHARI and DARRELL look at one another.

SHARI

You can sneak back out later, I mean, if you want.

DARRELL

I’ll think about it—

SHARI

Good. ’S a Queen-size, so you know—

DARRELL

Yeah. ’Night.

SHARI

’Night.

DARRELL wanders off with his cushions. The baby cries.