Visitors | part 2 – Jody

Morning
Wake
Bedroom floor
Cramped neck
Get up
8 AM
Apartment
Empty apartment
Dull noises of the world outside
Open fridge
Close fridge
Stare
Open fridge

Bread
Tasteless
Bread and margarine
Tasteless
Bread, margarine and jam
Tasteless
Pour two fingers of milk in a glass
Tasteless
Failed food experiment
Looking at the fragmented piece of bread
Colours, textures
Bin
Kitchen
– Don’t throw it up
Blink
– You need to at least eat something.
– Fine. It’s fine. I’ve eaten.
– One piece of bread hardly counts.
– I’ve had enough.
Pause
Open the coffee jar
Inhale
–
Nothing
– What should I do?
Pause
– Have a shower.

Silence
Turn wrist, the resistance of the tap
Sound
– Do you have any blacks left?
Turn to the shadow on the other side of the frosted glass
– You look good in black.
– I think so.
– What?
– I think I have some.
– You probably have some long-sleeve basics next to that jacket you never wear.
Pause
– Oh and the fridge is going.
– I ate.
– Good for you.

Standing naked in-front of the mirror
A dull shape behind me
Slow, soft kisses across my shoulders
– Where are you going Jody?
Stare
Hands on my back, a face pressed against the base of my neck
– I wish I knew.

Clothed in weight and shadow
Bare feet
Out into the apartment
The sounds of fabric against fabric
Shifting of body-weight
Inhales and exhales
Nothing
To the windows
Open blinds
The sound of a clearing throat
– Is it too bright?
– It’s fine.
Turn
Sit down on the sofa
There they are, around the apartment
Sitting, standing, leaning
All facing me
A young woman inhales, looks up at the clock
And the first of their silent conversation begins
Conversation I cannot hear
Conversation like murmuring at the edge of my hearing
In a language vaguely familiar

Key slide
Thunk of the bolt throwing
Open door

Silence
They all move their heads to the front of the apartment
I watch them turn
Follow their eyes until I see
A figure in the doorway
— Hi Jody.
Blink
– Cam.
Her voice is quiet
Face hidden by a colourless haze
She closes the door

Camilla moves to the kitchen
All eyes follow her
She opens the fridge
Takes items out, puts items in
— Have you eaten?
One of them, sitting on the bench, looks at me
– Um.
Camilla continues to eat
Her figure against the sunlit windows is surreal
She looks less tangible than the others
I don’t want her to fade away
Get up
Walk to the kitchen
She stops
I stop at the counter
Someone is in the fridge, going through it
I turn to look at Camilla
Someone leans against the bench
Another by the window
Another looking through the bin, holding a piece of partly-eaten bread
Camilla puts her bowl down
— Joe?
I look at her
— Joe?
Her voice is quiet
She walks towards me
Her face emerges as if out of water, and I see her features for the first time
I lift my arm to touch it, to make sure it’s real
– Are you sure…
She takes my free hand
— What?
— Maybe you shouldn’t be here.
Around the apartment the figures move about
They seem to keep an ear or an eye on Camilla
Some do nothing but watch us
— Why?
Inhale
— Why shouldn’t I be here Jody?
– This must be like a prison, this house, these…
One of them points to a wall
The plaster darkens
– Let’s go.
— Alright. Where do you want to go?
– Anywhere. Somewhere you want to go. Shopping, movies, anything.
She hesitates
A figure gets up and goes to the bathroom
— Alright. Alright Joe.
She gathers her things
We exit the apartment
I turn and look in as she closes the door

Nothing

Key slide
Thunk of the bolt throwing