An Almost Perfect Thing, Page 6

  —just to talk to me.

  MATHEW

  Be with me. Up here.

  CHLOE

  (to GREG/MATHEW) Thanks for waiting.

  (to audience) We go back to the main room. I can't stop staring at him. In this room. Surrounded by—

  GREG

  Colleagues.

  MATHEW

  Memories.

  CHLOE

  And he won't stop—

  MATHEW

  Telling stories.

  GREG

  Jokes.

  CHLOE

  Trying to impress—

  MATHEW

  Her.

  GREG

  Everyone around me.

  CHLOE

  He makes me kind of sad.

  GREG

  (to CHLOE) Can you believe what he said at dinner?

  CHLOE

  None of it's real.

  MATHEW

  (to CHLOE) And this one I got from my mum when I was ten.

  CHLOE

  He's alone. Totally alone. I can see it in his shoulders. In the way he—

  GREG and MATHEW wipe sweat off their foreheads in the same way.

  —so you won't notice the sweat on his forehead.

  GREG and MATHEW both massage their necks.

  No real friends. No family. No one. Except me.

  MATHEW

  (to CHLOE) Dance with me.

  MATHEW takes her arm.

  GREG

  (to CHLOE) Dance with me.

  GREG pulls her away.

  CHLOE

  What? No. I don't know how.

  GREG/MAT

  I'll teach you.

  CHLOE

  No. Mathew—

  MATHEW

  (to audience) She said my name again. Like that.

  GREG

  It'll be fun.

  He puts his hand on her back.

  CHLOE

  (to audience) He put his hand on my back again. Like that.

  GREG

  (to audience) Everyone's staring at us again. Like that.

  (to CHLOE) Come on, all you wanted to do was go dancing.

  GREG/MAT

  Please?

  Both men have their hands out. She first looks at MATHEW and then grabs GREG's hand.

  MATHEW

  Now the lady puts her left arm on the man's shoulder.

  She puts her left arm on GREG's shoulder.

  And her right arm holds his hand.

  CHLOE

  Like this?

  GREG/MAT

  Perfect.

  MATHEW

  And then my left leg goes forward—

  GREG

  And your right goes back.

  CHLOE

  Am I doing okay?

  MATHEW

  You're a natural.

  GREG

  You're… very good.

  MATHEW takes CHLOE from GREG.

  MATHEW

  You know how I got so good at dancing? On Saturdays, when my dad was gone, my mum used to put a dress on and lipstick and earrings and she'd turn on the radio and whip me around and say, "Dance with me, Mathew. Dance with me like you love me."

  GREG takes her.

  GREG

  Where did you learn to dance like this?

  CHLOE

  I didn't. I don't know—

  GREG

  You're very good.

  Beat.

  How often did you go upstairs? When you were with him.

  CHLOE

  What? Are we working now?

  GREG

  Of course not. This is off the record. We're just talking. Like friends.

  CHLOE

  Friends.

  Beat.

  I made him take me. The first time it was a trick. I hid my food and so—

  GREG

  He didn't search your room?

  CHLOE

  He believed in privacy.

  GREG

  Didn't you get hungry?

  CHLOE

  It's just mind control. But you can't stop your body from showing it. So I looked sick. And that freaked him out. He thought I needed sun.

  GREG

  Was he still violent then?

  CHLOE

  No. I didn't let it happen.

  GREG

  How did you stop it?

  MATHEW takes her from GREG.

  MATHEW

  This is nice of me, hey? Letting you upstairs. I'm pretty nice.

  CHLOE

  Totally.

  MATHEW

  You know how you dropped your fork at dinner? If I did that when I was your age, my dad would have screamed in my face. But I didn't get mad at you, did I? And when you put your elbow on the table? My dad would have thrown you across the room. But I'm not like that.

  CHLOE

  Were you scared of him?

  MATHEW

  I didn't have to be. I was an expert on knowing when the storm was coming. Mum called it my superpower. The second he walked in I'd sniff him out. Within three seconds—

  GREG takes her.

  CHLOE

  Within three seconds I knew how to act. Sweet. Tough. Motherly. Like a child. Smart. Silent. It was my superpower.

  GREG

  How would you know?

  MATHEW takes her.

  MATHEW

  Little things. If he was swinging his arms or if they were crossed in front of him. If his hands were in fists or if he kept moving his fingers.

  GREG takes her.

  CHLOE

  If his voice was up in his head or down in his throat. The direction of his eyebrows if—

  MATHEW takes her.

  MATHEW

  —his mouth was twitching. If he kept tugging on his shirt or touching his hair.

  GREG takes her.

  CHLOE

  Everything says something. You have to have senses like an animal.

  MATHEW takes her.

  MATHEW

  It would be nice to have you up here more.

  CHLOE

  Really? Mathew, are you for real? I'd do anything.

  MATHEW

  I'd be watching you all the time. And you'd have to earn it. Do chores—

  GREG takes her.

  CHLOE

  I did lots of cleaning. Cooking. I'm a good cook. On special occasions I made—

  GREG

  Special occasions?

  CHLOE

  Birthdays, Christmas, Easter… special occasions.

  GREG

  Would he buy you gifts?

  MATHEW takes her.

  MATHEW

  If you're bad, if you try anything when I have you up here, what should I do? Say it. If I try to run…

  CHLOE

  If I try to run… you should lock me up again. And never let me back up. For the rest of my life.

  MATHEW

  I have your permission?

  CHLOE

  Totally.

  Beat.

  Now how often can I come up?

  GREG takes her.

  It was once a week at first. Then it was more. Then more.

  GREG

  Did he tie you up? Have a gun?

  CHLOE

  No.

  GREG

  Did you try to escape?

  CHLOE

  You'd think. But I had to be careful. You get upstairs and it's like you'll do anything not to lose the privilege. 'Cause it's almost like you're a normal person, right? Being out was like, I don't know, being in heaven. Can we go out like this mor
e often?

  GREG

  Sure. Maybe. Like to—

  CHLOE

  Wherever you want. Whenever. I'll do anything.

  (to the audience) My heart beats faster and faster.

  MATHEW takes her. To audience.

  MATHEW

  As she clings to me.

  GREG takes her.

  CHLOE

  He holds me.

  GREG

  They gather to watch us.

  MATHEW starts to take her. She's between the two men. Music ends.

  GREG/MAT

  Thank you.

  To audience.

  CHLOE

  On the way out—

  MATHEW

  The way down—

  GREG

  Someone takes our picture. One last shot.

  MATHEW

  She gives me a hug.

  CHLOE

  He kisses my hand.

  MATHEW

  I don't force her.

  CHLOE

  He just does it.

  GREG

  They just want to.

  MATHEW

  I think about all of it…

  CHLOE

  His hand on my back. Walking me around the room.

  MATHEW

  The sun on her face. She looked older somehow.

  GREG

  People fighting to talk to me. Me. I didn't know I'd feel so—

  CHLOE

  Needed.

  GREG

  Wanted.

  MATHEW

  Loved.

  (to CHLOE) Wait. Before you go to sleep—

  Tell me you love me. Please. Now. Right now. Tell me.

  CHLOE

  Will you let me upstairs tomorrow morning? And then again at night?

  MATHEW

  Okay.

  CHLOE

  I love you. I love you so much.

  GREG

  Wait. Before you go—

  I know I said tonight was off the record. But… you'd be okay with me using what you said. Right?

  CHLOE

  Will you take me to a movie some time? And we can go for supper first? Like friends?

  GREG

  Uh… sure.

  CHLOE

  You can use whatever you want. Night, Greg.

  SCENE THREE

  Shift. To the audience.

  CHLOE

  The night was—

  MATHEW

  —almost—

  GREG

  —perfect. I felt—

  CHLOE

  —almost—

  MATHEW

  —normal.

  CHLOE

  I don't want this to end.

  MATHEW

  How is this going to work? Her upstairs.

  GREG

  I can't mess this up. There's only four left. Go over everything she said.

  MATHEW

  Make a checklist of the entire house.

  GREG

  Starving herself to get upstairs.

  MATHEW

  Key locks on the windows.

  CHLOE

  Maybe we can start a new project when it's done.

  MATHEW

  Take out all heavy or sharp objects.

  GREG

  Cooking, cleaning, celebrating.

  CHLOE

  He doesn't have anyone else.

  MATHEW

  A schedule for when she's upstairs and when she's down. Practise drills for when someone comes to the door.

  GREG

  She says she wasn't tied up.

  MATHEW

  Get new clothes, a haircut.

  GREG

  No gun to her head.

  MATHEW

  I have to look good. Presentable. For her.

  GREG

  But that doesn't make sense.

  CHLOE

  I want us to be more than friends.

  GREG

  She has to be lying.

  CHLOE

  I want us to be—

  MATHEW

  I want her to look at me like—

  GREG

  And if that's the case—

  CHLOE

  Boyfriend and girlfriend.

  GREG

  How do I get to the real story?

  CHLOE

  How do I do that?

  MATHEW

  I fall asleep dreaming about—

  CHLOE

  What it's going to be like.

  GREG

  I wake up at 8 a.m. to the sound of my phone ringing. Our nation's biggest magazine. They want to set up an interview. They want to do a story on me. My life, my interests, my opinions. Me. The Man Behind the Girl.

  CHLOE

  (imitating radio host) "Our phone lines are open. Tell us what you think."

  I wake up to the sound of angry voices on the radio.

  (imitating public) "I was okay with it when she was still screwed up or whatever, but now that we know she's going out every night? The secrecy is totally not acceptable."

  GREG

  I'm at the Starbucks before work when I hear the woman say it. I look to see what she's talking about. On the front page… A huge picture. Me and her. At the gala. The entire front page.

  CHLOE

  Caller after caller.

  GREG

  (imitating public) "What are the police doing? At least this writer is trying different ways to get her to talk."

  CHLOE

  That's not why Greg took me. He wanted to take me.

  GREG

  (imitating public) "Who cares about the details? We still don't know who it is."

  Beat.

  Doesn't matter how much you give them. All they want is him.

  SCENE FOUR

  Shift. GREG's condo, MATHEW's house.

  CHLOE

  (to audience) He wants to see me more often.

  MATHEW

  (to audience) Each month I let her up a little more.

  CHLOE

  (to audience) Two or three times a week.

  GREG

  (to audience) I ask her more about being upstairs. Trying to get something. Some truth into what he did to keep her there.

  MATHEW speaks to audience and CHLOE speaks to GREG, unless otherwise indicated.

  MATHEW

  Each time she's upstairs I give her a little more responsibility. So she can take ownership. Like it's her house.

  CHLOE

  I gave him shopping lists every week.

  (to MATHEW) You can't forget vitamins this time. You don't want us to get sick, do you?

  MATHEW

  She takes care of me. It gives her purpose. Purpose keeps people happy.

  CHLOE

  I kept him happy by making us like a family. That was all he wanted.

  MATHEW

  I give her whatever she wants.

  CHLOE

  The more he thought I considered him like a dad, the more comfortable he thought I was.

  MATHEW

  Give her what she wants, the more comfortable she'll be.

  CHLOE

  The more comfortable he thought I was, the less he watched me upstairs.

  MATHEW

  The more comfortable she is, the scarier it is "out there."

  CHLOE

  The less he watched me, the better my chances of getting out.

  MATHEW

  The scarier it is "out there," the more she wants to be with me.

  CHLOE

  Get it? I was—

  MATHEW

&nb
sp; I am—

  MAT/CHLOE

  —in control.

  CHLOE

  Get it?

  Beat.

  GREG

  (to CHLOE) The better your chances of getting out? But it was six years—

  CHLOE

  I had to wait for the perfect moment.

  To the audience.

  GREG

  And that's the only explanation she'll give. So I write it in a way that people will read between the lines, understand that obviously things were worse than she's letting on. The violence, the sex, the abuse, it's all coming. A girl who controls her kidnapper, who walks free, who tries to make him happy, like a family? Surely they'll see through that, right?

  Wrong.

  CHLOE

  He writes about my tricks to get upstairs. To stay upstairs. How I was in control of Mathew. How I made Mathew give me whatever I wanted. He shows how strong I was. It's inspiring. Perfect.

  Almost.

  GREG

  All they read is—

  (imitating public) "Upstairs?"

  CHLOE

  (imitating public) "She was upstairs?"

  GREG

  (imitating public) "Would just tell him what she wanted."

  CHLOE

  (imitating public) "Controlled him."

  GREG

  (imitating public) "Doesn't sound all that bad."

  CHLOE

  (imitating public) "No wonder she didn't want to come home."

  GREG

  People are turning on her.

  CHLOE

  People are stupid.

  GREG

  Soon they're going to turn on me.

  CHLOE

  They're not even trying to understand.

  GREG

  The police are questioning me again, turning up the pressure, so I have to turn up the pressure on her. If she's not going to give me the real story then maybe I need to change my focus. If I can get enough information from her, enough details, then realistically… I could just find him myself. Imagine that… if I found him myself…

  (to CHLOE) What kind of job did he have?

  GREG and MATHEW are both speaking to CHLOE. CHLOE is speaking to GREG.

  MATHEW

  How are we going to celebrate my day off?

  CHLOE

  Labour. But it was creative.

  MATHEW

  I don't want to waste it. We have to have fun.

  GREG

  What about fun?

  CHLOE

  Checkers. Hearts.

  MATHEW

  There's that new card game you like so much. Or we could read—

  GREG

  What kind of books did he like?

  MATHEW

  —your new mystery book.

  CHLOE

  He loved the way his heart beat when he didn't know how it was gonna end.

  GREG

  The adrenalin rush. My favourite. So would he go to the library or bookstores?

  CHLOE

  Both. He liked used bookstores.