I Will Give You Rest

LARA: Carl, it’s me! Are you there? If you’re there, please pick up! I need to talk to you! Please? You can’t do this to me! You gotta give me another chance! I’m losing it, Carl! First losing my job and then losing you… I can’t take any more! Carl! Pick up! I know you’re there! Please talk to me! You gotta help me! Carl… I don’t want to live anymore. (Pause)… bye Carl. (Hangs up cell. She goes to the table and picks up a bottle of pills. She reads the label. She takes off the cap and looks at the pills inside. There is a knock at the door. She puts the lid back on the pills and puts them down and goes to the door.)

 

DANA: Hey, Lara! Surprise!

LARA: Dana! What are you doing here?

DANA: I was in town for my uncle’s birthday, and I thought I would look you up. (She comes in. She has a Bible kind of out of sight) Wow, this place has changed. It looks a lot different.

LARA: Well, I haven’t been keeping it up very well.

DANA: No big deal. I’m sure you are very busy.

LARA: Not really.

DANA: Man, I haven’t seen you forever! I would have called first, but I actually couldn’t find your phone number. I did remember where you lived, though. And I was hoping you still lived here. So, I decided to try and see if you were home and surprise you.

LARA: You sure did that. Have a seat.

DANA: What’s going on with you these days, girl? It’s been a very long time since we talked. How’s your mom doing?

LARA: My mom died last year, Dana.

DANA: What? Really? I didn’t know, I’m so sorry. What happened?

LARA: Cancer.

DANA: Really? Oh, Man! I’m really sorry.

LARA: How’s your folks?

DANA: Oh, they’re doing okay. They’re over at my uncle’s. How’s the job going? Did you ever get that promotion? The last time I was here, you said you were hoping to get it.

LARA: No, Dana, I never got it. Instead I got fired.

DANA: Fired?!

LARA: Fired, laid off… whatever you want to call it. The bottom line is I’ve been unemployed now for six months. There are no jobs to be had. I’m running up debts galore, and I even owe money to Carl.

DANA: That’s heavy stuff! Hey, what’s going on with Carl? You two ever going to tie the knot?

LARA: He broke up with me.

DANA: You’re kidding me! You guys were together forever! Wow, I just can’t believe it!

LARA: It’s my own fault. He couldn’t take it anymore. Since I lost my job, I’ve been depressed and having a lot of mood swings… and he just couldn’t handle it. He said I was no longer the same person. I keep calling, but he won’t talk to me anymore.

DANA: Man! That really stinks! I can’t believe all this stuff. I really need to be praying for you!

LARA: What?

DANA: Oh, yeah. I do that now. I pray.

LARA: What did you do, get religion or something?

DANA: Yeah, something like that. It’s not so much getting religion as it was getting a new life…