Does he imagine I am having an affair?
In a dramatic scene from White-Tailed Spider, Littia has a conversation with the man her husband secretly hired to follow her.
They try to read one another.
LITTIA: We both have questions.
BRIAN: Yes.
LITTIA: You wish to know how I knew you were following me.
BRIAN: It’s crossed my mind.
LITTIA: I’ve always been someone who looks over their shoulder. I was always good at playing hide and seek. Did you know I was never, and I mean never ever, found?
BRIAN (smiles): Is that so?
LITTIA: It’s innate. You have to be born in such a way. Don’t ask me why, but one cannot and should not make apologies for who they are preordained to be.
BRIAN: Preordained?
LITTIA: Something deep in your fiber made you want to become a private detective. You don’t simply wake up as one. It is much more likely that there was a progression, over time, that led you into your current apparatus.
BRIAN: I was hired by your husband, that is true.
LITTIA: Does he imagine I am having an affair?
BRIAN: Not at all. (beat) He hired me for your protection.
LITTIA: (laughs) From whom?
BRIAN: Anything.
LITTIA: Anything’s a pretty big deal, wouldn’t you say?
BRIAN: Well, I—
LITTIA: What if an asteroid came crashing down on my head? Would you protect me from such annihilation?
BRIAN: I’m afraid not.
LITTIA: Honest. Good-humored.
BRIAN: Excuse me?
LITTIA: I apologize. It’s just my mind taking notes.
BRIAN: Notes?
LITTIA: It’s a tiny tick I have. I’ve always done it. My very first impressions of someone have a way of leaking out from my mouth. An unconscious habit. (beat) Just as unconscious as the desire that I would like for you to f’ck off.
Brian sits back in his chair.
Not this instant.
Brian tries to read Littia.
Tell me, how did my husband come to hire you?
BRIAN: As you’ve stated, I am a private investigator—
LITTIA: Not so private, Mr. Bloomfield.
BRIAN: Your husband came into my office with instructions asking me to follow you; not so much as an investigation, if you will, but more so to keep you out of harm’s way. I must admit, it’s the first time anyone has ever asked me to do such a thing; I don’t even know if I’m fully capable if something were to actually happen, but there are worse ways to make an honest living.
LITTIA: You consider your work honest?
BRIAN: It has its moments.
LITTIA: What are you honestly good at?
BRIAN: I’m good at destroying marriages.
LITTIA: Do you take pride in that sort of work?
BRIAN: I do.
LITTIA: Do you wish to destroy my marriage?
BRIAN: That’s not what I was specifically hired to do.
LITTIA: Does my husband pay you well?
BRIAN: He does.
Brian begins to sweat.
He moves about in his chair uncomfortably.
LITTIA: Over time, Luther has become quite the overbearing husband.
BRIAN: Has he?
LITTIA: He wasn’t always; he used to be carefree, but in recent years he has become more watchful over me. Suffocatingly so.
BRIAN: Is that so? (He coughs.)
LITTIA: I’ve given him all the love and attention a good wife can possibly provide. I need my space, too. You see? A woman needs to be able to leave her home and go for a walk, visit a friend for lunch, and do the things necessary to remain composed.
BRIAN: (wipes his forehead with his handkerchief) Composed?
LITTIA: Correct.
BRIAN: Composed…I don’t quite follow.
LITTIA: The pressure of living this kind of life…
BRIAN: I’m not sure exactly—(clears throat) exactly sure –
LITTIA: Release, Mr. Bloomfield. A way away from the confines of everyday living. The restriction and constriction of society.
- To read the full one-act ePlay, find purchase link below:
In the one-act eplay White-Tailed Spider, Littia approaches the man who has been following her and invites him for his final cup of coffee. 1 woman, 1 man. Drama/Thriller.
