TESS (Continuous): And by the end you’re not even capable of having a single new moment. You can’t go for a walk. You can’t open a window. Any new experience you have, someone is experiencing for you, to be kind. “Look, Mom, it’s nice outside.” “Look, I made corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day. You love corned beef.” “Micah got a promotion. You remember Micah.” I don’t know why we have to keep each other alive for so long.

(Beat.)

You’re not saying anything.

JON: Please can we get out of the house tonight? You haven’t seen Rosa in forever.

TESS: So you can what, so you can distract me?

JON: She always cheers you up

TESS: So you can distract me from dying? For the next fifty-five years?

(He starts to go.)

JON: You don’t really believe that

TESS: What

JON: That living is a distraction from death.

TESS: Jon?

(He stops, almost offstage.)

Tell them yes. Bruce and Rosa. We’ll have dinner, we’ll have—boatloads of ghee.

Jon?

Please look at me?

(He doesn’t move.)

Scene 3

3

Tess sits. Jon stands nearby.

Tess is staring out, ever so slightly downward. Jon watches her for a few moments. He is about to speak but then he doesn’t.

Scene 4

4

Jon and Tess sit together. Tess seems like herself—but herself on a good day.

JON: Do you know your name?

TESS: What a silly question.

JON: Can you tell me what it is?

TESS: It’s Tess.

JON: What’s your full name?

TESS: Tess.

JON: Your full name is Tessa Brody.

TESS: Tessa Brody.

JON: Before that it was Lancaster. Tessa Lancaster.

TESS: It changed?

JON: You changed it. When you married me.

(Beat. Tess takes this in.)

Do you know my name?

TESS: Jon. So Jon Brody, it would be.

JON: Good.

TESS: Do we have children?

JON: Three. Mitchell, Micah, and Raina.

In chronological order.

TESS: How long have we been married?

JON: Twenty-nine years.

TESS: We like each other.

JON (A small smile): We do.

TESS: We are . . . as one.

JON: Well, that’s an archaic way of saying it.

TESS: I’m sorry. (Beat) The more we talk, the more / real it will—

JON: I know what it’s like early on. I’ve done this before.

TESS: That’s helpful.

(Short pause.)

JON: It’s actually thirty years, last month. If you count the time since . . .

TESS: The time since?

JON: Since you died.

TESS: I died?

JON: Yes.

TESS (So there’s no problem): But here I am.

JON: No, you don’t understand.

TESS: I think I do. I died and now I’m here.

JON: Listen to me. It’s always hard in the beginning.

TESS (Faintly generic): I don’t see the difficulty. What’s the difficulty?

JON: Why don’t I do most of the talking for now? Until you know more about yourself.