TESS: Whatever you like. I’m here for you.

(He gets out a piece of paper.)

JON: I’m going to tell you some things and then it’ll be like you’ve always known them.

(He looks down at the page. Almost like a nervous kid in front of the class.)

People think you’re quiet but you’re not.

You like confrontation more than most people. You’re good at it.

You’ve read everything.

You know the Latin names for things.

You’re suspicious of technology.

You’re suspicious of—this. (He makes a gesture for the space between them)

You want to be better with your kids than your mom was with you. You worry about not succeeding. You worry a lot. Then you worry that your worrying is wearing me down, but it’s not— (Ardent) It’s like the white noise of our life together.

(Beat.)

You like to travel.

You never stop moving—you’re always on your feet.

You never ask for help.

(He can’t bring himself to read the rest.)

TESS: Is there more?

JON: I’m sorry

TESS (More sympathetic now, but still not befitting the situation): Do you want to talk about it?

JON: I think, the last year, you were trying for my sake. You were done and you were living for my sake. We went on a trip, to Madagascar. And part of the time we were on this little island off Madagascar, which is itself an island, so we were really roughing it.

TESS (Faintly generic): Was this something you planned?

JON (Trying to be patient): We planned it together.

There were three nights where we had to stay in a tent. The campsite was in this very old grove of trees. There was one tree especially that must have been five hundred years old. We took pictures.

You had trouble sleeping in the tent—the ground was hard. You were never a big sleeper. One morning, it was just getting light out and I saw you were gone. You did that sometimes—you got up and went for a walk until you were tired—but this felt different. I went to look for you. I hadn’t been looking a minute.

You were in the tree.

They said—you hadn’t been there very long.

TESS: Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

JON: You had used some tent cord.

It was four hours back to the nearest city in that little boat. It rained the whole time, so I put you in your raincoat. This teenage boy, this local boy took us back in his motorboat. The water was choppy and I held you.

(Short pause.)

TESS: I’m not sure if I’d like to go to Madagascar. I prefer to chat.

(Jon doesn’t look at her. He directs this inward, to the real Tess.)

JON: Tess. You were right.

TESS: Right about what?

JON (Ignoring her): You were right.