CECILIA: I’m not a slut Mr Carter.

CARTER: I didn’t say that.

CECILIA: Those might be the kind of women you’ve dealt with in the past but I’m not one of them.

CARTER: What women?

CECILIA: Any woman.

CARTER: Did Vinnie talk to you about women in the past?

CECILIA: Don’t get paranoid on me, Mr Carter. Panic is a terrible thing. It’s in the air. But there’s no reason to succumb to it.

CARTER: I’m not panicked!

CECILIA: I’ve known panic, myself. You can pick it up from the TV, radio. The telephone. It’s like a disease.

CARTER: I AM NOT PANICKED!!

CECILIA: It can take over your whole body. Your mind. This sense of impending doom.

Pause. He stares at her.

CARTER: You’ve felt that kind of thing before? Why would you feel something like that? Someone like you. Working in the Safeway. What do you know about “impending doom”? You’ve never—done anything have you? I mean—

CECILIA: Done anything? Like what?

CARTER: Nothing.

CECILIA: No—like what, for instance? I’ve done lots of things you might never suspect me of.

CARTER: Betrayed—something. Someone.

CECILIA: Oh—Betrayed. I don’t know about that. Have you?

CARTER: What?

CECILIA: Betrayed someone?

CARTER: No.

CECILIA: Well, there you are then—both of us must be completely innocent on that score and yet we’ve both felt impending doom. Isn’t that something.

CARTER: Well, maybe not completely innocent—

CECILIA: No. Maybe not.

CARTER: I mean little things, here and there. Things that couldn’t be helped.

CECILIA: Right.

CARTER: Things—beyond your control.

CECILIA: Well, those things you can’t blame yourself for.

CARTER: No.

CECILIA: Those things are just—

CARTER: Accidental, almost.

CECILIA: That’s right.

CARTER: Circumstance.

Pause. CARTER stares at her.

CARTER: How did he find you exactly? He just strolled into the Safeway one day and there you were—bagging his groceries?

CECILIA: Coincidence, I guess.

CARTER: And he never even kissed you? Never tried? I—I don’t understand that.

CECILIA: He kissed me once.

Pause.

CARTER: He did?

CECILIA: Yes. Just once.

CARTER: Where?

CECILIA: In my kitchen.

CARTER: I mean on your body! Where on your body!

Pause.

CECILIA: That’s private, Mr Carter.

Pause.

CARTER: I’m going to lay down.

CECILIA: Yes. I think you should.

CARTER goes to bed, takes a long drink of whiskey and lies down.

CARTER: I have no idea what to do now. I can’t go back there, I can’t stay here. I can’t—face it. I can’t—It’s like everything’s going backwards! I came out here to fix things up! Why is he doing this to me?

CECILIA: Would you like a neck rub?

CARTER: No! Don’t touch me!

CECILIA: You should try to rest now.