Victor Socialist?

Tim You going to kill me?

Nick No.

Victor Socialist.

Tim Because if you want to, I think you should go / right ahead.

Nick No.

Tim Just let me know when you’re going to / kill me alright?

Nick Leave it.

Tim And I’ let you know when I’m ready to be killed.

Nick Leave it / now. I don’t want to hear this.

Tim Because one day I might get bored with being in happy land / and then we could get together.

Nick SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Pause.

Victor You are socialist?

Nick Yeah.

Victor I hate socialist.

Nick Right.

Victor Everything falling to pieces. The buildings ugly and falling down. The shops ugly, empty. The ugly people following the rules and then mocking and complaining when they think that no-one is listening. All the time you know it is rotting, but all the time ‘Everything is getting better. Everything is for the best. The people are marching forward to the beat of history,’ This lie. This deception. This progress. Big fucking lie.

Nick Maybe in some countries but the / principle of socialism.

Victor Don’t tell me about my country. You know nothing.

Tim I look at people who were around in nineteen eighty-four. And I see bitter people. I think you must have spent so much time being angry that it’s left you all hard and bitter, and now there’s no way for you to deal with today.

Nick I’m coping.

Tim Yes?

Nick Yes. Nadia’s helping me and I’m coping. I want to look after her. I didn’t think I’d ever want that again. Prison, you’ve got to look after yourself. But now I really want to look after Nadia.

Enter Nadia. Her face is bruised.

Nadia Hello, hello. Hey I’m sorry. I’m sorry to keep everyone waiting. What are you up to? How about going out? I think we should go out.

Victor Dance. / Dance.

Nadia Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s go out.

Tim Are you alright?

Nadia I’m okay.

Victor Part-eee.

Nick What happened to your face?

Nadia I’m fine now. Everything’s fine.

Nick You’re not, your face.

Nadia Let’s not talk about that.

Nick Is this Simon? Has Simon been / waiting for you outside the club?

Nadia I’m not going to talk about it.

Nick Come on, come on, tell me.

Tim Look. If she doesn’t want to talk, about it –

Nick She’s got to talk about it.

Tim When she’s ready. When she’s got the right space, she’ll…

Nadia Yeah. When I’m ready.

Nick Come on, come on, this is stupid. This is … if he’s beating you up. If the bastard is doing that, then we’ve got to…

Tim Kill him?

Nick Do something about it.

Tim Get round with the axe and chop, chop, chop?

Nick Please. Tell me what he did to you.

Nadia No. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to latch on to some negative. I’m not going to do that.