ALMA: Gene gets here. I’m excited. He’s finally here.

EUGENE: (To Alma) “Here I am–New York City walking, talking, moving”–

ALMA: (To Eugene) “South Carolina’s still with you–still totally with you–still a part of you.”

(They both pause)

EUGENE: “So it’s been a long time”–

ALMA: “Yeah it has.”

(They pause.)

EUGENE: “Six months.”

ALMA: “Six whole months.” (They pause.)

(They look away from each other and there is another pause.)

ALMA: I introduce him to my roommate and make reservations for dinner. (Beat)

EUGENE: Alma’s now wearing “New York” fashionable clothes–(Beat)

ALMA: He looks nice. He’s wearing nice clothes. You can tell he doesn’t live in New York but he looks nice. (Pause) (Beat) I quickly change and we go to a great Chinese restaurant.

EUGENE: I don’t know anything on the menu–

ALMA: I’m hoping he’ll try things–

EUGENE: She’s talking about her “psych course this” and her “sociology teacher” that–

ALMA: He’s talking about people we went to school with–“This one had a baby with that person’s husband”–(Beat) He keeps looking at the menu. (Pause) I order the food–

EUGENE: I’m eating this food that she says is so great. I mean it’s okay. I could have easily eaten some American food–some soul food–

ALMA: He picks at the food–it’s hard to get a reservation in this place–the food is that good.

EUGENE: I’m not crazy about New York but I see how comfortable she is here–she glides down the street–she more than walks–she glides–I’m watching her walk/glide like she owns it. (Beat) Man, I wish I had that walk–

ALMA: We walk through the Village. I say “Let’s go dancing. I know a place with all kinds of great music.”

EUGENE: I’m holding Alma close–real close–it’s like being back in South Carolina. We start to kiss on the dance floor–my tongue/her tongue–

ALMA: Eugene and I are dancing close/he’s holding me close–his hand is around my waist–he squeezes the flesh on my waist–

EUGENE: Alma’s full, full body feels nice next to mine–

ALMA: My waist is fleshy–is there too much flesh on my waist?

EUGENE: I want to enter her/be a part of her–

ALMA: I get a glimpse of myself in the club mirror. I see myself in this bar mirror–

EUGENE: I tell her, “I want to make love with you Alma”–

ALMA: I hear Odelia’s voice (ODELIA) “Big ole fat ting–ugly fat ting–ya lucky fa dat yella boy ta luv ya–ain’t nobody else ga love ya”–

EUGENE: “I love you Alma.”