YOU DESERVE by Anthony Triplett

YOU DESERVE...

Written by Anthony “Tony” Triplett

2 YOU DESERVE...

CHARACTERS: TONY . . . Mid thirties, journalist for Redemption Magazine FAITH . . . Mid thirties, journalist for Redemption Magazine RENEE . . . Late twenties, intern for Redemption Magazine

SET: The scene takes place in a giant cubicle that contains two big desks for the two journalists, Tony and Faith, and a smaller desk for the intern, Renee. The time is 8:00 in the morning.

3

TONY (Looking at Faith.)

You mind explaining the sunglasses?

FAITH (Staring at the computer monitor.)

Really Tony? Do we have to do this right now?

TONY Do we have to do what right now? (Pause.) You’re wearing sunglasses during a thunderstorm, what do you expect me to say?

FAITH Try minding your business.

TONY When you come to work looking like somebody’s sparring partner, and not a journalist, it becomes my business!

(Renee enters the cubicle.)

RENEE Hey y’all!

(Renee has two cups of coffee in her hands.)

FAITH (Holding out her hand.)

Which coffee is mine intern?

RENEE Excuse me?!

(Hands Faith her coffee.)

For the twentieth time, my name’s Renee not intern.

FAITH Whatever.

RENEE (Walking towards Tony’s desk.)

Here you go Tony.

TONY Thank you so much, I need a huge favor from you.

4

RENEE Whatever you need I got you.

TONY Me and Faith were having a conversation, so I’m gonna need you to put in your earbuds for a while.

RENEE (Sighs.)

Come on Tony do I have to?

FAITH Is she talking back? That’s insubordination intern!!

TONY Please Renee, I need to have this conversation with Faith.

RENEE (Putting the earbuds in her ears.)

I’m doing this for you. Not her.

FAITH Just do as you’re told intern!

TONY Really Faith? You’re tripping right now.

RENEE It’s cool Tony.

(Renee puts in both earbuds and gives Faith the “finger”, before sitting at her desk.)

TONY (Looking at Faith.)

Why you gotta be so nasty?

FAITH That’s just me, being me.

TONY You being you huh? (Pause.) Renee ain’t the one you should be mad at. (Sitting back down at his desk.)

FAITH She think she slick, I know she like you.

5

TONY (Sliding his chair over to Faith’s desk.)

Her liking me or not is not the issue. The issue is this (pointing at the sunglasses.) (Pause.) Why do you allow this man to constantly put his hands on you?

FAITH What you want me to do?

TONY (Laughing.)

Let’s try ducking first.

FAITH (Trying her best not to laugh.)

Screw you Tony!

TONY I’m saying F.T.D. You got to be a little faster.

FAITH F.T.D.? What does that mean?

TONY Forgot-To-Duck!

FAITH (Laughing.)

You so stupid.

TONY You see, you need a main who’ll make you smile.

FAITH (Dropping her head.)

Whatever Tony, it’s not that easy.

TONY Love wouldn’t be fun if it was easy. (Pause.) (Examining Faith’s face closely.) But did it have to be this much fun?

FAITH You don’t even know all the details.

6

TONY Details!? The physical evidence is too overwhelming for me to even care about the details. (Pause.) Look at your face.

FAITH (Removes her sunglasses.)

I had this coming.

TONY (Looks back at Renee, then back to Faith.)

What the hell?

(Putting the glasses back on Faith’s face.)

FAITH It’s not that bad.

TONY Are you high or something? Do I need to have you drug tested? (Pause.) Your black eye has a black eye.

FAITH Don’t you even want to know why it happened?

TONY Why it happened is irrelevant, nothing constitutes you having to walk around looking like that.

FAITH I got it under control.

TONY Really faith? When did you stop loving yourself?

(Faith drops her head.)

Pick your head up sweetie. (Pause.) I know you’re saying to yourself, “I love him.” But what about him loving you back.

(Handing Faith a mirror.)

Look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself this one question, do I deserve this kind of love?

7

FAITH (Staring at her reflection in the mirror.)

He wasn’t always like this. (Pause.) In the beginning he was everything I ever wanted out of a man. He was so great to me.

TONY But what about now?

FAITH He’s got a lot going on right now, with him being fired and all.

TONY Don’t do that!!

FAITH Don’t do what?

TONY You’re making excuses for him. (Pause.) He lost his job, so what! That still doesn’t give him the right to put his hands on you.

FAITH You don’t understand Tony.

TONY Oh I get it. When you first met him, he was the closest thing to perfect. (Pause.) But over time he began to change, and you being the woman that you are, saw that change as a task instead of a problem.

(Faith nods in agreement.)

And since you had so much time invested in the relationship you chose to stay, hoping he’ll go back to the man you met in the beginning. (Pause.) Unfortunately for you he didn’t, and the man you knew in the beginning is long gone. Now you find yourself loving a stranger.

FAITH How is it you know so much about relationships?

TONY Because I was once you (Showing Faith the stab wounds on his side.)

8

FAITH I thought you got those stab wounds in a bar fight?

TONY I did, I just never elaborated on who actually stabbed me.

FAITH I can’t believe she did that to you.

TONY Men endure domestic violence as well. We just don’t broadcast it as much, because our ego and pride won’t allow us to do so.

FAITH I don’t know Tony, he said he was sorry, and he promised that he wouldn’t hit me again.

TONY (Shaking his head.)

My ex told me the same thing. She didn’t hit me again, she graduated to almost stabbing me to death. (Pause.) I would’ve bled out if the hospital wasn’t so close to the bar.

FAITH (Holding back tears.)

It’s not that easy, I love him.

TONY I understand you love him, but you have to love yourself first, and right now, the love you have for yourself has become non-existent. (Pause.) There’s a lot of good guys out there, you just have to be patient.

(Tony & Faith embrace in a hug.)

FAITH So where are these so-called good guys?

RENEE (Turning towards Faith & Tony.)

Well one is right in front of you. (Pause.) Can I take out my earbuds now?

END OF PLAY