Visitation Time
			Mark S.P. Turvin

Characters:
Danny-Late 20's. He wears jeans and a grey oxford.
Debby-Early 30's. Danny's girlfriend. Her hair is a mess. She 
wears a white hospital gown. 
Scene: 
A psychiatric ward (Bellvue).
Time: 
The present.

A chair sits SL of the SL window, facing CS. Danny stands next to 
it. Debby sits CS in the other chair, facing and staring at the SL 
window. She has her feet on the chair, and hugs her legs to her 
body. She is rocking slightly, autistically.

			Danny

	(Fast paced, with a modicum of guilt)

After our last fight, the night when she found Beth and I 
together, the warnings began in earnest.

			Debby

	(Slowly, as though drugged)

I know that you're there. I can feel you behind the mirror, but 
I'm not sure. All I see is a gaunt, pale girl dressed in loose 
fitting white clothing whose eyes lock onto mine and refuse to let 
go.

			Danny

	(Non-specifically acting out what he's saying as he's saying 
	 it)

She cut her friends with the image of her slashed wrists.

			Debby

	(Without a pause)

Demanding.

			Danny

	(Without a pause, again acting out, holding fingers as a gun 
	 forward at the audience, then aiming it at his head)

She held her parents at bay with the thought of a gun to the 
temple.

			Debby

	(Wihtout a pause)

Expecting.

			Danny

	(Without a pause, hands on hips)

She poisoned me with the threat of an empty pill bottle.

			Debby

	(Without a pause)

Awaiting.

			Danny

	(Shrugs. Pause)

And the night after they pumped her stomach, she wound up here. 
The Matron called me to tell me she'd been admitted. Since her 
parents wouldn't go to see her, they let me visit... 

	(Beat)

kind of.

	(Pause, to Debby)

You are white in white with a white background, and the edges are 
blurry, to say the least. 

			Debby

It's a comical drawing, but you're behind it, you can't see it. 

			Danny

It's a tense moment that flickers forever without exact dimensions 
or perimeters, and all I can do is...

	(Slowly, doing as he says)

breathe in...and out...and hope that you're doing the same. 

			Debby

And I'm nearly hysterical with tears that are dripping from those 
brown, demanding eyes as she looks at me with you behind her.

			Danny

I stare at you, but keep being drawn away from your eyes by the 
reflection of my own that keep appearing in the glass as I breathe 
in...and out...fogging my view. 

			Debby

I want her to look away, to stop making me look. I want your brown 
eyes to replace hers with understanding... 

			Danny

	(Without a pause)

You seem to be staring at me, but they say that can't be true. 

			Debby

	(Without a pause)

without expectation.

			Danny

	(Beat)

The Matron tells me "It's one way glass; you can see in, she can't 
see out." So, though I pretend that you're looking into my eyes, 
they keep telling me that you're staring into a mirror; 

	(Beat, faster, guiltily)

but those brown eyes are the only clear thing in this overlay of 
white on white on white and I won't believe them.

			Debby

	(Perhaps concurrantly with last part of above, said with a 
	 snarl)

But this comical drawing is impatient with me, and I'll wait until 
it allows me to do as it wishes.

	(The two of them stare at each other through the 
	 mirror/window as the lights fade to black...)