Dialogue

Wartorn

Narrator: We now return to the daring adventures of the Gray Ghost!

Hero: Doctor Zero!

Scientist: I’m afraid you’re too late, detective. At the broadcast of this signal, the entire world shall fall under my spell.

Hero: You’re one sick bastard, Doctor. But there’s just one thing you haven’t considered.

Scientist: And just what would that be, Ghost?

Hero: Well, it’s just a little something I like to call the power of friendship.

Father: Turn that shit off. [beat] Hogwash, what is. [long beat] How’s your day been?

Margie: Same as always, daddy.

Father: Ain’t much to talk about, then.

Margie: No. Suppose not.

Father: I got the clock in the kitchen working.

Margie: That’s good.

Father: It’s why dinner’s on time.

Margie: Yeah. Thanks, daddy.

[beat]

Father: Must’ve done something today.

Margie: Well, finished that scarf. Went over my physics book again.

Father: That’s my girl. Got it all stuck in there this time?

Margie: Not yet.

Father: Well, keep at it. Gotta stay sharp.

Margie: I know, daddy.

[long beat]

Father: Sweetie. What’s bothering you? I know something’s up.

Margie: I miss Foggy.

Father: Still bent outta shape about him, huh?

Margie: Yeah.

Father: Well, no sense crying about it. What’s done’s done.

Margie: I miss him, is all.

Father: Me too. He was a good cat.

Margie: I just wish we could’ve buried him.

Father: I know. And I’m sorry, Margie. But you know I can’t let you do that.

Margie: I know, daddy. Still hurts, though.

Father: Don’t it just. But it’s okay, he’s happy now. Free as a bird now. Kitty cat just ain’t meant to be living like this.

Margie: Yeah, daddy. I know.

Father: I told you not to bring him in here.

Margie: What?

Father: I told you that day that he weren’t gonna like it.

Margie: Please don’t say that.

Father: Needs to be said, Margie. Some folk’s gotta tell the truth to you. Sure as hell ain’t gonna be the radio, playing that Gray Ghost crap. That thing ain’t got nothing worth saying. Hasn’t for a long time. Now see, I only wish I kept some of my comics from when I was a boy. I know it’s kiddy stuff, but I tell you what, there are some good and honest values in those books. When to push back. To know yourself. To never blindly follow authority. Good honest values. Nothing like that drivel we was listening to.

Margie: Don’t suppose we could listen to something else?

Father: Alright. What did you have in mind?

Margie: Well, there’s that new game show program just started.

Father: Mmm.

Margie: Or we could catch the tail end of Mistress of Mystery?

Father: And what would be the point of that, then?

Margie: Yeah, alright. We could always listen to the news.

Father: You know how I feel about that, Marjorie.

Margie: I just… I don’t get what the harm is, daddy.

Father: The harm? The harm being it ain’t real. None of that drivel they spout is real, you hear me? They’ll try tell you that world is normal, well it ain’t normal. Not by a damn sight. It all changed, and not for the better. But it’s all gonna be okay, ya hear? Long as we keep at it. We stay strong and remember our values. Every minute, we’re fighting, we’re pushing back the tide, and we are gonna win. We just gotta wait it out, Margie.

Margie: I hear you, daddy. But even if it ain’t, I just wanna pretend, just for a minute, that things are how they should be, that they are normal.

Father: Margie, I’m sorry, but that just ain’t the way it is. You gotta be patient, sweetie. Things are going to go back to normal, I just know it. But we gotta wait it out.

Margie: How long, daddy? How much longer? A day, a week, a month, a year, a decade?

Father: As long as it damn well takes, Marjorie.

Margie: Daddy, what we is doing ain’t living. We just surviving.

Father: I know. I know. Eat your greens.

AO

A. I want you to know I’m sorry. We’re sorry. About everything we said.

O. I know.

A. You know? What’s this all been about then? What more do you want? What more can I say to make things better?

O. It was never about that. It wasn’t what you said. It was everything you didn’t say.

A. Well, then what am I supposed to say then? That I don’t love you?

O. You don’t need to say anything. You need to act. You need to actually mean it.

A. Mean it? Of course I mean it!

O. No, you don’t. If you did, then things would change.

A. Change? I’m the one who wants things to change; you’re the one keeping us stuck here! Because it’s never good enough for you.

Beat.

O. No. You’re not.

A. What?

O. You’re not sorry.

A. Excuse me?

O. You’re not sorry. You like to pretend that you are, because that would make things better, wouldn’t it? Because a good person would be sorry, and if you’re not, what does that make you?

A. So that’s what this is about? Getting me to admit that I’m the villain here?

O. No, of course not! I only want you to admit that maybe you’re not the perfect person you pretend to be. We’re all bad people. The only difference is that I’m willing to accept that.

A stares in disbelief.

O. You can’t expect to fix things. No amount of words are capable of just solving things. Stop looking for a silver bullet, because it doesn’t exist.