Out of Town: a two-minute scene

 Out of Town

Ralph and George, two late-middle-aged white men, meet almost daily in the same booth at the local coffee shop to catch up on each other’s activities and the news. Ralph has missed the last three mornings because he had to go “out of town.” He is already in the booth when George comes in and slides into the bench facing his.

GEORGE

Hey, Ralph…sorry I’m late. Got tied up on the phone.

RALPH

That’s okay. I just got here myself. Ordered your coffee.

GEORGE

Thanks…you came back to town just in time for some nice weather.

RALPH

Yeah…I even walked over today.

(Pause)

GEORGE

So, where ya been?

RALPH

Oh, I just had to go help Dave and Sue with some home repair projects. I tell you, these kids don’t know how to fix even the simplest things.

GEORGE

Yeah, I know. How are they? Sue’s expecting, isn’t she?

RALPH

She is. Doing great. It’ll be a boy in May.

GEORGE

A boy! Way to go, grandpa! You’ll like that role.

(Pause)

But what a screwed up world that kid’ll be born into. I am so worried about our future.

RALPH

That’s for sure. You don’t know who you can trust…especially the folks in Washington.

(Both sip coffee.)

GEORGE

Yeah, and after everything we did to get Trump re-elected, Biden and the Dems are about to take over. They’ll ruin everything. I guess Wednesday night sealed it for them. Or Thursday morning. Either way, we’re screwed.

RALPH

Sealed the steal, I’d say. Trump didn’t lose; his election was stolen. That’s for sure.

GEORGE

I guess…but you know that I’m still not sure it was. A lot of things about it are questionable, but not enough to change the outcome. Biden promised the world, and lots of folks bought it. We just have to accept what happened, go on from here, and work hard to get Trump re-elected in four years.

RALPH

Hard to wait four years when we know he won last year. Everyone knows it. Look at all the accusations of fraud and cheating. You just can’t ignore all that!

GEORGE

I’m not ignoring it. But whatever may have happened with the election, you can’t justify what happened at the capitol Wednesday afternoon. That bunch of crazies who thought they would get away with attacking it, destroying stuff, and everything. Plus threatening senators and representatives… even Pence! There have to be other ways to make things right.

RALPH

Like what, George? The swamp is so deep and so dark. We can’t trust what seems to be in plain sight. We can’t get what we need by being nice.

GEORGE

So you think storming the capitol was okay, was right? I hope not.

RALPH

Well, no…not really. But when Trump gave that speech—did you hear it?—it’s not hard to see why people got so riled up. I mean, he’s our last hope of taking America back from the libs, and we aren’t a bit ready to let them take him from us.

GEORGE

So, you do think Wednesday was okay? I know you pretty well, but you’re surprising me.

RALPH

Okay or not, folks heard about the crap coming down in the capitol, marched up right up to it, saw people breaking in to try to stop it…well, it was—it must have been—hard to stand back and watch. Too much at stake…

(Pause. Waitress stops to offer refills, but they wave her off.)

GEORGE

So, Ralph…where have you been the last three days…?

RALPH

Not in D.C., George, if that’s what you are suggesting. I wouldn’t do that. My heart was there, but I wasn’t. Call Dave and ask him…

GEORGE

I won’t call Dave. I have to believe you.

(Blackout)