1/31/2026the fool
Sarabande
You're about to start reading. Two minutes in, you'll check the scroll bar. It will have barely moved. You'll frantically scroll down to find the end. You'll see how far it goes. You'll give up. But if you're one of the foolish few who stays—welcome. There's no prize at the end. Just a play about two people who never could. Hydrate. Proceed with abandon.
ACT ONE
"Could It Be?"
A coffee shop on a Saturday afternoon in late autumn. Large window overlooking the parking lot. Fallen leaves visible outside. Two tables, positioned with diagonal sight lines to each other. Warm lighting, the kind that makes everyone look like they're in an indie film about beautiful sadness.
MAYA and JAMES sit at one table. They're mid-conversation, laughing. A shared pastry between them. Her laptop is open but clearly ignored. She's animated, happy.
JAMES
(to Maya) —and then he face-planted into the foam pit. Full scorpion.
MAYA
(laughing) No!
JAMES
(grinning) I have video evidence.
MAYA
(to audience) James tells good stories. He remembers details. Commits to the punchline.
MAYA
(to James) You're going to destroy him at the wedding next month.
JAMES
(to Maya) Oh, I'm saving it for the toast.
(They're comfortable together. Easy. MAYA glances toward the window.)
MAYA
(to audience) It's 2:14.
JAMES
(noticing her glance) Expecting someone?
MAYA
(too quick) What? No.
MAYA
(to audience) He'll be here in three minutes.
JAMES
(teasing) You keep looking at the parking lot.
MAYA
(to James) The light's nice. Thinking about that line break in the—
JAMES
(knowingly) The poem. Right.
(A grey Civic pulls into the parking lot. MAYA sees it. Her whole body registers it even though she doesn't move.)
MAYA
(to audience) Right on time.
JAMES
(standing) I'm going to grab another coffee. Want anything?
MAYA
(to James) I'm good, thanks.
(JAMES heads to the counter. MAYA watches the parking lot. DANIEL gets out of the car. SARAH gets out from the passenger side. They're talking, laughing. DANIEL touches SARAH's lower back as they walk toward the entrance.)
MAYA
(to audience) Sarah came with him today.
(She looks away quickly, opens her laptop like she's working.)
MAYA
(to audience) This is fine. This is good. Sarah should be here. They should do things together. That's what couples do.
(DANIEL and SARAH enter. They spot MAYA. DANIEL does a small performance of surprise that doesn't quite reach his eyes.)
DANIEL
(to Sarah, but loud enough) Oh—Maya's here.
SARAH
(delighted) Of course she is!
(They approach. MAYA looks up, does her own performance.)
MAYA
Hey! You guys!
SARAH
(to Maya) We really need to stop meeting like this.
MAYA
(to audience) We've "stopped meeting like this" at least fifteen times.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Jinx on the coffee shop choice.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Great minds.
DANIEL
(to audience) Her car was already here when we pulled in. I watched her through the window for thirty seconds before coming inside.
SARAH
Where's James?
MAYA
(gesturing to counter) Coffee run.
SARAH
(to Daniel) You should say hi. I'll grab us a table.
DANIEL
(to audience) Sarah's good at this. Making space for friendships. She's genuinely glad I have friends.
DANIEL
(to audience) I don't deserve her.
(SARAH spots the other empty table, moves toward it. DANIEL lingers with MAYA.)
DANIEL
(to Maya, quieter) Didn't think you'd be here today.
MAYA
(to audience) Liar.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Could say the same about you.
DANIEL
(to audience) Fair.
(JAMES returns with his coffee, sees DANIEL.)
JAMES
Daniel! Hey man.
DANIEL
James, how's the training going?
JAMES
(enthusiastic) Brutal. I'm convinced my legs are staging a revolt.
DANIEL
(laughing) When's the race?
JAMES
Three weeks. Maya's been very patient with my complaining.
MAYA
(to James, warm) You're not that bad.
MAYA
(to audience) He's actually not that bad. He tries to keep it light. Doesn't want to bore me.
DANIEL
(to audience) They're good together. Anyone can see they're good together.
SARAH
(calling over) Daniel, what do you want?
DANIEL
(to Sarah) I'll come order—
SARAH
(standing) I'm already up. Your usual?
DANIEL
(to audience) She knows my usual.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) Yeah, thanks. And—
(He glances at Maya and James.)
DANIEL
(to Sarah) Ask if they want anything?
SARAH
(to Maya and James) Guys? We're buying this round.
JAMES
(to Sarah) We're good, thanks!
MAYA
(to Sarah) Yeah, all set.
MAYA
(to audience) Daniel buys my coffee when he's alone. Sarah buys the round when they're together. There's a difference. I've catalogued it.
(SARAH heads to the counter. Brief moment with all three of them standing.)
JAMES
(to Daniel) You working today too?
DANIEL
(to James) Trying to debug something. Probably hopeless.
JAMES
(to Maya) See? Everyone brings work to coffee shops and pretends they'll actually do it.
MAYA
(mock offended) I work!
JAMES
(to Maya) You stare dramatically out windows. It's different.
(They all laugh. It's genuinely warm.)
DANIEL
(to James) She does write though. I've seen the evidence.
JAMES
(proudly, to Daniel) She got another poem accepted last week. Didn't even tell me until I saw the email.
MAYA
(to James) I was going to tell you—
JAMES
(to Maya, teasing) Sure you were.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Wait, which journal?
MAYA
(to Daniel) Just... that small one. The—
DANIEL
(to Maya) *Lantern Review*?
MAYA
(to audience) He remembers which journals I've submitted to.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah.
DANIEL
(to Maya) That's the one you've wanted for two years.
MAYA
(to audience) He remembers how long I've been submitting there.
JAMES
(to Daniel) I didn't even know that. You're a better friend than boyfriend, apparently.
(Everyone laughs, but MAYA and DANIEL both look away slightly.)
DANIEL
(to audience) That landed weird.
MAYA
(to audience) That landed weird.
SARAH
(returning) Okay, coffee's on the way. We should let you guys get back to your date.
JAMES
(to Sarah) "Date" is generous. She's ignoring me for poetry.
MAYA
(to James) I am not—
JAMES
(to Maya, grinning) You absolutely are.
SARAH
(to Daniel) Come on, let's let them work.
DANIEL
(to James and Maya) Good seeing you guys.
JAMES
(to Daniel and Sarah) Enjoy the terrible coffee!
SARAH
(to James) It really is terrible, isn't it?
MAYA
(to Sarah) We keep coming back anyway.
DANIEL
(to audience) We keep coming back.
(DANIEL and SARAH move to their table. The two couples settle. For a moment, both couples are in their own conversations. JAMES is scrolling through his phone, showing MAYA something. SARAH is saying something to DANIEL that makes him smile.)
(Then the audience address begins while they continue interacting with their partners.)
MAYA
(to James) That's hilarious—
MAYA
(to audience) He's at the other table. Diagonal sight line. If I look up, I can see him.
JAMES
(to Maya) Right? I told him he needs to crop it better—
MAYA
(to audience) I'm not going to look up.
(She looks up. DANIEL is looking at her. They both look away quickly.)
MAYA
(to James) —totally, the composition is all wrong.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) —yeah, exactly, that's what I was thinking—
DANIEL
(to audience) She looked. She looked and I was already looking.
SARAH
(to Daniel) You're not even listening.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) I am! You were talking about the client who—
SARAH
(laughing, to Daniel) Nice try. What's distracting you?
DANIEL
(to Sarah) Nothing. Just thinking about the code.
DANIEL
(to audience) I'm not thinking about the code.
SARAH
(to Daniel) You have that look.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) What look?
SARAH
(to Daniel) The one where you're working something out in your head.
DANIEL
(to audience) I am working something out. Just not code.
(At the other table.)
JAMES
(to Maya) You're doing it again.
MAYA
(to James) Doing what?
JAMES
(to Maya) That thing where you zone out mid-conversation.
MAYA
(to James) Sorry. The poem's just—
JAMES
(gently) Maya. You haven't typed anything in twenty minutes.
MAYA
(to audience) He's right.
MAYA
(to James) I'm stuck on a line.
JAMES
(to Maya) What's it about?
MAYA
(to James) Two people who keep... almost.
JAMES
(to Maya) Almost what?
MAYA
(to audience) Everything.
MAYA
(to James) Missing each other. Timing.
JAMES
(to Maya, thoughtful) That's sad.
MAYA
(to audience) It's devastating.
MAYA
(to James) Yeah.
(At DANIEL and SARAH's table. The barista brings their drinks.)
SARAH
(to Daniel) You know what I just realized?
DANIEL
(to Sarah) What?
SARAH
(to Sarah) We've been coming here, what, six months? And Maya and James have been here almost every time.
DANIEL
(to audience) Seven months. Not that I'm counting.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) Huh. Weird coincidence.
SARAH
(amused) Daniel. Come on.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) What?
SARAH
(to Daniel) You two have clearly coordinated this.
DANIEL
(to audience) Fuck.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) We haven't—
SARAH
(to Daniel, laughing) It's cute! Like you're in a sitcom. "Oh wow, fancy meeting you here."
DANIEL
(to audience) She thinks it's cute.
SARAH
(to Daniel) I'm glad you have a good friend here. You light up when you see her.
DANIEL
(to audience) Light up.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) I light up when I see you too.
SARAH
(to Daniel) I know you do.
(She reaches across the table, takes his hand. It's casual, comfortable. SARAH leans forward, kisses him quickly. DANIEL responds naturally, warmly.)
DANIEL
(to audience) I love her. I do. This is real.
(MAYA sees this from her table. Looks away quickly.)
MAYA
(to audience) He just kissed her. Of course he kissed her. She's his girlfriend. That's what people do with their girlfriends.
JAMES
(to Maya) You okay?
MAYA
(to James) Yeah, why?
JAMES
(to Maya) You made a face.
MAYA
(to James) Just... the coffee. Still terrible.
JAMES
(to Maya, grinning) And yet here we are.
(JAMES puts his arm around her shoulders, casual, affectionate. She leans into him. It's genuine.)
MAYA
(to audience) James gives good hugs. Solid. Safe.
JAMES
(to Maya) I like this. Us doing this.
MAYA
(to audience) I like it too. I do.
MAYA
(to James) Me too.
(DANIEL sees this from his table.)
DANIEL
(to audience) She's leaning into him. That's... she leans like that when she's comfortable.
DANIEL
(to audience) We've never— I mean, we have. Once. When she got the rejection letter from that journal. She was upset. I put my arm around her. Just for a second. Just comfort.
DANIEL
(to audience) She leaned in like that. Exactly like that.
DANIEL
(to audience) I told myself it was just friends. Just comfort.
DANIEL
(to audience) But she never leans into me like that anymore. Like it's easy. Like it's allowed.
SARAH
(to Daniel) Earth to Daniel?
DANIEL
(to Sarah) Sorry. Yeah?
SARAH
(to Daniel) I asked if you wanted to get out of here. We could go to that bookstore you like.
DANIEL
(to Sarah) Yeah. Yeah, let's do that.
(SARAH starts gathering her things. DANIEL glances over at MAYA's table.)
DANIEL
(to audience) She's laughing at something James said. That real laugh. The one where she covers her mouth.
DANIEL
(to audience) I've heard that laugh maybe five times. Total. In two years.
DANIEL
(to audience) James makes her laugh like that.
(SARAH stands. DANIEL follows. They head toward the door, passing MAYA and JAMES's table.)
SARAH
(to Maya and James) We're heading out. See you guys!
JAMES
(to Sarah and Daniel) Take care!
MAYA
(to Sarah and Daniel) Bye!
DANIEL
(to Maya, just slightly too much eye contact) See you around.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah. See you.
MAYA
(to audience) Don't say "same time next week." Don't say it.
SARAH
(to James and Maya) We should all get dinner sometime! The four of us.
JAMES
(to Sarah) That'd be great!
MAYA
(to audience) That would be a catastrophe.
MAYA
(to Sarah) Definitely!
DANIEL
(to audience) That will never happen and we all know it.
DANIEL
(to Sarah and everyone) Yeah, let's set that up.
(SARAH and DANIEL leave. MAYA watches them go through the window. Watches them get into the grey Civic. Watches SARAH say something that makes DANIEL laugh. Watches them drive away.)
JAMES
(to Maya, gently) You and Daniel do this thing.
MAYA
(to James) What thing?
JAMES
(to Maya) Pretend to be surprised to see each other. Even though you're both clearly here every Saturday.
MAYA
(to audience) Oh god.
MAYA
(to James) We don't—
JAMES
(to Maya) It's okay. It's cute.
MAYA
(to audience) Cute.
JAMES
(to Maya) I mean it. I'm glad you have a good friend here. Someone who gets the poetry stuff.
MAYA
(to audience) He's glad.
JAMES
(to Maya) Makes these Saturdays more fun for you.
MAYA
(to James) James—
JAMES
(to Maya) What?
MAYA
(to audience) I should tell him. I should tell him I moved our day from Sunday to Saturday six months ago because Daniel comes on Saturdays.
MAYA
(to audience) I should tell him I know Daniel's order better than I know his.
MAYA
(to audience) I should tell him that when Daniel laughs at Sarah's jokes, something in my chest physically hurts.
MAYA
(to James) Nothing. Just... thanks. For being patient with my distraction.
JAMES
(to Maya) You're always distracted. It's part of your charm.
(He kisses her temple. It's sweet. She closes her eyes.)
MAYA
(to audience) I don't deserve him.
JAMES
(to Maya) We should make this a regular thing. I actually like this place.
MAYA
(to audience) We already come here every week.
MAYA
(to James) Yeah. Same time next week?
JAMES
(to Maya) It's a date.
(MAYA smiles at him. Opens her laptop. Stares at the blank page.)
MAYA
(to audience) The poem is about two people in a parking lot. They arrive at the same time every week. They watch each other park. They go inside. They sit at separate tables with other people.
MAYA
(to audience) They never say the thing they need to say.
MAYA
(to audience) The poem ends with them driving away in different directions.
MAYA
(to audience) The reader is supposed to guess what they're feeling.
MAYA
(to audience) I don't think the reader will need to guess.
(She types one line. Stops. Looks out at the parking lot.)
MAYA
(to audience) Same time next week.
(Lights fade.)
*END OF ACT ONE*
ACT TWO
"This Is It"
One year later.
A living room. Not Maya's—she's house-sitting for a friend. Cozy, slightly unfamiliar. A cat tree in the corner. Someone else's books on the shelves. Domestic but not quite home. Early evening light through the windows.
MAYA enters with a bag of cat food, sets it down. Checks her phone. Types something. Sets it down. Picks it up again.
MAYA
(to audience) James texted twenty minutes ago. "Leaving the gym, be there soon."
She moves around the space, restless. Straightens a pillow. Doesn't need straightening.
MAYA
(to audience) Daniel said he'd drop off that book. The one about—I don't even remember what it's about. Some graphic novel thing. He texted: "I'm in the area, can I swing by?"
MAYA
(to audience) He's never in this area.
Doorbell. She freezes for a second.
MAYA
(to audience) James has a key. That's not James.
She opens the door. DANIEL stands there, holding a book.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Hey! I was nearby—
MAYA
(to audience) Liar.
DANIEL
(to Maya) —thought I'd drop this off.
MAYA
(to Daniel) You didn't have to come all the way—
DANIEL
(to audience) It's forty minutes out of my way.
DANIEL
(to Maya) It's no problem. Sarah's at a work thing anyway.
He steps inside. Slightly too far into her personal space in the doorway. They both notice. Neither moves.
MAYA
(to Daniel) James is on his way. Should be here in—
She checks her phone.
MAYA
(to Daniel) —ten minutes or so.
DANIEL
(to audience) Ten minutes.
DANIEL
(to Maya) I can wait. Say hi.
MAYA
(to audience) He should leave.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah. Sure. He'd like that.
Awkward beat. DANIEL holds out the book.
DANIEL
(to Maya) So this is the one I was telling you about. The artist uses this technique where—
Their hands touch as she takes it. Both pull back too quickly.
MAYA
(to audience) We're jumpy.
DANIEL
(to audience) We've been jumpy for a year.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Thanks. I'll... read it.
DANIEL
(to Maya) You don't have to. I know graphic novels aren't really—
MAYA
(to Daniel) I want to.
Beat.
DANIEL
(to Maya) How's the house-sitting?
MAYA
(to Daniel) Fine. The cat's needy.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Cats are.
MAYA
(to audience) We're talking about cats.
DANIEL
(to audience) We're absolutely not talking about cats.
MAYA's phone buzzes. She checks it.
MAYA
(to audience) James: "Stuck at a light. Five minutes."
MAYA
(to Daniel) He's five minutes away.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Should I—
MAYA
(to Daniel) You can stay. It's fine.
She sets the phone down. They're standing in the middle of the room. Not sitting. Not settling.
DANIEL
(to Maya) You seem... are you okay?
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah. Why?
DANIEL
(to Maya) You're doing that thing where you—
He stops.
MAYA
(to Daniel) What thing?
DANIEL
(to audience) I know her tells. I've catalogued them.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Nothing. Never mind.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Daniel.
DANIEL
(to Maya) You just seem tense.
MAYA
(to audience) I am tense. He's in this room that smells like someone else's life and he's looking at me like—
MAYA
(to Daniel) I'm fine.
Beat. The light is getting softer outside.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Sarah asked about you yesterday.
MAYA
(to audience) I don't want to talk about Sarah.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Oh yeah?
DANIEL
(to Maya) She said we should do that dinner. The four of us.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Right. Yeah. We should.
DANIEL
(to audience) We're never going to do that dinner.
MAYA
(to audience) That dinner would destroy me.
Another beat. Longer.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Can I ask you something?
MAYA
(to audience) No.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Sure.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Do you ever think about—
He stops. Starts again.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Do you ever wonder what would've happened if we'd met first? Before James. Before Sarah.
MAYA
(to audience) Oh god.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Daniel—
DANIEL
(to Maya) I know. I shouldn't have—
MAYA
(to Daniel) No, I just—
They're closer now. Neither remembers moving.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Of course I do.
From the shadows, THE HUG appears. It's them, but not quite them—slightly translucent, archetypal. The memory of an embrace. It circles them slowly.
THE HUG
(to audience) This is it. This is finally it.
DANIEL
(to Maya) You do?
MAYA
(to Daniel) Every Saturday. Every time we—
DANIEL
(to audience) She thinks about it too.
THE HAND-HOLDING appears. Another memory-shape, reaching out.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to audience) Come on. You've done this before. Just reach.
MAYA
(to Daniel) It doesn't matter though. We didn't meet first.
DANIEL
(to Maya) But if we had—
MAYA
(to Daniel) We didn't.
THE JACKET appears, draping something invisible over THE HAND-HOLDING's shoulders.
THE JACKET
(to other memories) She's scared. She's always scared.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to THE JACKET) So is he.
DANIEL
(to Maya) I think about it constantly. I think about you constantly.
MAYA
(to audience) He just said it. He just actually said it.
MAYA
(to Daniel) You can't—we can't—
DANIEL
(to Maya) I know.
THE SICK-CARE appears. Gentle, domestic, devastating.
THE SICK-CARE
(to audience) Look at them. They're so close.
THE HUG
(to other memories) This time. It has to be this time.
The memories begin to move. THE HAND-HOLDING reaches out, takes MAYA's hand, guides it toward DANIEL's. Present-MAYA's hand moves as if being pulled by an invisible thread.
MAYA
(to audience) My hand is moving. I'm not—I am—
Present-DANIEL's hand meets hers. Their fingers interlock.
DANIEL
(to audience) We're holding hands.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(triumphant) There. See? Just like before.
THE HUG moves behind them, slides Present-DANIEL's free hand up to Present-MAYA's back. The gesture is achingly familiar.
THE HUG
(soft) Remember this? Remember how it felt?
MAYA
(to Daniel, whispered) This is—
DANIEL
(to Maya) I know.
THE JACKET appears with Daniel's actual jacket from where it's draped on a chair, places it on MAYA's shoulders. She's wearing it now. The memory bleeding into the present.
THE JACKET
(to audience) She kept it for three days last time. She slept in it.
MAYA
(to audience) I did sleep in it.
THE SICK-CARE pushes them closer. They're almost touching now. Almost.
THE SICK-CARE
(gentle, insistent) You took care of each other. You were there. You've always been there.
THE MEMORIES
(overlapping, building)
MAYA and DANIEL are in the center of the memories now, surrounded. His hand on her back. Her hand in his. His jacket on her shoulders. They're breathing the same air.
MAYA
(to Daniel) James is going to be here—
DANIEL
(to Maya) I don't care.
MAYA
(to audience) I don't care either.
They're looking at each other. Really looking.
DANIEL
(to Maya) Maya—
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah?
DANIEL
(to Maya) I'm going to—
MAYA
(to Daniel) Okay.
His hand comes up to her face. Her hand to his chest. The memories are cheering, pushing, desperate.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to audience) YES—
THE HUG
(to audience) FINALLY—
They're a breath apart. Eyes locked. Hands on each other. Lips about to—
**FREEZE.**
Everything stops. Mid-breath. Mid-touch. The memories frozen mid-celebration.
From the audience, TWO FIGURES walk on stage. CYNIC-MAYA and CYNIC-DANIEL. They're dressed sharply, professionally. Exhausted detectives on a very familiar case. They walk through the frozen scene with practiced efficiency.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Oh look. This again.
CYNIC-MAYA
(examining frozen-Maya's face) She really thinks it's different this time.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya) How long do you give it? Three seconds before the pullback?
CYNIC-MAYA
(checking watch) Two. She's already composing the excuse.
They walk around the frozen couple, examining them like evidence.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(gesturing to the memories) And they brought the whole fan club.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to THE HAND-HOLDING) You again? Really? The hand-holding didn't work three years ago when you were actually happening. What makes you think it'll work now?
THE HAND-HOLDING
(frozen, can't respond)
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to THE HUG) And you. The famous hug. The one they both replay at 2 AM.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to THE HUG) Spoiler alert: it was just a hug.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to THE JACKET) The jacket she kept for three days.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to THE JACKET) And then gave back with a joke about "laundry day." Very smooth.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to THE SICK-CARE) Oh, and you. The domestic one. The "meeting the mom" energy.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to THE SICK-CARE) Which was immediately followed by three weeks of aggressively casual text messages.
They converge at the center, looking at the frozen almost-kiss.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) Let's review the evidence, shall we?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Present at the scene: two people who have been almost-kissing for one full year.
CYNIC-MAYA
Context: she's house-sitting. He had to drive forty minutes to deliver a book he could have left at her apartment tomorrow.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(picking up Maya's phone) And look at this. A text from James.
CYNIC-MAYA
(reading over his shoulder) "Almost there! Want me to grab anything?"
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Impeccable timing, James.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) What's our prediction?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya) Phone buzz. One of them will hear it.
CYNIC-MAYA
Classic misdirection. "Did you hear that?"
CYNIC-DANIEL
Mutual panic. Immediate physical separation.
CYNIC-MAYA
She'll make a joke. Something about the cat.
CYNIC-DANIEL
He'll check his own phone. Pretend Sarah texted.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) They're very predictable.
They look at the memories, still frozen in their celebration.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to the memories) You guys really thought this was it, huh?
CYNIC-MAYA
(to the memories) That's actually kind of sweet. Stupid, but sweet.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya) Should we tell them?
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) That this exact moment will happen again in six months?
CYNIC-DANIEL
And six months after that.
CYNIC-MAYA
And six months after that.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) We'll be back. We're always back.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) We're very good at our job.
They step back, satisfied. Professional.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) Ready?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya) Let's get this over with.
They nod. Snap their fingers.
**TIME RESUMES.**
Maya's phone BUZZES loudly. Both MAYA and DANIEL startle apart like they've been electrocuted.
MAYA
(stepping back) Oh—
DANIEL
(stepping back) Was that—
MAYA
(grabbing phone) James. He's—
DANIEL
(too loud) Right! James!
Awkward beat. They're suddenly on opposite sides of the room. The memories deflate, fading.
THE HUG
(fading) No...
THE HAND-HOLDING
(fading) We were so close...
They disappear. CYNIC-MAYA and CYNIC-DANIEL remain visible at the edges, watching.
MAYA
(to Daniel, false brightness) He's parking. He'll be here any second.
DANIEL
(to Maya) I should—yeah, I should probably—
MAYA
(taking off his jacket) Your jacket. Here.
DANIEL
(taking it) Right. Thanks.
Their hands touch. They both flinch away.
MAYA
(to audience) What were we doing.
DANIEL
(to audience) What the fuck were we doing.
MAYA
(to Daniel) That was—
DANIEL
(to Maya) The cat. Did you hear the cat?
MAYA
(to audience) The cat. He's blaming the cat.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah. Must have knocked something over.
DANIEL
(to audience) There was no sound from the cat.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) And there it is.
Sound of a key in the door. JAMES enters with takeout bags.
JAMES
(cheerful) Hey babe! Daniel, hey man!
DANIEL
(too enthusiastic) James! Good to see you!
JAMES
(to Maya) You okay? You look flushed.
MAYA
(to James) It's warm in here. The heat.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) It's 15 degrees.
JAMES
(to Daniel) You sticking around? I got enough food for—
DANIEL
(to James) No, I should—Sarah's waiting. I just dropped off that book.
JAMES
(to Daniel) Cool. Tell Sarah we say hi.
DANIEL
(to James and Maya) Will do. I'll uh—see you guys.
MAYA
(to Daniel) Yeah. See you.
They hold eye contact for one second too long.
DANIEL
(to audience) Same time next week.
MAYA
(to audience) Same time next week.
DANIEL exits. JAMES starts unpacking food, oblivious.
JAMES
(to Maya) You sure you're okay?
MAYA
(to James) Yeah. Just tired.
JAMES
(to Maya) The book any good?
MAYA
(to audience) I haven't opened it.
MAYA
(to James) Haven't started it yet.
She sits down. JAMES kisses the top of her head, starts setting out plates.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) Same time next year?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(checking imaginary schedule) Penciled in.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) At least they're consistent.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Consistently pathetic.
They exchange a tired look. A job well done. They start to leave, then CYNIC-MAYA turns back.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) You know the worst part?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) They'll both go home tonight and replay this moment.
CYNIC-MAYA
They'll lie in bed next to people they genuinely love.
CYNIC-DANIEL
And they'll think about how close they came.
CYNIC-MAYA
And they'll convince themselves it's better this way.
CYNIC-DANIEL
Safer.
CYNIC-MAYA
Kinder.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya) Is it?
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) Does it matter?
They exit together. Lights narrow on MAYA, sitting at the table while JAMES cheerfully sets out dinner.
MAYA
(to audience) The poem is about two people who keep almost.
MAYA
(to audience) The reader is supposed to guess how it ends.
MAYA
(to audience) But we already know how it ends.
MAYA
(to audience) It doesn't.
(Lights fade.)
*END OF ACT TWO*
ACT THREE
"It Was Never Meant to Be"
Five years later.
The same coffee shop. Same tables. Same window overlooking the parking lot. Everything familiar, everything the same.
Lights up on MAYA, alone on stage. She's noticeably older. There's a weariness that wasn't there before, but also something settled. She wears a wedding ring. She's visibly pregnant.
MAYA
(to audience) After that night, I didn't see Daniel for three weeks.
Beat.
MAYA
(to audience) Then three months.
Beat.
MAYA
(to audience) Then I stopped counting.
She moves through the space, not quite in the coffee shop yet—somewhere between memory and present.
MAYA
(to audience) James knew something happened. He didn't know what. He asked once, gentle, the way James asks everything: "Are you okay? You seem... far away."
She sits at a table. Not the coffee shop table yet. Somewhere else. Earlier.
MAYA
(to audience) I told him I was struggling with a poem. Which was true. I was trying to write about something I couldn't name.
MAYA
(to audience) He brought me tea. He didn't press. He just... stayed.
She touches her wedding ring.
MAYA
(to audience) I kept coming here. To the coffee shop. Every Saturday. James thought it was sweet. My writing routine. My sacred space.
MAYA
(to audience) I didn't tell him I was waiting.
Beat.
MAYA
(to audience) For a while, I checked the parking lot. His car never came. The grey Civic with the dent on the driver's side.
MAYA
(to audience) I heard through someone at work that he'd left. The city. Sarah. Everything.
MAYA
(to audience) I wanted to text him. "Are you okay?" "Where did you go?" "Did I—"
She stops.
MAYA
(to audience) I didn't text him.
She stands, moves. Time is passing.
MAYA
(to audience) James proposed here. In this coffee shop. On a Saturday afternoon. He said it was where I seemed most like myself.
She laughs, sad.
MAYA
(to audience) I said yes. Of course I said yes. James is... James is good. James is kind. James doesn't make me feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff.
MAYA
(to audience) James feels like solid ground.
She touches her belly.
MAYA
(to audience) We found out about the baby three months ago. James cried. Happy tears. The kind of tears that come from pure, uncomplicated joy.
MAYA
(to audience) I haven't written a poem since that night. Five years. Not one.
Beat.
MAYA
(to audience) I still come here on Saturdays.
Lights shift. Now she's in the coffee shop. Present day. She has a laptop open, a coffee in front of her. She's not really working. Looking out the window.
MAYA
(to audience) James is meeting me here. We're going to look at cribs after. Very domestic. Very normal.
MAYA
(to audience) I don't look at the parking lot anymore. Not the way I used to.
She looks at the parking lot.
MAYA
(to audience) Mostly.
Lights shift. Different part of the stage. DANIEL stands alone. He's also older. Worn in different ways. No ring.
DANIEL
(to audience) I left the day after.
Beat.
DANIEL
(to audience) Didn't tell anyone. Just... drove. Ended up at my parents' place. My mom didn't ask questions. She just made up my old room.
DANIEL
(to audience) Sarah called. A lot at first. Then less. Then not at all.
He sits. Somewhere far away from the coffee shop.
DANIEL
(to audience) I got a job in Nakuru. Software company. Decent people. Nobody knew me. Nobody knew I was the guy who—
He stops.
DANIEL
(to audience) Who almost.
Beat.
DANIEL
(to audience) I dated. A few people. Nice people. One lasted almost a year. She asked me once why I seemed like I was always apologizing for something.
DANIEL
(to audience) I didn't have a good answer.
He stands. Moves.
DANIEL
(to audience) My mom got sick last year. I came back to help. She's better now. Remission. But I stayed. Got a contract here. Temporary.
DANIEL
(to audience) Everything's temporary.
Lights shift. He's in his car. In the parking lot of the coffee shop. Present day.
DANIEL
(to audience) I told myself I wouldn't come here.
He looks at the building.
DANIEL
(to audience) It's Saturday. 2:14 PM.
Beat.
DANIEL
(to audience) Old habits.
He gets out of the car. Walks toward the coffee shop. Stops at the door.
DANIEL
(to audience) This is stupid. She won't be here. It's been five years. People move on. People—
He sees her car in the parking lot. Stops cold.
DANIEL
(to audience) Oh.
He stands there. Frozen.
DANIEL
(to audience) Her car. Same car. Same spot she always—
He looks away, then back.
DANIEL
(to audience) She's still coming here.
He enters the coffee shop quietly. Sits at a far table. Corner. She doesn't see him. She's looking at her laptop, lost in thought.
DANIEL
(to audience) She looks—
He stops. Takes her in.
DANIEL
(to audience) Older. Good. Happy?
He can't tell yet. He watches.
Outside, MAYA's car is visible through the window. Then another car pulls up. She looks up, smiles. It's James.
DANIEL
(to audience) James.
He watches JAMES get out of the car, walk toward the coffee shop entrance. MAYA stands, waves. JAMES waves back through the window.
DANIEL
(to audience) They're still together.
Beat.
DANIEL
(to audience) Of course they're still together.
MAYA moves toward the door to meet JAMES. As she does, DANIEL sees her profile.
DANIEL
(to audience) She's—
He sees the belly. Stops breathing.
DANIEL
(to audience) Oh.
The CYNICS appear at his table. Sharp suits. Ready to work.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Well, well, well.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) Look who came crawling back.
DANIEL
(to audience, quiet) She's pregnant.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Daniel) Very observant.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) Five years. Five entire years and he shows up now.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Daniel) What did you think would happen? That she'd wait?
DANIEL
(to audience) No. I didn't—I don't—
He watches MAYA greet JAMES at the door. They embrace. JAMES's hand on her belly. They're warm, easy, in love.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) Look at them. Genuinely happy.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Probably picking out baby names. Painting nurseries. All that nauseating domestic bliss.
DANIEL
(to audience) She's smiling.
MAYA is smiling. Really smiling. At something JAMES said.
DANIEL
(to audience) It's not the smile she—
He stops himself.
CYNIC-MAYA
(sharp) Not the smile she what? Gave you?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Daniel) She gave you that smile maybe five times in two years.
CYNIC-MAYA
And you ran away.
DANIEL
(to audience) I had to. We were going to—
CYNIC-DANIEL
Almost. You were going to almost.
CYNIC-MAYA
Like you've been almost-ing for seven years.
DANIEL stands. He needs to leave.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) There it is. The retreat.
CYNIC-MAYA
He's so good at running.
But DANIEL doesn't move. He's watching MAYA and JAMES sit at a table. MAYA's hand rests on her belly. JAMES covers her hand with his.
DANIEL
(to audience, quiet) She's going to be a mother.
The Cynics are ready to pounce, to tear this apart—
But DANIEL's face does something. Softens. Breaks. Accepts.
DANIEL
(to audience) She's going to be a wonderful mother.
The CYNICS pause. This isn't the script.
DANIEL
(to audience) She looks... she looks like she's exactly where she's supposed to be.
The CYNICS exchange a glance. Uncertain.
CYNIC-MAYA
(carefully) Daniel—
DANIEL
(to audience) I should go. I should—
He stands. Heads for the door. As he does, the MEMORIES appear. THE HUG, THE HAND-HOLDING, THE JACKET, THE SICK-CARE. But they're different now. Older. Quieter. Gentler.
THE HUG
(soft) Wait.
DANIEL
(to audience) Not now. Please not now.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to Daniel) Just look at her. One more time.
DANIEL stops. Turns. Looks at MAYA across the coffee shop.
DANIEL
(to audience) She's everything I—
He can't finish.
THE JACKET
(gentle) She was never yours.
DANIEL
(to audience) I know.
THE SICK-CARE
(to Daniel) But she was something.
DANIEL
(to audience, breaking) She was everything.
MAYA laughs at something JAMES said. Touches her belly. Radiant.
THE MEMORIES
(overlapping, soft)
THE HUG
(to Daniel) It's time to let go.
DANIEL
(to audience) I thought I had. I thought—
He heads for the door. As he reaches it, MAYA turns. Just a glance. Nothing specific.
Their eyes meet.
For half a second, everything stops.
DANIEL smiles. Small. Sad. Real.
He nods.
MAYA's face lights up—recognition, surprise, a thousand things at once.
Then he's gone. Out the door. Walking to his car.
MAYA stands, half-rising from her chair. JAMES looks up, concerned.
JAMES
(to Maya) You okay?
MAYA stares at the door. At the parking lot. At DANIEL walking to his car.
MAYA
(to James) Yeah. I—I thought I saw someone.
JAMES
(to Maya) Someone you know?
MAYA watches DANIEL get in his car. He doesn't look back. Doesn't pause. Just leaves.
MAYA
(to James, sitting back down) No. No, just... someone who looked familiar.
DANIEL's car pulls away. Drives off. Gone.
The CYNICS appear at MAYA's table, ready to pounce.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) Oh, this is rich—
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Seven years and he just walks away—
THE MEMORIES
(firm) Enough.
The CYNICS stop. Turn. The MEMORIES stand between them and MAYA.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to the Memories) Excuse me?
THE HUG
(to the Cynics) We said enough.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to the Memories) Since when do you—
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to the Cynics) Since now. Stand down.
The CYNICS exchange a look. For once, they don't know what to say.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to the Memories) You're really going to let this go? After everything?
THE JACKET
(to the Cynics) It was never ours to hold.
The MEMORIES move to MAYA. Surround her gently. She's still staring at where DANIEL's car was.
MAYA
(to audience) He came back.
THE SICK-CARE
(to Maya) He did.
MAYA
(to audience) And he left.
THE HUG
(to Maya) He had to.
MAYA
(to audience) I could have—I could have called out. I could have—
THE HAND-HOLDING
(gentle) You let him go.
MAYA
(to audience) I let him go.
Beat. She touches her belly.
MAYA
(to audience) Was I supposed to chase him? With James sitting right here? With our baby—
THE JACKET
(to Maya) No.
THE SICK-CARE
(to Maya) You did exactly what you were supposed to do.
THE HUG
(to Maya) You let him go because there was nowhere for him to stay.
MAYA's eyes fill. She blinks the tears back.
MAYA
(to audience) It was real though. Wasn't it? It wasn't just—
THE MEMORIES
(overlapping, warm)
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to Maya) It was the realest thing in the world.
THE HUG
(to Maya) And it had its place.
THE JACKET
(to Maya) It still does.
THE SICK-CARE
(to Maya) But its place isn't here anymore.
MAYA nods. Slow. Understanding.
MAYA
(to audience) So what do I do with it? All of it? Where does it go?
THE HUG
(to Maya) It goes into the poems you'll write again.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(to Maya) It goes into the way you'll love your child.
THE JACKET
(to Maya) It goes into knowing you're capable of feeling something that enormous.
THE SICK-CARE
(to Maya) It stays with you. But it doesn't hold you anymore.
The MEMORIES start to fade.
MAYA
(to them) Wait—
THE HUG
(fading) We're not leaving. We're just... becoming something else.
THE HAND-HOLDING
(fading) Part of you. Not all of you.
THE JACKET
(fading) There's so much more.
THE SICK-CARE
(fading, last) So much more.
They're gone. The CYNICS stand there, uncertain.
CYNIC-MAYA
(quiet, to audience) Well. That's... new.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya) Are we... are we done here?
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) I think we might be.
They look at each other. A strange, sad understanding.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to audience) Seven years. We've been at this for seven years.
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to audience) Feels weird to stop.
CYNIC-MAYA
(to Cynic-Daniel) What do we do now?
CYNIC-DANIEL
(to Cynic-Maya, small smile) I have no idea.
They fade. Just MAYA and JAMES now. Real. Present. Here.
JAMES
(to Maya) You sure you're okay?
MAYA
(to James, returning to him fully) Yeah. Yeah, I am.
JAMES
(to Maya) You seemed really far away for a second.
MAYA
(to James) I was. But I'm back.
She takes his hand. Real. Warm. Chosen.
JAMES
(to Maya) Ready to go look at cribs?
MAYA
(to audience) Am I ready?
She looks out the window one last time. The parking lot. Empty now. Just cars and sunlight and ordinary Saturday afternoon.
MAYA
(to audience) The poem is about two people who loved each other and never said it.
MAYA
(to audience) Who watched each other from across rooms and parking lots and years.
MAYA
(to audience) Who almost, so many times, but never quite.
She smiles. Not the smile for Daniel. A different smile. Hers.
MAYA
(to audience) And then one day, one of them let go.
MAYA
(to audience) And the other one let them.
MAYA
(to audience) And they both kept living.
She stands. Takes JAMES's hand.
MAYA
(to James) Yeah. Let's go look at cribs.
They walk toward the door together. As they reach it, MAYA pauses. Looks back at the coffee shop. At the table where she sat alone for so many Saturdays. At the window. At the parking lot.
MAYA
(to audience) I'll probably still come here sometimes.
MAYA
(to audience) Not every Saturday. Not like before.
MAYA
(to audience) But sometimes.
MAYA
(to audience) Because it's mine now. Not ours. Mine.
She smiles. Full. Real. Free.
MAYA
(to audience) And that's enough.
She and JAMES exit. The coffee shop is empty. Quiet. Ordinary.
Lights hold on MAYA's smile.
Then fade.
*END OF PLAY*
Comments (2)
Reader J.
2/3/2026So my initial frustrations cooled off, and I came back to this play, this time already knowing how it ends. Nothing could take me by surprise. Re-reading it, I found myself empathizing with Daniel. With Maya too. It must've been so devastating to always get caught in the almost. On another lens, I feel like there’s something strangely beautiful about two people getting to experience something so enormous without ever going through the formalities of addressing it. What they shared was real, rare, and quietly complex. And maybe the fact that it remained unexplored is what makes it feel even more special? Or maybe that's just me romanticizing their indecision.
I also see that Sara and James weren’t entirely unaware of the chemistry between Maya and Daniel. Especially James. He may not have known the full depth of it, but he certainly wasn’t oblivious.
Another thing I overlooked was Maya's poem, which now feels like clear foreshadowing of how their story was always meant to end.
This play has been kind of heart wrenching especially through it's restraint... And I enjoyed reading it! I'll probably come back to it again with yet another perspective. Clearly I'm evolving every day : )
Reader J.
1/31/2026Foolish me read this play not expecting it to get me so emotionally involved, much to the detriment of my own peace of mind.(I mean this as a compliment). First of all, it's so well written, I felt like I might've been a character, maybe "the cynic reader"? Lol. It has left me bearing the burden of all the "what ifs" of these fictional characters. It may take me some time to accept what Maya and Daniel both did in the end. I mean, it took them 5 years to let go anyway, so understand my frustrations.
I think Daniel and Maya are pathetic and cowardly. Why couldn't they choose each other. Why? Just why? It's not only unfair to them, but their partners too. Say Sarah and James knew about the depth of emotion and chemistry that Maya and Daniel shared, could they still have stayed with them? Personally, I wouldn't want to be with someone who's emotionally cheating on me. But it's not always black and white like that. Is it?
Now Daniel's decision to leave makes me wonder what exactly he was trying to achieve. He thought it was the noble thing to do? It wasn't. Did he think that by avoiding a hard truth it ceases to exist? And Maya, was she genuinely happy with James? Didn't the guilt of settling with James, knowing part of her heart was with Daniel, ever consume her at some point? Isn't life too short to settle with a partner who was never truly your first choice? At the same time I get her. She had to move on, she couldn't wait forever in uncertainty. And with James, she probably felt safe.
It would've been extremely satisfying if one of them was brave enough to act and make "them" happen. It's not entirely accurate to say "it wasn't meant to be". They chose it not to be.
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