Earworm
March 15th, 2021
Starring: Lead (mid 20’s), Supporting (55-65)
Home. Lead sits at the piano, playing some chords, lightly humming along. Supporting walks by, and Lead stops.
SUPPORTING
I've got that song in my head.
LEAD
I wasn‘t playing anything.
SUPPORTING
No, last night. You were playing that...
You know
Supporting tries to talk/sing out the melody:
SUPPORTING
Duh
Nuh
Nuh nuh nuh
Nuh nuh nuh nuh
Nuh
Nuh nuh nuh
LEAD (talk-singing, but on key)
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred—
SUPPORTING
No no I won’t get it out!
LEAD
Sorry. It’s a bad earworm.
SUPPORTING
You were in that.
LEAD
RENT? Sophomore year.
That’s the song where everyone's facing out and singing and all the parents start crying because they’re so proud?
SUPPORTING
In the show?
LEAD
In the audience.
SUPPORTING
I don’t remember crying.
LEAD
Because I wasn’t a soloist.
I was in the chorus with the—
SUPPORTING
Oh the fingerless gloves?
LEAD
Right.
SUPPORTING
I liked that show.
LEAD
It was fine.
SUPPORTING
No, everyone did a good job.
LEAD
Who cares, it was high school. I’m multiple educational levels removed now. I can't even remember what I did.
SUPPORTING
You went to school, you had rehearsal, then you came home, ate, went to your room.
LEAD
It was all autopilot. No awareness of anything.
SUPPORTING
You were a kid.
LEAD
Yeah but...I don’t think I ever asked you anything. How your day was, or how you were doing.
SUPPORTING
You’d talk to me.
LEAD
But I can’t remember it. Like I cared about you, but I showed it by taking from you.
SUPPORTING
That’s being a kid.
LEAD
Then what do you call now? I’m not a kid, I’m still taking. Even more than I was then.
Free rent, food, support. Another whole year of it. No end in sight, either.
SUPPORTING
It’s ok.
LEAD
It’s not ok.
I mean clearly it’s ok enough for me to keep going with it, but I don’t like that it’s ok. It doesn’t make me feel good that it’s ok and you think it’s ok.
SUPPORTING
The guilt it’s...this isn’t a contract. The exchange isn’t meant to be equal.
LEAD
But I can’t not let you know that I’m aware of it. Then I really haven’t changed.
At least now if I’m taking you for granted, I want you to know I know I’m taking you for granted, and I’m appreciative.
SUPPORTING
Is that what you want to say?
LEAD
Yes.
SUPPORTING
Well. That’s very nice.
LEAD
Right. It is nice.
But I’d like to move beyond nice. Maybe do something with my life, give something back.
SUPPORTING
You are giving back.
LEAD
What?
SUPPORTING
You.
Your existence.
…
LEAD
You’re a regular Jonathan Larson.
SUPPORTING
Who?
LEAD
He wrote your earworm.
(talk/singing)
“How do you measure, a year in a life?”
Love. He says love.
SUPPORTING
Oh. Well I agree.
LEAD
Cute, right?
Also explains why none of them could pay rent.
...
That goes for me too, I guess. Just...not enough.
SUPPORTING
None of it’s forever. Even if it feels like it.
LEAD
I know.
But it’s hard to get out of your head.