BROKEN MOON

Lila waits in a doctor’s office waiting to end a pregnancy and looking for a way out.

PAULINE

Hey.

LILA

What?

PAULINE

How far along are you? (LILA shakes HER head.)

You married? (LILA nods.)

He know?

LILA

No.

A long pause.

PAULINE

They tell you that you have to have someone meet you after?

(LILA nods)

You don't have anyone, do you?

Shit. Look. My name's Pauline.

LILA

Lila.

PAULINE

Lila? Hon, my sister's comin to meet me, we can see that you get home okay.

LILA

Oh, no.

PAULINE

Sure. Why not?

LILA

I couldn't.

PAULINE

Don't be silly—it's no trouble.

LILA

But you'll be out before me.

PAULINE

So? We can wait.

LILA

I don't want to put you out.

PAULINE

Honey, you won't, I'm telling you - it's no big deal.

LILA

(With force) It is a big deal, it's a big deal, a huge, huge deal—

PAULINE

Okay–okay—I didn't mean—just chill, okay? Jesus—

LILA

How old are you? Twenty five—twenty six? What do you know? You have no children, you haven't lived that long—look, just wait. You’ll see. Everything changes. You become a whole different person. Twenty six, you think, God, you think here I am, everything can only get better for me - anything you want seems possible, it’s all perfectly reasonable, twenty six, twenty seven, you look good, you feel good, you don't need sleep, you hardly need food, just ...air. Air. And....a man. A man who agrees with you that you're absolutely on top, absolutely ripe. That’s all. And once that feeling goes, you don’t forget it. It never goes away, it's so sharp, so etched into you, so fierce and... that ...terrible.....I don’t know.... That freedom.

Silence.

It isn't his. My husband's.