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Monologue Mania Day # 1628 Osculation - the whole play for now for by Janet S. Tiger (c) Aug. 1, 2018
For those who read last night, I have incorporated that scene into the play below. Thanks for your input - does the included section of a scene work?
Osculation
(or –
About Love and Math in the Time of Chemistry)
A play in one-act
By Janet S. Tiger
All rights reserved
under the Berne and Pan-American copyright conventions
CHARACTERS-
ISAAC
– 17 (nice-looking, a little nerdy)
ARIANA
– 17 (good-looking - and definitely more mature than Isaac)
SETTING
– A schoolroom, now, but it doesn’t need to be fancy – chairs, table
Scene
1
(Isaac
brings chalk onstage - a board is not necessary, as most of the audience will
not understand what he is saying. He wears glasses and is nervous, but is
determined to get his points across to Ariana, the student he will be tutoring. But then Ariana enters the room and she is
pretty, and Isaac is a bit stunned)
ISAAC -
Hello, you must be Ariana.
ARIANA -
Must I?
ISAAC -
(smiles) I’m…I’m Isaac, and I
hope we can work together so that our team can
win. I …I understand you don’t like math.
ARIANA - That’s not true.
ISAAC - (Encouraged)
Oh?
ARIANA - I hate math.
ISAAC - (Disappointed) Oh.
ARIANA - And, usually, I hate anyone who likes math,
but….maybe you’ll be the one
person
in 7 billion who can change that.
ISAAC - (Not sure if this is encouraging or not) I hope so.
Maybe, you know, if you
need extra help,
we could, well, go over some this over a Starbucks…..or at McDonalds?
(She laughs and
goes over to the chalkboard, starts drawing something very slowly, but it's clear she is drawing a circle)
ARIANA - Let me try to make this clear to you, Mr. Wise
Butt.......This is one half.....
(She indicates cutting it down the middle)
ARIANA - That is the half a chance you have to go out with any girl....
(She indicates the other half)
ARIANA - This half is the chance you have of ever getting to go out with any girl and
(She indicates cutting it down the middle)
ARIANA - That is the half a chance you have to go out with any girl....
(She indicates the other half)
ARIANA - This half is the chance you have of ever getting to go out with any girl and
actually kiss her.....
(She puts down the chalk and wipes her hands)
ARIANA - And the third half is the chance you have of ever going out....WITH ME!
ISAAC – (mumbles)
ARIANA - Did I hear you say there's no third half? I guess you're smarter than I
(She puts down the chalk and wipes her hands)
ARIANA - And the third half is the chance you have of ever going out....WITH ME!
ISAAC – (mumbles)
ARIANA - Did I hear you say there's no third half? I guess you're smarter than I
thought!
(She laughs as she exits. End of scene)
(She laughs as she exits. End of scene)
Scene 2
(The
two are working now for awhile, and Isaac is getting irritated)
ISAAC - Now, Ariana, I know you don’t want to be
here, but you do have to focus!
Now, I am going to go over this again, since you didn't seem
to
understand it the first time.
ARIANA – My name is AH-RIANA, not AIR – RIANA.
ARIANA – My name is AH-RIANA, not AIR – RIANA.
ISAAC
- (Tries) Ah-riana…..
ARIANA
– And…you could go a little slower…..
ISAAC - All right, I'll go a little slower.
ISAAC - All right, I'll go a little slower.
ARIANA
- (Suggestive) Slower is much better…..
(He hears the note in her voice, is surprised, but collects himself, draws a circle, then a line through the circle)
circle.
ARIANA
- Be clear – a chord is several things –
in music, in wood…..
ISAAC - Okay, in math, a straight line connecting two points through a circle is called a
ISAAC - Okay, in math, a straight line connecting two points through a circle is called a
chord......
(Draws a curve and a line)
ISAAC - And an asymptote of a curve is a line such that the distance between the curve
(Draws a curve and a line)
ISAAC - And an asymptote of a curve is a line such that the distance between the curve
and the line approaches zero as they tend to
infinity.....(quickly) Okay, okay! It's when a curve approaches
a line but never reaches it....
(Listens, starts to get irritated)
(Very slow) And this is a curved line........and this......
(He draws a circle, but it’s shaky and Ariana is almost laughing)
Is.....a....circle.......
(Listens, starts to get irritated)
(Very slow) And this is a curved line........and this......
(He draws a circle, but it’s shaky and Ariana is almost laughing)
Is.....a....circle.......
The
point of contact, where these two different mathematical forms have a common
tangent.....is called osculation...
ARIANA - (Giggles) So is this like…(suggestive)…
intersection?
ISAAC -(Starting
to get annoyed) No, intersection involves either sets or lines! Look,
you
have
to get this, because next week's Academic Decathalon is going to focus on just
these types of questions! Maybe you're good at Jane Austen and Moby Dick,
but you have to have some of this math, too!
ARIANA - Maybe if you put it in terms I can understand! Like…..say, English?
ISAAC - Okay…(thinking) maybe I can give you some eytomology..... ....asymptote is from
ISAAC - Okay…(thinking) maybe I can give you some eytomology..... ....asymptote is from
the
Greek, asumptōtos which means "not falling
together", and osculation is from the Latin.....ōsculātiō -“a kissing”,
(Starts to realize what he is saying, she is also moving closer while he speaks, so he starts backing away)
(Starts to realize what he is saying, she is also moving closer while he speaks, so he starts backing away)
ISAAC – (Sweating)......
from osculor -“I kiss”-......
(Getting nervous, takes off glasses and wipes them, she stands even closer)
ISAAC - Do you have to stand so close......
(He is up against the wall and it is obvious what is about to happen, he wriggles away to
(Getting nervous, takes off glasses and wipes them, she stands even closer)
ISAAC - Do you have to stand so close......
(He is up against the wall and it is obvious what is about to happen, he wriggles away to
leave, stops, looks back.)
ISAAC - I
think this is a good time to end this lesson!
(He goes to exit......then stops and turns back and Ariana kisses him, he stumbles off,
(He goes to exit......then stops and turns back and Ariana kisses him, he stumbles off,
glasses askew, but he is smiling
ISAAC - I guess, there
is a third half!
( Lights down. End of scene)
Scene 3
(Ariana
and Isaac are working hard and she holds up her hand.)
ARIANA - That's enough!
Time for a break...
ISAAC - But we still have a lot to
go over....
(She sits and offers him something from her purse, he takes it and starts
to eat)
ARIANA - I've been thinking
about Newton's laws.....
ISAAC - I thought we were
taking a break.
ARIANA - Can still
think......anyhow, not the math part....but, how they relate to English....and
reality.....
ISAAC - His laws were about
physics - you do know, right? We just talked about this...
ARIANA - (Quoting, a little
bit mocking) An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion
stays in motion with the same speed and in the same
direction unless acted upon
by an unbalanced force. Right?
ISAAC - Very good......
ARIANA - Did you ever think
that one word describes that?
ISAAC - One word....no, I have
not thought about that.
ARIANA - Still.
ISAAC - (Listens, then realizes she
is done) Still what?
ARIANA - Still. That's
the word. An object at rest is still...but an object in motion is also
still...still
moving. Get it?
ISAAC - And this is what you
think about?
ARIANA - All the time.
What is enough to get something to move? To get something to stop
moving?
ISAAC - I really doubt they're
going to be asking that at the decathalon...
ARIANA - But the answer is nothing,
because nothing stops moving....I mean, even if I set this
pencil
down.....it's still moving through outer space on this planet, right?
ISAAC - This is existential
philosophy.....
ARIANA - And it never really is
moving if everything is moving.....so everything is relative, and
that
brings us to Einstein.....
ISAAC - The connectivity of science
is not the focal point of this contest.....
ARIANA - Of course, not ...the
point is winning....
ISAAC - Well, yeah.
ARIANA - How much do you need
me to win?
ISAAC - Well, if you remember
all this stuff that's been stuffed into your brain....
ARIANA - And if I
don't...remember that is....if I don't remember, how do we win?
ISAAC - We don't.
ARIANA - That simple?
ISAAC - What are you saying,
exactly? That there's another way to win?
(She looks at him and he is horrified)
ISAAC - As in....cheating?
ARIANA - Cheating is such a
negative word....I prefer, getting help. Getting help is what the
whole
field of psychology is about, isn't it?
(Isaac looks at her and she smiles)
ARIANA - You know that guy,
Carson?
ISAAC - You mean that weirdo
Jimmy?
ARIANA- Thought his first name
was Carson.
ISAAC - Did he also tell you his
folks named him Carson because he was conceived during
some
old late TV show?
ARIANA - Yeah!
ISAAC - He just likes to screw
with people......
ARIANA - But he's smart, and
he told me, he could get, how should I call it....a preview of the
questions?
ISAAC - Incredible! He
actually would do that just to get close to you!
ARIANA - You are so cynical,
but, yes.....
ISAAC - And you said......
ARIANA - Nothing yet, I wanted
to talk to you first.....because I figure, you're in it with me...
ISAAC - I am not! I
don't wanna win that bad!
ARIANA - But you'll sleep only
two hours a night and tutor me and.....what else are you
planning...just
to win?
ISAAC - (Getting upset)
You're talking about something that's not only illegal, but
immoral!
And we, I mean you, could get caught, and then,
realistically, there are a lot of bad things that can happen!
ARIANA - Morality is a very
strange animal......and reality, well, that's a real buzzkill...but
winning,
that could be real......don't tell me you haven't thought about it....
(He shakes his head, she stares at him)
ARIANA - (Smiling) You
haven't!
ISAAC - No, I figured, if we
work hard and we win, we win.
ARIANA - But winning is important to
you, be honest, this award means nothing, it doesn't help
you
get into college, you're already in! So it's just ego, right?
ISAAC - You know you end a lot
of your sentences with a question....right? Surprising how
you
ask if something is right, but you know the answer.....
(Lights down. End of scene.)
Scene 4
(It is a few minutes before the decathalon begins, and Isaac has pulled Ariana
into an
empty
classroom.)
ISAAC - You asked me to think
about something, something I didn't ever want to consider....
ARIANA- And you've thought
about it?
ISAAC - Yes. All
night....I couldn't sleep....
ARIANA - I'm sorry....
ISAAC - Are you really?
(She bristles, turns away)
ISAAC - I have one last thing
to share before we start.....
ARIANA - From the look on your
face, I imagine it has something to do with math....
ISAAC - Geometry.
ARIANA - As if there's a
difference!
ISAAC - You offered me
something, and I.....was tempted to because......winning is tempting.
ARIANA - So I guess the answer is
no....good guess, huh?
ISAAC - Geometry is based on
lines.....and a line is .....
ARIANA -..... straight....has no
thickness and extends in both directions without end......see, I did
learn
something.....
ISAAC - Infinity. But
sometimes....you have a line ....in the sand......and it has....a beginning
and an end, right where you put down your foot, where you
make your stand....this is where I have to make my stand......and I'm not
sorry....
(She shakes her head, turns to leave, stops looks back)
ARIANA - You missed a good
chance, my friend.....see you at the winner's table.....
(She exits, and he watches)
ISAAC - But I am sorry.....for
you.....
(Lights down, end
of scene)
Scene 5
(There is the sound of an audience, clapping, quiet,
then cheering and applause. The sounds die out, and there is a quiet,
almost awed silence. Lights up as a door closes as someone is
leaving. Isaac watches the person in disbelief, shaking his head.
Ariana looks at Isaac. She smiles, a little sad)
ARIANA - I'm pretty good at reading people, Isaac. If you're really honest, you know....that you
thought
I was going to cheat.
(Isaac
starts to protest, she holds up a hand and stops him)
ARIANA - Please, leave
us a little dignity! I know you wanted to believe I wouldn't use the
cheat sheets.....just like I know you didn't rat me
out.....but I also know....you didn't trust me.....and that's ok. You
see, it just shows I did a good job. That I convinced you......that's
what I had to do.....just like Carson.....he bought it......and so, I got the
job done......in the end, that's all that matters......isn't it?
ISAAC - Was anything you told
me the truth?
ARIANA - Wasn't that one of
the questions? Under philosophy? You can memorize and
analyze and study......but me.... I prefer thinking about
the truth not from the Greek view, but of the Steven Spielberg angle- which way
is the camera pointing? One way, it looks like the big man is shooting
the little man, but you turn around.....
(She spins and points a finger)
ARIANA - And from another
angle.....we see that the dwarf is going to be killed by the
Russian.....all
done with cameras and angles.....just like what was done today......
ISAAC - So everything....done
for show.....
ARIANA - Not
everything.....you asked me about whether I ever told the truth.....the truth
is a
fluid science....here's some......when I was about ten, I
was in an airport, heading out to visit my grandparents. My folks were
sitting, talking to some other old hippies they'd met....so, I was just hanging
out.....and this man came walking past, and I took a look at him and I
knew something was wrong.....and then he ran into a bathroom. I watched
and a few moments later, some police came up, with this one guy in a suit.
And I knew, just like I knew about the guy, I knew the guy
in the suit was someone important.....so I went over to the guy in the suit and
said 'he went in there' and I pointed at the bathroom.
(cont.)
(cont)
They went in, and a couple minutes later, out they come,
with the guy, in handcuffs, and the suit guy comes over to me, and he says,
'thank you' - and he gave me a card and told me, if I ever needed help, give a
call. And that's when I started writing the letters. And after a
few years, I got letters back, and then calls, and then.......the man in the
suit came to visit me one day....in the library.....and told me about
Carson. How dangerous what he was doing was.....not just for schools, but
for everyone.....so I made friends with a kid at my old school, got him to
change my grades. Then I got 'caught' but since I didn't rat him out, he
was a good contact. And I transferred here, got into the decathalon, and
made friends with Carson.....
ISAAC - Friends?
ARIANA - Can I help it if
smart guys like me? Anyhow, I had to go along, to get the
proof.....I'm
sorry ....if...it hurt you.
(Isaac looks at a card in his hand.)
ISAAC- Agent Harrison....
ARIANA - Not the same guy as
my suit, but they know each other.....
ISAAC - Like one big strange
family...
ARIANA - Something like
that..... when I graduate, I get to join that family....
ISAAC - So you're not going to
Stanford....
ARIANA - Not really.....but I
never was.....
ISAAC - Amazing! And I
did trust you...
(She looks at him, shakes her head)
ISAAC - I mean .....except for not
trusting you....
ARIANA - But I trust
you....not to tell this....
ISAAC - And if I did?
Would I disappear?
ARIANA - Don't be
silly.....you'll never tell......that's why I can tell you.....I'm a good judge
of
character.....something that can't be taught
actually......maybe enhanced, but it's something you're born with....like math,
I guess....
ISAAC - Character.
Interesting word. So none of what happened today is gonna be public?
ARIANA - Why would it have to be?
ISAAC - What happens to your
other boyfriend, Carson? Does he go to jail for this? I mean,
hacking
the SAT and ACT, that's pretty radical stuff.
ARIANA - He's smart enough to
get into bigger stuff than tests......so, I doubt if jail is in his
future...
ISAAC - (Horrified, stunned)
Wait a minute, so, he's gonna work for........
ARIANA - Our side?
Us? I hope so. That's what
this game is all about. It's much more than
winning some high school academic league decathalon!
How did you think they got Werner von Braun to make rockets for us? By
offering some fresh socks after the war? Some ice cream? For a
smart guy.....
ISAAC - Maybe I'm not so
smart....
(Isaac is torn between anger and sadness and turns away)
ARIANA - You seem...upset....
(He just shakes his head)
ARIANA - Maybe I can explain using terms you might understand. Things like velocity and
force.....our
hacker friend has an incredible power, a force.....and that force is currently
directed towards......let's call it.....the negative side of the graph.
But if we can exert our own force, such as....
But if we can exert our own force, such as....
ISAAC - A threat?
ARIANA - Let's call it a suggestion.....that if he changes the direction of his force towards the
ARIANA - Let's call it a suggestion.....that if he changes the direction of his force towards the
positive side of the
graph, then things will be more....positive.....
ISAAC - And he won't go to jail where other people might be...mean to him.
ARIANA - Such is the nature of suggestion......
ISAAC - And you don't see anything wrong with this? Any fundamental problem with this
ISAAC - And he won't go to jail where other people might be...mean to him.
ARIANA - Such is the nature of suggestion......
ISAAC - And you don't see anything wrong with this? Any fundamental problem with this
analysis? As in
the ultimate positive and negative of….. right and wrong?
ARIANA - All the way you look at the numbers, isn't it?
ISAAC - And what happened to the concept two wrongs don't make a right?
ARIANA - But two negatives make a positive......
ISAAC - Only in multiplication.....not when you add them, two negatives added together just
ARIANA - All the way you look at the numbers, isn't it?
ISAAC - And what happened to the concept two wrongs don't make a right?
ARIANA - But two negatives make a positive......
ISAAC - Only in multiplication.....not when you add them, two negatives added together just
means more
negativity.....
ARIANA - So I guess....this is where the intersection.....stops......we have reached the point....of
ARIANA - So I guess....this is where the intersection.....stops......we have reached the point....of
no return.....
ISAAC - I guess...you're right....there is no point in turning back now.....
ISAAC - I guess...you're right....there is no point in turning back now.....
ARIANA - You said it......the
world is a very big place, and the future is in computers, and in
people who know and understand them, what they can do, what
they can't.......Carson might be just good enough to stop a war, or win
one....who knows? I'm not the judge.
ISAAC - So, exactly...how far
would you go to ....do your job?
ARIANA - (Thinking) I
don't know.....I guess I'm gonna find out......
(She turns to leave, stops, looks back)
ARIANA - You said none of this
would be public....but there is one thing....the press will want
to
interview us because the fact is...... we won.
ISAAC - And you didn't
cheat.....so....how?
ARIANA - Maybe you're a good
teacher. One thing, Isaac, when you speak of this one day, and
you will, maybe in guarded terms, but you will, please know
......I did like learning from you......and of all the things you thought you taught
me.....my favorite was.....can you guess?
(She walks over quickly and kisses him, then pulls away just as quickly)
ARIANA - Osculation!
(She leaves as he watches her go. Then he puts on a
jacket, some glasses, he is older, and he goes to the chalkboard and starts to
make some notes......)
ISAAC - And this my dear
students, is one you may be able to remember with a simple
pnemonic
device......
(He draws two curves as the lights start to dim)
ISAAC - There is a term
in geometry that describes the place where two curves or surfaces
come into contact, or where their common tangent exists. The term is.....osculation.....
It's almost as if the two curved lines are...... kissing.
It's almost as if the two curved lines are...... kissing.
(Spotlight on the curved lines, then blackout. The end.)
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Janet S. Tiger 858-736-6315 CaregiversAnon.org
Member Dramatists Guild since 1983
Playwright-in-Residence
Swedenborg Hall 2006-8
