By: Lyda Martin

 

FRANCES’ SESSIONS

SCENE 1

 

A therapist’s office. NIKKI is seated, looking at her phone, and someone knocks on the door.

 

NIKKI

Come on in.

 

FRANCES enters and takes a seat at the armchair across from NIKKI. 

 

FRANCES

Hi.

 

NIKKI

Hi. 

 

A pause. 

 

NIKKI (CONT’D)

We can start wherever you would like. 

 

FRANCES

That’s always the worst part, though.

 

NIKKI sits quietly and looks at FRANCES.

 

FRANCES (CONT’D)

Do you ever feel like there must be something wrong with you? Sometimes I feel like I have to have a word, or a diagnosis, or a name for what is wrong with me in order to explain how I feel. I’m just, I’m just so distant from everyone lately.

 

NIKKI

Is it necessarily a bad thing? To be distant?

 

FRANCES

I don’t know. I do it a lot, and I always feel guilty about it. Withdrawing. 

 

NIKKI

I’ve noticed you have a lot of feelings of guilt.

 

FRANCES

Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know how to stop it. It’s my feelings, you know? I don’t know where they come from, and most of the time it’s like watching water come out of a hot spring. It’s been underground for so long that it’s boiling, and you don’t know where it came from. 

 

NIKKI

That’s a good metaphor.

 

FRANCES

Takes one to know one, yeah?

 

NIKKI chuckles.

 

FRANCES (CONT’D)

I can just feel myself drawing back, and I can see everyone getting further and further away from me, but I can’t stop myself. 

 

NIKKI

Have you tried?

 

FRANCES

How do you stop yourself from doing something passive? Drawing back like this isn’t an action, it’s inaction. 

 

NIKKI

By doing something active, maybe?

 

FRANCES

Yeah, I guess. I have some trouble with that. 

 

NIKKI

That’s okay. 

 

Pause. 

 

FRANCES

I feel guilty right now. 

 

NIKKI

Okay. Why?

 

FRANCES

I don’t know. I’m tired all the sudden. Talking with you makes me really tired.

 

NIKKI

Therapy is hard work. It makes sense that you would be tired. Your brain is thinking about a lot of hard things.

 

FRANCES

It’s hard for me to keep track of my thoughts. I feel like I’m grasping at them but they are running away from me. I’m just so tired. 

 

Pause.

 

FRANCES (CONT’D)

Hey, um, do you think I could just rest for a bit? And not talk? 

 

NIKKI

This is your session. You can do whatever you like. I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to ask for rest when you need it.

 

FRANCES

Thank you. Um, I guess I’ll get to it then.

 

NIKKI

I’ll wake you when the session is over.

 

FRANCES

Thank you.

 

FRANCES shifts in her chair and rests her chin on her hands. She closes her eyes and falls into a light sleep. NIKKI sits patiently in her chair, waiting. 

 

END SCENE