Sue Beere

A Matter of Time


Scene: The interior of a train. LIGHTS come up FULL on Woman seated next to the 

window, her hat on the seat next to her. A MAN enters.

 MAN

Excuse me, but is this your hat? 

WOMAN

Yes, it is.

MAN

 (picking it up)

Really quite a remarkable hat. A friend of mine had a hat something like that once. She 

was a tap dancer, liked to do "Tea for Two." You know that song. It goes:

(singing and dancing)

 Picture you upon my knee

 Tea for two and two for tea

 Me for you and you for me

 alone.

(moving towards her and more seriously)

 Nobody near us to see us or

 hear us

 (stops singing)

and so on. Yes. Really a most remarkable hat. I think I know where they make these. I 

think I visited the place. It was in the country. There were young girls working there. 

Sewing on the beads, making flowers. They were very young. It was hot. It was summer. 

Some had taken off their dresses and were working in their slips. I remember watching 

their soft round arms moving slowly at their work. I could see the outlines of their breasts 

through the thin cotton. They were half naked--because it was so hot you see. They were 

half naked. (Pause) Quite a voluptuous brim.

WOMAN

Oh, it's just a hat. It's the hat I always wear when I travel. Because if I lean my head back 

(Their eyes meet) ....

If I lean my head back against the cushions of the chair...then it's the kind of hat that 

doesn't get crushed. That is, it does get crushed but it doesn't matter if it gets crushed. 

You just puff it out again...very easily...and it goes right back to its original shape. It 

resumes its original shape.

MAN

Yes. (Pause) My hat is different . Rather expensive. Imported from Russia. So cold in 

that little town. so cold, that sometimes in the winter when there isn't any wood to make 

fires, to keep warm, the peasants--very simple people--dig holes under their houses and 

huddle there together. It's very dark, deep down there, very snug and happy and warm--

usually: But sometimes something happens between them--a man and a woman perhaps 

and then they struggle and fight and tear at each other in their frenzy. (Pause) Sometimes 

I don't wear my hat.

WOMAN

I see you're wearing it today.

MAN

Yes, I'm wearing it now. I wear it when want to. I want to wear it now.

WOMAN

Will you be coming to your stop soon? Will you be getting off?

MAN

No. No, I'll be going the whole way.

WOMAN

It's not very crowded, is it? The train.

MAN

No. It's less crowded than it was before. Soon there won't be anyone left-- except us, of 

course.

WOMAN

Yes.

MAN

No, no one left. The further on you go the less crowded it gets.

WOMAN

Then it's just a matter of time, isn't t?

MAN

Yes.

(BLACKOUT)

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