I'd run in to grab some peanut butter (confessed addict. I know, I know...) and there was a woman on a cell phone having a conversation.
In 2021, no less!
And she was not happy. But she was taking great pains to appear calm while her thumb and forefinger did a little dance which seemed to be more about chipping the nail polish off of her thumb than anything else.
It was clear she was talking to a man. One she'd slept with. A lot. And also one that she clearly regarded more as a boy than a man.
And he was really asking a lot of stupid questions.
Well, I should say, since I couldn't hear his end of the conversation. He was asking a lot of questions that she was sure were absolutely idiotic and unnecessary and probably in the end a waste of her time.
Still she may have felt guilty or horny or lonely but she wasn't ready to completely cut ties with this fool. So, like many before her, she persisted.
What she wanted in this moment was not entirely clear to me (or possibly her) but the intensity, the urgency with which she dealt with whatever situation she was in was palpable. Also, I know it involved the selection of an olive oil.
And I could not stop eavesdropping. I became so familiar with the bodega's potato chip selection that had I not been a regular customer I may have inspired suspicion.
There were two other people grabbing stuff in the store and I just knew I was going to let them all go ahead of me so I wouldn't have to interrupt the show.
I realize. This really gets to the bottom of where I think the most powerful and unforgettable monologue lives.
It lives in fiercely held intention.
She wasn't particularly "likeable" or "relatable" as my friends on the west coast might say. But she sure was determined. And that was all I needed to dilly-dally among the chips.
And that, I believe, usually spells the difference between a character we can't take our eyes off of and one we wish would finally just stop talking so we could just get home to bed.
Roland Tec's next Advanced Monologue Weekend will be in December. Never miss an opportunity. Get yourself into the Roland Tec "Inner Circle" list. RolandTec.com.
