A Second Chance
By Maya O’Dell
Characters: Two women aged somewhere in their mid-to-late twenties—Sandra and Lillian
(The scene opens on the front porch of a small, neat house on a quiet street. SANDRA stands on the porch and knocks on the door, and LILLIAN opens it from the inside.)
SANDRA
Lilli?
LILLIAN
(Upon seeing SANDRA’s face, her jaw drops for a second, then snaps shut quickly.) Sandra.
SANDRA
Hi-i-i.
(Pause)
How are you doing?
LILLIAN
(Snorts)
Seriously? Are you seriously going to stand here and ask me how I’m doing like we’re best friends or something?
SANDRA
I—
LILLIAN
What are you doing here anyway? I thought you moved. You know what? Don’t answer that, I honestly don’t care. And if you thought that I was going to sit here and have a conversation with you like no time has passed, you thought wrong.
SANDRA
Lill, I’m so sorry.
LILLIAN
Great. Good for you.
SANDRA
Lill, please just listen to me.
LILLIAN
Alright. I will listen, because I’m a better person than you ever were. But listening is all that I’ll do. I cannot promise to hear, Sandra.
SANDRA
Alright. Thank you. That’s all I ask.
(Takes a deep breath)
Lill, I’m so sorry. I was so wrong. I—
(SANDRA lifts her right arm in LILLIAN’s direction with a gesture, whereupon LILLIAN’s eyes fall upon a faded, threadbare friendship bracelet.)
LILLIAN
Wh-wh-wha—How could you. How. Could. You. You would dare to wear that?! After everything that you’ve done?!
SANDRA
What? Oh! The bracelet. Lill, I’ve never taken it off. I can never bring myself to. LILLIAN
Well, you can “bring yourself to” now! You have no right to wear that! You should have given it back to me when you decided to leave five years ago.
SANDRA
Lill, please—
LILLIAN
And for goodness’ sake, Stop! Calling! Me! Lill! My name is Lillian.
SANDRA
I’m sorry, Lill
(Pause)
-lian
LILLIAN
Give that bracelet back to me.
SANDRA
I can’t! Please! Lillian! Have you completely forgotten everything?
LILLIAN
I remember more than enough, Sandra. Enough to know that you are not my friend, and you never were—not really. Enough to assure you that that “friendship” bracelet has no place on your wrist.
SANDRA
No, Lillian. You have forgotten. You don’t remember the hours we used to spend walking along the back roads and coming up with names for every house we passed? You don’t remember the camping trips with late-night swims and marshmallows roasting over the fire?
LILLIAN
…and sand in our sleeping bags and mosquito bites covering our arms.
SANDRA
But we didn’t care. Because we always had fun together, Lill
(Pause)
SANDRA (cont.)
–lian. We were content to just sit in silence if we felt like it, because we didn’t have to talk to be able to understand each other. You don’t remember that summer that we broke down the door to Uncle Pete’s barn so that we could free the trapped swallow?
LILLIAN
And he just about blew our heads off with how angry he was.
SANDRA
Yeah…he was pretty mad at us, alright.
LILLIAN
But we stood up for each other.
SANDRA
Yeah. Because that’s what we did.
LILLIAN
Until we didn’t. You’re talking about a past that doesn’t apply anymore, Sandra. You made your decisions, and our friendship is over. Your “good feelings” about the past won’t make up for what you did. The one who has forgotten is you.
SANDRA
Lill, I’m so sorry. I truly am! I never apologized because I thought that what I had done was unforgivable, that I would just be wasting your time and mine…
LILLIAN
…you got that right…
SANDRA
…But then, this summer, I realized that I couldn’t let that stop me. You’re still the best friend that I’ve ever had, and I refuse to just move on with life without making things right. LILLIAN
Well then you’re going to be refusing to move on for a long time. Give me my bracelet and just leave me to my life.
SANDRA
Lillian, please. I still love you.
LILLIAN
You really think that I’m going to believe that, Sandra? When I needed my friend the most I’ve ever needed her, she abandoned me. She stood by and watched me fall, and, when a true friend would have helped me up? She ground me further into the dust. “I still love you” doesn’t cover it. You’re not that kind of person. I thought you were, but I was so wrong. You weren’t, and you
never will be. Now give the bracelet back to me. It doesn’t belong to you. SANDRA
(Quietly)
It was a gift. Please.
LILLIAN
It was a gift. You’re right. But you spurned it when you betrayed me. It’s not yours to keep anymore. After my surgery, who was there to support and encourage me? Exactly. That’s exactly right. No one. And when I had to quit doing all of the things I loved, who stood beside me and learned to love doing new things? No one. Not you, Sandra. You were the
LILLIAN (cont.)
one person that I thought I could rely on, and you failed. You utterly and completely failed. So yes, I did give that to you. It was a gift. But it was a gift given on good faith that was broken the moment that you decided that your reputation and good standing were worth more than your broken
(LILLIAN surrounds the word “broken” with air quotes.)
best friend.
SANDRA
I made a mistake. A huge mistake. Believe me, I know. I was horribly selfish, completely stuck up, and unashamedly judgemental. But this bracelet…It’s all that I have left of our friendship, Lillian. And our friendship was one of the…no…the only bright spot in my life. I don’t think I could bear to let it go.
LILLIAN
Well I think that you’re going to have to bear it, Sandra. I’m serious. You do not have the right to wear that.
SANDRA
This bracelet has meant more to me than anything over the past five years, Lill (Pause)
-lian. I can’t part with it.
(Beat)
Or you.
LILLIAN
I think it’s a little late for that.
SANDRA
I don’t think it is! We can be friends again! We can pick up where we left off! I know it wouldn’t be the same. Believe me; I know. But I am truly sorry, and I want to make things right with you. Really! I do.
(Faintly)
Really…please…
LILLIAN
(With a slightly puzzled look on her face)
You know what? You’ve changed, Sandra. Even back when we were close, I don’t remember you being this…
(Beat)
…I don’t even know how to describe it, but there’s something different about you.
SANDRA
I know. I’m not the same person I was five years ago. Things have been… (Pause)
…different, lately. That’s partly why I came back. I missed you—I missed our friendship—so much. Will you please give me a second chance?
LILLIAN
You destroyed me. I lost everyone. But everyone didn’t matter. All that mattered was my best friend.
SANDRA
I’m so sorry, Lill.
(Silence)
LILLIAN
I…
(Pause)
I’m willing to try… But, Sandra. You have to realize that you hurt me worse than anyone ever has. We won’t be able to just become friends again in two seconds because you have changed. It will take time. Probably a lot of it.
SANDRA
Thank you, Lillian. I understand that, but I can’t help but still be excited. I have missed you so much.
LILLIAN
(Quietly)
Me too.
(Pause)
Me too.