Sugar Glider

Characters

IRENE, mid-to-late thirtiesBRIAN, her brother, slightly older

Setting

Irene’s kitchen.

Sugar GliderCopyright © 2009 by William Donnelly

wdonnelly@townisp.com

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IRENE is dressed in sleepwear. BRIAN is dressed in a suit and tie.

IRENE(To audience) My brother has done pretty well for himself.

BRIAN(To audience) How’s it going?

IRENEMinor league ballplayer—

BRIANDouble A.

IRENEAltoona Curve.

BRIANThey’re in the Pirates’ system.

IRENEStarted for a season and a half.

BRIANThen I blew out my knee. Just bad enough.

IRENEFound his way into a sales job.

BRIANInsurance. Solid company.

IRENEWithin five years, he won rep of the year.

BRIANTwice, actually.

IRENEI was going to say twice.

BRIANJust keeping you honest.

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IRENEBig place in Bedford, little place in Dennis, medium-sized time share in Vermont.

BRIANFor kicks.

IRENELovely wife.

BRIANKim. Grew up in Westchester.

IRENELovely children.

BRIANAshley and Olsen.

IRENECouldn’t talk him out of that one.

BRIANI still don’t see what’s wrong with it.

IRENELawnmower, snowblower.

BRIANEssential.

IRENEDog, cat, hamster.

BRIANThey all sleep on the same mat. Swear to God.

IRENEPretty decent set up, right?

BRIANI’d say.

IRENESo why is he in my kitchen, three A.M. on a Wednesday, sweating vodka, talking to meabout sugar gliders?

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BRIAN(To IRENE.) They’re marsupials. We saw them on our trip to Australia. Just little things.Seven or eight inches. They’ve got these flaps like flying squirrels. If they’re just hangingout, you wouldn’t really notice, you’d maybe think they recently lost some weight orsomething. But when they open their arms, it’s almost like wings, like Batman. They cando fifty yards, tree to tree, then they rear up like they’re slamming on the brakes. It’sbadass.

IRENESo that’s the “glider” part.

BRIANRight.

IRENEWhat’s the “sugar” part?

BRIANDiet? I don’t really know. The kids became obsessed. Olsen especially. He got online, didall kinds of research. I only came to it late, after he’d already found a dealer. Someonewho farmed them.

IRENEI’ve never even heard of them.

BRIANMe either but what does that mean? The kids were all, “Dad, dad, they’re so easy, socute—”

IRENE“We’ll totally take care of him.”

BRIAN“You won’t even know he’s there.”

IRENELike us and the iguana.

BRIANExactly.

IRENEMiserable, shit-assed iguana.

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BRIANWhat was his name?

IRENEGilberto?

BRIANYeah. Did mom kill him?

IRENENo.

Maybe.

BRIANMom killed the fish.

IRENEThat was unintentional.

BRIANHalf unintentional.

IRENEHow could she have known that the rocks helped them breathe?

BRIANYou never know with mom. She wasn’t broken-hearted when they went, that’s all I’msaying.

IRENEWere you?

BRIANI got nothing against fish.

IRENEBack to your sugar glider.

BRIANThey painted me into a corner so we ordered it and it showed up and it was ornery andweird and it snapped at everybody when they tried to feed it. By day three the kids weredone. And Kim took herself out of the mix before we even placed the order because shewent on record after the dog saying a dog was the final upgrade she’d participate in. Sohere’s this sad little sugar glider kicking around, nobody wants him—

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IRENEWhat did they name him?

BRIANDomino.

IRENELike the sugar.

BRIANThat went right past me. Anyway, they hate him so the thing falls to me. Not mypreference, but I feel bad.

IRENEThat’s not you.

BRIANI know!

IRENEThat’s not even you At Christmas.

BRIANBut there was something about this thing. In the eyes, maybe. He’s got these eyes youcan’t give up on. So I started taking care of him and don’t you know he turns it around.Warms right up. Eats from my hand. Sits in my pocket, even. Becomes very gentle.Almost dainty. A spelling bee champion . . . that kind of disposition. Six months into thisthing and I am in love. Over the moon.

IRENEThat’s sweet.

BRIANIt’s disgusting. I’ve got his picture on my desk. I’m taking him to work. Taking him onclient meetings. Right there in my pocket. He is literally and without exaggeration mybest friend.

So one day the kids are playing . . . they’re in and out . . . backyard, kitchen, kitchen, yard. . . of course, they leave the back door open . . . out he goes. Right into the woods.

IRENEHe’s not in a cage?

BRIANAre you listening to the story? He’s a fucking superstar. We were considering nightschool, he doesn’t live in a cage.

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IRENEI’m just asking.

BRIANNo. No cage. So I get home late afternoon, they tell me, I go right out, don’t come homeuntil after supper.

IRENEAfter dark?

BRIANThree in the morning.

IRENEYou consider three in the morning “after supper”?

BRIANI consider everything until breakfast “after supper”. So the next night, after work, I go outagain. Night after that. Night after that. He’s nocturnal, so I figure if there’s any shot—

IRENEBri—

BRIANDon’t say it. Don’t talk to me about owls and hawks and everything else that’s runningthrough my mind every second of the day. I don’t need you to say that.

IRENEI’m sorry.

BRIANOn the fifth night, I go way out. And you know those woods . . . that’s state forest, it goesway back. I went seven to seven. All night. Walking. Listening. Leaves under foot.Things moving in the dark. I can hear my pulse. Trees. You know when the wind’s up, itsounds like the ocean. You ever hear that? Trees creaking like ships on the water?

Anyway, I’m out there and I run into a coyote. I’d heard they were out there, and everyonce in a while I’d be walking the dog and he’d find the deer bones with the teeth markson them, but I’ve never actually seen one. So we’re checking each other out. I expectedhim to run or charge, but he just stood there. He was working on a deer. Just a young one,it looked like. He let me get right up close. He offered me some. Some of the heart. And Iwas kinda in the moment so took it. It was still warm. Like an engine that just shut down.Like the lawnmower. It tasted like iron. Just a little bit. Like a vitamin. I had blood on mychin. The coyote licked it off. And then he bailed. I haven’t seen him since. And I’m out

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there every night. I’ve seen other coyotes, but not him. They’ve all got the same look.Same as people in a refugee camp—the ones who have been forged and tempered.

Silence.

IRENEYou didn’t really eat a deer.

BRIANJust part of the heart.

IRENEDoes Kim know about this?

BRIANKim thinks I’m working late, I don’t know what Kim thinks. Kim has her own thing.Look. I love Kim. I love Kim and Ashley and Olsen. I love them all very much.

But Domino loved me.

IRENEBri . . .

BRIANI’m scaring you.

IRENEKinda.

BRIANCome out with me.

IRENEWhat?

BRIANCome out to the woods.

IRENENo.

BRIANNot even for a night?

IRENEHow much have you had?

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BRIANHow much what?

IRENECome on . . . I can smell it on you.

BRIANThat’s alcohol.

IRENEI know.

BRIANNo. Rubbing alcohol. For the fever. And the abrasions.

IRENEWhat abrasions?

BRIANFrom the forest. I’ve been going out barefoot. Sometimes naked.

IRENEOkay, now you’re really scaring me.

BRIANThere’s nothing scary here. I’ve never felt this right. Not in my job, my marriage, notwhen I was playing ball . . .

Don’t be scared. Just understand. You don’t even have to understand all of it. Just a little.

Please.

Silence.

IRENEI understand.

BRIANThank you.

He embraces her.

IRENEGod, you’re burning up.

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BRIANI know. It won’t break.

BRIAN takes off his suit jacket. He sits and removes his socks and shoes. He hasabrasions on his feet. After a moment, he smiles at IRENE, stands, and movestowards her. He embraces her then exits, leaving his jacket and shoes.

IRENE(To audience.) I should’ve called the police, but I called Kim. In the time it took toexplain—to fail in my explanation—he was gone.

There are times I’ll see a man walking: matted beard, roughly the same build, but leanerin the face, harder. I can’t help but wonder.

You don’t know sometimes when you’re losing someone, when they’ve already beenlost.

It’s difficult to know.