A Sketch by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Two more characters arrive and start smoking.
Fred – How’s it going?
Al – Well… Actually, not so good…
Fred – What’s going on? Personal problems?
Al – Well, no, that’s just it. I have no personal problems. In fact, I have no personal life.
Fred – So what’s wrong?
Al – I don’t know… A feeling of emptiness… The sense that I’m not where I should be… I feel like while I’m here, my life is happening elsewhere. Without me. Have you ever felt that?
Fred – You’re feeling a bit down. Maybe you should see a doctor. He’ll give you something. You shouldn’t stay like this, you know. It’s not something to joke about.
Al – Well, I can reassure you right away. I haven’t joked in a long time. In fact, I don’t even remember the last time I laughed.
Fred – So what are you going to do? You’re not thinking of doing something stupid, are you? I mean, like quitting?
Al – I don’t know… Life is strange. At first, you think you have problems, but you’ll solve them one by one, and then you’ll be at peace. But then you realize that when you’ve solved those problems, new ones come up. And there will always be more problems to solve. Time passes, and at a certain age, you start thinking that one day, all these problems won’t be yours anymore. Because you simply won’t be here. I think I’ve reached that age. It doesn’t bring serenity, but it allows for a certain distance. Did you know the Pope has died?
Fred – Don’t tell me that’s what’s got you feeling this way… Did you know him personally?
Al – No…
Fred – I didn’t know you were so interested in religion. Do you believe in God?
Al – No. And you?
They leave. Two more characters arrive.
Mok – Did you hear that? The Pope is dead.
Zac – The Pope?
Mok – The Pope.
Zac – And what did he die from?
Mok – Lung cancer.
Zac – I didn’t know the Pope smoked.
Mok – Apparently, he smoked in secret.
Zac – Tobacco, it’s really terrible.
Mok – Fidel Castro or Winston Churchill, it’s the same. If they hadn’t smoked so much and had done more sports, maybe they’d still be alive.
Zac – And if Hendrix had played the violin in a philharmonic orchestra, he’d probably still be with us today.
Mok – I wonder what he’d be doing, really.
Zac – He’d be playing Scrabble in his retirement home with Jim Morrison, James Dean, and Janis Joplin.
Mok – You’re right, that would be weird… Do you think it’s worth quitting smoking?
Zac – But all those people we’re talking about had already reached the peak of their art. We’re still trying to figure out what we might be good at.
Mok – I think if we were geniuses, it would be known by now.
Zac – Cervantes wrote Don Quixote after he was over fifty. We still have hope.
Mok – So you have to be a genius to have the right to ruin your health, right?
Zac – What can you do? We’re from the fucked-up breed. That’s how it is.
They leave.
Black.
All the texts available on this website can be downloaded for free. However, performance rights, which constitute fair compensation for the author’s work, are a legal obligation. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, you must request authorization to perform the play and pay the corresponding royalties for the production.
To get in touch with Jean-Pierre Martinez and ask an authorization to represent one of his works: CONTACT FORM.
A sketch from the collection Nicotine
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)
Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net