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Good Enough

The door slowly opens. ELIZABETH, 17, le...

Overview

Show Type
Play
Age Guidance
Mature Audiences (M)
Genders
  • Female: 2
  • Male: 0
Playing Age
Young Adult, Late Teen
Style
Dramatic
Length
Long
Time Period
Contemporary
Time/Place
A middle-class teenager's bedroom, America, present day
Act/Scene
Act 1

Context

Text

The door slowly opens. ELIZABETH, 17, leans her head in.

Elizabeth Sorry.

Jessica Don’t be sorry. Come on in.

Elizabeth enters the room.

Elizabeth Sorry. I just need… I forgot something.

Elizabeth goes to the far side of the bed. She picks up a stuffed sheep from the floor.

Elizabeth Sorry. He helps me sleep better.

Jessica No problem.

Elizabeth heads for the door. Jessica returns to her book. Elizabeth stops at the door and turns around.

Elizabeth What are you reading?

Jessica The Bacchae.

Elizabeth What’s it about?

Jessica It’s for a class.

Elizabeth Is it good?

Jessica Pretty good.

Elizabeth What class?

Jessica Sex, Religion, and Prehistory.

A beat.

Elizabeth Oh.

Elizabeth stands awkwardly in the doorway for a moment. She turns to go.

Jessica You don’t have to leave.

Elizabeth It’s okay. You’re reading.

Jessica I’m just killing time. It’s earlier than I’m used to.

Elizabeth Okay.

Elizabeth shuts the door. She sits on the edge of the bed.

Jessica Thanks for the room. I didn’t mean to displace you.

Elizabeth It’s okay. I don’t mind. I get the pullout downstairs.

Jessica Well, that’s good.

Elizabeth It’s one of the advantages. Mom always puts me in with the little cousins, but since I’m the oldest, I usually get the best seat or whatever.

Jessica That’s something. My mom used to do the same thing. Drove me crazy.

Elizabeth I know.

Jessica But you’ll be headed out of here soon. Do you know where you’re going yet?

Elizabeth Either Regent or Emmanuel.

Jessica Oh right.

Elizabeth You know them?

Jessica I think.

Elizabeth They’re in Georgia and Virginia.

Jessica That’s a good distance. Not too close, not too far.

Elizabeth They’re Christian schools.

Jessica Oh.

A beat.

Jessica I like your family.

Elizabeth Thanks.

A beat.

Elizabeth Were your parents mad you went to a Christian school?

Jessica St. Joe’s isn’t really a Christian school. It’s “in the Jesuit tradition,” but isn’t really religious anymore.

Elizabeth Still, my parents wouldn’t like me going to a Jewish school, I don’t think.

Jessica I have a feeling you’re right. And it’s too bad.

Elizabeth Why would that be too bad? I don’t want to be with people who don’t believe like I do.

Jessica It’s too bad because there are other things out there. Things you should expose yourself to.

Elizabeth I don’t want to “expose myself.” That’s where temptation comes from.

Jessica It’s also where you learn things. About yourself. And the world. And how else will you overcome temptation if you don’t face it?

Elizabeth I don’t want to overcome temptation. I want to avoid it.

Jessica There are things out there you have no idea about. And believe me, if you did, you would know that God didn’t make them for you to avoid.

Elizabeth Don’t talk to me about God.

Jessica How else will you learn—?

Elizabeth Not from you. I hear he doesn’t go to church anymore. Michael. Except Sunday mornings. Mom said.

Jessica He goes. Not a lot of people we know go more than once a week.

Elizabeth That’s why I want to go to a Christian school. It’s easier to pull someone off a chair than to pull them on to one. That’s what my Dad says.

Jessica What does that mean?

Elizabeth If you’re on a chair, it’s easier for someone to knock you off than for you to pull them up onto it. That’s why you should stay with your own kind—

Jessica “With your own kind.” Wow.

Elizabeth With people who believe like you do. Because they won’t knock you off.

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