My first full length paly with more than two characters but barely.

Characters

Ginger-a pretty woman in her mid-twenties

Tom- a good looking guy about the same age

Mrs. Ching- Gingers boss at the resturaunt where she works

Mr. Ching- Mrs. Chings husband

Veronica- works with Tom at his bar

The bar folks- regulars at Tom's bar

Act 1

The stage is set in the opening scene with the two places of business set up back to back on the stage. The bar where Tom works is on the right and Mr. and Mrs. Chings chinese resturaunt is on the left. The bar is pretty busy to start, and they soft talking doesnt fade out as we see Chings place light up, spot light on Ginger, who is making a phone call.

Ginger: (On a phone in the resturaunt)

(Phone rings at Toms, Veronica answers the phone)

Ginger: Yes hello,... I was wondering ... where is your bar?

(Light comes on Veronica at Toms bar)

Veronica:Where you coming from?

Ginger: (stumbling) I, um...I am in town, near the hospital...

Veronica(handing out drinks at the bar): We are just down maple, turn right on Linclon, three blocks on right...

Ginger: Thanks,... can you tell me if Tom Baker still works there?

Veronica: Tom? (stops and puts a hand on her hip) Yeah he's working, would you like to speak with him?

Ginger: No thank you, I might come by.

Veronica: Can I give him a name or something?

Ginger: No, I'll be by later, thanks.

Veronice: (with suspicion) Ok, Bye...

( Veronica hangs up the phone and lights dim on Ginger, she is moving around waiting tables and working, Mrs. Ching repremands her for being on the phone, she busies herself. Light stays on Veronica, she takes an order, then we see Tom enter. Veronica calls to Tom)

Veronica: Tom! Someone just called...

Tom: (Looks intently): Who was it?

Veronica: It was a woman, said she might "come by"

Bar crowd: (group nearest to bar): She called! Hey, she called. Congrats man.

Tom: We'll see. They said they were coming in here? Did they say when?

Veronica: She said later.

(Bar lights fade and we see both scenes. Ginger is waiting on her last customer. At Toms bar, people are going, the crowd at tables linger out. The people at the bar order more drinks, one falls asleep at the bar, one flirts with Veronica. Tom continues to glance at the door. Ginger cleans off the last table, puts on lipstick looking in a compact from her purse. Changes into some sexy heels and stands to view herself in the reflection of a window. She is wearing an old style 1950's dress and she looks beautiful)

Mrs. Ching: You go out in those shoes you break your neck!

Ginger: I have to wear something fancy, you only live once.

Mrs. Ching: You don't look fancy, you look like street walker!

Ginger: Mrs. Ching!

(Mr. Ching and his wife laugh at this)

Mr. Ching: You have good time tonight. Don't listen to my wife. She tease you.

Mrs. Ching: (shaking her head) You wait too long to call. You wait too long.

Ginger: I was waiting for it to feel right. You know about those things, don't you Mrs. Ching? Women's intuition?

Mrs. Ching: Nonsense. Foolishness, this women's intuition. You use your head! (Points to her head) You wait too long!

Mr. Ching: When Mrs. Ching and I were young, we waste no time at all. I see her and I ask her to marry me, and this is it. We married thirty year now.

Mrs. Ching: No time! I do not even think. We meet, we say I like you, we get married. You think, you wait, .. you kill romance. What is the waiting for? You want to know what I think? You don't know anyone till you married anyway. You waste all your time, you never get married.

Ginger: I am too young to be married...

Mrs. Ching: Too young! Too young to get married! You want to grow old, retire and then you get married? You foolish girl!

Ginger: Now we are waiting. This is the the 21st century, Mrs. Ching. Women don't get married and have babies when they are twenty-four! We live too long now. We have time to be adventurous now!

Mr. Ching: Marraige is an adventure!

(Ginger grabs her coat and heads for the door)

Ginger: Goodnight, Mr. Ching, Mrs. Ching. See you tomorrow!

Blackout on Mr. and Mrs. Chings place.

(While the stage is set at Tom's, three girls of different sizes come out in black leotards and tights, dancing and whirling with black scarves to beat music.)

Lights fade in. Focus on Tom's bar. Tom looks more and more anxious at the door as we are focussing on him. Ginger comes in stage right and their eyes meet. Ginger stands still by the doorway and Tom does not move for a few moments. The bar slowly takes notice of what is happening. Then lights slowly fade to black.

Act 2

The Ching's resturaunt has come offstage and now Toms bar is set up on the far left. The tables have been reesembled around the stage, only one with customers, and in the center of the stage are Ginger and Tom at a two-top table of their own. The folks at the bar, Tom's regulars, are trying to not notice what's going on, but they take looks back and whisper to each other every so often. Veronica keeps focussed on her job and seems not to notice.

Tom: I cant believe you're here!

Ginger: Me either! This is just crazy. (Points her feet and makes a big smiley face!)

Tom: Wow, I mean look at you! Look at those shoes! Wow!Those are wild shoes - for you- Ginger, what a change…

Ginger: (coyly) I got them just for you…

Tom: (Smiles then goes back to his serious tone ) So what have you been up to?

Ginger: I moved back in May, as you already know, and I have been working on getting my Master's degree. That will be great because I'm at Chings again…I live down by Rotterdam, I have a nice little flat there, it over looks the river. I sit outside and watch the boats from time to time. Life is really great, Tom. How about you?... Oh my goodness! Your own bar! Your dream come true!

Tom: I opened last fall, we did Octoberfest. It went really well and things haven't slowed, I have regulars!

Ginger: (Warmly) I am so proud of you, Tom. I always knew you had it in you. You have always been so smart and capable.

She smiles at him for a moment.

Both: (At the same time)So … (they laugh)

Tom: What do you want to drink, we have a house brew if you want to try it, it's incredible!

Ginger: Oh, no thanks. I don't really drink beer anymore.

Tom: You sure? You don't want to try?

(Ginger is shaking her head)

Tom: I have a honey…, okay, just a second…

Tom gets up and walks to the bar and gets drinks from Veronica, meanwhile, Ginger sits up a little straighter and plays with her hair, looks around the room with interest.

Tom: (Sitting down and handing Ginger a glass of wine, she takes a sip and makes a face) No good?

Ginger: It's too sweet. Sorry…

Tom goes and gets another drink, the bar regulars watch intently.

Tom: (Back at the table with another glass of wine) Try this, bet you'll love it.

Ginger: (takes a sip and nods) That's fine. It's good, actually.

Tom:I thought you were not going to call.

Ginger: I was waiting for the right time. I have been waiting until I felt settled in. I haven't been in this town in a long time, Tom. My mother always said it's hard to come back. I didn't know this place anymore. I don't recognize the faces anymore. The words, things people say! Everything is foreign to me now, everything has changed.

Tom:(pointing to the wall) See that clock over there, I bought that clock for you. Do you remember?

Ginger: (Looking thoughtful) No…when did you buy that for me? Did I like it? It doesn't look like something I would like….

Tom: Yeah, of course you did, you don't rememeber? You wanted it from that craft fair, but you didn't bring your purse, I went back and bought it for you the next day. You said you didn't have a place yet, that I could hold onto it…

Ginger: (remembering and then laughing) Oh yeah, …oh, Tom! I didn't like that clock! I was just being nice to the craft guy.

A young woman walks in, thin with long hair. Tom watches her walk and turns slightly to get a rear view. Then he looks at Ginger.

Tom: Ginger, Ginger…

Ginger: Yes Tom?

Tom: What happened to us Ginger?

Ginger: You asked me to marry you and I told you I wasn't ready. You said you needed time after that, time to figure out how you felt.

(Ginger takes a large drink of wine).

Tom:And what about you? How did you feel?

Ginger: I took it as a sign…

While Ginger is speaking the girl walks past their table again. Tom watches her walk by again and checks her out as she walks out. Ginger drinks the rest of her drink. Tom looks back at Ginger.

Tom: Ginger…(he pauses to recollect what they were talking about, then shaking his head) I've been in love with you since 7th grade….

Ginger: I finished my drink,Tom…

Tom:(agitated) Are you mad at me because I checked out a girl? You went and got engaged after you said you weren't ready to get married…

Ginger: (shaking her head)That's not what happened.

Tom: What do you mean that's not what happened? That is exactly what happened!

Ginger: No, it wasn't like that. I mean, he was special. It seemed like fate or something…

Tom: (angrily) But we were supposed to meet back up again… you said you weren't ready, that meant when you were ready you'd be ready for me!

Ginger: No it doesn't.

Tom: (Shouting) Yes it does!

The couple seated at the other table gets up to leave. Tom is breathing heavy as he watches them go. Veronica comes from behind the bar.

Veronica: Are you alright Tom?

Tom: Oh, I got this bitch!

Veronica walks back to the bar where she talks to the regulars. They seem concerned for Tom.

Ginger: I thought that since I had turned you down you would move on. I can't help it if there were other prospects…

Tom: Other prospects… Ha! I know what your other prospects were, ya gold digger!

Ginger: You're just mad because I have prospects, and you are still pining over some ugly craft clock!

Tom: I have prospects! I have lots of prospects!

Ginger: Sure, everyone that walks through that door, about four beers later (mockingly) wanna try my honey draft?…

Tom: Whore!

Ginger: (playing with her empty glass) And I'm not a gold digger if I'm worth it.

Tom: Worth it!? You wait tables in a Chinese resturaunt. And what's up with that anyway? You're a fucking American!

Ginger: (starting to get upset) You know Mrs. Ching pretty much raised me. I practically am Chinese!

Ginger gets her compact out. Meanwhile, the regualrs have gotten ready to go and are heading out the door.

Bar regulars: Bye Tom; See ya later man; Bye man….

Tom: (Turns to Ginger as they are still exiting the bar) Oh yeah, and I hate you're shoes. You look like a whore!

Ginger: (putting on her lipstick) That's fine, cause I didn't buy them for you. I have a credit card and I'm bipolar.

Tom: (Shouting) I always knew you were a crazy bitch…

Ginger: Does that mean I can go then?

Tom: (at a loss, stumbling) yeah, yeah, yeah … you can go.

Ginger stands up and straightens out the full skirt of her dress. Pulls her purse over her arm and begins to leave. Tom remarks to her as she is passing by.

Tom: Oh, and that dress makes you look like you're pregnant.

Ginger: (calls back over her shoulder in a sarcastic tone) Good luck on your prospects, Tom.

Tom gets up and motions to the door with kicks and punches in the air. He is still freaking out when Veronica comes in, ready to leave with her purse and jacket folded over her arm. She stands in the middle of the floor behind him.

Veronica: How ya doin? You gonna be alright?

Tom: I'm fine, I'll be fine…Wanna get a bite?

Veronica: Tom, I'm married….

Tom: Right.

Veronica walks toward the door.

Veronica: (exiting) G'night, Tom. See ya tomorrow.

Tom: G'night.

Tom sits down at the table then decides to throw a coaster toward the clock. It floats in that direction. He sits as lights fade out.

The End