Final production version
New York City
Copyright 1992 WGAe

NOTE: this is the basic text of WHAT HAPPENED WAS... 
as it was first publicly performed June 11 through 
July 12 at the Paradise Theater, 64 East 4th St., NYC.


This play is to be performed in the round - in as
intimate a setting as possible.  The audience should be
as close to the playing area as is convenient.


A schematic of the set and lighting is available upon
request.  But basically the stage is an apartment - an
apartment the audience should wish they lived in.

						the playwright

************************************

SOUNDS of the city at night

in the darkness we hear hurrying footsteps

a figure appears in the darkened hallway

in the distance we hear rock music

The figure stops and reaches up and taps a flourescent
bulb that flickers into life revealing:

JACKIE, a woman around thirty

		JACKIE
Goddam this light.. why don't they fix it....

She is dressed in a light coat over a woman's business
suit, stockings and jogging shoes as is the norm

She is carrying various groceries and a small string
tied pastry box

She moves to a door and finds her keys and enters

She enters her apartment - modestly furnished - very
neat, almost girlish 

the stereo is turned on to a rock station while she is out

She turns it off and moves to the answering machine
and flips it "PLAY"

She moves on to the kitchen and puts her bags down on
the counter and starts to unpack

		MACHINE
(#1 - beep, dial tone... hangup), (#2 - beep, dial tone...
hangup), (beep - end of messages).

She unpacks her groceries and puts them in the
refrigerator, including a bottle of wine

She takes the pastry box she was carrying and
carefully she places it prominently on the kitchen
counter and looks it

She checks her watch and hurries along

She takes from the freezer two platters and shoves
them into the microwave

She sets the timer and hit "ON"

She opens the fridge and takes out an already opened
bottle of white wine and pours herself and glass

Drinking, she dashes to the stereo and puts a tape on
the stereo

the sound of "Voices Carry" by TILL TUESDAY fills
the room

She rushes to the dressing alcove carrying her glass of
wine

She unbuttons her dress and lets it drop to her waist

She looks in her closet for something to put on

JACKIE takes a sexy looking outfit tries it on

She looks in the mirror and her initial enthusiasm is
quickly dashed by seeming better judgement

She pulls out another more casual outfit and holds it
up, looking at herself in her mirror

JACKIE moves toward the mirror and turns around
inspecting herself carefully

She lowers sadly looks at her body for a long moment

She looks at her watch again

JACKIE with resignation reaches down and pulls her
dress back on

She pulls off her jogging shoes and sox

She is about to move back to the kitchen when she
reaches under her skirt and removes her panty hose

She picks up all the clothes that are now strewn about
and shoves them back into the closet

She rushes back to the kitchen and takes out the bottle
of wine

She empties the contents into her glass and drinks

JACKIE looks at her small dining table

With the dimmer on the kitchen backsplash she adjust
the level of the light over the kitchen table

She looks at the living room beyond and moves to the
matches on the kitchen counter

She crosses to the livingroom and lights a candle on the
coffee table before the couch and...

Keeping the match alight she crosses to the stereo table
and lights a second candle before a series of pictures of
her family

She blows out the match and stands looking around her
apartment

She reaches down and turns up the music very loud

She stands and sways for a moment, her eyes closed

She opens her eyes and moves back to the kitchen

She takes out two plates and cutlery

She moves to the table and sets it

A SOUND grabs JACKIE's attention

She looks to the front door

She looks at her watch and panicked, rushes to the
stereo, turning it down

She listens to the quiet for a moment, relieved and is
about to turn the music back up when

the doorbell BUZZES

JACKIE bolts to attention

		JACKIE
Who is it?

		MICHAEL
(o.s.)Michael...

		JACKIE
Just a minute....

She moves quickly to the kitchen, throwing her wine in
the sink

She hangs her coat up which is still hanging on the
back of her kitchen chair

She looks at herself in the mirror

She moves to the door and opens it to MICHAEL - he
smiles

He is around forty.  He wears a once nice suit, dress
shirt, his tie hangs from his pocket.  He carries a
briefcase

		JACKIE
You're early.

		MICHAEL
I guess...

		JACKIE
Were you out there long?

		MICHAEL
Just a few seconds.  I heard music...

		JACKIE
I was just listening... I didn't know I couldn't hear the
bell...

		MICHAEL
Yeah... I know what that's like.

		JACKIE
Come in, come in.

MICHAEL points back out to the flickering hallway
flourescent

		MICHAEL
That light's kind of twilight zoney.

		JACKIE
Yeah, they won't fix it... Sorry...

		MICHAEL
No harm, no foul.

She looks at him puzzled

(MICHAEL has a habit of making these little jokes to
himself - for his own seeming private amusement)

MICHAEL enters - looking around at the apartment

		MICHAEL
Nice.  Real nice.

		JACKIE
Can I take your coat?

		MICHAEL
No, I'm fine.

As JACKIE reaches for his coat MICHAEL realizes
that he has a package in his hand

		MICHAEL
Oh, here.  I got this...

She takes the package - it is bottle of wine

		JACKIE
Wine!

		MICHAEL
Yeah.  I didn't know what you like...

		JACKIE
This looks great.

She takes the bottle

		JACKIE
Let's have some.

JACKIE moves to the kitchen

		MICHAEL
You don't have to open it.

		JACKIE
You don't drink?

		MICHAEL
No, I mean, you can save it for another time.  You
don't have to open it just because I brought it.

LONG PAUSE as they stare at each other

		JACKIE
No, let's have some.

MICHAEL looks around JACKIE's things as she
opens the bottle

He moves toward her in the kitchen area tentatively

		MICHAEL
I didn't... You have a real view.

JACKIE looks out the window in the kitchen

		JACKIE
Yeah, it's probably why I've stayed here.  I need to see
the city - the people.

		MICHAEL
How long have you lived here?

		JACKIE
Since ah... Jesus, could it be five years?

		MICHAEL
Wow.

She hands him his glass and pours

		MICHAEL
Thanks.... I didn't know if you'd be here.

		JACKIE
What do you mean?

		MICHAEL
I saw you in Greyson's office at five... I didn't know
how you'd get here so early.

		JACKIE
I left a few minutes early.

		MICHAEL
Oh, good.

PAUSE

the microwave rings

		MICHAEL
And you have dinner going already?

She moves away toward the kitchen

		JACKIE
Nothing too fancy.  I hope you like sea food.

He laughs

		JACKIE
What?

		MICHAEL
It's the word "seafood"..  You know some word give
you the creeps.

		JACKIE
I guess...

		MICHAEL
Sometimes I wonder whether it's that you had a
traumatic experience when you first heard the word or
maybe it's just some genetic thing but they embarass
you - like the word spicket or ritzy or most French
words.

		JACKIE
But scallops?

		MICHAEL
Love 'em.  (to himself) Don't care too much for the
word.

		JACKIE
What?

		MICHAEL
Oh, just kidding.

She crosses to the microwave - he sits down on the couch

		JACKIE
Geez, these thing scare me (re: microwaves)

		MICHAEL
Oh, they're pretty safe.

		JACKIE
I think they're kind of weird.

		MICHAEL
Do you know how they work?

		JACKIE
Yeah, I mean, it's the waves - they heat the food up. 
The microwaves...

		MICHAEL
Not exactly, see microwaves are powerful low
frequency electromagnetic waves that make the
molecules of that organic substances vibrate - vibration
is heat. That's how it works.

		JACKIE
(bored but covering)  Wow.

		MICHAEL
You like science?

		JACKIE
Sure, I guess.  Especially animal science kinds of
things.  You know those nature specials - they're great. 
You know, really like when the animals do all those
things.

She puts the food back in the microwave and resets the timer

		MICHAEL
Did you know that birds are really dinosaurs?

		JACKIE
Birds?

		MICHAEL
Yeah, when the big dinosaurs went extinct the little
ones survived.  Birds have hollow bones like dinosaurs
and their feathers are really just a form of scales.  I
always thought that was amazing.

She crosses back to him with the wine bottle in her hand

		JACKIE
Yeah, that's pretty cool.  Where do you learn all this
stuff.

		MICHAEL
Reading I guess.  I just remember stuff.

		JACKIE
Yeah, I love reading... and books.

JACKIE moves to the couch and sits

		MICHAEL
I remember all the telephone numbers of all my friends
when I was in grammar school.

		JACKIE
Really?

MICHAEL moves to an armchair near the couch

		MICHAEL
Yeah, like my friend Micky Hobart.

		JACKIE
Huh.

		MICHAEL
Yeah, his number was 869-3740.

		JACKIE
Are you sure?

		MICHAEL
What do you mean?

		JACKIE
I thought it was 3704.

		MICHAEL
How did you know...?

		JACKIE
I was just joking.

		MICHAEL
Oh, yeah.

MICHAEL laughs condescendingly

		MICHAEL
What's funny... See, I remember numbers by
memorizing the patterns of the number.  See, like
Mickey's number three from seven equals four - three
seven four oh.

		JACKIE
Yeah, but...

		MICHAEL
What?

		JACKIE
I mean if you're going to go to all the trouble to
remember the equation and all the ways this equals
that, wouldn't it just be easier to remember the number
or write it down.

		MICHAEL
No, it works in several different parts of your brain
simultaneously - by sharing the task, it increases the retention___

		JACKIE
Oh, yeah, I get it.

		MICHAEL
The brain is amazing.  Are you sure - do you have
paper?  I can write it out and show you.  

		JACKIE
No, I get it.  Thanks.

MICHAEL looks around the apartment - puzzled

		MICHAEL
(points to door)   What's in there?

		JACKIE
That's the bathroom.

		MICHAEL
Oh...

		JACKIE
What's wrong?

		MICHAEL
Where do you sleep?

		JACKIE
(pats couch)  On this...  it folds out.

		MICHAEL
(re kitchen window)  You can see into all those
apartments.

LONG PAUSE - JACKIE gets up and moves to the kitchen

		JACKIE
It's weird... sometimes when I'm on the subway and
people are whirring by me - lots of them - or on a bus
looking out at the crowded sidewalks - it's hard to
believe that I have a life like all those people - that I
am going through all this stuff you know - that we're
all just not like extras...

MICHAEL stands and moves slowly toward kitchen

		MICHAEL
You mean like on a movie?

		JACKIE
Yeah, it's like we're not here - that we don't really have
lives.

		MICHAEL
I would have thought you'd feel real and that everyone
else was an extra.

		JACKIE
Yeah, I guess, but not really... Geez..

		MICHAEL
What?

		JACKIE
It's just... all those apartments out there.

She stands with her back to him at the counter

		MICHAEL
Yeah.

		JACKIE
It's so... you know what I mean?

MICHAEL touches her back - she jumps away - he
jumps away in the opposite direction

		MICHAEL /JACKIE
What?

They laugh

		MICHAEL
Are you OK?

		JACKIE
It's just strange, you know,  having you here...

		MICHAEL
What do you mean?

		JACKIE
No, it's great... It's just that we've always been in the
office.  All the time you know, in the office.

		MICHAEL
Yeah... the office.

		JACKIE
So now you're here - I mean we talk everyday and
laugh.

		MICHAEL
Hah hah.

They laugh

		JACKIE
You know you see someone everyday for months and
months one way and then this... You know, it's wild.

		MICHAEL
Yeah.

PAUSE - MICHAEL looks moves back toward the couch

		MICHAEL
But it's very pleasant here.

She holds up the bottle

		JACKIE
Do you want more wine?

		MICHAEL
Umm..

		JACKIE
I didn't know if you drank...

		MICHAEL
Yeah, I'll have a little....

		JACKIE
I don't drink that much.  A little on the weekends.  Or
at night sometimes... you know?

		MICHAEL
Yeah.

		JACKIE
(she pours)  Here.

		MICHAEL
Thanks.

		JACKIE
What's your place like?

		MICHAEL
My apartment?

		JACKIE
Yeah.

		MICHAEL
Oh, I don't know.  Just an apartment. It's a one
bedroom... On the east side.

		JACKIE
I like the east side.  I lived there for a while but it got
on my nerves...

		MICHAEL
Yeah.  Mine doesn't have a view.

		JACKIE
I couldn't survive without a view... without seeing the
city... the people.

		MICHAEL
Here's to the extras.

		JACKIE
Oh, yeah... the extras.

		MICHAEL
Cheers.

they toast - JACKIE laughs

		MICHAEL
What?

		JACKIE
It was so funny today when you were giving Sanders a
hard time.

		MICHAEL
I didn't give him a hard time.

		JACKIE
Oh, come on.  You do it all the time.  You make him
nuts.  I love to be in on those meetings.

		MICHAEL
Paralegals aren't supposed to have opinions....
according to Sanders.

		JACKIE
At least you get to open your mouth which is more
than us "executive assistants".

		MICHAEL
Is that what they call the legal secretaries these days?

		JACKIE
That's what it says on my paycheck.

PAUSE

		MICHAEL
I suppose this is a lull.

JACKIE moves to the couch and sits

		JACKIE
There's so much to talk about at work but now I don't
know what to say.

		MICHAEL
Yeah.  Work.  I don't know...

PAUSE as MICHAEL moves to the couch

		MICHAEL
Where'd you grow up?

		JACKIE
Long Island.

		MICHAEL
Really?

the microwave beeps just as MICHAEL is sitting down near her

		JACKIE
Excuse me.

She jumps up and moves to the kitchen area

		JACKIE
I hope this comes out OK...

		MICHAEL
Right, the scallops.

		JACKIE
I made this on the weekend and froze it.  I make my
dinners on the weekend and microwave them during
the week.  It's strange sometimes when I'm cooking on
a Saturday or Sunday - like I'm making four or five
dinners at once and...

She takes out the casserole and lifts the foil and smells

		JACKIE
It's ready.  You still hungry?

		MICHAEL
Sure.

		JACKIE
Or should we wait?

		MICHAEL
No, let's eat.

He gets up as she carries it to the dining table

		MICHAEL
Do you want your glass?

		JACKIE
Please.

He carries their glasses over to the table

		JACKIE
It's just strange to be making all this stuff - it's like
when I'm done the week is over - I don't know how to
explain it.  It's just kinda weird.

		MICHAEL
Huh.

		JACKIE
Here. (she serves as he sits down)

		MICHAEL
So you have brothers and sisters?

		JACKIE
What makes you ask that?

		MICHAEL
Oh, I was thinking about where you grew up.

		JACKIE
Long Island.... (laughs) Yeah, I have seven brothers
and sisters.

		MICHAEL
Wow... seven?

		JACKIE
Yeah.  Five brothers and two sisters.

		MICHAEL
Big family.

		JACKIE
Yeah, it was cool.  Never a dull moment and all that
shit.

		MICHAEL
(laughs) This is really good.

		JACKIE
Thanks.  Sometimes the freezing and then reheating
makes things better.  Scallops are like that.  That's why
I picked this one.

		MICHAEL
A cryonic dinner...

He laughs

		JACKIE
That was a joke wasn't it? - it's taken a while but I'm
starting to get you.

PAUSE

		JACKIE
They say all kinds of things about you.

		MICHAEL
Who?

		JACKIE
The partners.

		MICHAEL
Really?  Like what?

		JACKIE
They say you always have this weird smirk on your
face - like you're laughing at them.

		MICHAEL
Really?

		JACKIE
They call you Mr. Strange.

		MICHAEL
Fascinating...

		JACKIE
Just some of them... I tell them you're just  insecure.

		MICHAEL
What do you mean?

		JACKIE
Yeah.  I thought it was best to say something.  People
see us talking all the time.

		MICHAEL
So you were trying to help me?

		JACKIE
I don't know.  It just seemed like someone should say
something.  It's kind of cute how you're insecure.

		MICHAEL
I don't see myself as insecure... and I don't think I need
you going around apologizing to those jerks for
something that I haven't even done.

		JACKIE
But you do smile and laugh alot when people say
things... you know at the wrong moment - or maybe
not the wrong moment but it's when no one else is
laughing.

		MICHAEL
I've been blessed a sense of humor.  I find life amusing
- especially life, if you can call it that, at Sanders,
Drescher, and Jacobsen.

****************************

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