CONNECTING FLIGHT

by

E.J. Schwartz

Draft 1.0

Ten Minute Play

February 26, 2021

THD 295: Playwriting

Setting:
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 1

A city. Sidewalks are far up and downstage, and a street runs

through center stage at a horizontal. Buildings line the far
wall. On the near sidewalk, a restaurant’s outdoor seating is
stage center-left, underneath a closed umbrella. The table and
four chairs are wet.

Time:

A late, very rainy Autumn night.

Characters:

JILL, female. A 16-ish year old runaway. Not necessarily from a

wealthy family, but certainly a comfortable one. Drenched by
rain.

RAPHAEL, male. A white collar worker. Estranged from his

daughter.

CATCALLING DRIVER, male.

DRIVERS, respective genders and ages irrelevant.

/ indicates overlapping speech.

Slightly dimmed (but still allowing perfect

visibility) lights up. Sounds of heavy rain
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 2

in a sleeping yet alive city. JILL is

walking on the upstage sidewalk with her
head down. She wears clean Nike Air Force
1’s, dark pants and a black leather jacket
over a sweatshirt with her hood up. She is
carrying a very small blanketed bundle close
to her chest. She has a duffel bag slung
over her shoulder. Occasionally, a
spotlighted DRIVER jogs through the center
street while an engine sound plays,
mimicking a car. One car slows down to a
walk near her; inside, the CATCALLING
DRIVER.

CATCALLING DRIVER

Hey beautiful, looking for a bed for the night?

JILL flips him off and keeps walking.

You’re ugly anyways.

The CATCALLING DRIVER drives off. At some

point, JILL notices the restaurant seating.
Between a few cars and after looking both
ways, she hurriedly crosses the street,
always shielding the bundle. When she
arrives at the tables, she takes off her
jacket, places it on a chair and carefully
lowers the bundle onto the dry area. She
then opens the umbrella and moves the bundle
underneath after reclaiming her jacket, and
places the bundle as close to the center of
the table as possible so as to utilize the
already dry area. She wipes down a chair
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 3

underneath the umbrella’s radius, and

ultimately decides to sit on the wet coat
strewn over the chair. She pulls in the
chair, pets the bundle a few times, and has
a breakdown. She’s crying with her head down
on the table, not remotely trying to hide or
suppress her emotion. A few DRIVERS go by.
After some time, RAPHAEL, lit like a driver,
starts his run across the stage, driving on
the upstage side of the street. He spots
JILL, and after some internal struggling,
decides to turn around. As opposed to
jogging, he walks as he pulls his car up
next to where she’s crying.

RAPHAEL

Need somewhere to stay?

JILL is startled by him. She composes

herself and flips him off before laying her
head back down.

I’m not trying to sleep with you.

JILL

I don’t know that. Leave me alone, freak.

RAPHAEL

When’s the last time you ate?

 CONNECTING FLIGHT 4

JILL

That’s not your business.

RAPHAEL

It is if I’m offering you food.

JILL perks up at this, warily. Brief eye

contact.

So, when’s the last / time you ate?

JILL

How do I know you’re not gonna roofie me?

RAPHAEL

Look, I forgot to bring my lunch in to work from my car this

morning. I have some chips here. Some bottled water too. Both
sealed. Either you’re gonna eat it or I’m having it tomorrow. You
want it or not?

After hesitating, JILL nods. RAPHAEL takes a

sealed plastic bottle of water out of his
pocket.

Can you catch?

 CONNECTING FLIGHT 5

JILL

Yeah.

RAPHAEL

Okay. One… Two… Three.

On “three,” he throws the water. JILL

catches it and drinks.

Uh, These chips are too light to throw, they’d get weighed down
by the rain. Do you want to come here, or am I coming to you?

JORDAN

I’m not getting near your car.

JORDAN kicks a restaurant chair across from

her out from under the table.

Don’t go further than that chair or I’ll scream.

RAPHAEL walks to the curb and turns an

imaginary key, which causes his car-
spotlight to turn off. He shields himself
from the rain as he makes his way to the
chair. He silently asks her if he can sit in
the chair, and she silently agrees. As he
sits, lights to standard brightness. He
takes two bags of chips out of his pocket,
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 6

and puts them on the table. He keeps his

hand on the bags.

Give me the chips.

RAPHAEL

Indulge a guy with some conversation. Then they’re yours.

JILL

If you ask me anything sexual, I / swear to God

RAPHAEL

I already told you. I’m not trying to sleep with you.

JILL

You get one question.

RAPHAEL

Five.

JILL

Three.

RAPHAEL
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 7

Deal. But asking names doesn’t count.

JILL

I get one bag now.

RAPHAEL slides one of the bags across the

table to her. She opens it and starts eating
hungrily, but never lets her guard down.

I’m Jill.

RAPHAEL

It’s nice to meet you Jill. I’m Raphael.

He extends his hand for a handshake. JILL

looks at him until he draws his hand back.

Gotcha.

JILL

Just ask your questions.

RAPHAEL

Okay. Sure. Why did you run away from home this week?
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 8

JILL

Excuse me!? How the fuck do you / know that?

RAPHAEL

Your hair is shiny clean, probably both shampoo and conditioner.

Your shoes are clean too. Those are nice sneakers. If you’d been
homeless a long time, there’d be some wear on them, probably a
few holes at least. Also, you got your jacket wet. If you’d been
on the streets long, you’d know that coat’s your most valuable
possession.

JILL

Okay, Sherlock, why do you say my coat’s my “most valuable

possession” if you don’t even know what’s in my bag?

RAPHAEL

That coat’s your sleeping bag, shelter, thermos and home all in
one. This is info you should have, living on your own like this.

JILL

What makes you think I’m on my own?

RAPHAEL

Because if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be talking to me for an

extra bag of barbecue Lays.

JILL
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 9

Shut up.

RAPHAEL

Am I wrong?

JILL

Is that one of your questions?

RAPHAEL

No. Especially because you still haven’t answered my first one.

JILL

Fine. I left because I need to get to O’Hare. My flight is

leaving in two days. I guess tomorrow, by now. Nobody’d drive me
there and I need to be on a flight at four p.m. tomorrow.

RAPHAEL

Oh.

JILL

What?

RAPHAEL

You expected somebody to drive you.

 CONNECTING FLIGHT 10

JILL

No, I didn’t. I just need to make that flight. I want to try to

get some rest before the walk tomorrow, so if you don’t mind
finishing your interrogation. Why the hell are you even talking
to / me anyways?

RAPHAEL

Just indulge me. You’ll get your food then I’ll leave you alone.
Promise.

JILL

Whatever. Hit me with the next question.

RAPHAEL

Sure. Where are you flying to and why?

After a look from JILL

What? It’s not like we’re ever gonna see each other again.

JILL

Fair enough, I guess. But you’d better not follow me. And you’d
better answer honestly.

RAPHAEL

Fair enough. To both, obviously.

 CONNECTING FLIGHT 11

JILL

I’m flying to L.A. to see my brother. Colby.

RAPHAEL

So, he’s expecting you.

JILL

No. He isn’t.

RAPHAEL

So you’re walking to his house from the airport.

JILL

No. I’m going to see him at the hospital. I’ll take my chips now.

RAPHAEL

UCLA’s hospital.

JILL

You already asked more than three questions. Hand me the food.

RAPHAEL
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 12

I still have one question left. Those were just statements.

JILL

You’re an asshole.

RAPHAEL

Just one more question. That’s it. This one will be a real
question. I / promise.

JILL

Ask.

RAPHAEL

Do me a favor and answer this next one as fully as you can, okay?
It’s for me. For my peace of / mind. Okay?

JILL

Sure. Whatever. Ask already.

JILL reaches back for the water and takes a

swig.

RAPHAEL

How do I reconnect with my daughter?

 CONNECTING FLIGHT 13

JILL chokes on her water.

JILL

Ex-fucking-scuse me??

RAPHAEL

My daughter ran away a little less than a year ago. I just heard
that she’s in a state jail now, but I’m scared to go visit her
because I don’t know what the hell to say. I was driving back
from work when I saw you. She had that same exact jacket. When I
pulled over, I thought / that maybe you were her.

JILL

That I’m your kid? Nuh-uh buddy. I was starting to think you
might be okay, but / that’s fucking weird.

RAPHAEL

Please. You remind me of her. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna see
my Angie the same way again, but I figure I could try to ask, I
don’t know, something from you. You’re the closest thing to her
I’ve seen in fifteen months.

JILL

…Why did she run away?

RAPHAEL
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 14

It happened after her mom got hit by a car and I had to work
overtime to cover the medical stuff. She was left alone at home
for hours on end. Sometimes days, when I’d need to sleep over at
the office. Bill more hours. Try to put decent food on the table.
(a ghost of a smile) Her mom was always the cook.

JILL

Colby got hit by traffic, too. And my parents don’t want me to

see him. They went through his phone, caught him sexting a dude
and disowned him. He’s lived in California since. (pause) Look,
you have to be there for your kid. You might’ve left her alone,
but you don’t need to keep leaving her alone. Just be real with
her, I guess. Tell her you miss her. Post bail if you can. I
don’t know how that stuff works but make her life easier.

RAPHAEL

And then she’ll… forgive me?

JILL

Well… not necessarily. That’s her choice. But at least give her
that option, okay?

RAPHAEL

Okay. okay. I’ll leave you alone now. Thank you. Jill.

He wipes his eyes on his sleeve. He’s not

crying, but he might be soon. He and JILL
make eye contact before RAPHAEL ultimately
breaks it. He slides her the chips and
starts to get up. As he leaves the table,
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 15

lights dim to first position and RAPHAEL’s

car-spotlight reappears where he parked it.
He steps inside before turning to ask:

Can I ask one more question?

JILL

Sure.

RAPHAEL

What’s in the blankets?

JILL reveals a plush dolphin from the

bundle.

JILL

It’s Colby’s.

RAPHAEL

Hmm.

Long pause. RAPHAEL doesn’t want to end the

conversation just yet. Neither does JILL.

JILL
 CONNECTING FLIGHT 16

Hey.

RAPHAEL

Hmm?

JILL

Could I get a ride?

Lights out.