Joe Monologue from Babies by Jonathan Harvey

I love him, but … he … he fucking kills me. (Beat.)D’you know how it feels? To stand in a street in
broad daylight trying to sort your problems out? To stand outside a pub on a Sunday afternoon and
… you're talking to him and you know he's off his face, and this big bastard comes up – straight as a
die, but he knows he can make his money outa the queens – and he comes up and he says ‘Here
Woody’ and he hands him a little slip o’paper, the tiniest slip o’paper with a little blue dot on it, and I
feel that much of a lowy I pay for it and the big bastard goes away. And then your fella stands there
and rips it in two, sticks one bit in his pocket, and the other in his mouth … and keeps on talking …
About us, and the way we are, and the way … I make him feel. ‘You're hogging me Joe, I need me
mates.’ And I just wanna say, ‘Can't you wait five minutes? Can't you just wait 'til I've gone and
you're back with your mates? Can't you take your acid then?’ (Shakes his head.)I used to like me, and
the way I feel about me. But when you're with someone else it's like … it's … well it's like you've got a
mirror on your shoulder, and what you see in them … is how you see yourself. Like it's reflected. And
if they're being a twat to you … then … you think you're a twat yourself, you don't question it. You
can't. (Beat.)Am I talking shite?