Act 2, Scenes 3–4
Scene 3
Jason is sitting on Becca and Howie’s couch. Becca offers Jason some lemon squares, and he takes one. She fusses over him having a drink with his dessert, but Jason says he doesn’t want a drink.
Jason asks Becca if they are moving, and Becca says yes, “if [they] can find a buyer.” Jason asks where they plan on moving to, and Becca responds that they won’t be moving far. Howie works in the city and wants to keep his job.
Becca apologizes for Howie’s absence, saying he’s at work, but Howie also isn’t ready to talk to Jason. She tells Jason that Howie isn’t angry at him and that the incident was an accident, but the mood shifts when Taz barks, which startles Becca. She says the bark “goes right through [her].” Jason mentions a procedure where they can cut a dog’s vocal cords, but Becca says Howie wouldn’t allow it. Becca jokingly offers Taz to Jason.
Jason sees the book Bleak House by Charles Dickens on the coffee table and says he read it in school. It’s the book Becca is reading for her class. They both agree that it’s too long. Jason scans the room and asks why there are no pictures on the walls. Becca says they removed the photos for the open house but offers to find some photos of Danny if Jason wants to see him. Jason cuts her off with a strong “no.”
Jason starts talking about “that” day. He can’t shake the fact he may have been going a few miles over the speed limit. He says he swerved when he saw the dog, not knowing Danny was there. Becca goes to get Jason some milk and says he doesn’t have to drink it.
Becca asks Jason about his senior year. Jason says he’s planning on going to Connecticut College for writing and that his mother is sad that he’s leaving because he is the only one at home. Becca then asks about prom. When Jason tells her how the night went, Becca starts crying and can’t stop herself. She apologizes to Jason, knowing she was the reason he told the story. Jason also apologizes and asks if he should leave. Becca says no and thanks him for sending his science fiction story. Becca asks some probing questions about Jason’s father based on the father in the story, but he says she’s reading into it. He doesn’t mention anything about his father except the fact that he isn’t at home with his mother.
Becca asks more questions about the story, which leads them into a conversation about parallel universes. Becca asks if Jason believes in them, and Jason says he does, because the concept of parallel universes is based in science. He explains that if space is infinite, it means there is an endless stream of possibilities, so all events, even the unlikely ones, must take place somewhere. Jason says it’s not just plausible; it’s probable. Becca finds solace in his words, because if the theory is true, it means she is having fun somewhere in the universe. It means other versions of her and her life exist.
Just before the lights fade, Jason asks Becca to tell Howie that he could have been speeding. Becca says she will, and Jason grabs the glass of milk.
Scene 4
Nat and Izzy are at Becca’s house, bringing boxes of Danny’s books and toys into the kitchen. Izzy sees the yappy dog toy she gave Danny. Nat says Becca wants her to have it.
Becca enters with a printed recipe for Izzy....
(This entire section contains 1029 words.)
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Izzy says the recipe looks difficult, and Becca tells her to call if she gets stuck. They all laugh at the thought of Izzy cooking.
To Becca’s surprise, Howie enters. He’s supposed to be at the support group. Izzy tells Nat they need to leave immediately because Nat has bingo, and Izzy has Lamaze class. Izzy thanks Becca for the toys and pushes Nat out of the house. Nat is confused as to why they are leaving so abruptly, and Izzy says she will tell her in the car.
Howie brings Becca some leftover zucchini bread from work. He offers it to her and asks how it went with Jason. Becca says it was “fine,” but Howie wants to know what Jason wanted. Becca says he just wanted to talk, but Howie thinks Jason wants to be “absolved.” Howie asks if Becca relayed the message about not blaming Jason, and she says she did.
Becca asks Howie about the support group, and Howie says he doesn’t want to attend anymore. He wants to work on his feelings on his own time. Changing topics, Becca mentions that Rick and Debbie invited them over for a cookout on Sunday. Howie is surprised and asks if Becca talked to Rick. Becca says no; she called Debbie. Debbie cried and apologized for not handling the situation well. She said she didn’t know what to do, and by the time she had got up the nerve to call, she felt it was too late.
Howie asks Becca how she feels about the phone call, and she says it’s fine for now. Howie asks if the kids will be there on Sunday, and Becca says yes. She says they missed Emily’s birthday and that they should buy her a present. They both agree it will be a difficult day.
Becca asks about the house and if they should still sell it. Howie says they can see if anyone wants to buy, but they can always change their minds. Becca then asks, “what are we gonna do?” Howie doesn’t know what she means and begins mapping out their week. He mentions buying and wrapping Candyland for Emily and suggests a plan to get through the cookout; the rest they can figure out later. The lights fade as the two stare off into the distance. The last thing the audience sees is Becca reaching for Howie’s hand.
