The Sunset

It starts at seven forty five pm, on a Wednesday,  where Sharron Parrish is upstairs staring through the hallway window, lost in deep thought, focusing directly at the sunset; as her husband David comes upstairs, disturbed to see her the way she is. 

David: Sharron, Sharron honey; I’m going to work now. Sharron, did you hear me? 

Sharon then becomes aware of her husband’s presence, and she does respond, but doesn’t give him any eye contact.

Sharron: What? 

David: I said I’m going to work now. 

Sharron: Oh sorry; I was just looking at the sunset. 

Knowing his wife is upset; David lovingly puts his hand on her shoulder. 

David: I know you were. 

Sharron: I made you some lunch for tonight. 

David: Thanks babe. Are you okay? 

Sharron: I’m fine; I just like looking at the sunset. It’s really… peaceful.

David then takes his hand off her shoulder, clearing his throat, finding his nerve to say something to Sharron. 

David: Look Sharron; I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think it’s best if we just try to forget about the past and try to move on with our lives. 

Surprised Sharron suddenly looks away from the sunset and focuses on David, realizing what he had just said. 

Sharron: What; what did you say?

David: Nothing; forget what I said. I should have never brought it up. It was a stupid thing for me to say. 

Sharron becomes enraged by David’s response, while David tries to deny everything. 

Sharron: No, I wanna hear it. What did you mean by that? 

David {looking down avoiding eye contact}: Never mind Sharron; please just forget about it.

Sharron angrily grabs the nearby flower vase, sitting on the hallway table next to them both and viciously throws it at the wall. 

David: The fuck! Why did you do that? 

Sharron {mocking David}: Never mind, David; please just forget about it. 

Seeing Sharron angry; David rolls his eyes and starts to walk away from Sharron hoping to avoid her. 

David: Look, Sharron I don’t have time for this shit, ok? I’m going to work now. 

Sharron: Oh so that’s it; you think I should just forget about everything don’t you? 

Irritated, David stops and turns around to look at Sharron. 

David: Please Sharron; I’m doing this, ok? I don’t want to start fighting about this again. Do you want me to call Doctor Leiman? 

Sharron: Oh so that’s your fucking answer to everything, isn’t it? He’s your fucking scapegoat isn’t he, you fat fuck. 

David: That’s it, we’re done. See you tomorrow. 

Sharron: You’re an asshole! 

David: And you’re a stubborn bitch! 

Sharron: How could you just forget about him? What kind of father are you? 

David: I don’t want to talk about this. 

Sharron: Is that what you did, David? You just erased him from your memory?

Through impulse, David punches the wall leaving a slight indentation.

David: Sharron shut up, I can’t keep calling out of work. I don’t want to talk about it, ok? Just stop it.

Sharron: Oh what a surprise; of course you don’t want to talk. You never want to talk about it. 

David {shouting}: Well what do you want me to say Sharron?! What is it you want me to say? 

Sharron: I want you to tell me how you feel. I want to know who you are. 

David: There’s nothing to talk about, ok? It happens every day around the world to people like us, there was nothing we could have done about it. 

Sharron becomes teary to David’s response. 

Sharron: Don’t say that! You don’t mean that! There must have been something we could have done. 

David puts his hands above Sharron's shoulders. 

David: Sharron listen to me, you’re sick; you need to try calming down. 

Sharron breaks away from David and starts weeping.

Sharron: Fuck you David; don’t you ever try telling me to calm down. 

David: Sharron, I know it’s hard to live with, but we need to move on with our lives. 

Sharron {pointing in the opposite direction}: Get out!

David: Sharron i’m just-

Sharron {shouting}: I said get out, get away from me! 

David: Sharron can you just listen to me! 

While still crying, Sharon overwhelmingly puts her hands over her ears trying not to pay attention to what David says. 

Sharron: No, I don't want to hear it. 

As David tries to grab onto Sharron’s forearms, Sharron moves frantically to release his grip, constantly hitting David while holding back his anger.

David: Sharron stop it. 

Sharron punches David in the face giving him a nosebleed which infuriates David. 

David {loudly shouting}: FUCK YOU! 

Sharron {loudly responding}: FUCK YOU! 

David tightly grabs both her arms.

David: Listen to me; you need to stop, the doctors said there was nothing we could have done to save him. 

Sharron {anxiously screaming}: No, shut up! Shut up! I hate you, I hate you! 

As Sharron breaks away from David's grip; she starts running down the stairs, while she’s in tears, as David chases after her. 

David: Sharron, Sharron. Where are you going? 

Sharron makes her way to the front door holding the doorknob.

Sharron: I can’t live with myself anymore. Not after what happened. I just can’t. I’m going to jump into traffic. 

David: What?! No, wait you can’t. 

As Sharron opens the door; David aggressively pulls Sharron inside, where most of their neighbors blankly stand outside listening from a distance. David shuts the door, and forcibly pins her to the wall, while she tries to break free. 

David: No stop; stop it. 

Sharron: Get off me, get off me. 

David {panicking}: Will you listen to me? It’s not worth killing yourself over this. You don’t want to do this. 

Sharron manically bangs the back of her head to the wall several times. 

Sharron: You don’t know what I want David. You just go to work every night forgetting about it all and never say what's on your mind while I suffer everyday knowing that I put him to bed that night.

David {becoming teary}: You think it wasn’t hard for me Sharron? Is that it? You think I just erased him from my life? I always see him when I look at your eyes. 

Sharron: No, no more talk. Please just let me go. Open the door now. 

David: Please Sharron I-

Sharron: No, let go of me now! 

David {shouting sternly}: No! Not until you tell me what you want. What do you want from me Sharron?! What do you want?! 

Sharron {shouting}: I want my son, David! I want my son back. 

In grief, David lets go of Sharron; as she falls to the floor she dreadfully sobs in tears. Seeing Sharron weep, he slowly cringes to the floor and sits beside her; as he embraces her by cradling Sharron in his arms, showing his love and affection to his wife. 

David: I know Sharron. I do too. 

David starts to cry while kissing Sharron in her forehead. 

Sharron {at her most vulnerable}: David, I need help.

David: No, no: its "us." We need help. I swear I'll try harder. We’ll get through this. I promise we’ll get through this, together. 

As they both sit and embrace each other emotionally; the sun finally sets, into dusk, making the whole room go dark, as they unknowingly think about what’s next to come.