Setting: man, named Liam, fighting with his wife, named Cassandra, in their living room.

Liam:
How could you?!

Cassandra:
I’m sorry! If I had known before, I wouldn’t have married you!

Liam:
How could we have had a CHILD together, and now you are telling me that you don’t want to be together?!

Cassandra:
It isn’t that I love you any less, or that I love him any less, but this is my path, and I see that now. I’m sorry, but I have to go with her.

Liam:
How can you be gay!? You married me, and last time I checked, I am not a woman!

Cassandra:
(in tears)
I don’t want this to be any more painful than it needs to be. Please try to understand that I wouldn't be talking about this or even thinking this if I didn’t mean it. I still love you. I will always love you. I just have to go with her because, I love her, too.

Liam:
(slams his fist on the coffee table)
I do not care that you think that this is your path. Last time that I checked, you were married to me, and so, you will do what I say.

(A long pause ensues, then, he continues)

Liam:
Now, shut up and go make dinner. I can’t even look at you right now.

Cassandra:
But -

Liam:
But what?!

(Cassandra takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and then, after a moment’s pause, looks her husband in the eyes and continues)

Cassandra:
Danielle is supposed to come over for dinner.

Liam:
You invited her into my house?!

Cassandra:
Last time I checked, I still live here. I pay the bills when your drunk ass gets fired every three months. If anyone’s leaving, it’s you. 

Liam:
The house is under our names. My last name. Not yours.

Cassandra:
I don’t care. When Gabriel comes home, I’m going to sit him down and explain what will happen, and -

Liam:
What exactly will be happening, might I ask, since this is my family, my marriage, and my life!?

Cassandra:
I am going to be filing for a divorce as soon as possible.

Liam:
No, you are most certainly not.

Cassandra:
Yes, I am. And you of all people cannot tell me what to do. It is because of my willpower and determination that we even still have this family in the first place.

(Silence fills the room, not a sound was heard, until Cassandra continued)

Cassandra:
Danielle will be here in a half an hour, and I hardly doubt that I will be done with the chicken by the time that she gets here.

Liam:
You just told me that you are a lesbian and are filing for a divorce, and all that you are worried about is your goddamn chicken!?

Cassandra:
Of course I am worried about what the future will have in store. But, we just have to take it one step at a time. We can work through this, we can still be a family -

Liam:
A broken family is no family at all.

Cassandra:
Well, I will still have a family. You, on the other hand, will probably end up in that street gang that you were in as a teen and drink yourself to death. And I would rather not be there to watch it happen, never mind Gabriel.

Liam:
You’re taking him, too? Can’t you leave me with one good thing?

Cassandra:
Of course I am taking my son. I held him in my body for 9 months while you spent not even 9 minutes conceiving him.

Liam:
That doesn’t matter! A boy needs his father to raise him, to make him a man!

Cassandra:
You’re right; he does need a man in his life. That’s why you won’t be a part of it.

Liam:
How dare you!

Cassandra:
No. No, Liam. How dare you. How dare you treat me this way? How dare you think, even for a second, that you have any say in what I do with my life? How dare you think that you have any say over what happens to our five year old son? How dare you whaltz in here and demand that I do whatever you say, when you say it? I am not some puppet doll that you get to toy with whenever you please! You are not the puppeteer of my life!

(Liam is silent for the first time in what seems like forever. Cassandra turns around and heads out of the living room, only to be stopped by him. He grabs her arm tightly and forces her to turn around to face him.)

Liam:
Cassandra, I just - how am I supposed to take this? How would you take this?

(Liam lets go of her arm. Cassandra pauses and contemplates what he said)

Cassandra:
I hadn’t thought about your perspective. I’m sorry that I flipped out. I should have handled this better.

Liam:
I guess that it’s alright. I just love you so much, and the thought of losing you breaks a piece of my heart that will never be able to be repaired.

(Liam kneels down on one knee, the same way that he did when he proposed)

Liam:
Please, please don’t leave me. I’ll try to do better. I will. I promise you.  I promise on Gabriel’s life that I will do better. Just don’t leave me. You are the first and only woman that I have ever and will ever love. Don’t leave me alone; I am begging you!

(Liam delicately grabs her hand and places a warm and gentle kiss on the top of her hand.)

(Cassandra speaks with regret in her tone, as if she is regrets her life decisions.)

Cassandra:
I wish that I could stay. I do. I wish that I could forget all of my feelings for her and stay here with you and Gabriel, because I really do love it here with the two of you. But, I have been trying for so long to make this the perfect family, because we are capable of that. But, you aren't helping in making this any easier.

Liam:
I know that we aren’t perfect, but what family is?

(Liam rests his hand on Cassandra’s stomach.)

Liam:
This is where you held the perfect combination of me and you, our son. We have to stay together, for him. We have to stay together for each other.

Cassandra:
You’re right.

(Cassandra pauses,shaking her head with tears in her eyes)

Cassandra:
No, no, y-you can’t just start acting all nice and sweet and innocent and try to manipulate me into doing exactly what you wanted all along! I’m not that fifteen year old girl anymore! I’m twenty-five! I’ve grown up, why haven’t you?!

Liam:
Damnit, Cassandra! Why can’t you just follow the script! Here, maybe you can’t read it. Your next line was supposed to be:

(Liam continues with a bad impersonation of Cassandra’s voice.)

Liam:
Oh, Liam! You and I are meant to be! What was I ever thinking!? How could I ever possibly think of leaving you or think that I was gay if I love my husbands d-

(Cassandra snaps back with her arms crossed.)

Cassandra:
That’s enough.

Liam:
(smirks)
What? Was I not spot on?

Cassandra:
Listen up. I have fifteen minutes until Danielle gets here. By the time she gets here, you will either have cleaned up your act and accepted the facts, or you will be out of this house. Go to a bar or something for the night; it seems like you need a drink. 

(Cassandra storms off stage. Liam grunts with disgust.)

Liam:
When’s Gabriel coming home?!

(Cassandra yells from off stage.)

Cassandra:
Whenever he does!

Liam:
Where is he, anyways?!

(Cassandra walks back on stage with her dinner outfit on while putting on her earrings.)

Cassandra:
With your parents. You would know this if you listened to me during dinner last night where I specifically said this. But, why would you listen? You don't care. All that you do care about is when you can get your next beer, because that's the only thing that seems to fill the hole in your heart. That’s probably why you’re drunk every goddamn night.

Liam:
That's not true. You know that that's not true.

Cassandra:
Then what does fill that dark abyss that lives inside you?

Liam:
You, Gabriel, -

Cassandra:
No. If I were one of those things, then you would care about my happiness.

(Liam surges forward and grabs Cassandra’s forearms.)

Liam:
I do care! I want to be with you! We’re married; we’re supposed to be each other's happiness.

Cassandra:
Exactly. That's why I want to leave.

Liam:
I don't follow.

Cassandra:
Why would you? You're too stupid to understand.

(Liam speaks through his gritted teeth.)

Liam:
Come on.

Cassandra:
Because we are married, we are supposed to make each other happy. But, how can you make me happy when you are the root of my torment? I can’t believe that I ever even said yes to you when you proposed! That’s probably why you chose to propose while I was blackout drunk!

Liam:
Would you have said yes otherwise?!

Cassandra:
Probably not; I just felt guilty that I had said yes already that I couldn’t stop it.

Liam:
Wait a minute - you didn’t even want to marry me?!

Cassandra:
I-I’m sorry!

Liam:
The last five years of my life have been a lie and all that you can say is “I’m sorry?!” We had a kid together! How could you not want to be married to me!? You wouldn’t have taken it this far. Is this why you work so much, because you feel guilty?! You aren’t this much of a coward, a wimp...you can’t be! I demand an explanation!

Cassandra:
I-I-I don’t -

(The doorbell rings. Cassandra and Liam’s heads snap to face the door. Cassandra opens the door and greets Danielle, escorting her inside and gesturing to take her coat. Danielle shakes her head no, and looks at Liam.)

Danielle:
Did you just tell him?

(Cassandra nods sheepishly.)

Danielle:
Can we talk in private?

(Cassandra motions for Liam to get out, and once he is out of sight, begins to speak.)

Cassandra:
What's up?

Danielle:
I just - I don't know if I can do this.

Cassandra:
What do you mean?

Danielle:
I can't be with you. I'm happy that I helped you discover your sexuality, and I hope that you find someone for you. But…

Cassandra:
(tears streaming down her face)
Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare say it. I just gave up everything for us. You helped me discover myself; you made me realize that I deserve better. I need you; I can’t do this on my own! 

(Danielle pauses, unsure about how to tell her secret.)

Danielle:
I have to say this, just as much for me as for you.

(Danielle pauses, but continues.)

I'm straight. I'm sorry; I was just - I was just curious. I wanted to do this in person rather than over the phone. I can't see you anymore. So, just forget about me. I'm sorry.

(Danielle walks out of the freshly closed door and leaves it ajar. Cassandra follows her to the doorway and peers her head outside. She whispers one word, unable to raise her voice for fear of it cracking with sadness as tears streamed down her face.)

Cassandra:
Danielle.

(The lights fade, and the scene ends.)