Eyes Wide Shut
written by Stanley Kubrick & Frederic Raphael, from the novel by Arthur
Schnitzler
Alice: Well, last summer at Cape Cod--I don't suppose you remember one night in the dining room, there was a young naval officer sitting near us. He was with two other officers.
Bill: As a matter of fact, I don't. But what about him?
Alice: The waiter brought him a message during dinner, at which point he left the table? Well ... I first saw him that morning in the lobby. He was checking in and he was following the bellboy with his luggage to the elevator. He glanced at me as he walked past but didn't stop until he had gone a few more steps. Then he turned and looked at me. He didn't say anything. He didn't smile. In fact, it seemed to me that he scowled. Maybe I did the same thing. I was very stirred by him. That whole day I lay in the beach, lost in dreams.
Bill: Go on.
Alice: That afternoon you and I made love and talked about our future, and our child. Later we were sitting on the balcony and he passed below us without looking up. Just the sight of him stirred me deeply and I thought if he wanted me, I could not have resisted. I thought I was ready to give up you, the child, my whole future. And yet at the same time - if you can understand it--you were dearer to me than ever, and I stroked your forehead and kissed your hair, and at that moment my love for you was both tender and sad. At dinner I wore a white rose and you said I was very beautiful. It might not have been just an accident that he and his friends sat near us. He didn't look up but I actually considered getting up, walking over to him like someone in a movie, saying, "Here I am, my love, for whom I have waited--take me."
Well, it was about then that the waiter brought him the envelope. He read it, turned pale, said goodbye to his friends - and glancing at me mysteriously, he left the room.
I barely slept that night and woke up the next morning very agitated. I didn't know whether I was afraid he had left or that he might still be there......but by dinner I realized he was gone and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Bill: And if he hadn't left?
Alice: I don't know.
Kudos and much thanks go to MadHippo for the donation of this monologue, it is very much appreciated.