Showy Lady Slipper

The phone rings.

LORI, ERIN, and JENNIFER enter.

LORI Hello?

Pause.

LORI John is driving over. He wants to see what we bought.

Pause.

ERIN I love to drive long distances. It's the best. If I have my music with me and my cigarettes. I could drive forever. I could drive around the world. I don't care. I would do it. Could you imagine driving around the world? How funny would that be? You'd be driving underwater sometimes. But I know how some people don't like to drive. I know how some people get like carsick. What is it to some people?--I guess you need to be used to it and some people aren't used to it. But this is something I've always done. My dad took me on long car rides all the time when I was little and we were always going places. Some people are like I can't believe you drove five or six hours all by yourself. I drove 14 hours by myself! I can be driving and driving and not even realize how long I've gone and it can feel like you can get so tired but then you will get there and you will be like I can't believe we're there. I can't believe what time it is. I can't believe we're here already. . . I love it. Roll the window down. Scream my lungs out . . . And no one can hear me. It's crazy. But I love it.

LORI I know what you're saying. John has a new car. 755? He's serious about it. He really likes it. He says it gives him freedom. But you can't drive it. He won't let you borrow it. He talks about all the rules. And any time the commercial comes on for his car he gets all red. Points at it. I mean he'll give you a ride, but--you know what I'm saying?

ERIN There have been so many places that I've been. For vacations. I love to go places for vacations. To travel. You feel so like, free. Freedom. Summer vacations. All over. To be perfectly honest with you, I think my favorite has been the trips to the Islands. You can feel so free.

LORI Oh I like freedom, too. There have been so many places I've been to too. So many places. I was on Horn Islands in the Gulf of Mexico on an island in the middle of the ocean. It was so beautiful. They had horses there. Beautiful wild horses there it was so beautiful. There are trees and water. Crystal clear water there. And the sun is warm. I really could have stayed there for a lot longer than I did. I felt like I wasn't spending enough time down there and I wanted to stay longer. But I had to come home. Life wasn't the same after that trip. It was so beautiful. Beautiful island.

ERIN . . . But there are so many places I want to go. So many places.

JENNIFER Lori, not riding?

LORI What?

JENNIFER You don't like to ride?

LORI I like riding. What? In the car? I was talking about driving.

JENNIFER No, for horses. I like horses, too. You said horses. Everyone I know has a horse. I wish I had a horse.

LORI I'll tell you about horses. Let me tell you about horses. The more you know about horses, the less you know. You can't ever know enough about horses. Horses are something entirely different. First of all--Horses are something else--If you want to--Horses, well--

ERIN Horses are nice.

LORI Yeah, horses are nice. Horses--No but I had a horse when I was nine years old. Which my dad bought me. And he was crazy. Crazy. But I loved him. And we would ride all the time and for the most part he was fine...