Dinner For Two
Kierstyn Budz
Runner-up, Winnie Davis Neely Award in Drama, 2025
Character List:
JAMES, an older man with gray hair. He wears long pants cuffed at the bottom, suspenders, and a dress coat with matching fedora on his head.
WAITRESS, a young woman in a waitress uniform. Her hair is put up in a bun with a pen keeping it together. She has on an apron with a notebook, pen, menus, and extra straws in the apron slots.
DAISY, an older woman with gray hair. She wears a long flowery dress with a bright cardigan and a cane.
Setting:
An old diner filled with booths and tables. The tabletops are white, with red chairs and booths providing comfortable seating. The walls have street signs, photos of ‘60s singers, newspaper clippings, and metal decorations of vintage cars. A jukebox sits in the corner playing quiet love songs and the smell of diner food cooking fills the air. A table sits in the center of the stage and has a small vase on it.
JAMES
(Walks on stage humming slightly to the love song playing in the corner. He holds a small daisy in his hand. He waves to the audience as if they’re someone else in the diner and makes his way to the table. He places the daisy in the vase on the table and smiles. He carefully takes off his jacket and puts it on the back of his chair. He takes off his hat and puts it on the table before sitting down.)
WAITRESS
(Walks in chewing gum. She smiles at the man and hands him a menu.)
You just let me know when you’re ready, Hun. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them for you.
JAMES
(Looks at the menu for a moment before putting it down and looking around.)
My wife and I actually came here when we were young. It hasn’t changed a bit. We came for the milkshakes.
(He smiles up at the waitress.)
You must be new.
WAITRESS
Oh yes, I just started today.
(She takes out her notebook and pen.)
Would you like one now?
JAMES
Actually, my wife is meeting me here. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, can we get a chocolate milkshake with two straws when she arrives? We used to share one every time we came here on a date.
WAITRESS
(Writes in her notebook.)
Anything else?
JAMES
I would love a burger, but I’ll wait until my lovely wife gets here. She loves them too.
WAITRESS
How sweet. Well, I’ll bring you some water, and you just holler if you need anything while you wait.
(Waitress exits.)
(A FEW HOURS PASS.)
WAITRESS
(Waitress enters with a glass of water and places it on the table. Her smile is mostly gone.)
I brought you another water . . .
JAMES
(His mood hasn’t wavered.)
Thank you!
WAITRESS
(She looks uneasy.)
Sir, I don’t mean to pry but…
(She hesitates, unsure if she should say something, but continues.)
Are you sure your wife is coming? The cook in the back says you’ve come here every day for months, and she hasn’t shown.
JAMES
My wife is usually late. She always was for our dates. She’s just getting ready, and I’ll always wait for her.
WAITRESS
Can I sit with you? We’re slow today, and I’d like to hear about her.
JAMES
(Smiles widely and gestures for her to sit.)
I would love that!
JAMES
So, my wife. Gosh, where do I even start?
(He pauses for a moment to think.)
Her name is Daisy, and we met in high school. I was in the math club, and she was a cheerleader.
(He smiles as if he can see her in his mind.)
She was so beautiful. Still is. But wow, was she a star. She was a flyer, and I’d go to every game just to watch her. I have no idea what she saw in me, but we started to date in our senior year.
JAMES
We used to come here at least once a week. We’d get a chocolate milkshake to share, and she would always order her burgers with extra ketchup and pickles. She loves pickles, and so do I, but I always give them to her. After 75 years of marriage, she still doesn’t know that I love them too.
WAITRESS
You didn’t tell her? Why not?
JAMES
Her smile. She has the most beautiful smile. You should see how she lights up when I give them to her.
WAITRESS
Will you ever tell her?
JAMES
If you saw this smile, you wouldn’t. The only smile I love more is the one from our wedding day. She wore this beautiful dress that she got from her mother. It sparkled like diamonds, and from then on I called her my diamond. Though, no gem could ever shine brighter than that woman. She is the absolute light of my life.
WAITRESS
She sounds like an amazing woman.
JAMES
She is. She gave me the happiest years of life and two beautiful children: Arthur and Abigail. They’re named after my father and her mother. Daisy has always been a fantastic mother. We’d go to the park, to the movies, we would take them everywhere. When they went off to college, Daisy was so proud. She’s the reason they turned into such amazing adults. It was like she was destined to be great at everything she set her mind to, and she was determined to be a great mother.
WAITRESS
She was a stay-at-home mother?
JAMES
No, she was an artist. She painted beautiful things. She would take trips to paint the most beautiful places, but she still found a way to make it to everything our kids participated in, Sports events. Dance recitals. Everything. She truly was a superhero in their eyes.
WAITRESS
It sounds like you have a perfect life together.
JAMES
(Laughs.)
Yes, in ways. I will say I made some mistakes; I missed an anniversary once.
WAITRESS
Oh no. What did she do?
JAMES
Let’s just say that for the next 50 years every calendar was marked with a red pen, and I had a fresh bouquet on the nightstand before she woke up.
WAITRESS
I wish someone would do that for me. I’m afraid it’s too late.
JAMES
You’ll find the right one. It is never too late. That’s why I’m still waiting for her now. That, and seeing her makes my heart beat like nothing else.
(Front door jingles.)
DAISY
(Walks in, looking around confused.)
JAMES
(Smiles wider than he has before and stands.)
There she is. More beautiful than ever.
WAITRESS
(Stands and looks, smiling.)
I’ll go get your order.
(Waitress exits.)
JAMES
(Steps toward Daisy, who still stands confused.)
Oh, my diamond.
DAISY
(Smiles widely as she looks at him.)
James.
JAMES
(Walks up to her and grabs her hands.)
My diamond. You are so beautiful.
DAISY
(Looks around the diner.)
It looks the same as before.
JAMES
(Holds her hand as he walks her to the table.)
Exactly the same now that you’re here.
DAISY
Well, now with more wrinkles than before.
(She chuckles to herself.)
JAMES
(Pulls out the chair for Daisy.)
Here you go, my love.
(Pushes her in and returns to his seat, grabbing her hands across the table.)
I missed you so much.
DAISY
I missed you too. The last few months have been horrible without you… I just didn’t expect to meet here.
(She looks around again.)
What exactly is this?
JAMES
Well, the afterlife of course, my dear. When I passed, I wanted to make sure you had a place I knew you would love. Somewhere you would be happy to spend the next 75 years with me.
DAISY
I do love it. I just didn’t think this is what it would be like.
JAMES
Is it okay?
DAISY
(Smiles.)
More than okay. As long as I get to be with you, I am the happiest woman in the world.
WAITRESS
(Comes back with two burgers and a chocolate milkshake that has two straws in it. She smiles as she places it down and walks off, allowing them time together.)
DAISY
Oh my, I have wanted one of these burgers for years.
JAMES
And a chocolate milkshake? Two straws just like old times?
DAISY
(Smiles and takes a sip.)
Just like old times.
JAMES
(Opens his burger and takes off the pickles, giving them to Daisy.)
Here you go, my diamond. You know how I dislike them.
DAISY
(Smiles widely as she takes them and eats one.)
JAMES
There’s that smile I love.
(Blackout.)
Kierstyn Budz has her BA in English and creative writing from Eastern Illinois University, where she continues to get her MA. She has a lifelong passion for storytelling and bringing readers into the depths of her imagination. She focuses mainly on sci-fi and fantasy fiction but has a love for playwriting, crocheting, and painting in her free time. Her work has appeared in The Vehicle, Blueroom, and The Evening Universe.