In Act two, Scene 2 of Daze of Limerence aka Susan Falls out of Limerence, Doris spells it out for Susan: dump that man.
For the uninformed, Play writing 101 has been ongoing over the winter. The play is written with some variations outstanding as, "Get me rewrite!" takes control. The spacing's wonky here. Not intentional.
The play is about two people, Susan and Max, who have been emotionally involved for several years but their relationship unravels simultaneously, as Susan realizes she's been duped and Max focuses on another woman (spoiler alert!) until she too realizes that she's being played for a patsy.
In this scene, Susan's friend, Doris, reads her the riot act about the spurious Max.
ACT
TWO
Scene
2
SUSAN
and DORIS at Susan's. Having a cup of coffee and talking while Susan
paints her nails.
SUSAN
Guess
what, Doris, I'm almost ready to start the next chapter. I'm hoping
Max will get the illustrations done for this one so that we can get
on to the next. He's supposed to be coming over this aft to do some
work before supper.
DORIS
Oh,
I'll have to be gone by the time he gets here. I don't like that man.
(beat) I thought you were through with him. Thought you were
going to find a new illustrator. What happened to that good plan?
SUSAN
I
dunno. One day I'm set to try out someone new and I've given him the
boots, told him to get lost, but the next day he calls and promises
that things will be better and over he comes. Must be his boyish
charm.
DORIS
You
know, Susan, it's just you who finds him that way. Everyone else sees
him for what he is, a charlatan and a jerk. (definitively)
He's a man-whore 'cept he ain't putting out. Look at all you've done
for him over the years, feeding him, buying him clothes, cigarettes
and booze, and him taking money whenever he can shake you down. If I
didn't know you had common sense, I'd say you've been under the spell
of limerence.
SUSAN
(admires
her manicure) Hmmmm, limerence, never heard of it. How do you
spell it? Is it like limerick?
DORIS
No.
Limerence, (she spells it slowly) L I M E R E N C E Didn't
you read the piece in Time Magazine a few years back, Let's Fall in
Limerence? It was all everyone talked about for months, how a person can fall obsessively in love, as if they can't help themselves,
and they don't even care if they get laid or not. They say it's more
a control of attention thing than anything else. (thinking) Hey, maybe this is
what happened with you and Max He became your limerent object and you
kept on providing him money in order to get his attention hoping in
the end that he would love you, or at the very least, appreciate you.
SUSAN
(chuckles) Max, love? Oh, I doubt that. What makes you think so?
DORIS
How
do you account for this lapse in your normal self-control? Letting
this blood-sucker into your life?
SUSAN
(thoughtfully)
I'll give you this. Subconsciously speaking, you may be on to
something. I was actually drawn to him the moment I met him at the
coffee shop. He's so talented. Initially, we worked together so well
but I have to tell you, these past six months have been hell on
wheels. At least, he's given up drugs.
DORIS
(explicitly)
Ya, well, time for you to wake up and smell the coffee. He's like a
bad trip, using you and playing you like a yo-yo. For the past few
years, you've either been high on whatever it is he does for you or
devastated by him, up one day and crashing down the next. Any little
crumb he throws your way makes you ecstatic but let him forget to
call and you become suicidal. Your emotional landscape's all
over the place since you met him. Gawd, if you'd had sex with him
even once in the beginning, you might have dumped him. (scornfully)
Given his remarkable self-confidence, he's probably covering up for
being a dud-stud.
SUSAN
Oh
Gawd, Dory, I know you're right. I have to squeeze him from my life
before everything goes to hell in a hand basket. Look, he'll be here for supper and after we eat, I'll tell him it's the last
time, it's over.
DORIS
Don't
even bother feeding him. Just get rid of him! You need to de-Maxify.
Just do it!
I'd better skedaddle before he arrives. I really don't
like that man.
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