JESS: (entering) Are you ready yet?
LINDA: Another minute.
JESS: You’ve been in here all morning, Linda.
LINDA: Just a few more things. Please…I’ll be done in a minute. Just give me a minute.
JESS: It’s hard, isn’t it?
LINDA: You have…you have no idea.
JESS: He would have wanted this, Linda. You have family in Chicago, a great place to stay and your family’s there.
LINDA: Some of them.
JESS: I’m sorry. You know what I meant.
LINDA: Did you know that it’s just like in the movies, Jess?
JESS: What?
LINDA: A black car actually comes to your door and a Marine gets out in full dress uniform and knocks on your door. That’s all the guy does in his job. Deliver the news. Can you imagine that?
JESS: Look, you don’t have to talk about…
LINDA: Why not? It happened, didn’t it? He actually knocks on your door, just like in the movies. If they get the news at night they purposely wait until the next morning to tell the soldier’s family. They say they don’t want the families to live in fear of getting awakened by a phone call at night. Polite, huh?
JESS: The van’s waiting. I’ll be out front.
LINDA: And he offers to get a motel and stay right there with you until the …well, until it arrives. ..and even for the funeral if you want.
JESS: You’re …you’re not going to leave this house are you?
LINDA: What makes you say that?
JESS: I know. Friends know these things. You’re just going through the motions, aren’t you? You have no intention leaving.
LINDA: He’s still here. How can I?
JESS: Linda…
LINDA: Look at this shell. It was from our honeymoon. They had those divers in Baja who’d dive down and get shells for the tourists. Rick said he could do that and they tried to stop him so he showed them his Jr. Lifesaving badge …he had it since 7th-grade and jumped in the water. He came up with this shell.
JESS: That’s amazing.
LINDA: He had the shell hidden in his trunks. Waited under the boat until he was nearly out of air. I thought he’d never come up. That’s how I began our marriage…afraid that he might not come back. And now…
JESS: You can’t stay here, Linda. Not with all these memories.
LINDA: You really….you really have no idea what you just said. You have no idea of how wrong …how very wrong you are, Jess.
JESS: But Linda, the kids. They’ve got to…
LINDA: (reading) “Presented to Sergeant Rick Stephens, October 21st. Top Marine.” (picking up another item) “Mr. and Mrs. Rick Stephens announce the birth of their son Hank on February 17th, 2006.” Which part of these memories do you want me to leave behind, Jess?
JESS: Should I cancel the van?
LINDA: I’m sorry, Jess. I’m not leaving. I can’t leave. He’s still here.
JESS: Don’t apologize. I’ll uh…I’ll go talk to the driver. You gonna be alright?
LINDA: Of course not.
JESS: Sorry.
LINDA: Me too. Sorry. (Jess leaves) (picking up another item) “Dear Mrs. Stephens, the U.S. Marine Corps regrets to inform you…” I’m not leaving. I’m never leaving you.
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