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THE RUBICON

Maxim Titovets

a play in two acts

«I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself». David Herbert Lawrence.

«Seek, and ye shall find». Matthew 7: 7—8.

«Last night I had this dream: The sea at dawn and a pat of flamingos by the water…». Maxim Titovets, Sharm el Sheikh, February 24, 2022.

Oleg (Sea Lion), owner of the Rubicon Hotel, 51 y.o.

Nadya, his wife, 43 y.o.

Makar, his brother, 48 y.o.

Katya, Nadya’s daughter from her first marriage, 18 y.o.

Andrey, 21 y.o.

Polina, 19 y.o.

Stvolov (Chopper), age unknown

Agap, hotel’s employee, 35 y.o.

The action takes place in present-day Russia.

Twenty years before the time the play is set.

A cold May night. A rapid of a mountain river. Wet stones are gleaming in the moonlight.

A scream rends the dark. It’s a woman. Something falls into the water, making a short heavy splash which is quickly drowned out by the rumbling of water.

Oleg comes out of the darkness, clothed in a sailor’s striped shirt, clenching a flashlight. A beam of light is sliding confusedly along the river and stones.

Makar is sitting on the edge of the cliff. Oleg aims his flashlight at Makar. Makar turns around. His face is covered in blood.

Oleg. Makar. You got your nose smashed. Where is Vera?

Makar. [He paws at the ground, aghast.] Eh?!

Oleg. Makar!

Makar. Oleg. It’s not my fault… she did it herself.

Oleg. You drunken fool! What have you done?

Scene 1

The Rubicon Roadside Inn & Diner, the parlor with panoramic windows. There are a few tables and a bar counter.

Evening. The storm is raging outside.

Andrey is standing in front of the bar counter. He looks around, then approaches the tableware stand, takes a fork, and puts it in an inside pocket of his jacket. After that, he picks up a knife, stabs an invisible opponent in the neck a number of times – his movements well-practiced, – tests the knife sharpness and puts the knife back on the table. Polina enters the stage. She goes down the stairs from the second floor carrying a tray.

Polina.