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RECEIVE  5'?m2f Giving and receiving salvation

(scene: several chairs facing audience)

AMY -- (enters with elbow wrapped in gauze, sits, sighs)

LIZ -- (enters opposite, carrying suitcase) Sis!

AMY -- (stands, half-smile, crossing to Liz) Sis!

LIZ -- (drops case, crosses hurriedly to Amy) I'm sorry I'm so
late. My flight was delayed and then the cab driver took me to 
the wrong hospital. (hugs) How is he?

AMY -- (backs away half a step, look of dread) I... He...

LIZ -- Oh, no! You mean.... You mean he...

AMY -- (nods without eye contact)

LIZ -- Oh, no! They said all he needed was a blood transfusion.

AMY -- He... He did. (points to gauze) I gave a pint... but...

LIZ -- But what? Wasn't it enough?

AMY -- No, that wasn't it. He...

LIZ -- Your blood type didn't match? What?

AMY -- Oh, it matched, alright. I'm a universal donor.

LIZ -- Well, what, then?

AMY -- He didn't accept it.

LIZ -- What do you mean, he didn't accept it? He rejected the
transfusion?

AMY -- (nods without eye contact)

LIZ -- Why? Why would he do such a thing?! He must not have been
in his right mind.

AMY -- Oh, he was quite sane. He was lucid. I asked the doctor
if we could force the transfusion on him. But the doctor said
that as long as he was in control of his faculties, we couldn't
legally make him accept any medical treatment.

LIZ -- Well, didn't he understand that refusing the blood would
cost him his life?

AMY -- The doctor told him point blank.

LIZ -- This is... unbelieveable. You and he weren't fighting or
anything, were you?

AMY -- No. He said he was very grateful for the offer. He said
he was fully aware of my sacrifice. He acknowledged that it was
a very loving thing for me to do, but....

LIZ -- But... what?

AMY -- He said that if he accepted my gift... he called it the
gift of life.... He said if he accepted the gift of life from
me, he would feel obligated to me and he didn't want that.

LIZ -- Unbelieveable.  He refuses a gift that could save his
life because he doesn't want to OWE YOU?

AMY -- That's what he said.

LIZ -- In other words, he would rather die than be obligated.

AMY -- (nods without eye contact)

LIZ -- (sigh) I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but the man
was a fool.

AMY -- Elizabeth!

LIZ -- He was! Of course, he would be obligated to you. But it
isn't like you'd demand anything from him that would embarrass
him or harm him in any way. You love him! That's why you gave
your blood for him. You would never demand anything that he
wouldn't be just thrilled to give. The man was a fool!

AMY -- Well, at least he was consistent.

LIZ -- (stops pacing) What do you mean?

AMY -- That's why he rejected Christianity too.

LIZ -- Why?

AMY -- He knew that accepting Jesus' blood as payment for his
sins would save his life, but he didn't want to be obligated.

LIZ -- (turns away) Ouch.

AMY -- What's the matter?

LIZ -- That's the story of my life.

AMY -- Wait a minute. You told me six months ago that you
started going to church again.

LIZ -- I did. I do. I go to church. But I've never accepted the
blood, because of the obligation that comes with it. And now it
scares me to death. (begins pacing)

AMY -- What scares you?

LIZ -- Someone I've known all my life is dead. It's like looking
right into the pit of hell and seeing my own face staring back
at me.

AMY -- I never looked at it like that.

LIZ -- That's because you've accepted the blood. You've decided
to accept the obligation. There's no face down there to stare
back at you.

AMY -- So, what's keeping YOU from accepting the transfusion
now?

LIZ -- I don't know. I guess it's still the obligation.

AMY -- Do you think that God would be any more demanding of you
than I would?

LIZ -- (pause, tilts head) No. I... I guess he wouldn't. I... I
never thought about him in human terms. He was always this
impersonal force in the sky that you sing hymns to on Sundays.
But he... he really WOULDN'T be any less loving of me or any
more demanding of me than my own sister, would he?

AMY -- He hasn't been to me.

LIZ -- Listen, I hate to be so self-centered at a time like
this, (points to opposite exit) but, I... I have a kind of
urgency to receive the... the transfusion before it's too late
for me. (looks both ways) Listen, I... can you help me? I don't
know what to do.

AMY -- (points to exit, exits with Liz) The Bible says you must 
believe with your heart and confess with your lips. It's quite 
apparent that you already believe with your heart. Let's go to 
the chapel, so you can confess with your lips.

LIZ -- (follows) Thanks. Say, I'm not going to be obligated to
you, am I?
©2007 Bob Snook. Conditions for use:
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