The Death of Tom Sizemore

Why am I the way I am? Well, I used to be different.
~Tom Sizemore

CHARACTERS
Josh, 20s
Isaac, 20s

SETTING
A train, morning, present day.

(Josh is sitting next to Isaac.)

Josh
I just didn’t know.

Isaac
That’s okay.

Josh
How did I not know?

Isaac
I don’t know if it was, like, publicized a lot.

Josh
I feel like some things you hear about over and over, and the, you know, the media beats you to death with them even when you’re like, “I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care.” And then other things, you never hear about.

Isaac
I didn’t know you were such a fan.

Josh
I’m not. It’s not that I’m a fan. It’s just that I want to know things I think I should know.

Isaac
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Josh
And this is something I think—I just think I should know about it.

Isaac
Yeah.

Josh
This is how people go crazy, you know. It’s because we don’t get to know certain things and other things we can’t get away from. That’s how you start to lose it. I swear to God.

Isaac
Yeah.

Josh
I mean, who else is dead? Who else is dead that I don’t know about? You know what I’m saying?

Isaac
Yeah.

Josh
We could be sitting here right now on a train not knowing that somebody is dead. That’s totally possible.

Isaac
Yeah.

Josh
And you can’t know what you don’t know, you know? There’s no way to know what that might be.

Isaac
You’re right. You can’t.

Josh
You can’t. I’m just so messed up over this, man. I’m not doing well. I’m really not. It’s like—It’s like I’m not doing well.

Isaac
You should think about colors.

Josh
What?

Isaac
If you’re upset, think about the colors in front of you.

Josh
What do you mean “colors?”

Isaac
Like, in front of me, I see the green on the trees that are—

Josh
I’m not having a panic attack.

Isaac
Huh?

Josh
That’s what you do if you’re having a—

Isaac
Oh. Oh, okay.

Josh
Yeah, it’s not—

Isaac
But you’re upset.

Josh
Being upset isn’t the same as having a panic attack.

Isaac
Okay.

Josh
I’ve never had a panic attack, I don’t think.

Isaac
I have them all the time.

Josh
You do?

Isaac
Yeah.

Josh
See, I didn’t know that.

Isaac
I don’t talk about it a lot.

Josh
Yeah, but I should know that. I’m— Wow.

Isaac
Are we getting off at Bridgeport?

Josh
No, we’re going to Harlem.

Isaac
Wait, what?

Josh
Yeah. We’re meeting Straps in Harlem.

Isaac
I didn’t know we were going to Harlem.

Josh
Yeah, and I didn’t know Tom Sizemore died. That’s what we’ve been talking about. Lack of information.

Isaac
Josh, I can’t go to Harlem.

Josh
Why not?

Isaac
I’ve got that dinner at my mom’s later.

Josh
You didn’t tell me that.

Isaac
You didn’t tell me we were going to Harlem.

Josh
I told you we were going to meet Straps.

Isaac
Straps lives in Bridgeport.

Josh
That doesn’t mean that’s where we’re meeting him.

Isaac
Come on, Josh!

Josh
Don’t get mad at me.

Isaac
I have to get off the train.

Josh
Straps needs to see you, Isaac.

Isaac
He can see me another time. I missed dinner at my mom’s twice already. I can’t miss again. She’ll never let me hear the end of it.

Josh
Just tell her it’s a business thing.

Isaac
I can’t say that. It’ll sound like I’m selling drugs.

Josh
You are selling drugs.

Isaac
Not now. Not to Straps.

Josh
But, in general—

Isaac
And I don’t want my mom knowing that.

Josh
Doesn’t your mom sell drugs too?

Isaac
She stopped doing that now that she’s a Jehovah’s Witness.

Josh
They pay you to be a Jehovah’s Witness?

Isaac
No, she works at Pet Land.

Josh
Can she get me in there?

Isaac
Maybe. I can ask her.

Josh
Okay, well, I wasn’t supposed to tell you this—

Isaac
What?

Josh
Straps is leaving.

(A beat.)

Isaac
What?

Josh
Yeah, he’s moving. That’s why he wanted to—

Isaac
When is he leaving?

Josh
Tomorrow.

Isaac
Tomorrow?

Josh
It was like this sudden—thing.

Isaac
Where’s he moving to?

Josh
South Carolina. His sister lives there.

Isaac
Oh, man.

Josh
That’s why we’re going to see him. He wanted to say goodbye. It was going to be, like, this big surprise.

Isaac
Damn.

Josh
’Cause you two are so close.

Isaac
That’s, like, my best friend.

Josh
I know.

Isaac
You and him, I mean. Both of you.

Josh
I know. Same.

Isaac
I haven’t even seen him in months.

Josh
Same. He’s been busy.

Isaac
Is everything cool though? Is—

Josh
Yeah, he just needs, like, a change of scenery, I think.

Isaac
I get that. Yeah.

Josh
I should do the same thing.

Isaac
Then I’ll have no friends left.

Josh
You should move, too.

Isaac
Nah, I can’t leave my mom by herself.

Josh
But she’s doing better now, right?

Isaac
Yeah, for now.

Josh
Oh. Yeah.

Isaac
I gotta get off the train.

Josh
Straps—

Isaac
I can call him or something. I don’t know. But I can’t miss dinner.

Josh
Okay. All right. I’ll tell him you tried.

Isaac
Damn. I feel really bad.

Josh
You didn’t know.

Isaac
He should have told me.

Josh
I don’t think he knew either.

Isaac
Just sick of all these surprises.

Josh
Hey, me too. That’s what I’ve been saying. I’m sick of not knowing anything.

Isaac
Just makes me so nervous.

Josh
Yeah. That’s how I am, too. All the time lately. All the damn time.

(Sound of train moving. Lights fade.)

MATTHEW MOORE

Matthew Moore is a playwright and poet originally from New England. Their work has been produced at the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Boston Theater Marathon, Two Oceans Theater, Durango Arts, and the Fresh Fruit Festival. Their play Portugal was published in The Coachella Review.