ISHTAR in the foreground, barefoot. TONY, wearing a raincoat, entering. He rushes up to her. They remain embraced.
ISHTAR: It's gone.
TONY: It's gone...
ISHTAR: The dressing, the stitches
are gone.
One day early. I was healing so well.
TONY (takes off his coat): Good girl!
ISHTAR: Want to see what the new one looks like?
TONY (doesn't speak, walks up to her again. Her hand suspended, waiting to lift her sweater, which is cherry-red.)
ISHTAR: Want to see it?
TONY: Can I feel it first?
ISHTAR: Of course!
TONY: My turn-on sweater.
ISHTAR: Your turn-on sweater.
TONY: You bought it at Martha's Vineyard, remember?
ISHTAR: At Saks.
TONY: You wore it at Martha's Vineyard. Remember?
ISHTAR: I remember... Martha's Vineyard.
TONY: I remember Martha's Vineyard.
Thank you for wearing this sweater.
ISHTAR: How does it feel?
TONY: It's different. Does it hurt?
ISHTAR: It's numb.
TONY: It's firm.
ISHTAR: It will become bigger. There will be saline injections. Do you want to see it?
TONY: In want to see them both.
ISHTAR: (lifts up her sweater, both his hands are covering her breasts. He is silent.)
TONY: My beautiful breasts.
ISHTAR: What do you think?
TONY: I love you!
ISHTAR: Don't look at me! Look at them!
TONY (uncovers them slowly and reveals them to his own sight): I love your breasts!
ISHTAR: That one is not a breast!
TONY: It's something... It's lovely...
ISHTAR: It will become bigger. They'll put a nipple on it... Something that will look like a nipple...
It's not a breast...
TONY (kisses it): Whatever it is...
ISHTAR: It's not a breast!
TONY: I don't care. I came to hate the other one. When it turned against us... Good riddance...
ISHTAR: Oh! (She sobs loudly.)
TONY: I'm sorry. I should not have said this.
ISHTAR: Don't be sorry. That's the way I feel, too... But I don't want you to call that lovely... Not next to this... It's an insult...
TONY: You make it hard for me...
ISHTAR: It's hard for you... It's hard for you... What do you think it is for me?
TONY: Love, oh, please, love, don't... not that, not now...
ISHTAR: It's not a breast!
TONY: It's lovely, it's sweet, it's touching, and it's a breast... and it's saving our life... how can I feel any way about it except ... good...
Grateful... How can I not love it...
If there were nothing, I would feel good too, I would feel grateful...
It's you... It may not be a breast, if you don't want it to be, but it's you, it's you, it's ours. It will be you...
ISHTAR: It's me now... It's not the me I used to be...
TONY: I love this you... I've no problem with it...
ISHTAR: I will need a lot of time to get accustomed to that...
TONY: We are together now... You 're going to come home. You'll see, it'll make it easier...
ISHTAR: No... I'm going to spend a week or two in Connecticut... with Amalthea...
TONY: Oh no, you aren't...
ISHTAR: I will. I don't want to be in the city... I want to rest... All this is very difficult... I want to be by myself... I want to think...
TONY: Well then, let's rent a place in the country... I'll commute... I don't want to hear about you staying with Amalthea...
ISHTAR: Amalthea offered it. I said yes. I need her...
TONY: First it was your mother. And now you need Amalthea! You don't need me? I don't need you, maybe?
ISHTAR: You don't understand... I need to be with a woman... I'll come into town once a week for the injections...
TONY: And maybe you'll come into town for me... Maybe you'll fit me in...
ISHTAR: Don't be childish!
TONY: Why do you need a woman?
ISHTAR: Can't you understand? Because right now, I can't stand a man...
TONY: I'm not a man, for Christ's sake, I'm your husband...
ISHTAR (laughing): Precisely!
(TONY silent. He is very angry. He is containing himself painfully).
ISHTAR: You don't understand. I need to be... around... a whole woman...
TONY: She's not a whole woman, she's a dyke!
ISHTAR: She isn't and anyway... what does it matter? I need peace. I need to find myself.
TONY: And with me you can't. I'm in the way... I'm in the way... I am a beam in your eye... I'm the tree that hides the forest... I'm not wanted... I'm in your way...
ISHTAR: I need to be with someone who doesn't shout in my ears.. who doesn't throw tantrums whenever I make a decision on my own... who doesn't breathe on me in bed... who doesn't pester me when I'm getting dressed... who doesn't walk me between tables in restaurant pushing me in the knees from behind, to make sure everybody looks at me and envies him... someone who speaks to me softly... who doesn't pay attention to me... who let's me sleep in the morning... who cooks... who paints... who has cats...
who has soft hands... who smells good... who has big, soft breasts...
TONY: So, that's it!
ISHTAR: That's it!
TONY: Big, soft breasts... anything but a prick...
ISHTAR: That's it!
TONY: Why didn't you say so?
ISHTAR: I did!
END OF ACT ONE