(Genre: Dialogue Practice/Short Play)
Meanwhile, late at night on a sidewalk with no one else around:
Person #1: I’m just trying to help. It’s my job!
Person #2: Mam, I already told you several times that I’m getting help.
Person #1: But what if it’s not what you need!? I would love to have you as a client!
Person #2: Mam, my therapist has been very helpful. Please, leave me alone.
Person #1: I have to make sure you’re okay though.
Person #2: You are now harassing me. This is harassment.
Person #1 rolls her eyes and completely ignores another request by Person #2 to remain left alone..
Person #1: What’s your phone number?
Person #2: As a therapist you should know it’s NEVER okay to be harassing people even while under the influence of—
Person #1: Hush up!! Give me your phone number!?
Person #2 reluctantly gives Person #1 his phone number..
Person #2: May you please leave me alone..?
Person #1: You look jaded.
Person #2: Mam, would you please—
Person #1: You must accept help.
Person #2: And you must accept that you now have to leave me alone after I so kindly asked several times.
Person #1: But you’re not well.
Person #2: I’m getting better, and there isn’t any urgency at this moment. My behavior is civilized. I was literally minding my own business in the corner and NOT causing harm to anyone.
Person #1: My medication helps me though!
Person #2: I’m not telling you how to live your life, but you won’t stop telling me how to live mine after I’m kindly insisting that you stop arrogantly insisting I do something that I strongly feel will make stuff harder for me.
Person #1: Well I wouldn’t know what to do without my medication.
Person #2: But it’s not needed for physical health purposes. And as of now, I don’t need it at all, I just feel like you’re trying to fool me into thinking that I “need” it because it’s your job.
Person #1: Oh pffff!! That’s not true at all.
Person #2: You are a licensed mental health professional who is NOW harassing me while under the influence of alcohol!! You are abusing your power!! Leave me alone!!
Person #1: You’re too negative!! You think too much!!
Person #2: You are trying to twist what I’m saying so much to keep harassing me! Please, LEAVE ME ALONE!!
Person #1: But people were wondering why you didn’t want to come hang out!?
Person #2: But that’s not an excuse to keep harassing me on the one night that I want to remain left alone! Unlike you, those others had respect for my BOUNDARIES by leaving me alone when I wanted to type a short story on my phone while sitting at the counter by myself!!
Person #1: But it’s not good to remain by yourself!
Person #2: Do you want me to be honest or not? And you are still harassing me..
Person #1: Of course I want you to be honest.
Person #2: So I have the right to sit by myself at a bar, and I have the RIGHT to NOT take something that I don’t need and that won’t help me learn how to find true inner peace without challenging side effects that result later on from some other more heavily prescribed psychiatric drug.. Look, I’ve been on so much other stuff, please, I’m asking you, for my safety, for my body and my rights, please stop trying to force treatment that I don’t need. Just stop!
Person #1: Uh!! You sound like my daughter. And it’s only a suggestion!
Person #2: But you’re not leaving me alone after I asked you to.. This is harassment!!
Person #1: Oh well you want to “give up the ego” right..? So just, let go of all the misinformation that you have been led to believe that your ego seeks to validate itself by “proving” and listen to me trying to help you!
Person #2: And your ego feels it has the “answer” and your ego won’t stop trying to invasively force its beliefs onto others such as myself of which your ego excuses as the “help” I “need” in order for your ego to feel “validated!” Stop trying to twist stuff.. And I never even brought up anything pertaining to the “ego”.. Just, leave me alone!!
Person #1: I will not!
Person #2: Once again, just because I wanted to sit at the counter and revise a short story on my phone instead of playing pool is NOT a reason to keep on insisting that I try some new medication!
Person #1: I tell my clients the same thing though, it helps!
Person #2: Mam, I am NOT your client, and you have to respect that. You have to respect the fact that there’s not just “one way” of doing stuff.
Person #1: But my way is better and I’m a professional.
Person #2: You are having a power trip while under the influence of alcohol and the type of training you have is only one way of allegedly trying to address mental health struggles which I have the right to avoid if I feel it’s not going to help me. Please stop.
Person #1: But I’m not just going to let you suffer.
Person #2: There you go again, trying to fool me into thinking that you’re the one who I “need” to become “saved” by and—
Person #1: I’m not trying to fool you!!
Person #2: Okay but still you’re not respecting my decision to return to more drug free inner peace development practices such as meditation. And you’re just continuing to harass me..
Person #1: But the drugs will help get you to meditate!
Person #2: They will also give me additional problems, and I have and can find and sustain more inner peace without what you’re trying to sell..
Person #1: I’m not trying to sell you anything!!
Person #2: You say you “care” yet you’re just totally dismissing everything that I am telling you! How is that supposed to help me trust you!?
Person #1: You are misinformed!!
Person #2: Oh you are so wrong.. You now sound like your main goal is to just make more money than you need or to just boost your ego by having control of others.. And you have a problem with me exercising my free right to decide to try NOT conforming to the mainstream narrative that I must “always” take psychiatric medication even when it’s truly NOT an emergency and even when I truly can find other alternatives to help myself.
Person #1: Well, do people take stuff when they’re ill..?
Person #2: You seriously think that me innocently wanting to spend time by myself in the corner for one night automatically “implies” that I have an “illness”.. What in the—
Person #1: Well it’s harm prevention!!
Person #2: Mam, I’m very capable of being a decently functioning individual without the treatment that you’re trying to force on me which I highly feel will do nothing but ultimately worsen my problems!
Person #1: You know what, I think I’m just going to call an ambulance, you need help!!
Person #2: You are violating my human rights by forcing me a so-called “treatment” that I don’t need! This is NOT an emergency!! You are violating my human rights!! Please, respect my rights!! Respect my human rights!!
Person #2 eventually becomes heavily sedated, strapped down and taken away.. He never wakes up.
Zach Dana Writing 