Imagendering II

Lydia

You've got an hour.

Steve

Um

Lydia

What?

Steve

It's. I can't predict how long it's

Lydia

How long

Steve

I mean, it can take longer

Lydia

Longer than an hour?

Steve

Well, it. I don't always know till I. Start. How long I'm going to be doing it for is all

Lydia

Right. Well / I

Steve

Sometimes it's just thirty seconds or so sometimes and sometimes it's I do try and keep it as quick as possible but

Lydia

OK

Steve

But it can take longer and I can't really tell until I, you know, get down to it

Lydia

Get down to it

Steve

Have a go

Lydia

You don't think with your, your experience you should be able to predict

Because I did tell you quite clearly what I wanted on the phone

Steve

There's lots of

Lydia

And you are a professional so

Steve

I mean it just isn't possible to

Beat

Lydia

I can only afford an hour.

Steve

Right.

Lydia

Sorry.

Steve

No

Lydia

I should have said on the phone

Steve

OK

Lydia

So

Steve

Well let's give it an hour and see how we go.

Lydia

OK.

Steve puts his helmet down and moves towards the PC.

Steve

It's the modem, you said

Lydia

God, I don't know, I mean

God knows what's going on in there just won't connect to the internet

Steve

Since

Lydia

Monday

Steve

OK well let's

Lydia

I might not be using the right words, the terminology

Lydia is still standing in front of the PC, barring Steve's way.

Steve

Can I

Lydia

Um

Steve

Have a look?

Lydia

Um, yeah

Lydia starts to move away, then darts back to stand between Steve and the computer.

Sorry

Steve

What?

Lydia

Sorry I just

Thing is I can't let you start, you see, because

If you start and then we get to the end of the hour and it isn't fixed, and you. I'm not questioning you know, but. If it isn't fixed and you go away, or it's worse because I don't know, you've run some kind of programme on it and now it's worse it's made all sorts of crawlies come out of the. I mean I'm not saying you would, you know, but

I mean then I'm

Then I'm really stuck

Steve

Yeah

Lydia

I really need it, I

Steve

Yeah Yeah

Lydia

And you, you did say that. You know, sometimes, doesn't it, it takes more than an hour you said and I can't afford it because

And you can't tell, can you, with people, sometimes it's an hour and five minutes and you get charged for the second hour, for breaking into it but I really

I mean, when I say I can't afford it it's not that I think it shouldn't take longer than an hour, like I'm opposed to the idea of paying for this this service that you do, which I actually think is a great idea and you know it's a godsend for people like me so it's not that I don't agree with the idea of paying more than forty pounds it's just that

I mean I just don't have it, I really can't.

I'm sorry

Steve

No, I

Lydia

I should have said before

Steve

No

Lydia

Stead of making you come all the way over here from

Steve

Fulham

Lydia

Fulham. Oh, not too far

Steve

Not too far, no

Lydia

Quite direct on a bike I should think

Steve

I, um

Lydia

I'm sorry. I really am.

Beat

Steve

I could

Lydia

Yes?

Steve

You could just pay me for the hour and I'll. I'll stay till it's done.

Lydia exhales. Smiles.

Lydia

Yes. Yeh. Thank you

She moves away from the PC.

You see that's. That's kind. That's kind

Thank you.

Steve

Sure

Steve sits down at the PC. He flexes his fingers.

Lydia

So what if it's less than an hour?

Steve

What?

Lydia

Joke. Sorry, joke. Just, joke.

Steve smiles. Lydia sits down on the bed.

Steve

You don't have to stay with me if you

Lydia

It's a studio

Steve

Right, sorry

Lydia

Unless you'd like a cup of tea, or

Steve

No thanks

Lydia

Or water or

I think I've got some squash, some kind of weird combination like strawberry and apricot or

Steve

I'm OK

Lydia

Don't know why I bought it really, sounds disgusting. Not very grown-up, is it, squash?

Steve moves the mouse, then frowns.

Steve

Does it always crash like this?

Lydia

Oh. Yeah, always. All the time. Hit 'Save' every five seconds now.

Steve

You work from home, do you?

Lydia

No, I. No.

Pause. Steve reboots the PC. Lydia watches him.

God, you must. You must really see some stuff

Things people have on their machines

Steve

Don't really look

Lydia

No?

Steve

Not really interested

Lydia

No

Beat.

No? You must be a little bit?

Steve

Maybe a / bit

Lydia

A little bit. Curious.

Steve

Most people there's not

Lydia

Well you won't find any porn on there

Lydia laughs and looks away.

Steve

What you do with your personal

Lydia

My personal

Steve

It's none of my business

Lydia

I don't have anything personal on

Steve

I'm just here to fix it

Beat.

Lydia

There's someone I email, OK?

And if. If I can't email, then

And I haven't been able to email for days so I feel a bit

Steve

OK

Lydia

But I wouldn't

I wouldn't want you to read any of the emails, so

Steve

I won't

Lydia

I haven't met him

I

It's ridiculous really, but

Steve

I won't

Lydia

Read them, no

Steve peers at the screen.

Steve

Shit

Lydia

What? What?

Steve

I'm going to be here a while.

Fade.