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Life is choices and the first one for the Christian is often difficult.
The Choice by Lorele Yager
Two persons are seated, talking infrequently,
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| Sharon: |
I suppose they told you the
news today, too. |
| Mary: |
Yes, but I just don’t
believe it. I only came to this hospital for a checkup because my job
demanded it. |
| Sharon: |
It’s hard for me to
believe, too. I go to parties, ball games, and all kinds of fun things
all the time besides working full time. I feel so good. I just can’t
believe I’m going to die. Just what did the doctors say to you? |
| Mary: |
Probably the same as they
told you. They said I have an incurable disease that will cause
unbelievable suffering that will seem to go on forever. It just isn’t
possible. If there is such a disease and if I have it, there must be a
cure for it. They have all kinds of cures these days. (Unfold
newspaper in an abstracted way.) |
| Sharon: |
It certainly is hard to
accept when we feel so good and enjoy life so much. But what can we do?
There doesn’t seem to be much hope. It is the suffering that I am
afraid of. I’ve had things easy all my life and I like to have fun. I’m
just not very brave. |
| Mary: |
Well, the old saying is,
"There is always hope." (Glance at newspaper and become
obviously excited.) You see! What did I just say! They’ve found a
cure! |
| Sharon: |
What? Let me see that! (Grab
paper.) You’re right! It’s unbelievable! Just in time for us.
There’s a whole article here about it. (Read the paper.) It
says that the research has been going on for years ..... that it will be
available next month ..... and that each dose will cost ..... Oh, no!
..... two million dollars. |
| Mary: |
That’s impossible. (Grab
paper) Nothing costs two million dollars. (Study
paper) But (Sigh deeply) that is what it
says. |
| Sharon: |
Can you get that much money? |
| Mary: |
Don’t be foolish. How would
anyone do that except by robbing a bank. I don’t have that kind of
friends or that kind of insurance. |
| Sharon: |
Oh, this is worse than
before, to know there is a cure for all that suffering and not be able
to afford it. It is so hard to accept. |
| Mary: |
Yes, it certainly is
depressing. The cure should be available to everyone. (Sigh.)
Guess I’ll go to my room. Maybe I’ll see you later. |
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(Both exit.)
Both enter from different directions.
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| Mary: |
Did you get any mail today? |
| Sharon: |
Yes, did you? |
| Mary: |
(Dully) Yes, it was a
letter from a man who offered to pay for my cure. |
| Sharon: |
(Excitedly) Mine must
be just like yours. Can you imagine that? Someone is willing to pay that
price to save someone he doesn’t even know from all that suffering. It’s
unbelievable! Can you imagine it? |
| Mary: |
No. I can’t imagine it. Did
you finish reading the letter? There’s a catch to it. |
| Sharon: |
Yes, I read all of it. But it
seems to me that the so-called catch makes the offer even better because
he wants us to live in his house, eat his food, be his friend, and share
his love. |
| Mary: |
The guy is trying to buy
friends. I don’t need that kind of friends. |
| Sharon: |
I don’t agree. He’s
willing to pay the same for both of us. He is offering us life. Don’t
you understand that? If we go on the way we are and do not accept his
offer we will surely die and with all that suffering. But this is a
wonderful chance to live. And no one gets that kind of payment easily.
He must have spent his life preparing to save ours. |
| Mary: |
He s got to be weird! If you
accept his offer your whole life will be different and people will make
fun of you as well as him. To give your whole life to him just because
he saved it is asking too much. Besides, I like my life the way it is. |
| Sharon: |
Maybe parties, ball games,
and work aren’t all there is to living. If he cares enough to do all
that for me, maybe my life needs to be changed to his way and I ll be
able to care for others, too, even those who laugh. Besides, we’ll
have the support of the others who have accepted his offer and become
his friends. I m going to contact him immediately and accept his gift. |
| Mary: |
Well, not me. I’ll just
take my chances and wait for a cure that doesn’t cost me so much. |
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(Both exit.)
CURTAIN |
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from the booklet by Lorele Yager Produced by the Evangelism Office of the Church of the Brethren |
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