The Depth of Redemption

Scene 1: Redempta and Comfort Talk About Life’s Struggles (The setting is in Redempta’s apartment. The place is cluttered with empty bottles, and the air smells faintly of cigarettes. Redempta is pacing nervously while her best friend, Comfort, watches her from the couch, looking concerned. The room is dimly lit, with just the evening light filtering through the dirty windows.) Comfort: (Sighs, leaning forward, her elbows on her knees) "You’ve been distant, Redempta. I feel like I’m losing you to something I can’t see." Redempta: (Looking out the window, her arms crossed, almost as if she’s shielding herself from Comfort’s words) "I don’t know who I am anymore. Sometimes, I feel like I don’t exist, except in this mess." (She gestures to the clutter around them, the empty bottles, the ashtrays filled with cigarette butts.) Comfort: (Frowning, her voice soft but firm) "That’s not you. This isn’t the real you. I know you, Redempta. You’re stronger than this." Redempta: (Still avoiding eye contact, her voice quiet, almost a whisper) "Am I? I don’t even know what strength looks like anymore. Every time I think about leaving this life behind… it’s like something pulls me right back in. It’s like quicksand." Comfort: (Shakes her head, exasperated but still caring) "You’re not stuck. You can pull yourself out. But you have to want it. I know what this is really about." (She pauses, letting the silence settle between them.) "It’s Latinae, isn’t it?" Redempta: (Stiffens at the mention of Latinae’s name. She doesn’t answer immediately, just clenches her jaw.) Comfort: (Trying to be gentle, but her voice is strained with concern) "Redempta… she’s no good for you. She’s dragging you down, and you know it. Why can’t you just cut her off?" Redempta: (Turning to face Comfort for the first time, her expression a mix of frustration and sadness) "You don’t get it. You think it’s that easy? Just walk away from someone who’s been there for me when no one else was? Who’s been the only constant in my life when everything else has fallen apart?" Comfort: (Leaning forward, her voice more urgent) "Is that what you call it? Being there for you? She’s feeding your addiction, Redempta. That’s not love; that’s control." Redempta: (Sits down heavily on the couch, burying her face in her hands) "It’s not that simple… she’s… she’s everything I’ve known for so long. I don’t know how to be without her." Comfort: (Tenderly placing a hand on Redempta’s shoulder) "You don’t need her. What you need is to get out before it’s too late. You’re drowning, and she’s the one holding you under." Redempta: (Mumbling, her voice muffled by her hands) "I can’t just leave…" Comfort: (Firmly) "You can. You just have to decide that you want something different. But you can’t keep making excuses for her. Or for yourself." Redempta: (Looking up, her eyes filled with tears, her voice barely audible) "I don’t know if I’m strong enough." Comfort: (Softly, but with conviction) "You are. But you have to believe it too." --- Scene 2: The Meeting with Latinae (Later that night, Redempta finds herself in Latinae’s car. The leather seats feel cold against her skin, and the smell of weed is thick in the air. Latinae is relaxed, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding a lit joint. The city lights outside flash by, casting fleeting shadows on their faces.) Latinae: (Grinning, her voice lazy as she exhales a cloud of smoke) "I knew you’d come back. You always do." (She hands the joint to Redempta, her eyes gleaming in the dim light.) Redempta: (Hesitating, she takes the joint but doesn’t inhale immediately. Instead, she stares at it, her mind racing.) "Maybe I shouldn’t have." Latinae: (Raising an eyebrow, her smile fading slightly) "What’s that supposed to mean?" (She leans closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper) "You having second thoughts about us again?" Redempta: (Sighs, leaning her head back against the seat, her voice tired) "I don’t know, Latinae. I don’t know if I can keep doing this." Latinae: (Smirking now, clearly amused) "You’ve said that before, babe. But here you are. You always come back to me." Redempta: (Looking away, her voice trembling) "Maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe… maybe I need to figure things out on my own." Latinae: (Laughing softly, leaning even closer so that their faces are just inches apart) "Figure what out? What’s there to figure out? You’re with me. I give you what you need. That’s all there is to it." (She reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out a small packet of cocaine, holding it up like an offering.) "This is what you came for, right? This is what you need." Redempta: (Staring at the packet, her heart pounding. She feels the familiar pull of temptation, but something in her resists.) "I… I don’t know if I want this anymore." Latinae: (Snorting, clearly not taking her seriously) "Don’t be stupid. Of course you do." (She pushes the packet into Redempta’s hand, her voice silky and persuasive) "This is us. This is what we do." Redempta: (Swallowing hard, she closes her fist around the packet, feeling the weight of it in her palm. Her voice is barely above a whisper.) "I don’t want to be this person anymore, Latinae." Latinae: (Leaning back, her eyes narrowing) "Since when? You’ve always been this person, Redempta. You just don’t like admitting it." Redempta: (Looking at Latinae for a long moment, her heart heavy with the weight of her past) "Maybe… maybe I want to be someone else." Latinae: (Coldly) "Good luck with that." (She starts the car, her movements sharp and angry, pulling away from the curb with a screech of tires.) --- Scene 3: A Night of Temptation (Back in her apartment, Redempta sits on the edge of her bed, the packet of cocaine still in her hand. The room is silent except for the ticking of the clock on the wall. She stares at the packet, her mind racing.) Redempta (Inner Monologue): "I could just… one more time. It’s not like I can stop anyway. Maybe I don’t even want to. Maybe this is who I am. Latinae’s right… this is us. This is what we do." (She opens the packet, her hands shaking, but then she freezes. The voice of Comfort echoes in her mind.) Comfort (Memory): "You’re drowning, Redempta. She’s the one holding you under." Redempta (Inner Monologue): "I don’t want to drown anymore." (She stares at the packet for a long moment, then suddenly, in a burst of anger, she throws it across the room. The packet hits the wall and bursts open, the white powder spilling onto the floor.) "I don’t want this. I don’t want this anymore!" (She collapses onto the bed, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking with sobs. She feels both relief and terror at what she’s just done. Her phone buzzes on the nightstand, and she picks it up, her hands trembling.) Text from Latinae: You’ll come back. You always do. (She stares at the text, her heart pounding in her chest.) Redempta (Inner Monologue): "Not this time." (She turns off her phone and lies back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling a strange mix of emptiness and hope.) --- Scene 4: The Call to Zeddy *(The next morning, Redempta sits in her kitchen, a cup of coffee in front of her. She hasn’t slept, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Her phone sits on the table, and after a long moment of hesitation, she picks it up and dials a number.)