More Zac and Joshua / by Jeffrey Lo

MORE ZAC AND JOSHUA BY JEFFREY LO

 

JOSHUA

Hey Zachary.

 

                                                                        ZAC

Yeah?

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

Were you there?

 

                                                                        ZAC

At the crucifixion?

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

Yeah.

 

                                                                                    A long pause.

                                                                                    ZAC nods his head.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA(cont’d)

I’m sorry.

 

                                                                        ZAC

Why?

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

It looks like you were friends.

 

                                                                        ZAC

We were.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

It must be hard to see something like that happen to a friend.

 

                                                                        ZAC

Yeah…

 

                                                                                    Pause.

                                                                                    JOSHUA takes a swig from the

canteen.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

Can you tell me about it?

If you don’t mind me asking.

If it’s not too…

I didn’t go.

I didn’t have it in me to watch.

And plus, I knew I had to be here once it was over.

It’s just… I don’t understand.

I don’t understand why this needed to happen.

And I think maybe, if you tell me what it was like, maybe I can understand better.

 

                                                                                    Silence.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA(cont’d)

Sorry. You don’t need to –

 

                                                                        ZAC

No. It’s ok. I –

Yeah, it’ll be ok. I think.

...

What do you want to know?

 

                                                                        JOSHUA
What did he look like? When he was carrying the cross up the hill.

 

ZAC is reminded of the look on Jesus’ face.

 

                                                                        ZAC

He looked…

Scared.

I mean that’s to be expected, right?

He’s lifting the instrument of his death on his own shoulders.

And all of these people around him screaming at him or cheering on his death.

He hears all of it.

He sees these people.

And you can see in his eyes – behind the fear and the… regret – he’s thinking I’m doing this for you…

I am doing this for each and every one of you…

 

                                                                                    Beat.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA
How?

 

                                                                        ZAC

What?

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

How is this for all of us?

 

                                                                                    Pause.

 

                                                                        ZAC

To be honest, I don’t know.

I have no idea.

Sometimes he would say things that would go over our heads.

But he said them with so much conviction that we just had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

                                                            (Sighs)

Maybe this was the time to we should’ve questioned him.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

When he volunteers to die? Probably.

Really though, I just don’t understand how he pictured this would help anyone.

Even if he does rise from the dead and walk out of this cave as Zombie Jesus, I just don’t get it.

 

                                                                                    Pause.

                                                                                    Beat.

 

                                                                        ZAC

Oh…

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

What?

 

                                                                        ZAC

What if…

What if he was just tired?

Jesus worked tirelessly. Relentlessly.

Day in and day out, Jesus walked from one place to the next speaking to anyone who would listen and fighting for those who wouldn’t.

Did things get better?

Not really.

Barely, if anything.

He worked non-stop and didn’t create a dent…

Oh my god…

 

                                                                                    ZAC starts to tear.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA
Wh –

What?

Are you ok?

 

                                                                        ZAC

I think he gave up.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

What do you mean?

 

                                                                        ZAC

He would work day after day after day just for what?

To be yelled at.

Ridiculed.

Before he would even say a word.

And those who did listen to him would get brought down with him.

He couldn’t take it anymore

And wanted out.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA
Jesus?

Nah. That guy always seemed like he was having a great time.

Jumping on top of anything within site and putting on a show of what he could do.

 

                                                                        ZAC

Yes, a great showman.

All a façade…

He would always talk about how he envied those with a normal life.

How he wished he could have that – even for a day.

But we would all tell him there was no way.

He was Jesus Christ.

He wanted out but couldn’t think of a way out.

So he ended it all.

Jesus ended his own life.

 

                                                                                    Silence.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

Fuck…

That’s heavy.

 

                                                                        ZAC

Sorry.

 

                                                                        JOSHUA

No. It’s not –

I asked –

it’s just –

Fuck…