THE STORY: In THE RIVER, two unmarried ladies meet in a cafe to lament the fact that one of them just reached the dangerous age of thirty—which the other (a far more philosophic sort) has long since sailed safely past. Brooding on the finality of it all, and the broken romances that have embittered them, the two find their attention drawn to the couple at the next table—a sweet young thing in her twenties and the older man with whom she is obviously having an affair. They don’t mean to eavesdrop, but it is as if they were seeing themselves just a few years earlier, and their knowledge of what the young girl is in for makes them want to speak up. Which they do—with funny, touching and ultimately beneficial results.
“There are no special effects, no gimmicks. But there is considerable truth.” —Wall Street Journal.
“He is a deft craftsman, with the ability to etch character in sure, swift strokes and with an accurate ear for the nuances of dialogue.” —Jersey Journal.
“…tight dramatic form alive and playable.” -New York Post.
Included in the collection
Friday Night.
