More deliberately ambiguous dialogue I wrote and responses to it from April 1993:
A: Here we are.
B: Yes. We're here.
A (sighing:) Well, I guess there's no use stalling.
B: No, I guess not.
A: I mean, other people have faced far worse things than this--right?
B: Ummm...Well, yeah, I guess so.
A: Of course they have!
B: It was just a simple misunderstanding.
A: Sure; we'll have this cleared up just like that.
B: How could we not?
A: We'll just march right in and lay it on the table.
B: Exactly. We're not the ones in the wrong here.
A: That's just how I see it. So, let's go ahead...
(A and B don't move.)
B: You wouldn't want to...you know...
A: ...think this through some more?
B: Yeah.
A: No! We've come this far...Oh...I don't know.
B: Let's not go in just yet.
A: No, let's wait...
Questions: Who are A and B? What or whom are they about to confront? Why do they think they're in the right? What convinces them to wait before going in?
Responses:
...A and B are suspects in an investigation of some heinous crime--murder, procrastination, smoking around non-smokers--that they may have committed with good reason, possibly even through ignorance of the rules. But the people they have to face are the types who have power to punish and always think they're right. So, A and B are pretty sure they'll be implicated. (David R.)
...A and B are lovers. They are about to confront C, B's old lover. C betrayed B with D, and A and B have decided to shoot C in the kneecaps for revenge. They were thwarted by D and his large dog, who came to C's rescue bearing mace and a penknife. They hesitate to go back and try to work things out with C because D is still violently disgruntled and protective of C. (Liz F.)
