Людмила Ансельм - Короткие пьесы

MICHAEL:Now I’m standing near your bed…

PETER:Warmer!

MICHAEL:Here it is. It was under your pillow!

(Wehear the razor running as PETER concentrates on drawing. MICHAEL returns with the razor running he shouts over the razor noise.)

Up to your old tricks again? I won’t have time to shower… I’ll just change my shirt then I’ll set the table.

(Heturns the razor off.)

I have a nice pot roast and in the oven. What do you want for dessert?

PETER:Key lime pie.

(MICHAELsuddenly peers at PETER’s drawing.)

MICHAEl:What’s this?

PETER:It’s you.

MICHAEL:But I shaved off my beard.

PETER:I drew it from memory.

MICHAEL:Why my portrait?

PETER:To take to school and give to Mr. Allen. ( PETER is watching Michael with a smile )

MICHAEL:What for?

PETER:I’ll tell him… you are kind of my mother… do you think the teacher will understand me?

MICHAEL:Mr. Alen will understand you, but your friends will not understand.

PETER:I don’t know what to do?

MICHAEL:Don’t cry. I have idea. Your father has black hair, but you are blond. I think you are like your mother. You could paint your face with long hair and say to Mr. Alen that this is your mother.

PETER:This is idea, thank you. And you could take your portrait for the idea.

MICHAEL:Thank you, I will nail it in my room… I love you…

THE END

DADDY:40 years old

SARA:15 year old daughter

DADDY sits at kitchen table. He just wearing socks. He’s sipping a beer, he appears sort of depressed. There is a news paper, but he is looking at a picture of a middle aged woman. There is a pile of neatly folded laundry on the edge of the table.

Thereis the sound of footsteps. He sighs kisses the picture and puts the picture down. SARA flounces in texting on her cellphone. She throws off her backpack full of books.

DADDY:Hi Princess… Why Late? Heavy backpack!

SARA:Bio today. That book is the heaviest. Field hocky went late..

DADDY:I was missing you!

SARA:You’re missing Mom.

DADDY:You’re getting pretty. Like your Mom. All the men used to look at her.

SARA:Daddy! Mom again?

DADDY:She died two years ago tomorrow…

SARA( looking at the photo of her mother ) I know…. I still have dreams about her.

DADDY:I wish you knew more about her.

SARA:( running stage left ) I want a Coke. ( finds one ). When are you going to start buying me some beer? ( Sara finally looking at the pile of clothes ). Wow! You’ve been doing laundry! ( prepares to leave again )

DADDY:Went to Market Basket too. We were running low…out of Diet Coke…… Where are you going?

SARA:To the library. ( sneaks a pill from the backpack and swallows )…Ashley will help me with Geometry.….

DADDY( sees her take the pill ): I thought we had stopped the pills… What’s going on? I thought you were better.

SARA:I am… Today, Mr. Gordon said that both boys and girls have more active hormones…. We’re not children anymore!

DADDY:But lying in bed all day. Refusing to go to school… That’s more than hormones… I’ll make another appointment with Doctor Knowles.

SARA:No! No! I don’t need a doctor! No! I’m cool!

DADDY:Your cool mood frightens me even more… Knowles called me afterwards and said you appeared somewhat manic depressive…

SARA:Manic Depressive?

DADDY;Your very good moods suddenly turn to black depression for no apparent reason.

SARA:Daddy, I have nothing like that!

DADDY:Sara, why are you so moody? What’s going on? I’ve been thinking it was because of you’re mother’s death.

SARA:( looking at her mothers picture ) I still think about her… I get sad… ( looks at her father ) But Mom is not my problem. Daddy, I’ve really got to get to the library.

( Startsto get up and puts on lipstick )

DADDY:Tell me what you think the problem is… I want to know.

SARA:I’m in a hurry…

DADDY:Tell me, and then you can go.

SARA:Why do you always want to talk when I’m in a hurry?

Daddy:Tell me! ( Pause ) Help me…

SARA:OK… because of Skip…

DADDY( motioning to the newspaper ): Isn’t “Skip” captain of the Freshman football team. Right? What’s up?

SARA:He’s eating lunch at Brittany’s table… Not mine anymore. Then in study after lunch he comes up to me… He says I used to be his best friend… but now….

DADDY:What else does he say?

SARA:Daddy, I don’t want to upset you.

DADDY:I’m already big time upset! We don’t have your Mom to help us anymore. Let’s try to work this out together..…

SARA:Promise not to get mad and fly off the handle?

DADDY:I promise! What else is he saying to you?

SARA:Since the Prom, we’ve been spending a lot time together… walking, kissing…

DADDY:Kissing?

SARA:Ali and Ryan are kissing each other… and more…

(Pause)

Well…..Skip has become more stubborn… about us.…

DADDY:Stubborn, about more than kissing?

SARA:I’ve put him off. He called me all kinds of names… anyhow… Ashley told me that she saw him with Kirsten over at Middle school.

DADDY;Maybe you should try talking with him?

SARA( nostalgically ): I did! I reminded him about when we were in preschool. We were the “odd pair”… We hid upstairs and read books together… In 5th grade he gave me a ring made of knotted rope… Last year we climbed to the top of Blue Hill and picked blue berries… We could see for miles…we said one day we would fly in one of those airplanes flying so close to us. We would fly to London…to Paris. Maybe even Hawaii…

(Pause)

ThenI managed to ask him how Kirsten was better than me…

Hesaid she on a scale of one to ten I was a ten, but she’s like 1000…She’s exciting… spicy,…less stiff…

DADDY:Bastard!

SARA:That’s when I went to bed all day… I felt so heavy. My head hurt. Now you see, I’m better…

DADDY:Why are you better?

SARA:I have Skip again! Now can I go?

DADDY:Skip! Give me your backpack! ( they fight over it. Daddy wins. He searches and finds the pills ). These don’t look like the pills Doctor Knowles prescribed!

SARA:Give ‘em back!

DADDY:What are these pills?… One a day!… Are these birth control pills?

( SARAis silent ).

DADDY:Skip wants sex!… with you!!! You’re only fourteen years old!!! Only 9th grade…

SARA:I’m fifteen..

DADDY( fitof temper ) No! No! This is the limit! Neither of you are prepared.

SARA( fit of temper ) Daddy! I’m not ignorant! There’s reality TV, internet, Facebook, Twitter…

DADDY( shouting ):Sara! You could get pregnant! Or get a disease that would affect you for the rest of your life.

SARA:The world is different from when you were in high school…

( Sarauses her cell and finds a picture of her friends having sex. Holding the phone in his face she shouts )

See!Half my friends are having sex!

DADDY:Oh God! I’m not prepared for this. Why did you decided to have sex?… Why?

SARA:I agreed, when… when he said he wanted to marry me…

DADDY( shouting ): He lies! He only wants sex!!

SARA:I can’t go on without Skip. It’s like… how… how you miss… Mama.

DADDY:If you get pregnant? Then what? How do you think you’ll remember to take a pill every day? You can’t remember to take off your shoes when you come into the house!

( Pause )

Youhave no idea how confused your life will be if you start having sex… Boys want sex every minute… He will never marry you…

SARA( starts to go again ): I have to go.

DADDY( grabs Sara’s wrist, and raises his other hand ): Don’t go!

SARA( raises her hands ): Let me go!

DADDY:I’m your Father!

SARA:If you hit me, I’ll call the police…

DADDY:I’ll call the police too!! I know… I’ll drive over to Skip’s parents! You don’t care enough about your future!

SARA:Just because you’re my “Father” doesn’t make you God! It’s my life!

( Pause )

DADDY( softer,serious ): I love you… I want to be with you as long as I can..…

( Hesits resigned )

Sitdown. I have to tell you something right now! Sit.

SARA( sits ): You are just going to twist things!

DADDY:I’ve told you that your mother and I met each other at Northeastern. I was 19, she was 19 too.

SARA:I know… I’ve heard many times.

DADDY( deepbreath )… She got pregnant! We had no skills, no job, no money and we we were both in debt. We couldn’t possibly have a child… there was just one thing to do… Abortion.

We got married in our senior year. We got jobs. Saved money…

After the abortion your mom couldn’t get pregnant. You are adopted!

SARA:Wh…WHAT?

DADDY:Your mother and I adopted you when you were six months old!

SARA( aghast ): You’re not my real father!…You’ve lied to me!

DADDY:It was not a lie…

SARA( taking and looking at her mothers picture ): Mom was not my real mother? Why didn’t she say…sooner?

DADDY:Ever since we adopted you, your Mother and I have been thinking about how to tell you. All the time… I felt guilty; I said that about your looks. You are very pretty, like she was…