I'll rotate some of my 10-minute plays here for your reading enjoyment -- a break from all the investing stuff. If by chance you are a producer/artistic director and would like to stage one of my plays, thank you in advance. Please email me.
JADE NIGHT
By Andrew P. Mayo
Time Contemporary. Summer.
Place The front porch of a rental cottage at the beach.
Characters
MARY BETH 32 years old
TRAVIS 40 years old; Mary Beth’s brother
SALLY 35 years old; Travis’ wife
JADE NIGHT
[Late night.]
[A front porch. The front door of the house is at right, a window at left. Between them is a glider. MARY BETH is sitting on the glider and holding an ice bag on her nose. A towel with some blood stains on it is in her lap. Her brother, TRAVIS, enters from the house.]
TRAVIS
You okay?
MARY BETH
Yes.
TRAVIS
Sure?
MARY BETH
I’m okay. Really, I’ll live.
TRAVIS
You sure scared everybody.
MARY BETH
I just hate the sight of my own blood.
TRAVIS
You think we like looking at it? [He staggers, holding his nose, imitating her earlier accident.]
MARY BETH
Funny.
TRAVIS
Really, you had us worried.
MARY BETH
Uh huh.
TRAVIS
You did.
MARY BETH
Did Sally send you out here?
TRAVIS
No. [Pause.] I am your big brother.
MARY BETH
You are that.
TRAVIS
You screamed so loud, Bill’s kid wet the bed.
MARY BETH
Oh, no.
[MARY BETH gets up and starts to go into the house but TRAVIS catches her arm.]
TRAVIS
Sit down. Sally’s got everything under control.
MARY BETH
I was sound asleep.
TRAVIS
Well, there’s just not enough room for all of us here.
MARY BETH
Have we ever had enough room?
TRAVIS
Well, we do now, except who wants to visit Columbus, Ohio? You’re always welcome.
MARY BETH
Thank you.
TRAVIS
Yeah, the beach is better ...
MARY BETH
Except?
TRAVIS
It’s just not the same.
MARY BETH
Your kid sure has a hard head.
TRAVIS
Chip off the old block.
MARY BETH
Hard enough to break my nose.
TRAVIS
You think it’s broken?
MARY BETH
No.
TRAVIS
Let me see how it looks.
[Mary Beth takes down the ice pack.]
TRAVIS
You’re gonna be okay. You’re a tough little sister.
MARY BETH
You should know.
TRAVIS
That boy has never fallen out of bed before. Never.
MARY BETH
He has to wait until I’m sleeping on the floor next to the bed.
TRAVIS
It would never have happened to Momma.
MARY BETH
She would have never agreed to sleep on the floor. [Pause.] But, I guess you figure it’s my fault, anyway. I mean, the house didn’t work out, the rooms weren’t right ...
TRAVIS
Yeah, well, when you couldn’t get the usual house ...
MARY BETH
See? It is my fault.
TRAVIS
Well, you just said it.
MARY BETH
I shouldn’t have been sleeping on the floor.
TRAVIS
It was an accident. He’s never fallen out of bed in his whole life.
MARY BETH
See, nothing’s changed. Why was I sleeping on the floor? Three against one.
TRAVIS
You volunteered.
MARY BETH
Well, you guys just bitched and moaned so much. Are all of you so horny you can’t sleep with your kid in the same room for a week? How often are you and Sally doing it?
TRAVIS
See, that’s why we had to beat you up so often. You’re always out of line.
MARY BETH
Well I’ve already been beaten up for this evening, so just leave me alone.
TRAVIS
Don’t turn this into my fault.
MARY BETH
Why not?
TRAVIS
Because you didn’t get the rental house like you should have.
MARY BETH
Who says “should have?” Why should I?
TRAVIS
Because Momma wanted you to. Because Momma planned every family vacation and she wanted you to do the same.
MARY BETH
Well I’m not Momma. Momma’s dead.
TRAVIS
Don’t talk that way about her. Don’t you remember how hard she worked? How much fun we had, every year, here, at this beach?
MARY BETH
I do remember.
TRAVIS
So it was her wish, that it shouldn’t stop.
MARY BETH
And I did it.
TRAVIS
Last year.
MARY BETH
And this year. Despite being on three continents while you were holding down the fort in Columbus, Ohio. And what about Randy and Bill? What were they so busy doing that they couldn’t help?
TRAVIS
It wasn’t their job.
MARY BETH
Well, I did it.
TRAVIS
You think this counts? If Momma had ever messed things up like you have this year, she’d be apologizing every minute. She’d be working extra hard to make things right. Not sitting on the porch and yelling about being horny.
MARY BETH
I’m not apologizing for anything.
TRAVIS
See, you always have to be right and that’s the difference.
MARY BETH
Look who’s talking.
TRAVIS
Momma loved her family and that’s all that counted. She loved you.
MARY BETH
Momma’s gone. And I can’t bring her back. Besides, she loved you the best. She loved you more than she loved Daddy.
TRAVIS
Where are you getting that from?
MARY BETH
You’d have seen it if you opened your eyes. You were too busy getting everything your way.
TRAVIS
You were always the smart one.
MARY BETH
So they made me do homework while you got to goof off with your friends.
TRAVIS
Playing ball.
MARY BETH
Right.
[The porch door opens and SALLY, dressed in a robe, enters.]
SALLY
Sometimes I wish I had a brother. And sometimes I’m glad I don’t.
MARY BETH
It’s true.
SALLY
You know, our bedroom is that window right there. I thought, if I’m going to listen, I should come out so you could see me doing it. Listening, I mean.
[SALLY sits on TRAVIS’s lap.]
TRAVIS
Hey, baby. [He kisses her neck.]
MARY BETH
Well aren’t you the witty one.
SALLY
I’m sorry about Tommy clocking you like that.
MARY BETH
Just a chip off the old block.
SALLY
Did Travis really beat you up when you were kids?
MARY BETH
There is a male gene for making female tears.
SALLY
Made you cry, huh.
MARY BETH
Not really.
[TRAVIS laughs.]
MARY BETH
Once.
SALLY
Well, I think you two have reminisced enough. How’s the job going, Mary Beth?
MARY BETH
It’s great. I’ve been in Paris three times this year. I’ll be in Hong Kong in two weeks.
SALLY
Wow. [To TRAVIS.] If you had started talking corporate finance earlier, I could have stayed in bed and dozed right off.
TRAVIS
I’m glad I didn’t, then. [He hugs her. They kiss.]
MARY BETH
It’s a really complicated deal. I’ll probably be there a couple of months. Of course, Hong Kong is a place of so much energy. So many people. Constant activity.
SALLY
[Pulling away from TRAVIS and standing up.] Who takes care of your house when you’re gone all that time?
MARY BETH
It’s a condo. Nothing to take care of, really.
SALLY
Oh. [To TRAVIS.] I guess you’re ready for bed, Travis?
TRAVIS
I’m always ready for you, baby.
[SALLY and TRAVIS get up.]
TRAVIS [Continued.]
It’s all right, Mary Beth. Tomorrow’s another day.
SALLY
Good night, Mary Beth.
[SALLY and TRAVIS exit. MARY BETH steps down from the porch and glares at the house. She fights back tears, holds herself, turning away. Then she walks back to the porch and sits down on the glider. Pause. SALLY enters with a pillow and blanket which she puts on the end of the glider.]
SALLY
After everything that’s happened, I thought you might just be more comfortable staying on the porch for tonight.
MARY BETH
The floor, the porch, whatever.
SALLY
We’ll figure out the sleeping arrangements tomorrow.
MARY BETH
I didn’t mean to make so much trouble.
SALLY
You didn’t do anything. I’m sorry about the way he was acting. I don’t know what he thought he was doing out here. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. As usual. [Pause.] I’ll tell you what. Next year, I’ll make the arrangements. You are too busy with your work, traveling all of the world and there I am sitting in Ohio. I can do it.
MARY BETH
It’s not that. It’s not the same family vacation without Momma and Daddy.
SALLY
You know Travis loves you. He talks about you all the time. He’s so proud of what you’re doing.
MARY BETH
Is he?
SALLY
You and your brothers are the family. I’m lucky to be here with you.
MARY BETH
No. You’re the family now. You’re the family and this is a family beach.
SALLY
Not really –
MARY BETH
You’re the family. I don’t fit in any more.
SALLY
It’s your family. You don’t have to fit in.
MARY BETH
Is that why I’m sleeping on the porch?
SALLY
We’ll figure it out tomorrow. Good night, Mary Beth.
[SALLY exits into the house. MARY BETH sits on the glider and doesn’t move. Lights fade to black.]
[End of Play.]
copyright (c) Andrew P. Mayo. All rights reserved.
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©2008 Andy Mayo. All rights reserved | legal | sitemap | updated 08.20.08