Meg – wife
Stan - discouraged husband
Stan: (Stan is lying on the couch wrapped up in a blanket like a cocoon.) Yes, I’m home.
Meg: Oh no, not again! What happened this time?
Stan: I don’t want to talk about it.
Meg: Come on, it can’t be that bad. Tell me about it.
Stan: (Stubbornly) No!
Meg: (Coaxing and pulling on the blanket.) Come on, you can do it. Maybe I can help you.
Stan: Nobody can help me. I’m a complete failure. Go away!
Meg: You know I’m not going to go away. I’m going to sit right here until you tell me what happened.
Stan: (Throwing off blanket. Hair is messed up.) All right. You may as well hear about it from me, your failure of a husband!
Meg: You are not a failure. Now come on. Tell me what happened.
Stan: It’s just been a terrible day. First of all I got up late and didn’t make it to work on time.
Meg: How can that be? I set your alarm for plenty of time.
Stan: I hit the snooze a few too many times.
Meg: Oh, Stan!
Stan: Anyway, when I got to work Mr. Dalton was in my office with the
plans that I drew up yesterday.
Meg: Mr. Dalton is the big boss, right?
Stan: No, Mr. Dalton is the BIG, BIG BOSS! All of my plans had to be redone. The client had changed his mind about the design.
Meg: Well, that wasn’t your fault. You did what they asked.
Stan: Yes, but Mr. Dalton was irritated at the client to begin with and he wasn’t happy that I was late.
Meg: Oh. Well, that’s not so bad. Everyone is late once in a while.
Stan: I told him it wouldn’t happen again. Anyway, I just got the plans redone and John came into my office.
Meg: Uh, oh.
Stan: Yep, the client had changed his mind again!
Meg: Still, that wasn’t your fault.
Stan: I know, but what they want is exactly what I originally wanted to draw but I didn’t make the suggestion. If I had I wouldn’t have had to do them three times and waste a lot of the company’s time.
Meg: So, you learned. Next time give the client a few different options to begin with and let them pick the best one.
Stan: Yeah, I guess that’s what I should do.
Meg: Of course. How did it go at church?
Stan: (Stan groans and pulls the blanket over his head again.) I can’t talk about it.
Meg: (Pulls blanket down.) Yes, you can. Come on. Tell me.
Stan: They’ll never ask me to do anything again!
Meg: What happened?
Stan: Well, you know I was in charge of the Men’s Group Meeting tonight.
Meg: Yes, and I know how hard you worked on the Bible Study you were
going to do.
Stan: The pastor and I were the only two men there.
Meg: Oh no. What happened to Jason?
Stan: He called me on his cell phone. His wife broke her ankle and they were at the Emergency Room.
Meg: Oh, no. What about Phil and Greg?
Stan: They had called the pastor earlier in the day to say they’d gotten hung up at work. They’re partners, you know, and they were having problems with some big project that had to get done today.
Meg: And no one else came?
Stan: No one.
Meg: So you didn’t do the Bible Study.
Stan: Yes, I did.
Meg: You did?
Stan: Pastor insisted. He wanted to hear it, but I’m sure he didn’t like it. Anyway I kept tripping over my own tongue. I dropped my notes and knocked my glass of water over. (Holds up water stained notes.)
Meg: Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.
Stan: (Wraps himself in the blanket again.) So, now I’m in my little cocoon and I’m never coming out again! (Phone rings.)
Meg: Hello. Oh, hello Pastor. Yes he’s here. (Stan shakes his whole body NO as he’s still wrapped in the blanket.) May I give him a message? He’s a bit tied up at the moment. You loved his Bible Study and you want him to do it again next week when the other men can be there? (Stan stands in surprise, still wrapped in blanket.) Thank you Pastor. I’ll give him the message. Bye. You heard that! They need you! Now come out of your cocoon, you’re not a caterpillar anymore. Now you’re a butterfly! (She grabs the end of the blanket and twirls him free.)
Stan: Oh yeah! Then where are my wings?
Meg: Right here. (Holds up water stained notes.)
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Copyright John & Joanne Miller, all rights reserved.
This script may be performed free of charge, provided no charge is
made for entrance or for programmes. In return, the authors would like
to be notified of any performance. For further information regarding performance
rights, they may be contacted at: joannesmiller65@gmail.com.