by Andy Campbell
GREG – a man in his 40’s
ADAM – GREG’s son. He is between 9 and 13 years old
LEAH – a young woman
DENA – LEAH’s sister
CHAD – a teenager
LUCY – CHAD’s teenage girlfriend
(Enter ADAM from an adjacent room. He is dressed for outside play and
carries with him a baseball
glove, and a bat.)
ADAM: Ready dad?
GREG: (without looking up) Huh?
ADAM: We’re going to practice. Remember?
GREG: (looks up from his work) Practice? Adam, can’t you see I’m busy?
ADAM: Dad, you promised! You told me on Monday that we’d go practice
tonight. I have a game
tomorrow and . . .
GREG: Tomorrow? You have a game tomorrow? (now he remembers, ashamed)
You have a game . . .
tomorrow.
ADAM: (slowly) Yeah . . . don’t you remember? When you picked me up
yesterday mom told you that
you had to get me to my game Sunday.
GREG: Well, I’m going to have to call your mom. I’m sorry son, but I just can’t do it.
ADAM: (somewhat angry and hurt) What do you mean you can’t do it?! You
promised! You said that
this weekend would be our special weekend. All you’ve done is sat there
at that desk and work since
we got here!
GREG: Son . . .
ADAM: (now really angry) NO DAD! You said that you and I would . . .
GREG: (comes over to ADAM) Listen to me son! I know that I promised
you that we’d work on your
fielding, but I have got to get this work done. If this isn’t done
by Monday . . .
ADAM: Well I won’t be here Monday! Mom’s picking me up after the game.
Then I don’t get to see
you for another two weeks. You promised.
GREG: Well, I’m sorry son. What do you want me to say? Sometimes adults
can’t always do
everything they say they can.
[Fade out]
[Lights up]
LEAH: . . . so Mark told me that he had something "special" planned.
DENA: Yeah, and . . .
LEAH: Well, you know what I had to be thinking.
DENA: Do you really think that this is it? The big question? Time to
take a long walk off a short pier,
tie the knot, hook on the old ball and chain?
LEAH: I dunno, but I think it might be!
DENA: I’m so excited for you! So when do I get to meet this Mark? Are
you bringing him out with you
next week?
LEAH: About that . . .
DENA: What? You are still coming, right?
LEAH: Well . . . Dena, all this with Mark, and the "special" thing he
has planned. I would just hate to
ruin the most "special" night of my life.
DENA: (protesting) But even you said that you weren’t sure if this "special"
thing is going to be a
proposal. You don’t even know when he’s going to do it!
LEAH: I know, I know, but what if he’s already planned something and
then I go and tell him I have
to go away for a week to see my sister, and then I miss my chance?
DENA: Leah, I can’t believe what I’m hearing!
LEAH: Oh, come on. It’s not that big a deal! It’s not like we never
talk or anything. I’ll just reschedule
and come out later.
DENA: Oh, really? I’m leaving in two weeks for Prague. Remember? The
company’s sending me
out there to help them set up an interface in Eastern Europe. I’ll
be gone almost six months.
LEAH: Six months? I forgot.
DENA: (hurt) Surprise, surprise.
LEAH: Don’t be that way about it.
DENA: Why shouldn’t I? This happens every time Leah. We make plans to
get together and then
something always "comes up". I’m getting sick and tired of it. You’re
my sister. Sisters aren’t
supposed to let each other down like this.
LEAH: Dena, hold on a sec . . .
DENA: Forget it. I’ve better things to do than sit around and wait for
the day that you decide to show
up.
(DENA hangs up the phone. Lights out on DENA.)
LEAH: Awww come on Dena! (pause) Dena? (sigh)
(LEAH hangs up her phone)
LEAH: Way to go girl. You really messed that one up.
[Fade out]
[Lights up]
(LUCY stands with a book bag looking up and down the hall for someone.
She looks at her watch, or at
a clock on the wall. She then resumes peering up and down the hallway.)
(Enter CHAD. He is carrying a book bag. He wears a letter jacket.)
CHAD: (to an unseen group of guys offstage from his entrance) Alright
guys! I’ll be there. See ya
tonight! (to LUCY) Hey Luce! Sorry I’m late. (he kisses her on the
cheek.)
LUCY: That’s all right. (looking offstage) Who was that?
CHAD: Just a few of the guys. You wanna go to the Dairy Mart and grab a shake?
LUCY: That sounds good.
(CHAD starts to exit. As he crosses in front of LUCY a folded up piece
of paper falls out of his bag.
LUCY picks it up.)
LUCY: Hey, what’s this?
CHAD: (turns to her) Huh? (sees the paper) Oh . . . nuthin’. Give it here, ok?
LUCY: (avoids giving it to him) Why? What is it?
CHAD: I told ya, it’s nuthin’.
LUCY: (playfully) Is it a note from the "other" woman? Am I not enough for ya?
CHAD: (now embarrassed and somewhat worried) Cut it out already. It’s not anything. Really.
LUCY: (begins to unfold the paper) Then you won’t mind if I read it.
CHAD: (desperately trying to figure out a way to stop her) Uhhh . .
. we better get going if we want to
get back before practice.
LUCY: (reading) "Dear Chad. I had a really good time with you after
the game." (looks up at CHAD)
What is this? (looks down at the note again) "Love Jen"? Jennifer Thompson?
It that who this is
from?
CHAD: Hey, it’s not what it seems . . .
LUCY: You’d better hope it’s not!
CHAD: I can explain. See last week after . . .
LUCY: You told me that you had to go to your grandparent’s house after
the game. Does Jennifer live
with your grandparents? Huh?
CHAD: Well, no . . .
LUCY: Then tell me, Chad, how could you have been at your grandparent’s
and with Jennifer at the
same time?
CHAD: Luce, come on! If you’ll give me a sec I can explain.
LUCY: You’d better.
CHAD: Ok. After the game I went out to my car to go to my grandparent’s.
When I got out to the
parking lot I noticed that Jen . . . I mean, Jennifer . . . was having
car trouble. So I went over and
offered to give her a ride home. And she said that was ok. So I gave
her a ride home.
LUCY: That’s all?
CHAD: Well, sorta, yeah.
LUCY: What do you mean "sorta, yeah"?
CHAD: Well . . . she kinda kissed me. To thank me for the ride, you know.
LUCY: No, I don’t know! I don’t know any girl who would give a guy a kiss for a ride home!
CHAD: (protesting) Lucy . . .
LUCY: (slaps CHAD) Tell "Jen" I said "hello".
(she throws the note to the ground and exits)
(CHAD is left rubbing his cheek. He picks up the note, shoves it in
his pocket, and exits opposite
LUCY shaking his head in disbelief).
[Lights out]
...............................................
© Andy Campbell 2001
All rights reserved
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies
are not sold for profit in any medium, nor
any entrance fee charged.
In exchange for free performance, the author would appreciate being
notified of when and for what purpose the
play is performed.
He may be contacted at: aprilandandyc@earthlink.net