Firm Foundations…

By Susan Irvine

Summary	An elderly lady opens the family album, which she has not looked at in years, and as she remembers we see flashbacks to episodes in her own life and that of her sister. Each sister has high ambitions for a life with a solid foundation, but, as the old lady reflects, each life in its own way has ended in failure.

Characters:		Old lady
Leah – elder sister, serious and ambitious. Seen in her mid 20’s, mid 30’s and late 40’s.
Rachel – younger sister, social and unsure of herself. Seen in her early 20’s, early 30’s and mid 40’s.

Staging:		a series of monologues which give the sisters time to add to 
their costume to show the passing of time
Old lady stays on stage through out drama in a large comfortable arm chair

Dress:		Old Lady – plain colours
Rachel & Leah: Depending on the age of your old lady, work out what decade each scene takes place in and try to dress appropriately.
		Our suggestions:
Rachel- (1)old style evening dress (2) looser fitting floral dress 
(3) coat and hat 
Leah – (1) high necked, long sleeved white blouse and shapeless skirt, watch on a chain (2) pleated skirt with matching jacket 
(3) black robe

Script

(Stage right - a comfortable chair. Enter old lady with photograph album. She sits in chair. As she enters play tape of two young girls singing. Old photo of 2 sisters on screen:)

Song:
The wise man built his house upon the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the Rock 
And the house on the Rock stood firm

The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the house on the sand went CRASH! [Girls giggle])

Old lady: 	(Looking through album) So many memories. 
I haven’t seen these photographs for years and years. 
So many of my sister and me as children - always smiling, 
always side by side. We were inseparable…
we were all we had. (Turn the page)
Our father took his own life while we were still young. 
My mother was forced to take cleaning positions to make ends meet. When she came home late in the evening, tired out from a hard day’s work, 
she would talk bitterly of our father – (voice becomes bitter like her mother’s) how he was a fool and a failure. She would say to us ‘Remember your favourite Sunday School song about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand? Well the foolish man was your father – 
he built his house on the sand and his house crashed. My, how it’s crashed. 
Rachel, Leah, you girls remember  - 
build your house on a rock, on a firm foundation’. 
And every night we would promise to build our lives on a firm foundation.

Rachel:  	(Rushes in, breathless) My, oh my. I must catch my breath. I never 
thought it possible to dance the Charleston quite so many times. And I 
never thought to have such a perfect dance partner! Jacob asked me 
tonight if I would be his girl – and I said yes! He said he fell in love 
with me at first sight! Oh, he’s so romantic!  I just know he’s going to ask 
me to marry him and finally, finally, I will have what I’ve been searching for all my life - security and happiness, and my place in the world. I am going to be Mrs Jacob Strong. “How do you do Mrs Strong?” “How is your husband, Mrs Strong?”  “Let me introduce my wife, Rachel Strong”. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. 
Jacob will be the rock I’ll build my life on. (She exits)

Leah: 		(Walks in with head buried in book) Where is Rachel? (Looks at her 
watch) I suppose that sister of mine is out flibberty-gibetting around 
with some boy again – still she knows exactly what she’s doing. 
That life’s not for me though, thank you very much. I’m not going to rely on some man to build my life around – it didn’t work for my mother and it’s not going to happen to me. (Shutting the book with a snap)
 Education is the key. These days a woman can get a good education, earn a good wage and make something of herself. I am going to be someone. I’m going to do something significant with my life. I’m going to make sure that others look up to me. (Tapping her hand on the book) A firm foundation…a firm foundation… (She exits)

Old lady:	And so the two of us set out on our chosen life paths – building our 
lives on what we thought were sure foundations.

Rachel:  	(rushing in) Now you are not to tell a soul. It’s a big secret but I just had to tell someone – I’m pregnant! I can’t believe it. Jacob and I have been 
married for ten years and they’ve been good years. Jacob still adores 
me; we have a beautiful house, a big car, and lots of friends, but I have 
been just so unsettled. For the longest time I wasn’t sure why. And 
then I realised - it was so obvious! I thought being a wife was enough to 
build my life on but I was wrong – I need a child. I need to be a mother 
and then everything will just fall into place. (Exit)

Leah: 		(waving stick) No, no, boys, it’s: substruo, substruora, substruori, 
substruoribus, …3 o’clock? Yes, yes, you can go. (Calling after them) And recite it for homework. Substruo - To lay a foundation…
(Wiping her brow) It’s nice of you to ask – I suppose I must look tired. In fact, I’m utterly exhausted. I spend all day in the classroom with these inattentive boys, then rush to the University to attend lectures. My nights are spent studying and preparing schoolwork for the next day. It’s a very busy life but it’s definitely worthwhile. I mean, this is what I’ve always dreamed of – well, not the teaching exactly, but the independence. I’ve always wanted to be an independent, successful woman. Becoming a teacher wasn’t enough, though. (Thoughtfully) I thought it would be, but somehow, I don’t feel as successful as I thought I would. (Decisive) Then I realised that if I wanted a really solid career, I needed a University degree. Once I’ve achieved that, I’ll have a wonderfully solid foundation to build on. (She exits)

Old lady: 	We had each built our house on what we thought were sure 
foundations, but neither of us was satisfied. We kept building our 
houses higher and higher, trying to reach the sky, never once examining how secure our foundations were.

Rachel: 	(enters hesitantly) Hello, I’m Mrs. Rachel Strong. I almost didn’t come here today. One doesn’t like to think that the services of a psychiatrist are necessary, however, my doctor thought it was for the best. I guess I’ve been feeling a little bit depressed of late. My husband, Jacob, died a couple of years ago and of course that was very difficult.  At the time, I had to pull myself together for the sake of our two sons - they had lost their father. Thankfully, the boys seem to have adjusted quite well, (laughs) maybe too well. They’ve both left home and are finding their own place in the world. And now I find myself alone and feeling a little lost. I have a sister, Leah, but she is very busy. She’s very successful. …. But for me, life just seems so overwhelming – as if I’m in the midst of this never-ending storm with dark clouds and rain and this bitterly cold wind. It’s as if I’m searching for something to hold on to - something, anything, that will be secure and solid. But all I can find is shifting sand….. Can you understand that? Can you understand how that feels? Yes…Yes, of course you can. In any case I’m sure that I’m just overtired. I haven’t been sleeping well of late.  I’m sure I need trouble you no further. Thank you for your time. (Exits)

Leah: 	(enters confidently) I’ve only a few minutes so I hope you’ll understand if I keep this short. As headmistress of this prestigious private girls school, my life is not my own. Of course, that’s the way I like it. I have worked extremely hard, day and night, to achieve the position of headmistress. Since then I have poured my heart and soul into elevating this school to the outstanding position it has now reached. I have become extremely 
successful and well respected. People look up to me and listen when I 
speak…. Perhaps my personal life may lack something in the way of 
close relationships. I have a sister, Rachel, but she’s very busy with her 
own life and we don’t see a great deal of each other these days. In any case, my career was well worth any personal sacrifice. I have achieved significance. I have become someone and that is all I have ever wanted…. it matters the world to me…and that’s enough to build a life on…isn’t it….?

Old lady: 	(Anguished) How could two sisters who wanted the same thing take 
such different paths….?(Brings her emotions under control) 
Rachel died on the eve of her 48th birthday. 
They said she had taken too many sleeping pills by accident 
but Rachel never did anything by accident. 
I never even realized she was so unhappy until it was too late – 
too late to help. She left our parents’ photograph album to me. 
I’ve had it all these years and yet I could never bring myself to open it. It spoke of too many failures, too many hurts. 
But I am old now and today I found the courage to look at the pictures and smile 
(Turns page). Ah, this was always Rachel’s favourite photograph 
of us as children  
(Holds up photograph which has a letter attached to the back) 
What’s this? A letter  (Reads) “My dearest sister, Leah….” 

(Rachel’s voice takes over reading from backstage)

Rachel:	“My dearest sister, Leah. Knowing you as I do, I know you will read 
this note quite some time after I have gone. I hope you have forgiven me for leaving you all alone. Leah, do you remember that old Sunday School song we loved to sing, about the wise man who built his house on the rock and how it stood firm? I thought I would find my rock in the security of a husband and children, but the foundations weren’t firm enough when the storms came. My house has crashed. Perhaps if I had built my house as you did Leah…You have become someone, you have found significance – you have found a firm rock to stand on. I am so proud of you and feel so foolish in your shadow, a foolish woman following in the footsteps of our foolish father. Forgive me Leah and always stand firm on your rock.”

Old lady:  	(very emotional) Rachel…Rachel…..Didn’t you know? 
I never found a firm foundation. 
I never found a rock to stand on. 
You searched for security; I searched for significance. 
Our searches took us on different paths but they both ended in failure. Neither proved to be firm foundations, sister. 
We have both failed. 
(Buries head in hands, sobbing).

(Lights slowly dim as Rachel’s voice is heard singing sadly in the background)

The wise man built his house upon the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the Rock
And the house on the Rock stood firm.

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© Susan Irvine (Dunedin City Baptist) September 2000
All rights reserved
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies are not sold 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. Our drama group can be contacted at the following address: Caradii@xtra.co.nz