(A contemporary kitchen in an upwardly mobile household, decorated playfully with cookie jars, puppets, and other childlike accoutrements - all carefully displayed and clearly unused - imprisoned in this nest of bridled enthusiasms. Preparing toast and coffee is a no-longer-young man [ANDREW], appropriately suited-and-tied for the pursuit of modern-day-dragons. Sitting at the kitchen table, and staring into space, is a no-longer-young-woman [SAMMY] whose otherwise business-like appearance is incongruously relieved by the delicate violets painted on her fingernails and a single lovely violet flirting mischievously beneath her long tresses at the curve of her neck just below her right ear.)
ANDREW
Hul-lo-oh! Good morning! Are you in there?
SAMMY
Sorry. (He hands her toast and pours her a cup of coffee.) Thank you.
Good morning.
ANDREW
Did you sleep well?
SAMMY
Hmmm?
ANDREW
I said, did you sleep all right? You seemed awfully restless.
SAMMY
No worse than normal. (a beat) I'm surprised you put up with me, honestly,
the way I thrash about. It's uncivilized.
ANDREW
It's cute. Like a puppy. A big puppy.
SAMMY
Very funny. Do you have a busy day?
ANDREW
(as though envisioning his calendar as he speaks)
Meetings from 7 through 2; research till 6; another meeting at dinner. I should
be home by ten, I think. Yeah, it's pretty full. How about you?
(No answer. She is staring into space again.)
ANDREW
Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself. Why'd you ask if you weren't going
to listen? SAMMY! Where the hell are you?
SAMMY
(not angry; like a hurt child)
Don't yell at me.
ANDREW
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sam. Come here.
(He pulls out his chair, inviting her to sit on his lap, an invitation that she ignores.)
SAMMY
I heard everything you said. Meetings till 2, research till 6, then dinner with
a client and home by ten. Maybe. If you're lucky. Unless, of course, the client
is a drinker, or Lewis needs to talk afterwards, or something else comes up
that you can't think of at the moment but that's equally -
ANDREW
Listen to the pot calling the kettle black. When was the last time you came
up for air? (a beat) It's what we do, Sammy. Work. It's who we are.
SAMMY
I'm sorry.
(She stands up, pulls a unicorn puppet down from its hook, and starts playing with it, pawing at Andrew's leg with the puppet's hoof.)
ANDREW
(kissing her gently)
I've got to go.
SAMMY
Me too. My presentation for Nortel is at eight.
ANDREW
Then you've got time for one more cup of coffee. (a beat) I love you.
SAMMY
I know. (She waves the unicorn's paw until Andrew exits.) I love you
too.
(The phone rings from somewhere off-stage. SAMMY ignores it, talking, instead, to the unicorn.)
SAMMY
You think I should answer that phone?
(She begins nodding the unicorn's head up and down at first, then switches the motion to side to side.)
SAMMY
I don't think so either. If it's Telmarc, I'll be on the phone for hours and
be late for my presentation, and if it's anybody else, it can wait till ten
o'clock.
(We hear an answering machine pick up the phone, and a male voice saying.)
MAN FROM TELMARC
(VO from machine)
Sam, it's Brad. I was hoping to catch you before you got the day started. The
project we talked about yesterday is definitely going to break this morning
and we really need you here as soon as -
(SAMMY begins humming the song from The King and I, "Shall We Dance,” in an attempt to drown out the phone message. Her humming grows louder and louder as the man's voice drones on leaving a long message. Eventually, she begins singing the words, mangling the lyrics badly and dancing around the room with the unicorn.)
| MAN FROM TELMARC possible. Bring all the early proposal drafts with you. We need to be prepared for any questions that may come up. And, damn it, I left my notes in the job jacket, so don't forget that we need that too, or we'll be up shit creek. Ron will be here by nine so we'll have all our bases covered. Sorry for the long message. You're probably half way here already. But in case you're checking in, at least this will save you a trip back home to get the stuff. Thanks, Sam. (we hear the phone call hang up) |
SAMMY |
Sammy curtseys to the unicorn.)
SAMMY
Thank you, sir.
(SAMMY makes the unicorn paw the ground, pleadingly, his face raised to look at hers.)
SAMMY
Oh, no, I couldn't possibly. (The unicorn's pawing grows more insistent.)
How did you hear about that? (She looks suspiciously at the menagerie of
anthropomorphized creatures that populate this kitchen, settling her eyes at
last on a pitcher in the shape of a rabbit.) I should have known I couldn't
trust you. (returning her gaze to the unicorn) That was a long time ago.
Do you see my nose twitching? I didn't think so. I have no intention of going
back to the forest just now. I have an eight o'clock -
(The phone rings again. Again, the machine picks it up.)
| SAMMY'S SISTER (VO from machine) Hi, Sammy. Sammy? Are you there? It's me. I thought you didn't have any appointments until eight. Leila needs a ride to school, and I got called in early, so I was hoping. Darn. Guess you left early. (a short beat) Sam? Are you there? If you're just in the bathroom or something, call me, okay? (we hear the call hang up) |
SAMMY |
(Lights shift. SAMMY drops the puppet strings, and slowly looks around the room at its playful inhabitants in their various guises of quiescence. Her nose twitches.)
SAMMY
Is it safe to come out now? (As a clock chimes half past the hour, SAMMY
drops her suit jacket to the floor, slips off her shoes, and loosens the clasps
in her hair, allowing it to fall freely. The clock chimes eight o'clock.)
Poor unicorn. You would have been smarter to have been a rabbit. There are lots
of rabbits in the forest. It's not nearly so lonely being a rabbit. (Her
eyes move to a tea pot shaped like an owl.) You just have to watch for the
owls and such. Are you hungry? There are some lovely berries in the garden.
(She opens the refrigerator and takes out a bowl of raspberries, placing
them on the floor in front of the now lifeless unicorn.) There you go. Good,
aren't they? (She picks at them herself, clearly savoring the joy of tasting
them.) I like raspberries best.
(The phone rings; we eventually hear the machine pick up and the message interlaced with SAMMY's speech.)
|
MAN FROM NORTEL Sam, this is Fred. It's a quarter past
eight. |
SAMMY Don't hurt it! It's only a spider. |
(Sam finds a paper plate, coaxes the spider onto it, opens the kitchen window, and carefully deposits the creature outside, chattering to him all the while.)
SAMMY
Don't be such a coward, silly. You'd think you'd never seen a rabbit before.
Up you go. You'll be safe in a minute. Get back here. (She turns the dish
over, then re-catches the spider from a lower distance, where he has apparently
escaped via a cast web.)
SAMMY cont.
(as an aside, to the spider)
No patience, spiders. A lot smarter than flies, though. Now a wasp is really
easy. They'll go right where you tell them. But a fly, you may as well talk
to a worm. No brains at all! Compared to flies, spiders are brilliant. (returning
her attention to the spider, as she opens the window) There, that wasn't
so bad, was it? Off you go. Give my regards to the caterpillars.
(SAMMY leaves the kitchen window open, and stands, listening to the cacophony of birds chirping their good mornings. The phone rings again. We hear Andrew's voice. SAMMY continues to ignore these interruptions. She is clearly somewhere else.)
| ANDREW Honey, listen, I got a message from Fred at Nortel. Something about this morning's presentation. I know you didn't forget. Is something wrong? Listen, honey, I've got to do this lunch thing, I mean, I can't miss this appointment but I'm worried about you. Call me so I know you're okay, okay? Call me. I'll leave the cell on. |
SAMMY (to the unicorn) It's really a lovely |
(The phone rings again.)
| A WOMAN PROSPECT Hello, I'm calling for Sammy Aloysius. I got your name from Jeffrey Longbach. We have a project we thought you might be interested in. If you would call me back please: four-four-oh-two-nine-seven-three- oh-six-six. I'll look forward to hearing from you. (hang up) |
SAMMY Well, I imagine you're a bit sleepy |
(The clock chimes four o'clock.)
SAMMY
Would you like me to sing you to sleep?
(She picks the unicorn puppet up and cradles him in her arms, singing.)
Now I lay me down to sleep,
Pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Should I die before I wake,
Pray the Lord my soul to take.
(talking now, staring emptily out into space)
God bless Mommy, and take good care of her. God bless Daddy. I miss you, Daddy.
(The phone rings again now, and again, and again, and again, building a counterpoint of tension as SAMMY, oblivious to all but where she has gone, inside herself, continues to the end.)
|
MAN FROM TELMARC |
SAMMY |
SAMMY
to have to. I don't like to kill things.
(The lights shift again. It is absolutely quiet. SAMMY lays the unicorn on the table gently. She picks up her clothing from the floor, and calmly drapes it over the kitchen chair, positioning her shoes neatly under it. She takes the breakfast dishes to the sink, washes, dries them, and places them in the cupboard. She walks to a cookie jar in the shape of a fairytale castle, opens it, and takes out a gun. The phone rings.)
ANDREW
Honey, I'm at the bottom of the hill. Sam, honey, would you please pick up the
phone? (a beat) Sam?
SAMMY
My name is Samantha. (She picks up the gun, and places the muzzle to her
head. Darkness. A single shot.)
The Boy
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession. (a long
pause)
Fr. Vincenzo
Yes?
(a long pause)
Fr. Vincenzo
Yes? What sins do you ask to be forgiven?
The Boy
I don’t know, Father. My Holy Communion is tomorrow. And I –, –
I know I must confess, but—
Fr. Vincenzo
Yes?
The Boy
I – I haven’t sinned, Father.
Fr. Vincenzo
All men are sinners. Even I am a sinner. The Pope himself, is a man – and
therefore, a sinner.
The Boy
Father, I would not lie. It would be wrong to lie. I have not sinned.
Fr. Vincenzo
Tell me, son – what is a sin?
The Boy
To sin is to offend God. To grievously sin is to know God, yet turn away from
His Will.
Fr. Vincenzo
And is it not His will that you confess?
The Boy
Yes, Father. (a beat) If I had sinned, He would want me to confess. But
He would not want me to lie.
Fr. Vincenzo
Do you know your Commandments? Let us say them together, and see whether or
not you are without sin.
The Boy & Fr. Vincenzo
(together)
I am the Lord thy God, Thou shalt not have false gods before me.
Fr. Vincenzo
Have you ever looked to a power higher than the power of the Lord?
The Boy
No, Father.
Fr. Vincenzo
Have you never given to another that honor and glory that is due your God alone?
The Boy
(a pause) I love my Mother and Father. But they would never ask me to
put themselves higher than God. They love God, and have taught me to love Him
with all my heart and all my soul.
Fr. Vincenzo
Let us go on to the second commandment. Thou shalt…
The Boy & Fr. Vincenzo
(together)
not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Fr. Vincenzo
Well? Have you ever in anger or defiance spoken the Lord’s name?
The Boy
(appalled at the thought) No, Father. I would never do that.
Fr. Vincenzo
Very well, and the third commandment?
The Boy & Fr. Vincenzo
(together)
Remember thou keep holy the Lord’s Day.
Fr. Vincenzo
Have you never missed a Sunday Mass?
The Boy
No, Father. Not even when I was sick. My Mother said that if I had a fever,
then God would forgive my absence – and if I did not, I must go –
and I did.
Fr. Vincenzo
And have you never dishonored the Sabbath by doing little chores or perhaps
your homework on the Lord’s Day?
The Boy
In the second grade, we don’t have homework. And our chores are always
done before we go to sleep on Saturday, so that we can go to Mass and then spend
Sunday together. Even Daddy never uses his office on a Sunday. Mother won’t
let him.
Fr. Vincenzo
I see. Not a floor swept, not a door painted – not one single chore?
The Boy
I walk the dog. Is that a sin?
Fr. Vincenzo
No, my son. A dog must be walked. Even on Sunday. (confused) Now, where
were we?
The Boy
The fourth commandment. Honor thy Father and thy Mother.
Fr. Vincenzo
Ah, yes. Surely you have, at times, been disrespectful? Raised your voice in
anger, perhaps?
(silence)
Fr. Vincenzo
Done something you were expressly forbidden to do?
The Boy
(excited, relieved to have found his sin at last)
Yes! I did! Once Daddy told me not to tell Mommy that he had broken her favorite
lamp – but she asked me, and I did tell her. Was that a sin, Father? Should
I have lied?
Fr. Vincenzo
Have you forgotten the eighth commandment? Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor.
The Boy
Then, it was not a sin?
Fr. Vincenzo
It was not a sin.
The Boy
I’m sorry, Father.
Fr. Vincenzo
I can see you are. Shall we continue?
The Boy
Yes, Father.
The Boy & Fr. Vincenzo
(together)
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.
Fr. Vincenzo
Now, there we have some possibilities. A cookie stolen from the jar when your
Mother was not looking? Or perhaps a toy, wrestled away from your brother?
The Boy
I haven’t got a brother.
Fr. Vincenzo
A friend, then?
The Boy
I’m trying to remember, Father – no.
Fr. Vincenzo
(despairingly)
Well, we have already determined that you do not lie and there is no possibility
whatsoever of you coveting another’s wife – so where does that leave
us?
The Boy
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
Fr. Vincenzo
Yes. And have you?
The Boy
(hesitantly) Are sins, goods, Father?
Fr. Vincenzo
What?
The Boy
Sins, Father. Would it be a sin to covet another’s sins?
Fr. Vincenzo
Well, yes, I suppose it would.
The Boy
(a beat) Bless me Father, for I have sinned -
Copyright © 2002-2004 by Nia
Nia is a talented business writer who indulgences her creativity during her free time by writing plays, poetry, and other short pieces, both fiction and nonfiction.