Modern Day Greek Drama
Scenes
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Players
Mother (Moira)
Daughter (Alice)
Father (Phil)
Aunt (Dorothy)
Psychiatrist
[Lights on. Psychiatrist sitting in a chair by the side of the stage. Living room scene behind her.]
Psychiatrist: So rarely these days do we find a family that is truly happy. Miserable yes, contented maybe, but happy? Oh no. I spend my days attempting to help people with their problems, attempting to help them work things out in their own minds. But there is only so much that I can do.
Take this mother for instance; she is a pillar of the community, loved by all. No woman fancies herself able to keep up with this woman’s devotion to her family. While her husband spends his days supporting them, she is seen as single-handedly raising an intelligent and sophisticated child, who spent the first years of her life dangerously close to Death’s domain. They are the model family, never fighting, never clashing, just living in pure bliss.
But I tell you, this family is not as it seems. This mother has been a patient of mine for years, yet I find we have made little progress. She is extremely possessive of her daughter, to the point that the child can’t even go outside without the mother’s aid. And the Father, he wastes his life away at work in an attempt to escape from pains of his own home.
[Psychiatrist exits. Daughter sits on the ground doing homework. Tired Father comes home from work and flops down in a chair with a sigh.]
Daughter: Daddy, you ok?
Father: Yeah Honey, I’m fine, just tired.
[Mother enters]
Mother: You’re home late.
Father: Everybody left early. I needed to stay late and deal with some production problems.
Mother: I made food. Leftovers are sitting on the counter. You can heat them up yourself.
Father: [under his breath] Of course, dear.
Mother: [frowning, turns to daughter] Honey, it’s time for bed.
Daughter: But it’s only nine!
Mother: I said go.
[Daughter exits]
Father: For God’s sake Moira, she’s not a little girl anymore. The least you can do is extend her bedtime.
Mother: Don’t even start.
[Mother exits. Father pours himself a drink. Lights out.]
[Light on. Kitchen. Table is set. Mother walks back and forth with a worried expression. Father leans against the counter reading.]
Mother: Why hasn’t she called yet? I told her to call at eight. Something must have happened, I knew I shouldn’t have let her go.
Father: It’s just a slumber party. She’s just across town, and we’ve known the family for years. There’s no reason to worry.
Mother: Don’t you dare give me that. She doesn’t know how to take care of herself.
Father: If that’s true, it’s only because you haven’t given her the chance to learn. Tucking her away in the house all these years. She’s 13 and this is probably the second or third time she’s ever spent the night at someone else’s house.
Mother: She doesn’t like staying away for the night. [phone rings, mother runs to answer] Alice? Oh good, we were getting worried. [father goes to sit down at the table, shaking his head] Is everything all right? Did you forget anything? No? Well, call again before you go to sleep. And call if you need me. Anytime of the night, I can be there in less than five minutes. All right, honey. You sure you’re ok? Remember, anytime of the night. Goodnight, honey. [hangs up phone and sighs. Goes to the table and starts eating in silence.]
Father: Moira, we need to talk.
Mother: I’m eating Phil, it can wait.
Father: No it can’t. [Mother looks at father] I’m leaving.
Mother: Another business trip? [goes back to eating] Alice has a dance recital soon. She’s going to be disappointed.
Father: Not a business trip, I want a divorce. [Mother looks up, not very surprised] I can’t live like this anymore. We’ve been married for twenty-five years, Moira, but there isn’t anything there any more. I’m putting in overtime at work just so I don’t have to come home. The only thing that’s even been keeping me here is Alice, not that I even get to talk to her.
Mother: And you’re blaming me for that? You come home angry and tried and expect anyone stay in a room with you? Let’s not forget that I’m the one who had to raise her while you went to work.
Father: Without my working we would have gone broke long ago. And I never once heard you complain about it. Never once did you even offer to get a job, or even suggest that I should spend more time with our daughter.
Mother: I shouldn’t have to suggest anything. Anyway, Alice needs me, I can’t just ignore that and take up some job.
Father: [gets up and stands in front of the table] Alice is a hell of a lot stronger than you think. I don’t think she’d mind walking home for once in her life, or waiting around after school to be picked up, or hell, even going to a friend’s house, not as if she’s had the chance to make many of them. Maybe she could even try staying home by herself for a few hours.
Mother: [gets up] Are you crazy? She never walked home in her life. She can’t-
Father: The school is only half a mile away on a very public street that several other kids also use.
Mother: Stop trying to tell me how to raise my daughter, Phil! You have no right.
Father: I have every right. I may not have been around very much, but at least I don’t try to keep her on a baby leash.
Mother: She needs me to take care of her.
Father: She needs a life of her own. She deserves it, and I intend to give her one.
[dramatic pause]
Mother: What are you talking about?
Father: I’m suing for 100% custody. I’m not going to let you keep hurting her. [Walks back to the counter, back to Mother]
Mother: [picking up knife from the dinner table] I’m not going to let you take her.
[Lights out.]
[Lights on. Daughter rushes home to find Aunt sitting on porch steps and crying.
Daughter: Aunt Dorothy? What are you doing here? They called me at they party and told me to come.
Aunt: Oh dear, Alice. [Motions to her] Come, sit down.
Daughter: Where’s Mom and Dad? What’s wrong?
Aunt: Honey, something very bad happened today.
Daughter: What? [panicking] What happened?
Aunt: The police say it looks like self defense. According to their report, Phil--your father [pause] attacked your mother.
Daughter: [jumps up] No! He wouldn’t do that!
Aunt: I know how it sounds...
Daughter: Where is he?! I want to see him now.
Aunt: Honey, please. He was found stabbed in the back with a knife. He’s dead.
Daughter: [quietly] No. [sits on the steps and starts to cry]
Aunt: I’m so sorry. [hugs Daughter]
Daughter: He never would have attacked her...
[Mother enters, holding back tears]
Mother: Alice! Oh Alice... [runs to Daughter, pushing aside Aunt] I know dear, I know. It’ll all be ok, we’ll be fine. He’s gone now, he can’t hurt us anymore.
[Daughter looks pleadingly at Aunt. Aunt shakes her head and exits. Lights out.]
****
[Lights on. Psychiatrist’s office and waiting room. Mother runs into the office crying.]
Mother: It’s horrible, my God. Oh you can’t tell anyone anything I say, right?
Psychiatrist: Yes Moira, you know that. Now what’s the matter?
Mother: I killed him, with the knife and everything. He was going to leave us, take my baby girl, I had to.
Psychiatrist: Calm down, Moira, take a deep breath and sit down. Now what are you talking about?
[Aunt enters waiting room. Psychiatrist and Mother continue to talk silently in the background. Aunt goes to the door and stops.]
Aunt: My God! She’s in there, and she’s confessing the whole thing! I had meant to catch her when she came out, but this is perfect.
[Listens at the door] I knew it. I’ve never trusted that bloodsucking witch.
I know my brother better than anyone. He couldn’t have done what she said he did. Yes, he was going to leave her, and take Alice. Anyone who knew what really went on in that house wouldn’t blame him. But I don’t see why he would have attacked her.
The police report was so sketchy. Apparently, Moira didn’t even say anything about him leaving her. She just said he went insane and started after her. And the police just believe her. I guess everyone’s a sucker for a socially loved woman crying her eyes out.
I can’t let my poor niece live with this deranged woman! Alice needs to know! Although, I’m guessing she suspects as much already. The poor thing; her mother’s constant vigilance and supervision has left her scared to death of the woman. But she knows the true faces of her parents. She will believe me, even if she doesn’t want to.
[Aunt exists. Mother stands up, speaking aloud now.]
Mother: Oh thank you for listening. I feel some much better. In the turmoil all of this caused, I nearly lost my head. [goes to leave]
Psychiatrist: Wait, Moira, I don’t think we’re done talking about this. You killed your own husband. Isn’t there anything more you want to say?
Mother: Oh no, I think I’m fine now. I want to get to Alice now; she must be torn to pieces with grief. She needs me there to help her through this.
Psychiatrist: Moira, wait! [Mother leaves] Oh dear.
[Lights out]
[Lights on. Daughter in living room, staring into space. Aunt enters.]
Aunt: Alice, I need to talk to you. [Goes to Daughter.] Alice?
Daughter: He’s gone. I can’t believe it. Attacking Mom, it just doesn’t sound right. And I’m going to be living with my Mother now...
Aunt: Alice, listen to me. You need to know something. Your father didn’t attack you mother.
Daughter: What?
Aunt: Your father didn’t want to live like this anymore. He wanted a life, and he wanted you to have one too. Do you understand?
Daughter: He was going to take me away?
Aunt: Yes.
Daughter: He talked about it, but I never thought he would-
Aunt: Listen, I don’t know how much time we have. He confronted your mother and told her what I just told you. She went crazy and attacked him with a knife and killed him. Then she messed up the house, made up a story, made it look like self defense.
Daughter: How do you know that?
Aunt: Never mind how I found out. You know your father, Alice, and you know your mother. Which story sounds more plausible?
[Lights out.]
[Lights on. Kitchen. Daughter sits at table. Mother comes in.]
Mother: Oh Alice, I was worried, what are you doing in here? Come on out.
Daughter: You know, I didn’t want to believe it.
Mother: I know dear, you always loved your father very much. But we’ll start over again.
Daughter: I’m not talking about Dad. I’m talking about you.
Mother: What are you talking about, Honey?
Daughter: I’ve always known dad was unhappy, but even through all the fighting, I knew he’d never hurt you. When they said he attacked you, it didn’t make sense.
Mother: Alice, stop it. I know this has been hard for you, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Daughter: [picks up knife] Why, mother, if it was in self defense, was Dad stabbed in the back?
Mother: He wasn’t stable, Honey. You know how hard he worked-
Daughter: And what motivated him? Why suddenly attack you?
Mother: Why are you questioning me, Alice? I told you-
Daughter: What on Earth could incite a human being into killing another in cold blood?
Mother: Alice Ann Devenrow, you shut your mother this instant!
Daughter: I don’t think so, Mother.
Mother: I am your mother young lady, how dare you talk to me like that!
Daughter: I’ll talk to you however I damn well please you deceitful, egotistical, two faced lying bitch!
Mother: [taken aback] You... how could you-
Daughter: [puts knife down and comes forward, closer to Mother] Did you really think I was so stupid? Did you really think I would believe you once I figured this out? Father was leaving, wasn’t he? You couldn’t handle the idea of being left to fend for yourself. Of being thought of as the perfect mother who couldn’t keep her husband. Of being rejected.
Mother: He-
Daughter: But that wasn’t all of it, he wanted to take me with him. But you couldn’t handle the idea of losing your precious little baby girl. So you killed him. So appropriate, stabbing him in the back.
Mother: [ reaches out and slaps daughter] You ungrateful little brat! You are my daughter. I loved you. I raised you. I took care of you when you were sick. If it weren’t for me, you would have died within weeks of being born.
Daughter: He wanted to protect me.
Mother: He had no right to try and take you away. He went off and worked while I sacrificed my life taking care of you. I’ve given you everything you have. I’ve made you into everything that you are. How dare you side with that poor excuse for a father.
Daughter: He was more of a parent to me then you ever were! If it weren’t for him being there during all of your motherly melodrama, I would have killed myself a long time ago.
You didn’t sacrifice your life taking care of me, you sacrificed my life. And now you’ve taken from me the one person who ever understood what it was like to live with you, all the time intending to raise me, never telling me what really happened.
Understand this: I will never consent to living under the same roof with you. I’ll die first. But before anything else, I will see that every person in this town knows what you’ve know. That everybody has seen the perfect mother fall from grace.
[Daughter exits]
Mother: No. This isn’t happening. We’re a happy family. My daughter loves me. She’d never leave me. [picks up knife from table] She never left me.
[Lights out]
[Lights on. Psychiatrists office and waiting room. Psychiatrist and Aunt talking, Daughter sitting in chair.]
Psychiatrist: Thank you for bringing her.
Aunt: Well, I figure that she needs to talk to someone. Poor thing walked in on her mother’s suicide. She’d stabbed herself in the heart. Alice hasn’t said anything since.
Psychiatrist: And where’s she going to live now?
Aunt: She’ll come live with me.
Psychiatrist: [to daughter] Alice? Do you want to come in now?
[Daughter silently stands up and goes into the office.]
Aunt: Thank you doctor. [goes to sit down]
Psychiatrist: One last thing. You said her mother stabbed herself? In the heart.
Aunt: Yes. At least, that was the only explanation they could come up with.
Psychiatrist: What do you mean?
Aunt: Well, the police found it a little odd that she was able to stab herself like that. But she was the only one in the there who could have done it. Alice had already left.
Psychiatrist: But you said Alice came back to the room?
Aunt: Yes, why?
Psychiatrist: Nothing, nevermind. Well, I’ll work with and see what I can do.
[Psychiatrist goes into office. Lights out.]