He that writes to himself writes to an eternal public. -Emerson

Thursday, June 17, 2010

"Baby Sleeps On," a short play in two acts

The scene:  a table in a restaurant, it could be any restaurant at all, anywhere in the world (but as it happens it was a pub in Tahoe); dinnertime

The actors:  wife, three-year-old, blessedly inert baby, and me; also a waitress

Act 1:

ME:  Please don't take the ice out of your glass.
WIFE:  Please don't play with your straw.
ME:  Stop blowing bubbles in your water, you're going to spill it.
WIFE:   Don't play with your straw.
ME:  Will you stop messing with your glass?

THREE-YEAR-OLD spills entire glass of water all over table, himself, and ME

ME and THREE-YEAR-OLD exit rapidly, stage left

Act 2:

ME and tearful THREE-YEAR-OLD enter, stage left, sit down at table; table is now dry but our clothing is still wet
WAITRESS arrives with plates of hamburgers and fried things
WIFE starts to share out helpings for THREE-YEAR-OLD

THREE-YEAR-OLD:  Can I have some ketchup?
THREE-YEAR-OLD:  Can I have some ketchup?
THREE-YEAR-OLD:  Can I have some ketchup?
THREE-YEAR-OLD:  Can I have some ketchup?
WIFE:  ALRIGHT ALREADY CALM DOWN!
THREE-YEAR-OLD:  Why do I have to ask you five times?

ME strikes forehead with open palm, repeatedly

THREE-YEAR-OLD:  You shouldn't hit your head.

ME and WIFE clench edge of table, laugh, cry

BABY sleeps on

Fin.

6 comments:

  1. whose forehead is ME striking? I sure hope it's not his own...

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  2. For sure it is! And I can't ever remember actually doing such a thing. It was truly involuntary, I couldn't help it, I had to hit myself in the head. The joke here is that Felix does this all the time, as a joke, and to irritate us, which it does.

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  3. Classic! Always good to hear how others fight same windmills.

    PS. Whats the ID project?
    Love Nina

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have a million stories like this. Share one and I'll give another one back.

    ID PROJECT: http://brekkieusa.blogspot.com/2010/04/id-photo-project.html

    YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS NEEDED!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Me...usualy overwhelmed by anger and total despair...wrong timing to memorise stories as you did.

    ReplyDelete