Thanksgiving II 2

Scene Two

Departures

Friday morning, 10 a.m. The entire cast is at the table in the dining area, breakfasting. Silence first, then:

Rob: (to Terry) Pass the butter, please. (Terry does so. Notices Martin reading the paper.) Anything new? George always gives me the update on whatever skulduggery is going on.

Martin: Only the usual: upheaval, revolutions, murder, theft, and so on. No fires, though.

Louise: Huh. Sounds like our family.

John: Somehow it seems like the world never functions the way it is supposed to. How are the Sox doing?

Martin: (amused) As usual.

John: I’d love to see a game again, but I’m afraid it isn’t in the cards. (to Louise) I have to fly out to California tonight. Business.

Louise. I wish you a terrible trip. May your plane have as much turbulence as you have created here.

John: I didn’t do anything!!

Martin: (throws his knife and fork down) My God, are we going to start in again?!?

Ginnie: Let them go at it if they want to. I wash my hands of the whole business. (to Louise) You got us up here on false pretences. The way you wrote, you’d think Woodstock II was about to take place. Let this be a lesson. We aren’t a family, never were, and never will be.

Louise: But you are all my children! I brought you into this world!

Terry: Your idea of what constitutes a family is very strange, you know that?

Rob: (interrupting, trying to conciliate) let’s not get all riled up again, ok? We are a family… of sorts. (to Louise) Only you can’t expect us to behave like one when you kept us all apart and even went to the extreme of engendering sibling rivalry among us whenever you felt threatened.. (Louise makes a gesture of protest) No, that isn’t an attack, but it certainly is true!

Terry: Your idea was utopian, we can’t reach that.

Louise: You have all made it perfectly clear that you hate me. Do we have to go on about it?

Rob: None of us hate you. You confuse us to death at times, and are often hurtful, but hate is something else again. No, you just cause permanent confusion whenever we get together. Some of it you programmed. The rest is a result of our own personal problems.

Anne: I don’t hate you, mother.

Louise: Oh, you can stay until your flight back. And when you get home, do me the favour of staying there. (resignedly) I was awake for a long time last night, especially after hearing you among yourselves. And I did a lot of thinking. It seems I went right ahead and made all the mistakes any mother can make.. And that realisation hurt me more than anything else that went on here yesterday.

I had always had this vision of us one day becoming a real family, not ‘one of sort’, as you so aptly put it, Rob. It is crushing to realise that I’ve failed. (regains composure) So. I suppose you’re flying the coop, Robert?

Rob: (uncomfortable) George will be picking me up in a little while. We still have a lot of people to see here before we go back.

Louise: Figures.

Martin: I’ll have to be moseying on today as well. (Louise gives him an exasperated look) Look, you know I only get on your nerves, and they aren’t in the best of shape at the moment. It’s better you recuperate from yesterdeay’s upset.

Louise: And you, Ginnie?

Ginnie: I guess I’ll stay on for a few days and get caught up on Anne’s other news. That is, if you don’t mind.

Louise: No, it might be nice to have at least the two of you here for a little while longer. (a little hope) Maybe we can try to solve some of our differences, huh?

Anne: We can try….

Ginnie: I guess….

Doorbell

Louise: Who can that be. so early?

Rob: (hopefully) I’ll go see, stay put. (goes to the door, opens, goes into a hug) George! (they go to the dining area)

Georg: Good morning.

Louise: Good morning Georg. (Rob looks surprised.) I’m so sorry you felt so uncomfortable yesterday that you found it necessary to sleep elsewhere. We aren’t normally so cantankerous with one another. Will you have breakfast with us? There is plenty of coffee left.

Georg: No thank you, Mrs. Bartlett. I had breakfast at the hotel, thank you. (sees Louise is piqued.) Well, maybe one small cup of coffee, then.

Terry: hey you missed out on the best part of the evening, Georg.

Georg: (guarded) I was very tired, Terry.

Anne: Would you please stop, Terry?

Terry: All right.

John: Well I’d better get going if I’m going to get packed and make my plane. (stands up) I’ll think about what you said, Rob. Will you stop by to see us before you leave?

Rob: No, not this time around, I don’t think. You’re uncomfortable enough as it is.

John: (relieved) maybe next time, huh?

Rob: Yup, you bet…

John: (awkward) Well, goodbye all. (to Terry) I’ll call you, huh?

Terry: You do that.

John looks a Louise, can’t think of anything other to say than ‘Well, good-bye…’ (exits to bedroom)

Georg: (has finished his coffee) Ready, Rob?

Rob: (reluctant, now that the moment has come) Yeah, I guess.

Terry: Hey, can I ride in wih you to Boston? Would you mind?

Rob and Georg: Of course not. / It will be fun!

(Rob goes to Louise and hugs her from behind as she sits at the table and kisses her cheek. Louise stiffens perceptibly.)

Rob: Sorry, Mom. Really. ( Georg makes the rounds shaking hands. To Ginnie and Anne.) Hey, take care, you two. And try not to think too badly of the rest of us, ok? (Joins Terry and Georg) Well, are we off to new adventures? (They head to the door. Ginny and Anne look on darkly and draw closer to Louise. As they reach the door….)

Louise: Hey! Hey! (they turn) Just a thought for you all to take on your way, right? How do you all expect the world to function if you can’t even get along on a family basis, huh? Think about it.

They look wonderingly at one another, frozen in tableau, as the lights fade to

Blackout


Curtain


Graz, May-December, 1989

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