Plays...or maybe just one play!
One Act Play for Workshop

Scene: kitchen table, paper, pen, two chairs

Characters: Rene’, a grown woman

              Momma, her mother

It is late at night as Rene’ sits at the table; she has fallen asleep with her head on the table and laying on top of her work when her mom comes softly into the room and awakens her.

Momma: (speaking softly and gently shaking her) Rene’, hon, why don’t you go            to bed and get some sleep. I know you’ll do a much better job of your homework with some rest.

Rene’: (sleepily) What? Oh, no mom, I can’t!  This play is due tomorrow and I have to do it now. I have no clue what to write, I’ve never written a play much less even wanted to! (sounding very forlorn and lost) I don’t know what to do this over! I don’t even know HOW to do it!

Momma: Well, tell you what, let me get us some coffee and see if I can help you, okay?

Rene’:  (with relief in her voice) Okay momma, thanks.

Momma: (setting down two cups of coffee on the table) Well, let’s see what ya got here. (picking up the papers and reading over them) What guidelines do you have to go by?

Rene’: (exasperation in her voice) It has to be 5 to 7 minutes long and we will pick other students in the classroom to read the lines, other than that, there are really no other rules to it. We can only have one scene since it is read in class though. I’ve tried and tried mom but I just can’t think of anything to write about!

Momma: (with soft chastisement in her voice and on her face) Rene’, you know you have a wonderful imagination, now all you need to do is put it to use. I know what, let’s just relax and talk about some memories for a while…that will get your mind off the stress and then you can think. Okay?

Rene’: (with enthusiasm) Okay momma, that’s a great idea!! You start!

Momma: Okay baby, I will... I remember when I first brought you home from the hospital, your little bald head was so soft and you hardly ever cried. You were such a good baby but I was so scared, especially when daddy had to go back to work and I was here by myself for the first time. We made it through though... Then when you took your first steps, I will never forget the excitement we felt watching you! I never knew I could love anything so much, not like I did you, and then we had your baby brother three years later.

Rene’: (smiling and excited) I remember when you brought him home from the hospital momma! I was with Nanny and Granddad wasn’t I?

Momma: Yes, you were. (with a mock frown) You hurt my feelings so bad when we got there and all you were interested in was feeding those dang old chickens! You only turned around and yelled, ‘hi mommy’, and then you went back to the chickens. I almost cried thinking you had forgotten me. Then later, you came running to me and gave me the biggest ole hug (smiling warmly).

Rene’: I would never stop loving you momma! You know that.

Momma: I know that darlin’, I love you too. Do you remember when you and Cheryl played in the fig tree?

Rene’:  (giggling) Barely, I was only three at the time! I do remember itching a lot and NEVER wanting to go near figs again!

Momma: (laughing out loud) You were both uncomfortable for quite a while but neither of you ever went close to that tree again!

Rene’: That was at the old house wasn’t it? Before we moved into the one here in Grayburg?

Momma: Yes it was baby, that was the last house that we rented. Then we moved to where we live now. This place has a lot of memories in it. Oh, I know one! We moved in before the house was finished inside and we didn’t have any doors inside except for the bathroom. Your daddy was working nights, sometimes for 12 to 16 hours at a time, then he would come home and work on the house for a few hours before he took a bath and went to sleep. Well, one day, after your brother started crawling (starts laughing out loud now, trying to regain control of herself)...well, daddy was sound asleep, he slept in his underwear you know, and all of a sudden...I hear (more uncontrollable laughter at this memory) a baby screaming like its lost its favorite teddy bear! Then I hear your daddy screaming for me to come and get this kid, he is yelling like somebody is hurt or something. (more laughing) When I get to the bedroom, there stands your daddy in his underwear, holding the bed up off the floor. There on the floor is your brother, crying his little eyes out and I just start laughing so hard that I’m crying too! Seems your brother crawled under the bed and got his diaper hung up on a spring and when he couldn’t get loose (snickering and laughing now), he just started screaming which in turn woke your daddy up and scared him silly. Needless to say, we had a bedroom door by the next morning...oh God, that was so funny to see!!

Rene’: (laughing out loud now) I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like much less what it must have looked like to you momma!

Momma: Oh baby, I haven’t laughed this much in years. Do you remember when we used to sit up late and laugh way into the wee hours of the morning? Just you and me laying across the bed and staring out at the stars, finding the silliest little things to laugh about. I love you so much dear; you will just never understand how much I love you.

Rene’: (a soft smile on her face, lost in thought kind of look) I remember those nights so well momma. They were some of the best ones of my whole life. We were almost like best friends in those moments. 

Momma: (a serious, sad, and mysterious look filled with love on her face) Baby, I have another memory to ask you about now.)

Rene’: (a puzzled look on her face) Okay, what is it?

Momma: Rene’ (a long pause) do you remember what happened in November of 1987? (another pause) Do you remember the hospital and how sick I was? (another more emphatic pause)...... Do you remember my funeral...

Rene’: (shaking her head no, starting to cry softly) No, no momma. You are not gone...(quietly crying she now listens closely to her momma talk)

Momma: (gently continuing with her words)... and when you laid your head on daddy’s shoulder and he held you so tightly? I was watching and wanted so much to comfort you; I am no longer sick you know.  I miss you so much, that’s why I came here tonight. You seemed to need me and I know I needed you....do you remember baby? (voice fading away now)... I love you, (momma starts to move away from the table and voice fades even softer now)...I love you baby...(momma disappears from the scene)...I’ll love you forever baby.

(Rene’ slowly lays her head back down on the table. She is sleeping peacefully once again. As she awakens, she shakes her head as if to shake the memory of the dream out of it; she remembers that she has to finish writing this play.)

Rene: Strange! But I have got to get back to writing this play or I will never get it done! (She stretches her body while she is looking down at the paper on the table. She picks up the paper in disbelief and realizes that the entire play has been written!)

Rene’: How in the hell did this get done? I don’t remember writing this! Am I losing my mind? (She starts to read out loud from the first page)

“One Act Play for Workshop

Scene: kitchen table, paper, pen, two chairs

Characters: Rene’, a grown woman

                    Momma, her mother

It is late at night as Rene’ sits at the table; she has fallen asleep with her head on the table and laying on top of her work when her mom comes softly into the room and awakens her.

Momma: (gently shaking her) Rene’, hon, why don’t you go to bed and get           some sleep. I’ll bet you do a much better job of your homework with some rest.”
 

Rene’: (shaking her head as if clearing her mind and looking at the papers like they are something alien) What in the world is going on here? (She flips through the pages to the last page and reads out loud once again)

I miss you my daughter and I came to help you in your time of  need.                             Love always, Momma

The End