Written by Joe Janes
5/28/09
130 of 365
CAST:
LuAnn, 30s
Dustin, 14
(Lights up on a small front porch. LuAnn enters with two glasses of lemonade and sits down, placing the lemonade on a small table next to her. There is another empty chair on the other side of the table. She takes a moment to calmly take in the nice weather.)
LUANN
Dustin! Dustin!DUSTIN (off)
What?LUANN
Get your buns out here!DUSTIN (off)
I’m playing Ultimate Ninja 4!LUANN
Save it and get your buns out here!DUSTIN (off)
I’ll come out when I’m finished.LUANN
Which for you will be never. Buns. Here. Now! (Long pause) If you aren’t out here in ten seconds, your new Nikes are going to end up at the thrift store. 1-2-3-4-(Dustin enters)
DUSTIN
What, Mom?LUANN
Have a seat, Dusty.(Dustin sits)
LUANN
Mommy made you some lemonade. Have some.(Dustin sips some.)
DUSTIN
Now, what?LUANN
Hmm?DUSTIN
I could be sitting and drinking lemonade inside while doing something productive.LUANN
Like playing Ultimate Ninja 4?DUSTIN
Making the world safe one villain at a time.LUANN
Then you definitely deserve a break. Just sit and relax. Enjoy the day. Isn’t this weather perfect?DUSTIN
I guess. (Pause) Are we supposed talk?LUANN
We don’t have to talk. DUSTIN
Just sit here?LUANN
Watch the cars go by. Watch the breeze blow the trees. It just feels good to be out here on the porch.DUSTIN
Are you and Dad getting a divorce?LUANN
What? No.DUSTIN
Are you going to talk to me about sex, because I really don’t want-?LUANN
No, Dusty. No more sex talk.DUSTIN
Did we lose the house?LUANN
No. Look, Dusty, let’s not talk. I didn’t bring you out here for any other reason than to enjoy being out here. (She takes a deep, relaxing breath). The body needs fresh air and sunshine. You need to just relax sometimes.DUSTIN
Playing video games relaxes me.LUANN
I’ve seen you play video games. Ripping the spine out of your opponent isn’t relaxing.DUSTIN
Some people knit, I eviscerate.LUANN
Well, at least you’re increasing your vocabulary. You look so tense, honey.DUSTIN
You’re weirding me out, Mom. We never just sit. Especially not outside. In public.LUANN
Just take a deep breath and relax. Try it.(Dustin tries it. It does not go well.)
LUANN
Feel better?DUSTIN
I think I bruised a rib.LUANN
Just try to sit still and enjoy the view.DUSTIN (after a pause)
Are we moving? Is that it?LUANN
Dustin. People used to do this sort of thing all the time. I did it when I was younger. You just sit out on the front porch on pretty days. It’s what you do. Maybe you read. Maybe you chat. Your great grandpa used to smoke his pipe and strum his guitar.DUSTIN
Great grandpa played guitar?LUANN
No. It was really quite awful. But the point is, you don’t have to be plugged into a video game or the TV or computer your whole life. You can take some time just to breathe.(Dustin nods and sits back. They watch a car roll by. He starts to relax into his chair. LuAnn leans back into her chair. They hear a bird in a tree and look for it in a tree. Dustin smiles and closes his eyes. LuAnn notices this. She quietly picks up the lemonade glasses and rises from her seat. She gets to the door.)
LUANN (continuing)
By the way, your dog died.( She quickly exits. Dustin’s eyes pop open.)
DUSTIN (to himself)
I knew it!(Blackout)
