Thursday, November 23, 2017

November 2017 Writing Challenge - #23 - Thanksgiving

Sometimes theater is about coming together and healing.

Write that. 

From war torn Yugoslavia after the Balkanization, or your own extended family after a disastrous meal.

These are about rituals, not about plot.

About creating the right environment and expressing the right things.

Be cheesy.

Serve food.

See if you surprise yourself.

Heal. Eat. Forgive. Give thanks.

********

Weirdly, I feel like I already did a bit of this back on the day of challenge #14.  But I need another scene, so this is what we're doing today...

********

                          AUGGIE
You're pregnant?

                          SARAH
I'm pregnant.

                          AUGGIE
That is fantastic news.  That is the best news ever.

                          SARAH
I was hoping you'd think so.

                          AUGGIE
We need to tell everyone we know immediately.

                          SARAH
No.

                          AUGGIE
No?

                          SARAH
No.  For now, just you and me.

                          AUGGIE
Why?

                          SARAH
Because anything in the world could go wrong at this point.

                          AUGGIE
Anything in the world can go wrong with anything in the world at any point.

                          SARAH
With this, I need to you to just play along with me for a while.  Just you and me.

                          AUGGIE
Not even our parents?

                          SARAH
Definitely not our parents.

                          AUGGIE
Not even Micah.

                          SARAH
Not even Micah.

                          AUGGIE
Because - ?

                          SARAH
Because I don't want to disappoint everybody when I lose it. 

                          AUGGIE
Why would you lose it?

                          SARAH
And I definitely don't want to have a go down some long list of people we told we had good news, just to give them bad news.

                          AUGGIE
Why would - ?

                          SARAH
Because women lose babies all the time, Auggie.
And nobody talks about it because it's sad.
And they feel like failures.
Which is ridiculous, because it's a part of life, things happen, not all babies make it to term and even then it's a crap shoot.
And it's horrible and it's sad.
So I'd just like to wait, just for a little while, until we get past a few doctor appointments and tests first, and everything seems a bit more - solid?
Is that OK?

                          AUGGIE
Is there a history - ?

                          SARAH
In my family, yeah.  My sister.  My cousins.  A couple of my aunts.  Heck, Auggie, even I almost didn't happen.

                          AUGGIE
I thought babies were terrifying only after they were born.

                          SARAH
They can be terrifying before, too.

                          AUGGIE
Apparently.

                          SARAH
So, we're OK, for now?  Just us.

                          AUGGIE
Why'd you tell me?

                          SARAH
Because the little bugger is half you, too.
Half you, half me, all us.
No secrets.
You're my cheerleader when things are going right, and my safety net when things go south.
So I tell you everything.  You tell me everything.

                          AUGGIE
So it's OK to hope.

                          SARAH
It's always OK to hope.  I may not share that hope at the same level all the time.

                          AUGGIE
I won't push.  Well, I'll try not to.

                          SARAH
All I ask.

                          AUGGIE
When is it too early to start singing to the baby?

                          SARAH
They should know their daddy's voice, so any time.
Just remember to sing to me, too.

                          AUGGIE
Always.


(to be continued)


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