Аннотация: A Modern American family: two men and a boy Peter of eight.The teacher of Peter asked the students to draw a portrait of their mothers for mother's Day.It is difficult task for Peter because he had never seen his mother.
MOTHER"S DAY
LUDMILA ANSELM
Translated by Jim Clinton
CHARACTERS
PETER - 8 or 9 years old, he has a band aid on his forehead.
MICHAEL - 25-30 years old. He has a beard about five days old.
Family room in upscale home. PETER, sobbing, sits at a table drawing. MICHAEL enters, briskly.
MICHAEL
Peter, have you seen my electric razor?
PETER
No...
MICHAEL
You crying?
PETER (angrily)
I already told you! Zack pushed me down the stairs at school!
MICHAEL
Right. We started to talk about it in the car, and then we ran into that gridlock at 5 corners. Do you know why Zack pushed you?
PETER
Mr. Allen said to draw a picture of our mothers for Mother"s Day. Zack said I didn"t have a mother. So I pushed him.
MICHAEL
Your mama ...
PETER
Papa said he"d talk to me about my mama sometime soon. I don"t know who my Mama was...
MICHAEL
Why "was"? She"s alive...
PETER (surprised)
You"ve seen my Mama?
(MICHAEL pulls up a chair and sits confidentially near Peter)
MICHAEL
Your Dad told me about her...
PETER
What did he tell you?
MICHAEL
Well... She goes to college in a big city far away. Your Dad is paying for her college... and more...
PETER
Why?
MICHAEL
Because she"s your Mama.
PETER
(shaken, holding back tears)
Is he paying money for me?
MICHAEL
Well, sort of ...
PETER
How come Mama doesn"t come see me?
MICHAEL
They agreed that you would not see or meet each other.
PETER
He paid money so that she will never see me?
MICHAEL
He loves you very much... He loves you so much he wants to have you all to himself.
PETER
If Papa loves me, why he isn"t home more?
MICHAEL
He"s an engineer. He has to travel around to different cities. He visits many different businesses that need his knowledge. Some times he gets to ride in a helicopter. When you are older he"ll probably take you with him.
PETER
(Starts crying.)
I want him home. Not just you...
MICHAEL
Peter, you know... You know.I has never seen my real parents...
PETER
(Stops crying.)
Why?
MICHAEL
Tom"s mother and father took care of me like a son. It"s called "adoption."
PETER
Who"s Tom?
MICHAEL
Tom, you know him, we go to Mac Donald"s every Wednesday with him. Tom is just like a brother to me. (Pause) Tom"s parents both worked very hard. My adoptive father usually came home late after I had gone to bed....
PETER
You had a brother, but I"m all alone...
MICHAEL
Tom was mean to me for a long time. He used to hide my sneakers. He snuck bites from my desert. (Pause) Adoption made me different. It was a dirty word back then. Tom told all the kids on the block and at school. They tackled me hardest when we played pick up football. I had to be tough. (Pause) Peter, you see your father more often than I saw my adoptive father... Soon your Dad will come home, have dinner with you, read to you and tuck you in. (Pause) Now tell me where you have hidden my electric razor.
PETER (sulking)
Didn"t hide it.
MICHAEL
It"s always on the shelf in the bathroom, and now it isn"t there. I guess, you want to play "hide and seek"...
PETER (still sulking)
I don"t want to play any games with you. I want my Papa. (Pause) He bought me like a loaf of bread!
(PETER starts crying. MICHAEL tries to hug him but is pushed away.)
MICHAEL
We have talked about a lot... about a lot big things... adult things... It"s all new to you... I"ve been completely honest with you... and I love you.
PETER
I want Papa...
MICHAEL
He"ll be home soon for dinner... Let"s try not to upset him... He"ll be tired. Papa doesn"t know that you know so much. (Pause) This has been hard for me. I"m tired too. (Pause) And now if you don"t want to play "hide and seek," tell me where my razor is.
PETER
Why do you want your razor?
MICHAEL
I"d like to shave and shower, and put on a clean shirt, neaten up for dinner...
PETER
You haven"t shaved all week and now that Papa is coming home you want to shave!
MICHAEL
Jack likes me clean-shaven...
PETER
So you and Papa can kiss each other?
MICHAEL (stunned)
What have you seen?
PETER
I saw how you and Papa kissed... I never saw him kiss my other babysitters... Every babysitter left after awhile, and another one came. Why are you always here?
MICHAEL
Papa entrusts you to me. We agreed we"d see how you and I got along.
PETER
You"ll be here, even when Papa is home?
MICHAEL
We all will be sort of like a family.
PETER
A family?
MICHAEL
Not a family like your friends Andy or Zack has with their parents... It would be another sort of family...There are a lot different kinds of families nowadays...
Our family would be a better family than you having one babysitter and then another babysitter. We will all get to know each other better.
PETER
It means you"ll live with us always?
MICHAEL
Maybe....I like to read to you... I like to play with you... I love you. (Pause) We"ll get different kinds of power from each other... Like Harry Potter has powers beyond anybody else...
PETER
What kind of powers?
MICHAEL
Who knows? So much happens that we don"t understand...
(PETER has been getting more and more unsettled.)
Peter, what do you want to ask me about? What"s the matter?
PETER
I don"t it like when you pick me up at school!
MICHAEL
Why not?
PETER
When you started to come the mothers and babysitters hurried my friends away. (Pause) Yesterday Andy and Zack didn"t let me play with them. Today they pushed me around and called me "fairy!"... I want a babysitter like all the other kids.
MICHAEL
I"d better talk to your teacher...
PETER
(Beginning to cry):
No! No! You can"t go to school... No don"t talk to Mr. Allen.
MICHAEL (nervously)
Peter, OK... Don"t cry... I only want to help you... Soon your Dad will come and he"ll see your tears... I promise not to go to school...
PETER
(Stops crying.)
I can take care of myself. (Pause) I think your razor is in my room...
(MICHAEL, relieved and smiling, exits. PETER pushes the old drawing aside and starts a new drawing.)
MICHAEL
(shouting from off stage)
Peter! I don"t see it!
PETER
Where are you?
MICHAEL
I"m by your table.
PETER
Cold.
MICHAEL
Now I"m standing near your bed...
PETER
Warmer!
MICHAEL
Here it is. It was under your pillow!
(We hear the razor running as PETER concentrates on drawing.
MICHAEL returns with the razor running he shouts over the razor
noise.)
Up to your old tricks again? I won"t have time to shower... I"ll just change my shirt then I"ll set the table.
(He turns the razor off.)
I have a nice pot roast and in the oven. What do you want for dessert?