Ahead of the Game by Catherine Davis
The action takes place in and around Aunt ELIZABETH's opulent
home in the small, wealthy community in a northeastern state
Mid August, present time
ACT ONE
Scene 1
(Scrim with a cacophony of photos and/or videos of news reports
regarding a huge storm, a hurricane, are projected and audio of
radio/tv commentary underscore BETHANY and her mother's voices.)
BETHANY (V.O.)
Mamma! Mamma! I'm scared. Don't let go of me.
ANNIE WADE (V.O.)
Hold on, Bethy. HEEEELP!! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME? Hold on to me as tight
as you can!
(Photos, video and audio of the storm continue.)
BETHANY (V.O.)
Mamma! I'm losing you. I can't hold on any more.
ANNIE WADE (V.O.)
PLEEEEEASE, SOMEBODY HELP US! Bethy, I love you! And I always will.
BETHANY (V.O.)
Mammaaaaaaaaaaaa . . .
(As BETHANY'S voice trails off, the videos, photos and audio fade
out as the scrim rises, revealing AUNT ELIZABETH's home . . . NANCY
is at the front door shaking out a rug as MARIANNE SNOW enters. She is
about the same age as NANCY, quirky, off beat and is the caregiver for
her mother, SHIRLEE SNOW.)
MARIANNE
Nancy, seeing you is heaven on a stick!
NANCY
(Chuckles)
Geez, Marianne. What does that even mean? You're such a drama queen.
MARIANNE
Yup! That's me. (Dramatically) "To be or not to be . . . "
NANCY
(Cuts her off) Ugh! Not a drama, please. I've got enough of that.
How about some comic relief?
MARIANNE
Ok, how's this: "My mother can make anybody feel guilty she
gets apologies from perfect strangers. Ba-dum-bum.
NANCY
(Sympathetic laugh)
What's your mom blaming you for now?
MARIANNE
She just made this huge ta-do out of my wanting to go out by myself
for a little while. She doesn't understand how I feel. I swear she
was never my age.
NANCY
I know how hard taking care of your mother is for you. Hang in there,
girlfriend. Things have to get better.
MARIANNE
Wanna bet? My life is sliding rapidly down a slippery slope.
NANCY
I know what that's like. Some days I just want to drop a house on
someone.
(NANCY nods her head towards the house.)
MARIANNE
Yeah, but at least you get paid. Elizabeth is your boss, not your mom.
NANCY
True. But today. Dang! Something's going on. The tension around here
is so thick it's like I'm expected to navigate in a dense fog.
MARIANNE
(Hopefully)
Foggy weather is the best time for a walk. Come with me.
NANCY
I couldn't possibly leave now-
(AUNT ELIZABETH yells out to Nancy as she crosses to the living room.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
Nancy! (Slight pause, AUNT ELIZABETH calls demandingly.) Where are
you? Come in here, please.
NANCY
See what I mean? I'll have to talk to you later. Sorry.
MARIANNE
No prob. It's all good. (Hand to head; eyes closed) I see a
smokin' charge card and a double cheeseburger in my immediate
future.
(NANCY playfully hums the Wicked Witch of the West theme song from
"Wizard of Oz" to MARIANNE. They laugh. NANCY hurries into the
house.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
Nancy . . .
NANCY
Yes.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Have you gotten everything done that I asked you to do?
NANCY
I'm just finishing up.
AUNT ELIZABETH
The groceries are all put away, the sheets are changed, the second
floor guest room is ready?
NANCY
Yes, ma'am.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Good.
(With an exasperated sigh)
I might as well tell you. My fourteen year old niece is arriving
today. That's why I asked you to get the guest room ready. That'll
be where she sleeps.
NANCY
I didn't even know you had a niece.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Well, as if it's any of your business, I do.
NANCY
She's coming here for a visit? That's nice!
AUNT ELIZABETH
Nice? Well, that isn't exactly the word I would use. And it's not
for a visit. She is coming here to live. For the time being, at
least.
NANCY
(Optimistically)
Someone young in the house might liven things up around here.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Really. I didn't know there was a need for that. At any rate, I
printed out her arrival information. It's on the kitchen counter.
Could you go pick her up at the airport?
NANCY
Of course. How will I know who she is?
AUNT ELIZABETH
All the arrangements are written down on the papers in the kitchen.
NANCY
Okay.
(MICHAEL BENTLEY, principal of the private school, in his forties,
rings the doorbell.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
I hope that's Michael Bentley. I asked him to stop by before the
committee meeting begins.
(NANCY crosses to the front door and lets MICHAEL in the house.)
NANCY
Hello, Mr. Bentley. Are you all ready for the school year to start?
MICHAEL
Getting there. No matter how ready I am, something always pops up
unexpectedly. School runs perfectly (Ironic smile) until the teachers
and students get there.
NANCY
(Escorting him into the living room)
Hope things go smoothly.
MICHAEL
Thanks, me too.
(Cross to AUNT ELIZABETH. NANCY exits.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
Hello, Michael. I appreciate your coming over on such short notice
before our meeting.
MICHAEL
Certainly. I always have time for you, Elizabeth.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Sit down. Here goes . . . (In take of breath) Do you remember my
younger sister, Annie? (MICHAEL nods.) Before our father passed away,
he asked that she and I carry on his work in the community. Although
there was plenty to do here, she left almost immediately to do some
(Struggling for the right words) altruistic philanthropic
change-the-world sort of thing. While doing that, she met and married
a fellow do-gooder, a Reverend, and moved to some God-forsaken
swampland outside the New Orleans area so they could save-some-souls
(Said with disdain) leaving me here to handle everything alone. She
and I have been estranged since then because I was not in favor of her
choices. (Deep sigh) Sadly, my sister's husband died a few years ago
from an illness. My sister Annie has been raising their daughter alone
until the most recent hurricane during which they became separated.
Annie has not been found--and I pray she will be-but until that
situation can be resolved, they are shipping my niece off to me as
I'm her only living relative. As a result, Annie's daughter, my
niece, Bethany, is coming to live here . . . to live with me.
(NANCY is leaving to pick BETHANY up, overhearing the following
information.)
After a great deal of thought, I came to the conclusion that my niece
would not be a good fit here. So I am planning to send her away to an
out of state boarding school as soon as the school year begins in the
fall. I assume you have connections and suggestions of where she could
go. I know she is fourteen years old but heaven knows what grade
she's in . . . we'll work out the details after we decide on a
school.
MICHAEL
I'll make some calls, if that's what you want. You know the fall
term starts in less than a month. You'd have to make a decision fairly quickly.
AUNT ELIZABETH
That won't be a problem. The sooner you get back to me, the sooner
we can make it happen. If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if
you would keep my request between the two of us.
MICHAEL
I understand. I wish you well with the arrival of . . . of . . .
AUNT ELIZABETH
(With weighty anticipation.) Bethany.
ACTONE
Scene 2
(Music indicates passage of time. AUNT ELIZABETH, PIPER, EMMA, MICHAEL
are in the living room, meeting.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
Why don't you read the proposal I just handed out. When you've
finished we can open this up to discussion.
(NANCY enters in front of the house with BETHANY WADE. BETHANY is
fourteen years old, optimistic, energetic, good natured and
immediately likable. BETHANY's father's ethnicity is not specified
although it is different from that of AUNT ELIZABETH. BETHANY can
bespeak any ethnic mélange depending on the casting choice.)
BETHANY
This is where my Aunt Elizabeth lives? You're kidding.
NANCY
Yes, no! I mean, yes, it is where your aunt lives and, no, very little
kidding goes on around here.(As BETHANY looks around, NANCY indicating
BETHANY'S back pack) What in the world do you have in here?
Hashtag:veryheavyload.
BETHANY
It's just a few things I got from the Red Cross. And some books.
When I went back to our house after the storm, almost everything we
owned had been washed away but I found some of the books my mother
used when she home schooled me. They were soggy and now they sort of
stink but I wanted to keep them. And I have an old framed picture of
me with my mom and dad.
NANCY
Wait here for a minute. I want to make sure your aunt is . . . ummm,
(Assessing the situation) ready for me to bring you in.
(As NANCY exits into the house, she crosses to AUNT ELIZABETH,
speaks softly to her privately and gets the okay to bring BETHANY in,
BETHANY is focused on looking in her back pack.
Down stage of the house, skate boarding by LAUREN, KATE and MEG, is
JIMMY doing a trick to impress the girls. The fourteen year old girls
have up to date clothing and hair styles and are stuck up, while
JIMMY, the same age, is scruffy and less polished than the girls.)
JIMMY
Hey, you guys, watch this.
LAUREN
That's so lame!
KATE
Show Meg. She wants to watch you do your tricks. Dontcha, Meg? She
loves all the boys.
(Makes kissing noises towards Meg)
MEG
Shut up! I do not!
JIMMY
Where're you guys going?
LAUREN
No where we'd be seen with you, Jimborino, J-man, Jim-Jammers.
KATE
Don't get too close. You might get dirt on my new duds, Dude. Go
hang out with peeps your own age.
JIMMY
(Dejectedly.)
But you are my same age.
(JIMMY exits.)
LAUREN
(Noticing BETHANY)
Well, well, well, who do we have here?
BETHANY
Hi. I'm Bethany Wade.
(LAUREN, MEG, KATE stare at her in silence, judging her.)
I'm new. From St. Bernard Parish. (The girls don't respond) Near
New Orleans. (No response) Louisiana. I'll be living there
(Indicates house) with my aunt. Hey, do you guys live around
here? I'm going in now but maybe we could get together later or
tomorrow or some time.
LAUREN
Yeah, we'll be sure to make that happens. Am I right, girls?
MEG
(Sort of hopeful)
For sure. We could all be besties.
KATE
Wanh-wanh, looks like Mary Poppins mighta lost her bag.
LAUREN
Love. That. Flower. You're the fashionista, Kate. what'd ya say?
Do you think we should all get a flower for our hair?
MEG
Come on, Squad, I told the boys we'd meet 'em by the drug store.
LAUREN
We're done here.
(LAUREN, KATE, MEG exit the other side of the stage. NANCY comes back
from inside the house.)
NANCY
Come in, Bethany. We shouldn't keep your aunt waiting. She's as
ready as she'll ever be.
(NANCY and BETHANY enter the living room. Simultaneously everyone
turns to look at them, react and look back at AUNT ELIZABETH at the
same time. AUNT ELIZABETH takes a long moment to digest the
situation.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
(Rises, extends her hand to shake hands with BETHANY.)
Bethany? (ELIZABETH waits for confirmation. BETHANY nods.) I am your
Aunt Elizabeth.
(BETHANY crosses quickly and directly, shaking AUNT ELIZABETH'S hand
overly enthusiastically.)
BETHANY
I wondered all the way here what you'd looked like. We didn't have
any pictures of you but my mother used to tell me how beautiful you
were. Do you have any pictures of me?
AUNT ELIZABETH
I must admit, I don't.
BETHANY
I'm very glad you asked me to come here.
(BETHANY looks around.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
I didn't exactly ask . . .(Changing the subject. Turning to the
others) May I present my niece, Bethany Wade. She is my younger sister
Annie's child.
(They greet BETHANY.)
BETHANY
Nice to meet you all. Aunt Elizabeth, you have a very beautiful house!
You must be glad you're so rich!
(Audible gasp from NANCY and the others.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
Bethany! That's not polite.
BETHANY
Why? Aren't you rich?
AUNT ELIZABETH
It's not appropriate to ask that, young lady.
(BETHANY gives an I-didn't-know shrug. AUNT ELIZABETH changes the
subject again.)
Those clothes are not fit for my niece, or anyone for that matter.
BETHANY
(Smoothing her clothing)
Oh, um, well, most of the clothes I have came in the charity boxes.
AUNT ELIZABETH
We'll take care of that. Nancy or I will take you shopping tomorrow.
BETHANY
I'll get to buy brand-new clothes?
AUNT ELIZABETH
Naturally. You have luggage, I presume?
BETHANY
No, not exactly, Aunt Elizabeth, I brought my belongings in my back
pack. (Crosses to NANCY who has brought in BETHANY'S back pack.)
Almost everything we owned got washed away. I was able to save a
couple things. Some clothes. (Realizes the clothes have already been
insulted) Books. And the people at the Red Cross gave me some stuff.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Well, you must need to freshen up.
BETHANY
I guess I do.
AUNT ELIZABETH
Nancy, take Bethany to the room in the attic.
(NANCY is surprised to hear attic. BETHANY crosses back to her aunt
and gives her an affectionate hug and a kiss on her cheek. It is
awkwardly not reciprocated.)
BETHANY
I am very glad to be here.
(BETHANY exits with NANCY. NANCY takes the bag. Everyone watches
BETHANY leave and all look back at AUNT ELIZABETH.)
AUNT ELIZABETH
Let's pick up where we left off at our next meeting . . .
[end of extract]