22: Oceans Away

by Joseph Frost

a play written for The 31 Plays in 31 Days Project

Draft August 24, 2013

Attic Scripts, 2013 4550 Normandy Dr Jackson, MS 39206 atticscripts@gmail.com

A plastic table and chair in the center of a stage covered in sand. In the chair sits a woman, GENA, maybe 40, wearing a bathing suit underneath a flowered mumu-like covering. She wears a large brim hat and has on sunglasses. On the table is a cloth bag, a few towels, and some snacks with bottles of water. In front of the table is a blue beach blanket, laid out carefully, with small weights in each corner. Gena reads a book - perhaps a trashy romance novel. A few moments pass. ARTHUR, a man in a business suit and tie, late 60s/ maybe 70, wanders in from off stage. He carries a briefcase in one hand, and his shoes with the laces tied together in the other. His socks are stuffed into the shoes. Arthur stands vaguely in front of Gena for a moment, staring out. GENA I cant see my kids. Arthur does not move. GENA (CONTD) Excuse me. Sir? Please move, I cant see my kids. Arthur does not move. ARTHUR (a little lost) Kids... I havent seen... I havent seen my kids in years... GENA I need to see my kids... playing in the ocean.

2. ARTHUR (lost) My kids loved... playing in the ocean... (notices) The ocean. I can see em. Like yesterday. Playing in the ocean. Sally and Billy... Bill, now. Now, hes Bill. GENA (as forceful as these words can be) Id appreciate it if you would please move your... person... so I can-She rises and comes around the blue blanket and touches Arthur on the arm. GENA (CONTD) Sir... As soon as she touches him, he drops his briefcase and shoes, falls to his knees, and begins to weep. GENA (CONTD) Oh... oh, sir, please, I didnt mean to... (shouts toward ocean) Jerry! Oh, Jerry! (to Arthur) Sir, Im sorry... I dont know... um... what can I do.... (looks around) Theres not a lifeguard here... or a police officer... (back to him) Sir. Sir? ARTHUR Hes Bill now. Dont you understand? Hes Bill. GENA I dont understand, no. Whos Bill? ARTHUR Billy is my son. (beat) I have no idea who Bill is. GENA Well, maybe you could go call him and...

3. ARTHUR I havent seen Billy in 8 years. I dont know where he is. Him or Sally. GENA His wife? ARTHUR His sister. Havent seen her in 9 years. They dont write. They dont call. GENA Not to be argumentative, but have you written or called them? ARTHUR Not since Alice died. Their mother. My wife. She was good at that stuff. GENA That stuff. Talking to people. We should all be good at that stu-(notices the ocean) No, Im fine. No, just... swim some more, its good, Jerry! Ok! She has stepped forward to shout at Jerry. Behind her back, Arthur has sat down on the blue blanket. ARTHUR Its all gone now. GENA (turns back) Oh... Oh, sir... please dont... Im sorry, Im going to have to ask you to-ARTHUR Its all gone. Dont you see? Gone. GENA See what? ARTHUR Ive chased everything away. (a sad laugh) Its all gone. Alice. Sally. Bill... (beat) I had to sell the house last year. Payments had gotten outrageous. And with repairs, I couldnt keep up. That was after theyd scaled me back at work. Cant have an old man on the phone with customers anymore. Gives the wrong impression. So I moved downstairs. Downstairs. When I first started there, we... we used to... (MORE)

4. ARTHUR (CONT'D) wed make fun of the guys working downstairs. Wed say that they werent good enough to be us. We were... we were... superior. GENA Yeah. I bet you were. Listen, I dont want to be a bother, but could you please get up from my blanket here? I had it all laid out for my kids and husband once they were done swimming... ARTHUR Hm? GENA My husband and kids. ARTHUR Oh. Oh. Sure. Sure thing, Alice, Ill just-He starts to get up, but has difficulty and plops back down. GENA Oh. Oops. Here, let me help you. (beat) And my names Gena. ARTHUR Hm? GENA Gena. You called me Alice. ARTHUR Alice? GENA Yeah. Youre wife. ARTHUR Alice. Yes. Alice liked to come here. This spot. Right past 14th. That lot back there is where wed park. GENA You parked back there? Ill help you get back to your--

5. ARTHUR Me? No. I take the bus now. I just got on the bus and rode for a while. (beat) Ill say this... the ocean... still blue. GENA Yeah. Yeah, its blue all right. Blue as... the ocean. A moment. ARTHUR That your family out there? GENA Yeah. ARTHUR Out in the ocean. GENA Yeah. ARTHUR They look so... small from here. GENA I dont know... ARTHUR Oceans away. (beat) Blue oceans away. A long moment. GENA Are you ok? ARTHUR I was fired today from my job. GENA Im sorry, sir.

6. ARTHUR Arthur. GENA Im sorry, Arthur. Im sad to hear that. I really am. Its not fair that in the modern workplace, there isnt room for the respect our elders deserve. ARTHUR I liked to work. Gave me something to do. I hate daytime TV. Alice used to like it. Im not sure if shed like it any more. Too trashy. A moment. GENA Are you hungry? Im going to get you a water. She gets a water, opens it and hands it to him. He drinks. ARTHUR Thank you. GENA My goodness. Youre already looking red. ARTHUR Hm? GENA Your head. And your face. Youre already turning red. She grabs sunscreen and opens it. ARTHUR I dont get out in the sun very much. GENA Here. She squirts sunscreen in his hand. ARTHUR What do I do with this?

7. GENA Put it on your head and face. He struggles to do so. GENA (CONTD) Oh, here.... She wipes sunscreen from his hands. She puts it on his head. She puts it on his face. ARTHUR Thank you. Thank you, Alice. GENA Ge-He stands up. He grabs his briefcase and his shoes. He walks off. Gena rubs the rest of the sunscreen in her hands as she watches Arthur leave. She rubs the rest on her nose. She looks out at the ocean for a moment. Lights go down.