 A family of 4 siblings half-heartedly mourn the loss of both their parents.

They later begin to argue about how to distribute the property and
wealth in the family as none of the parents were able to create a will. At
the end, a lawyer meets them and informs them that all the money has
been put into a trust fund in the name of their butler.

THE BUTLER
CAST:
ANNE
BEATRICE
CATHELINE
DAKOTA
LAWYER

SCENE 1:
DAKOTA, BEATRICE, and CATHELINE all sit in a semi-circular
arrangement, pretending to be sad and mournful. Enter ANNE.

BEATRICE: Anne. Late as usual.

ANNE: At least I showed up for this one, unlike someone.
BEATRICE: (opens mouth, closes again, looks away from ANNE)
ANNE: That’s what I thought.
BEATRICE: (to CATHELINE and DAKOTA) So how’ve you two been? It
must be hard right now. (Reaches out for Catheline’s hand).
CATHELINE: (Shifts hands away) You don’t care Bee. All you care
about is her money. Don’t even try to speak to me today.
BEATRICE: (Angry now) Mind your mouth, young one. When that
wretch was on her death bed, it was me who took you in.
CATHELINE: Do not refer to the dead like that. Dakota and I never
wanted to live with you. Isn’t that right D?
DAKOTA: Yeah. All you ever did was feed us and bed us. You think we
owe you for that?
BEATRICE: (exasperated) ANNE! Look at how they’re talking to me.
Me, the one that fed them, put a- a roof over their heads!
ANNE: ENOUGH! Girls, we cannot argue now. We must settle out the
money. Now, the only thing I know is that none of them, nor Mum
nor Dad had come up with a will before they died. As far as I’m
aware, Mum and Dad’s lawyer is coming this evening to settle it out.
BEATRICE: Then we should start the dispute now. I don’t want to be
proven right in front of the lawyers and leave the rest of you in tears.
ANNE: Aaah. Same old, cocky Bee. (Looks at nails) Asks for something
and everyone in the house falls to her feet. (Looks back at BEATRICE)
That’s not going to happen this time, love.
BEATRICE: I-
DAKOTA: Isn’t it too early to settle this? I mean, we just buried her.
Isn’t this disrespectful to her and Dad?
BEATRICE: Dakota, when your elders are speaking, you do not speak
in between! Didn’t that wretch teach you that?
CATHELINE: Beatrice! I think it’s time for you to mid your filthy
mouth.
ANNE: Shut up! All of you! As the oldest here, I declare myself as all
your legal guardian. So, I am technically your mother- after all the
documents are filled out, of course.
BEATRICE: Hold on there, Mother Teresa. I don’t want to be your
daughter. I want my own share of money and property.
ANNE: That wouldn’t be smart young one.
BEATRICE: Why? So that you can keep all the money and own all the
property? All our property?
ANNE: (hesitates.) (To DAKOTA and CATHELINE) Wouldn’t it be
wonderful to come and live with me in India? I have a few mansions
there and both of you could school there at the best school in
Mumbai! (To Beatrice) I could easily put you up for a job in my
company, perhaps as an unpaid intern at first, then we’ll see what
happens.
BEATRICE: You can’t adopt me without my consent. I will own my
own land, earn my own money, you know how? I will use every
ounce of gold Mum and Dad left for me in that bloody bank and
shove it down your throat!
DAKOTA: (Comes between ANNE and BEATRICE) Okay. I see that
there is a lot of tension between the two oldest sisters in the family.
(exhales) Why don’t I brew a pot of tea? (Begins to exit)
ANNE: There will be no need for that, Dee.
DAKOTA: (stops)
BEATRICE: Now, I deserve 50% of the assets-
CATHELINE: Woah, woah, woah. You only deserve 25%. We’re 4
people, 100 divided by 4 is 25.
BEATRICE: You didn’t let me finish. I deserve 50% because I took care
of (to CATHELINE and DAKOTA) you two when Mum was supposedly
ill.

ANNE: That’s not fair. I only couldn’t because I had to keep flying
around for work.
BEATRICE: But you never thought to fly around to your home
country, now, did you? (Smiles blithely)
ANNE: Beatrice, I am trying so hard not to call you Bellatrix right
now, it was not my fault. My job requires me to fly around.
CATHELINE: Then why didn’t you just pick a normal job?
DAKOTA: One where you wouldn’t have fly about and could be with
us. Your family?
ANNE: (Shocked) Do all of you feel this way? Like I left you?
DAKOT: Kind of, yeah.
ANNE: I-I-I never tried to make you feel that way-
BEATRICE: That’s the issue, Anne. You never even try anymore.
ANNE: I’m sorry.
DAKOTA: It’s cool. We can’t do anything about it now.
BEATRICE: Yes, we can. Give us majority of the assets. Think of it as a
compensation or something.
CATHELINE: Bee. That’s not fair.
DAKOTA: Catheline’s right. If we break it up unevenly, then we won’t
be able to live like a normal family, regardless of the fact that we’ve
never actually had a normal family.
BEATRICE: I DESERVE MORE THAN ALL OF YOU!
ANNE: Beatrice! Calm down!
BEATRICE: (Throws water on ANNE’S face) I have worked hard
(climbs on chair) I have worked harder than all of you. I deserve
more money than any of you have ever seen!
DAKOTA: Be-
(Enter Lawyer)
LAWYER: Am I interrupting?
ANNE: No. You’re preventing mass murder. Please, sit down, Ma’am.
BEATRICE: (gets down from chair) Hello.
LAWYER: I’m truly sorry for the demise of your parents. Alice and
Devon were wonderful clients.
ANNE, BEATRICE, CATHELINE, DAKOTA: (all nod mournfully)
DAKOTA: Would you like some tea?
BEATRICE: What is it with you and tea?
DAKOTA: It’s a beverage and I think it calms down the environment.
Especially when someone rages and steps up on chairs.
BEATRICE: (stage whispers to DAKOTA) Mind your tongue young one.
I could throw you off the balcony with the flick of a finger and drink
up all your money just like your dear tea.
DAKOTA: So, tea? (Exit stage)
LAWYER: About the money. I met your mum a few weeks before her
death. She told me that she’s left all the money in a trust fund and all
the money has been put under the name of (looks at paper)
Mr.Henry. Is that a cousin that I am unaware of?
BEATRICE: No. We have no other family than us. Who’s Henry?
CATHELINE: (shocked) That’s our butler.
BEATRICE: WHAT?!
DAKOTA: (enters hurriedly) WHAT?!
BEATRICE: All our money. Gone to a butler. A BLOODY BUTLER!
(Grabs LAWYER by collar) Listen you, change that will. Put our
names. We won’t tell the police, I promise! We need that money. I
need that money!
ANNE: (separates BEATRICE and LAWYER.) Ma’am I am truly very
sorry for Beatrice’s behaviour, she seems quite frazzled from the
deaths. Now, please, let’s be serious. Who actually got the money?
LAWYER: Mr. Henry.
ANNE: Bee, NOW!
BEATRICE: (pulls out dagger from shoe and stabs LAWYER)
LAWYER: (falls)

FREEZE FRAME

END