A Happy Birthday
Short Script
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| Kiki Siepel* |
SCENE ONE:
IT IS EARLY MORNING, 1990. JOYCE SITS ALONE ON A BENCH OUTSIDE A CEMETERY. SHE IS IN HER MID TO LATE FIFTIES. SHE IS DRESSED PLAINLY, IN DARK OFFICE CLOTHES AND SMOKING A CIGARETTE. ON THE BENCH NEXT TO Her IS A BUNCH OF WHITE FLOWERS.
ENTER MARY. SHE IS IN HER EARLY FIFTIES AND WEARS A SKIRT-SUIT AND SHOES WITH A SMALL HEEL. SHE IS HOLDING AN ENORMOUS BOUQUET OF PINK ROSES. SHE APPEARS SLIGHTLY NERVOUS, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO SAY. THEY SMILE BRIEFLY AT EACH OTHER, AND THEN LOOK AWAY. THEY DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT AS THEY SPEAK.
MARY
Hello, love.
JOYCE
STUBS OUT HER CIGARETTE, AND PICKS UP THE FLOWERS NEXT TO HER SO THAT MARY CAN
SIT DOWN. MARY SITS. SHE GESTURES TO THE ROSES IN HER LAP.
MARY (CONT’D)
I know they’re a bit, well,
bright, not really… well. Teddy gave them to me, for my birthday, you know, and
I thought, these are just too pretty to go all dry and brown in my house with
just me to enjoy them, they should be admired so, well, I thought he might… well,
he might like them.
JOYCE
(QUIETLY) They’re beautiful. Thank you.
THEY ARE BOTH QUIET FOR A MOMENT.
JOYCE
Thank you for coming today, Mary.
It does make it easier, not being on my own.
MARY
I know, Joyce, you know I’ll
always come here with you, any time you like. You don’t have to say thank you.
JOYCE
I didn’t think you’d come.
MARY
I told you I would.
JOYCE LOOKS AT MARY AND SMILES.
MARY QUICKLY LOOKS DOWN AT HER LAP. THEY ARE QUIET FOR A MOMENT. FINALLY, MARY
TOUCHES JOYCE’S ARM.
MARY
Ready, love?
JOYCE NODS, AND THEY BOTH STAND
UP WITH THEIR FLOWERS. THEY EXIT, SLOWLY.
Blackout.
SCENE TWO:
LIGHTS COME
UP ON A FILING ROOM. IT IS LINED WITH FLOOR-TO-CEILING SHELVES AND FILING
CABINETS. HERE AND THERE ARE EMPTY COFFEE MUGS AND CHOCOLATE BAR WRAPPERS.
GROUPED TOGETHER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM ARE A FEW STOOLS, MEANT FOR REACHING
THE HIGHER SHELVES. ON ONE OF THESE STOOLS SITS JOYCE. SHE IS STARING INTO
SPACE, DRINKING FROM A MUG. THE DISTANT SOUND OF VOICES AND RINGING PHONES CAN
BE HEARED.
AFTER A FEW
MOMENTS MARY ENTERS. SHE LOOKS FLUSTERED AND ANNOYED, AND IS CARRYING AN
ENORMOUS PINK HELIUM BALLOON, ON WHICH IS WRITTEN ‘HAPPY FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY!’
JOYCE
(NEUTRALLY) Good grief.
MARY
Don’t say a word, Joyce.
SHE STOMPS TO THE FURTHEST CORNER
OF THE ROOM AND DUMPS THE BALLOON, THEN WALKS BACK TO JOYCE AND SITS DOWN ON
ONE OF THE STOOLS.
MARY
He’s got surprise for me, too, he
says, Joyce. A surprise! On my birthday, like I’ve no plans of my own!
JOYCE
We can always go to the pub
another night.
MARY
The shame of it, Joyce, having to
go and collect that monstrosity from reception with everyone smirking, then
carrying it up the stairs and through the office! Everyone laughed!
JOYCE
I’m sure they didn’t, Mary.
MARY
Michael snorted, Joyce, don’t you tell me I’m
imagining things.
JOYCE
You don’t know what he’s got planned, then?
MARY
No… I hope we’re going out to
dinner. I never do that, I feel silly sitting there by myself.
JOYCE
(DRYLY) Yes, I know the feeling. Lucky you.
MARY
(LOOKS UP, ABASHED) Oh, Joyce, I
didn’t think! I just, I meant that, well, it does make a lovely change to have
somebody to do these things with, I know exactly how you feel, well, not
exactly of course, but I’ve spent as much time on my own as you have, so… oh,
forget I said anything!
JOYCE
You don’t spend much time alone these days.
MARY
No. I suppose I don’t.
THEY ARE QUIET FOR A MOMENT.
MARY CNT’D
(LOOKING AT JOYCE, SPEAKING
SOFTLY) I have been on my own a long time, Joyce. I think I deserve this now.
JOYCE
(TIGHTLY) I’m very pleased for
you. (PAUSE) This day is always hard for me, Mary. It doesn’t get easier,
either. I’m not trying to pick a fight with you.
MARY
I know, love.
THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER FOR A
MOMENT, AND THEN MARY STANDS UP)
MARY
I need to get back out there, a
few things to chase up, you know. Are you coming?
JOYCE
In a minute. Let me finish my
coffee.
MARY
Alright, love (she leaves).
JOYCE TAKES A LONG DRINK FROM THE
MUG, AND THEN SETS IT DOWN. SHE STARES INTO SPACE FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN BEGINS
TO SPEAK.
JOYCE
I didn’t think it would be like this. Getting older. Being alone. (PAUSE) When the divorce came through, hmmm, seven years ago it must be now, back then you wouldn’t have found me with no plans on a Friday night. Oh no, the decree absolute came through, and I went straight up those stairs, I got myself all dressed up, and I went out to paint the town pink. It was like being a teenager again, out all night, me, can you believe…. (HER SMILE FADES) Philip would have been with Thomas then, I suppose. Yes. Safe with his father, while I had some time to myself at long last. To let my hair down, as they say. Or as they used to say, anyway. We always made sure to keep things civil for him, though. No fighting, no shouting. We can’t let this affect him, we said. He’ll spend time with you, he’ll spend time with me. We shared him. We did a good job. Only, we can’t have done. He understood, we thought. He didn’t complain, or cry, he was never upset, not even when I picked him up from Thomas, or when Thomas took him away from me. He adjusted. That’s what everyone said, Joyce, he’s very well-adjusted. I missed him dreadfully when he left, there’s no need to study quite so far away, I said, what if you need me, what if suddenly something happens, and you need me, but you’re too far away and I can’t get to you quickly enough (SHE TAKES A MOMENT TO CALM HERSELF). You’re being silly, he said, and I thought, selfish is what I’m being, what I’ve been for a long time. I’ll come back, he said, of course you’ll come back, I said, and I made a promise that when he did, I’d be better. I’d talk to him more. He’s an adult now, I thought. Enjoy his company. I let him go.
SHE STARES INTO SPACE FOR A FEW
MOMENTS. THEN SHE LOOKS AT THE AUDIENCE, AND SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THEM.
JOYCE CNT’D
I meant what I said. It’s a hard
day. I mean, they’re all hard days. But this one always goes that little bit
slower. I know I need to keep an eye on myself. Not give myself too long to
think. Not be too much alone, if I can help it. And I think to myself, thank
God for Mary. I’d never have got through those first days without her. She
thinks she’s lucky, that she has Teddy.
No. It’s me who’s lucky. Because I have her.
SHE STANDS UP AND EXITS, LEAVING
HER COFFEE MUG ON THE STOOL. THE STAGE IS EMPTY, FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN SECONDS OR
SO.
MARY ENTERS, HOLDING A LIGHTER.
SHE LOOKS ABOUT FOR JOYCE, AND THEN PUTS THE LIGHTER DOWN NEXT TO THE MUG AND
SITS DOWN. SHE TAKES HER MOBILE OUT OF HER POCKET, PRESSES A FEW BUTTONS AND
PUTS IT TO HER EAR. SHE WAITS FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN SPEAKS.
MARY
Hi, I hoped you’d be able to
answer but you’re obviously working. I am too, just wanted to say thank you for
the flowers. And for the balloon (SHE SAYS THIS PART VERY DELIBERATELY). Now, I
know you said it was a surprise, but what is it we’re doing tonight? What time
do I need to be ready? Because, well, I had
told Joyce I’d have a drink with her after work, so I wondered, perhaps,
could we do your surprise after that? It’s so kind of you, please don’t think
I’m not excited, it’s just… it’s Joyce. You know what day it is. Please don’t be
cross with me. (SHE HESITATES, NO KNOWING HOW TO END THE VOICEMAIL) I, umm… I
suppose I’ll see you later?
SHE CRINGES AT HERSELF, AND HANGS
UP. SHE PLACES HER HANDS ON HER KNEES, AND CLOSES HER EYES. THEN SHE OPENS
THEM, AND STARES INTO SPACE.
MARY CNT’D
I do feel sorry for her. When it
happened, we barely knew each other. I was just the lady working at the next
computer but one. We smiled, of course we did, we even got lunch together a few
times. Actually, I’d got to know her pretty well, I suppose. Now I think about
it. Yes. I do feel sorry for her, I remember thinking, that day Michael
gathered us all together and told us why Joyce wouldn’t be here today, in that
silly, pompous voice of his. I kept thinking about her all day, and my stomach
would clench. I could feel all my cups of tea sloshing about when I walked.
Like some kind of ghastly fish bowl on legs. I phoned her, of course I did,
straight away in fact, but I didn’t get any answer. So in the end I called in
to see her, a few days later, I brought her something to eat, some kind of
microwave meal I think. Oh, what a state she was in! Her eyes were all pink and
puffy. It took her a moment to cotton on who I was. Anyway, I didn’t really
want to come in, I mean, what do you say? What can you say? But she offered me
a cup of tea, and what could I do, so in I went… I couldn’t just leave her on
her own. No. Oh, poor love! I didn’t know what to say, she didn’t either, we
just sat there, and there was this awful silence. I started telling her how
everyone was at the office, wittering on like a fool, just out of nervousness,
but I think it helped, she started to join in, to ask me questions about Karen
and Isaac from Accounts, if Lorraine had had her baby… then, all of a sudden,
she just burst into tears! She was always such a proud woman, reserved, you
know, made your insides wriggle about like eels, she was very, oh, what’s the
word… aloof. But there she was, just crumbling
to pieces on her sofa! Well, I put my arms around her, of course I did. Shivering
she was, poor lamb. She needed looking after. I’m not good at many things, you
know, but I always looked after the little ones so well, my brothers and
sisters, then my nieces and nephews… (SHE SIGHS). So I held her for a bit, I patted
her, I stroked her hair. She went quiet again after a while, snuffling into my
cardigan, bless her, I let her stay there, just for a bit… (MARY GIVES A LITTLE
SHAKE, WAKING HERSELF UP) My poor Joyce. She needed me so much. I promised
myself I’d always look after her. Oh, I can’t just leave her now.
ENTER JOYCE. MARY STARTS.
JOYCE
Oh, is that my lighter?
MARY
Joyce! Yes, yes, it is, love,
here you are (HANDING IT OVER. PAUSE) Listen, Joyce, I think, I think I’ll be
able to see you tonight after all. Bit of a change of plan. With Teddy, I mean.
JOYCE
Oh. Really?
MARY
Yes, love.
JOYCE
But I thought he’d promised you a
surprise?
MARY
Yes, well, plans change.
JOYCE
(GENTLY) Don’t feel you have to
put him off on my account. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad earlier.
MARY
No, really… I think I’d rather
spend my birthday with you.
JOYCE
Mary… I’d really like to talk-
MARY
(INTERRUPTING, STANDING UP AND
WALKING QUICKLY AWAY AS SHE LEAVES) Sorry, love, I’ve not got time, we’ll speak
later.
EXIT MARY.
BLACKOUT.
SCENE THREE
LIGHTS UP ON
A LARGE, OPEN-PLAN OFFICE. THE LIGHTING INDICATES THAT IT IS NOW EARLY EVENING.
ALL THE DESKS ARE EMPTY. MARY IS PACING BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS IN FRONT OF
THESE DESKS, TALKING INTO HER PHONE. THE HELIUM BALLOON FROM BEFORE IS ON THE FLOOR BESIDE
HER.
MARY
That is completely unfair, she
does not always do this! You’re being so… yes, I was looking forward to it too,
but we can do that another… yes, yes I know that, but I’ll have other
birthdays! We can… Teddy, I feel dreadful, but she pleaded with me not to leave
her alone, she was almost crying, show a little compassion!
ENTER JOYCE. MARY LOOKS UP AT HER, THEN TURNS
AWAY, SPEAKING MORE QUIETLY INTO THE PHONE. JOYCE SITS DOWN ON AN EMPTY DESK.
I’m sorry, I need to go now. I’ll
call you later… no, I’m hanging up now, Teddy, bye. (SHE DOES SO AN AND STRAIGHTENS
UP) Hello, love! Ready to go?
JOYCE
Mary… you need to stop doing this.
MARY
(RUMMAGING THROUGH HER HANDBAG,
WHICH IS ON THE DESK NEXT TO HER) What’s that love? (SHE TAKES OUT A COMPACT
MIRROR AND LIPSTICK, AND BEGINS TO APPLY IT)
JOYCE
Stop playing dumb. He’s a nice
man. You’re going to end up like me.
MARY
(CHORTLING, STILL LOOKING IN THE
COMPACT) God, don’t say that, Joyce, there’s hope for me yet!
JOYCE
Really? You think so?
MARY
Well, maybe Teddy is a little
pushy for me, we’ll see how we go, I don’t know… but I’m not giving up just
yet, there’s someone out there for me, maybe it’s not Teddy, but still…
JOYCE
I’m not so sure about that, Mary.
So, Teddy’s too pushy; Angus was clingy; that one with the moustache took up
too much of your time-
MARY
(INTERRUPTING) What’s your point?
JOYCE
My point is… (SHE TAKES A DEEP
BREATH) My point is, do you ever think that the problem might be that you just
don’t really like men?
MARY
(SHAKING HER HEAD, AFRAID AT WHAT
JOYCE HAS JUST SAID) Joyce, stop it, you’re spoiling my birthday.
JOYCE
(TAKING MARY’S HAND) I’m sorry, I
don’t mean to. (GENTLY) I understand, Mary, I really, truly do. People said
some disgusting things about me when I left Thomas. Some dreadful things. The
whole town was talking. I used to keep my head down when I was walking in the street,
so I didn’t catch anyone’s eye. I felt like, oh, I don’t know… like there was
this part of me, this hidden, secret part of me that had suddenly been fished
out and held up for the whole town to gawp at. Poor Philip couldn’t stand it.
No wonder he went all that long way away to get away from it all.
MARY
(LOOKING AT HER, SHARPLY) It
wasn’t your fault, Joyce, not at all. You adored that boy, you did everything
you could to make him feel loved. We never know what’s going on in somebody
else’s head, and you’ll drive yourself mad wondering. I don’t know why he did
it, but I do know that it wasn’t because of you.
JOYCE
I hope you’re right, I’m sure you
are… I just wish I’d got the chance to explain things to him. He was still so
young, he couldn’t really have understood.
MARY
He loved you, Joyce, he wouldn’t
have been thinking straight.
JOYCE
(ROUGHLY WIPING HER EYES) I think
he was lonely. I knew he shouldn’t have gone so far away from home, he never
made friends easily. I have these horrible dreams, Mary, where Philip’s back at
primary school but he’s still nineteen, and he’s hiding under one of the tables
and all the children are laughing at him. God, why didn’t I insist! I shouldn’t
have listened to Thomas, he said it would be good for Philip to learn to be
more independent. Then at Philip’s funeral he said that it must have been
because of me, that it must have been the shame of it all, Thomas says-
MARY
You forget what Thomas says.
THEY ARE QUIET FOR A MOMENT.
JOYCE
We should have handled things better. I
shouldn’t have said anything. I should have just denied it all.
MARY
(QUIETLY)I told you at the time.
(PAUSE) You’ve got to stop thinking like this, love. You need to move on. Meet
someone, start again. I’m sure Teddy has a friend who-
JOYCE
(PULLING AWAY FROM MARY) For
God’s sake, Mary!
MARY
I’m trying to help you!
JOYCE
You think I went through everything with
Thomas, that I lost my home, my marriage and my child, just to settle for some
man?
MARY
Teddy’s friends are quite nice, some of them
are quite good-looking, actually. (JOYCE GROANS, AND BURIES HER HEAD IN HER
HANDS) No, listen, love! This might be just what you need, not every man is
like Thomas, you know.
JOYCE
(LIFTS HER HEAD FROM HER HANDS) It’s
exhausting trying to have a conversation with you. It’s impossible.
MARY
We can talk, love, I’m listening.
JOYCE
(DISBELIEVING) Really? Are you?
MARY
(AVOIDING HER GAZE) Well, what do
you want to talk about?
JOYCE
(STANDING UP) Nothing. Not anymore.
I’m finished.
MARY
But we’re going to the pub!
JOYCE
We can’t keep on like this, Mary. You’ve got
me running around in circles and I’m worn out.
MARY
Joyce, I don’t know what you mean.
JOYCE
Call Teddy, Mary. It’s not too
late. Go out to dinner, have fun with him. Count me out. I’m going home.
MARY
(GRABBING HER ARM) Don’t be like
this! I told you, I want to spend my birthday with you.
JOYCE
If you did, you wouldn’t have
made plans with somebody else. Would you? (MARY SAYS NOTHING. JOYCE SIGHS) I
used to think I was so lucky to have you, you know. More fool me.
MARY
(WITH PANIC IN HER VOICE) Joyce…
Joyce, I, I don’t know what you want from me, I don’t know what it is you want
me to say.
JOYCE
(WEARILY) Yes, you do. You do.
Sometimes I think you want to say it,
that you’re about to say it, but now I know. You never will. Will you?
MARY
Joyce, love, please, we can go
and see Philip, and then we’ll go to the pub, we can have a lovely evening,
just the two of us-
JOYCE
(INTERRUPTING) No. We can’t. Not
anymore. You can keep Teddy’s flowers. And you can keep Teddy’s balloon. I’m
leaving now, Mary. (SHE STARTS TO WALK AWAY)
MARY
(IN A SMALL VOICE) Joyce!
JOYCE STOPS, TURNS AROUND AND GAZES AT MARY
FOR A MOMENT.
JOYCE
(GENTLY) I think you should get
going now, Mary. You’re going to be late.
JOYCE LEAVES. MARY GETS UP, STANDS STILL FOR
A MOMENT. SHE SITS BACK
DOWN. SHE STARES AFTER JOYCE, INDECISIVE.
CURTAIN.
Image: https://unsplash.com/@studiokiek / instagram.com/studio.kiek
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