Martha and George the morning after, in bed.
G : (whisper) Shh … shh ... You still asleep ? (Pause, softly) You have to get up…
M : (sleepy) Hunh… (Pause)
G : (insisting) Remember? There’s this fund raising lunch concert thing at the faculty … with your father there …
M : Let me sleep, troublemaker … (silence, some instants)
G : Well (monologue to himself), You need to go and take up the role of his trespassed wife… take the place of … get up little lady to be the red eyed mouse’s replacement wife. Since we are his … stuff … full attention to the faculty’s needs… (Pause)
George tries to embrace her from behind.
M : (returning quickly in his direction, outraged) Jesus, what do you think are you doing?
G : (Half joking, half serious) Huh, wouldn’t you have set up all that Walpurgisnacht tantrum for my excitement? Worth a real witch – your spell succeeded pretty much… (getting closer to Martha again)
M : (Interrupting) Oh let go! You weren’t interested at all last night, … lecher, so what do you want ! Making up for that horrible humiliation?
G : Huh, Elizabeth Taylor is out! At her best Burton times – You’ve been sooo wonderful!
M : (amazed) Really?... Wouldn’t you be happier with Audrey Hepburn?
G : Wouldn’t want to change for a tender swearword ! (look at each other, gauging; George moves with energy, turning around intending to leave the bed) Well, I’m going to make breakfast then. (sitting on the side of the bed, legs already out, casually) Want your coffee with gin or whisky, honey?
M : (pleading) No, don’t leave, just hold me a bit… (dragging him back into the bed)… for a moment… before I have to go…(they lay down front to front, looking in each other eyes) ... will be curious to see how that poor boy - what was his name, Nick? - digests last night…
G : … (reassuring) don’t worry about him…
M : … seems to be smart enough, will find his way…
G : … (slightly ironically, to himself) got the right launching…
M : … make friends in his mathematics department, start a family…
G : (interrupting, impatiently)… Biology, good damn, he’s in the biology department. And I don’t think that they’re gonna have kids. At least slim Hipped doesn’t seem too much up to it. Good news, they won’t get killed by their unwanted child driving a car the wrong side of the road…
M : (interrupting George annoyed, quick movement with the hand as to wipe away the words) Jesus Christ George, don’t bother me with that story again. I’m tired hearing it! And each time you’re bothering people with it, someone else is dying! Let me tell you right into your face: It’s a running gag at the faculty! (faking someone else’s voice)… George’s coming, let’s see who he’s going to kill by car this time!...
G : (offended) That’s all lies! (Sits up)
M : No, it is not! … (sitting up too, close to George) But don’t worry, the houseboy believed you. Try him next time... (patting gently his head. Finally she approaches George and kisses him gently. George responds with more tender gestures, becoming explicit)
M : (defending) Oh no dear, not at your age!
G : (playful indignantly) I’m six years younger than you!
M : And I have two more teeth… (both laugh, end up in a hug, Martha is liberating herself from George) ... Oh no, Georgie-Porgie, I have terrible headaches – I want an aspirin, don’t we have any tea in the house? – Why are you still here? Up peanut, into the kitchen!
G : Another day. I don’t want to. I’m not the houseboy... speaking of which... I’m not a houseboy, I did it in the sack! Yeah, but well, somebody's got to show him how the musical beds work out around here...
M : (hurt) I do whatever I want - If you had shown the slightest jealousy last night, you could have saved me from a real humiliation. Don’t you have any feelings for me anymore? You don’t have any feelings for me anymore.
G : (conspiratorially), I’m obsessed with you…
M : And I thought you loved me!
G : Jesus Christ, you are so not missing any occasion for being humiliated…
M : Oh shut up, (already indifferent, as if a usual statement) it’s you who did humiliate me... (absently minded) ... What a strange night we had, and what an ending. (Losing focus, retreating to her memories) Four people, lost, lies, a killing...
G : I had to kill our boy... to let him go...
(Martha and George in parallel, monologize to themselves)
M : Martha and George, Honey and Nick, like East and West...
G : Our loved son, left behind and gone...
M : … Washington and Khrushchev, decline and rise...
G : … the lamb sacrificed for salvation, the son to die for his people’s sins...
M : … and lies on either side...
G : … in your death we recognize our sins, give our souls salvation, kyrie, eleison...
M : … past and future, young and old, new and ancient...
G : … we ask you forgiveness for having given a life and taken it away …
M : … an end and a beginning...
G : … in eternal memory, requiescat in pace ...
M : … truth and illusion ...
G : … truth or illusion ...
M : … Martha and George, sad sad sad ...
G : … rest in peace, … the illusions gone, a new morning will approach...
M : (turned to George, mournful) Oh George, you shouldn’t have killed our son … you shouldn’t...
G : I know, I shouldn’t. … shh shh … But I had to, I had to … shh shh ...
They end in an embrace, both sitting on the bed.
Maren
Thanks to Cynthia for her advise and proof reading!
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