The Visitation

The Visitation

[Begin Act I]
[Begin Scene I]

[The guests and family are viewing the casket of the boy who died, Alex. His best friend,
David, is sitting off to the left beside a window waiting for everyone to leave so he can 
say his final goodbyes. Alex's mother sits beside David.]

Amy: I am so sorry, David. Alex was a great guy, and it won't be the same seeing you
         without him following right behind you. If you need someone to talk to, give me
         a call.
David: [Wryly] Thanks, Amy. Thanks for coming.
           [Amy approaches the casket to pay her respcts to Alex.]
Mrs. Ashcroft: It's a very lovely service, David. We are so sorry for your loss.
Coach Ashcroft:  Indeed, Margaret. And David, you know where my office is if you need
          a buddy, got it? You don't have to go through this alone. We're a team, remember?
David: Thanks coach, Mrs. Ashcroft. [Smiles slightly and then looks away out the window]
          [Coach and Mrs. Ashcroft approach the casket]
Ms. Fauré: [Discretely pointing and whispering] Oh, David! There's that Alison Frank! Alex
          always did fancy her. [Smiling] Isn't she pretty?
David: Yeah, she's very pretty, Mrs. Fauré.
Mrs. Fauré: Alex always liked Alison - as long as I can remember. When they were in first
          grade, he used to pull her hair and call her "pig face". It was love at first sight I think.
June:  [To Mrs. Fauré] Deborah, I am so sorry for your loss. Is there anything we can do?
Mrs. Fauré: June, thanks so much for coming. I'll be ok. Thank you so much for asking.
         [Patting June's hands and smiling]
June:  Well, it's the least we can do...
Ward: Yes, Deborah. After June lost her dad last winter we were so grateful for the wonderful
          support from you and your family. If there's anything we can do, please, don't hesitate
          to ask. [Leans over and sympathetically rubs Mrs. Fauré's shoulder]
Mrs. Fauré: Oh, don't worry about me. It makes the house a bit smaller, but things will work
          out. They always have a way of doing that.
          [Ward and June nod in agreement as they walk to the casket to pay their respects]
          [Sighing] What awful people.
David: Aww, they were nice. How can you say that?
Mrs. Fauré: Oh, please. You want to know what kind of 'support' we gave them when June's
          dad died?
David: [Shrugging]
Mrs. Fauré: We sent them a gift box of sausages and cheese.
David: [Laughing] Really?
Mrs. Fauré: Completely. Now they show up everywhere. How was I supposed to know that
           we were the only people making such a gesture?
David: Well, you have to see the irony in all of this?
Mrs. Fauré: I'd feel better wth peace rather than irony. I don't need anything else to remind
          me of those two. Still, it was nice of them to come by even if it was a continuation of
          their stalker-like habits, wasn't it?
David: Indeed.
Mrs. Fauré: [Standing] Ok, this is it. This is the moment I was avoiding.
David: You mean you're not going to hide here in the corner with me anymore?
Mrs. Fauré:I'm sorry, David, but I have a son to grieve over now. [Pauses] I can see why my
            Alex loved you so much, David. He was always looking for something....[Thinks for 
            the right word for a moment]...uncommon. I think that's the way I would describe
            it. Come by and see me every once in a while?
David: Of course. [Stands and embraces her]
Mrs. Fauré: [Hugs him and kisses his cheek; turns and approaches the casket]
Mom:  [Enters and crosses the room to her son, David]  How ya' doing, kiddo?
David: I'm allright.
Mom:  [Looking at Mrs. Fauré] That poor woman. [Daydreams for a moment
           and then sighs] Well, I just wanted to check up on you.
David: I'm O.K. I'm about done here. Give me another ten to fifteen.
Mom:  [Sympathetically] Ok, your father and I will be just outside in the car.
           [Exit Mom]
           [Exit Mrs. Fauré]
David: [Looks around] Well, buddy, looks like it's just you and me!
           [Hesitantly approaches the casket and looks into it]
           I do believe that's the first time I remember you not having a shit-eating grin
           on your face. Well, that and the time coach caught you peeking in on the girls
           dressing room.  Grabbed you and lifted you in the air by your back belt loop.
           Man, I don't think your eyes were never quite right after you pulled your
           skivvies out of your ass.
           [Chuckles]
           On the other hand, you did get a rather intimate kiss from his daughter after
           you recovered. So, I guess you got the last laugh,...
           [Despondent and Persnickety] ...son of a bitch! [Pauses] I never got anywhere
           with those girls...
Alex:   Neither did I.
David: ...and yet you seemed to have this innate ability....
           [Alarmed and confused, David pauses]
           Is someone there? Hello?
           [Dismissively] Yeah, well, even if I did actually hear that I'd be sure you were
           full of shit as usual.Case in point, you know what Charleen Dempsey and I were
          doing while you and Adele Reese were 'Bobbing for Cherries'?
Alex:  No, not actually.
David: Yeah, well, we were playing Bomberman 64. And I was getting my ass handed
           to me...OH NOW COME ON!! I heard you that time! Who's here?!
           [Looks around the room frantically]
Alex:  Whoa, buddy! Calm down! [Grabs David by the shoulders and stares him in
          in the eyes] It's me!
David: [Staring] Alex? No...no this can't be? But you're dead? You're in that casket right
           there!
Alex:  [Looking in the casket] Damn! I look good, man. Why is it that I had to get hit by
          a car walking down the street to get a nice suit?
David: You know all that stuff I was just sayin'? Yeah, well, I was just messin' around.
Alex:   [Raises his eyebrow] Relax, man. I won't tell anybody, I swear.
David: Ok, so what now? You just hang around and torment me and make me crazy until
           I join you in the alternate dimension? Is that your plan?
Alex:   Sometimes you can be a real dick, man. Can't you see that I don't know why I am
           here? I was floating along a few minutes ago when everything dissolved around me
           and I saw you. Then after another minute or two I dropped out and into the room.
           So, quit with all the love for God's sake.
David: Damn, man, my bad. It's just...I don't know what to say! Am I supposed to be all
           like, 'Welcome back' or should I be shitting myself. I'm just really confused right now.
Alex:   Tell me about it. Hey, you really want to know what Adele and I were doing? We
           were doing push-ups, man.
David: Bullshit. You were not.
Alex:   I swear to God, man. I get into the back room with her thinking I was about to
           bury my face into that gorgeous set, and all of a sudden she starts talking about
           how she's stronger than I am. Naturally, I have to defend my honor, so we end up
           doing push-ups for fifteen minutes or so.
David: How many did you do?
Alex:   I don't know...57? 58? It's not important.
David: How many did she do?
Alex:   Listen! It's not important.
David: No, seriously, how many did she do?
Alex:   Man, I don't know...I don't remember!
David: She beat your ass didn't she?
Alex:   Me? Naa! Man, I totally took care of business.
          [Looks at David and starts laughing] Ok, yeah, you got me. She beat me by
          like eight or nine. But if you tell anyone, I swear I will haunt your ass until eternity.
David: Ok, man, I promise! But you're telling me you didn't even get a peek?
Alex:   Not a stitch, man.
David: Damn.
Alex:   Meh.
David: Oh, hey, you should've seen Alison Frank today. Man., she was lookin'
           F-I-N-E fine!
Alex:   Oh, well, that was cool that she came. Hey, did her brother happen to show up?
David: Tom? I don't think so, no.
Alex:   Oh. I would've thought he'd have shown up.
David: Why's that? It's not like you two were friends or anything.
Alex:   What do you mean? Tom was cool, and we were friends.
David: Nothing. I just meant that I never saw you guys hang out. Besides, his kind doesn't
           mix well with the football players.
Alex:   His kind? Dude, that guy is way smart. If it wasn't for him, I'd have never gotten
           that scholarship to play ball at Michigan State. And who knows? Maybe on to
           the NFL! And I'd have him to thank for it.
David: Damn, sorry! [Sarcastically] I didn't realize he was your fuckin' boyfriend.
Alex:   Yeah, well... I have a pretty good idea there's a few things you don't know.
David: Try me - you aren't that complicated.
Alex:   Ok, asshole. You remember Bethany Hargrove?
David: The brunette with the pointy witches' nose and the heart-shaped ass?
Alex:   The very one. Well, we got drunk one day out by her pool, and she starts coming
           on to me. The only thing, I was not interested. She gets pisssed off and starts
           yelling and telling me I'm gay and shit. You know how I got that scar on my leg?
           That happened when she threw te vodka bottle down at my feet.
David: Damn...
Alex:   Anyways, her brother comes out to see what all the commotion's about and sees
           his drunk sister, a broken bottle of vodka, and some guy with three inches of glass
           sticking out of his ankle.
David: [Laughing] But i thought you hooked up with her! I didn't know she beat your ass
           with a vodka bottle.
Alex:   No, it wasn't her.
David: [Stops laughing] Then who did you hook up with? Who else was there?
Alex:   No, it was her brother.
David: Oh, fuck you, man. [Laughs] You came all the way from the grave to punk me?
           You never could resist the chance, you sunuvabitch.
Alex:   No, seriously, man. I hooked up with her brother.
David: [Shocked] ...
Alex:   [Jokingly smug] See? Told you that you didn't know everything about me.
David: But everybody said you guys hooked up!
Alex:   No, Bethany said we hooked up. The bitch walked in on me and her brother, still
           drunk on vodka and pissed at me. I didn't know what to do! I had ever been in
           that situation before. I panicked. She threatened to tell everyone! Man, I didn't
           want to get kicked off the team. I didn't know how my friends, my family would
           react to that. I was afraid, Ok? Bethany made me promise to let her tell everyone
           that we hooked up and she agreed not to tell anyone.
David: You're right. You would have been thoroughly ostracized. I know mom would have
           been upset. Dad would have me washed with steel wool just make sure it wasn't
           catchy or something. It would have ruined Thanksgiving.
Alex:   Well, you are taking this much better than I imagined.
David: I think you underestimate me, man. You're my friend, my bud, my...my bro'. Plus I
           trust that you didn't want me that way.
Alex:   Well, you're right there. You have no idea what it's been carrying that around with me
           all these years. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest.
David: What do you care now? You're dead.
Alex:   Thanks for the reminder...dick!
           [A comfortable silence lasts for about thirty seconds]
           Hey, do me a favor?
David: Sure, man. Name it.
Alex:   I have to go in a moment. When you remember me, try to remember me as simply
           'Alex' - not 'gay Alex', eh?
David: Ok, now who's being the dick? [Smiles mischievously]
Alex:   [Chuckles] Ok, fair enough. Hey? Buds?
David: You bet, man. [Extends his hand to shake Alex's hand]
Alex:   That's all I get, you punk? [Smiling]
           [David and Alex embrace, Alex patting David on the back]
           Well....[Sighs]...take it easy, bro'
           [Exit Alex]
           [Enter Mom]
Mom:  David? You coming? At this rate, we'll miss our reservations for dinner!
David: Yeah, on my way, Mom; right behind you.
           [Exit Mom]
           [David takes one last look in the casket, and then exits through the
            same door as his mother.]
           [End Scene I]
           [End Act]
           [Fade to black]


Invino Veritas
10/21/11
EOF