NAT
It doesn’t sound very good.
BECCA
It’s okay. He’s young.
NAT
Keep it?
BECCA
(Takes the story) Yeah, we should keep it. I’ll just put it in the box.
(Becca puts the story inside the keep box. Nat goes back to cleaning. Becca contemplates telling her something, and finally relents. She tries to sound offhand.)
I think I’m gonna see him actually.
NAT
Who?
BECCA
Jason Willette.
(Beat.)
NAT
Why?
BECCA
I don’t know. I just ... want to.
NAT
What about Howie?
BECCA
Howie’s not really into it.
NAT
Well I thought it was weird. The way he walked in like that. Creepy. You don’t think that was creepy?
BECCA
Not really.
NAT
Well I think it was creepy. You should ask Howie what he thinks.
BECCA
I don’t have to ask him what he thinks. Frankly I don’t care what he thinks.
NAT
I’m just saying.
(After a beat, Howie appears in the doorway. He looks around. The bed has been stripped. The walls are bare. He regrets popping in, but it’s too late now.)
BECCA
Hey.
HOWIE
How’s it goin’?
BECCA
Fine.
HOWIE
Good.
(Beat.)
I thought we could put the brown bedspread in here.
BECCA
Okay.
HOWIE
And maybe hang the Ansel Adams prints that are in the basement?
BECCA
Sounds like a plan.
HOWIE
Making progress I see.
BECCA
Yup.
HOWIE
Good. Looks good.
(Pause.)
I’m gonna take Taz for a walk. You need anything while I’m out?
BECCA
I don’t think so.
HOWIE
Okay.
(To Nat) Thanks for helping out, Nat.
NAT
Sure.
(He goes.)
BECCA
(Whispers) I hate that bedspread. I’m gonna put the blue one on. It’s neutral enough.
(They work in silence. Nat suddenly smiles. She remembers something.)
NAT
Hey, you know what I was thinking of this morning?
BECCA
What?
NAT
(Chuckling a little already) Remember that gourmet basket you and Howie got me for Mother’s Day last year, with the biscotti and the fancy biscuits? And I put the chocolates out when you came over for dinner, and Danny ate the entire bowl of chocolates when no one was looking?
BECCA
(She’s heard this story many times) Yup.
NAT
And then Howie was like, “Where’d all the chocolates go?” And I said, “Danny ate them. Leave him alone, kids like candy.” And then Howie said, “But those were chocolate-covered espresso beans!” Remember?
BECCA
I do.
NAT
But Danny had eaten the whole bowl, so he was, you know, really really wired. And running in circles and climbing up the walls, and putting things on his head, and he was up until like three A.M. Remember that?
BECCA
Only too well.
NAT
I didn’t know what the damn things were. I just thought they were candy. You get me these fancy baskets with all this crazy stuff in’em—espresso beans. I tell that story to everyone. People get a kick out of it.
(Becca smiles.)
BECCA
(After a beat) Mom?
(Nat looks up at her.)
Does it go away?
NAT
What.
BECCA
This feeling. Does it ever go away?
(Beat.)
NAT
(Beat.)
It changes though.
BECCA
How?
NAT
I don’t know. The weight of it, I guess. At some point it becomes bearable. It turns into something you can crawl out from under.
And carry around—like a brick in your pocket. And you forget it every once in a while, but then you reach in for whatever reason and there it is: “Oh right. That.” Which can be awful. But not all the time. Sometimes it’s kinda ... Not that you like it exactly, but it’s what you have instead of your son, so you don’t wanna let go of it either. So you carry it around. And it doesn’t go away, which is ...
BECCA
What.
NAT
Fine ... actually.
(They’re silent for a couple beats. Becca nods a little. She goes back to work. So does Nat.
The lights fade.)
SCENE THREE
A few days later. Jason is sitting on the couch in the living room. He looks around. Becca enters from the kitchen with a plate.
BECCA
I made some lemon squares.
(She holds out the lemon squares, and he takes one and a napkin.)
JASON
Thank you.
BECCA
Can I get you milk or something? I don’t have any soda. Unless you want seltzer.
JASON
I’m fine.
BECCA
You’ll need something to wash it down though. You don’t drink coffee, do you?
JASON
Sometimes.
BECCA
You want coffee?
JASON
No thanks. Really, I’m okay.
BECCA
All right. But let me know if you change your mind.
(She joins him on the couch. Jason takes a bite of lemon square.)
JASON
It’s good.
BECCA
Thank you.
JASON
Still warm.
(She smiles. Pause.)
So, you’re moving?
BECCA
We’re thinking about it. If we can find a buyer.
JASON
Where are you moving to?
BECCA
We’re still looking.
JASON
Far away?
BECCA
Probably not, no. My husband works in the city, so we can’t go that far.
JASON
What does he do?
BECCA
He works at Prime Brokerage. Risk management.
JASON
(Doesn’t know what that is) Uh-huh.
BECCA
He takes the train in.
JASON
Right.
BECCA
So we don’t wanna go too far.
JASON
It’s a nice house. I hope you find one as nice as this.
BECCA
We’ll probably go smaller. This is too big.
(Jason goes back to the lemon square.)
I’m sorry Howie couldn’t be here.
JASON
That’s okay.
BECCA
He’s, uh ...
JASON
Not ready?
BECCA
I was gonna say working, but yeah, that too.
JASON
He seemed mad. The other day.
BECCA
No, he was just surprised that you dropped by.
JASON
Okay.
BECCA
You just scared him a little bit.
JASON
He didn’t seem scared.
BECCA
Yeah well ... Maybe that’s not the right word. But ... Howie’s not
mad at you. What happened was an accident. Howie knows that.
(Beat.)
You know that, too, right?
(Jason takes a bite of lemon square. Taz barks out back. Becca cringes.)
That bark goes right through me. I swear, we better move somewhere without squirrels.
JASON
You should have his vocal cords snipped.
BECCA
What?
JASON
That’s what some people do. If their dogs won’t stop barking.
BECCA
Huh. I’ve never heard of that.
JASON
Yeah, because some dogs just never shut up. So that’s what they have to do. Otherwise the alternative is give ’em away. Or put ’em to sleep, I guess. You should look it up online. I bet there’s all sorts of information, if you’re interested.
BECCA
No, Howie would never allow it. He loves that dog too much.
(Beat.)
Do you have any pets?
JASON
No.
BECCA
Well that’s lucky.
JASON
Yeah?
BECCA
Unless you want a pet. Do you want a pet? Because I’ve got one you can borrow. Just kidding.
(Pause. Jason notices a book on the coffee table.)
JASON
We read that book.
BECCA
Bleak House?
JASON
Yeah, in English class.
BECCA
Did you like it?
JASON
Not really. It’s too long.
BECCA
I know. I barely made it through.
JASON
I liked David Copperfield though.
BECCA
Also very long.
JASON
Yeah, but it didn’t feel as long.
BECCA
No, you’re right.
(Pause.)
JASON
So, I don’t see any photos anywhere.
BECCA
Of Danny?
JASON
Yeah.
BECCA
Well, we put most of them away. Because of the open house.
JASON
Okay.
BECCA
Do you want to see pictures? Because I could—
JASON
No thank you.
(Beat.)
BECCA
Okay.
JASON
The one in the article was nice though. Him at the beach.
BECCA
That’s at Anneport Bay.
JASON
I used to have a shirt just like that one. The one he’s wearing in the picture.
(Beat.)
I might’ve been going too fast. That day. I’m not sure, but I might’ve been. So ... that’s one of the things I wanted to tell you.
(Beat.)
It’s a thirty zone. And I might’ve been going thirty-three. Or thirty-two. I would usually look down, to check, and if I was a little over, then I’d slow down obviously. But I don’t remember checking on your block, so it’s possible I was going a little too fast. And then the dog came out, really quick, and so I swerved a little to avoid him, not knowing, obviously ...
(Beat.)
So that’s something I thought you should know. I might’ve been going a little over the limit. I can’t be positive either way though.
(Pause.)
BECCA
I’m gonna get you some milk. You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want it.
JASON
Okay.
(Becca heads into the kitchen. She gets a glass from a cabinet and fills it with milk.)
BECCA
So you’re a senior?
JASON
Yeah.
BECCA
Where you headed in the fall?
JASON
Connecticut College. They have a good writing program.
BECCA
Oh, well that’s nice for you. And not too far from home. Your parents must be happy about that.
JASON
It’s just my mom, but yeah, she’s happy about it. She’s already started picking out sheet sets for the dorm room.
BECCA
Uh-huh.
JASON
She keeps saying she’s gonna apply to the graduate program so she can keep an eye on me while I’m up there. She’s just joking though.
BECCA
Right.
JASON
She’s not really looking forward to it, since I’m the only one at home now, but I told her I’d come back on the weekends when I could.
BECCA
That’ll be nice.
(She reenters, brings him the milk.)
There ya go.
JASON
Thanks.
(He puts the milk down.)
BECCA
And you graduate when?
JASON
Thursday. Matt Lauer is gonna speak. His niece is in my class.
BECCA
Well that’s great. I like Matt Lauer.
JASON
Yeah. So does my mom.
BECCA
So you must have a prom coming up then.
JASON
It was last Saturday actually.
BECCA
And you went?
JASON
Yeah.
BECCA
Do you have a girlfriend or—
JASON
No. I mean, I did, but we broke up a while ago, so I went with this girl Carly who’s just a friend, and this other girl Tina went with this guy Jake whose dad owns this old-fashioned Rolls-Royce that he brings to car shows and stuff, so we all went in that together.
BECCA
That must’ve been fun.
JASON
Yeah, it was a tight squeeze though, because no one wanted to sit up front, but it worked out. We had champagne in the back—not to get drunk or anything, just to celebrate—but Carly is really skinny so she got a little tipsy, even though she barely had like one glass of champagne. And she kept telling the driver to put the top down because she wanted to stand up in the back and act crazy, but the car wasn’t even a convertible, so we essentially made fun of her all night for that. That part was pretty funny.
(Becca has been tearing up while listening. And with little warning, she is crying. A lot. It goes on for a few beats. Jason just sits, not sure what to do.)
BECCA
I’m sorry.
JASON
No, that was stupid of me.
BECCA
I asked.
JASON
Still, I shouldn’t have—Should I go?
BECCA
No. I’m fine.
(She collects herself. She grabs a kleenex and blows her nose.)
I’m sorry.
(They sit in silence for a couple beats.)
So did you have a good time? At the prom?
JASON
It was okay.
BECCA
Well it sounds like it was very nice.
(Beat.)
I liked that story you sent by the way. I’m sorry we never thanked you for it.
JASON
That’s okay.
BECCA
We appreciated it.
(She grabs another kleenex and wipes her nose.)
So the scientist that the boy is looking for ...
JASON
Yeah?
BECCA
Is that your dad?
(Beat.)
JASON
No.
BECCA
I mean, is it based on him?
JASON
No. My dad was an English teacher.
BECCA
Oh. Okay. I was just curious about that part. He is dead though, right?
JASON
It’s just a story.
BECCA
No, I know. I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. I was just ...
JASON
Reading into it?
BECCA
Yeah.
(Beat.)
Well, anyway, I liked it very much. It reminded me of Orpheus and Eurydice. Do you know that Greek myth?
JASON
Not really.
BECCA
Eurydice dies, and Orpheus misses her so much, that he travels to Hades to retrieve her, but in the end it doesn’t work out.
JASON
I should read it.
BECCA
Yeah, it’s similar. But instead of Hades, you have the rabbit holes. The parallel universes. It’s interesting. I liked that part.
JASON
Thank you.
BECCA
Is that something you believe in?
JASON
Parallel universes?
BECCA