A Mothers Love

This is a 10-Minute Play I wrote for one of my finals.

SETTING: A modern day kitchen

TIME: 7:00 PM the sun is starting to set

CHARACTERS:        JANE: A mother trying to cope with her son’s sexuality

                                    DIANE The mother of Jane’s son’s boyfriend

                                    ADULT ALEX: Jane’s son we only hear his voice in the beginning.

                                    YOUNG ALEX: The voice of Alex as a Child.

Scene 1

(A modern day kitchen: In the center of the kitchen sits an island attached to a row of cabinets that snakes around to the back wall of the kitchen. In stage right of the kitchen there should be a functional back door. On the island sits an ash tray and a wine glass. Jane sits behind the island with her head down. The lights start out dim. The phone starts to ring. Jane makes no effort to get up and answer it. The answering machine goes off; the audience hears a generic answering machine greeting. “Hello we are not available right now please leave your name and number after the beep we will return your call.”)

 

ADULT ALEX:

(After the beep) Mom? Mom are you there? Please, Mom pick up! I’m sorry, Mom! Please pick up the phone. Talk to me, we can get through this please…I…I don’t want to lose you Mom…Please… I lo...

 

(The answering machine cuts ADULT ALEX off before he can finish. The audience hears a small Child’s voice from off stage)

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.):

Mommy?

 

JANE:

(Slowly raising her head)

Yes, Sweetie?

YOUNG ALEX (OS.):

Mom, when I grow up, I want to marry a woman who is just like you.

 

JANE:

(Starting to cry)

Really?

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.):

Yup! I love you Mommy.

 

JANE:

I…I love you too sweetheart

 

(There is a knock at the door snapping JANE out of her dream-like state. The lights come up.)

 

JANE:

Come in!

 

(DIANE enters the room cautiously, JANE freezes up when she sees her)

 

DIANE:

Jane?

(JANE says nothing.)

 

DIANE:

Jane it’s…

 

JANE:

 I know who it is!

(DIANE is thrown aback by this sudden outburst, JANE glares at her)

So tell me, what else are you here to take from me?

DIANE:

I’m not here to take anything from you only to make you understand!

 

JANE:

Understand what? My life is never going to be the same? Or the fact that I can’t look at my son anymore? Tell me Diane what is it that you want me to understand? What in your infinite wisdom are you trying to get me to see?  

 

(DIANE stiffens as she intrudes more into the kitchen)

 

DIANE:

I’m trying to get you to see your own son for who he is. He’s alone and scared right now, and he needs his mother. Jane, your job as a parent is to be a guiding light for your child, and right now he feels like he doesn’t have a light anymore.

 

JANE:

Don’t tell me how to do my job as a parent! I’ve raised three children! How dare you insult my ability as a parent to provide proper guidance for my child!

 

DIANE:

If you’re giving him proper guidance, then why did you disown him? Especially now when he’s just getting out of college and needs his parents to help him start his life.

 

JANE:

Why did he decide to be who he was?

 

DIANE:

 You think he decided to be this way? Tell me exactly what makes you think he “decided” to be gay

 

(JANE just sits there stunned by this question. DIANE continues)

 

Because I know my son sure as hell didn’t choose this path! I suspected he was going to turn out this way from the time he was three. I could just sense it, but I raised him to still be who he is knowing full well that one day he would bring another man through that door, walk up to me, and say, “Mom this is the man I love.” I was fully prepared to accept and embrace that! Every day I come out of the closet just like he does and you know what? I come out wearing full on rainbow because I love my son and I will do anything to see him happy and your son makes him happy! I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time. Do you know what your son did on Steve’s birthday? He baked him a cake; Steve has never had a homemade birthday cake before.  I never had the time to make him one I…I never even bought him one, it meant so much to him. Your son has been so good to him, to the both of us! You’ve raised a good child, Jane.

(JANE stands up and walks towards the back door, as she does DIANE cell phone rings)

 

DIANE

Excuse me a moment

(DIANE answer fumbles in her bag for her phone she finds it and answers it.)

 

DIANE

Hello?... Is he ok?... Ok good, yes, uhuh, ok talk to you later Hon.

 

(DIANE closes her cell phone)

 

In case you were wondering your son has finally calmed down.

 

(JANE sits stiffly in her chair and says nothing)

 

Come on, Jane. You’re not the least bit worried about your child right now?

 

JANE

Of course I’m worried! I don’t know why you seem to think I’m this heartless b***h who doesn’t even care about her own child

 

DIANE

Well what you’re doing to him right now isn’t very caring (Beat.) What does his father make of this situation?

 

JANE

His father’s on his side about the whole thing… He’s known for a long time, but told Alex never to tell me. He was right. I can’t accept this. I refuse to; it’s not right. It’s not normal.

 

DIANE

At least he had some place to go Steve never had a father, I was all he ever had and I wasn’t about to let his life style leave him abandoned

 

(Pause)

 

JANE

Diane you need to understand. I was brought up in a strictly Catholic household. We would go to church every Sunday, I read the Bible each night before I went to bed, and I would pray every night. Now to have my child turn out to be something I was always told was wrong. My mind just can’t comprehend it being anything other than wrong. I wish my mother was here right now… she would know what to do.

 

DIANE

Is she…?

 

JANE

Yes, she’s dead.

 

DIANE

Don’t you think it’s time to think on your own?! Jane how did you feel when your mother died?

 

JANE

Alone…

 

 

 

DIANE

And how do you think Alex feels right now? When a mother disowns her own child, she’s saying to that child, “You’re dead to me.” He just graduated college; this is the worst time for this to happen to him. If he can’t get a job where is he gonna go? He has no one he feels he can turn to.

 

 

JANE

But, it’s wrong

 

DIANE

Because society dictates it! Jane I was raised by Catholic nuns. If anyone knows the hardship of putting your son before your faith it’s me, but I know in my heart that it’s impossible for God to hate him. God made everything in the world! Why would he make something just to hate? He’s supposed to be the ultimate source of love, don’t lose sight of that! Don’t use him as an excuse to hate something you’re afraid of! Is he entering a difficult life? Yes he is, and the road will be even more difficult for him if he doesn’t have his mother to stand behind him. Jane your son needs your love.

 

JANE

 I’m scared. I don’t want my son to go through life being looked at as some immoral freak.

 

DIANE

 There is nothing immoral about love!

 

JANE

That is not love!

 

DIANE

 That’s where you’re wrong

 

(DIANE shuffles through her pocketbook for something after a few minutes she produces a small little photo album)

I started making this for them after their second month anniversary I knew it was a mile stone for them, so I wanted them to have something to look back upon

 

(DIANE walks back to her lawn chair and moves it closer to JANEs and sits back down. She balances the book on her lap and begins to flip through it)

This is when they went hiking together. Your son fell, and Steve carried him the rest of the way down. (Beat) This one is when they went to the county fair, and Alex won a stuffed animal for Steve. (Beat) This picture is my favorite. This is the night after the county fair, and Alex came back to our house. I went to bed early and left them alone in the living room watching some movie, the next morning when I woke up I found them asleep on the floor Alex was sprawled across Steve’s chest. They looked so peaceful, so happy together.

 

(JANE leans in closer and studies the picture closely. She stared at the peaceful look on her son’s face JANE takes another beat looking at the picture. She says nothing. The phone rings again. JANE hesitates for a moment. DIANE gives her an encouraging look, but JANE sinks back into her chair.)

 

DIANE

You’re not going to answer it?

 

JANE

No…I need more time to think.

 

DIANE

Jane please don’t take too much time. They’re just graduated from college. They’re getting ready to start their own lives. I heard Steve talk about proposing…

 

(When DIANE says “proposing” JANE stiffens in her chair and YOUNG ALEX begins to intervene in the scene)

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Mommy when I grow up, I want to marry a woman who is just like you.

 

(Because DIANE can’t hear YOUNG ALEX she continues over him)

 

 

DIANE

If they do get married I think Alex would be devastated if his mother wasn’t there to walk him down the aisle.

 

 

JANE

I think you should leave.

 

DIANE

But, Jane.

 

JANE

You’ve made your point. Now I want you to leave… please just go

 

(YOUNG ALEX begins to intervene again)

 

DIANE

Jane please for Alex’s sake!

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Mommy!

 

JANE

Please not now

 

DIANE

This isn’t going away!

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Don’t you love me anymore?

 

JANE

Just leave me alone! Please!

 

DIANE

Disowning him is not going to solve your problem

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Disown? Mommy what does disown mean?

 

JANE

Please just leave!

 

DIANE

Fine I’ll leave you alone, but before I go Alex asked me to give you something. A letter from Alex

 

(DIANE Shuffles through her purse and produces a piece of paper and hands it to JANE who opens it and starts reading it YOUNG ALEX reads it to the audience)

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Dear Mom, I’m sorry I couldn’t be the son you wanted. I was confused and didn’t have anywhere else to turn. Steve helped me be who I was and I finally became happy! Mom we’ve been through so much together I love him more and more each day. I’ve given deep thought as to whether or not our relationship is right or wrong and I came to the conclusion that there’s nothing wrong with it. That god loves me for who I am. I mean god’s perfect right? Then why would he hate? Isn’t hatred a flaw? Mom I’m not doing this to hurt you. I’m doing this because I don’t want to live my life as someone I’m not. Please mommy don’t do this. Love, Your baby boy.

 

(JANE crumbles the letter in her fist.)

 

JANE

You’re not my baby boy anymore it’s time for you to grow up!

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Mommy?

 

DIANE

You’re being blind right now

 

JANE

I Thought I asked you to leave

(DIANE stiffens and walks towards the back door and turns around before she exits.)

              

DIANE

Don’t make him an orphan of hate.

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

I can’t see you anymore mommy…

 

JANE

Please just leave me alone

 

(DIANE leaves through the back door and JANE is left alone with her thoughts.)

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Excuse me mame… I’m lost! I can’t find my mother anywhere. Do you know where she is?

 

(JANE sinks back into her chair and starts to cry.)

 

YOUNG ALEX (OS.)

Mame why are you crying? Did you lose someone too?

 

(JANE doesn’t respond to the child’s voice. In an effort to forget everything she walks to the sink and attempts to do dishes. The lights go down as she begins to lose it over the sink.)

---

Reviews

[Escritora]

What a beautiful write! You made the concept very colorful, and there is definately powerful action between the two mothers. The addition of the young Alex really helps add a certain dark beauty to Jane's situation. I'd advise that you go through and fix any punctuation errors or where any names got mixed up or things become redundant or run-on, because it really does make a difference. Also, I feel as though Diane is underdeveloped. Sure, she's the 'pro-gay mom comes in to save the day' kind of lady, which is good (and essentially to the story) but I feel as though she needs a more apparent flaw just to keep her interesting and not 'preachy'. Perhaps she gets angered really easily and says some things to Jane that aren't very kind, or dwells on some demons in her past and is warning Jane not to take the road she's traveled. Diane's on her way to being a killer protagonist, for sure, with a little work. The ending, however, do not change. It really packs an emotional punch.

[Michael Archambault]

Beautiful. The prose truly captures the emotions portrayed by the author.