The 10th Grade Proudly Presents
The Charon
May 2, 2007
Exordium
Intro: Kate Tracy – Student
Closing: Meghan Fulcher – Aristotle
Mr. Schoberg
Narrator: Wes Zickau
Costumes: Savannah Wilson
Sound: Lance Haney
CAST
Andrew Nerloame: Gregory Stark
Samantha Nerloame: Keegan Nitz
Jessica Spencer: Keely Riggs
Tyler DeBelner: Lance Haney
Sylvia DeBelner: Lauren Wilford
Lydia DeBelner: Stephanie L’Heureux
Act I
Scene I: The Boat
Andrew: Don’t peek. Okay, you can open now.
Jessica: Oh my gosh! Andrew, it’s beautiful!
Andrew: Do you like it?
Jessica: I love it! So this is what you do when you say you’re “working on something.
Andrew: It’s just something I love to do. I bought this boat ten years ago, and it was just a piece of scrap metal. I love to see something come from nothing.
Jessica: You should be so proud. It’s gorgeous. It looks like it came out of the twenties, with all the lanterns on it.
Andrew: Well, it was based off my dad’s old boat, an antique. My dad used to take me out on it all the time. That’s where we’d go whenever he wanted to talk to me about something. I wanted my daughter to have the same thing, a place to go.
Jessica: The way you care about your daughter is so wonderful. It seems like you put so much thought into everything you do (walks forward a bit and points at the boat) Just look at that carving! It probably took you months to put the detail in…
Andrew: Like I said, it’s just something I love to do. I love to take the time to care about things. (Looks at her sweetly)
Jessica: You talk about her so sweetly. I want to see her again; it’s been a while since I have.
Andrew: Well, actually she’s over playing at her friend Lydia’s house right now, but I need to go pick her up for dinner. Do you want to come with me to get her?
Jessica: I’d love to.
(They exit together)
Scene II – Part A: The Girls
(Samantha and Lydia are playing with dolls)
Lydia: Don’t the dolls look pretty together?
Samantha: That’s ‘cause they’re bestest friends!
Lydia: And our dolls are bestest friends because we are bestest friends. I’m so glad you moved in next door!
Samantha: Me too! We get to play together more often now. Hey, maybe sometime we could go play on my daddy’s boat! He just finished it, and it’s really neat!
Lydia: My daddy’s boat is pretty cool too, and I know he would let us go on it sometime. I’m sure we could do that sometime. (Pause to play with their dolls)
Samantha: Hey, you know what we should do?
Lydia: What?
Samantha: We should have a sleepover!
Lydia: Yeah, we should! I’ll ask my daddy if we could do it. Maybe this weekend, I’m not doing anything!
Samantha: Neither am I! Do you think I could come over here?
Lydia: Yeah, that would be awesome! Hey, there’s your daddy and his girlfriend. They’re like the prettiest couple ever, like Barbie and Ken.
Samantha: I know, and she’s so nice, but she’s not as nice as you!
Lydia: Aw, that’s so nice!
(Knocking sound on door)
Samantha: I guess I have to go.
Lydia: Don’t you think you could stay for dinner? I know my daddy and mommy said it would be ok.
Samantha: I’ll go ask my daddy.
Scene II – Part B: The Confrontation
(Andrew and Jessica enter)
Tyler: Hey Andrew, how’s it going? The girls have had a great time.
Andrew: (Reserved, but not unfriendly) That’s good, I’m glad they did. Samantha, let’s go, it’s time for dinner. (To Tyler) I hope she was well behaved
Tyler: Oh, she was great, as always.
Samantha: Daddy, can I stay for dinner? Lydia says it’s okay!
Andrew: (Firmly) No, it’s time to go…
Sylvia: (Cuts Andrew off) It’s fine, we don’t mind if she stays. We were just getting ready to eat.
Andrew: Oh, thanks, but we have dinner for her at home. Come on, Samantha. (Nods to Tyler) Tyler.
(Exit)
Scene III: The Discussion
Andrew: Samantha, go wash your hands and get ready for supper.
Jessica: What was that all about back there?
Andrew: What do you mean?
Jessica: Well, I just mean you weren’t very friendly towards Tyler. I thought you guys used to be best friends?
Andrew: Yeah, we used to. We’re really not anymore. We sort of drifted apart a few years ago, and neither of us tried to fix it.
Jessica: What do you mean by fix it? Did something bad happen?
Andrew: Well, I guess so. Maybe we just don’t have that much in common anymore. I don’t really know.
Jessica; (Jokingly) I think you do know. Come on, you can tell me. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t break off a friendship just because you didn’t have that many things in common. It must be something bigger than that.
Andrew: Look, Tyler and I were best friends back in high school, and we were really close. Whatever one did, so did the other.
Jessica; Well, he seems like a nice guy.
Andrew: He didn’t apparently care about our friendship in high school. See, I worked really hard making this boat I wanted. It was the hardest I’d ever worked on anything before. I told him time after time how much that boat meant to me. (Hesitatingly) One weekend…without asking…he took the boat out.
Jessica: Well, you were best friends, and you don’t like him now because he took out your boat without you knowing?
Andrew: It’s not just that. You see, he lost control of it and crashed it into the bay. Then, when I found out, he didn’t even seem sorry. He laughed about the matter. He was just so careless. He couldn’t understand how much that boat meant to me. That is why we aren’t friends. He was just reckless, reckless enough to not even care when he wrecked my most prized possession.
Jessica: I’m sorry that happened…what he did was horrible. But you know, today when we were picking up Samantha it seemed like he had gotten over the incident. It seemed like he had moved on while you were still hanging onto a grudge. That can’t be good for the girls to see that.
Andrew: I know, it’s just so hard to forgive him for doing something that hurt me so much, then hurt me even more by not caring about what he did.
Jessica: But that was fifteen, twenty years ago. People change, and it seems to me that Tyler is a great guy.
Andrew: I have no doubt that he’s more mature now, but it’s simply his personality to be careless. I don’t even know how much he can help it, it’s just who he is.
Jessica: You need to at least give him a chance. He did that one stupid thing back in high school, and he hasn’t been that way since. I didn’t know him back then, but from what I’ve heard, he’s changed. You need to forgive him, let it go, and move on. It will be better for both of you.
Andrew: (Pause to think, then decidedly, with resolve) You are right. I’m going to try to forgive him. I’m going to try harder.
Narrator: It is the next day, and Andrew has resolved to go confess to Tyler and ask his forgiveness.
Act II
Scene I: Weekend Plans
Samantha: (Running over to Andrew) Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!
Andrew: What’s all the commotion about, honey?
Samantha; Daddy, can I go to Lydia’s house and play, and then play some more, and stay, and then play some more, and then stay for lunch, and then play some more, and then stay for dinner, and then play some more, and then maybe have a sleepover, and then play some more, and then maybe even stay for breakfast? Please?
Andrew: A sleepover? No, I don’t want you to spend the night. You could maybe stay for dinner.
Samantha: Please, daddy?
Andrew: No.
(Samantha pouts, Jessica enters)
Jessica: (Joking manner) Well what’s the matter with you?
Samantha: Daddy won’t let me go and spend the night at Lydia’s house.
Jessica: Is she right? I think it would be really fun for her to be able to do that.
Andrew: I’m just not sure that I really want her to go.
Jessica: What do you mean? Don’t you remember what we talked about yesterday? Here is an opportunity for you to let it go: let her go over there.
Andrew: I suppose I should, he is a great dad to Lydia. (To Samantha) All right, you can go.
Samantha: Thank you Daddy! (More slowly and sweetly) Thank you Jessica!
Andrew: Hey, since Samantha’s going to be gone, maybe we could do something tonight?
Jessica: I’d love to! I just heard about this new restaurant that opened up about an hour from here. Maybe we could catch a movie and go to dinner?
Andrew: Sounds great. I’m going to take Samantha over to Lydia’s house.
Jessica: I’ll see you tonight.
Scene II: The Meeting/Forgiveness
(Tyler working on his boat, Andrew enters)
Andrew: Hey, what are you doing?
Tyler: My boat’s having engine trouble, and I’m suppose to have a party tonight, I’m trying to fix it. (Stands and wipes hands) What can I do for you?
Andrew: I’ve been thinking lately, and I’ve realized what a jerk I’ve been to you. We are both grown men, and I’m still holding on to a trivial childhood event. I know you didn’t mean to wreck my boat but I’ve never really let it go.
Tyler: Look, that was years ago, I was a stupid kid and I did stupid stuff. I thought that we had put this behind ourselves.
Andrew: Maybe you moved on, but I’ve still struggled with this. I guess what I’m trying to say is, can you forgive me for being this way for so long?
Tyler: Only if you’ll forgive me for never trying to mend our relationship myself. (Shake hands, then stand awkwardly) Look, can I ask you a favor? Will you help me get this boat working in time for my party?
Andrew: I guess…wait…You can use mine.
Tyler: No, I couldn’t. I mean…I guess.
Andrew: No, it’s okay. You’re using my boat, and that’s that. If anything, it will give you time to clean up. I have to go. Jessica and I are going for the evening, and we won’t be back until after midnight or so. The key to the hatch is on the hook inside the left window. Just bring her back and put her in the dock when you’re done. Be careful.
Tyler: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Have fun tonight!
Scene III: The Letter
Andrew: (reading) “Andrew, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to explain this. All I wanted to do was…Your boat is completely wrecked…” Oh, no, he didn’t. There is no way he could do this to me a second time, not after I tried so hard to make things right. I have to see this for myself (He walks down t the docks) Oh, my gosh. Everything I worked for…it’s just a piece of scrap metal all over again. What will Samantha think? What would my father think? I cared about it so much, every detail, just to make her happy. Look at his boat. He probably put up a million dollars for it without a thought. Just like he does everything. Careless. Carless! Why?! Why can’t you give a little thought to anything? I hate you! I hate how you throw money around, how you don’t think about your friends. You don’t think about anything! The one time I chose to trust you! (Throws the lantern) (Andrew recedes a little as he sees the horrible thing he has done)
Scene IV: The Recognition
Andrew: I’ve got to face this. (He knocks on the door. Sylvia answers)
Sylvia; Oh, Andrew, I don’t know what to say. Tyler’s still afraid to see you. (She takes his hands, begging him. Andrew has a look of desperation on his face) We’ll pay every penny back to fix it, we promise. We’ll never ask for anything of you again. Andrew, we don’t know what to do…how can…
Andrew: (Interrupting her) No, no, I understand. But I came here to tell you that I’ve done something…I…I’ve done something terrible…I was just so angry and desperate when I heard about what happened to my boat.
Sylvia: Andrew, we are so sorry.
Andrew; I know, I know. But I have to confess this. I was so desperate that I, well, I had a lantern in my hand, and impulsively, I, I just threw it at Tyler’s boat.
Sylvia; (A little worried) So, you dented it?
Andrew: I wish it were just that. But the fire of the lantern hit the spot where Tyler had been working on before, and it caught something in the engine.
Sylvia: What are you saying?
Andrew: It caught on fire so fast I couldn’t do a thing!
Sylvia: What??
Andrew: It burned! I didn’t mean for anything to happen, but it just hit on the right spot…
Sylvia: Is it still burning? (Runs out of the house to look over the docks) You…you…I can’t believe you! Oh my gosh! You horrible, terrible…
Andrew; It’s just ash and metal now, but it burned so fast I couldn’t do anything to stop it if I tried. You have to understand…
Sylvia; How could you do that? How? (Crying frantically)
Andrew: Hey, I’m sorry abut your boat, but Tyler did exactly the same thing to mine…
Sylvia: The girls, Andrew!
Andrew: What?
Sylvia; Our daughters were on that boat!
Andrew: What?
Sylvia: They wanted to have a sleepover in the boat…I let them take their sleeping bags out there, their dolls…
Andrew: I had no idea…my sweet Samantha…
Sylvia: How could you do this! (Runs to the other side of the stage, looking out) Lydia!! (Exits)
Andrew: (Looking out over the bay) Look what I’ve done. Look what one moment of anger did to my life. Look! I just wanted my boat to be perfect, my life to be perfect. I took a chance with Tyler, and he failed. But I failed too. I put so much value into those details that I forgot myself. I slipped into the anger of the past. I let myself go for a second, and it destroyed me for a lifetime. And now the image of my daughter will follow me into my dreams. (Exits)
Fin
Transcribed into the illustrious journal of the Fuffetti by Keegan Nitz and Stephanie L’Heureux
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