Family and Fidelity

SETTING

Small town in Iowa. Mostly at John’s two story house in the middle of farm country.

CHARACTERS 

John- he is kind and devoted to his loved ones, he has finished two years of community college with his significant other and they plan on migrating west to complete their degrees. John has lofty dreams of not only furthering his career but starting a family. John has no siblings and his mother lives in Canada with her husband and kids. They are mostly estranged.

Jack- he is the father of John and has debilitating brain cancer. While at first he could still function properly recently, his condition has worsened and without anyone to take care of him it falls on John. Jack was absent from Johns life for most of his childhood and only started living together sometime during high school. 

Jane- she is ambitious and fun loving, her and John have been accepted to the university of their dreams and Jane has a prosperous internship on the horizon. She longs for the chance to spend her life with John away from their hometown. 

Attendant- a worker for the local bus station

Act 1

The house is dimly lit by the singular bulb hanging above the stove, the glow of the television, and the moonlight shining off the dust. Jane runs into the house and kitchen grabbing John’s arm trailing him up the stairs.

John: Whoa whoa babe, I’m cooking!

Entering his room she locks the door behind him and tilts her head forward with a mischievous smirk.

Jane: Well you better hope we celebrate out after I read this...

From behind her back she reveals an unopened letter.

John: Jane, lemme see that! 

He attempts to loosen her grip in a wrestling match.

Jane: John, stop you already got yours!

She turns around and excitedly opens the envelope tearing it like it was Christmas day. Her eyes grow wider but her smile falls limp. While slowly dropping the letter she turns to John. 

Jane: I got in.

John: You bitch you scared me half to death! Now we can start packing.

He scurries around the room, under the bed, in the closet stuffing all manner of things in their suitcases and bags. Jane continues standing in shock and awe.   

Jane: John wait (laughing) we still have a couple months.

John: Yeah but that’ll fly by like its nothing and then we can finally start living our lives.

He reaches out to embrace her.

Jane: Sandy beaches, beautiful people, John I can’t wait. 

John: And don’t forget no more cornfields. 

Jack is in his recliner watching tv, Jane goes in the kitchen to finish dinner and John enters the living room.

John: Hey dad guess what-

Jack: Son pass me the thing. 

John looking confused turns his head in each direction scanning for what he could be talking about.

John: Here you go. Is it this? How about this? 

He picks up almost every single thing in the room until almost heading in the kitchen to search the junk drawer.

Jack: No no the thing! The radio!

Jacks frustration boiled into a fury. But he raised his strained tired finger towards the television and John came back round to see.

John: Oooh the remote, here. 

Jack: Jesus Christ John I asked you about a hundred fucking times!

John: Dad do you know what you said? You asked for the radio. 

Jack: Did I? Hmmph. Well bud I-I’m sorry. 

John: Dad just be straight with me, are you getting worse? 

Jack: Ugh...no John, doctor says I just need to try a different treatment. If they can get in there and take it out-

John: Hold on, they want to try another surgery? Dad, I thought they already took it out!

Jack: Oh hell come on son, use your brain it’s cancer! It ain’t gonna leave that easy.

John paces in place as he rubs his temple and lifts his hair. 

John: Aw jeez, so-so what? Taking it out a second time is gonna work? Do you even have a plan if it doesn’t, I mean God forbid this gets to chemo.

Jack: You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about ok just go and get me my damned dinner. 

Jack sinks back down into his lazy boy unconcerned with anything other than his television set. John stands there for bit. He storms through the kitchen to the backyard where Jane follows soon after. 

Jane: Hey are you okay, you wanna talk about it?

John: He just makes me so angry, why is he such a stubborn old man!

Jane: What, you don’t like what you see in your future?

John: Don’t even joke like that!

He quickly turns away from her as she attempts to hold him. 

John: Jane I-I...I’m sorry I shouldn’t take it out on you. 

Jane: Honey it won’t matter soon, these problems can’t follow us out west. Just remember the beaches. We gotta stay beautiful hun. 

John: You’re right that’s all I want to think about. 

Light dim and fade out on the couple embracing. 

Act 2

The front door opens to the interior of the house. John walks through with his work uniform in hand and takeout in the other. A rare smile is on his face. 

John: Hello I’m home. Dad? Jane?

Jack: Aaagh! (trailing off)

John: Dad? Dad!

John picks up his pace dropping everything and searching for his ailing father. He sees a light peer from the bathroom and opens the door. Jack lays on the floor covered in his own filth. John turns away from the stench.

John: Jesus dad what happened?!?!

Attempting to help him up John is batted away from the clearly embarrassed Jack.

Jack: Leave me alone! I already got the girl seeing me like this I don’t need you too.

Lightly padded footsteps are heard coming down the stairs and Jane is seen with towels in hand. 

Jane: Oh John, thank God I was taking a nap when I heard him yell and then-

Jack: That’s enough out of you just gimme those and get the hell out.

She throws them directly at his head while glaring at John to do something. 

Jane: Fine you’re too old for me to be cleaning up your shit anyway. I’m going home.

John: Wait, sweetheart you don’t need to do that I told you this is your home now. 

Jack: No no no she needs to leave. Hell son how long you gonna let her hang around my house. 

John: Pipe down dad! (Looking into her eyes) Please don’t go.

Jane: Goodnight John.

He chooses not to chase after her. With Jane leaving the house John is left with cleaning his father. Jack is struggling with getting to his feet. His strength fades while continuing to try. 

John: I don’t know why you have to do that, I mean she helps with the cooking she cleans everything in here. Why do you gotta do that?

Lending a hand to his father and looking away while doing so, Jack takes off his ruined clothes.

Jack: You need to learn son ain’t nobody in this world gonna give you handouts, not for free. 

John: Why can’t you just trust her? You can barely trust me to help you. 

Jack: Ah grow up son, everyone leaves eventually. Just ask your mother. 

John: Mom left because you wouldn’t talk to her dad. You would barely pay attention to her. She left is because she found somebody who would. The least you could do is talk to me now, I’m the only one still here. 

Jack: Wash my clothes and put gas in my car, I got an appointment tomorrow with Doctor Richards.  

John: Dad I can’t let you drive I mean look at you. You’re barely walking and it’s clear that your mind is going. 

Jack: You shut your goddamn mouth, I’m perfectly fine. 

John: Dad Doctor Richards passed seven years ago he was your chiropractor. 

Jack: Christ...I know that. Where is that damn remote!!!

Headed straight for his recliner, John gets busy cleaning up his father’s mess. The lights go dark.

Act 3

Exterior, Jane opens the mailbox and unravels a letter to John with a look of curiosity and surprise. Reading it her expression gets more shocked. She runs into the house and finds John in his room upstairs.

Jane: John! What the hell is this?

Jane raises an unfolded letter for a local sales company, the look on her face is one of shock and disgust. 

John: What the hell you doing going through my stuff?

Jane: (Retaliating) I was cleaning your room. Why are you even applying for new jobs here? We already know where we’re going, and don’t tell me it was just in case because I know you applied two weeks ago. 

John: I got to thinking and I thought it would be a good idea since dad was getting worse-

Jane: Oh my God, I can’t believe you!

John: Come on Jane I was gonna tell you-

Jane: I don’t wanna hear it John!

Jane turns away from John refusing to look at him. 

John: Jesus Christ the man is my father, what do you expect me to do?

Spinning back towards him in a righteous fury.

Jane: Be a man John!!! Tell him no. Tell him you been here this whole time, trying to keep him alive and now it’s time you start living. 

John: You don’t know what he’s been through and don’t pretend you know me either, I was the one feeding and washing him!

Jane: And I was standing right there with you! What has he ever done for you John? He never fed you washed you not even as a babe. I give my everything to you and more than I should to him. God I can’t stay here forever, you think I want to be cooped up in this attic my whole life?

John: Look I never asked you to do that and I wasn’t gonna ask you stay either.

Jane: So what that’s it? You were gonna let me leave? Were you ever even serious about coming with me in the first place?

John: But you never considered how I feel, we can still be together don’t make me choose.

Jane: I’ll make it easy and choose for you. Hope your dad gets better John.

She quickly walks off desperately trying to leave the property before shedding a tear. John stands head towards the ground before going downstairs to meet Jack in his recliner. Eyes weary and with a groggy disposition he doesn’t even acknowledge the presence of his son.

John: Did you hear all that? (Long pause) Well? SAY SOMETHING!

Jack: (long pause) What you want me to say thanks? I’m sorry? Or maybe you just want a hug?

John: How about a little compassion, some understanding or a “Hey son, I know that was hard for you, I know you loved her.”

Jack: Well if you couldn’t see son I’m dying here...and so is my understanding. 

John: Dad I’m really trying here-

Jack musters all his strength in that moment to rise from his weighted throne

Jack: And like I told you boy I’m dying here! (coughing)

Failing he almost pops a blood vessel in his anger and sinks slowly into his chair. 

John: You’re never going to get better are you? 

Jack: Everybody is trying to get somewhere son, anywhere but here. 

John: You’re gonna die in that chair....and I’m wasting my time trying to get you to care.

 Jack: Go make me my dinner.

The gray fuzz from the television set illuminates the sad wrinkles of his father’s face when John very slowly walks to the backyard. Realizing that no one will follow him there, he just stares up at the sky and bawls his eyes out. 

 

Four Months Later…

John: One way ticket to Des Moines please. The airport station.

Attendant: To the airport? Going anywhere special, off to school?

John: Yeah...I don’t know yet, anywhere but here. Thank you.

As she hands him the ticket and he walks toward the bus he stares at the slip of paper. With only one suitcase he climbs the stairs of the bus and sits waiting for his passage. 

Narration: I realized I never knew my dad. I hoped...that maybe just maybe I could get to know him. But now that he’s gone, the truth is...I wanted him to know me. Who knows if he did. Old man couldn’t even move his lips even if he wanted to tell me. Sold everything he had even put the house on auction, and now I can let go of the regret too. All that’s left for me is my twenty years, the wind at my back, and the sun in my eyes.