A Short One-Act Play
by McKenzie Twine
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CECIL……………………………………………………A person of any age or gender
MOMMA………………………………………………… Cecil’s mother and hallucination
SCENE
CECIL’s bathroom. There is a bright white sink and a bright white toilet.
TIME
Any time before affordable insulin in America.
(AT RISE, we see a bathroom sink and a toilet situated on the center of the stage. The sink faces away from the audience, while the toilet, lid closed, sits just visible on the other side of the sink.)
CECIL
(off stage)
Oh, fuck.
(CECIL runs on stage and throws open the toilet lid before vomiting. CECIL is pale, clammy, and generally just looks very ill)
CECIL (cont’d)
(propped up on the toilet, looking up to the sky, slurring)
Lord, have mercy on muh soul. I dunna have a clue how much longer I’ve got left, but Lord be with me. I jus’…I jus’ can’t do this much longer.
(CECIL starts to pull themselves up from the ground. They stumbls a few times, visibly weak, before closing the lid on the toilet and taking a seat)
CECIL (cont’d)
Lord, I knew I was runnin’ low on muh insulin. I knew it, but I didn’t have a clue that it was gone. Three-hunded and thurty-three dallars, for one vial of insulin. Lord, ya know that ain’t jus’, but it’s (choked up) it’s jus’ not right.
(CECIL stumbles over to the sink, propping themselves up with their arms, facing the audience)
CECIL (cont’d)
(shouting)
It’s jus’ not right!
(CECIL falls to the floor, just visible to the audience, mumbling to himself the same line over and over again. From SL, MOMMA appears and comes to stand next to CECIL)
MOMMA
(with great affection)
My child, what are you doing lying on the floor like this. Didn’t I raise you better than that. Here, take my hand sweet pea.
(MOMMA extends her hand to CECIL while CECIL looks at her shocked)
CECIL
(tone shifts from elation to confusion)
Momma?! What’re ya doin’ here? I jus’ can’t believe you’re here. Oh, Momma. Oh, Momma…you’re dead.
MOMMA
Yes, I’m dead, and you’re on the floor of your bathroom. If we’re pointing fingers here, I’ve got a big one pointed at you sweet pea. Now give me your hand, and let’s get up sat up right.
(CECIL warily takes MOMMA’s hand and allows her to pull them up from the floor of the bathroom and situate them on the toilet again)
MOMMA (cont’d)
(running her fingers through CECIL’s dirty hair)
There you go. That’s much better. Now let’s try and straighten you up a little bit. We want you to be presentable.
(MOMMA starts to tidy up CECIL’s hair has much as she can before moving on to their clothes)
CECIL
(leaning into MOMMA’s touch)
Presentable for what Momma? Muh death?
MOMMA
Of course. You know when EMS found me, I was still dressed in nightgown. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life…afterlife. Now, your daddy still never lets me hear the end of it.
CECIL
It wasn’t embarrassin’ Momma. It was traumatic. I was the one who found you, and I didn’t know what was goin’ on. I thought they were gonna save you.
MOMMA
Sweet pea, I know it wasn’t easy for you, but it was my time to go. Death is inevitable, and we don’t always get to choose how we go. Sometimes the world chooses for you.
(MOMMA pauses her primping to pull CECIL’s face between her hands.
MOMMA (cont’d)
Even in death, I thought you every day. And soon I won’t only think of you, I will get to hold you in my arms for the rest of eternity.
CECIL
So, it’s real then. These are muh last moments?
MOMMA
(filled with sadness)
Yes, sweet pea. This is it. This is the end of your life. A few hours from now, your brain will swell, and you’ll slip into a coma. It won’t hurt, at least not that you can tell. And the next thing you know, you’ll be waking up in the afterlife next to me.
(CECIL pushes MOMMA away and stands up from the toilet. They begin pacing in front of the sink in short lines)
CECIL
(growing more exhausted with each question)
But, what if I don’t wanna to go? What if I’m not ready? Maybe there is more ta this life, and I’ve still got more of it ta live? What if I wanna get married and have childrun? I deserve that don’t I? Don’t I deserve better than this misery?
(As CECIL is speaking, MOMMA moves closer, prepared to catch CECIL when they fall. CECIL’s energy finally disappears, and they fall against the back of the sink)
MOMMA
(guiding CECIL to the floor and pulling CECIL into her lap)
You’re right, you do deserve better than this, but sometimes it’s just life.
CECIL
What would ya know about life? You’re a hallucination, ya have ta be. I’m at the end of my days, and I’m hallucinating my Momma to come comfort me as I die.
MOMMA
That does not mean that I’m not real.
CECIL
What does that even mean?
MOMMA
It means, what does it even matter. The words I say to you, whether their mine or yours, they’re just words. You’re dying, sweet pea, that’s real. (pause). My child is dying and that is the only thing that is real. I still care about that.
CECIL
I’m dying. (pause). So, where do we go from here?
MOMMA
Nowhere, baby, we go nowhere.
CECIL
That don’t exactly seem like the best plan. Maybe it’s not too late for me? If, I can just get to the phone, I can call for help.
MOMMA
You disconnected the phone.
CECIL
Why would I do that?
MOMMA
Because you knew this was always going to be the end. Because you were tired of the debt bills collecting on the kitchen table. Because you were mad and the world and at yourself. You don’t remember.
CECIL
I guess…I guess I do remember. I just wanted ta forget.
MOMMA
It’s okay, sweet pea. We can forget together.
(MOMMA bends down to kiss CECIL on their forehead while her hands run through their hair)
CECIL
I can’t believe I’m finally going to be at home.
(CECIL grabs MOMMA hand from his hair and holds it. LIGHTS OUT)
END OF PLAY
