# Mother'S Day

Людмила Николаевна Ансельм

A Modern American family: two men and a boy Peter of eight.The teacher of Peter asked the students to draw a portrait of their mothers for mother's Day.It is difficult task for Peter because he had never seen his mother.

MOTHER"S DAY


LUDMILA ANSELM

Translated by Jim Clinton


CHARACTERS


PETER - 8 or 9 years old, he has a band aid on his forehead.


MICHAEL - 25-30 years old. He has a beard about five days old.


Family room in upscale home. PETER, sobbing, sits at a table drawing. MICHAEL enters, briskly.


MICHAEL

Peter, have you seen my electric razor?


PETER

No...


MICHAEL

You crying?


PETER (angrily)

I already told you! Zack pushed me down the stairs at school!


MICHAEL

Right. We started to talk about it in the car, and then we ran into that gridlock at 5 corners. Do you know why Zack pushed you?


PETER

Mr. Allen said to draw a picture of our mothers for Mother"s Day. Zack said I didn"t have a mother. So I pushed him.


MICHAEL

Your mama ...


PETER

Papa said he"d talk to me about my mama sometime soon. I don"t know who my Mama was...


MICHAEL

Why "was"? She"s alive...


PETER (surprised)

You"ve seen my Mama?


(MICHAEL pulls up a chair and sits confidentially near Peter)


MICHAEL

Your Dad told me about her...

PETER

What did he tell you?


MICHAEL

Well... She goes to college in a big city far away. Your Dad is paying for her college... and more...


PETER

Why?


MICHAEL

Because she"s your Mama.


PETER

(shaken, holding back tears)

Is he paying money for me?


MICHAEL

Well, sort of ...


PETER

How come Mama doesn"t come see me?


MICHAEL

They agreed that you would not see or meet each other.


PETER

He paid money so that she will never see me?


MICHAEL

He loves you very much... He loves you so much he wants to have you all to himself.


PETER

If Papa loves me, why he isn"t home more?


MICHAEL

He"s an engineer. He has to travel around to different cities. He visits many different businesses that need his knowledge. Some times he gets to ride in a helicopter. When you are older he"ll probably take you with him.


PETER

(Starts crying.)

I want him home. Not just you...


MICHAEL

Peter, you know... You know.I has never seen my real parents...


PETER

(Stops crying.)

Why?


MICHAEL

Tom"s mother and father took care of me like a son. It"s called "adoption."


PETER

Who"s Tom?


MICHAEL

Tom, you know him, we go to Mac Donald"s every Wednesday with him. Tom is just like a brother to me. (Pause) Tom"s parents both worked very hard. My adoptive father usually came home late after I had gone to bed....


PETER

You had a brother, but I"m all alone...


MICHAEL

Tom was mean to me for a long time. He used to hide my sneakers. He snuck bites from my desert. (Pause) Adoption made me different. It was a dirty word back then. Tom told all the kids on the block and at school. They tackled me hardest when we played pick up football. I had to be tough. (Pause) Peter, you see your father more often than I saw my adoptive father... Soon your Dad will come home, have dinner with you, read to you and tuck you in. (Pause) Now tell me where you have hidden my electric razor.


PETER (sulking)

Didn"t hide it.


MICHAEL

It"s always on the shelf in the bathroom, and now it isn"t there. I guess, you want to play "hide and seek"...


PETER (still sulking)

I don"t want to play any games with you. I want my Papa. (Pause) He bought me like a loaf of bread!

(PETER starts crying. MICHAEL tries to hug him but is pushed away.)


MICHAEL

We have talked about a lot... about a lot big things... adult things... It"s all new to you... I"ve been completely honest with you... and I love you.


PETER

I want Papa...


MICHAEL

He"ll be home soon for dinner... Let"s try not to upset him... He"ll be tired. Papa doesn"t know that you know so much. (Pause) This has been hard for me. I"m tired too. (Pause) And now if you don"t want to play "hide and seek," tell me where my razor is.


PETER

Why do you want your razor?


MICHAEL

I"d like to shave and shower, and put on a clean shirt, neaten up for dinner...


PETER

You haven"t shaved all week and now that Papa is coming home you want to shave!


MICHAEL

Jack likes me clean-shaven...


PETER

So you and Papa can kiss each other?


MICHAEL (stunned)

What have you seen?


PETER

I saw how you and Papa kissed... I never saw him kiss my other babysitters... Every babysitter left after awhile, and another one came. Why are you always here?


MICHAEL

Papa entrusts you to me. We agreed we"d see how you and I got along.


PETER

You"ll be here, even when Papa is home?


MICHAEL

We all will be sort of like a family.


PETER

A family?


MICHAEL

Not a family like your friends Andy or Zack has with their parents... It would be another sort of family...There are a lot different kinds of families nowadays...

Our family would be a better family than you having one babysitter and then another babysitter. We will all get to know each other better.


PETER

It means you"ll live with us always?


MICHAEL

Maybe....I like to read to you... I like to play with you... I love you. (Pause) We"ll get different kinds of power from each other... Like Harry Potter has powers beyond anybody else...


PETER

What kind of powers?


MICHAEL

Who knows? So much happens that we don"t understand...


(PETER has been getting more and more unsettled.)

Peter, what do you want to ask me about? What"s the matter?


PETER

I don"t it like when you pick me up at school!


MICHAEL

Why not?


PETER

When you started to come the mothers and babysitters hurried my friends away. (Pause) Yesterday Andy and Zack didn"t let me play with them. Today they pushed me around and called me "fairy!"... I want a babysitter like all the other kids.


MICHAEL

I"d better talk to your teacher...


PETER

(Beginning to cry):

No! No! You can"t go to school... No don"t talk to Mr. Allen.


MICHAEL (nervously)

Peter, OK... Don"t cry... I only want to help you... Soon your Dad will come and he"ll see your tears... I promise not to go to school...


PETER

(Stops crying.)

I can take care of myself. (Pause) I think your razor is in my room...


(MICHAEL, relieved and smiling, exits. PETER pushes the old drawing aside and starts a new drawing.)


MICHAEL

(shouting from off stage)

Peter! I don"t see it!


PETER

Where are you?


MICHAEL

I"m by your table.


PETER

Cold.


MICHAEL

Now I"m standing near your bed...


PETER

Warmer!


MICHAEL

Here it is. It was under your pillow!


(We hear the razor running as PETER concentrates on drawing.

MICHAEL returns with the razor running he shouts over the razor

noise.)

Up to your old tricks again? I won"t have time to shower... I"ll just change my shirt then I"ll set the table.

(He turns the razor off.)

I have a nice pot roast and in the oven. What do you want for dessert?


PETER

Key lime pie.


(MICHAEL suddenly peers at PETER"s drawing.)


MICHAEL

What"s this?


PETER

It"s you.


MICHAEL

But I shaved off my beard.


PETER

I drew it from memory.


MICHAEL

Why my portrait?


PETER

To take to school and give to Mr. Allen.

MICHAEL

What for?


PETER

I"ll tell him... you are kind of my mother...

(Peter is watching Michael with a smile)


END OF PLAY