What Do We Do Now

This is another thing I wrote for class and I wanted to have an opinion on what I can fix before I turn it in. If anyone wants to help please give me a review, I would be extremely grateful

Scene One: What Do We Do Now

 

Setting: Stage is set in a family room. There is a fireplace on the back wall. A well-used coiuch and end-table are on stage left. A large rug sits in the center and two doors are beside the fireplace. 3 people can be seen in the room. A man sits on the couch with his head in his hands appearing forlorn. A woman is standing in the doorway on stage left looking distraught and weary. A young girl sits on the rug oblivious the grown-ups sadness.

 

Characters:

Elise is the 4 ½ year old daughter of Scott and Sarah. She is Ash’s sister and is wearing blue jeans and a yellow butterfly shirt.

Sarah is the 37 year old mother of Elise and Ash. She is married to Scott and wears a black pencil skirt and white blouse.

Scott is the 40 year old father of Ash and Elise. He is married to Sarah and is wearing black slacks and a tucked in dress shirt.

Ash (offscreen) is the 17 year old son of Sarah and Scott. He is Elise’s brother and was recently diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Ash is currently in a hospital.

 

Elise: (playing with Legos and humming) Mommy, when is Ash coming home? Where did he go? Why isn’t he back yet?

 

Sarah: (looks to her husband with her lips trembling) He is staying out again today darling, he won’t be home tonight.

 

Elise: (throws Legos down, upset) But why! He promised he was going to play games with me and he hasn’t yet! You don’t break promises. It isn’t fair!

 

(Elise storms off to her room, exiting up-stage right)

 

Scott: (lifts his head from his hands and looks at his wife) What are we going to do? We can’t keep giving her that excuse. Eventually she will have to find out that Ash is sick. We need to be with him now while we can; we can’t keep her in the dark forever.

 

Sarah: (looks at Scott with teary eyes) I don’t know what we can do Scott. She shouldn’t have to deal with this, she’s only 4. How could we even explain what is happening to Ash?

 

(Sarah moves from the doorway and starts pacing on the rug)

 

(Scott looks at the watch on his arm, it reads 7:30 pm)

 

Scott: It is time for Elise to go to sleep, would you like to put her to bed or should I?

 

Sarah: Perhaps you should do it tonight, I don’t know if I can handle anymore question about Ash at the moment. I’ll go over our options and see what we can do.

 

(Scott gives his wife a hug and a kisses on her forehead before exiting stage right after Elsie)

(Sarah sighs and head towards the end-table pulling the drawer outwards and grabs a large stack of papers. She sits on the couch and starts to sift through them)

 

Sarah: (Distraught) Elsie was right, this isn’t fair! Why did my Ash have to get cancer? Why did this have to happen to him, it isn’t right! He hasn’t even lived his life yet. (Sighs) I have to figure this out, now isn’t the time for crying, it wouldn’t be fair to them

 

(Sarah puts her hands to her face and tries to stop from crying. Eventually she gets back to the papers but constantly sniffles and wipes away tears)

 

(Scott returns, having put Elsie to bed. He walks to the couch and sits with Sarah)

 

Scott: How do you think it will go tomorrow? Do you think the doctors will have  news?

 

Sarah: I don’t think there is anything they could tell us that we don’t already know Scott.  I wish I could hope Scott but- but I just can’t bring myself to do that. The doctors already said they’ve done all they could. He can’t be cured. Our boy won’t be able to go to college. He wo-

 

(Sarah starts to sob into her hands)

 

Sarah: He won’t be able to get married. He won’t have kids. Oh Scott! Why did this have to happen?

 

(Scott holds his wife in a hug)

 

Scott: I wish I knew why. It just doesn’t seem fair for him to die before he has had a chance to live.

 

(They both sit there quietly, unaware of Elsie standing in the door listening)

 

Sarah: (a bit calmer now) One of us has to stay with him at all times. Scott, we can’t keep hiding this from Elsie, it wouldn’t be right to keep them from seeing each other.

 

Scott: Do you think Ash would want Elsie to see how sick he is? It would make her upset.

 

Sarah: After we drop Elsie off at daycare, we can talk to Ash abou-

 

(Elsie steps into the family room, cutting her mother off)

 

Elsie: (looks worried and gets more hysterical with each word) Big brother is sick? Why won’t he get better? Can’t he just take some medicine? Can’t he come home?

 

Sarah: (kneels in front of Elsie with sad eyes) It isn’t that type of sickness my darling. He isn’t going to get any better. There isn’t anything we can do now.

 

Elsie: (crying) But why mommy! I don’t understand!

Sarah: (sadly) I guess life decided it was just his time.

 

Elsie: Well life- life isn’t fair.

 

(Elsie runs into her mother’s arms crying, facing away from the audience)

 

Sarah: (while facing audience) No my darling girl, life isn’t fair.

 

 

Author's Note

I would really like to know if there are any errors and if the dialogue is good. I would also love to know if the theme of this is easily identifiable. I would love to hear what you have to say.