Aunt Maggie's Conviction

Cory makes one last visit to old Aunt Maggie and discovers some dark family secrets. Contains some adult material.

 

AUNT MAGGIE’S CONVICTION

Aaron M. Anderson

 

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(In order of their appearance)

Maggie Spell, a weathered Southern woman in her seventies.

The Male Nurse, a weary, but not lazy, young man in his early thirties.

Cory Weinberg, the old woman’s nephew, a young man around the age of twenty with tattoos on his forearms.

 

Time: 2008.

All action takes place in the nursing home bedroom.

 

 

SCENE: Afternoon in the nursing home suite. The inward-opening door, complete with frame, is stage right, and the audience should be able to see that the room number is 77. Walls are not necessary. A twin bed with white sheets sits upstage right with the foot facing the audience. A bookcase with only a photo frame and a small plastic bottle sits upstage, just to the right of the bed, out of the reach of anyone in the bed. An empty serving tray stands near the right side of the bed without blocking any of the action.

 

AT RISE: MAGGIE rests in her bed, staring stage left, as if looking out a window.

 

 

MALE NURSE

(Enters from stage right through the door frame and wheels in a cart with folded white linen)

Changing time, Ms. Maggie.

 

MAGGIE

(Staring stage left)

Do you love the Lord, son?

 

MALE NURSE

(Takes two folded sheets out of the cart and lays them on the bed)

Yes ma’am.

 

MAGGIE

Good. He’ll forgive you for anything.

 

(The MALE NURSE begins to close the door to the room just as CORY enters stage right holding a red carnation)

 

MALE NURSE

(To CORY)

Oh, ‘scuse me sir.

(To MAGGIE)

Ms. Maggie, you have a visitor. I’ll come back later.

(Picks up his sheets and exits with the cart)

 

CORY

Afternoon, Aunt Maggie. It’s me, Cory… um, Cory Weinberg.

 

MAGGIE

You’re not selling anything, are you?

 

CORY

Oh, no, ma’am. This is for you"to keep.

 

MAGGIE

Oh.

(After a pause)

You may come in.

 

(CORY hands MAGGIE the flower, which she lays beside her on the bed)

 

CORY

I came to see you before I move to California, Aunt Maggie.

 

MAGGIE

What did you say your name was?

 

CORY

Cory Weinberg. Kathy’s son, you know? It’s been a while, I guess.

 

MAGGIE

Pass me my hand sanitizer, if you will.

 

CORY

What? Where?

 

MAGGIE

See that bottle on the bookshelf"next to the picture?

 

CORY

Sure.

(CORY sets the flower on the serving tray and takes the bottle from the shelf)

 

MAGGIE

They told me I shouldn’t keep a picture of him. Said it was morbid.

 

CORY

(Glancing at the picture)

Who is he?

 

MAGGIE

That’s my brother, Thomas. Here, squeeze me out a little dime-size blob of it.

(CORY lightly dabs the bottle onto MAGGIE’s palm and returns the bottle to the shelf)

(Childlike)

Let me see his picture again.

 

CORY

(Hands MAGGIE the picture frame)

Sure.

 

MAGGIE

On the day he was killed, mama’s crape myrtle tree blossomed like you never did see. Middle of January, too.

(Takes a breath and picks up the carnation)

Redder than this, even.

(With optimism)

Y’ love Jesus?

 

CORY

Haven’t met him.

 

MAGGIE

You ought to, y’know. He’ll forgive everything"even what sins people could never find within themselves to pardon.

(After a pause)

Why are you moving away?

 

CORY

I found a job in Sacramento. Gonna be a lot better than this place.

 

MAGGIE

(Gently rubbing her right palm)

Hand me that bottle again, will you, Tom?

 

CORY

(Gives her the hand sanitizer)

It’s Cory.

(MAGGIE uses the hand sanitizer and places it on the serving tray)

Why didn’t they want you to keep this picture?

 

MAGGIE

He was killed back in ’37. We were just children. People said they could just hear his spilled blood cryin’ out. We’re apt to believe the dead more than the livin’, I suppose.

 

CORY

That’s rough. I had a friend in high school who got caught selling drugs to kids. He pulled a knife on the cops. One shot him dead right there in the parking lot.

 

MAGGIE

(With great pain)

Oh!

 

CORY

Are- are you all right?

(Puts his hand on her shoulder)

 

MAGGIE

(Shuddering)

Take your hands off me!

 

CORY

I’m sorry! I’ll g-get the nurse.

(Turns to exit)

 

MAGGIE

(Fiercely)

You always were running from things"things you did.

 

CORY

(Turns to face her)

Aunt Maggie…

 

MAGGIE

I just couldn’t let you do those things any more. You can’t say I was a bad sister. You wouldn’t say that, would you, Tom? Even after what I said for you in court? Oh, they’d liked to have skinned me alive for defending you. They say I’ll be going to jail. I s’pose there hasn’t been a jailed woman in Sampson County for more’n a decade, but I’ll go with peace in my heart, knowing you’re free.

 

CORY

{After a pause)

I’m sorry things turned out bad.

 

MAGGIE

(Consolingly)

Of course you are. The Lord knows, Tom. He’s already forgiven you.

 

CORY

I need to be going.

(Starts to leave)

 

MAGGIE

I have something for you.

(Picks up the carnation)

From Mama, not me. She says she loves you.

(Hands the flower to CORY)

 

CORY

Goodbye, Aunt Maggie.

(CORY exits stage right, and MAGGIE turns to stare stage left)

 

MALE NURSE

(Brings in a tray of food)

It’s suppertime, now, so I’ll just leave the sheets for later. That was nice of that young man to stay with you for a while, now wasn’t it?

(Sets the tray of food on the stand, knocking over the hand sanitizer without noticing it. There is no reply from MAGGIE as she continues to look away)

Ms. Spell? Are you all right?

 

MAGGIE

I’m still here.

 

(Scene fades to black)

END

Author's Note

This is an experiment--my first stage play. Critique mercilessly.
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Reviews

[SwagMaster]

I loved it! Will there be any more, or is this it? It seemed to suggest a continuation.


Please mark this constructive, and review me back!