One Plus One Is Two

A Stage Play by Sharisse

In 1968, a Massachusetts woman with a learning disability organizes a grassroots movement to increase handicapped children's access to public school.

(An excerpt from Act 3 Scene 4, when Steven and Marielle have just been discussing Marielle hiding her disability from their daughter)

Steven: .....And what about the TV that she spends more time in front of than with you? She could get up, turn the knob and land on a channel that’s showing a re-run of one of your interviews, where you talk about your childhood. And she’ll understand it all, you know how she hears grown-ups talking and soaks it all up like a sponge. You really believe you can shield her from that, and keep making up lies and excuses about why you can’t read to her at night, or help her with homework- how dumb do you think she is?

Marielle: Oh, God, how dumb do you think I am, Steven? You think I don’t know all that? That I don’t worry about how I’m going to go on hiding it from her- because all this stuff is around her and she can read it and see it, that she’s so clever and bright and she could still pick up on it no matter how hard I try? That I have no idea how well she was doing in school before she started messing up her grades, how- able and competent she is? Why do you think I can’t stand being around her?

Steven: (silent)

Marielle (staring straight ahead, voice shaking.): When I saw her pick up a book all by herself for the first time, years ago….. she was flipping page after page and the words were flying out of her mouth like birds, birds that would take forever to fly out of me. I wanted to jump up for joy and shout “Not Molly! Not Molly!”, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move or even speak- I was stuck. Since then I’ve been stuck. You know how Jim’s son is stuck in that wheelchair- it’s kinda like that. I couldn’t stand it. And have you noticed that every time I’m about to try to write a letter, or read something, and she’s in the room- all of a sudden her room needs cleaning, or there’s something cool on TV I think she should watch? See, it goes both ways. It’s hard enough for me to look at her, but I don’t want her looking at me. I don’t want her looking at me.

Steven: Why not?

Marielle: Cause I’m sick of people looking at me, Steven! I want her to look up to me! Not at, not down at-. Up! I want her to admire me, love me. She won’t anymore if she finds out. That’s why I can’t tell her!