----------------------------- A NOTE REGARDING THIS VERSION ----------------------------- This script is from the HIS COMPANY CATALOGUE of plays and musical resources. It is in ASCII (or plain text) format, and is intended only to be used for evaluation purposes. Visit our web site at http://hc.dlampel.com to download the FREE Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version for performance. ----------- DESCRIPTION ----------- CLOSETS Type: Sketch Synopsis: Two women meet in a fancy restaurant. One is well-dressed, sophisticated, confident--the other is poorly-dressed, a bit coarse, withdrawn. Loraine is down on her luck. Her husband left her several years ago because of her drinking problem and she carries around with her the heavy baggage of resentment--both toward her husband and toward the church she felt let her down. Betty appears to be someone above and untouched by such sorrows of life. Her clothing reflects wealth, her hands are smooth and manicured, her demeanor bespeaks a woman in charge of her life. But things--and people--are not always what they seem. And we all have things tucked back in our closets that we may not want others to see. Theme: Accepting each other for who we are and who we will be--not who we once were. Characters: Crandall, the snotty waiter Betty and Loraine (both approximately middle-aged or slightly younger) Set: A small table covered with a white tablecloth and two chairs Props: Service for two Menus A purse or bag for each woman Gift certificate Pack of cigarettes and matches Cheap, metallic brooch or pin Food: tossed salad, fish with sauce, basket of rolls Credit card Wardrobe: BETTY is immaculately dressed in a smart business suit. She is tastefully appointed, a woman of intelligence and good sense. LORAINE is dressed shabbily--not like a street person, but as someone who once knew better days, but is now down on her luck. Her clothes are clean, but almost worn out. She has tried to arrange her hair, put on her face, but hasn't done a very good job of it, and there's a run in her hose. She slouches when she walks, as if hoping no one will notice her. Length: 12 min. ------ SCRIPT ------ CLOSETS Copyright (c) 1995-2002 David S. Lampel His Company [Enter BETTY, preceded by the waiter. BETTY is immaculately dressed in a smart business suit. She is tastefully appointed, a woman of intelligence and good sense. She carries herself with confidence and a quiet dignity. BETTY is conducted to a table by the waiter. He holds her chair out for her, takes her jacket--shows every courtesy.] WAITER Will this be suitable? BETTY (with gracious, yet reserved appreciation) Very nice. WAITER (handing her a menu) I highly recommend the trout almondine. Our sauce is impeccable. BETTY Sounds delicious. But give me a minute. WAITER My name is Crandall. Just let me know when you're ready. [The WAITER exits. BETTY studies the menu, sips from her water glass, etc. Soon the WAITER enters, scowling, leading in another diner. LORAINE is dressed shabbily--not like a street person, but as someone who once knew better days, but is now down on her luck. Her clothes are clean, but almost worn out. She has tried to arrange her hair, put on her face, but hasn't done a very good job of it, and there's a run in her hose. She slouches when she walks, as if hoping no one will notice her. The WAITER is not pleased that he has been given this person. It's his opinion that she should not have been afforded entrance into the establishment at all. But she has, and now he must find her a table. He stops a few feet away from BETTY's table, looks around, searching for a suitable place for this woman. Not finding anything, he reluctantly approaches BETTY.] WAITER Madam, my profound apologies. We're unusually busy today. Would you mind terribly sharing your table? BETTY (graciously) Why no. (to LORAINE) Please sit down. [Instead of pulling out LORAINE's chair for her, the WAITER drops the menu down onto the table and quickly leaves.] LORAINE (sitting; hesitantly, to BETTY) You're very kind. [LORAINE removes her jacket, busies herself with her purse, then buries her nose in the menu. Meanwhile, BETTY returns to her own perusal of the menu, occasionally glancing up at Loraine--not unkindly, more wanting her to be at her ease. As the WAITER returns to take their order, LORAINE fumbles in her purse, removes a pack of cigarettes and places one in her mouth. When she starts to strike a match, the WAITER stops her.] WAITER (disdainfully; louder than is really necessary) There's no smoking in this section. LORAINE (embarrassed; quickly putting the cigarettes away, glancing about her) Of course. WAITER (to BETTY) Has Madam decided? BETTY Yes, Crandall. I believe I'll just have the salad--with bleu cheese. [The WAITER nods approvingly, jots down her order. He then turns to the other woman--who is still fumbling with her purse.] WAITER (impatiently; curtly; with disdain) And you? [LORAINE drops her purse and quickly scans the menu.] LORAINE Uh, well-- BETTY (to LORAINE; protectively) Perhaps you'd like more time to decide. LORAINE (glancing up guiltily to the WAITER) Yes. I think so. WAITER (to BETTY; strained) Of course. [LORAINE returns to the menu. BETTY gives her a moment before speaking.] BETTY That's a lovely pin you're wearing. [LORAINE glances up, surprised that BETTY is speaking to her, then remembers the brooch she put on to liven up her rather shabby dress.] LORAINE (simply) Oh. Thank you. (fingers the brooch with nervous pride) It was a gift from my husband. BETTY He must love you very much. LORAINE Maybe. I don't know. He left me two-and-a-half years ago. BETTY I'm sorry. LORAINE (not wanting BETTY to feel badly) That's all right. BETTY (after a pause) My name's Betty. LORAINE Loraine. BETTY (trying to lighten an awkward situation) Loraine, I don't think our waiter is treating you very well. LORAINE (with a shrug) I'm used to it. BETTY Still, you shouldn't put up with it. LORAINE Sometimes you reach a point where you just take what you can get. BETTY (thoughtfully) I suppose. (pause) Well, it's a lovely day. Are you out shopping? [BETTY is sorry she said it the moment the words pass her lips.] LORAINE (after a beat; flatly) No. BETTY (exasperated with herself) LORAINE, would you rather I left you alone? LORAINE (reaching for her purse) I don't fit in very well. I shouldn't have come. BETTY What do you mean? Not at all. LORAINE (beginning to relax; putting down her purse) It's so silly. (pause) An old friend of mine gave me a gift certificate for this place. I didn't even want to use it, but he insisted. "Get gussied up," he said, "and dine with the upper crust." Well, here I am, as gussied as I can get. BETTY I think you look just fine. LORAINE (wryly) You're a good liar, BETTY. [The WAITER enters to take LORAINE's order. Without saying anything, he stands next to her, impatiently, with pen poised over pad.] LORAINE (surprised he's back so soon) Oh my, let's see-- WAITER (now thoroughly exasperated with this commoner) Oh really. [LORAINE looks embarrassed, but BETTY takes charge of the situation. She quietly turns and addresses the WAITER.] BETTY (sweetly) Crandall, when I came in, your tip was hovering around twenty percent. It is now down below fifteen. Would you care to try for ten? [Understanding perfectly the fiscal implications of her remark, Crandall straightens and turns to LORAINE.] WAITER (immitating perfectly how he originally said this to Betty) I highly recommend the trout almondine. Our sauce is impeccable. LORAINE (struggling to stifle a laugh) That would be fine. Thank you. [With a flourish, the WAITER retrieves LORAINE's menu and exits. As soon as he is gone, both BETTY and LORAINE look at each other, then burst out laughing.] BETTY (facetiously) It's good to see ol' Crandall finally has his priorities straight. LORAINE (appreciative) You're a lifesaver. (pause; suspiciously) Why are you being so nice to me? BETTY (begins to answer truthfully, then changes her mind) Listen, it'd be a shame to waste being all "gussied up." Why don't you come along with me after we eat. LORAINE What's the occasion? BETTY (trying to be nonchalant) Oh, just a meeting at my church. LORAINE (with a trace of caution) What church? BETTY Community Chapel--just down the street. LORAINE (with dark cynicism) Small world. BETTY You know it? LORAINE (making no effort to mask her bitterness) Oh I know it all right. I think I'll just pass, thank you. BETTY (haltingly) Sounds like you've had some dealings with the Chapel. LORAINE (raising her defenses again) I wouldn't expect you to understand. The problems of people like me usually don't make it up to people like you. BETTY (still cordial, but beginning to be defensive herself) Oh, and what kind of people am I? LORAINE (with thinly-veiled resentment) People without problems. People who never get soiled with living. (pause) People who never do anything they have to be ashamed of. BETTY (measured) I take it that you have. LORAINE Have what? BETTY You have done something you're ashamed of. LORAINE (with a humorless chuckle) My husband didn't leave me because he found greener grass. He left because he could no longer stand the weeds growing in his own lawn. (pause) I'll give him this: he stuck it out longer than I expected. He tried (wearily)--at least he tried. (longer pause) At first I only drank to be sociable; one or two with friends. Then I started inviting friends over just to have an excuse to drink. Soon I was buying bottles at the grocery and stashing them where only I knew. I'd clean myself up and put on a good face by the time Frank got home. (sadly) But he knew. He always knew. (pause; defensively; with a heavy sigh) You wouldn't understand. BETTY Children? LORAINE (struggling to keep her composure) He took our two girls with him. (with great pain in her eyes, but there are no tears left) He does his best to keep them away from me. BETTY How does the Chapel come into this? LORAINE (flashing anger) We were members there. Nobody helped. Nobody offered to help. BETTY (shocked) They turned you away? LORAINE (with resentment) Their silence was enough. BETTY Maybe they didn't know. LORAINE Oh, they knew all right. Everybody knew. BETTY But did you go to them?--the Pastor, Deacon, anyone? LORAINE (defensive) I didn't think I should have to. [Enter the WAITER with their food. The women sit silently, staring at the table as he sets down their plates. WAITER Ladies . . . [The WAITER exits. Still silent, the women begin eating. Finally, it is BETTY who speaks first. BETTY begins telling her story matter-of-factly, as if she really is talking about somebody else. But gradually, as she relives in her mind those events being described, it becomes clear--by the end of the speech--that she is really telling her own story.] BETTY Let me tell you about a friend of mine. (pause) She had a wonderful marriage to a wonderful man--a kind, thoughtful man. They had a son who excelled in sports and made the Honor Roll, to boot. They weren't rich, but they were comfortable--a nice home in the suburbs. She was happy. More than that, she knew she was happy. (pause) One day she ran into an old flame from college--a man she had almost married. They spent hours talking over old times: Saturday football games, building a snowman, walks together through fallen leaves . . . . (pause) He had recently moved to her city, but it was weeks before she saw him again. And she did. At their first meeting she had felt the stirrings of the old days, and she paid attention to them, took them out and spent time with them--remembering. She knew the right thing to do--to put those feelings away, to put them back into the closet of her memories. But she didn't do the right thing. She saw him again--and again. (pause) Soon my friend was meeting her old flame on a regular basis. They'd have lunch together, dinner--after dinner. Soon she was spending more time with him than her husband--her family. And she wasn't happy. More than that, she knew she wasn't happy. She continued seeing the man until, finally, her husband found out. Oh, he gave her a chance to do the right thing, but she didn't do the right thing. Her old feelings had been replaced by new, and they had become too strong for her to put them away. They'd become something more important to her than even her own family. And so, the day came when my friend made her choice--and she made the wrong choice. She left the love of her family for someone who stirred old feelings in her. But the feelings didn't last. (pause) Not long after, the old flame found another old flame, and he stirred up her memories, and my friend found herself suddenly without any feelings at all. (pause) Then one day my friend read a notice tacked to a bulletin board. She copied down the address and walked into a church--and a new life. For the first time in a very long time she had feelings again. She found people who were willing to love her back to self-respect--people willing to tell her the truth, but to do it in love and acceptance. They didn't care about her past--only her future. LORAINE This church-- Community Chapel? BETTY (passionately) If you had only let them know you were in pain. LORAINE It's not always so easy. BETTY (after a beat; with a knowing sigh) I know. LORAINE (reluctantly; more to herself than BETTY) On the other hand, I'm running out of options. And I'm getting so tired of facing it alone. BETTY Facing it alone isn't an option. [There's a moment of silence while LORAINE works it over in her mind.] LORAINE (quietly) What time's that meeting? [BETTY smiles, pleased with LORAINE's decision. She looks at her watch and is alarmed to see that the meeting begins in only a few minutes.] BETTY Oh my. We're going to be late. (glancing up, looking around) Crandall! Crandall! [Crandall the WAITER enters, always eager to please.] WAITER (cheerily) Are you ladies ready for dessert? BETTY (giving orders to a servant) Doggy bags. Quickly. And the check. [Crandall scurries out to do her bidding. LORAINE rummages through her purse and extends the gift certificate to BETTY.] BETTY (smiling) No. Save that for another time. LORAINE (while they both put their jackets on) Do you think I'll see your friend at this meeting? BETTY (with a knowing smile) I wouldn't be a bit surprised. Not a bit surprised. [They exit together.] ---------------- COPYRIGHT NOTICE ---------------- This script is Copyright (C) 2012 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. The data file may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 2012 David S. Lampel"). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, promotions, or spoken messages. Permission is hereby extended for this script to be printed for rehearsal and performance use. 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Lampel Winterset, IA 50273 USA Complete resources at http://hc.dlampel.com/ "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Rom 11:36) 20120305