The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary Irish Plays by Thomas Conway

Author:Thomas Conway [Conway, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849433914
Publisher: OBERON BOOKS Ltd
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

SCENE FIFTEEN

PAULA’s kitchen. STEPH and ROXANNA sit at the table – they should seem younger than ever. PAULA hovers around.

ROXANNA: Paula?

PAULA: What?

ROXANNA: Did you hate being pregnant?

PAULA: No, why?

STEPH: I would. I’d hate the gettin’ fat.

PAULA: You wouldn’t. Your mind does be elsewhere.

ROXANNA: Do you get used to it?

PAULA: No. But you move with it. You take it as it comes.

ROXANNA: And what else?

PAULA: You worry…

ROXANNA: Yeah?

STEPH: Do you be cryin’ an’ all?

PAULA: You’ll worry about the baby.

STEPH: It’s heart and it’s health an’ all?

PAULA: All of it. You’ll stay awake at night wondering what’s going on with your body and if you’re doing all the things you should be doing, like not drinkin’ or smokin’ or eatin’ greasy crap or anything like that. Its health yeah, you’ll be thinking of its health a lot. But you’ll have other worries as well.

ROXANNA: Yeah?

PAULA: Like you’ll worry about Fitzy. You’ll think everything through at the weirdest hours. The night time. The dead of night. The time when no one else is awake or thinking, you’ll be thinking of Fitzy. Will he be there for me? Stick around like? Will he make a good father? Will we have enough? Will a baby turn him off me? Me body…and all of that. The crying. The sleepless nights. Shitty nappies. Some fellas are not able for that.

ROXANNA: Fitzy is. He will be.

STEPH: You won’t know ’til you pop but.

PAULA: But you’ll also be saying…in the back of your head… you’ll be saying…and you won’t let yourself think it out properly…you’ll push this to the back, but you’ll be thinkin’: do I want to spend me life with this fella? Like, is this me now? Is this the lot?

ROXANNA: And do you be cryin’ an’ all?

STEPH: What about cravin’s? D’you be eatin’ coal an’ all?

PAULA: Never had coal now…but I put tomato sauce all over ice-cream once.

ROXANNA: Fuckin’ hell Paula!

STEPH: Would you do it again Paula?

PAULA: Don’t know love. Never say never, you know that way?

ROXANNA: With the right fella you would.

PAULA: Would I?

ROXANNA: I think you would Paula. If you loved him, and he loved you and it felt right…you would.

STEPH: Did it feel right the other times?

ROXANNA: It must have done.

PAULA: It did yeah.

ROXANNA: It must have.

PAULA: But feelin’ that, that feelin’…it’s not enough either… you know? Later on…it’s not enough…you…you never stop worrying. You tie yourself in knots. Hate yourself sometimes. Get all tangled up with the world askin’ why did I bring life into this? Why was I so selfish? How can I look after these kids? And for yourself as well, ye know: who is gonna look after me? Yeah…you have to ask yourself…who is gonna look after me?

STEPH: I’ve to go home. Me Da has me on a curfew. Says in all seriousness that he wants me tagged with one of those electric bracelets.

PAULA: He knows you’re not a bad young one.

STEPH: Thanks Paula.

STEPH makes to leave.

See you in school on Monday?

ROXANNA: Unfortunately.

STEPH: Breslin is gonna piss when he see’s you.

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