Parents' Evening by Doran Bathsheba;

Author:Doran, Bathsheba;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 5600140
Publisher: Oberon Books
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Act Two

A few hours later. Quiet in the bedroom for a moment. Then the parents return.

MOTHER: Would you just keep your voice down? Jessica’s asleep.

FATHER: No I won’t keep my fucking voice down. This is outrageous.

MOTHER: I know.

FATHER: I still cannot believe the way that teacher spoke to us. Have you ever heard anything like it?

MOTHER: No. No I haven’t.

FATHER: She was so patronizing. ‘If you’d just calm down for a moment …’ Calm down. Telling me to calm down. After insulting us.

MOTHER: Well insulting me, actually.

FATHER: Both of us. I think it’s unbelievable. How old was she? Twenty-three? I will be writing a letter. Tomorrow. I think it’s very interesting that they wouldn’t let us see the principal tonight!

MOTHER: He wasn’t there.

FATHER: Well he should have been there!

The FATHER looks at her.

Are you alright? What can I get you?

MOTHER: No I’m not alright.

FATHER: I’m going to kill Jessica.

MOTHER: Michael, that’s not going to help.

FATHER: This is outrageous. Look at you.

MOTHER: Do I look white?

FATHER: You do.

MOTHER: I went white. When she said it I felt myself go completely white. Did you see?

FATHER: I thought you handled it so well.

MOTHER: Really?

FATHER: Yes. Phenomenally well.

MOTHER: I did stay very calm.

FATHER: You were amazingly calm. I thought I was going to kill her.

MOTHER: So did I.

FATHER: No, but you were amazing. Just got us out of there.

MOTHER: What are we going to do?

FATHER: We’re going to talk to Jessica.

MOTHER: I want to talk to her by myself.

FATHER: Oh no. I want to talk to her.

MOTHER: Will you please let me handle this?

FATHER: No. I think we should handle this together.

MOTHER: No, you’ll just shout at her.

FATHER: Damn right I’ll shout at her. I won’t have her talk that way about you.

MOTHER: I’m talking to her by myself.

FATHER: Absolutely not. Not this time.

MOTHER: I need to.

FATHER: No. You’ll just let her walk all over you. I won’t have it! She’s in big trouble.

MOTHER: All she said was “I never see my mother.”

FATHER: Yes and it’s a fucking lie!

MOTHER: It’s a lie, isn’t it?

FATHER: You spend more than enough time with Jessica.

MOTHER: Well then why would she say it? I don’t understand it.

FATHER: You want to know the reason? I can picture it exactly. She’s in trouble at school. She’s … I don’t know, talked back, lied, done something. The teachers don’t understand it. They take her aside. What a wonderful opportunity to put their amateur psychology to the test! They talk to her very seriously. “Jessica, what’s wrong? Is everything alright at home?” And she sees – “aha! This is a way to get out of it.”

MOTHER: Do you think so?

FATHER: Oh yes. They probably suggested it. “Do you spend enough time with your mother?” Wouldn’t even consider asking about the father, the sexist pigs.

MOTHER: But what if it’s not that?

FATHER: It is that. Don’t you buy into this. You spend plenty of time with Jessica.

MOTHER: That’s not what the school thinks.

FATHER: How the hell would they know?

MOTHER: Because they’re with her all day!

FATHER: Everyone at that school is a total idiot.

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