michael goes home

7/31/2019 Michael Goes Home

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Michael Goes home

Michael: Boyfriend of Tracey and son of Marion and Derrick.

Tracey

Derrick: Married to Marion.

Marion

Two scenes played simultaneously. Lines with a / in front of them are said simultaneously with thematching line.

Michael and Tracey are on one side of the stage, Michael has been in a telephone conversation andTracey has been listening. Marion has been in conversation with Michael by phone.

Michael and Marion begin the scene both holding phones. They end the call they were on. Derrickwalks into the room as Marion puts the phone down.

Marion: /Well.

Tracey: /Well? How did it go?

Michael: That was my Mum.

He is clearly affected by the phone call.

Tracey: I know, how did it go.

Marion: That was Michael.

Derrick: Michael who?

Marion just looks at him.

Derrick: (On edge) What did he want?

Tracey: What did she say?

Michael: /We're coming to dinner.

Marion: /They're coming to dinner.

Tracey: Really? She asked us to dinner.

Derrick: Did you call him?

Michael: /I called home.

Michael Goes Home Bridgette Burton 2007


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Marion: /He called home

Derrick: Does he want something?

Marion: Nothing. /He just called to say hello.

Michael: /I just called to say hello, and she invited us for dinner.

Tracey: /Is that a good idea?

Derrick: /Is that a good idea?

Michael: /I don't know.

Marion: /I don't know. I want to see him Derrick.

Derrick: I don't.

Marion: /Don't say that.

Tracey: /Don't say that, have some confidence.

Michael: /I've caused a lot of trouble.

Derrick: /He caused a lot of trouble. A lot of bad things have happened because of that

boy. /A lot of pain.

Michael: /A lot of pain.

Tracey: But you're a different person. You're older and /you've changed.

Marion: /He's changed

Derrick: Did he tell you that? What an endorsement.

Michael: Mum sounds older. /I can hear it in her voice.

Marion: /I can hear it in his voice. Something different. He sounds older, more mature.

Derrick: /It's been four years.

Tracey: /It's been four years. She is older Mike.



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Derrick: Four years of blissful silence where I didn't have to worry about him stealing

from us, cheating us and lying to us.

Marion: Yes. /Four years. Three years of prison

Michael: /Four years. Three years of prison.

Marion: One year of silence.

Tracey: One year of hard work and new beginnings. It's ok to be nervous about seeing

them. But you've changed and they'll see that.

Michael: She hardly mentioned Dad.

Derrick: What did you say to him?

Marion: I said /I was happy to hear from him.

Michael: /she was happy to hear from me.

Tracey: That's great, of course she was

Derrick: Are you really? I don't understand you. I really don't.

Marion: Derrick, please don't make this harder.

Marion is close to tears.

Michael: I think so, she sounded surprised, shocked. She cried.

Tracey: /I'm sorry love.

Derrick: /I'm sorry love.

Michael: It's ok, tears are ok.

Derrick: He hurt us. /I don't want to reopen something that can.....

Michael: /I don't want to reopen something that can hurt us.

Tracey: /I know.

Marion: /I know what you're feeling.



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Derrick: He'll come here wanting something. He'll hide it from us at first and then he'll

take whatever he needs.

Marion: /He's not an addict anymore Derrick

Michael: /I'm not an addict anymore (pause). But they've got no reason to trust me.

Derrick: Says him?

Marion: Says the prison. He was rehabilitated in there. They sent us a letter.

Tracey: You have to build their trust and there is no easy way to do that. /We don't have

to do this....

Derrick: /We don't have to do this. We don't owe him a thing.

Marion: He's our only one Derrick. The only child we ever had. We don't have to give

him anything, I know that but I want to give him dinner. /It's just dinner, how hard could

it be?

Michael: /It's just dinner how hard could it be?

They all laugh tiredly.

Derrick: Why didn't I see the letter from the prison?

Marion: Because I knew that you wouldn't want to.

Pause.

Derrick: So who is we?

Tracey: You told her about me.

Michael: I told her /I'm in love.

Marion: /He's in love. Her name is Tracey.

Derrick: Who knows what she'll be like.

Michael: They'll probably think you'll be like the others.



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Tracey: They'll have to get to know me then. Judge for themselves

Marion: Judge for yourself.

Michael: She did say that Dad was well.

Tracey: That's good.

Marion: I told him that you've been well.

Tracey: /What else did she say about him?

Derrick: /What else did you say about me?

Marion: /Nothing love.

Michael: /Nothing. He wasn't there. She said he wasn't home.

Marion: I said you weren't here.

Derrick: Didn't want to scare him off.

Marion: I didn't want him to feel like he had to offer to speak with you.

Michael: I was glad. That he wasn't there.

Tracey: /Why.

Derrick: /Why.

Michael: /You know why.

Marion: /You know why. Because you would have refused to talk with him and then I

wouldn't have been able to ask him here, and it would have ended then. And I don't want

that.

Tracey: Michael, you'll have to see him when we go round.

Michael: I know. But I've got a week to get used to it.

Tracey: /When is it?



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Derrick: /When is it?

Marion: /Next Thursday.

Michael: /Next Thursday.

Derrick: /I don't have anything else on that day.

Tracey: /I don't have anything else on that day.

Marion: /I know.

Michael: /I know. I can't go without you. I wouldn't be able to do it.

Derrick: But I can find something to do.

Marion: Then I will have dinner with them myself.

Derrick: Marion, call him back and say no!

Marion: No Derrick, I will not.

Pause.

Tracey: What happened last time you saw them?

Derrick: /The last time....

Michael: /The last time?

Marion: Don't Derrick.

Derrick: What a night that was, the prodigal son returns to the familial home, to see his

mother and father, who nurtured and loved him.

Michael: I hadn't seen them in ages. A year.

Derrick: And we let him in, because he's been gone a year and a lot can happen in a

year. That's what you said, remember?

Michael: I stole something.

Derrick: He took all the jewellery that your mother left you.



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Michael: /And I hit her

Derrick: /And he hit you.

Tracey: Your Mum? Why?

Michael: She got in my way when I was trying to leave.

Tracey: /It's alright...

Marion: /It's alright, I know...

Michael: /It's not alright.

Derrick: /It's not alright! He hit you, and he's our son. He stole something irreplaceable

on that day. Something that cannot be replaced. /There is no reason why we should make

this easy for him!

Michael: /There's no reason why they should make this easy for me. I don't deserve it.

Marion: /He paid.

Tracey: /You paid. Three years in prison.

Michael: /I deserved it.

Derrick: /He deserved it. He deserved everything that happened to him. I'll never regret

calling the police Marion. Nothing you can say will make me regret that.

Michael: Dad called the cops.

Tracey: /You were eighteen.

Marion: /He was eighteen! Just a child.

Michael: /I wasn't a child.

Derrick: /He wasn't a child Marion, he was a drug addict and a delinquent. And he was a

source of pain and embarrassment and suffering.

Michael: I made them suffer.



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Marion: /Not always.

Tracey: /Not always.

Derrick: /For as long as I can remember.

Michael: /For as long as I can remember.

Marion: He's coming to dinner Derrick.

Derrick: I KNOW HE FUCKING WELL IS! And you didn't ask me because you knew

I'd say no. Because you know that I never wanted to see him again.

Michael: Dad hates me.

Tracey: That's not true.

Marion: Derrick, that's not true. You don't hate him. /You hate what happened.

Tracey: /He hates what happened. But not you. Baby, he doesn't even know you.

Marion: We don't know him Derrick. We don't know who he is anymore. /He has had

four years to become a different person.

Tracey: /You have had four years to become a different person.

Derrick: And what about us, what have we had four years to do?

Marion: /Four years to think about the past

Tracey: /Four years to think about the past.

Michael: /And wonder where I went wrong

Derrick: /And wonder where I went wrong.

Marion: We. Where we went wrong. /He didn't have a bad childhood.

Michael: /I didn't have a bad childhood. I had a good childhood. /Something changed

along the way.



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Derrick: /Something changed along the way.

Marion: /It happens.

Tracey: /It happens. Sometimes the reasons are not obvious.

Michael: /Wrong crowd.

Derrick: /Wrong crowd. Bad kids, we should have moved him out of that school.

Marion: Derrick, please don't go over this again. /What's done is done.

Tracey: /What's done is done. It can't be changed. /So you have to look forward.

Marion: /So you have to look forward.

Derrick: I don't want to see you in pain. I can't bear it

Marion: That's why I want to see him. To stop feeling so much pain. You need to see

him too, Derrick.

Derrick: /I don't know.

Michael: /I don't know.

Marion: /We'll see, together.

Tracey: /We'll see, together.

Derrick: /I love you.

Michael: /I love you. You saved me.

Tracey: Maybe you saved me, maybe I was the one that needed saving. It isn't always

about you....

Marion: I love you and I love our son.

Marion and Derrick embrace.

Michael: Not always about me? What are you talking about?

Tracey and Michael embrace.



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Tracey: I look forward to meeting your parents, if they are anything like you.

Michael: They're nothing like me.

Tracey: Then I guess its an adventure. I hope they like me.

Michael: They'll like you. They'll see.

Tracey: See what?

Michael: That I've changed, because someone like you loves me.

Tracey: They'll see.

Marion: We aren't making any promises to him. It's dinner, to meet our son's girlfriend.

Derrick: Is that all it is? how can it be just that?

Marion: Because that is what we will make it.

Derrick: Dinner. (pause) /I'm doing this for you.

Michael: /I'm doing this for you.

Tracey: /I hope not.

Marion: /I hope not. I hope that you are doing it for you.

Tracey: I don't have to meet them.

Michael: No. I guess you don't. You're right.

Derrick: I don't know. I just don't know.

Michael: /What will I say to him?

Derrick: /What will I say to him?

Marion: Why don't you /wait and see.

Tracey: /Wait and see. What about your Mum?

Michael: /I just spoke to her.

Marion: /I just spoke to him.



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Tracey: /And?

Derrick: /And..

Michael: It was hard and then....../it was fine.

Marion: /It was fine. It was fine. He sounded very formal and not really like Michael.

He sounded like a nice young man.

Tracey: It will be fine with your Dad too.

Michael: Will you hold my hand?

Tracey: Always.

Tracey takes his left hand and she turns him so that he faces his parents side of the stage. She stands alittle behind him.

Tracey: Look in the mirror. You are a nice young man and you are bringing your

girlfriend to meet your parents.

Derrick is facing toward Michael and Tracey. Marion comes to stand behind him, it is as if they are alsolooking into a mirror.

Derrick: I always wanted a son that was a nice young man.

Marion: Then give him a chance to be one. When he comes to the door /you'll just hold

out your hand.

Tracey: /You'll just hold out your hand.

Michael slowly extends his hand. Derrick slowly extend his hand, their hands meet and they clasp.

Tracey: /And you'll say.

Marion: /And you'll say.

Derrick: Hello Michael.

Michael: Hello Dad.

Lights down.


michael goes home

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