No Way of Knowing
No Way of Knowing is a short drama scene. TRISHA and SAM discuss the problems of their eldest son MANNY. 2 Men, 1 Woman. Dramatic.
No Way of Knowing
Sam: I try. Â I try to talk him out of it but he won’t listen.
Trisha: Something needs to be done. Â You said you have control over him. Â Where is this great control?
Sam: Take it easy, before you—
Trisha: Don’t tell me to take it easy. Â I’m always taking it so damn easy. Â If I take it any more damn easy I think everything will come right to its end.
Sam: You need to relax. Â You always get yourself worked up more than necessary.
Trisha: Really? Â I wonder why that is? Â When I ‘take it easy’ nothing gets done.
Sam: Trisha, please, don’t work me up. Â I told you I would speak to him and that’s what I did. Â He’s a grown man, I can’t be responsible for every decision he makes.
Trisha: We should have done a better job. Â We put all our attention on Lana. Â We neglected our boy…
Sam: That’s not your fault, it’s mine.
Trisha: It is my fault! Â It’s my oldest son. Â Look at him! Â Look what’s he’s become.
Sam: He’s not a bad young man.
Trisha: He’s bad to himself. Â He’s destructive. Â He doesn’t come to family gatherings. Â He’s outcast himself, like he despises all of us. Â Who does that? Â He’s not normal.
Sam: There’s got to be some reason.
Trisha: Attention. Â He never gets attention. Â I’m telling you. Â He’s been ignored and he probably feels that his absence won’t even be noticed. Â But it is, it’s deeply felt.
Sam: Why don’t you ever tell him. Â Try—
Trisha: God knows how I’ve reasoned with that boy.
Sam: He’s not a boy.
Trisha: What?
Sam: He’s not a boy. Â Maybe we should both stop calling him that.
(Trisha sighs)
Sam: There was a time when Manny was in the palm of my hands. Â He would stick to me like glue…whichever way I walked, he’d walk, whichever way I talked, he talked. Â We were close…we were good friends. Â He got involved with them boys, the Kranes, they changed our son and I didn’t know how to manage it. Â That’s where I went wrong with it…I should have intervened. Â I had no way of knowing how Manny could go from what he was to what he is now…no way of knowing.
Trisha: You don’t get changed so easily unless something is already ticking inside of you. Â Manny always seemed to have that streak in him. Â Always walked with that fine edge, never knowing what to expect at times. Â (beat) What did you end up telling him?
Sam: I took my hat off to him and asked him to find himself. Â He laughed in my face like I wasn’t even standing before him…he said, “Dad, we don’t see each other anymore.”
Trisha: And what did you say next?
Sam: My mouth, got all dry in the back of my throat…I lost my breath for a second or two…but I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed him. Â I just wanted to touch my son…
(Trisha wipes her eyes)
Trisha: Well now, I made turkey for dinner. Â It’s warm in the stove.
Sam: Yeah, well, food isn’t really rubbing me right this moment.
Trisha: Yes, yes, yes….another meal spoiled by that rotten boy.
Sam: Now I asked you to stop calling him boy.
Trisha: He acts like a child and he is my boy so deal with it!
Sam: I’m fed up with you shouting.
Trisha: Where are you going?
Sam: I’m going for a Goddamn drive.
Trisha: Why don’t you drive back to the city and tell your son what you should have told him? Â Stop being so weak all the time.
Sam: You just call me weak?
Trisha: Let’s be honest.
Sam: I try to do things in a calm fashion. Â I don’t need to always strike out and hit everyone like you do. Â I try to connect.
Trisha: That’s worked wonders for Manny.
Sam: You know woman, you bring me to my edge.
Trisha: Go! Â Go for your drive and waste more time doing nothing for this family.
Sam: Trisha. Â Don’t speak to me that way. Â I’ve done everything a man is supposed to do to care, love and take care of his family. Â Don’t you lose yourself with me.
Trisha: When you get back I’ll make tea.
(Sam leaves)
(phone rings)
Hello? Â Manny? Manny, what’s…your father just stepped out…call his cellphone…wait…hold on…let me see if I can catch him…
(Trisha runs to front door)
Sam?! Â Sammy?! Â Samuel?!! Â It’s Manny…it’s Manny, Manny is on the phone…
(to phone)
Hold on, he’s coming back. Â Give him a minute, he was just pulling out the driveway.
(Trisha listens in on the phone)
(Sam enters)
Sam: He’s on the phone?
(Trisha extends her arm with the phone towards Sam)
(Sam takes phone)
Sam: Manuel? Â What’s up son? Â (pause.) Â (Sam breaks down) Â I hear you. Â That’s all I ask son. Â I’ll come get you now and we can go straight to the clinic. Â Together. Â I’m on my way. Â Give me an hour, maybe sooner. Â Call my cellphone. Â Actually, I’ll call you from the road. Â Just hang in there. Â I’m on my way now. Â On my way!
(Sam hangs up phone, makes his way to front door)
Going to pick Manny up and take him to get treatment. Â He needs our help Trisha. Â He’s worse than we thought. Â He needs to get clean.
Trisha: Dear God…let me come.
Sam: No, no, he asked for you not to come. Â We don’t have time to wait. Â I gotta go get him now while I can. Â I heard him Trisha. Â I knew he was in there somewhere.
Trisha: Hurry.
Sam: Call you from the road….
(Sam exits)
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