Sasha G. Rousseau

A Good Life

INT. BEDROOM- NIGHT, NEW YEAR’S DAY

GLADYS meanders through a spacious bedroom. Her lover, HARRY, lies passed out on the large bed. Gladys holds a half-empty, uncorked WINE-BOTTLE by the neck. She is plain and disheveled, but has a sexy, confident sensuality.

GLADYS

Well, honey-baby, you can be sure that I know the difference between animals and humans. No animal will drink wine, because it’s rotten. Almost any human will though- and they’ll love it.

Hell- that means I’m sure to be human, huh, honey-baby! And Grandma always said drinking every day was the secret to a strong heart and living long.

Poor lady was so crazy we had to lock her in her bedroom during her episodes. But she lasted until age ninety-three! And that was back when sixty-something was old. No, but honey-baby, I don’t like to blame the alcohol, because it’s such a pleasure. (giggles) It MAKES us human. Alright, even I can say that there was too much of a good thing last night. But please don’t say I wouldn’t have hurt you if I hadn’t been drinking. You notice that I haven’t hurt you too many times before, and I drink every day of my life. Ok, ok, so I can’t say that I’ve NEVER hurt you before. But if you’re thinking of the time I’m thinking of, honey-baby, you’ll recount that it wasn’t certifiably my- or the alcohol’s- fault. Anyway, if we weren’t meant to hit some of the time, why did God give us fists, huh? Luckily, though, we can’t keep fists clenched for long, right honey-baby? Most of the time, we

GLADYS (con’t.)

just have fingertips for stroking. And you know I’m good at the stroking. But please don’t make me mad with all this nagging- don’t blame the drinking, and don’t blame me, honey-baby, because it just plain isn’t fair. You know and I know the real problem anyway: that damn party. I’m not going to Nicole’s parties ever again, ok? I can promise you that. (crawls on bed). Those girls think that because they wear dresses and serve hors devoirs that they have some class. Well, I guess they fooled me, anyway. You couldn’t blame a girl for being fooled a couple times, could you? Don’t pretend you haven’t been fooled before yourself. I guess the wine and the good time and all those other drinks and those sweet little cheese puffs that Nicole made just went to my head, honey-baby. But let my fingers do the talking. I’m coming back to bed. I’ll bring this rose and we’ll sit and talk and I promise that you’ll have a good time. I know how to live a good life, don’t I?

Gladys’s son Charlie, 17, POUNDS on the door.

CHARLIE

(yelling)

Momma!

GLADYS

(ignoring knocking)

No one can claim that I don’t know how to live a good life! And you definitely can’t say that you haven’t been fooled before.

CHARLIE

Momma!

GLADYS

(yelling)

What, Charlie?

CHARLIE

(Still yelling)

Where’d you put-

Gladys opens the door, Charlie speaks in a normal tone.

CHARLIE (con’t.)

Where’d you put the car keys?

GLADYS

What are you doing yelling like that, baby boy? The neighbors are going to think we’re killing people in here.

Gladys walks back to the bed, and sits at its foot.

CHARLIE

You said I could have the car tonight.

GLADYS

With all those drunks out on New Year’s? Yeah, right. I’ll take you and your little girlfriend where-ever you need to go.

CHARLIE

I’m just taking Megan to church, Momma.

GLADYS

For the lock-in? What do you think, Harry?

Gladys glances back at Harry, who lies in a stupor. Gladys laughs.

GLADYS (con’t.)

Harry says no, baby.

Charlie backs away, turns his head away from Gladys slightly.

GLADYS (con’t.)

Don’t look so sad. Come sit by me and we’ll celebrate. (she taps bed next to her)

Charlie doesn’t move.

GLADYS (con’t.)

Charlie, it’s too dangerous for a little boy like you to go driving tonight.

CHARLIE

Well, you sure ain’t taking me.

GLADYS

Why do you say that? (meanders toward Charlie, taking his hand) What do you want, baby boy? It was New Year’s Eve last night, so you can be sure I had a good time (giggles).

CHARLIE

A good time?

GLADYS

Get off my case, baby, I’m warning. `

CHARLIE

It’s what, a full nine-teen hours since

GLADYS

(Talking over him)

One!

CHARLIE

(pressing on)

the ball dropped? And you’re still reeling

GLADYS

Two!

CHARLIE

(still defying her)

around like a street-woman.

GLADYS

Out of here, now! You think with lip like that you’re going driving off to God knows where? Yeah, right, baby boy.

CHARLIE

(yanks his hand from hers)

I told Megan I’d pick her up at 8:30.

GLADYS

Too bad.

She lays down next to Harry, cuddles up with him.

GLADYS (con’t.)

I thought I raised you better than that, but you’ve sure turned out a crayon short of the box.

CHARLIE

I’m sorry, Momma.

GLADYS

I’m serious now. Leave me alone. Strictly alone, Charlie.

CHARLIE

Harry’s here.

CHARLIE (con’t.)

(whispering)

Momma, can I please have the car keys?

Gladys pours some wine into a plastic CUP.

CHARLIE

Momma, please?

Gladys sits up, and inches herself down to the foot of the bed again. She looks up at Charlie’s face.

GLADYS

You want to sit with me now, baby boy?

CHARLIE

I gotta go.

GLADYS

Fine. You “gotta” go.

Charlie sits gingerly down next to her her. She hands the cup of wine to him and takes a surprisingly delicate swig from the bottle.

GLADYS

Aren’t you going to have any?

CHARLIE

I’ve got to drive.

GLADYS

Oh, you aren’t driving anywhere tonight.

(then)

You know, I was religious at your age, too. I took Saint Rita’s name for confirmation. Gladys Rita Mullen. Hideous, huh? Rita’s always been my favorite Saint. Too bad I can’t pass her chapel anymore without crying my eyes out (smiles, embarrassed).

CHARLIE

What’s she saint of?

GLADYS

Fertility and impossible causes, baby boy. Guess I prayed too much in my reckless youth, huh? I’m just saying that I used to believe everything the sisters told me. That’s why I don’t like you going to church so much.

CHARLIE

Megan’s probably sitting at home right now, hating me to pieces.

GLADYS

Let her hate you.

Charlie drinks the wine. Gladys smiles and strokes his leg.

CHARLIE

You could come meet us at the church tomorrow if you wanted.

GLADYS

Not without that car, I can’t.

(then)

I’ll tell you what I don’t like about you and all this religious stuff, baby boy: you don’t go about it with any soul. I see you praying, but I don’t ever see any tears coming down that face of yours. And a Baptist church, of all things? You couldn’t at least have gone Catholic like your Momma? (laughs).

Charlie puts the cup of wine down, and stands.

GLADYS (con’t.)

You’re mad now? You don’t think you owe me at least a little bit for what you said earlier?

(then)

What do you have against me, Charlie? I don’t kill anyone, and I don’t steal, and I don’t even lie too much! All I do is avoid suffering as far as I can,

and keep on keeping on. More than I can say about you.

CHARLIE

You don’t try so hard to keep away from suffering, Mama. What do you call making me stick here with you?

GLADYS

You don’t want to be here? (gets up, walks over to a mirror).

CHARLIE

You can give me anything I want. But you just don’t.

GLADYS

You want to be here. You could have called Megan for a ride, instead of hassling me for the keys when you knew I was busy. (Gladys adjusts her breasts, looks satisfied).

CHARLIE

You know why you don’t do anything for me, Momma? Cause you’re just selfish.

GLADYS

(still primping herself in the mirror)

Sure, so selfish I just gave you half the wine I had left.

CHARLIE

You don’t know the first thing about living a good life, Momma.

GLADYS

(turns to Charlie, raises her eyebrows)

Depends on what you call a “good life,” baby boy. I’ve tried your kind of “good,” too. It wasn’t worth it.

CHARLIE

What wasn’t worth it, Momma? Me? Either you love your life or you love me. It can’t cut both ways anymore.

Charlie walks swiftly past Gladys, and picks up the PHONE extension. Gladys turns entirely toward him, giving him all her attention.

GLADYS

All I say, baby boy, is that I avoid suffering and I cling to pleasure. You

think you weren’t gotten through pleasure yourself? Happily for all of us, you’re mistaken.

CHARLIE

Don’t call yourself a slut and make me part of it.

GLADYS

I never was a slut, Charlie.

CHARLIE

(Talking into phone)

Hi, may I speak to Megan please? Hey Meg, I’m running a little late. Don’t worry, I’ll get us there before nine. ‘K, see you in fifteen.

GLADYS

You’re a little overconfident, aren’t you baby boy?

CHARLIE

Considerate’s more like it.

Gladys turns her back to Charlie, looking down on Harry.

CHARLIE (con’t.)

I know you lost Robert because you got pregnant with me. I know you’re a bad woman. It doesn’t take the whole town telling me about it for me to see that, either. Just look at Harry lying in your bed, slobbering all over your dirty sheets.

Charlie picks up his cup and throws it against the wall, near Harry’s head. They both listen to Harry snore.

CHARLIE

You see that Momma? He’s dead to the world.

Gladys rushes at Charlie and pushes him, hard.

GLADYS

You lose me men like a kid loses teeth, Charlie! What’s the matter with you?

CHARLIE

It’s not my fault you’re forsaken. You think that if I hadn’t been born you could have been married to Robert “the military man” forever and you woulda just kept on believing in God’s grace and everything would have been different from now. But Momma, you cheated on him in the first place because you’re damned, and the damned are never happy!

Gladys sits.

GLADYS

I’m not unhappy because I’m “damned,” Charlie, I’m unhappy because I wasn’t always. Those churches ruin lives, no matter what Megan’s daddy and your teacher at school have to say about it.

CHARLIE

God loves me, Momma. He didn’t use me to hurt you.

GLADYS

No.

CHARLIE

Momma, God loves me.

GLADYS

I love you too, Charlie. Isn’t that enough, to know that your Momma loves you? It’s enough for me to know that you love me, whatever God’s done.

CHARLIE

I guess you need to start looking for Robert again, if love is what you want.

GLADYS

But my husband’s long gone.

Charlie turns to go. Gladys picks up the wine bottle.

GLADYS

Don’t you want to share with me, baby boy?

Charlie walks out and closes the door behind him.

GLADYS

How considerate are you being now?

Gladys cuddles the wine bottle, upset.

She takes the car keys from her pocket. With a scream, she hurls them at the door. She lands on the floor from the force of her throw.

She lies there a moment.

GLADYS

O Powerful St. Rita, rightly called Saint of the Forgotten, I come to you in confidence in my great need. You know well my trials, Saint Rita, because they are your own…