Oregon
Literary
Review
Vol. 3, No. 1

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Andi Enns IT WAS A HARD DAY A Short Play CHARACTERS:   LISA: f, late 30’s, mental patient.   GREG: m, 16, normal teen. Always keeps left hand in pocket.         LOCATION:   Lisa’s room at a mental institution. Very stark, undecorated, bare.                (LISA sits against the wall in a dark room; her head down and a slack look on her face. GREG enters. LISA looks up. She looks surprised. She stands up and walks toward him as he addresses the audience.)                            GREG He screamed with the agony of a hundred invisible hurts, a thousand sideways looks, a million uttered insults, a single, final, backhanded whack. And then it was over. No one saw it coming. But no one was surprised when it happened.   (The following line she says towards Greg, but he doesn’t look at her.)                            LISA She called to him. He ran. Like a puppet on a string, like a puppy on a leash, like a prisoner on a chain. It was never meant to be like that. It was never meant to hurt, to scar, to kill. It was never meant to be this way.                            GREG He ran to her. She was his world. She was his air, his precious oxygen, his life-support. She was his everything. She was everywhere and she saw all.                            LISA She smiled. She threw her head back and laughed, exposing for a pivotal moment her slender neck. But he didn’t do anything. He failed. Again.                             GREG He grew to resent her.   (At this point, LISA addresses the audience.)                            LISA She grew to enjoy being resented.                            GREG He asked her why.   (LISA addresses Greg.)                            LISA You’re just like your father.                            GREG She never answered him.                            LISA You are ugly, just like him, a horrible, greasy person.                            GREG He always wondered why she hated him.                            LISA I didn’t hate you. I hated him, that two-timing bastard.                            GREG He thought it was better that he didn’t know the answer.   (LISA addresses audience.)                            LISA She thought it was better that he didn’t have a father.                            GREG He always hoped his father would come back someday.                            LISA His father wasn’t real.                            GREG She told him stories. His father was a mountain-climber, she said. He was six-and-a-half feet tall, she said. He was a superhero, she said.                            LISA Everything he believed was a lie.                            GREG But he never came back. He never rescued me.                            LISA What was there to come back to?                            GREG Every man he saw became a potential father.                            LISA Every man he saw was better than his father.                            GREG She was haunted.                            LISA I couldn’t believe what happened.                            GREG Every cry, every plea, every gasp was recorded in her memory.                            LISA It took years of therapy.                            GREG It was years of trauma.                            LISA She never forgave herself.                            GREG He forgave her every time.                            LISA It was an accident, she said.                            GREG It was what he deserved, she said.                            LISA It was unfortunate, she said.                            GREG It was for everything he ever did to her.                            LISA It was an accident.   (GREG addresses Lisa. She still speaks to the audience.)                            GREG Why did you do that to me?                            LISA How could anyone blame a loving parent?                            GREG How could you?                            LISA It was a tragedy.                            GREG It was terror. And you knew that.                            LISA It was discipline.                            GREG It was abuse.                            LISA Abuse is a strong word.                            GREG Not strong enough.                            LISA She never slept again.   (GREG addresses the audience. LISA addresses Greg.)                            GREG He never woke.                            LISA You don’t understand! I was driven to it! If you weren’t such a bad kid! If you weren’t such a challenge!                            GREG He heard it so many times.                            LISA If you had given me a chance! Forgiveness! Mercy! I wouldn’t have done it! I had no choice!                            GREG There’s always a choice.                            LISA I tried to be gentle, but I couldn’t get through to you. You needed volume.   (GREG addresses Lisa.)                            GREG I didn’t need violence.   (Both address audience)                            LISA She never could make him understand.                            GREG She never had a heart.                            LISA He came home one day.                            GREG It had been a hard day.                            LISA And he threw a bottle at her.                            GREG Not at her. She walked into it.                            LISA It hit her. She needed stitches.                            GREG It was never meant to happen.                            LISA She lied to the nurses about what happened, to save him.                            GREG She never saved me.                            LISA He never thanked her.                            GREG She never let him forget it.                            LISA He never apologized.                            GREG What was there to say?                            LISA It never stopped hurting.                            GREG But when she came home-                            LISA I had dropped him off somewhere else.                            GREG She had a man with her.                            LISA I hadn’t mentioned him yet.                            GREG And the man hit her.                            LISA It was nothing serious. He didn’t mean it.                            GREG So he called the police.                            LISA It wasn’t his place.                            GREG He was worried about her.                            LISA The little weasel.                            GREG When the police got there, she was already gone.                            LISA He was still there.                            GREG I didn’t come out.                            LISA He was good, for once.   (GREG and LISA address each other.)                            GREG Why did you teach me to fear the police?                            LISA Why weren’t you a good boy who didn’t need to be afraid?   (GREG and LISA address the audience.)                            GREG She was a sociopath.                            LISA The good never accomplish anything.                            GREG She was evil.                            LISA Children need to know who’s boss.                            GREG I used to be happy.                            LISA He used to be annoying.                            GREG I used to laugh and play.                            LISA Grown-ups don’t need toys. Didn’t you want to grow up?                            GREG She called me into the kitchen.                            LISA It was an accident.                            GREG And she put my hand on the burner.                            LISA It had been a hard day.                            GREG It blistered and hissed.                            LISA He screamed.                            GREG My skin fell in scorched shreds.                            LISA I couldn’t take him to the hospital.                            GREG She bandaged it.                            LISA What else was there to do?                            GREG I was scarred.                            LISA No one is perfect.                            GREG I was deformed.                            LISA Girls would find it… charming.                            GREG It was sickening.                            LISA Maybe he learned his lesson.                            GREG I didn’t know what to learn.                            LISA Thank god he was too young for school.                            GREG God hated me.                          LISA God hates the people who think for themselves.                            GREG God didn’t care.                            LISA                    (to Greg) Did you expect Him to?                            GREG I never knew why we bothered going to church.                            LISA Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do.   (LISA and GREG address each other.)                            GREG You never did anything you didn’t want to.                            LISA You have no idea what I went through.   (GREG speaks to audience. LISA continues to speak to Greg.)                            GREG She screamed at him every day.                            LISA You don’t know the pain I’ve lived! You don’t know the harsh realities of being a single mom!                            GREG He was never good enough.                            LISA You were never good enough.                            GREG He was never worthy of her love.                            LISA What was there to love about you?                              GREG He was never loyal enough.                            LISA You were a bad boy.                            GREG He was never good enough.                            LISA You were never good enough.   (GREG addresses LISA.)                            GREG You never let me have a girlfriend.                            LISA A girlfriend would get in the way.                            GREG I never went on a date.                            LISA It would’ve been too hard for you to hide it from her.                            GREG Hide what? Your psychosis?                            LISA Your worthlessness.                            GREG That’s a lie and you know it!                            LISA It’s the truth and you know it.                            GREG You never let me have friends!                            LISA You don’t deserve friends.                            GREG What was wrong with me?                            LISA Everything.                            GREG I was scared of you!                            LISA Every child should be respectful!                            GREG That wasn’t respect - that was terror!                            LISA You don’t know what pain is.                            GREG All my life!                            LISA Call it karma, baby, you get what you deserve.                            GREG And then I come home with Janet-                            LISA You two were lovers and you know it.                            GREG Friends! We were friends!                            LISA Janet was a whore.                            GREG I loved her.                            LISA You don’t know what love is.                            GREG You don’t know how I felt.                            LISA You don’t know the consequences you would have had if she found out.                            GREG She knows. She knows everything.                            LISA You told her?                            GREG It happened in front of her. What do you think?                            LISA You shouldn’t have brought her home. You know I’m not going to lighten up on you with her around.                            GREG Did you hurt her?                            LISA She lived.   (Tones get more urgent, timing becomes faster. LISA says everything with exaggerated, hysterical emotion.)                            GREG Did you hurt her?                            LISA Janet and Gregory sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-                            GREG You’re a bitch.                            LISA Don’t talk that way to me.                            GREG I came home and you were waiting.                            LISA I’m always waiting, Gregory. For him, for you. Does anyone respect me?                            GREG I thought she could meet you. I thought you’d see she’s not a threat.                              LISA She wasn’t a threat? Yeah, right. Stupid ho.                            GREG And you were waiting with a knife.                            LISA Stop.                            GREG A freshly sharpened steak knife.                            LISA Stop!                            GREG And you said you were going to teach me a lesson.                            LISA Stop it! Goddamnit!                            GREG And you taught me a lesson, all right. Me and Janet both.                            LISA I said stop! If you don’t-                            GREG What? You’ll kill me again?                            LISA I never killed you.                            GREG Bullshit.                            LISA It was an accident.                            GREG Tell that to Janet. Tell her it was an accident!                            LISA Janet learned.                            GREG What did Janet learn, Mom?                              LISA She learned not to mess with parenting!                            GREG What?                            LISA Or with discipline.                            GREG You’ve never disciplined me.                            LISA You want to believe it’s not your fault.                            GREG It’s not! I am worthy of love! I am good enough!                            LISA You’ll never be good enough.                            GREG At least she’s okay.                            LISA You never loved her more than me.                            GREG I always loved her more than you.                            LISA What was there to love about her?                            GREG Her eyes, her smile… Her ever-present softness. What wasn’t to love? A lack of the coarseness you desire!                            LISA Shut up. You don’t mean it.                            GREG I’ve meant it like I never meant anything else.                            LISA No you don’t.                            GREG How could you do that? If I ever asked God one thing, it wasn’t, “Take me away from her” or “Father, bless me with Your mercy”, it was, “God, don’t hurt the girl.”                            LISA You don’t have compassion, you sneaky rat!                            GREG You don’t have compassion!                            LISA No one wanted you!                            GREG And someone wanted you?   (LISA drops to her knees.)                            LISA (screams) Shut up, shut up, shut up! Goddamn you!                            GREG (calmly) I’m not afraid of you anymore.   (GREG exits. LISA wails. Fade out.)