The Play
A daughter attempts to prepare her father for a visit to an assisted living facility.
The Characters
The Dad
The Daughter
The Scene
A sunny kitchen in the morning. The Daughter is standing at the sink at center stage. The Dad enters stage right and crosses to table. He hangs his cane on the back of a chair and looks around squinting.
(German accent)
Ver’s Minika... Manica... Monika?
Good Morning Dad.
Oh, der's Monika, ok. Ok. Ver’s my hat?
In the dryer.
(quizzical look) My Stick, ver's my stick?
(Daughter crosses to chair and pats the cane) Right here.
Oh.
Here’s your applesauce and spoon. (She places the objects she is holding on the table)
Ok. (he sits down at his place at the table)
Today is a special day!
Vat?
A special day today!
Vat?
(The Daughter adjusts his hearing aid)
Today is a special day! We are going on a trip!
No, no my knee…(He brings out his knee and rubs it with both hands)
You don’t have to worry about your knee where we're going.
No?
No.
Ver’s my hat?
It’s in the dryer. Today we are going to see your new apartment and meet the manager and have a nice lunch there!
(quizzical look)
Far?
No, it’s over the mountain, like our other house. Not far.
(He brings out his knee again and rubs it) You know dis is no goot…
You won’t have trouble walking at your new apartment. It’s very FLAT there. No steps.
Far?
No not very far. We are going to have lunch there today and meet the other people who live in the other apartments!
(quizzical look)
Ver’s my stick?
(pointing) Right there.
My hat, ver’s my hat?
In the dryer. Eat your applesauce. Here’s your omelet. It’s VERY HOT!
(The Dad takes a big bite of omelet)
"HOT! VERY HOT"!
(The Daughter crosses to sink and comes back to table with a glass) Here’s your juice.
Ver’s my stick?
(pointing) There.
Do you understand that today we are going to see your new apartment?
(He brings out his knee again and rubs it)
You know dis von no goot. (He points at his other knee) Dis von goot.
There are no steps at the apartment. It is very FLAT. You will meet the manager. She is very nice! We will have lunch with her in the dining room today so you can meet the other people who live there!
Machine? Deh take me?
Yes, they have a car to take the people places.
(He brings out his knee again.)
You don’t have to worry. There are no steps. Eat your omelet. (The Daughter exits through a small door into another room and reappears carrying a tweed cap.) Here’s your hat.
(He puts on his cap) Varm. Nice.
(The Dad finishes his breakfast while the daughter sips coffee at the sink. He gets up, bends to rub his knee) You know dis von no goot! (then he bends his good knee) dis von goot! I vas in da military!
Yes, I know but that isn’t where you hurt your knee. Do you remember where you hurt your knee?
(quizzical look) (He picks up a flashlight by the door and flicks it on and off rapidly several times then reads the manufacture’s name
haltingly) Gab..er..ly...Dis is mine!
You can have it.
It vas mine but now is here...I don’t know. (flicking the flashlight on and off) Who made dis?
(The Daughter hands The Dad his cane, he walks toward door stage left, opens the door.)
(The Dad with the flashlight, pauses, turns toward the table and points the flashlight back at it while flicking it on and off several times then, twirling his cane, continues through the door.)
lights dim then fade to black
