STEP ONE TO GOODBYE BY JEFFREY LO (DOWNLOAD PDF HERE)
ANABEL and GRACE sitting at the kitchen table.
GRACE watches ANABEL stare at the envelope on the table.
Silence.
GRACE: Anabel.
No response.
GRACE: Anak.
ANABEL: Huh?
GRACE: Are you going to open it?
ANABEL: Of course…
GRACE: Ok.
ANABEL: Eventually…
GRACE: What are you waiting for?
ANABEL: I’m scared.
GRACE: Why?
ANABEL: What do you mean, why?
GRACE: Whether you open it now, or open it later, what’s written inside is going to be the same.
ANABEL: Mom, now is not the time for logic.
GRACE: But Anabel, I’m serious –
ANABEL: Seriously, please give me a minute. Please.
GRACE: Ok… Ok…
ANABEL takes a breath.
Silence.
GRACE: Kasi, I want to know too, you know.
ANABEL: Ma!
GRACE: Ano!?
ANABEL: Please!
GRACE: Please what?
ANABEL: You are not saying the right things.
GRACE: What do you want me to say?
ANABEL: Do you know how scary this is for me?
GRACE: Tell me.
ANABEL: What?
GRACE: Tell me how scary it is for you.
ANABEL: I just… You say it yourself, all the time, everything you do in life is so I can get a good education and a good life and… so this is for you too not just me. And I don’t want to let you down…
GRACE: Anabel…
ANABEL: I know, I know, you won’t let me down Anabel.
GRACE: Oh no, if you don’t get in, I will be very let down.
ANABEL: MA!
GRACE: What? It’s true! Everything I do in life is just so you can go to a good school and lead a good li –
ANABEL: Thank you mom, we’ve been over this.
GRACE: BUT - …
GRACE doesn’t finish her sentence till she has her daughter’s full attention.
ANABEL: BUT what?
GRACE: But if you don’t get in… it won’t be the end of the world. Ok?
ANABEL looks at her mom.
ANABEL takes a deep breath.
ANABEL opens the envelope.
ANABEL looks at GRACE.
ANABEL: … I got in.
GRACE: You got in?
GRACE and ANABEL, crying at this point, hug each other
ANABEL: I got in...
END OF PLAY.