| Misunderstood: |
|
(Really
sing) “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never
know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take
my sunshine away.....”
|
| Stubborn: |
|
(Not
in a Yell, but an eager call)
Come over here Mouse ( A nickname)
(His daughter Misunderstood runs towards her father)
|
| Misunderstood: |
|
Dad,
I don’t want to go to ‘Garden School’ today,
those buds are always pulling on my petals. |
| Stubborn: |
|
Well, I
guess one day wouldn’t hurt, how about me
and you go to the TV section and watch some videos?
|
| Misunderstood: |
|
Yeah, let’s
go...
(They begin to walk towards the department)
|
| Misunderstood: |
|
Hey
Dad!
(Stubborn stops and turns to his daughter) |
| Stubborn: |
|
What
is it Mouse? |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Ummmm.....nothing
(She thinks about her show and tell day last week
at school)
(Stubborn freezes and we only hear Misunderstood)
|
| Misunderstood: |
|
(To
audience) Oh my gosh, my Dad is soooo cool, he’s
my hero the way he walks, talks, acts, I love everything
about him. But the other day at Garden School, they made
fun of me, no one knows my Dad, and they thought I was
different because no ones Dad was really that great! But
mines is, oh yeah, my Dad is! (Exaggerated)
The other day we went to the pottery section and slid
down pots, and we read stories at the stores library and
he bought me a humungous mud pie!! (Normal Tone)
I don’t care what anyone says my Dads the coolest
radio in the store.
(Stubborn un-freezes and they continue) |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Okay,
so I call the remote first
(She skips to catch up with her father) |
| Stubborn: |
|
Hold on
Mouse.
(they
listen in for the report)
|
| Voice
on the radio: |
|
There
has been an outburst in the front of the store. We are
being attacked by a robber. All veterans report! I repeat
Report! |
| Stubborn: |
|
Mouse,
I have to go sweetie, run home and stay with Mom. I’ll
be home soon! |
| Misunderstood: |
|
But
Dad!...
(Stubborn has already walked off, and doesn’t
hear his daughters cry)
(Misunderstood drops her head and drags her feet as she
begins to walk in the opposite direction home) |
|
|
Act
1 Scene 2:
Time: 2 months later. Place: home. At rise
Dad starts spending less time with Misunderstood. In their
house getting ready for dinner. |
| Stubborn: |
|
Hey Mouse
dinner is ready!
(No response he repeats a little annoyed)
|
| Stubborn: |
|
Hey
Mouse! Dinner is ready! |
| Misunderstood: |
|
(Answers
a little irritated) Hold on Dad, I’m coming.
(Walks into the living room where her Dad is with a
soggy walk) |
| Stubborn: |
|
What’s
up with you?
(Misunderstood thinks about how their relationship
has changed lately. About how much she loves him, but
that undeniable feeling that things are different makes
her feel she can’t tell him what’s on her mind) |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Nothing
Dad, just a little tired. Let’s eat.
(They enjoy a great dinner of dirt and screws. As she
smiles her petals open and as he smiles his light flickers.
The chemistry is back) |
|
|
Act
2 Scene 1:
Time: Ten years later, Stubborn the broken radio
is now 55 sets of seasons old. Misunderstood the blooming
flower is now going into her 18th winter. Misunderstood
walks in high off poppy seeds and broken radio is trying
to fix his antenna in the living room. Front door opens. |
| Stubborn: |
|
Where
have you been! (He yells) It’s 3:30 in the
morning, and it’s a school night. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
(She
Hick-ups) You know I don’t go to Garden School
anyways. Besides the last time I checked you weren’t
around to notice! (She snaps) |
| Stubborn: |
|
And
what does that suppose to mean? |
| Misunderstood: |
|
I
don’t know Dad! You tell me! (Say it with
attitude) |
| Stubborn: |
|
What
has become of you, you used to be such a great blossom,
and look what’s become of you! (Says with a smirk).
You’re covered in dirt. I don’t even know you
anymore. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Oh,
go blow a fuse, you worthless appliance. (They walk
away in opposite directions) |
|
|
Act
2 Scene 2
Time: an hour later, Stubborn the broken radio
humbles his self, and goes to knock on his daughters door
to apologize, she doesn’t answer and so he opens
the door….. |
| Stubborn: |
|
Hey,
you want to talk? (Looks around for her and see’s
she’s not there, notices a note on her computer and
walks over and picks it up)
(Reads the letter) |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Dad,
Things just aren’t working out here anymore, so I’m
leaving you in peace. You probably won’t notice,
no one likes ‘dirt’ on their rug anyway.
Misunderstood
The Blooming Flower |
| Stubborn: |
|
(To
Audience) (Yelling to audience, hysterical) Oh my
God (puts hands on his head and paces back and forth
while he talks). She’s gone! My baby girl is
gone! My pride and joy is gone! Where should I look? Where
should I go? I don’t know what I’m going to
do without her, the light won’t shine, my antenna
won’t rise, I’ll never be the same. I’ve
got to find her!! (Un-freezes) |
|
|
Act
2 Scene 3
Time: 9:30pm. Stubborn the broken radio is walking
around the back alleys of the store with his flashlight,
searching for his daughter Misunderstood the blooming
flower |
| Stubborn: |
|
(He
yells with his hands coped around his mouth)
Mouse, Mouse............................Mouse, where are
you?
(Yelling but on the verge of crying)
Mouse! Please Mouse, come home!
(Stubborn falls to his knees and puts his head in his
lap, crying tears of stone, 10 seconds pass and he hears
moaning coming from somewhere near. He slowly rises off
his knees to see if it’s his daughter. He follows
the moan like a hound to a smell) |
| Stubborn: |
|
Mouse!..........................Mouse!
(He approaches a girl by a dumpster, she looks not
a day over 9, maybe even younger. Something is so familiar
about her. Almost like he know her) |
| Stubborn: |
|
What’s
wrong little girl?
(The little girl looks up at him) |
| Little
Girl: |
|
(Her
face lights up and she smiles and runs towards him, hugs
him)
Daddy!..................Daddy!............ |
| Stubborn: |
|
Are
you looking for your Daddy? |
| Little
Girl: |
|
No,
you are my Daddy! |
| Stubborn: |
|
(Pats
her head) Awwah..... poor thing you must be lost,
do you know where you live?
(The little girl backs away, as if she just hugged
a complete stranger) |
| Stubborn: |
|
Are
you okay? What’s wrong? |
| Little
Girl: |
|
What
happened to you Daddy? (She cries) |
| Stubborn: |
|
Aww,
Mouse I’m not your father! (Cover mouth, he’s
surprised he called the child by his daughter’s nickname
as a kid) |
| Little
Girl: |
|
(She
Smiles) See you are my Daddy, I’m Mouse! Daddy
I’m Mouse! |
| Stubborn: |
|
No,
No, my daughter is almost 18 |
| Little
Girl: |
|
Well,
where is she then? |
| Stubborn: |
|
(Bows
his head in shame) She’s .....................She’s.............. |
| Little
Girl: |
|
Gone? |
| Stubborn: |
|
How’d
you know? |
| Little
Girl: |
|
I
don’t know just a feeling. My Dad should be coming
for me any minute now. |
| Stubborn: |
|
I
thought, you thought, well...that I was your Dad? |
| Little
Girl: |
|
You
look like him............walk like him.........smell like
him.................But now I know you’re not him. |
| Stubborn: |
|
(Answers
with concern) How do you know? |
| Little
Girl: |
|
Because
my Dads the coolest! He talks to me, and takes me to the
park and we make mud pies together (She smiles and
it slowly fades, she continues) He would never leave
me, never hurt me and he listens to me. |
| Stubborn: |
|
(Bends
his knees and crotches down and puts his head down, he’s
ashamed)
I..............I...................I use to treat my daughter
that way. (He struggles to push out the words)
I don’t really know what happened between us. She
grew up! And I grew.............old. Old and lonely. Something
I never wanted to be. (He doesn't even notice the little
girl starting to leave)
I wish I had her here, just to hold her again. She doesn't
even know I lover her because I never show it.............
(He looks up and see’s the little girl walking
away) |
| Stubborn: |
|
Hey,
wait, where are you going? |
| Little
Girl: |
|
(Sings
while walking) (Fading out) “You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey.
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please
don’t take my sunshine away.....”
(Stubborn sits down in the alley, and tries to absorb
all that he just started to realize) |
| Stubborn: |
|
(To
the audience) What’s become of me, what have
I turned into? Maybe it’s too late, she’ll never
know how I feel..........why don’t I tell her? No!
I can’t ..................because, I don’t know!
I’m a man men don’t cry, men don’t explain
how they feel, men don’t hug their daughters once
there older..............”why”? You just don’t........well,
because then maybe she’ll see how much I love her.
It’s too hard.
But I can’t pretend anymore, I can’t pretend
that I’m happy because I’m not! I can’t
pretend I don’t miss her, because I do, and I can’t
go on pretending it doesn’t matter because I does!
I love her more that anything in this world..............and
now she’s gone. And she’s happy, she doesn’t
miss me, or love me because you can’t miss what you
haven’t had in 10 years.(Walks home while singing) |
| Stubborn: |
|
You
are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when
skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much
I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.....
(Look up at the stars and one tear falls) |
|
|
Act
2 Scene 4:
6:30 am, next day at there house. Stubborn wakes up gasping,
he had a bad dream about Misunderstood. |
| Stubborn: |
|
(He
Yells) No! No!
(He realizes it was just a dream........jumps out of
bed and goes down stairs, he see’s her on the couch
asleep....he approaches her)
(He decides to let her sleep, but as he walks away, she
wakes up) |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Dad? |
| Stubborn: |
|
Uhh......I’m
glad your home
(Starts walking up the stairs) |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Don’t
leave me again! Don’t walk away from me now that
I need you, you’re always leaving me! |
| Stubborn: |
|
I’ve
always tried to be there for you, working hard hours to
support you and provide you with a good life! (Yells)
I was always around! |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Being
around and being there are two different things! And you....you
were never there. |
| Stubborn: |
|
What
happened to you? Why are you so different now? |
| Misunderstood: |
|
I
don’t know! I don’t know why I am the way I
am! I run from you. I drink to despise you and I don’t
know where I’m going or why, because my best friend
is gone! (A few tears roll down her face) I remember
when I was a little kid...(smiles and cries) I
use to tell everyone you were “The best Dad in the
world”, and you.......you still might be, I just
don’t know that man anymore. |
| Stubborn: |
|
You
just ...grew up so fast one day you were my “Little
Mouse” and now your...your a beautiful young lady. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
All
of those long hours you worked so I could be your Princess
on a golden pedestal means nothing to me! I don’t
want material things; I want someone to talk too. You
were always, just too busy. Too busy having fun and living
life, and during all that time, I grew up Dad! I grew
up without you! You always saw the bad in me. I only got
to see you, when the Principal called, or I was arrested.
I never saw you at my school play! Or at my basketball
game!! All you did was kick me. I’ve been miserable
for a long time. |
| Stubborn: |
|
(Mumbles)
I’m not happy... |
| Misunderstood: |
|
What? |
| Stubborn: |
|
(Screams)
I said, I’m not happy! I’m not happy with
life, I’m not happy with myself, I’m not happy
because I’ve failed you as a father. I’ve loved
you forever in a day. But I cover it up, because you were
getting older and so was I, you were at your prime, and
I was over the hill.
I had nothing to give you but material things. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
You
want to know why you were (Sarcastically) “the
coolest Dad” was not because of your car, or money
but because I knew you loved me, I knew I could tell you
anything and I knew we were happy! Now...I’m not
sure about anything anymore. |
| Stubborn: |
|
I’m
scared. (He Sighs) I’m scared of loosing you.
I’m scared of what you think of me. I keep thinking
about your wedding day, and your labor. Some of the most
happiest times of your life and I know you won’t
want me there.
So there it is, I’ve admitted it I’m scared!
I’m not a hero or the coolest radio.... I’m
just me. And I’m scared that soon I’ll be old
and lonely and have no part of your life, all the beauty
and pain. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
Why
did you wait so long to finally tell me how you feel? |
| Stubborn: |
|
What?
Did you think you were the only one with problems? just
because I don’t drink and get in ‘trouble’
like you do, but I have other habits, and they help me
avoid saying how I feel......remember, men don’t
cry. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
That’s
so stupid! It’s stupid that we can’t say what
we want to say, without getting rude or arguing. |
| Stubborn: |
|
It
is.....
(They both cool down, no words for 15 seconds) |
| Misunderstood: |
|
So
what now? Are you just going to run in and save the day? |
| Stubborn: |
|
I’m
just going to be me and not get in the way of letting
you be you. Whatever happens, happens, but I’m willing
to listen and learn. |
| Misunderstood: |
|
One
step at a time?
(They hug) (They both freeze and the narrator walks
around them and reads the rhymes)
(Walks to stubborn)
Well who would have thought
He still has a heart
and now a little pride
Because he plans to stay by her side
He doesn't want to be old and
Un-loved
So he finally said how he feels
For once on his life
He was real
Tomorrows a new day
He’ll now live
in a new way
His life of frustration
in a play.....
“Stubborn the broken radio”
with a million dollar grin
not a painful end
but a great way to begin...
(Walks over to Misunderstood)
As for Misunderstood
she now has someone
to encourage her to do good
Her hero was just a myth
but in exchange she received a gift
A loving father
to grow with.
Nothings perfect
and that’s what’s great
They don’t know their fate
Just intend to find a better place
Love and support
around to water her down
so that when she blooms
Her fathers around
Side by Side
day by day
Living the same
life but in another way......
(Stands between them)
Maybe your Stubborn or Misunderstood
Maybe your relationship at home
has changed
or could.
As we end this
we begin this
in a nutshell
this is entitled ‘Bliss’ |
| |
|
|
| |
|
The
End. |
