Band-Aids

SCENE 1

A spotlight illuminates a dining room. ADAM is seated at the far left of the table, surrounded by three empty seats. His eyes are bloodshot. He is disheveled, haggard, slowly eating a bowl of cereal. A spotlight illuminates CORA, sitting cross-legged downstage right. She is about 8, wearing pigtails. She is writing in a diary.

                                   CORA

                         (in a serious tone)

Dear Diary: Today I banged my knee on the monkey bars and had to get a band-aid from Mrs. Hanson. It hurt a lot and Nathan L. said it would scar but Hannah S. said if you put a band-aid on it then it wouldn't scar. She said band-aids make everything better no matter what. She said band-aids have magic powers. The band-aid had butterflies on it, too. I like butterflies. Mrs. Hanson said I could have a band-aid with butterflies on it, or ladybugs. I picked butterflies. Also, Adam came home today. Mom said he's going to live with us, even though he's 26.

(CORA continues to write as SHARON enters with a dishrag. She leans over and kisses the top of ADAM's head, ruffling his hair before moving to clean the table)

                                   ADAM

                         (irritated)

               Mom, please.

                                   SHARON

               What?

                                   ADAM

               I'm not five anymore.

                         (continues eating cereal)

                         (pause)

                                   SHARON

I think Cora's excited to have her big brother back around the house. You should have seen the grin on her face when I told her you were coming home. She's already making big plans for the two of you on her half-birthday. That's Friday. She's got this idea that half-birthdays are just as important as actual birthdays because you're a whole half-year older. "And that's worth celebrating," she told me. She's- she's something else. She wants you to take her to the zoo on Friday. She said she didn't want me or Roger to take her. Just you.

                                  ADAM

                         (biting)

               Yeah, taking my little sister to the zoo is exactly how I'd like to spend my day.

                                   SHARON

               Just think about it, alright? I know it would mean a lot to her... She really does look up to you and-

                                   ADAM

                         (outburst)

Well obviously she needs to find a better role-model, doesn't she? (pause) Mom, next time, will you get Fruit Loops? I can't- this stuff is shit. What is this? Captain Crunch. It's shit, Mom. Will you get Fruit Loops next time? That's usually the only thing I can eat when I'm- after I've just-

                                   SHARON

                         (decisive, ending the conversation)

               I'll get Fruit Loops.

SHARON exists, grabbing the bowl of cereal and the box as she leaves. Lights down.

Lights up on ADAM sprawled on the couch. He aimlessly flips through TV channels and is surrounded by empty chip bags and a box of Fruit Loops. He looks worse than ever.

                                   CORA

Dear Diary: I peeked under the band-aid today. It was still all red under there. Maybe Hannah S. was wrong. It almost fell off when I was chasing Brandon H. at recess. He said it was a scientificial fact that girls can't run as fast as boys. I said it was a scientifical fact that he was a jackass. Adam said it was OK to say that word 'cause it just means "donkey". Adam looked really sad today so I tried to cheer him up with my elephant noises. But he didn't even smile. He always used to smile at my elephant noises. One time at Christmas, he brought this blonde girl named Lisa or Leslie or something like that, and he made me do my elephant noises for her. He laughed really hard that time. But this time he just kept watching TV. He didn't even look at me.

(CORA continues to write as SHARON enters, tidying up the room. She walks in front of the television and gathers up chip bags)

                                  ADAM

               Mom, seriously?

                                  SHARON

               What?

                                  ADAM

                I'm trying to watch.

                          (pause)

                                  SHARON

                          (she can no longer hold it in)

               What were you doing last night?

                           (no answer)

               Last night, in your room. The door was locked. I knocked several times, once at 6:00, once at 

               7:30, once a little after 9:00... What were you doing in there, Adam?

                                   ADAM

               This is ridiculous-

                                   SHARON

                         (losing control)

               What were you doing in there last night, Adam?

                                   ADAM

What do you think I was doing, Mom? Do you think I was doing lines? Is that it? You think I'd lock myself in my room, just down the hall from you and Dad and my little sister and-

                                   (SHARON pulls a big filled with white powder from her pocket)

               Holy shit, Mom. Where did you-

                                   SHARON

               You promised that when you came to live with us-

                                   ADAM

               Why did you go through my stuff?

                                   SHARON

               You promised.

                         (long pause)

(SHARON finishes gathering chip bags and grabs the box of Fruit Loops. She moves to leave)

                                   ADAM

               At least leave the Fruit Loops.

(SHARON looks back, appalled. She exits with the Fruit Loops. ADAM stares at the TV screen)

Lights down.

                                    CORA

Dear Diary: Mom made me change my band-aid today. The new one is brown and boring. I miss the butterflies. When we took it off, the cut had turned into a big scab. It was really gross. But Mom said the scab meant that it was healing. Maybe Hannah S. was right after all. Adam's eyes were all red today, like he hadn't slept in a million bazillion years. I told him he looked like a zombie. Then he looked at me in this scary way like he didn't even see me. He scrunched up his eyes and looked and looked but he still couldn't see me. Mom says he's too sick to take me to the zoo. She says he's making himself sick. Why would Adam want to be sick?

Lights up on ADAM at a bus stop, a duffel bag at his feet. He puts his hands in his pockets, pulls out an envelope. He opens it, pulls a letter out. A pink band-aid falls to the ground. He picks it up, begins to read. CORA's voice is heard)

                                   CORA's voice

Hi Adam. Mom said you were leaving today. I wrote this letter because I like writing letters. I hope that wherever you're going, you won't make yourself sick anymore. I hope you get better soon. And it's OK that we didn't go to the zoo for my half-birthday. It's OK. I hope you like the butterfly band-aid. I asked for another one from Mrs. Hanson. I didn't say it was for you, though. Hannah S. said that band-aids have magic powers and that they make everything better no matter what. I don't know if that's true but maybe it'll help you not be so sick anymore. I hope so. Love, Cora.

ADAM sticks the letter back in his pocket. He continues to wait for the bus. Lights down.