The Lake

The Lake
By Alan Goy
Performance History:
Rough Theater Co, San Francisco 2001
Three Wise Monkeys, San Francisco 2003
Teatro del Navile, Bologna Italy 2005 (translated into Italian)

Setting:
The law offices of Mr. Jenkins.
A Mansion on a lake somewhere in the United States.

Time: Switches between the early 20th century and the 1960’s.

Characters:
MR. JENKINS: A lawyer.
MARLOW : A young woman, maybe twenty. Mrs. Finch’s live in caretaker.
MRS. FINCH: Old – Catatonic and wheelchair bound. She must look straight
and blank except when otherwise noted.
Young – Full of energy and in love with Derrick. From a
wealthy family.
DERRICK : A young man engaged to be married to the young Mrs. Finch.
DAVE : A young man in love with Marlow.

Casting Note:
Derrick and Dave are meant to be played by the same actor, as are the old and young Mr.s. Finch.

Scene Note:
The only scenery needed is a chair and telephone for Marlow, and a curtain or door behind which Mrs. Finch can be wheeled, hidden, and quickly revealed. The scene in the law office can take place using the same chair from the mansion and no desk.

Scene 1
MARLOW sits in a chair outside MR. JENKINS office. The door opens.

MR. JENKINS
You look that over, Arthur. I’ll be right with you.

He closes the door.

You must be Miss, ah…

MARLOW
Adams. Marlow Adams.

MR. JENKINS
Right. We’ll have to meet out here. Unexpected business…

MARLOW
Of course. I brought a copy of my resume.

MR. JENKINS
No, that’s alright. Mary, my secretary called you for the interview?

MARLOW
Yes, sir, she-

MR. JENKINS
And she told you all about the job?

MARLOW
Yes, I would be Mrs. Finch’s live-in nurse for the rest of the summer until the regular-

MR. JENKINS
Until Miss Benchley returns. You know Mrs. Finch is confined to a wheel chair-

MARLOW
And requires medication at specific times and-

MR. JENKINS
Mary briefed you on the compensation?

MARLOW
Yes, it’s very generous-

MR. JENKINS
Mrs. Finch may live in the Burke’s Mansion, but she’s not made of money. I should know. This firm has overseen her finances and care for decades. The mansion is her
MR. JENKINS cont.
primary asset; thus, in order to protect the property, you are not permitted to have outside guests. Besides, Mrs. Finch requires constant care and will need your full attention. The
mansion is remote enough that nearly all calls made from it are long distance. Long distance calls are expensive, are they not?

MARLOW
Yes, sir –

MR. JENKINS
Personal calls are not permitted. I am a busy man, this is a busy firm. I trust that since Mary asked you to be here you are an upstanding girl capable of handling anything that might come up…

MARLOW
Of course, I-

MR. JENKINS
My point is, do not call me or this firm for any reason unless it is an absolute emergency, but even then, as you are a trained nurse, I would trust that you would no better how to handle the matter than anyone here.

MARLOW
Of course, Mr. Jenkins.

MR. JENKINS
Do you have a car?


MARLOW
Yes, sir, I have an –

MR. JENKINS
Good, go back out to Mary and have her give you directions and a set of keys. Be there by 9 am Tuesday morning.

MARLOW stands.

MARLOW
Yes, Mr. Jenkins… Sir?

MR. JENKINS
Yes?

MARLOW
I’m a little confused. Does that mean I’ve got the job.


MR. JENKINS
Of course, you wouldn’t be here otherwise.

MARLOW
Thank you, sir. Thank you so much. You won’t be disappointed.

MR. JENKINS
I’m sure I won’t. No if you’ll please excuse me…

MARLOW
Yes, of course.

MR. JENKINS exits. Blackout.

Scene 2
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW, enters.

MARLOW
So, it’s just you and me now Mrs. Finch. Miss Benchley just left. I’m sure we’ll have a great time together. You have a beautiful house Mrs. Finch. It must be wonderful to live here. I’m sure you had some great times. I’m looking forward to living here a while.

MARLOW sits, pause

I know I’m not supposed to make personal calls, but it’s my first day, and I promised my friend Ellen I’d call her when I got here, to let her know I found the place, so if you don’t mind I’ll just make this one call…

MARLOW picks up the phone and dials.

Hey Ellen, it’s me… Yeah, it’s great! The place is bigger than I thought it was. I’m going to have such a groovy summer here, but guess what? The regular nurse, Miss Benchley, said she might not come back at the end of the summer after all… I can’t stay Ellen…. No… I lied, and his secretary must not have checked… I know enough to get by, besides I’ll make next year’s tuition this summer… How hard can it be? … I could make a lot more money if I stayed for a whole year though… I’d just finish school next year… No, you’re right. He’ll probably find out. Mr. Jenkins is pretty smart. Of course I’m never supposed to call him, so how could he know?… Stop it… So did Marcy call you…

Blackout as MARLOW keeps talking.


Scene 3
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW, her nurse, sits in chair beside her, doing crossword. Blackout.

Scene 4
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW sits asleep in chair. Alarm goes off. MARLOW wakes

MARLOW
Time for you medicine Mrs. Finch.

MARLOW feeds MRS. FINCH some pills. Blackout.

Scene 5
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW is on the phone.

MARLOW
I know. And you’d think in a house this big, there’d be at least one television, or at least a record player. I carted all my albums here for nothing. I mean, come on, this woman isn’t that old. She had to have listened to music when she was younger. I know. (Alarm goes off) Drat, I got to go… Its medicine time… Yeah, I’m really not supposed to be on the phone anyway… I’ll call you later… Bye Ellen.

Blackout

Scene 6
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW, her nurse, sits in chair beside her, doing crossword. Blackout.

Scene 7
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW is doing her nails.

MARLOW
Ok. I have something important to tell you Mrs. Finch. I know I’m not supposed to have people over to the house, but I’ve got a date tonight. I just can’t take it anymore. I’ve been here, what, 2 weeks now, and you haven’t even moved, let alone said anything to me. It’s really boring. And this house. It’s like the squarest house in the world. I mean half the reason I took this job in the first place was to live in a mansion like this one. It’s huge, and it has those beautiful gardens and the lake out back. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to live here for free, and get paid well to look after you? It’s a swell deal right? Wrong. There’s nothing to do here Mrs. Finch. What did you used to do for fun? There’s no TV, hardly any books to speak of, and you’re certainly no laugh riot. When he hired me, Mr. Jenkins didn’t say you were a complete vegetable. All you do is stare off into space, until you get tired and go to sleep. Then when you wake up, you just stare off into space again. What’s going on inside that head of yours Mrs. Finch? Nothing, I bet. Just like the nothing in this house. I’m bored. Dave is coming over for dinner and conversation. So instead of our usual sitting in the living room together watching the wall. I’m going to wheel you over here into the dining room where you won’t be in the way and close the door.

MARLOW wheels MRS. FINCH over and closes the curtain in front of her. MARLOW picks up the phone and dials…

MARLOW
Hello, Ellen… Guess what?... He’s coming over tonight… Dave!... I know…

Blackout, as MARLOW keeps talking.

Scene 8
Young MRS. FINCH and DERRICK skip onto stage in love.

MRS. FINCH
Over here, over here.

DERRICK
What, what? What am I looking at?

MRS. FINCH
There across the lake, do you see it.

DERRICK
What am I looking for?

MRS. FINCH
You must see it.

DERRICK
I can’t see anything. I am blinded by your beauty.

MRS. FINCH
Don’t tease, you have to see it.

DERRICK
Do you mean the old Burke’s Mansion.

MRS. FINCH
Yes.

DERRICK
It’s beautiful. Just like you.

MRS. FINCH
It’s mine. Just like you.

DERRICK
What do you mean?

MRS. FINCH
Father just bought for me. For us, to live in after we marry.

DERRICK
Now you’re teasing.

MRS. FINCH
I am not.

DERRICK
You’re serious?

MRS. FINCH
Of course, I wouldn’t lie.

DERRICK grabs MRS. FINCH and hugs her vigorously.

DERRICK
Oh, Merideth, I am truly the luckiest person alive.

MRS. FINCH
Let’s go have a look around our new home.

DERRICK
Can we get inside?

MRS. FINCH
I snuck the keys away from Father.

DERRICK
Merideth!

MRS. FINCH
I have to make sure I like it before Father finalizes the deal.

DERRICK
You sneak! Let’s go see it. We have time before you need to get back home.

MRS. FINCH
We have all night. Father’s gone back to the City to sign the papers and won’t be back until Monday. I want to spend the night there tonight to make sure it’s as pleasant in the evening as it is during the day, but I’d be afraid to spend the night there alone.

DERRICK
I’ll protect you.

MRS. FINCH
I hope so.

DERRICK
What ever will we do with the whole night to ourselves… We’re not married, yet.

MRS. FINCH
No, but maybe the house isn’t the only thing I should spend a night with before finalizing the deal. Just to make sure we like it.

DERRICK
I’m sure we’ll like it.

MRS. FINCH
Yes?

DERRICK
I like it already.

MRS. FINCH
What are we waiting for?

DERRICK
Let’s go

Derrick starts to lead Mrs. Finch off the way they entered.

MRS. FINCH
No, not the car. There’s a row boat at the end of the pier. Let’s go for a little moonlight boat ride first.

DERRICK
I’ll row fast.

Exit in love. Blackout.

Scene 9
MARLOW is on the phone. The curtain is closed to conceal MRS. FINCH.

MARLOW
I’m not going to tell you any more than that… I am not… He’s coming over again tonight though… No, I don’t even think she notices. I don’t think she notices much of anything anymore… No, I leave her in the dinning room half the time now. I can’t take looking at her all the time… Trust me, you would too… Oh!.. I got to go… No, its not Medicine time. I’ve got to get ready before Dave comes… I’ll call you later… Bye.

MARLOW exits. Blackout.


Scene 10
MARLOW enters in bath robe pursued by DAVE in boxers and T-Shirt. The curtain is closed to conceal MRS. FINCH.


DAVE
Why do you have to go, baby?

MARLOW
It’s medicine time. I have to give the old statue her pills.

DAVE
What kind of pills?

MARLOW
Nothing fun, but I have to give them to her.

DAVE
Can’t it wait, baby? It’s so nice in bed.

MARLOW
No, it can’t wait.

DAVE
Then I’m coming with you. I can’t be away from you for a second, a half a second, a nano-second.

MARLOW
No, Don’t. I don’t want her to see the two of us.

DAVE
Why not? She has to hear the two of us. Now she can put a face to the screams and moans.

MARLOW
I really rather she not when you’re in your shorts. Please, just keep the sheets warm for me. OK. I promise I’ll (whispers something in his ear)

DAVE
Really, baby? Well OK then.

DAVE exits. MARLOW pulls the curtain back to reveal MRS. FINCH. in the wheelchair.

MARLOW
Time for your medicine Mrs. Finch.

Blackout.

Scene 11
DERRICK enters, drunk. The curtain is closed.

DERRICK
Merideth, honey, are you there. I found another bottle of wine in the cellar. Those Burkes sure did leave a lot behind when they left. Honey where are you?

A loud crash can be heard off stage.

MARLOW off
Ouch!

DERRICK
Oh, no honey. Are you OK.

DERRICK puts the bottle down and goes behind the curtain. He helps MRS. FINCH. out.

DERRICK
I’m sorry, honey, I forget that you’re a delicate lady without much practice in heavy drinking.

MRS. FINCH
I have more practice drinking than you think.

DERRICK
Oh, really.

MRS. FINCH
Patricia and I often would nip a bottle of brandy up to our rooms and stay up all night talking.

DERRICK
Talking about what?

MRS. FINCH
Boys mostly. Men. Staying up all night with men. What it would be like to spend the night with a man.

DERRICK
Now you know what that’s like. I hope you don’t regret it.

MRS. FINCH
Oh, no. Tonight has been wonderful. Everything I dreamed of and more.

DERRICK
And once we’re married we can do that every night.

MRS. FINCH
The weddings still a month away.

DERRICK
Your father won’t always be out of town.

MRS. FINCH
No, but maybe he’ll let me move in here alone before the wedding.

DERRICK
Will your father let you stay here by yourself the whole month.

MRS. FINCH
Why shouldn’t he?

DERRICK
To prevent me from coming over every night. Your father isn’t a stupid man. He was my age once too you know.

MRS. FINCH
Oh, Derrick, look. The sun is coming up over the lake. It’s so beautiful.

DERRICK
The first rays of sunshine brightening the water, and the shore, and the road. It’s a new day.

MRS. FINCH
Oh my god.

DERRICK
All right, so maybe that was a little sappy, but…

MRS. FINCH
No. No. That’s not it.

DERRICK
What then?

MRS. FINCH
The road. Look at the road.

DERRICK
What? What am I looking for? Is this another one of your games? That car driving up the road, did your father buy us that too?

MRS. FINCH
No, that is my father driving up the road.

DERRICK
What! You said he was in the City.

MRS. FINCH
He’s supposed to be. Maybe he noticed the keys were missing. You’ve got to get out of here. He can’t find you here.

DERRICK
I know. I know.

MRS. FINCH
Get back to the boat.

DERRICK
The boat. Right.

MRS. FINCH
Get back to the boat and get back to your car and then back home… Hurry.

DERRICK
I love you.

MRS. FINCH
I love you too.

DERRICK exits, MRS. FINCH exits behind curtain. Blackout


Scene 12
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW sits asleep in chair. MARLOW wakes suddenly.

MARLOW
Oh Shit! What time is it? I can’t remember. I gave her a pill at…

She stares at her watch for long time trying to remember.

I guess it’s medicine time again.

MARLOW feeds MRS. FINCH some pills. Blackout.

Scene 13
DAVE enters in boxers and t-shirt, stretching as if awakening in the middle of the night. The curtain is closed to conceal MRS. FINCH.

DAVE
Damn, I’ve got the munchies. Where’s that kitchen again?

DAVE pulls back the curtain revealing MRS. FINCH. sitting in wheelchair awake.

DAVE
Ah! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were up. I’m Dave.

DAVE offers his hand, MRS. FINCH doesn’t move.

You’re Mrs. Finch. I’m glad to finally meet you. Damn, Marlow was right. You are a barrel load of excitement. Sorry to bother you. I’m just looking for the kitchen. You wouldn’t be able to tell me where it is, would you… No, didn’t think so. Peace.

DAVE exits. MRS. FINCH looks after him as he leaves. Blackout.

Scene 14
MRS. FINCH sits in wheelchair. MARLOW, sits in chair beside her, doing crossword. Blackout.

Scene 15
The curtain is closed. MARLOW enters wearing a robe, walks over to curtain, slides it open revealing MRS. FINCH.

MARLOW
Medicine time again.

As she readies the pills, DAVE enters unseen in boxers and T-shirt. Walks up behind her and grabs her suggestively, maybe kisses her neck.

MARLOW
Don’t do that. You frighten me.

DAVE
I can’t help it, baby.

Turning her around to face him. They embrace looking closely into each other’s eyes. DAVE’s back should be to MRS. FINCH

DAVE continued
I can’t stand to be away from you another minute, another nano-minute.

MARLOW
There’s no such thing as a nano-minute.

DAVE
Sure there is. I just made it up.

MARLOW
What is a nano-minute?

DAVE
Too long to be away from you.

MARLOW
I have to give her her pills.

DAVE
Not just yet.

They kiss, during this last exchange and continuing into the kiss, MRS. FINCH Turns to look at DAVE and reaches out to him. She is not seen by MARLOW or DAVE.

DAVE
That’ll tide me over.

He ends the kiss with a flamboyant twirl just before MRS. FINCH would have reached him. She returns to her regular position.

MARLOW
Now get back upstairs.

DAVE
Hurry.

MARLOW
I love you.

DAVE
I love you too, baby.

He exits. Blackout.

Scene 16
The curtain is closed. DAVE sits in the chair. MARLOW on his lap. They are drinking wine.

DAVE
I found out some interesting information about that statue in the other room.

MARLOW
What statue?

DAVE
Mrs. Finch.

MARLOW
I don’t want to talk about her. She makes me nervous.

DAVE
Why, baby? She’s harmless.

MARLOW
There’s something odd about her. I don’t like it.

DAVE
She’s a vegetable. What could be more odd than that?

MARLOW
You know what I mean.

DAVE
She never married.

MARLOW
Stop.

DAVE
She’s really Miss Finch.

MARLOW
No, seriously. I don’t want to hear about her. I don’t want to think about her. I can’t wait until this summer’s over.

DAVE
I like it here.

MARLOW
You would. You don’t have to spend all day alone with her.

DAVE
Don’t let your imagination trip you out.

MARLOW
She just sits there all day. What does she think about?

DAVE
Probably Derrick.

MARLOW
Who?

DAVE
Oh nothing, baby. I shouldn’t have said anything. You don’t want to hear about her, remember.

MARLOW
I don’t.

DAVE
Derrick was her fiancé.

MARLOW
So why didn’t they marry?

DAVE
That’s the tragic part. He drown a month before the wedding.

MARLOW
That’s awful.

DAVE
It gets worse. He drown in that lake out there the very day that Mrs. Finch’s father bought her this house.

MARLOW
No.

DAVE
Her father caught Mrs. Finch here at the house that morning. She’d stolen the keys and spent the night here, alone, so she said. But there was an empty row boat out on the lake and Derrick’s car was parked on the other side. They think he must have been rowing out to meet her, but no one knows why he took a boat across the lake instead of just driving around it.

MARLOW
Maybe he was trying to be romantic.

DAVE
Or maybe he was rowing back to the car before the Father caught him there too.

MARLOW
Oh, that’s much more interesting.

DAVE
I thought so. More wine, baby? This bottle’s almost empty.

MARLOW
I’ll get another one. That cellar’s filled with wine Mrs. Finch isn’t drinking.

MARLOW gets up but staggers, visibly dizzy

DAVE
You sure it’s ok to raid the cellar like that?

MARLOW
Why not? She’ll never go down and check it.

DAVE
I don’t think you’re going to make it down there either.

DAVE gets up, also dizzy.

and neither am I.


MARLOW
Where should we go then?

DAVE
The stairs to the bedroom are wider.

MARLOW
And more fun to reach the top of.

DAVE
Right on, baby!

They exit. Blackout.

Scene 17
The curtain is closed. MARLOW enters in robe walks over to the curtain.

MARLOW
Medicine time.

She throws the curtain back to reveal the empty wheel chair. MARLOW screams.

MARLOW
Dave. Dave!

Runs off. Blackout.

Scene 18
Lights up to an empty stage. The curtain is closed. Sounds of love making from offstage. They climax.

DAVE enters in boxers and T-Shirt, stumbling, still drunk.

DAVE
Wow. Whatever made you scream baby, really made you scream. I have got to figure out a way to scare her every night. Whew. I need some food. Build up my strength.

DAVE stumbles around, gets to the curtain door. Throws it open, revealing MARLOW stabbed, bleeding, dead. MRS. FINCH enters.


MRS. FINCH
Come back to bed Derrick. I can’t stand to be away from you another minute.

Blackout. End of Play.