Marion: (off) The taters are almost ready! Michael, wash up!
Gerome: I didn’t wash my hands for dinner!
Nick: Good thing you didn’t forget —
Gerome: I gotta wash my hands.
Gerome exits.
Nick: I feel like I should — ah, I’m sorry.
Saski: No, no. Glad he told me himself.
Nick: If you’re uncomfortable you don’t have to stay.
Saski: He’s a lovely young man who happens to be a consumer of the mental-health industry.
Nick: “Consumer”! Yeah, that would suggest there was a customer complaints line and full money-back guarantee —
Saski grabs her cell.
Saski: Let me get you the number of the head of psychology at McGill. He and I met in grad school.
Nick: Oh, is he gonna give us all our money back? No, we’ve got a whole team of medical people for Gerome —
Saski: For you, Nicholas. He’s excellent. In his private practice he deals with all forms of trauma.
Nick: This isn’t traumatic.
Saski: Mmhmm. But who will “care for the carer”?
Nick: Ha!
Saski holds out her cell with the contact information. Nick shakes his head.
You changed your hair.
Saski: The neon green wasn’t exactly natural. It was a bingo marker.
Nick: It was quick when we met, but I’m having a real hard time recognizing you.
Saski: That’s a huge compliment.
Nick imitates Saski from when they first met.
Nick: “Are you two gay together?”
Saski: Please disregard everything I said to you and/or your partner —
Nick: “You fucking rock!”
Saski: Oh dear. Where is he this weekend?
Nick: Who knows — no, he’s back in Montreal. He couldn’t — ah — take . . . I dunno. “Who will care for the carer?” Who cares who cares for the carer?
Saski: In your position, I would need someone to talk to.
Nick: I’m getting all the support I can take. All three of us are — it’s great. Toby’s probably at his second job right now. Eight to six he’s in the office, then he’s working evenings, and on his one night off a week he’s got a group for parents whose kids have schizophrenia, which doesn’t leave him a lot of time with Gerome to apply what he’s learning — but we’re trying to make sure we all get what we need — and that’s what he needs right now. He needs time and space.
Saski: Nicholas —
Nick: And he shows how much he cares. Every day he puts up these signs — an idea he got from the group — “how to live” reminders all around the apartment. “This is the kitchen where we all eat together.” Except not usually.
Saski: I think you need someone to talk to.
Marion calls from the kitchen.
Marion: (off) Nick! Come scrape the burnt bitties off your casserole!
Nick: (calling off) Okay!
Gerome enters from upstairs.
(to Saski) Sorry about — all that.
Saski: No apologies. Gerome, your father was explaining how supportive he is of you. It’s wonderful.
Nick: (to Gerome) Wanna come save dinner?
Gerome: No.
Saski: We’ll manage.
Nick: Call me if —
Gerome: Bye, Papa.
Nick exits to the kitchen.
Saski: I can’t believe how much you remind me of your . . . bio father.
Gerome: Where is he?
Saski: I don’t know. He was my boyfriend of a few weeks. We haven’t been in touch since I was fifteen.
A slight pause.
Thank you for instigating this. It’s a beautiful thing we’re here together.
Gerome starts moving his fingers as before.
Gerome: If it’s a beautiful thing why are you leaving early?
Saski: I wanted to see how the night . . . played out. On my way over I was so nervous.
Gerome: Because of me?
Saski: I was saying, “Think of yourself fifteen years younger, and a boy.” But you’re nothing like me. When I was seventeen, you were two years old and I would imagine you and I were — might be — connected. That I could sense what you were thinking. Feeling. Did you ever —
Nick’s cellphone rings.
Do you need to get that?
Gerome takes it out of his pocket and silences it. He does his gesture over the phone to make it safe. Gerome starts whispering to himself.
Gerome?
Michael pulls off his headphones.
Michael: He’s hearing his voices.
Saski: (to Gerome) How do I help? . . . Let them out.
Gerome: You won’t like it —
Saski: Are they speaking about me?
Gerome starts quickly tapping his temples with his fingers over and over, growing almost violent.
Hold on — you don’t have to say. I already know.
Gerome stops and looks at her.
I can hear them too.
Michael: You can?
Saski: They’re calling me names —
Gerome covers his ears.
Gerome: No, shhh —
Saski: They think I’m going to run away, is that it?
Marion enters from the kitchen with oven mitts on and a casserole dish.
Marion: Watch out, everyone, this is piping hot —
Gerome: (to Marion) I’m sorry —
Gerome grabs for the dish with both hands.
Marion: No!
Marion tries to pull the dish away, but it’s too late.
Saski: Gerome!
Gerome lets go of the dish.
Gerome: Fuck!
Nick enters from the kitchen, running.
Marion: Your hands!
Nick: What happened?
Gerome: I needed a better distraction.
Nick: (to Saski) Were you watching him at all?
Saski: I didn’t —
Marion: It was my fault —
Nick: Let’s get them under cold water.
Nick leads Gerome out. Marion puts down the dish and exits after them.
Saski: (calling off) Can I do something?
Marion: (off) Michael, show Saski some Paradise!
Saski: Paradise?
Michael: Lost. School play. It’s pretty shitty.
Saski: “Sing Muse — ”
Michael: I’m not doing any for you. If you’re lucky I’ll show you my costume later. How do you know what his voices are saying?
Saski: I guessed.
Michael considers this, then nods.
Michael: I’ll bet you thirty bucks I can do five backflips in a row. Deal?
Saski: Ahhhhhhh —
Reid enters with a wine glass.
Reid: He can kiss his life as a hand supermodel goodbye — that kid’s gonna be marked for years.
Saski: No!
Reid: I’m kidding —
Marion enters from the kitchen.
Marion: (to Michael) Did you wash your hands?
Michael: Saski wants to see my backflips.
Reid snaps at him and gestures for him to go. Michael exits upstairs.
Saski: How’s Gerome?
Marion: Don’t worry, his papa’s got him. I was just saying to everyone in there how much I like you —
Marion gives Saski a big hug.
You walked in and Geromey looked you up and down when he thought you weren’t looking — it was the cutest ever.
Saski: I hope I satisfy.
Marion: Oh, you more than do. But seriously, you two look like you were separated at birth. I mean, I know you were, but you look like long-lost twins! You could be seventeen! Let’s see some ID, young lady, before you have a second glass —
Saski: I’m thirty-two.
Marion: Well, I want what you’re drinking cuz I feel like I could be your mother.
Saski: I think we’re the same age, aren’t we?
Marion: Oh! You’re a keeper!
Loud thumping can be heard from above.
(calling off) No acrobatics in the house, Michael!
Michael: (off) That was five backflips in a row! Saski owes me thirty bucks!
Marion shakes her head pleasantly at Saski.
Marion: Are you from the Bay originally?
Saski: I grew up here.
Marion: Us too! Born and raised! What’s your high school?
Saski: St. Ignatius —
Marion: Oh my goodness — go Falcons go! Reid!
Reid: Yeah?
Marion: She’s a Falconer too!
Reid takes a big sip of wine.
Reid: I heard!
Marion: Saint I reunion!
(re: Nick and Reid) Those two are a pair of golden oldies — before our time — but what if you and me were there together and I was a senior and you were in grade nine — oh my goodness I could have been your peer buddy for first week and showed you around and tutored you on homework and after we’d talk about your problems and boys and I could have given you advice and maybe we could have even been friends and stayed in touch till right now.
Saski: Maybe.
Marion: When did you graduate?
Saski: Ten years ago. I took extra time.
Marion: And now look at you. Dr. Halton!
Saski: I have a Ph.D. I’m not a medical —
Marion: Doesn’t even matter, it’s so inspiring. You should write.
Saski: I do.
Marion: You should write your story because it is fantastic and I would read it! Do you have children?
Reid downs the rest of his wine.
Reid: Excluding the kid in the next room, of course.
Saski: No. And I don’t want any.
Reid exits to the kitchen without Marion noticing.
Marion: Mmmm, really? We would chew glass —
Marion looks for Reid and realizes he’s gone. She starts again.
I would chew glass to have a baby.
Saski: Michael isn’t yours?
Marion shakes her head.
Marion: But maybe I should just try writing like you, huh?
Nick and Gerome enter from the kitchen. Gerome is holding a bag of frozen vegetables for the burn.
You should write you and Gerome’s story!
Saski: We don’t have much of a story. Yet.
Marion: (to Gerome) Would you like that?
Marion examines his hands.
Ohhhhh!
Nick: He’s fine, Marion —
Marion: (announcing) Yep — he’s gonna be fine! Okay, Geromey, I want you right here beside your mom, and I’ll be on the other side of her — and I don’t care about the rest of you, you sit where you want. No, I’m joking — Nick, you there —
(calling off) Reid! Michael! Come on!
Reid enters with the bottle of wine Nick brought.
Reid: Onto number two. Can we get you some wine, babe?
Marion: One little splash for the special occasion.
Michael enters from upstairs.
Saski: (to Gerome) I almost forgot — an early birthday card — or a belated one if we agree that it will strike the last seventeen missed birthdays from the record.
Gerome is still holding the frozen veggies. Saski opens the card for him. A cheque falls out.
Michael picks up the cheque.
Michael: This is for five trillion dollars!
Marion: Michael!
Saski takes the cheque and gives it to Gerome.
Saski: I wish.
Nick: You’re giving him money?
Saski: I thought it could be for post-secondary education.
Nick: (to Gerome) Can I see that?
Saski: It’s Gerome’s.
Nick: Excuse me?
Saski: (to Gerome) What schools are you thinking? Put Lakehead in the running.
Nick: We’re focusing on getting his high school diploma. We’d be thrilled with that given . . . everything we’re dealing with.
Marion gestures to Saski and tries to mouth the words “does she know?” to Nick.
Yes, she knows.
Saski: (to Gerome) Be future-oriented. Lakehead’s cognitive science research program. If you’re fascinated by the brain. It’s up and coming.
Nick: I can’t see him in a dorm.
Saski: I have a spare room.
Nick: Whoa!
Marion: That’s generous —
Saski: (to Gerome) I mean, if you’re interested in coming down on a weekend. Touring the campus. Stay a night.
Nick: Montreal has three internationally known universities. If and when he goes, he’s gonna stick closer to home. We can’t accept any money.
Saski: It’s not for you.
Nick: Ah, thank you — really very kind — but no.
(to Gerome) Give it back.
Gerome: It’s mine.
Michael holds up the card and cheque, moving away from the table.
Michael: Now it’s mine!
Gerome: Don’t!
Marion: Michael!
Michael reads the card.
Michael: “Dear Gerome, you’ve had my love longer than you’ve been in the world — ”
Reid grabs him by the arm and takes the card.
Reid: Sit! Behave!
Michael: Ow! Fuck off.
Reid flicks Michael in the ear.
Marion: Watch the L-A-N-A-G-U . . . E.
Saski: (to Reid) What was that?
Reid: It was a flick.
Michael: “Lana-goooo”?
Marion: You know what I mean —
Saski: (to Reid) Because he said “fuck off”?
Marion: (to Saski) We actually don’t support language like that.
Michael: (to Marion) You’re such a ’tard.
Reid: See, he’s not really fazed, is he?
Saski: Try flicking my ear.
Reid: Oh, come on, he can do it to me — Mikey, flick!
Nick: Let it go, Reid.
Reid: (to Michael) Come on, fucking flick me!
Marion: Fuck fuck fuck! Let’s all forget our manners!
Michael flicks Marion. Reid can’t help but laugh.
Michael!
Saski flicks Reid.
Reid: Ah! Lightly! You wailed me — I’m wounded.
Saski: Ha! Oh please!
Nick: Everyone needs to cool it.
Marion: Yes, everyone needs to think meditation!
Reid: (to Gerome) My man, flick Michael, it’ll make you feel better.
Nick: No —
Reid flicks Nick. Gerome laughs.
Ow, jackass!
Michael: (chanting) Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Gerome: (joining in) Fight! Fight! Fiiiight fiiiight iiiight iiiii . . .
Gerome’s chanting turns into a moan. Michael covers his ears. Gerome continues through the following, growing steadily quieter.
Marion: No yelling at the dinner table, please!
Michael: Why is he making those sounds?
Nick: (to Reid) Thank you for this —
Reid: What did I do?
Saski is on her cell and plays Hans Rott’s Symphony in E major. Gerome becomes silent. Saski closes her eyes, sways for a few moments, and sighs.
Saski: Do you recognize this?
Marion: No.
Saski: Gerome? We listened to it together. Before you were in the world . . . earphones on my belly . . .
(to Nick) Do you mind me talking about this?
Nick shakes his head.
(to Gerome) It was soothing — and it meant a smart baby. That’s what they said.
Saski gestures to Gerome.
Proof.
Marion: Aw! This night deserves a toast! I’m making a speech!
Reid: Oh please god — mercy, mercy.
Marion ignores him.
Marion: I go to Toastmasters and they’re all about saying only what you’ve got to say and planning it out and tonight is the night. Reunion, mother and son. We need to mark it. So I’m thinking, “I better
write something” — and I am at the kitchen table, scratching away, making a list of your names, and then it hits me. “Okay, Marion — but! What if you can’t find the words to say it?” Cuz this weekend has taught me that if you try and try and try so hard to show that you’re good at something, you’ll get given that something. Gerome, he’s the perfect example. He’s trying so hard to be okay and he’s okay — he is! And I’m trying so hard and I-I-I get all of you as gifts — and I’m gonna keep trying and maybe . . . um . . . I . . .
Marion starts fanning her face.
Oh, sorry–
Reid takes her hand and raises his glass.
Reid: To pineapple, baby.
Michael: What the frick?
Marion raises a glass.
Marion: To fertile pineapple! Now —
(re: food) Who wants more? No one better be full! Gerome! I know you have a big appetite!
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