by Jordi Mand
So… last week?
TERESA
I believe so, yes.
Beat.
MARION
Tell me… why is it that my husband seems to be the only one receiving information from you?
TERESA
I don’t believe that’s true.
MARION
No? You said that my husband knew about the interviews. Why wasn’t I informed?
TERESA
I don’t know.
MARION
You don’t. You don’t have any idea?
TERESA
I left a message on your house line.
MARION
I never received any message from you.
TERESA
Well, I left one. School policy is that we phone parents… all parents… to let them know about these types of events. I—
TERESA walks back to her desk. She rifles through the pages in Alex’s folder.
932-7674. Is that your home number?
MARION
Yes.
TERESA
I left a message on that line.
MARION
This isn’t the first time that this has happened. My husband knew about the museum trip last month that he volunteered for. I didn’t know about that little excursion either. I didn’t know anything about it until Alex mentioned it that morning.
TERESA
I phoned your house on that occasion as well. As you can appreciate, it’s very hard for me to know how information is being disseminated. I have no way of knowing who’s—
MARION
Does the school know you’re only keeping in touch with one of Alex’s parents?
TERESA
It’s quite common.
MARION
Is it?
TERESA
Absolutely. I often only have contact with one parent per household during the school year.
MARION
Alex has been here for three years. That’s never been our experience.
TERESA
As you know, parents are very busy. It isn’t unusual for one parent to take the lead with class communication.
MARION
Class communication?
TERESA
How I communicate what’s happening—
MARION
I understand what it means, thanks.
MARION drops her coat and purse on one of the student’s desks.
And how is that decision made exactly?
TERESA
How?
MARION
Yes. How do you determine which parent in any given household you’re going to communicate with?
TERESA
It can depend.
MARION
On?
TERESA
On a number of things. If a parent has requested to—
MARION
Did one of us request that? I certainly didn’t, so unless a decision was made without my consent—
TERESA
Your husband asked me to be in touch regarding Alex’s school year. I’m not privy to how those decisions are made at home.
MARION
He asked you that? He asked you not to contact me?
TERESA
He didn’t ask me not to contact you. He simply asked me to contact him. There’s a difference.
MARION
Apparently.
TERESA
Again, I don’t know how those decisions are made. I simply contact whoever—
MARION
Well you’ve been doing an excellent job then, don’t you think?
Beat.
TERESA
Excuse me?
MARION
You heard me.
TERESA
I don’t know what you mean by—
MARION
I think you do.
Beat.
I’ve seen you.
TERESA
Seen?
MARION
Together… in the parking lot.
TERESA
I don’t know what you’re talking about—
MARION
We came to pick up Alex. I went to the office to drop something off. I saw the two of you talking to one another. He leaned in to whisper something to you. He put his hand on your back. Do you not remember that?
TERESA
I don’t. I think you…
MARION
You think what?
TERESA
I think you have the wrong idea.
MARION
No. No, I don’t think I do.
TERESA
Mrs. Siller—
MARION
What!?
Beat.
TERESA
I want you to know… I hear what you’re saying. I hear your frustration.
MARION
Do you?
TERESA
Yes. You feel like, perhaps, you haven’t been kept in the loop as much as you would like regarding what takes place in my class.
MARION
I think I’ve been deliberately kept out of the loop, Miss Stewart.
TERESA
I can assure you… no one is keeping you out of anything.
MARION
I don’t believe that.
TERESA
No one is—
MARION
I don’t believe that for one fucking second.
TERESA
Please, just… calm down.
MARION
Don’t tell me to calm down. I know what I saw!
TERESA
Look…
Beat.
I thought your husband was passing along everything we spoke about regarding Alex’s school year. I can be in touch with you on a more regular basis, if you prefer. That’s not a problem. We can—
MARION
Do you understand what I’m saying to you or not?
TERESA
I understand what you’re implying.
MARION
Implying?
TERESA
I’m not sure why you have it in your head that—
MARION
You think I’m making this up?
TERESA
I didn’t say—
MARION
You look me in the eye and tell me that I’m making this up.
TERESA looks at her.
TERESA
I think you’re confused.
MARION
Confused?
TERESA
I think there’s been some confusion around what you think you saw.
MARION
You sent home notes with my son.
TERESA
I send notes home with all of my students.
MARION
You sent a note home… after Parents’ Night… at the start of the year. I found it in Alex’s bag. You gave my husband your email address.
TERESA
He asked for a way to contact me. He had a few questions regarding the curriculum—
MARION
It was your personal email address.
TERESA
I give out both of my accounts. It depends on—
MARION
What? It depends on what?
TERESA
Our school accounts are temperamental. If someone needs to get in touch with me… it isn’t uncommon for me to give out my personal account.
MARION
And the school is aware of the fact that you ask parents to contact you at home?
TERESA
I have never ask
ed anyone to contact me at home, per se.
MARION
You asked my husband. “Be in touch.” You wrote that on a note you sent home with Alex. You wrote that beside your personal email address.
TERESA
Your husband had some questions about the first unit we were working on.
MARION
Not once this entire year have you reached out to me and yet you gave—
TERESA
Mrs. Siller… with all due respect… we are halfway through the school year.
MARION
I’m aware of that.
TERESA
If there was a problem you’ve had every opportunity to approach me. You could have let me know that you weren’t happy with the way we were—
MARION
Well I’m telling you now.
TERESA
Exactly. I have left countless messages at your house this year. I have sent home class reports… permission forms for class trips. This is the first time it has been brought to my attention that there is any kind of problem.
MARION
Stop it.
TERESA
If you have had an issue with the way I was communicating with you or your husband you could have come to me sooner—
MARION
You can’t keep doing this. You’re lying.
TERESA
I never—
MARION
You have been writing to him for months. You have been writing to each other for months.
TERESA
I told you—
MARION
You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to write to him. You didn’t have to tempt him.
TERESA
Tempt him?
MARION
Yes! You tempted him! You tempted my husband!
MARION grabs her binder and slams it open on TERESA’s desk.
Read it.
Beat.
(quietly) Read it!
TERESA hesitates then moves towards her desk.
She reads the page that lies open in the binder.
I have every one… every single one. Every one you wrote to him. Every one he wrote to you.
TERESA begins to flip through the pages in the binder.
TERESA
Where…
She takes a moment.
(quietly) Where did you get these from? These are—
MARION
What? These are—
TERESA
(quietly) Private!
TERESA closes the binder.
It’s none of your business.
MARION
All of this is my business! I have the right to know everything that’s been going on between the two of you.
TERESA
Where did you—
MARION
Does the school know this is the kind of contact you have with parents here?
TERESA
I don’t have contact with any other parents—
MARION
No, that’s right… you only have contact with my husband.
TERESA
Does he know you have these?
MARION
Does that matter?
TERESA
Yes! It’s a crime… you know that, don’t you?
MARION
A crime?
TERESA
Breaking into his… entering someone else’s—
MARION
I didn’t enter anything, you little shit. He left his account open. On our computer! In our office! At our home!
TERESA heads for the door.
Where are you going—
TERESA closes it.
TERESA
I understand that you’re upset.
MARION
You understand nothing.
TERESA
But I can’t talk to you about this here. This is my job.
MARION
Well you should have thought about that before you—
TERESA
Please. Somebody could hear us. Somebody might walk in. I wouldn’t do this to you. I wouldn’t barge into your office—
MARION
You would have no business being at my office. I pay for my son to be here. Don’t you forget that. I pay… we pay for our son to be in the same room with you every day. I have every right to be here.
TERESA
Please.
MARION
Do you think this is easy for me… to be in the same room as you?
TERESA
No. I don’t. But you—
MARION
How long have you been seeing him?
Beat.
Answer the question.
TERESA
Marion.
MARION
Don’t do that. Don’t use my name.
TERESA walks to her desk.
TERESA
This has nothing to do with me.
MARION
It has nothing to do with you?
TERESA
This is between you and him.
MARION
How can you say that? It has everything to do with you.
TERESA
I—
MARION
You are fucking my husband!
TERESA goes to her purse. She pulls out her phone.
What are you doing?
TERESA begins to dial. Her hands shake.
Put that down.
TERESA turns away.
I’m serious.
MARION moves closer to her.
Put down the phone.
TERESA
(into the phone) Hi!
MARION grabs the phone out of TERESA’s hand and throws it against the blackboard.
The phone shatters into pieces.
TERESA freezes.
MARION
I don’t care if this is your job… I don’t care if this is where you work. I will go to the principal, the parents’ board… I don’t care who I have to speak to. You will be out of here so fucking fast—
TERESA
This doesn’t concern my job.
MARION
You better believe it concerns your job. You are sleeping with a student’s father.
TERESA
They would have cause for concern if this involved a student but it doesn’t.
MARION
You think the school wants to know that you’re fucking—
TERESA
I am great at my job.
MARION
I don’t care if you’re the best goddamn teacher in the universe… I will make your life as difficult as I possibly can. Do you understand me?
TERESA
I—
MARION
How long have you been seeing him!?
Beat.
Answer the question or so help me god I will—
TERESA
A couple of months.
Beat.
MARION
A couple?
TERESA
Yes. A couple.
MARION
So… what? Since December, January—
TERESA
Since Sept— Since the end of September.
Beat.
MARION
Who else knows about this?
TERESA
No one.
MARION
You haven’t told anyone?
TERESA
No.
MARION
You haven’t told any of your girlfriends?
TERESA
No.
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MARION
Family? Roommates? Co-workers? Does anyone here know?
TERESA
I said no!
MARION shakes her head in disbelief.
MARION
(quietly) He should have known better.
TERESA
He’s—
MARION
He’s old enough to be your father.
TERESA
He’s not that old.
MARION
Oh, yes he is.
TERESA
Well… I’m not that young.
MARION
No?
TERESA
No.
MARION
How old are you?
TERESA
Twenty-eight.
MARION
Oh god.
MARION covers her face with her hands.
Beat.
She turns to TERESA.
When were you last together?
Beat.
I know it’s been in the last week.
Beat.
Where do you meet?
Beat.
Where do you meet him?
TERESA
I have never been to your house, if that’s what you’re asking.
MARION
How do I know that? How do I know that you’re telling the truth?
TERESA
I don’t know how you know that.
MARION
I want you to tell me.
TERESA
I am. I am telling you! What… what do you want me to say?
MARION
You stood there minutes ago and you lied to my face. How the hell am I supposed to—
TERESA
Why are you asking me anything if you’re not going to believe me?
MARION
You have been deceiving me for months.
TERESA
I have not been deceiving you.
MARION
No?
TERESA
No! He…
She stops herself.
You should be talking to him.
MARION
I want to hear it from you.
TERESA
You should be asking—
MARION
I want to hear it from you. Where do you meet?
Beat.
Do you meet him here?
TERESA
What?
MARION
Do you meet my husband—
TERESA
No!
MARION
You’re sure?
TERESA
Yes. I’m sure. I would never—
MARION
You would never what?
TERESA
I would never do something like that. This is my classroom. Why would you even ask me that?
MARION
Then where? In a hotel? In a car? On the street?
TERESA
At my apartment.
MARION
Your apartment.
TERESA
Yes.
MARION
