Royro
by bkMarcus
Characters
*
Bobby, 7-year-old boy (offstage)
*
Phil, father of Bobby, mid 30s
*
Dana, early 30s
Props
* 2
folding chairs, across a table (or stool)
* 1
corduroy hat with pink fuzz, on table (or stool)
PhilÊ is sitting at his kitchen table, looking out
the window (at audience).
Dana enters from
behind.
Phil does not
acknowledge her.
DANA
[smiling]
What's
that?
PHIL
It's
a hat.
DANA
I
can see it's a hat, but what is it doing there.
PHIL
[shrugs,
speechless]
DANA
Phil?
PHIL
Yeah?
DANA
Whose
hat is that?
PHIL
It's
Royro's hat.
DANA
Royro?
PHIL
Royro.
DANA
Who's
Royro?
PHIL
Royro
is Bobby's new friend.
DANA
Bobby's
home already?
PHIL
Yeah,
they sent him home early.
DANA
Is
he suspended?
PHIL
[sighs]
DANA
Phil?
Did the school suspend Bobby again?
PHIL
I
didn't ask.
DANA
You
didn't ask why the school would send him home early on a school day?
PHIL
I'm
guessing it has something to do with Royro.
DANA
What?
PHIL
[speechless]
DANA
Phil?
Where are they?
PHIL
They're
playing outside.
DANA
[looks
out the window (at audience) -- scans yard for Royro]
[pause]
Um,
Phil?
PHIL
Mmm?
DANA
Phil,
I see your son running around by himself out there.
PHIL
Yeah.
DANA
Yeah?!
PHIL
Yeah.
Yes. That's what I see too.
DANA
You
see your son is by himself.
PHIL
When
I look out the window I see Bobby laughing and playing and talking to someone,
but I don't see the someone he's playing with or talking to.
DANA
[straining
patience]
So
this "Royro" is imaginary?
PHIL
That's
one hypothesis.
DANA
So
your son got sent home from school for playing with an imaginary friend? There
must be more than that, don't you think?
PHIL
I'll
ask him later.
DANA
When?
PHIL
After
Royro leaves.
DANA
[sighs]
[looks
at hat]
I
think he must have found this in a dumpster. It's filthy. What's this pink
stuff?
PHIL
Looks
like fluff from an old pink boa.
DANA
So
Royro's been hanging out at the burlesque?
PHIL
[laughs]
Yeah,
that's exactly what I thought.
DANA
So
what are you going to tell Bobby?
PHIL
I'm
going to tell him that he needs to be careful about Royro.
DANA
Careful?
PHIL
I'll
advise him against playing with or talking to Royro among strangers--
DANA
I
beg your pardon?!
PHIL
I
said I think it's a bad idea for Bobby to talk to Royro in front of people.
DANA
[disbelieving]
He
shouldn't do it ... in front of people?
PHIL
Well,
not most people.
DANA
You're
not going to tell him that Royro isn't real?
PHIL
Why
would I presume to tell him that?
DANA
Phil,
I think you're trying to avoid something here and I think it's going to be
harmful to your son if you don't confront it.
PHIL
Oh?
What am I failing to confront?
DANA
I
think you're failing to confront the fact that Bobby still hasn't gotten over
Brenda's death. He's acting out.
PHIL
[holding
back]
It's
only been a year.
DANA
That's almost a 7th of his life. Maybe you're still mourning, but you have to help your son move on!
PHIL
Bobby
still asks questions about his mother, but I haven't seen sadness in him since
last summer.
DANA
Maybe
not, but he's clearly directing it elsewhere.
PHIL
Oh?
And where is that?
DANA
What
do you mean Where? Look, your son -- who is much too old to still
be playing with imaginary friends -- is having disciplinary problems at school because
he's acting crazy.
PHIL
[shirks
at the word 'crazy']
That's
quite a conclusion to draw from so little evidence.
DANA
[pause]
Wait! Are you saying you don't think he was sent home from school because of his imaginary friend or are you saying you're not sure his friend isn't real?
PHIL
Of
course I'm not sure he isn't real. Do you know for
sure what is and isn't real?
DANA
He
is out there ... playing by himself!
PHIL
[calmly]
He's
out there playing. We can't see anyone else playing with him.
DANA
So,
what, you believe this Royro is an invisible kid?
PHIL
Why
do you assume he's a kid?
DANA
Oh,
right. I forgot -- he's been hanging out in burlesque houses!
PHIL
Maybe Royro is a kid, but I don't see too many kids wearing old corduroy Andy Caps like that.
DANA
And you don't see too many kids
... who you can't see at all!
PHIL
[slowly
smiles]
DANA
[turning
away]
You're
playing mind games with me.
PHIL
I'm
going to let my son tire himself out in the yard. And I'll wait until he tells
me that Royro has gone home --
DANA
[interrupting:]
--I
wonder what he'll do with his hat--
PHIL
--and
I'll explain to him that you and I can't see Royro, and that I wouldn't be
surprised if his teachers and classmates can't see Royro, and that it would be
smart for him -- that it would help him stay out of trouble -- if he were more
aware of how his perspective differed from the perspective of those around him.
DANA
[turning
back]
Jesus
Christ, Phil! He's not a dissident! He's acting out!
PHIL
Do
you disagree with anything I just said?
DANA
You
can't encourage him to do that kind of me-against-everyone-else thinking. That
will just make things worse.
PHIL
It's
not against anyone. I just want him to develop a sense of how to function in a
world that doesn't see things--
DANA
[interrupting:]
--Why
do you insist on talking as if this Royro is real!?
PHIL
I'm
not insisting on anything.
DANA
Do
you believe that Royro's real?
PHIL
I
don't believe anything.
DANA
[pause]
He
isn't real, Phil. Your son is playing with someone who isn't real.
PHIL
Why
are you so upset about this?
DANA
[trying
to calm down]
Look,
I care about Bobby. And I care about you. And I'm scared of what I'm seeing
here.
PHIL
I
understand.
DANA
Will
you please let me have a word with him?
PHIL
[pause]
[sighs]
Tomorrow.
DANA
Tomorrow?
PHIL
I
want to talk to him first.
DANA
[seems
to think about it]
[touches
Phil, who doesn't move]
OK.
I can see you're upset. I shouldn't have pushed it. I'll talk to you tomorrow,
OK?
PHIL
Yes,
OK.
DANA
[exits]
PHIL
[pause]
[looks up and smiles]
Yes, sweetheart, I know.
[pause]
No, I agree completely. Very sure of herself.
[pause]
I know she means well, but that's not an excuse ... telling us how to raise our son ...
[Lights
go out.]
The End
"Royro" debuted December 7, 2001.