Welcome to October 2022 Write Bites! This month we have Roger Brookfield with “A Monument to Unparalleled Success” and Jean Clampi with “Paybacks”. Enjoy and thank you for reading this month’s Write Bites!
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A Monument to Unparalleled Success
By
Roger Brookfield
CHARACTERS
DENISE: a saleslady of monuments to unparalleled success
ALICE: appears as if she can afford a monument to unparalleled success
HENRY: appears as if he, too, can afford a monument to unparalleled
success
SETTING
A table in a real estate office on the site of a house that is a monument to unparalleled success.
(DENISE and ALICE are at a table.DENISE is unfolding a sales brochure.)
ALICE
Where’d my husband wander off to? I wanted him to see this--
DENISE
Never mind. Here, I want you to look over this magnificent--
ALICE
Oh myyy . . . It’s—it’s--
DENISE
Magnificent. Isn’t it? A house that’s a monument to unparalleled success! 90,000 square feet—that’s a football field long by a football field wide. 23 bathrooms, 13 bedrooms, 10 kitchens, 3 pools, a 20-car garage, a video arcade and more. And all. . . for just $75 million.
(HENRY enters.)
HENRY
Come on. There’s nothing there.
ALICE
What are you talking--
HENRY
No walls, no rooms, no nothin’; just the facade you see from right here—No, wait. I put in a bathroomup there—Hey, I had to go. Come on.
(As HENRY and ALICE are leaving. . .)
DENISE
Well I didn’t say it was finished!
BLACKOUT
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PAYBACKS
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by Jean Ciampi
LIGHTS UP
KELLY
I did love him. At least I wanted to love him.
DEBRA
What did you expect? You took him in off the street! You knew nothing about him.
KELLY
I thought he needed me. I thought he was cute. I know, I was stupid. But, I thought it’d be different, that we’d cuddle and snuggle and it’d be all sweet. That’s what I thought.
DEBRA
You thought wrong.
KELLY
I didn’t think I’d get attacked! Or stalked or hurt! Look at these scars. I live in fear of when he’ll come after me next. I lie to my family and friends about what’s happening. Look at me, I’m the victim of domestic violence!
DEBRA
Why don’t you find a shelter.
KELLY
Do you mean a women’s shelter or the SPCA?
DEBRA
He’s a cat. Re-home him.
KELLY
To someone else’s home? Are you kidding? He was on the streets for a reason. He probably killed his last family and buried them in his litter box.
DEBRA
What are you going to do?
KELLY
What I should have done the very first day. I’m getting him neutered.
DEBRA
When you said you were cutting things off with him, I guess you meant it. Paybacks are hell, baby.
CURTAIN
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Thank you for reading this month’s edition of Write Bites! Come back next month for more works from talented writers!
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