night, Mother

by Marsha Norman MAMA (coming over, now, taking over now): What are you doing? JESSIE: The barrel has to be clean, Mama !ld "o#der, dust gets in it$ MAMA: What %or? JESSIE: I told you MAMA (reaching for the gun): And I told you, #e don&t get criminals out here JESSIE (Quickly pulling it to her): And I told you$ (Then trying to be calm) The gun is %or me MAMA: Well, you can ha'e it i% you #ant When I die, you&ll get it any#ay JESSIE: I&m going to (ill mysel%, Mama MAMA (returning to the sofa): )ery %unny )ery %unny JESSIE: I am MAMA: *ou are not+ ,on&t e'en say such a thing, Jessie JESSIE: -o# #ould you (no# i% I didn&t say it? *ou #ant it to be a sur"rise? *ou&re lying in your bed or maybe you&re .ust brushing your teeth and you hear this$ noise do#n the hall? MAMA: /ill yoursel% JESSIE: Shoot mysel% MAMA: It must be time %or your medicine JESSIE: Too( it already MAMA: What&s the matter #ith you? JESSIE: Not a thing 0eel %ine MAMA: *ou %eel %ine *ou1re .ust going to (ill yoursel% JESSIE: Waited until I %elt good enough, in %act MAMA: ,on1t ma(e .o(es, Jessie I1m too old %or .o(es JESSIE: It1s not a .o(e, Mama Mama, I (no# you used to ride the bus 2iding the bus and it1s hot and bum"y and cro#ded and too noisy and more than anything in the #orld you #ant to get o%% and the only reason in the #orld you don1t get o%% is it1s still %i%ty bloc(s %rom #here you1re going? Well, I can get o%% right no# i% I #ant to, because e'en i% I ride %i%ty more years and get o%% then, it1s the same "lace #hen I ste" do#n to it Whene'er I %eel li(e it, I can get o%% As soon as I1'e had enough, it1s my sto" I1'e had enough MAMA: *ou1re %eeling sorry %or yoursel%+ A%ter all, you ha'en&t had one o% your %its in a long time JESSIE (ta(ing charge o% this3: What do they loo( li(e? The sei4ures MAMA: (reluctant3: ,i%%erent each time, Jess JESSIE: ! / 5ic( one, then A good one I thin( I #ant to (no# no# MAMA: There1s not much to tell *ou .ust$ crum"le, in a hea", li(e a "u""et and somebody cut the strings all at once, or li(e the %iring s6uad in some Me7ican mo'ie, you .ust slide do#n the #all, you (no# *ou don1t (no# #hat ha""ens? -o# can you not (no# #hat ha""ens? JESSIE: I1m busy MAMA: That1s not %unny The %its are o'er+

JESSIE: It1s not the %its, Mama !nce I started remembering, I could see #hat it all added u" to MAMA: Then it&s me %or gi'ing them to you, but I didn1t do it+ JESSIE: It1s not the %its+ *ou said it yoursel%, the medicine ta(es care o% the %its MAMA (interru"ting3: *our daddy ga'e you those %its, Jessie -e "assed it do#n to you li(e your green eyes and your straight hair It1s not my %ault+ JESSIE: So #hat i% he had little %its? It1s not inherited I %ell o%% the horse It #as an accident MAMA: The horse #asn1t the %irst time, Jessie *ou had a %it #hen you #ere %i'e years old JESSIE: I did not MAMA: *ou did+ *ou #ere eating a "o"sicle and do#n you #ent -e ga'e it to you It1s his %ault, not mine JESSIE: Well, you too( your time telling me MAMA: -o# do you tell that to a %i'e9year9old? JESSIE: What did the doctor say? MAMA: -e said (ids ha'e them all the time -e said there #asn1t anything to do but #ait %or another one JESSIE: :ut I didn1t ha'e another one (Now there is a real silence) *ou mean to tell me I had %its all the time as a (id and you .ust told me I %ell do#n or something and it #asn1t till I had the %it #hen ;ecil #as loo(ing that anybody bothered to %ind out #hat #as the matter #ith me? MAMA: It #asn1t all the time, Jessie And they changed #hen you started school JESSIE: I don1t li(e this I don1t li(e this one bit MAMA: I didn1t thin( you&d li(e it That1s #hy I didn1t tell you JESSIE: I% I1d (no#n I #as an e"ile"tic, Mama, I #ouldn1t ha'e ridden any horses MAMA: Ma(e you %eel li(e a %rea(, is that #hat I should ha'e done? It has to be me that1s the matter here *ou #ouldn&t be doing this i% it #asn1t I didn1t tell you things or I married you o%% to the #rong man or I too( you in and let your li%e get a#ay %rom you or all o% it "ut together I don1t (no# #hat I did, but I did it, I (no# This is all my %ault, Jessie, but I don1t (no# #hat to do about it no#+ JESSIE (exasperated at having to say this again): It doesn1t ha'e anything to do #ith you+ MAMA: Jessie+ (in uiet horror) -o# dare you$ho# dare you+ *ou thin( you can .ust lea'e #hene'er you #ant, li(e you&re #atching tele'ision here No *ou can&t, Jessie (!essie turns away) Who am I tal(ing to? *ou1re gone already, aren1t you? I1m loo(ing right through you+ I can&t sto" you because you1re already gone+ I guess you thin( they1ll all ha'e to tal( about you no#+ I guess you thin( this #ill really con%use them Well, nobody1s going to be a bit sur"rised, s#eetheart This is .ust li(e you ,o it the hard #ay, that1s my girl, all right *ou (no# #ho they1re going to be sorry %or? Me+ -o# about that+ Not you, me+ They1re going to be ashamed o% you *es Ashamed+ JESSIE: <ea'e me alone MAMA: It1s the truth+ JESSIE: I should ha'e .ust le%t you a note+

MAMA: (screaming) *es+ (Then suddenly understanding what she has said, nearly paraly"ed by the thought of it, she turns slowly to face !#$$%#, nearly whispering3 No No I$might not ha'e thought o% all the things you&'e said JESSIE: ,on&t try and sto" me, Mama, you can&t do it MAMA: (&rabbing her again, this time hard3 I can too+ I&ll stand in %ront o% this hall and you can&t get "ast me (They struggle3 *ou&ll ha'e to (noc( me do#n to get a#ay %rom me, Jessie I&m not about to let you$ ('('( struggles with !#$$%# at the door and in the struggle, !#$$%# gets away from her and)) JESSIE: 1Night, Mother ($he vanishes into her bedroom and we hear the door lock *ust as '('( gets to it) MAMA (screams3: Jessie+ (pounding on the door3 Jessie, you let me in there ,on1t you do this, Jessie I1m not going to sto" screaming until you o"en this door, Jessie Jessie+ Jessie+ Jessie+ Sto" this+ I didn1t (no#+ I #as here #ith you all the time -o# could I (no# you #ere so alone+ ((nd '('( stops for a moment, breathless and frantic, putting her ear to the door, and when she doesn+t hear anything, she stands straight up again and screams once more3 Jessie+ 5lease+ ((nd we hear the shot, and it sounds like an answer, it sounds like No, '('( collapses against the door, tears streaming down her face, but not screaming anymore, %n shock now3 Jessie, Jessie, child$ 0orgi'e me (pause3 I thought you #ere mine

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