Between the Sheets (4 page)

MARION

And do all of your students receive this level of attention, Miss Stewart?

TERESA

Alex needs the attention. Other students don't necessarily—

MARION

He needs it or you do?

TERESA

What?

MARION

I'm just asking.

TERESA

Asking what exactly?

MARION

You don't think I know what you're doing?

TERESA

No. I don't, actually.

MARION

The more time you spend with my son, the more contact you're able to have with my husband. Isn't that how you've arranged things?

TERESA

I haven't arranged anything.

MARION

No, the child of the man you're fucking just happens to need more attention than every other student in your class.

TERESA

Alex's progress has absolutely nothing to do with my relationship with Curtis. And yes, for the record, Alex does need—

MARION

It must be so romantic… the two of you lying in bed together… reading poetry to each other… discussing my son's academic—

TERESA

Alex needs to be assessed!

Beat.

MARION

Assessed?

TERESA

Tested.

MARION

I know what assessed means!

TERESA

He needs to be working with the resource program.

MARION

You think you're the first person to suggest that we have Alex tested?

TERESA

No. I know I'm not.

MARION

You're right. You're not!

TERESA

Then why haven't you done anything about it?

MARION

I'm not getting into this with you.

TERESA

Look…

She stops herself.

She looks at MARION.

He's a great kid. He really is. He's smart and funny and clever. But it's only going to get harder for him. I'm sure you know that. If you don't do something about it now… while he's young enough to…

She stops herself.

I know I'm the last person in the world you want to be hearing this from but you need to consider this for him. You need to consider it if you—

MARION

We have. We have considered it.

TERESA

Okay. So…

MARION

I don't want that for him. I don't want him treated differently. I don't want him to be isolated or—

TERESA

Of course you don't.

MARION

I don't want him put into some kind of separate stream or… he's a sensitive kid. He wouldn't handle it well.

TERESA

I wouldn't underestimate him. To be honest… I think he'll be relieved once—

MARION

Relieved?

TERESA

Yes.

MARION

How would any of this be a relief for him?

TERESA

Because these systems work for him. He'll—

MARION

You don't understand.

TERESA

I do.

MARION

You don't. You spend a couple of hours a week with him.

TERESA

I spend forty hours a week with him!

MARION

Because it's your job. You're not with him—

TERESA

Well, from the sounds of it I spend more time with your son than you do!

Beat.

MARION

Excuse me?

TERESA looks at her.

TERESA

It's true. You're never home.

MARION

Because I work, you little cunt.

TERESA

You work evenings, weekends.

MARION

And why do you think that is? For fun? I work for them. Everything I do… everything is for them… for my family. So we can have the life that we have. So we can afford to send Alex here. So I can pay your goddamn salary.

TERESA

You don't pay—

MARION

I would love nothing more than to be at home with my son every night instead of sitting in a fucking open-concept office waiting for some conference call from some asshole in another fucking time zone. I would love to bring Alex to school every morning. I would love to be able to volunteer for class trips…

I hate being away from him… having to work late into the evenings without being able to tuck him in… having to ask him how his day was over the phone. He is my son. Being away from him is one of the hardest things I have to—

TERESA

It hasn't stopped you.

MARION

Stopped me?

TERESA

You're still…

MARION

I am not going to stand here and justify the decisions I… that we have made together… as a family… that enable my son to have the kinds of opportunities that he—

She stops herself.

(to herself)
Why am I even going into this with you… you of all fucking people.

TERESA

Because I have seen what Alex is like when he gets the kind of—

MARION

Enough! It's enough already. You don't get to be part of this conversation. You don't get to weigh in on what happens to my son. Do you understand me?

TERESA

His future—

MARION

Has nothing to do with you!

TERESA

I care deeply about Alex.

MARION

If you cared about him, you wouldn't have—

TERESA

I care about him more than you know!

Beat.

MARION

What does that mean?

TERESA

Nothing.

MARION

No. What the fuck does that mean?

TERESA

Never mind.

TERESA walks away from her.

MARION

Don't you walk away from me. What did you—

TERESA

My relationship with him is important.

MARION

And?

TERESA

And he's going to be an important part of my life.

MARION

What are you—

TERESA

We're moving in together… Curtis and I.

MARION

Jesus Christ!

TERESA

We were waiting until the end of the school year… until Alex is finished.

MARION

You're moving in together?

TERESA

Yes.

Beat.

MARION buries her head in her hands.

MARION

Oh god.

After a moment she looks at TERESA.

MARION laughs again.

Okay…

She continues laughing.

Okay…

Beat.

MARION looks at TERESA.

So… how is this going to work? Will he be moving in with you, because you're sure as hell not taking the house, so… where will you be living?

TERESA

We're figuring that out.

MARION

You're moving in together and you haven't figured out where you'll be living?

TERESA

We haven't made any firm decisions yet.

MARION

Well that says something at least.

TERESA

It doesn't say anything.

MARION

It does, actually. Curtis is usually very good with those sorts of things… those sorts of details. It's sort of a strength of his.

TERESA

What is a strength of his?

MARION

Moving. I've never had the stomach for it. But he… he loves it… the looking, the search for the perfect place, the packing even. So it's just interesting that you haven't talked about it. I would have thought it would be the first thing he would have talked about.

TERESA

We're waiting until the end of the school year to decide.

MARION

Of course you are. And then he'll probably move in with you… in your little apartment… until you find something more comfortable.

TERESA

Probably.

MARION

And will the two of you be living off of your salary or will he be picking up more work… how is that going to sort itself out?

TERESA

We're figuring it out.

Beat.

MARION

I'm guessing you've never been married before?

TERESA

No. I haven't.

MARION

How many men have
you been with?

TERESA

That's not any of your business.

MARION

Have you ever lived with someone? A boyfriend… a partner?

TERESA

I know what I'm getting myself into.

MARION

All right. I just hope you're prepared, that's all. You're going to need more than a goddamn teaching gig to keep the two of you afloat, believe me. We'd be living in the gutter if we—

TERESA

You wouldn't be living in the gutter. You don't have to be so dramatic. You're not the only one contributing at home.

MARION

In our household? Oh yes I am.

TERESA

No, you're not. I know how much each of you makes.

MARION

Oh, you do.

TERESA

Yes. I do. He's told me.

MARION

Has he?

Beat.

Has he also told you how much we've had to borrow from my family over the past three years? How I had to take on a new position at the office with longer hours so we could finally start paying them back?

TERESA

I know things have been tight.

MARION

And how I had to beg him to take on new clients but he still couldn't get his shit together? Did he tell you that?

TERESA

He did. He's told me all of that. He also told me that you're the one who insists on vacationing twice a year and that he's never seen you wear the same pair of shoes twice.

MARION

Oh, go fuck yourself.

TERESA

I know that work has been slow for him. He's looking at his options… maybe changing careers paths.

MARION

You don't just change career paths at his age.

TERESA

He's looking at his options.

MARION

You are so naive it is unbelievable!

TERESA

We will figure it out. Neither of us are concerned about that right now.

MARION

Well of course you're not. Why would you be? Everything is so easy for the two of you, isn't it? You have no obligations, no responsibilities.

You don't have to worry about carpools, or a new refrigerator, or who's taking whose parent to the doctor. You don't have to worry about anything. Right now it's just you and your future. You've got the rest of your lives to figure everything out.

Beat.

That's all going to change… you know that, don't you? This honeymoon of yours will end and eventually you'll
be dealing with life… just like the rest of us.

Eventually you'll be left with the dishes and the mortgage and the passing of the newspaper back and forth in the morning without uttering a single fucking word.

MARION looks at TERESA.

If you're actually going to do this… if the two of you are actually going to insist on breaking this family apart, then you deserve each other… and whatever miserable existence you find yourselves living with.

TERESA

I'm not trying to break your family apart.

MARION

Well that's what's going to happen, isn't it? You're going to rip us apart with your bare hands.

TERESA

That's not true—

MARION

And if Curtis thinks for one fucking second that he'll have custody of any kind—

TERESA

Curtis is a wonderful father.

MARION

Yeah, well, he's a shitty husband.

TERESA

You don't need to punish him by—

MARION

Trust me… if I wanted to punish him I would do a lot worse. This is for Alex.

TERESA

Alex loves his father.

MARION

And have either of you stopped to consider how he's going to react to this… how he's going to react when he learns that his father is leaving… and not just leaving but leaving to be with his teacher?

TERESA

Alex and I are close.

MARION

You don't think that will change?

TERESA

I know… in time, I think that he'll… I hope that he'll come to…

MARION

This will destroy Alex.

TERESA

I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to make this easy for him.

MARION

He isn't good with other kids.

TERESA

Kids?

MARION

He'll be replaced.

TERESA

No one is replacing anyone.

MARION

And I'm going to be the one who's going to be picking him up off the floor while the two of you start a new life together.

TERESA

He will be a part of that. Alex will be the centre of our lives.

MARION

You say that now.

TERESA

I promise you.

MARION

Curtis always wanted a bigger family.

TERESA

Well… he doesn't. We've talked about it.

MARION

And now that he'll have this young trophy wife.

TERESA

Stop.

MARION

He'll be so thrilled to start over again with you. You'll give him everything he always wanted.

TERESA

That's not true.

MARION

It is. It is true.

TERESA

No. It's not. He knows I can't—

MARION

You'll give him the perfect fucking—

TERESA

I can't have children.

Beat.

MARION

What do you mean you can't? Have you tried or—

TERESA

No. I haven't tried.

MARION

So you've chosen not to—

TERESA

No.

MARION

Then how would you—

TERESA

Because when my uterus was removed it became pretty fucking clear that I wasn't going to be having children.

Beat.

MARION

When did—

TERESA

You know, I don't actually want to talk about this with you.

Beat.

TERESA walks to her desk, puts on her sweater, and sits.

MARION watches her.