Remember
Remember
REMEMBER
By Dylan Breen
Characters:
Gerard: 20, is having a rough time coming to terms that his dog Guthrie is nearing his farewell.
Susan: Gerard’s mother, who is trying to keep it together so she can help Gerard through this time. He has seen a lot of death in his life including his father and her husband.
Gabriella: Gerard’s sister. She doesn’t live at home anymore.
Dylan: Gerard’s dad, who passed away.
Guthrie: The best dog who ever lived. He lived 11 amazing years.
TIME
July 2016
PLACE
Brooklyn
SETTING: The basement of the house.
IN THE EVENING: (It is 8pm on Monday July 24th. GERARD and his mother SUSAN sit in the basement next to their dog Guthrie. He lays very weak, nearing his final hours. Gerard lays against the wall with his eyes closed. He has one hand on Guthrie, feeling the life still in him. Susan looks from Gerard to Guthrie. She knows what she has to tell Gerard but knowing he will not take it well.)
SUSAN
Jerry…
(Gerard looks up at her, the look of death in his eyes.)
SUSAN
We can’t let him be like this… there’s no quality of life anymore.
(Gerard looks at Guthrie, feeling the tears filling his eyes. He knows what she’s about to say, and he knows that it's time. He can’t let him live in discomfort for any longer. He opens his mouth to speak but his lips tremble and at first no words come out.)
GERARD
I know. (beginning to cry more) I know.
SUSAN
Is there anything I can do for you?
(Gerard stares in a straight direction fighting his urge to scream.)
(Susan sits down next to him.)
SUSAN
Do you want to be there for it?
GERARD
I… I… (more tears come, his whole face is wet)
(He lets out a yell and buries his face in his hands.)
SUSAN
This isn’t how I want you to remember him. I want you to remember everything EXCEPT this.
GERARD
Can you make me some tea?
SUSAN
Of course. What kind?
GERARD
Camamel
(Susan exits.)
Scene 2:
(Gerard strokes Guthrie, who is still conscious.)
GERARD
Hey buddy, how ya doing?
(He looks into his brown eyes)
GERARD
You’re gonna go up to heaven soon… you’re gonna see dad… you’re gonna meet cody… you’re gonna meet all of them. They’re going to be so lucky to have you. I wish I could join you. 20 years is long enough right?
I mean… who’s gonna bury their head in my arms whenever they somehow sense that I’m distressed? Who’s gonna get me like that?
(Guthrie tries sit up and gerard holds him in his arms.)
GERARD
You’ve been here since I was just a little boy… if I could go back to being a 9 year old all those years ago… goddamn I would jump through that time machine. Just keep looping the timeline as if our lives were a movie that will never end.
But that’s not how it works… that’s what growing up is I guess. Letting go.
(Gerard strokes Guthrie’s head, massaging his ears. He remembers the first day they got him. He remembers the first time he had to leave him for a long period of time when he went to college. He remembers coming back for break, knowing who he would see first greeting him at the door, wagging his tail with his great big smile. He pictures coming home again months later and feeling the cold emptiness that was about to take over the atmosphere.)
All I wanna do is stay here with you (tears coming down his face again, his words becoming interjected by tears in his mouth) I wanna stay here with you forever… I don’t want you to go… please don’t go buddy… I love you… I need you… you’re my everything…
(Guthrie lets out one last breath and then becomes very still. Gerard doesn’t realize at first what happened. He feels his body, which is now still. He feels his heart start to pound, breathing intensely.)
GERARD
Guthrie? Guth? Buddy? Nuh… nuh… no… please…
(Gerard weeps holding Guthrie in his arms. Susan comes back with the tea. Gerard looks up at her, his eyes fully drenched and red)
GERARD
He… he…
(Susan cries, she sits down next to Gerard and pets Guthrie’s still body)
SUSAN
Remember Jerry… remember… it’s the only thing you’ve got left.
GERARD
(mumbling)
Remember… remember… remember…
(Lights go down.)
GERARD (voiceover)
Remember… remember everything.
YOUNG 9 YR OLD GERARD (voiceover)
Guthrie! Come here Guth!
SUSAN (voiceover)
Guthrie!
GABRIELLA(Voiceover)
Guthrie!
GERARD (Voiceover)
Guth, wanna go for a walk?
SUSAN (Voiceover)
Who’s a good boy!
GABRIELLA (voiceover)
Oh my god, he’s peeing all over the floor!
SUSAN (voiceover)
I guess he knows that he’s home.
SUSAN (voiceover)
He’s been swimming for 5 hours!
GERARD (voiceover)
Do we have a dog or a fish? Like, is he gonna come out with gills one day or something?
Scene 3
(Lights go back up)
(It is 3AM. Gerard and his mother are now upstairs in the kitchen. They are having tea again.)
GERARD
How much pain can someone possibly go through in 20 years?
SUSAN
Well…
GERARD
I know, I know that's a dumb question, 20 years is a long time… but like… What the fuck? (yelling) What the fucking fuckity fuck? How many times is life gonna take something away from me? (Gerard takes a sip of tea, which is still hot and burns his tongue)
OWW! Fucking fantastic… (begins to pace) I lose my dog and now my tongue's burnt? Is god trying to send me a message? Because I get that he wants to fuck me, but I figured he’d at least have the decency to use a condom, because after the amount I’ve gone through in life, I'M ABOUT TO HAVE GOD’S FUCKING KID. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST… (Crying again) I’m sorry mom… I really am… I just… I…
SUSAN
Honey why are you sorry?
GERARD
I could be handling this better
SUSAN
You’ve been through more in your life than a lot of people. You’re allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to drop the F bomb because it’s been dropped on you so many times.
GERARD
Being very not so sober would be very great right now.
(Susan opens the fridge and takes out a beer and hands it to him)
GERARD
I was kidding. Things haven’t changed-- remember what I said years back? Beer+sadness is a steer in the wrong direction.
SUSAN
We could smoke tomorrow while we dig?
GERARD
What? You--you, no, no. (Shaking his head in denial) You.. you.. Don’t smoke? (sternly) Mom?
SUSAN
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, what do you think I did when I was your age? We… you know… burned the bush (giggles)
GERARD
Jesus holy christ… (Facepalms)
SUSAN
Jerry come here.
(Susan hugs him tightly.)
SUSAN
We are going to be okay. We will get through this.
GERARD
Okay.
Scene 4
(They have buried Guthrie in their backyard. The day was one of the worst of Gerard’s life. Gerard is now in bed on his computer. He looks around his room, looking at old pictures of Guthrie. He feels an emptiness inside like never before. He feels like he’s beneath the realm of depression, as if he just has no emotion left at all. This scares him. He tries to find videos on youtube that will make him laugh, but nothing is working. He feels so alone. He looks down at his arm and scratches it… he doesn’t feel the pain.)
GERARD
This can’t be happening… no… no… hell no. Not me. (yells to himself) not me!
(He runs out of the room and downstairs to his mother’s. He enters the room, having a full view from the window of the grave outside.)
GERARD
I need to sleep here…
(He lays down on the side of the bed he used to lay on when he was a kid. He imagines Guthrie lying in between them. Gerard closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.)
(Lights go Down)
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Hey, Jerry.
GERARD (Voiceover)
Dad?
DYLAN (Voiceover)
What’s up, kid.
GERARD (Voiceover)
I really wish I was up there right now… it’s a fucking shit storm down here.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
I know bud, life has it’s ways of shitting in your scrambled eggs and then making you still eat them. But you have become stronger than you give yourself credit for Jerry.
GERARD (Voiceover)
Every time I lose someone the pain is different. I haven’t felt pain like this before.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
I know Guthrie meant the world to you. Letting go isn’t something we’re accustomed to. You know, we’re like magnets, we’re made to connect and hold on. And after being connected for 11 years…
GERARD (Voiceover)
The sensation of having my guts ripped out and then being set on fire comes to mind.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Listen, Guthrie lived a great life. You, your mother and your sister gave him that. All lives must end at some point, it’s just the way it works. Now I can’t deny that it fucking sucks, because believe me, I went through some pain in my life too. We both lost our dads. Life isn’t suppose to be fair or make sense. But that's why we have to live for the now because the later can’t be predicted… unless you have cancer, then your later kind of is predicted… I’m sorry that I had to go Jerry. You guys were so young… and that cancer didn’t give me much of a choice. But I fought that bastard until the end.
GERARD (Voiceover)
I know Dad. But we’ve made it through all these years. We really have.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
And you’re gonna do it again.
GERARD (Voiceover)
It's gonna take a little while, but yeah we will. Is he up there with you now?
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Yeah bud, he’s here. He’s beautiful. Him and Cody are gonna be great friends.
GERARD (Voiceover)
His middle name is Cody.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
I like that.
GERARD (Voiceover)
I hope there’s a body of water for him up there.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Oh no, he doesn’t need anymore water in his system.
GERARD (Voiceover)
Why?
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Because the first thing he did was walk in and pee all over my damn floor.
GERARD (Voiceover)
He knows your his new home.
END OF PLAY
By Dylan Breen
Characters:
Gerard: 20, is having a rough time coming to terms that his dog Guthrie is nearing his farewell.
Susan: Gerard’s mother, who is trying to keep it together so she can help Gerard through this time. He has seen a lot of death in his life including his father and her husband.
Gabriella: Gerard’s sister. She doesn’t live at home anymore.
Dylan: Gerard’s dad, who passed away.
Guthrie: The best dog who ever lived. He lived 11 amazing years.
TIME
July 2016
PLACE
Brooklyn
SETTING: The basement of the house.
IN THE EVENING: (It is 8pm on Monday July 24th. GERARD and his mother SUSAN sit in the basement next to their dog Guthrie. He lays very weak, nearing his final hours. Gerard lays against the wall with his eyes closed. He has one hand on Guthrie, feeling the life still in him. Susan looks from Gerard to Guthrie. She knows what she has to tell Gerard but knowing he will not take it well.)
SUSAN
Jerry…
(Gerard looks up at her, the look of death in his eyes.)
SUSAN
We can’t let him be like this… there’s no quality of life anymore.
(Gerard looks at Guthrie, feeling the tears filling his eyes. He knows what she’s about to say, and he knows that it's time. He can’t let him live in discomfort for any longer. He opens his mouth to speak but his lips tremble and at first no words come out.)
GERARD
I know. (beginning to cry more) I know.
SUSAN
Is there anything I can do for you?
(Gerard stares in a straight direction fighting his urge to scream.)
(Susan sits down next to him.)
SUSAN
Do you want to be there for it?
GERARD
I… I… (more tears come, his whole face is wet)
(He lets out a yell and buries his face in his hands.)
SUSAN
This isn’t how I want you to remember him. I want you to remember everything EXCEPT this.
GERARD
Can you make me some tea?
SUSAN
Of course. What kind?
GERARD
Camamel
(Susan exits.)
Scene 2:
(Gerard strokes Guthrie, who is still conscious.)
GERARD
Hey buddy, how ya doing?
(He looks into his brown eyes)
GERARD
You’re gonna go up to heaven soon… you’re gonna see dad… you’re gonna meet cody… you’re gonna meet all of them. They’re going to be so lucky to have you. I wish I could join you. 20 years is long enough right?
I mean… who’s gonna bury their head in my arms whenever they somehow sense that I’m distressed? Who’s gonna get me like that?
(Guthrie tries sit up and gerard holds him in his arms.)
GERARD
You’ve been here since I was just a little boy… if I could go back to being a 9 year old all those years ago… goddamn I would jump through that time machine. Just keep looping the timeline as if our lives were a movie that will never end.
But that’s not how it works… that’s what growing up is I guess. Letting go.
(Gerard strokes Guthrie’s head, massaging his ears. He remembers the first day they got him. He remembers the first time he had to leave him for a long period of time when he went to college. He remembers coming back for break, knowing who he would see first greeting him at the door, wagging his tail with his great big smile. He pictures coming home again months later and feeling the cold emptiness that was about to take over the atmosphere.)
All I wanna do is stay here with you (tears coming down his face again, his words becoming interjected by tears in his mouth) I wanna stay here with you forever… I don’t want you to go… please don’t go buddy… I love you… I need you… you’re my everything…
(Guthrie lets out one last breath and then becomes very still. Gerard doesn’t realize at first what happened. He feels his body, which is now still. He feels his heart start to pound, breathing intensely.)
GERARD
Guthrie? Guth? Buddy? Nuh… nuh… no… please…
(Gerard weeps holding Guthrie in his arms. Susan comes back with the tea. Gerard looks up at her, his eyes fully drenched and red)
GERARD
He… he…
(Susan cries, she sits down next to Gerard and pets Guthrie’s still body)
SUSAN
Remember Jerry… remember… it’s the only thing you’ve got left.
GERARD
(mumbling)
Remember… remember… remember…
(Lights go down.)
GERARD (voiceover)
Remember… remember everything.
YOUNG 9 YR OLD GERARD (voiceover)
Guthrie! Come here Guth!
SUSAN (voiceover)
Guthrie!
GABRIELLA(Voiceover)
Guthrie!
GERARD (Voiceover)
Guth, wanna go for a walk?
SUSAN (Voiceover)
Who’s a good boy!
GABRIELLA (voiceover)
Oh my god, he’s peeing all over the floor!
SUSAN (voiceover)
I guess he knows that he’s home.
SUSAN (voiceover)
He’s been swimming for 5 hours!
GERARD (voiceover)
Do we have a dog or a fish? Like, is he gonna come out with gills one day or something?
Scene 3
(Lights go back up)
(It is 3AM. Gerard and his mother are now upstairs in the kitchen. They are having tea again.)
GERARD
How much pain can someone possibly go through in 20 years?
SUSAN
Well…
GERARD
I know, I know that's a dumb question, 20 years is a long time… but like… What the fuck? (yelling) What the fucking fuckity fuck? How many times is life gonna take something away from me? (Gerard takes a sip of tea, which is still hot and burns his tongue)
OWW! Fucking fantastic… (begins to pace) I lose my dog and now my tongue's burnt? Is god trying to send me a message? Because I get that he wants to fuck me, but I figured he’d at least have the decency to use a condom, because after the amount I’ve gone through in life, I'M ABOUT TO HAVE GOD’S FUCKING KID. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST… (Crying again) I’m sorry mom… I really am… I just… I…
SUSAN
Honey why are you sorry?
GERARD
I could be handling this better
SUSAN
You’ve been through more in your life than a lot of people. You’re allowed to be angry. You’re allowed to drop the F bomb because it’s been dropped on you so many times.
GERARD
Being very not so sober would be very great right now.
(Susan opens the fridge and takes out a beer and hands it to him)
GERARD
I was kidding. Things haven’t changed-- remember what I said years back? Beer+sadness is a steer in the wrong direction.
SUSAN
We could smoke tomorrow while we dig?
GERARD
What? You--you, no, no. (Shaking his head in denial) You.. you.. Don’t smoke? (sternly) Mom?
SUSAN
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, what do you think I did when I was your age? We… you know… burned the bush (giggles)
GERARD
Jesus holy christ… (Facepalms)
SUSAN
Jerry come here.
(Susan hugs him tightly.)
SUSAN
We are going to be okay. We will get through this.
GERARD
Okay.
Scene 4
(They have buried Guthrie in their backyard. The day was one of the worst of Gerard’s life. Gerard is now in bed on his computer. He looks around his room, looking at old pictures of Guthrie. He feels an emptiness inside like never before. He feels like he’s beneath the realm of depression, as if he just has no emotion left at all. This scares him. He tries to find videos on youtube that will make him laugh, but nothing is working. He feels so alone. He looks down at his arm and scratches it… he doesn’t feel the pain.)
GERARD
This can’t be happening… no… no… hell no. Not me. (yells to himself) not me!
(He runs out of the room and downstairs to his mother’s. He enters the room, having a full view from the window of the grave outside.)
GERARD
I need to sleep here…
(He lays down on the side of the bed he used to lay on when he was a kid. He imagines Guthrie lying in between them. Gerard closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep.)
(Lights go Down)
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Hey, Jerry.
GERARD (Voiceover)
Dad?
DYLAN (Voiceover)
What’s up, kid.
GERARD (Voiceover)
I really wish I was up there right now… it’s a fucking shit storm down here.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
I know bud, life has it’s ways of shitting in your scrambled eggs and then making you still eat them. But you have become stronger than you give yourself credit for Jerry.
GERARD (Voiceover)
Every time I lose someone the pain is different. I haven’t felt pain like this before.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
I know Guthrie meant the world to you. Letting go isn’t something we’re accustomed to. You know, we’re like magnets, we’re made to connect and hold on. And after being connected for 11 years…
GERARD (Voiceover)
The sensation of having my guts ripped out and then being set on fire comes to mind.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Listen, Guthrie lived a great life. You, your mother and your sister gave him that. All lives must end at some point, it’s just the way it works. Now I can’t deny that it fucking sucks, because believe me, I went through some pain in my life too. We both lost our dads. Life isn’t suppose to be fair or make sense. But that's why we have to live for the now because the later can’t be predicted… unless you have cancer, then your later kind of is predicted… I’m sorry that I had to go Jerry. You guys were so young… and that cancer didn’t give me much of a choice. But I fought that bastard until the end.
GERARD (Voiceover)
I know Dad. But we’ve made it through all these years. We really have.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
And you’re gonna do it again.
GERARD (Voiceover)
It's gonna take a little while, but yeah we will. Is he up there with you now?
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Yeah bud, he’s here. He’s beautiful. Him and Cody are gonna be great friends.
GERARD (Voiceover)
His middle name is Cody.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
I like that.
GERARD (Voiceover)
I hope there’s a body of water for him up there.
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Oh no, he doesn’t need anymore water in his system.
GERARD (Voiceover)
Why?
DYLAN (Voiceover)
Because the first thing he did was walk in and pee all over my damn floor.
GERARD (Voiceover)
He knows your his new home.
END OF PLAY