The Nebula of Georgia by Joe Mark Nierle

This Play is the copyright of the Author and may not be performed, copied or sold without the Author's prior consent

ARRABELLE
I'm turning the fan on. (she goes to the fan) Now who took
that red ribbon off a this? When I bought it I had Jake at the
hardware store leave the ribbon on. They had ten fans runnin in the
window, all with red ribbons on them flappin away in the breeze. It
looked just like a sea a red confetti, it was so pretty. Now,
someone's gone and taken it off. How are we supposed to know if
it's on or off?

BONNIE ANN
Do you feel it blowin any air on you?

ARRABELLE
No.

BONNIE ANN
Then it's not on. When you start payin the bills here, you can run
the fan all you want, or you could go buy your own house and live
there. You and that idgit son a yours.

ARRABELLE
Aunt Bonnie Ann, you know I hate it when you call him a idgit!

BONNIE ANN
I know you do. Now I gotta iron the wrinkles outta this dress
so's I have it to wear to the funeral and I gotta make up a batch a
my cornbread for dinner what with Jamie and that Wainwright comin in
for the funeral.

ARRABELLE
Oh, God in heaven, I can't abide them two.

BONNIE ANN
She's my daughter which makes her your cousin so as long as
you're livin in this house you will learn to abide them. And I will
not tell you again about usin the Lord's name.

ARRABELLE
Yes you will.

BONNIE ANN
What?

ARRABELLE
Nothin, and I can't stand that husband a hers.
Wainwright…he's a northerner with a southern name, seems he'd be
confused bout that, and he's old enough to be her father.
Why Cousin Jamie Dempsey married him I will never know.

BONNIE ANN
Well, don't dwell on it too hard. Why anybody does anything they
do is a mystery.

ARRABELLE
I know why I do things I do, thank you very much.

BONNIE ANN
Do youdo you really?

ARRABELLE
Yes, I do. I'm not like Cousin Jamie who goes runnin off
dumpin her responsibilities, makin decisions willy nilly.

BONNIE ANN
You ain't walked in her shoes, Arrabelle.

ARRABELLE
Oh here we go with that tired, old expression. No I ain't
walked in her shoes. Lord she can't hardly walk in them herself,
why would I wanna walk in em?

BONNIE ANN
How she lives her life and you know darn well what I'm referin
tothings affect people different ways. You chose to stay here in
Peabody and raise Victor, Jamie chose to go her way to find something
different for herself.

ARRABELLE
Ellen, Victor Ellen.

BONNIE ANN
His name, God awful as it is, is not the point of what I am
sayin. I am tellin you that you do what you gotta do, and let others
do what they gotta do. You can't control the world.

ARRABELLE
Then why are you always tryin to control everything and everybody?

BONNIE ANN
I do not try to control anything. If you feel controlled, then
you let it happen. I'm not gonna weigh every word, I just say what
I gotta, what you do with it is your business.

ARRABELLE
See, now you make me feel like the stupid one. Why do you
always make it sound like what you say is right and what I say is
wrong?

BONNIE ANN
Arrabelle, it is much too hot to get goin with you. You have
the argument and leave me outta it. I got more to do than stand
around feelin sorry for poor picked upon you.

ARRABELLE
Well, I can't help the feelin; they make me nervous comin here
for the Senator's funeral. How long they stayin?

BONNIE ANN
Jamie said three or four days.

ARRABELLE
Well don't that beat all, so typical a her; rush in, rush out.

BONNIE ANN
Whatta you care? You said they make you nervous, so you should
be glad they're only here for a short time.

ARRABELLE
Well, it don't seem right.

BONNIE ANN
She's livin her life best she can, same as you and me.

ARRABELLE
If that's the best she can do, then I feel sorry for her.

BONNIE ANN
Seems you're feelin sorry for a lotta folks today, yourself
included.

ARRABELLE
Course you'd take her side, her bein your own daughter an all.
Why didn't you just see that comin, Arrabelle? After all, I'm
just your niece livin here in dried up ol Peabody with a outta control
son to raise and half-a-brain from down the fillin station as a
boyfriend. My life is just Georgia peachy keen, ain't it?

BONNIE ANN
If you'd stop sittin around frettin and feelin sorry for
yourself maybe your life wouldn't seem so bad. You're just all
too caught up in yourself to see it any other way. Selfish and
vindictive, that's all you are.
I raised you from the time your momma and daddy died,
(Arrabelle mouths this part as Bonnie Ann says it) "raised you like
a daughter since you was four," so turn off the water works and get
on with your life.

VICTOR ELLEN
(comes running from the kitchen holding a model airplane and
goes right out the front door) Varooooooooooooooooooom!

BONNIE ANN
Arrabelle, that boy ain't right. (she turns off the fan and
goes into the kitchen through the swinging door)

ARRABELLE
(Throwing herself on the couch) I am just gonna plop down here
and die from heat prostate-tion. You'll find me all twisted up dead
like one a them curly fries from down at the Dairy Queen. Oooooow!!
(letting out a yell , she jumps up)

BONNIE ANN
(Coming back into the room) What is all that screamin?

ARRABELLE
(twisting and turning all around to try and see something behind
her) I just got stuck in the ass with your sewing needle. Why'd ya
leave it here on the divan, Aunt Bonnie Ann? I coulda been seriously
injured. Ow! Good God that hurts.

BONNIE ANN
With that trashy mouth a yours, it serves you right.

ARRABELLE
I wouldn't be havin a trashy mouth if you hadn't a left that
needle here. It's your fault. I got stuck just like some big ol
voodoo doll.

BONNIE ANN
(noticing Victor Ellen outside, she crosses to the front door)
Victor, you sorry rascal, you get outta my marigold patch right this
minute.

VICTOR ELLEN
(yelling from outside) But Aunt Bonnie Ann, my airplane landed
in there, I'm just gettin it.

BONNIE ANN
I don't care, you get outta them flowers, last week you
trampled down my zinnias. Pretty soon all I'll have left is patches
a dirt where flowers used to be. Go on over to the highway and count
the trucks passin by like you like to do.

ARRABELLE
No, I told you I didn't want him goin by the highway. He
could wander out into the traffic and get hurt or dead.

BONNIE ANN
Oooops! Too late, he's gone (coming back into the room from
the front door) If you don't learn to control that boy you're
gonna have problems when he grows up. Victor is too old to be tearin
around doin as he pleases. The neighbors talk about him like filth as
it is.

ARRABELLE
I don't know who you're talking about.

BONNIE ANN
Are you deaf? I am talking about your son, Victor.

ARRABELLE
I don't have a son named Victor and you very well know that.
My boy's name is Victor Ellen. I have told you that repeatedly.

BONNIE ANN
I am not going to call a boy Victor Ellen. I will never
understand what was in your head when you named him that.

ARRABELLE
We have had this talk many times before. But for the sake a the
hard a rememberin, I will repeat itagain. I was payin homage to my
momma and poppa; poppa's name was Victor an momma's name was
Ellen. So, I proudly named my son after my dearly departed momma and
poppa. You know that and you know I appreciate you usin his correct
name when you speak of him, Victor Ellen.

BONNIE ANN
Well, that boy's gonna grow up to be a hermaphrodite-y,
he'll be so confused he won't know what he is. And my sister, God
rest her soul, would not want her grandson to grow up thinking he's
half man and half woman. He's got enough problems what with his IQ
being the size of a turnip.

ARRABELLE
Victor Ellen Sedgeway is a perfectly fine name for a boy. And
might I point out that your own daughter, Cousin Jamie Dempsey, does
not exactly have a name that screams Southern Belle. Jamie is a
boy's name, so be careful a whose name you're sayin ain't
right or it will come back to bite ya in the ass. And she ain't so
right in the head either, marrin a man old enough to be her father.

BONNIE ANN
You were born mean, that's all, just born mean. Why I let you
stay here under my roof with that idgit son a yours is beyond me.

ARRABELLE
You only call him that to torment me, just like most everythin else
you do. You know perfectly well why you let us stay here with you.
And that's all I have to say about that, and believe me you don't
want me to say anymore. Here's your needle, stick it somewheres.
Oh, Christ on a cracker, here comes Lyndal. Tell him I'm not at
home.

BONNIE ANN
I'm not lyin for you.

ARRABELLE
Then I am goin out the back door, so just tell him I left and you
won't be lyin.

BONNIE ANN
Where you goin?

ARRABELLE
Over to the highway to rescue my boy a fore he gets killed by
one a them semis. With all this extra traffic comin into town for the
funeral it's gonna confuse Victor Ellen. Now, tell Lyndal I am not
at home, which I won't be. (she leaves through the kitchen)

BONNIE ANN
I don't know what I did to deserve all this at my age. (she
turns on the fan; there's a knock on the door) Just a minute,
Lyndal. (she begins to pin the needle to her dress; another knock) I
heard ya good and plenty, hang on, I'm comin.

LYNDAL
(as he enters) It is hotter than hell out there and my cooler
over at the fillin station broke so every Dr. Pepper's warm as piss
water.

BONNIE ANN
If your smart mouth is gonna go on like that, you can just march
yourself right back to the fillin station.

LYNDAL
Well, what took ya so long? I havta get back to the station,
with all this traffic comin into town. I had to close up. I left a
sign in the window sayin, "Back in five minutes" and I just wasted
two a them waitin for ya to answer the door. You got a Dr. Pepper or
a Coca Cola? My cooler just give out, now I got six cases a hot Dr
Pepper just waitin to pop.

BONNIE ANN
No, I do not have any Dr Pepper or Coca Cola, all I have is sweet
tea.

LYNDAL
Oh, Lord, no, I don't want no tea. I'd be jumpin and
twitchin all over the station the rest a the day and blurtin out worse
than you just heard. Caffine makes me nervous.

BONNIE ANN
Life makes you nervous, Lyndal. Now quick, I'm busy, whatta you
want?

LYNDAL
I come by to see if Arrabelle wants to go to the funeral with
me. I'm gonna be a pallbearer for the Senator.

BONNIE ANN
You what?

LYNDAL
(yelling as if Aunt Bonnie Ann were deaf) I'm gonna be a pallbearer
for the Senator. (normal volume) They just ask me this morning.

BONNIE ANN
That's what I thought you saidwhy on earth would they pick you
to be a pallbearer?

LYNDAL
I don't know, every time he come into the station Victor Ellen
and I always washed his windshield and spoke real respectful, but
folksy, you know. That man never did smile, always looked like he had
something on his mind. But, I'd "howdy-do" him and Victor
Ellen'd go on washin the windshield and I'd top off the gas tank,
now I ain't no rocket surgeon, but maybe that's why.

BONNIE ANN
Well, maybe so, the Lord works in mysterious ways, but I still
can't fathom why they picked you.

LYNDAL
They just did, alright, so drop it.

BONNIE ANN
I hope you're not gonna wear your fillin station shirt and
pants to carry that man to his final restin place. Your pants need to
meet your shoes just once in your life, Lyndal. You do have a suit
don't ya?

LYNDAL
Do you see me in church every Sunday?

BONNIE ANN
Yes.

LYNDAL
And do you see me wearin a suit?

BONNIE ANN
Yes.

LYNDAL
Then just shut up about it.

BONNIE ANN
That's the same suit you been wearin for the last ten years,
and besides, you can't go wearin seersucker to a funeral. There's
no dignity in seersucker. Let me get in the closet and see if one a
Virgil's old suits will fit ya. Good thing I didn't throw them
out after he passed, only one we lost was the one he was buried in and
that had a hole in the back anyway. Virgil's bein an insurance man
and all, I have a closet fulla suits. Lord, I could outfit half the
funeral procession.

LYNDAL
Well, Bonnie Ann, he weighed near 300 pounds when he died which
is part a the reason he ain't no longer with us. You cut them suits
in two and you could outfit the other half a the funeral procession.

BONNIE ANN
Lyndal, you are mean as a snake! Now try this suit on so I know
where I need to take it in. Lord, there's another pile a work for
me to do.

LYNDAL
I gotta get back to the station. I'll try this on in the men's
room, pin it where it's too big, which will take a lot a pins. You
got any?

BONNIE ANN
(Getting pins from her sewing box.) You be careful, your rest
rooms are filthy; grease, oil, and God knows what everywhereand
wash your dirty hands, I don't have time to send that suit out to
the dry cleaners.

LYNDAL
Alright, already, I gotta go.

[end of extract]

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