Marta’s ‘ah ha’ moment…

MARTA and VERONICA sit in the living room watching TV.  MARTA is flicking through a random gossip magazine.

She scoffs.

VERONICA: What?

MARTA: I don’t know why I read this shit anymore.  This is unbelievable.

VERONICA: Yeah, I’m quite over them myself.

MARTA: It’s fucking ridiculous.  Look at this: “5 steps to your body after baby” and they have a picture of Gisele Bundchen next to it.  Right, because that’s totally in line with their first step: “Set Realistic Goals”.  Because realistically, we can all look like Gisele Bundchen after we’ve popped one out.

VERONICA laughs.

MARTA: Oh, and then step number 2. “Exercise every day.”  That’s right, because that’s totally realistic and achievable after you’ve given birth and your caring for a newborn.  Oh wait, turn the page, what do we have here?  A recipe for strawberry and ricotta muffins with whipped cream and powdered sugar, you know, to help you with getting your body back.  Fucking ridiculous.

VERONICA: Fuck you make me laugh.

MARTA: I wish I could laugh.  You know, this is what the health industry feeds on, shit like this.  They throw these food and recipe ideas at you so you gorge, and then give you these fucking healthy body tips that come with suggestions for expensive foot wear, vitamins and work out gear so they can bleed you dry of every cent you have.  That’s how they do it, I swear.  I’m not crazy.  That’s how they make their money you know, by making sure you constantly feel crap about yourself.

VERONICA: Oh I know, I had a rant about it a while back when Jennifer Hawkins did this nude front cover to promote a positive body image.  And the thing is, these magazines only promote positive body image maybe once or twice an issue, where they decide not to airbrush, or put a curvy girl on the front, but every other issue that follows is the same skinny bitch that’s been tweaked to perfection, and the same advertising is thrown in our faces to persuade us that if we have the right treatment and cosmetics, we too may one day look like her.

MARTA: Urgh!  It’s fucking bullshit, I’m so fucking angry.  I would say that I would never buy this shit again if it wasn’t for the fucking crossword puzzles and Sudoku.

VERONICA: Try the puzzles in the newspaper.

MARTA: Nah, they’re too hard.  These ones are easy and make me feel good about myself.

VERONICA: You realise you—

MARTA: Yeah I know, shh.

THE END.

The First

CAST:

VANESSA: 9 years old and child to over protective parents.

LOU ANNE: Vanessa’s mother.  Very overbearing, and devoted to home, husband and family.

JOHN: Vanessa’s father. Protective of his daughter, and dotes on his wife, although he could do without her drama.  He has a quiet nature.

(JOHN sits at the kitchen table reading the paper while LOU ANNE is on the phone)

LOU ANNE: Is everything alright? (pause) Would you like us to pick her up instead. (pause) Well, I really don’t want to put you out of your way. (pause) Alright then, well thank you for that.

JOHN: Is everything alright?

LOU ANNE: (motions JOHN to be quiet) Not at all, I’m sure she’ll feel better once she’s home. (pause) Ok, thank you.  We’ll see you soon. (pause) Ok, thanks again, bye. (hangs up)

JOHN: Who was that?

LOU ANNE: I knew it John, I knew it!

JOHN: What’s going on?

LOU ANNE: It’s Vanessa.  She’s coming home.

JOHN: What happened?

LOU ANNE: I don’t know. They just rang to say that something happened last night and that she wasn’t feeling too well this morning and they’re bringing her home. I knew we shouldn’t have let her go, I knew it.

JOHN: I don’t think it’s anything worth troubling yourself over.

LOU ANNE: What if they did something to her John?  We hardly know these people.

JOHN: What do you mean ‘did something to her.’ Lou Anne, calm yourself.

LOU ANNE: I told you John.  I told you this was a bad idea.  I knew we shouldn’t have let her go.  What have we done?

(VANESSA comes in)

LOU ANNE: What happened to you? What did they do?

VANESSA: They didn’t do anything, I just didn’t feel good.

LOU ANNE: What happened?  Did you get sick?  What did they feed you? They could have poisoned you.

JOHN: Lou Anne!

VANESSA: They didn’t poison me.  I just felt funny last night.

JOHN: Sleeping in a different bed probably made you feel uneasy.  Different house, different sounds–

LOU ANNE: Don’t worry sweetheart, you won’t be going to any of those slumber parties again.

VANESSA: No, that wasn’t it!

JOHN: Well then what then?

VANESSA: (quietly) I can’t talk about it with Dad in the room.

LOU ANNE: Why not?

VANESSA: I just can’t.

(pause)

LOU ANNE: John, go into the bedroom.

(JOHN leaves, a little dismayed.)

LOU ANNE: Now, tell your mother everything.

VANESSA: Last night, I felt strange…down there.

LOU ANNE: What do you mean?

VANESSA: I don’t know, I just didn’t feel right.  And this morning there was blood.

LOU ANNE: (shrieking) OH MY GOD! JOHN! JOHN! GET THE PHONE! THEY RAPED HER!

JOHN: (from the bedroom) WHAT?

VANESSA: MUM! They didn’t rape me! God.  I just woke up and it was there. Sally’s mum gave me a pad and said I had my period. She said I should go home and talk to you about it. (pause) Mum, what’s going on?

(LOU ANNE is quiet and comes almost to tears)

JOHN: (form bedroom) What’s going on? Is everything alright.

LOU ANNE: Oh John, your little Nessy’s become a woman.

(pause)

JOHN: (from bedroom) What?

LOU ANNE: (shouting) I SAID SHE’S A WOMAN NOW.

JOHN: (from bedroom) Oh.  (pause) Can I come back and finish the paper?

LOU ANNE: Oh go on with your paper!  Come on Ness dear, we have a lot to talk about.

THE END.