A Play in One Act

ALGEBRA

A Play in One Act

Robert Boucheron

Robert Boucheron 807 Montrose Avenue Charlottesville, VA 22902 434-978-1186 [email protected] CAST OF CHARACTERS ALGEBRA / 2

ELEANOR CLOUGH age 42, the wife of a banker and mother of EMILY and ELIZABETH (BUG)

EMILY CLOUGH age 17, in her first year of bloom, a senior in high school, tutors SKIP in algebra and falls in love with him

ELIZABETH CLOUGH age 11, nicknamed BUG, a baton twirler

SKIP WILLIS age 17, a senior in high school, has mechanical aptitude but is poor at math, is attracted to EMILY

JANE GOOCH age 17, a senior in high school, best friend of EMILY

CAPTAIN J. D. RYDER age 45, the town police chief

BETH age 35, the police dispatcher, dour, double with JANE

ANCHORMAN the local television reporter, double with RYDER

MARY WILLIS age 35, grocery clerk and the mother of SKIP, double with JANE

The time is the present, starting in the month of January and ending May 1.

The place is the fictional small town of Hapsburg, Virginia. Scenes occur in the kitchen of the Clough house, a classroom in the high school, a road and field outside town, a bedroom in the Clough house, and Main Street. One unchanging set can suggest these places, and action can move to different parts of the stage.

SCENE 1 ALGEBRA / 3

(The kitchen of the Clough house, on a winter afternoon. ELEANOR stands at the sink and looks out a window at BUG, who practices twirling a baton in the backyard. Dressed in a leotard, BUG raises and lowers her arms, struts, bends at the waist, throws the baton in the air, catches it, etc. While marching, she chants in the style of a Marine recruit.)

BUG Soon to be (beat, beat) a Twirlette. (beat, beat) Gonna beat (beat, beat) Greta Lang. (beat, beat) Soon to be (beat, beat), etc.

ELEANOR January. The holidays are past, thank goodness. Daylight is getting longer, but it’s still too cold to be outside in that skimpy outfit. Bug should drink something hot.

(ELEANOR puts a kettle on the stove and sets a mug on the counter next to it. EMILY enters and stands next to her, gazing out the window. She slips an arm around ELEANOR’S waist.)

EMILY Mama, does Bug ever get tired?

ELEANOR Not in the ordinary human sense, Emily. Your sister is an athlete.

EMILY Did I twirl a baton?

ELEANOR Not that I remember. You rode a bicycle, and you skipped rope with Jane Gooch and Isabel Dabney. One year you all roller skated.

EMILY But we weren’t fanatics.

ELEANOR Neither is Bug. She is passionate. Emily, what are you passionate about?

EMILY Me? Calculus, maybe. The world doesn’t need to know, but I like numbers and equations.

ELEANOR You take after your father, the banker. Did you send your college applications?

EMILY Yes, Mama. Three schools, all in Virginia. I don’t know what my chances are. ALGEBRA / 4

ELEANOR Your grades have always been good.

EMILY But not excellent, at least not in subjects like history. Jane Gooch is at the top of the class. She applied to Harvard, and she might get in. In addition to being brilliant, she’s socially conscious. She stared the peer education program in our high school.

ELEANOR Where the students tutor each other?

EMILY Right. I volunteered to tutor in math. They assigned me to a boy who is repeating algebra, a senior. He needs to pass the course to graduate.

(The kettle whistles as BUG slams through the back door. She drops her baton on the floor. She is breathless.)

BUG Hi, Mom, hi, Em.

ELEANOR Pick up your baton, please and put it where no one will trip on it. Are you cold?

BUG I don’t know. I was too busy practicing. Thirsty.

ELEANOR Would you like hot chocolate or herbal tea?

(BUG weighs the choice, as she is in training.)

BUG Hot chocolate!

EMILY May I have something?

ELEANOR Of course. I always boil more water than I need.

(Blackout)

SCENE 2 ALGEBRA / 5

(An empty classroom in Hapsburg High School on a weekday morning. SKIP sits at a table, discouraged. He is poorly dressed but rakishly handsome. EMILY enters. She wears a skirt and blouse, maybe a sweater, simple and classic. SKIP stands. They take to each other immediately.)

EMILY Are you Skip Willis?

SKIP Yeah. And you’re Emily Clough?

EMILY The chairman of the math department assigned me as your algebra tutor.

SKIP Whoa! I thought they would assign me to someone . . .

EMILY Socially unacceptable? I thought they would assign me to someone . . .

SKIP Hopelessly retarded?

EMILY So we’re both in luck. Let’s get started.

(They sit at the table. As EMILY talks, SKIP’s good-natured smile fades.)

EMILY Show me your latest homework. Exponents?

SKIP Yeah, those little raised numbers.

EMILY How did you get this answer? What method did you use? You need to show your work, write it out. That way the teacher can follow your thinking. This way, no one can tell where you went wrong. You brought your textbook? Turn to Chapter One.

SKIP Chapter One?

EMILY We’ll start at the beginning and see how much you know. Anything you’ve mastered we can skip over. Anything you’re not sure of, we’ll review. Anything that’s new, we’ll work on until you master it. ALGEBRA / 6

SKIP I flunked this course last year. If I don’t pass it, I won’t graduate. It’s required.

EMILY That’s why I’m here.

SKIP Algebra. A boy in the remedial class says algebra was invented by Arabs.

EMILY You can do this! Every day you solve problems harder than the ones in this book.

SKIP I do?

EMILY So I hear. You’re good with tools, mechanical things. They say you can fix anything.

SKIP That’s not the same.

EMILY Yes, it is. I will show you.

SKIP You’re going to get me through this ordeal?

EMILY No, you’re going to do it yourself.

SKIP Emily, you’re . . . something.

EMILY Can you be more precise?

SKIP Elite. But you don’t flaunt your status.

EMILY Who has time for high school cliques? I talk to anyone I like.

SKIP Including me? ALGEBRA / 7

EMILY Are you a social outcast?

SKIP I’m at the low end of the ladder.

EMILY So what? Are you afraid of math?

SKIP I’m not afraid of anything.

EMILY Good. You have confidence.

SKIP You don’t mind scruffy?

EMILY When it’s authentic.

SKIP Are you afraid of contamination?

EMILY My immune system is robust.

(They stand, face each other, extend arms and hold hands, like dance partners.)

SKIP Do you feel what I feel?

EMILY I feel alive in a way that has nothing to do with finding the value of x or the square root of y.

SKIP I feel like you will lead me forward or push from behind. Whatever the beautiful girl does . . .

EMILY For the hero. We’ll take it step by step.

SKIP Yeah! Step by step. ALGEBRA / 8

(Blackout)

SCENE 3

(The high school cafeteria, later the same day. EMILY and JANE sit at a table. EMILY is lost in thought. JANE raises a limp object.)

JANE Do you want my pickle?

EMILY No, thanks. I’m not hungry.

(She picks up a glass, wonders how it came to be there, puts it down.)

JANE You look dazed.

EMILY That’s nice.

JANE Are you sick?

EMILY Maybe. It’s hard to concentrate.

JANE You’re not sick, then. Spaced.

EMILY Jane, you’re my best friend, right?

JANE Forever, Emily.

EMILY Have you ever fallen in love?

JANE Now we’re talking! In the classic, head-over-heels sense, no. There was that crush on Billy Clore in sixth grade, and the infatuation with the new French teacher, Monsieur Chose, not to mention lust for certain members of the football team. But these are not love, my friend. Why do you ask? EMILY I just met a boy. ALGEBRA / 9

JANE Go on . . .

EMILY The student I’m tutoring in algebra. He’s a senior. He needs to pass the course to graduate. He can do it—he’s bright enough.

JANE But . . .

EMILY He’s so cute! We had a moment.

JANE And his name is?

EMILY Skip Willis.

JANE Oh, my gmmph . . .

EMILY What does that mean? Are you gagging?

JANE Never in a million years would I have put the two of you together.

EMILY The chairman of the math department did.

JANE Mr. Krieger as matchmaker. I need to process that.

EMILY Stop. I’m serious.

JANE You said you had a moment. That’s not the same as a kiss. Or was it?

EMILY It was more of an eye-lock. But we could have. It was scary, a thrill. Like when you reach the top of a hill, and the car starts to plunge, and your stomach is left behind. JANE How often do you meet? ALGEBRA / 10

EMILY Three times a week. It depends.

JANE On academic progress?

EMILY Or other factors.

JANE If I knew anything about anything, I’d say go for it. He has that devil-may-care quality.

EMILY Don’t mock me! I need you on my side.

JANE Okay, I’ m here for you. In return for blind loyalty, I’ll need details. Promise you won’t leave anything out.

EMILY I promise.

JANE If you’re not going to eat them, can I have your fries?

(Blackout)

SCENE 4

(The same classroom as before, a few weeks later. SKIP and EMILY are seated at the table. They both look down at a paper. SKIP holds a pencil.)

EMILY Don’t stop, Skip. You’re on the right track.

SKIP Emily, you make this abstract world of numbers and letters real.

EMILY And you learn by doing.

SKIP I have something to prove and someone to prove it to.

EMILY ALGEBRA / 11

How about passing the course?

SKIP Oh . . . yeah.

EMILY Keep the pencil moving. Make mistakes. Cross them out and try again. Don’t bother to erase. It’s no different from working on an appliance.

SKIP How do you know?

EMILY When you tinker, do you plan every move in advance, or do you go by feel?

SKIP By feel.

EMILY You still need to know the basic formulas. Refer to the list we started in the front of the textbook, and keep adding to it. Write them again and again. That way, they’ll sink in.

SKIP So, there’s no magic to this?

EMILY Math is a tool, as ordinary as a screwdriver. No, math is beautiful. If it is a tool, it’s expertly shaped and versatile.

(He scribbles, looks up proudly, and slaps the pencil on the table.)

SKIP There!

(She glances at the paper, then into his eyes.)

EMILY Correct.

SKIP What are you doing Saturday?

EMILY Nothing.

SKIP ALGEBRA / 12

Do you want to go for a ride? The snow has melted off the roads. They’re mostly dry. I want to take my bike out, the one I overhauled.

EMILY Ride where?

SKIP Does it matter?

EMILY No. Bike means motorcycle?

SKIP Yeah, it’s a Honda road bike. I didn’t pay much for it. Some guy stored it in his garage, wanted to unload it. It’s called a café racer, low and fast. It was designed for short runs in the country, from café to café, I guess. The engine was shot—he probably ran it into the ground. Instead of buying a new engine, I thought: Why not replace it with an electric motor? Electric cars are cool. I used the same type of motor and battery.

EMILY So, you invented an electric motorcycle?

SKIP They’ve been around for years. You can buy one. I found some used parts and built one.

EMILY I’m impressed.

SKIP You may not be so impressed when you see it. The styling is pretty basic.

EMILY Have you tested it on the road?

SKIP Yeah, it runs. The cool thing is that it’s quiet. When you think motorcycle, you think loud, right? No muffler, rolling thunder. This one sounds like a hum, a whir. You can hear the birds in the trees, people talking, oncoming traffic.

EMILY And no one hears you. It’s the stealth bike.

SKIP Yeah! Meet me behind the school. There won’t be anyone around. Wear something thick, protective. I have another helmet. With that, you’ll be unanimous. ALGEBRA / 13

EMILY Anonymous.

SKIP Yeah!

(Blackout)

SCENE 5

(A parking lot behind the high school, Saturday midday. Dressed as before, with padded black gloves and a black helmet, visor tipped up, SKIP straddles a motorcycle, which may be a padded bench or pommel horse. EMILY enters wearing jeans, a winter jacket, boots.)

EMILY These are my mother’s gardening boots. They’re the clunkiest I could find. How do I look?

SKIP Anonymous! Put this on. Did you bring gloves? Hop on behind me.

(He hands her a white helmet. She fishes a pair of suede gloves from her coat pocket and pulls them on.)

EMILY Is this the passenger seat?

SKIP It’s called pillion. Wrap your arms around my chest. Put your feet on those pegs. Are you ready to roll?

EMILY Ready.

(SKIP turns the ignition key, and nothing happens.)

EMILY It vibrates! All I hear is a hum.

SKIP Like I told you.

(SKIP kicks the stand and they glide forward. After a block or two, they ride through fallow fields and pastures. EMILY waves to someone offstage.) ALGEBRA / 14

SKIP Who is that?

EMILY A woman hanging clothes to dry. I thought she waved at us. Maybe she was reaching for a clothespin.

SKIP How’s the ride?

EMILY Smooth. It’s odd talking to someone you can’t see, though you’re in full body contact.

SKIP Then don’t.

(They ride for a minute. SKIP points off the road and turns. He slows and stops. They dismount and pull off helmets.)

SKIP The battery lasts but so long. That’s the only drawback to electric, the distance you can go on a charge. In speed racing, it performs the same as a standard combustion motor.

EMILY No problem. It’s so quiet here.

SKIP An abandoned barn. It makes a sheltered spot in the sun, far enough from the road for privacy. Let’s sit for a minute. Then we’ll go back.

EMILY Okay.

SKIP Matted straw on the ground. They never mowed this field last year.

(SKIP sits on the ground with his back to the barn. He squints in the sun. EMILY sits beside him. Casually, he slips an arm around her shoulders.)

EMILY Not a cloud in the sky.

SKIP It’s a beautiful day. EMILY There’s so much we could say. ALGEBRA / 15

SKIP So much we want to know.

EMILY But what use is talking?

SKIP Do you really mean that?

EMILY Do you have a better idea?

(They kiss. Blackout.)

SCENE 6

(A bedroom in the Clough house, afternoon of the same day. Still in jeans and jacket, EMILY sits dazed on the edge of the bed. A door bangs. Someone charges upstairs. BUG in street clothes pauses at the door.)

BUG Can I come in?

EMILY Sure.

BUG Are you all right?

EMILY Yes. No. I don’t know.

BUG You’re wearing Mama’s boots. You have straw in your hair.

(EMILY trails her fingers through her hair. BUG fetches a hairbrush and brushes her sister’s hair.)

EMILY Bug, can you keep a secret?

BUG My lips are sealed. (She raises a hand to her lips and turns an imaginary key in a lock.) ALGEBRA / 16

EMILY I just went for a motorcycle ride with a boy from high school.

BUG Will Mama and Papa kill you?

EMILY No, but they wouldn’t approve.

BUG Was it a dirt bike?

EMILY He called it a café racer. It was electric.

BUG Oh. Is that better than a Harley?

EMILY I don’t know. It was quiet.

BUG That’s good . . . I think. Where did you go?

EMILY Out in the country.

BUG Who was the boy?

EMILY Skip Willis.

BUG I don’t know him.

EMILY He’s poor. He comes from a broken home.

BUG What does that mean?

EMILY His parents divorced and his father abandoned them. His mother works at the grocery store, Mary Willis. She’s always worried about paying bills. They go to Paraclete Catholic. ALGEBRA / 17

BUG So what?

EMILY Mama and Papa would have a fit if their daughter dated a boy with no background. The same goes for you, some day. I tutor him in algebra. That’s how it started. He wanted to show off his bike. We stopped at a deserted farm, in a sunny spot on the grass.

BUG Did you make out?

EMILY Ye-e-e-s.

BUG Did you go all the way?

EMILY Do you know what that means?

BUG Morgan says it. She’s a girl in my class. She talks about boys and making out. She says she’s a bad girl. You’re not, are you?

EMILY I’m still good . . . barely.

(Sound of someone entering downstairs.)

EMILY If anyone asks where I was this afternoon, I was with you. You’re my alibi.

BUG Okay. Is an alibi the same as a lie?

EMILY Yes. Where did you go today?

BUG I practiced twirling this morning, and after lunch I walked to the library, and then I went to Chrissie Pinkard’s house and we watched a video on Wetlands of the Chesapeake.

EMILY Okay, so you and I went to the library and watched the video there. Together. Was it for a unit in earth science? ALGEBRA / 18

BUG No, Chrissie is into wetlands. She wants to be a scientist who does ecology.

(Voice from offstage.)

ELEANOR Girls, are you up there?

EMILY and BUG Yes, Mama.

ELEANOR Just checking. I’m going to start dinner in a minute. Any help peeling potatoes and making salad will be gratefully appreciated.

EMILY and BUG Yes, Mama.

EMILY I have to change. Remember, sworn to secrecy.

BUG Cross my heart and hope to die.

(BUG crosses her heart.)

EMILY Good. Wetlands video, library.

BUG What does it mean to go all the way?

EMILY Later. Now, scoot!

(Blackout)

SCENE 7

(The kitchen of the Clough house, Saturday evening, a few weeks later. ELEANOR stands at the sink. BUG enters, downcast. She is dressed in a Twirlette uniform, a leotard with spangles and sequins. She drops her baton on the floor. ELEANOR lets it pass. BUG sinks into a chair.)

ELEANOR So you’re back. All the way from the Warrenton Armory. Did Mrs. Lang drive her van filled ALGEBRA / 19 with screaming girls?

BUG She made a wrong turn in Front Royal and got lost and said a bad word. Then Mrs. Pinkard told her to get a grip.

ELEANOR Did the Hapsburg Twirlettes, fresh from their triumph in the Shenandoah Valley division, continue their sweep to the state championship?

BUG We came in third.

ELEANOR Third in the entire state of Virginia? You did very well.

BUG Better than any Twirlette squad in history. That’s what Mrs. Lang said.

ELEANOR She should know. She’s been the coach for years and years.

BUG It was Greta Lang’s fault! She acts like she’s a princess and hogs the spotlight and she’s not even that good of a twirler! She misses the beat . . . sometimes.

ELEANOR All right, hush. Overall, the team came through with flying colors, I would say. And you, Miss Elizabeth, gave the performance of a lifetime, I have no doubt whatsoever. That being true, what did you learn today?

BUG You don’t always win.

ELEANOR Even though you should. And . . .

BUG I don’t know.

ELEANOR Greta has an unfair advantage because she is Mrs. Lang’s daughter. It is no reflection on you. There will be other twirling meets, other opportunities to show off your talent.

BUG Yes, Mama. ALGEBRA / 20

ELEANOR Get cleaned up now. I made something special for you, a victory dinner. Are you hungry?

BUG Famished! I could eat a horse!

ELEANOR What a coincidence! Guess what’s in the oven.

(Blackout)

SCENE 8

(The Hapsburg Police station, days later, in the afternoon. RYDER, seated at a desk, wears a uniform. His gun and holster hang from the door lever. BETH, also in police uniform, is seated at another desk with a radio and a computer monitor. SKIP enters, wearing a clean white dress shirt and dress pants, but with unkempt hair. He talks to BETH.)

SKIP Skip Willis, here to see Captain Ryder.

BETH Is he expecting you?

SKIP He asked me to come to the station at four.

(RYDER rises and steps forward.)

RYDER And you’re right on time. Thank you, Beth. Hold my calls for a few minutes, will you?

BETH Yes, sir.

(RYDER ushers SKIP to his desk. They shake hands.)

RYDER Ralph Willis told me about you. He’s your uncle?

SKIP Yes, sir.

(RYDER sits behind his desk, which is bare except for a telephone and a ALGEBRA / 21

photograph of his wife and children. He fiddles with a paperclip. SKIP sits facing him, his back straight, at ease.)

RYDER You are a senior in high school?

SKIP Yes, sir.

RYDER Soon to graduate, then.

SKIP I hope so.

RYDER What are your plans after graduation?

SKIP I need to find a job. I’m looking for work in construction, electrical, car repair, or something like that.

RYDER Ralph Willis is a . . . personal friend. He says you have mechanical aptitude. You repaired the organ at St. Giles Episcopal for his Christmas Eve concert.

SKIP Yes, sir. I’m good at repairing things.

RYDER The police department has an opening for a mechanic, someone to keep our motorcycles and cruisers running. We upgraded the job title to Vehicle Technician. Ordinarily, we would want someone with experience. We have to advertise all job openings, but we would prefer to hire someone local, someone who will stay in the area. If you can meet the qualifications, I think you would be an excellent candidate.

SKIP Yes, sir. What qualifications?

RYDER First, a completed application form, which you can pick up from Beth. She’s the lady you met when you walked in. She is also the dispatcher. Second, you need to be a high school graduate. That’s by law, we can’t make exceptions. We can, however, make an offer conditional on your getting a diploma or GED. Third, you need to furnish three references.

SKIP ALGEBRA / 22

There’s Uncle Ralph.

RYDER References are people who are not your relatives. They can be a teacher, a pastor, a former employer. Can you pull that together?

SKIP There’s my automobile shop teacher Mr. Taggart. Father Francis at Paraclete Catholic. My mother told me to visit him, and he said he would vouch for me. Who else? Last summer, I worked for Lou’s Garage. Mr. Parkinson is . . .

RYDER I’m acquainted with Lousy Lou Parkinson. Fourthly, we have to run a security check. Have you ever been arrested, jailed, convicted of a felony, or held in a juvenile detention facility?

SKIP No, sir.

RYDER As I said, there’s no guarantee. But assuming you graduate, young man, there’s a job waiting for you.

SKIP Thank you, sir.

(They stand. SKIP floats past BETH and exits. BETH stands and moves to the door with the application in her hand. SKIP enters and grins at her.)

BETH It’s four-thirty, and I have to close up. Bring it back tomorrow. Blue or black ink, no pencil, and no attachments. I’m here at seven-thirty.

(SKIP exits. Blackout)

SCENE 9

(The same classroom as before, a day or two later. It is now mid-April. A vase of flowers is on the table where EMILY sits. She is excited, radiant.)

EMILY Spring is here! The last patches of snow have melted from the hollows. Even the gray shadows they leave behind have washed away in the warm spring rain. Bulbs are blooming, and the whole world is turning green. Everyone counts the days to the end of the school year, students and teachers alike. Which of us wants it more? (SKIP enters, also excited. He throws a paper on the table and beams.) ALGEBRA / 23

SKIP Emily, I passed the test!

EMILY I knew you could do it!

SKIP With your help.

EMILY Skip, you learned the material. Nobody did that for you.

SKIP Mr. Krieger said that if I keep this up I’ll pass the course. All I need is a 75 on the final exam.

EMILY How do you feel about algebra now?

SKIP No sweat!

EMILY What about your other courses?

SKIP Mr. Taggart will give me an A in Auto Shop. English and Social Studies are probably Cs. What else?

EMILY Aren’t you taking Basic Construction?

SKIP Oh, yeah. Mr. Chambers likes me. He might give me a B. And there’s one more thing . . . I have a job!

EMILY That’s wonderful!

SKIP The police department needs a mechanic. I’ll be responsible for all the squad cruisers and motorcycles. They have a paddy wagon, too. It’s used to transport prisoners.

EMILY I’m so happy for you. SKIP I still have to graduate. That’s the deal. ALGEBRA / 24

EMILY I have some news, too.

SKIP You do?

EMILY College acceptance letters went out last week. I heard from all three schools where I applied. The University of Virginia said no, but Hollins and Sweet Briar said yes.

SKIP Congratulations! Did you decide?

EMILY Not yet, but I’m leaning toward Sweet Briar. Hollins is good but farther away.

SKIP It just hit me. You’ll be leaving Hapsburg.

EMILY In mid-August. When do you start work?

SKIP June first. Assuming I graduate.

EMILY You will!

SKIP So, in a few weeks, it will all be over.

EMILY All?

SKIP Algebra, high school . . . you and me.

EMILY Skip, is that how you see us?

SKIP Emily, you’re smart. You’re going to college. From there who knows? You’ll become a lawyer or a banker, and you’ll marry another one. Besides, your parents would never accept me.

EMILY ALGEBRA / 25

Are you so sure?

SKIP Maybe I’m not as smart as you, but some things I do know.

EMILY So, this was just a fling.

SKIP No, I swear!

EMILY Maybe you’re right. It was sweet while it lasted.

SKIP Emily!

EMILY The senior prom is four weeks away. Did you consider that?

SKIP No.

EMILY Todd Martin asked me.

SKIP The trumpet player?

EMILY And captain of the basketball team.

SKIP What did you say?

EMILY I said I was flattered and begged for time.

(They look at each other in silence. He shoves his hands in his pockets and hunches his shoulders. His hair falls in a clump over his eyes.)

SKIP You think I’m fooling. Stringing you along.

EMILY I didn’t say that. ALGEBRA / 26

SKIP Todd Martin is okay. You should go to the prom with him.

EMILY Oh! Do you think I want to go with Todd Martin?

SKIP How should I know? Look, Emily . . . You can do whatever you want in life. Like you said, you have immunity. My mother warned me not to aim too high.

EMILY You told her about us?

SKIP I didn’t have to. It’s like she can read minds. Besides, whatever we have going is not some great secret, is it?

EMILY Your mother doesn’t have anything to do with us. Can’t you decide things for yourself? Am I worth fighting for?

SKIP Fighting? Like a duel with Todd Martin?

EMILY No! Against other people’s expectations! Your expectations. Yes, my father is a bank president, and yes, my mother does all the clubs and charities. But they are not me. You seem to think I’m an impossible goal . . . the same way you thought of algebra.

SKIP Wow.

EMILY People might criticize. What do we care?

SKIP If I went to the prom at all, it would be with you.

EMILY A girl can’t ask a boy. This is your chance, Skip.

SKIP I never thought it was for me. Look, I can’t afford the tuxedo and the corsage and all the rest of it, but . . . Emily, will you go to the prom with me? ALGEBRA / 27

EMILY Yes!

(Blackout)

SCENE 10

(The high school cafeteria, later the same day. EMILY and JANE are seated at a table. EMILY glows, and JANE is glum.)

EMILY Virginia said no, but Hollins and Sweet Briar said yes. Did you hear from all the schools you applied to?

JANE I heard from the one that matters, Harvard.

EMILY And? Don’t keep me in suspense.

JANE They accepted me.

EMILY That’s fabulous news! Why are you so down?

JANE We had a family conference, my mother and I. You know my father passed away years ago, right? Brother David is on tour with his band. He texted love and kisses. The problem is money. Even with a scholarship, my mother says we can’t afford it. Maybe I shouldn’t have applied.

EMILY Don’t say that. You proved how good you are.

JANE I got my hopes up too high.

EMILY Look, Jane, don’t give up yet. Maybe there’s a way to make it happen. Talk to Mr. Krieger, talk to the principal, talk to my father at the bank. Everyone is proud of you. They might know of some financial help.

JANE I appreciate the pep talk, Emily, but . . .

EMILY ALGEBRA / 28

But what?

JANE Give me a day or two. I have a few personal things to sort out.

EMILY Such as the senior prom? All right, enough said.

JANE Thanks for giving me the space. What about your plans? What did you tell Todd Martin?

EMILY I didn’t tell him yet, but the answer is no. Somebody else asked.

JANE Somebody else? Emily, no! You didn’t . . .

EMILY Skip Willis. This morning at algebra tutorial.

(JANE squeals with pleasure.)

JANE I think I just wet my pants!

EMILY Stop it! I have to tell you everything—that was our deal.

JANE As your official best friend forever, I am totally awestruck.

EMILY Allow me to point out that Todd Martin is available.

JANE Thanks for the tip, but dreamboats steer away from hard-working tugs. Are you sure about this? What will your parents say? Are you engaging in a classic case of teenage rebellion?

EMILY No! Well, maybe a little. The senior prom isn’t about them.

JANE You’re either a poor, deluded girl headed for social disaster or a feisty young woman who follows her heart. I’m going with the romantic option.

EMILY ALGEBRA / 29

Me too. But seriously, if someone somehow persuaded Todd Martin to broach the subject . . .

JANE Oh, no you don’t.

EMILY What are best friends for? You have to be there . . . with me.

JANE All right. If you can pull it off, I can graciously accept an invitation from hottest boy in Hapsburg High School . . . or the second hottest.

(Blackout.)

SCENE 11

(Saturday morning, outdoors on Main Street. ANCHORMAN is seated at a table to one side of the stage. Dressed in necktie and blazer, he reads from a script. Near him stands ELEANOR. On the other side of the stage, SKIP, dressed as he was for his job interview, stands beside his mother MARY. All four face the audience, where a civic parade is passing.)

ANCHORMAN Good morning! Welcome to the annual Mayday Parade from historic Hapsburg, Virginia. We are broadcasting from the Quidnunc County Courthouse, the midpoint of the parade. Behind me is a busy scene of jugglers, hawkers and street preachers, all vying for attention. And what a turn out!

In the Hapsburg civic calendar, the Mayday Parade is the premier event. They say half the town marches up Main Street, while the other half watches.

And here they come! The Junior Drum and Bugle Corps is made up of children under the age of fourteen. Rolling majestically behind them in an open car is the Grand Marshall in top hat and tailcoat. This year, the honor falls to Armistead Clough, president of the People’s Bank, chair of the Chamber of Commerce, and long-time supporter of the Blood Drive.

Next comes the Hapsburg High School Marching Band, in military-style uniforms of emerald and ivory, dripping with gold braid. Todd Martin plays the lead trumpet.

All four motorcycles from the police department follow in a diamond formation, with Captain J. D. Ryder at the apex. The officers wear gleaming black boots and gauntlets with their uniforms, and silver helmets. Silver streamers flutter from the handlebars.

Boy Scout Troop 37 marches past in shorts and kerchiefs, swinging their arms and singing at the top of their lungs. Father Francis McCoy marches alongside in Boy Scout attire, an astonishing change from his black suit and Roman collar. ALGEBRA / 30

(As ANCHORMAN continues to narrate inaudibly, ELEANOR catches sight of MARY and SKIP and crosses to them.)

ELEANOR Mary Willis? I’m Eleanor Clough. We know each other from the grocery store. May I join you?

MARY Certainly. Do you know my son Skip?

SKIP Pleased to meet you.

MARY Last semester, your daughter Emily tutored Skip in algebra. It was very generous.

ELEANOR Don’t thank me. She loves mathematics, though she’d die if she heard me tell.

MARY Thanks to her help, Skip is on track to graduate.

ELEANOR I’m so glad. Congratulations.

SKIP Yes, ma’am.

MARY And you have another daughter?

ELEANOR Elizabeth. She’s in the baton twirling corps. My husband Armistead is in the parade, too. He’s the grand marshal this year. I’m left here alone on the sidelines.

(The women laugh. Marching in Twirlette uniform, BUG enters behind the spectators, who see her reflected in the audience.)

ANCHORMAN Here come the Hapsburg Twirlettes marching and twirling at a dizzy pace. These young ladies placed first in the Valley Regional Division, then finished third in the state trials. Let’s give the Twirlettes a round of applause.

(ELEANOR, SKIP and MARY applaud. BUG exits. EMILY enters in a long, white dress and sparkling crown. She waves graciously. Again, the spectators see her reflected in the audience.) ALGEBRA / 31

And here on a royal float covered with flowers, surrounded by her court, is our Queen of the May, Miss Emily Clough. Every year, a graduating high school senior is chosen for this honor. Her jeweled crown glitters in the sunlight, almost too bright to view with the naked eye.

(EMILY halts center stage. She extends her arms in a regal gesture. SKIP turns to face her, and the gesture becomes one of invitation. SKIP crosses to her, extends his arms, and they join hands like dance partners. The women chat inaudibly, as ANCHORMAN taps his script on the table.)

ANCHORMAN No one knows exactly how or when the Mayday Parade got started, but every year it shows the town at its best. It has been my privilege to watch along with you.

(EMILY and SKIP, still holding hands, turn to face the audience and cross downstage. BUG enters and crosses to ANCHORMAN, who stands and takes her hand. All six actors line up downstage. Curtain.)