"Selective Memory" by Mark S.P. Turvin Copyright 1989, 1993-Mark S.P. Turvin and Goldfish Publishers Characters: Jeff Klein-46. Tall, dark, wears a formal tuxedo. Matt Klein-21. Tall, dark, also wearing a tux. Jeff's son. Setting: A dim stage. Center is a seven foot long platform, set as a table with a starched white tablecloth, almost floor length. On the center of the table is a single candle in a beautiful silver holder. At each end of the table is a chair. Time: Any spring after January 20th, 1981. THE CURTAIN RISESŠto find Jeff Klein seated in the SL chair, hands folded on the table. There is impatience in his stature, which is conveyed with an economy of movement. A door is heard to open off SR with difficulty, then shut. He stands expectantly, straightening his cuffs. His son, Matt Klein enters, carrying two bone china coffee cups. Jeff Do you need any help? Matt I've got it, thanks dad. (He puts a cup down at each end of the table‹there is an awkward pause) It's hot chocolate. I rememberedŠnot coffee. Jeff Thank you. (Pause) Uhh, congratulations. (Sounding rehearsed) A cause for celebration. Another college graduate for the Klein family. (Offers his hand to shake) Matt Thank you. (They shake hands stiffly) Jeff Onto graduate school, hmm? Matt Mmm-hmm. (Pause, Matt goes to sit down, Jeff does so, too) Jeff English? Matt Theatre, too. Jeff Oh. (Pause) You're not staying at Syracuse? (Matt shakes his head) Where to? Matt Boston University. Haven't I told you this already? Jeff I don't remember you telling me that they accepted you. That's good. Scholarships? Matt Mmm-hmm. I won't be needing them now, though. Not with the money I'll be getting from thisŠ Jeff (Interrupting, not wanting to bring up the subject) Use it to find a nice apartment up there. Matt Right. (Silence) I just found out about my summer job. I'll be a floater at IBM. I'll be making about ten dollars an hour. Jeff Good. Maybe you'll like it there. It's a good company. Matt And it's only a ten minute subway ride away from B.U. Jeff Maybe you could stay there during the semester. Matt Well, it's not like I'm really going to need the cash. Jeff (Nods) But it still would be nice. Make connections up there. Matt What am I going to need connections at IBM for? I'm in an M.A./Ph.D. program for Theatre and Writing. Jeff You never know‹good recommendations, that sort of thing. Matt (Brusquely) Right, right, yes dad. Jeff What's wrong? Matt Nothing. Forget it. (Pause, sighs) Jeff You were out on Thursday when your mom called you about this. Matt Yeah. (Pause) Jeff Where were you? Matt Ingrid and I went to the Mets game. Jeff Oh, that's interesting. (Beat) Who won? Matt San Francisco. Jeff Good game? Matt The Mets lost, you tell me. (Pause) Why were you surprised? Jeff About what? Matt When I told you that I was at the game. Jeff I didn't know you like baseball, that's all. It must've been something you picked up at Syracuse. Matt Oh, Jesus, right. Right. (Beat) At Syracuse. Jeff Now what? Matt Nothing, nothing. This isn't the time or the place to get into this. Can we try to find something we both can talk about? Jeff You're always pushing things off. Let's talk, here and now. It's the perfect moment to. We can talk about things from when you were growing up. We can talk about how you're feeling right now. Maybe compare notes about some things. (Pause, softly) People will be coming in soon, taking this moment away. Let's just talk to each other, straight. Please. Matt (Sarcastically) Sounds great, dad. About what? I think the weather is the only thing we can agree on, if that much. Jeff Did I say we had to agree? Matt Good thing, too. (Silence) Jeff (Launching into a new subject) What do you want to do after grad school? Matt What kind of want? Jeff What do you mean? Matt Realistic want, or hope want? Jeff Realistic might be a welcome change of pace. Matt What does that mean? Jeff It doesn't mean anything. Matt Sounded like a crack to me. Jeff Do you have to act paranoid here, now? Matt I use what I'm given. (Pause) Listen, I'm just (Beat) a little tense. Jeff I understand. (Pause) When did you make your decision? About which grad school. Matt You really don't remember me telling you how I got into B.U.? Jeff I knew that you had applied to B.U., Syracuse, and anotherŠ Matt Yale DramaŠ Jeff (A little too excited) That's right, an ivy league school. Very impressive. (Beat, offering an explanation) We haven't talked in a while. You've been busy with graduation, and I was setting up the income comparison data for Stanton. Matt Well, I decided to be daring, played a hunch. I sent in a copy of a one act play to Boston University instead of writing the essay that they had asked for. (He pauses, looking to see if his father is interested) You listening? Jeff Of course. Matt I mean, you're the one who wanted to knowŠ Jeff I'm listening, Matt. Matt (Quickly, brusquely) Okay. (Beat, goes on) So, the essay was supposed to be about what you just asked, what I wanted to do with my degree when I was done. So instead of the essay, I sent them the play I wrote at the beginning of the year; the one that mom came to see at Syracuse Stage. It's about this mother and daughter who have to care for the physically abusive grandfather who's had an accident and is now wheelchair-bound. Jeff (Quickly jumping in, trying to impress his son) Conscious Kindness. I would've come up to see it, but the fourth quarter numbers were due for ProTechŠ Matt (Interrupting) No, it's called Conspiracy of Kindness. Jeff (Warily) CloseŠ (Silence, prompting) Go on, MattŠPleaseŠ Matt (Pause, a little hurt) Right. Well, I sent it to them, and they called me. It was the Chair of the Theatre Department. He called me on a Friday afternoon, and asked me to meet with him in Boston the next Tuesday morning. I canceled rehearsals for that Monday and Tuesday night, and we drove into Boston in theŠ Jeff (Interrupting) We who? Matt Ingrid and I. (Pause, seeing if he remembers) My girlfriend. (Jeff nods his head) She's the one with the car. Jeff Ingrid has a car? Matt Yes, a restored vintage Beetle. What does this have to do with the story, dad? Jeff I just didn't know, okay. (Pause) I'm sorry, go on. Matt (Standoffishly) Some of my friends are respectable people. I mean, Ingrid'sŠ Jeff (Talking over his son) I said I was sorry, go on with your storyŠ Matt Ingrid's not even in theatre, she's getting her degree in Elementary Education. Jeff (Quietly, when he's finished) Please. I'm interested. Tell me your story. I didn't mean to digress. Matt (Testing) Where was I? Jeff Ingrid drove you from Syracuse to Boston on Monday. (Quickly) See, I was listening. Matt (Smiles slightly, tells the story with little dramatic pauses, fully aware that he's playing storyteller) Okay. She drove me into Boston through this freak late April snowstorm. I'm expecting that I'm going to get an interview, and that I'll have to defend my writing and come up with all this technical jargon to B.S. this guy with, right. (Beat) So I go in, dressed up in the Armani suit you and mom gave me for Christmas, and he looks me over and says, "Why'dja send a play?" I told him because if he wanted to know about me, he'd find out more by reading my writing. (Beat) He sat quietly for a minute, nodded his head, and said, "You know, Mister Klein, you could've gotten in a lot of trouble if you'd tried a stunt like that and you weren't a good writer." He shook my hand and took me on a tour of their Equity house on Huntington Street and their Playwright's Theatre on campus. (Excitedly) Oh, and I met Derek Wolcott. He's B.U.'s playwright-in-residence. He just won a Pulitzer Prize. I was introduced to him as the first in their next crop of graduate playwrights. Jeff That's great. Matt Do you know what kind of a pleasure it is to get an acceptance call from Yale University and reject them? (He smiles) Jeff (Concerned) You don't think you might have been too hasty. Yale's a great schoolŠ Matt Dad, Yale's only good for it's connections. I want to learn how to write, not how to network. The big joke about actors that come out of Yale Drama is that they know how to audition better than anyone, but couldn't act to save their lives. Jeff It's just that it's an ivy league schoolŠ Matt Ivy league, bullshit. I don't want to buy a name, I want an education. Jeff If that's what you think is best. Matt (Perturbed, he sighs, then they both fall into a silence. Motions to the empty cups) Do you want anymore? (Jeff shakes his head) Wasn't very good, anyway. You'd think with the money this place charges, you'd get real hot chocolate, not the packaged stuff. (Beat) And you need whipped cream in it every time. Jeff (With a knowing smile) Or marshmallows. Matt Oh, yeah. The mini ones that mom always threw into the mug. (Smiles, pause) Jeff How is she? Matt She'll be in later. (Silence) Shit, is that the only thing we agree on? Jeff It's a start. Matt Well, a start isn't good enough. Not now. Jeff (Slowly, deliberately) Yes, it is. It can be. Matt I'm twenty one years old. A start isn't good enough. Jeff Please, calm down, not right nowŠ Matt If I don't start now, when? Jeff I wanted to keep this pleasant. Matt The others will be here soon. (Pause) Now that I think of it, this is the perfect time. This isn't a time for pleasantries. Not anymore. Jeff Please, Matt. For God's sake, let's just leave this alone. (Matt stops, leans back in his chair, fuming. Silence) What exactly are you going to get your Masters in? Matt Creative Writing with an emphasis in Playwrighting, and Directing. Jeff There's Publishing in there somewhere, isn't there? Matt Why should there be? Jeff Don't take this the wrong way. I just think it would be good to have something to fall back on. Matt If I need to fall back, I'll teach. I don't want to work for some magazine as layout. The classes would be wasted on me. And I don't want to be an editor of other people's work. I want my own to be read. Jeff Don't get upset again, I'm just trying to make sure that you're doing the right thing. Matt It's what I want to be doing. (Silence) Jeff (More to himself) Okay, that's all right. You're still young enough to do that. Matt I'm glad that I have your approval. Jeff You do, Matt‹ Matt Oh, do I? Every time I mention something about theatre, you get this look on your face like you're smelling shit. Jeff Matt, please, you have to understand, the world that you've grown up in, and moved into isŠ (Searches for words) it's a little alien to me. When your mother and I were growing up, we didn't have the choices that you have. Everything was more cut and dried. Money was tight, so we had only one way to do things. (Pause, hesitant) There was a time, though. (Allowing himself to reminisce) TO BE CONTINUED...