(BACH PIANO)
SS: I love this piece. --(PAUSE) It makes me think of summer somehow. Beaches. Sun.
GK: Bach makes you think of beaches.
SS: Well-- you add an E to Bach -- (PAUSE) it's beach.
GK: What are you trying to say?
SS: I was just thinking maybe we could get away this summer. Go someplace. You and me.
GK: What about Josh?
SS: Josh is almost sixteen.
GK: So?
SS: Josh needs to develop a little independence. Learn that his mom and dad aren't always there to prop him up and keep him from --
GK: Keep him from what?
SS: Maybe you're right. Maybe we'd better stay home.
GK: Isn't Josh going to camp this summer?
SS: Oh, that's right. German immersion camp. In July.
GK: Whose idea was that?
SS: Honey, left to his own devices, Josh would probably arise at noon every day and spend six hours playing Second Degree Felony and listening to the Angry Grommets. But-- once he gets used to the idea -- I'm sure he'll be perfectly happy at German camp.
GK: So where do you want to go?
SS: Where would you like to go?
GK: I don't care.
SS: We always go to places I pick out -- why don't we go somewhere you want to go? .
GK: Okay.
SS: (PAUSE) So? (PAUSE) Where?
GK: I was thinking about Maine.
(PAUSE)
SS: Okay. (PAUSE) What about Maine?
GK: I've always wanted to go there.
SS: (PAUSE) For any particular reason?
GK: Heard it was beautiful. You know, lobsters, pine trees, that kind of thing.
SS: Uh huh.
GK: Where would you like to go?
SS: I was thinking San Diego.
(A BEAT)
GK: Okay, we'll go to San Diego.
SS: No, no, I'm not going to play that game. You want to go to Maine, we'll go to Maine.
GK: I don't need to go to Maine. I could go to San Diego.
SS: No, we'll go to Maine. I'll just buy some raingear and some bug repellant and we'll be all set.
GK: I don't know.
SS: Maine is fine. I'll bring some books, and an antidepressant, I'll be okay.
GK: How about we compromise?
SS: Between Maine and San Diego?-- What? Kansas?
GK: I wouldn't mind Kansas.
SS: Fine. You go to Kansas, I'll stay and take care of Josh.
GK: No, no-- I'm going online and order tickets to San Diego. When do you want to go?
SS: We'll go to Maine. We always go places I pick out and you suffer through it and sit and sulk and so let's go to Maine.
GK: I'm not going to Maine.
SS: Fine. I'll go alone.
GK: Fine.
(A BEAT)
SS: We could go to North Carolina.
GK: That's a great idea.
SS: That's where your old girlfriend lives, isn't it? Carolyn?
GK: Is it? I don't remember.
SS: This music made you think of her, didn't it.
GK: It's only music.
SS: She was a pianist. You told me that. Carolyn was a classical pianist. She had long red hair and she was a vegetarian and she volunteered at the Humane Society. Remember.
(A BEAT)
GK: And?
SS: When you close your eyes, you're imagining that you're with her, aren't you.
(KNOCKING)
TR (TEEN): Mom? Dad? What's going on in here?
GK: I have no idea, Josh.
TR (TEEN): Can I come in? Are you decent?
SS: Come in, honey. (DOOR OPEN, FOOTSTEPS)
TR (TEEN): What are you arguing about now?
SS: We weren', honey. We were just having a discussion.
TR (TEEN): What's this music?
GK: It's Bach.
TR (TEEN): Kind of depressing, isn't it.
GK: Did you need something, Josh? Can we help you at all?
TR (TEEN): No, I just came in to talk.
GK: Okay, you've talked. Thank you.
TR (TEEN): I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong.
SS: We're fine honey. Don't worry.
TR (TEEN): I've been working with those German tapes you gave me. They're really neat. Listen. (TR TEEN SPEAKING FLUENT GERMAN)
SS: Wow. That's great, honey. Did you hear that?
GK: Sounds good. What does it mean?
TR (TEEN): It means, "I want to crush you with the force of iron and forge your soul into a knife that will bring down the evil dwarf."
SS: Interesting.
GK: Is that a quotation from something, Josh?
TR (TEEN): No.
SS: You thought of it yourself, honey?
TR (TEEN): Yeah. Why?
GK: So you like German, huh?
TR (TEEN): Yeah. It's really a neat language. You can say all sorts of things in German that you can't say in English.
GK: Is that right--
TR (TEEN): Yeah, like for example. (TEEN FLUENT GERMAN)
GK: Uh huh.
SS: What does that mean, honey?
TR (TEEN): It's hard to translate.
GK: Try.
TR (TEEN): Well, it's sort of like -- "You have betrayed the shining ideals that I thought we held sacred and you have broken my trust and so, as soon as I'm done with the dwarf, I'm going to come back for you."
GK: Yes. I see what you mean.
TR (TEEN): We don't really have an equivalent phrase.
GK: No I suppose not.
SS: So where would you like to go for vacation this summer, honey?
TR (TEEN): California.
(A BEAT)
SS: Okay. What do you think?
GK: With Josh?
SS: Yes.
GK: Sure, California. How about San Diego?
SS: Why are you looking at me like that?
GK: Like what?
SS: Never mind.
TR (TEEN): Wow. Cool.
GK: You don't want Josh to go to language camp?
TR (TEEN): I can learn it from tapes.
SS: Okay. You okay with that?
GK: Of course. Why not? (MUSIC UP AND OUT)