BUS DRIVER. Sorry folks, this bus isn’t going anywhere. Even if I could get the engine started, we’re in this snow bank good. There’s no traction. We’ve got another bus on the way. If it makes it through the snow, it should be here in five to ten minutes. Maybe. Give or take. Just sit tight and stay warm. I’m gonna go out and start digging.
WILL. Great.
CLAIRE. Terrific.
MARK. Nice driving.
CINDY. It wasn’t his fault. Besides all the snow, it’s solid ice underneath. We shouldn’t even be out here.
AMY. Wow. I’ve never been stuck on a bus. (Pause. She gets up and addresses everyone in the bus) Uh, hi. My name is Amy. I saw this movie once…where a bunch of people were stuck in a subway car, kind of like us. And…at first they didn’t want to talk to each other, but after a while they started getting along like they were all friends, and they started singing together. So when they were singing, the time passed really quickly and the train started up again and they were almost sad that they weren’t stuck any more. (Pause) So anyway, I thought that if we started singing, it would help pass the time. Christmas is coming up in a month, so why don’t we sing some Christmas songs? I’ll start (Sings) “We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year…(pause)…Good tidings.. (Stops singing) Okay. I guess it’s kind of hard to sing in public. I know. We just had Thanksgiving weekend, so why don’t we all go around and introduce ourselves and say something we’re thankful for. Okay, I’ll start. My name is Amy …oh, I said that already…And I’m thankful…
CINDY. Um, honey, I don’t think anyone really wants to talk. Why don’t we all just sit and wait for the other bus.
MARK. (To Cindy) That was a little cold, wasn’t it?
CINDY. I was just telling her what everyone was thinking, but nobody would say. That’s all.
MARK. How do you know what everyone’s thinking?
CINDY. Well, I was just trying to be helpful. If you want to embarrass yourself, that’s fine.
MARK. Hi, Amy, my name is Mark. One thing you can be thankful for is that you’re not married. (Cindy glares at him) Not that there’s anything wrong with marriage. Marriage is a wonderful thing. But right now you’ve got your freedom. You don’t have the pressures of bills, mortgages, property taxes, raising a family…
CINDY. Communication problems, cleaning up day after day, putting up with tantrums…
MARK. Always having to wait, never being on time…
CINDY. Having all your money spent on Nintendo, tools…
CLAIRE. Listen to you two. How long have you been married? No, wait. Let me guess. Eight months.
CINDY. Seven.
MARK. You make it sound like a prison sentence.
CINDY. You don’t sound like you’re having any fun either, do you.
MARK. I have fun. Just…not all the time.
CINDY. Oh, do you want me to be more fun?
MARK. I want you to be you. It’s just… It’s different than when we were dating. I just need to get used to you.
CINDY. Oh really.
MARK. And you need to get used to me. I still love you, you know. I really do.
CINDY. I know. I love you too.
CLAIRE. The first year of marriage is always hard. Don’t worry, things’ll get better. You to have a lot to be thankful for. You have each other, for one thing. There’s still time to build your marriage into something that will last. That’s very important. Believe me.
MARK. Did you have a bad marriage?
CINDY. (Surprised at his tactlessness) Mark.
MARK. Well, we’re all being so open about our lives here…
CLAIRE. It’s okay. I didn’t have a bad marriage, it was a very good one. At least I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Then one day my husband turned thirty-nine and spent all our savings on a red sports car and drove away. I haven’t seen him since.
MARK. (Laughing a little) I’m sorry. That’s not funny. It’s kind of sad. He must’ve had some kind of serious mid-life crisis.
CLAIRE. Herb never was a strong man. He was an artist. He was very creative, but he was never very strong. I guess, when I think back, he was always running away from things.
CINDY. Typical male. (Mark looks at her) Generally speaking.
WILL. Why do girls always say that?
AMY. Not all girls say that. Just the ones that are mad.
CINDY. I’m not mad. I’m realistic.
CLAIRE. I guess I’m a little mad. He left me high and dry, really. I never went to college, I had no idea how to get a job, the bills were stacking up, and our son was turning twelve, so I had to brace myself for that. It’s just been a terrible time getting my life in order.
AMY. Are you thankful for anything?
CLAIRE. I guess I’d be thankful if I could catch up on my bills. I’d be thankful if I knew where my son was half the time.
WILL. How come you said it was bad that your son was turning twelve?
CLAIRE. Oh, it wasn’t a bad thing. It just meant more work. Kids tend to get rebellious at that age.
AMY. (To Will ) What’s your name?
WILL. Will.
AMY. What are you thankful for, Will?
WILL. I don’t know. I’m not very thankful about the way grown-ups treat me. And girls.
AMY. What do you mean?
WILL. Well, they talk about me like I’m the same as everybody else. Like, all kids my age are rebellious, so I must be rebellious. Or girls are always saying that all guys are immature so I’m immature because I’m a guy. It just seems like everyone puts me in a group, like I’m exactly the same as every other twelve-year old guy in the world. I just wish I was a grown-up. It’s not easy being a kid (Claire, Cindy and Mark laugh).
CLAIRE. You’ll change your mind when you get older.
MARK. When you get older, you’ll wish you could have stayed twelve for the rest of your life.
WILL. I don’t think so. What’s so great about it? When you’re a grown-up, you can do whatever you want. You don’t have to go to school, you don’t have to take classes about stuff that you’re never going to need to know about. Like a predicate nominative. And you can buy whatever you want, and live by yourself and do whatever you want to your room. And you can go anywhere you want without a whatchamacallit, a chaperone. When you’re twelve, nobody takes you seriously; you can’t do anything without getting yelled at...
MARK. We’ve all been there.
AMY. Yeah, I think a lot of things aren’t as bad when you look back at them. I used to hate school, now I really miss it.
CINDY. (To Amy) You don’t go to school?
AMY. No, I don’t go to school any more.
CINDY. Oh, you must be older than you look
AMY. I just turned sixteen
MARK. Well, then why don’t you go to…
CLAIRE. Oh! Good heavens, I’m glad I’m not your mother! That’s worse than a boy turning twelve!
CINDY. I hated being sixteen. It was so hard.
WILL. I thought you guys said being a kid was easy.
CINDY. Twelve was easy. Sixteen was a nightmare.
AMY. I don’t think it’s so bad. I like being sixteen…(Looks as if she’s thinking about something. Looks at Carl as if to change the subject). What’s your name? (Pause. No response) How was your Thanksgiving?
CARL. (After sitting quietly for the whole scene, speaks in a thick German accent). How was my Thanksgiving? How was my Thanksgiving? What kind of question is that? Look at me. (He looks down at his tattered clothes) Look at me. How do you think my thanksgiving was? I ate a dry piece of turkey at a Catholic mission with a roomful of crazy people that haven’t taken a bath in many days. How do you think my Thanksgiving was? Look at you. Look at you, with your nice clothes and your nice clean shoes, with your nice house. How can you ask me a question like that? And please don’t ask me your question of why am I thankful, because I am not. I can’t be thankful because I have…there is nothing for being thankful. I don’t have anything. When I lived in Germany, do you know what I did? I had a shop. People would come in and buy things. They would say, “Good morning Carl. I would like the box of soap, please.” And I would give them the soap, and they would give me money and say. “Thank you, Carl, I will see you tomorrow.” And, you know in Germany, it is not like in the United States, where “the customer is always right," and the people come in and yell at the clerk in the store. In Germany, a man who has a shop is respected, because he is providing something for the people. He is bringing them things to live and to enjoy. I was respected. Then…then, re-unification. I lose my shop. Everything, money, people, everything was crazy. I lost everything. So I come to the land of opportunity. This is my opportunity. This is what I have come from running my fathers’ store and his father’s store. I was a respected man. Now, when people look at me, there is no “Good morning CARL.” All there is to see is an old, crazy bum. Just an old bum. So don’t ask me why I should be thankful, because I am not. You are young; you have your whole life ahead of you. You can do anything you want because there is time. There is no more time for me. I’m too tired. I’m tired of trying. So now, please leave me alone. I would appreciate if you don’t speak to me with your silly singing and your silly questions. I don’t care and I want to be left alone.
AMY. (Pause) Okay. (Not sure what to do. But she doesn’t like the silence) Um, if anyone’s hungry, I’ve got a candy bar. I don’t think I want it.
WILL. I’ll take it.
AMY. (looks at Carl to see if he wants it. No response. Turns to Will) Here you go.
WILL. Thanks. (Looks at her hat) Are you from Milwaukee?
AMY. No. Why?
WILL. You got a Brewer’s hat on. I guess you’re just a fan, huh?
AMY. Not really. I just have a lot of hats. I wear hats all the time, so I collect them.
WILL. How come you always wear hats?
AMY. Chemotherapy makes your hair fall out
WILL. Chemotherapy?
AMY. Yeah. You know, for when you have cancer. They use it sometimes even if they don’t think you’re gonna…Anyway that’s where I’m going. Back to the treatment center. I kind of live there now. Except, I did get to spend thanksgiving at home. I’m really glad I got to do that. I wish my mom could drive me today, but her boss isn’t letting her miss anymore work, 'cause she’s missed so much already because of me. And she needs the money. But I’m glad we had the weekend. And if things go well, I might be able to come home for Christmas. That’s probably what I’m the most thankful for. The times I get to spend with my family before…(Pause)…especially the time I spend with my mom.
(There is a brief pause, as no one is sure what to say. Then the bus driver enters.)
BUS DRIVER. Okay folks, the replacement bus is here. The other driver and I are going to transfer some gear, so in the meantime, if you want to make your way over to the other bus, we’ll have you out of here in no time
(Bus Driver exits. A slight pause, then people finally get up ready to exit. Everyone stops as Carl begins to quietly sing)
CARL. Stille nacht,Helige nacht
Alles schlaft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar
Holder Knabe im lochigen Haar
(Those that were ready to leave begin to sit back down)
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh
Schlaf in himmlischer Rhu.
(The rest of the group begins to sing. Little by little they all hold hands)
ALL. Silent Night, Holy night
All is calm, All is bright
'Round yon virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
(Slowly, they all exit in silence)
(Curtain)
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