Party House

Submission for 28 Plays Later

The challenge was to take a previous day's text and make it different. CW: Abortion.

Lorna sits on the toilet, she is holding her head with one hand, and her stomach with the other. She is in discomfort. Almost crying. Music blasts from outside the room. On stage we see into a bathroom. It is the bathroom at a wild house party. People are queuing to use it. There is a window in the bathroom.

Someone knocks at the bathroom door.

Off: Are you nearly finished?

Lorna doesn't answer, she begins to cry.

Off: come on! You've been in there ages.

Lorna: Sorry

James: Can I come in, Lorna?

Lorna: No, please don’t.

James: What’s up?

Lorna: I can’t…

James: Please let me in

Lorna: No, James, just leave me alone.

James: Have I done something wrong?

Lorna: No James, please just leave me alone. I will be out in a few minutes.

Lorna begins running a bath, even though there is a full on house party happening outside the bedroom.

Christie: Can I come in I need to piss real bad,

Lorna: Is James with you?

Christie: No.

Lorna: She unlocks the door and peers through to check if James is there. Come in.

Christie: Goes to the toilet. Fuck I was desperate.

Lorna: You could have gone to the downstairs.

Christie: Yeah, I tried, there was a mad queue.

Lorna: Cool.

Christie: er, what are you running a bath for?

Lorna: I just felt like it.

Christie: But, what about the party.

Lorna: Yeah not really feeling it?

Christie: Oh how come? Is everything okay?

Lorna: Yeah I just wanted a bath.

Christie: Right.

Lorna: It’s James.

Christie: James?

Lorna: Yeah, he doesn’t know.

Christie: Still?

Lorna: I just don’t know how to tell him.

Christie: How about like this. James. You got me pregnant when we fucked, and now I have had an abortion.

Lorna: And now there is a house party happening in my own house, I feel like shit, I keep having stomach cramps, and I am freaking out that I may have to have another procedure or something.

Lorna gets into the bath.

Christie: Are you alright though?

Lorna: Sighs Yeah, I think so. I just want to lie here and forget about it all.

Christie: Fair.

Lorna: Shit day for us to choose to have a houseparty eh? I should have insisted that we cancelled it, but I didn’t want to be that bitch.

Christie: Are you going to tell James:

Lorna: I am going to have to aren’t I? Usually after these parties we cuddle, and fuck in the afterglow, in the come down, in the fuzziness of it all.

Christie: He’s a nice guy though, I am sure it will be fine.

Lorna gets into the bath. Christie affectionately splashes some water at her. They both laugh.

Lorna: I suppose I should really be grateful. Imagine this was like in the olden days. I would have to have the bloody thing.

Christie: Fuck that! Although, you’d be a great mum.

Lorna: Thanks, I think.

There is a knocking at the door.

James: You still in there?

Lorna: Yeah, Christie’s in here too.

James: Right, okay.

Lorna: Yeah.

James: You should come down, the party is fucking wild. Steve is gonna play a set soon.

Lorna: Right, I’ll be down / soon.

Christie: James, I think you need to come in.

Lorna: Christie!

Christie: You know you have to tell him right?

Lorna: Yeah, will you stay.

Christie: Of course.

Lorna: Thanks

James enters the bathroom.

James: er, why the fuck are you in the bath?

Lorna: We need to have a little chat.

James: Have I done something wrong?

Lorna: No, well, no, kind of, no, we have though. Sort of. Sit down.

James puts the toilet seat down and sits on it.

James: So what is wrong?

Lorna: Urgh fuck.

Christie: You can do it.

Lorna: You know, after the last party…

James: Yeah…

Lorna: We, y’know…

James: We what…

Christie: She means when you fucked her James, when you both fucked after the last party, like you do after every party.

James: Why does she know about that?

Christie: That isn’t important. And it’s not exactly the world’s best kept secret is it?

James: Hm. I thought it was just between us to, but you’ve been telling everyone about it?!

Lorna: Not everyone, just Christie.

James: Yeah sure.

Lorna: Don’t be like that James.

Christie: You fucked her and then she got pregnant.

James: What? What the fuck? No. No. No. I am too young to be a dad. Fuck. Fuck. /No

Lorna: No, James, you’re not going to be a dad.

James: But you said you were pregn/ant

Christie: For fuck’s sake James. She had an abortion. Today.

James: Oh, why didn’t you tell me.

Christie: I wanted to, but we’d all agreed to have this stupid fucking party ages ago and I didn’t want to be like - oh hey can we not have a party I am pregnant and I need to go have an abortion so let’s cancel yeah?

James: We could have though...we could have thought of something. An excuse. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.

Lorna: Well, you know I was busy freaking out that I was growing a fucking little baby inside of me.

Christie: you could ask her how she is doing James.

James: Shit, fuck, yeah, sorry, are you okay?

Lorna: Apart from the fucking rave that is happening in our basement right now, yeah. I am okay, tired. It’s a bit fucking weird isn’t it? I was so ready to get rid of it, but now that it is gone, I kind of miss it. It seemed so natural and so alien at the same time.

James: Goes over to the bath, and strokes Lorna’s face. Whispering. I love you.

Lorna: Crying.

Christie: Comes over. You’re fucking awesome Lorna.

James: I saw on TV once, this group of friends, they had a little funeral for an abortion. Y’know, so that they could say goodbye. I can’t remember what they used, I think it was a towel or something. They wrapped it up, and named it, and then they buried it together in the garden together.

Lorna: That’s a really sweet idea.

Christie: We can do that.

Lorna: Grabs some shampoo. I never liked the idea of being buried. I also wanted to be cremated, or have my ashes spread at sea, or something.

James: ha, I like that.

Lorna: Holding up the shampoo. I would like to introduce you to baby Alex.

Christie: Oh she’s beautiful, it is a she right?

Lorna: No idea! Alex is a boy’s and girl’s name.

James: proudly. I’m its dad!

Lorna: Sadly there were some complications, with er, my life, ha, and the timing of all this so I decided to, to not carry on with this one.

James: That’s cool with me too.

Lorna: But I think I am going to miss baby Alex. And I would appreciate it if we could all say something nice about our baby at this moment.

Lorna passes the baby to Christie

Christie: I think this is the most beautiful baby in the universe, I think that you made the right decision. And I am sorry about your pain and grief, Lorna, and you James too. But maybe one day in the future, you can have another Alex, when you’re ready.

Christie passes the baby to James

James: I think you have your dad’s eyes. The others laugh. I am sorry that you went through all this, and that your mum was so brave to go on her own and do this and not tell everyone. I think she saved you, somehow, because look at us, half way through a banging house party giving a little ceremony to a bottle - he begins to cry - of Head and fucking Shoulders. I want you to know Alex, that I would have loved you, and tried my best for you, but, but I think I could do better in a few years time.

James passes the bottle to Lorna.

Lorna: I love you Alex. I loved you. I love you. Can we just have a minute’s silence please.

There is a minute’s silence. All 3 of them are not holding back their tears. The bass pounds from the party downstairs.

There is a knock at the door.

Off: Can I come in I need a piss!

Christie: Fuck off! we’re having a funeral.

James: Use the downstairs.

They all laugh.

Lorna: She kisses the shampoo bottle. Goodbye Alex. James and Christie kiss it too.

James: Goodbye Alex.

Christie: bye baby.

Lorna: Now find peace, at sea. She gets out of the bath. Opens the shampoo bottle, and pours it all into the bathtub.

James: Are you ready to let go?

Lorna: I think so. She unplugs the bath.

End.

Public performance of this script is not possible without the express permission of Andrew Bill Roberts, the author. This script may be used in educational settings free of charge, but not performed to a public audience. Copyright Andrew Bill Roberts 2021.