Baggage Drama
Summary
Husband and wife in a struggle with letting go of
the past. Mostly comedy with a serious ending.
Characters
A man and his wife. Any names will work. This is a fun one for a
real husband and wife to perform together
Props
- Large Trashcan
- One or more medium to large boxes
- Greeting card
- Old dirty rag
- A ream or so of paper any color
- Photograph
- Telephone
Setting
A family rec. room. Set may be as simple or ornate as you like.
Script
- Jean:
- Honey? I'm home.
- Robert:
- I'm in the rec room.
- Jean:
- (Enters. Looks around the room in astonishment)
- Robert:
- Whaddya think? Not bad for one afternoon eh?
- Jean:
- (Opens mouth but no words)
- Robert:
- I cleaned out the panic boxes that we throw stuff in
whenever company's coming. It was like an archealogical dig. The futher
into the pile I dug, the earlier the dates were on the mail.
- Jean:
- (Tries to form words, but no sound)
- Robert:
- We'll have to pay for about three dump runs, but
it'll be worth it to have all this junk outta here once and for all.
Isn't it great?
- Jean:
- Well, uh...
- Robert:
- We can fit a ping pong table in
here now. Or maybe a pool table. Pastor hasn't said anything about not
playing pool has he?
- Jean:
- Honey, I wish you would have waited til I got home
to...
- Robert:
- Waited?! I've been puttin' this off for six years!
I finally got off my duff to get rid of this junk, and you're gonna
complain?
- Jean:
- No Honey I appreciate it. I really do. It's just
that sometimes you throw things away, that I want to keep. Like that
time you tried to throw away the first gift that Suzy ever gave me for
Mothers Day.
-
Robert:
- What! Gimme a break! How was I s'posed to know? I
mean it was a popsicle stick with pencil marks.
- Jean:
- She was only two and a half. To her it said:Happy
Mothers Day. I love you very much. Love Suzy.
- Robert:
- Well I did appologize to both of you. Of course she was 14 at
the time and didn't have the slightest idea what the fuss was over a
popsicle stick with pencil marks.
- Jean:
- Well I kept it. When she's older she'll thank me for saving it for
her.
- Robert:
- She's 24, and thinks
you're crazy.
- Jean:
- (walks over to
trash can) Ok mister smart guy. (Looks inside)
- Robert:
- What are you doing?
- Jean:
-
(Reaching inside) Oh... nothing.
- Robert:
- What, are you checking my work?
- Jean:
- (Pulling out card) I knew
I couldn't trust you! You know I keep my birthday cards. (Puts card
in box)
- Robert:
- I don't
believe you! That's from the car insurance company. It's even computer
generated.
- Jean:
- I don't care
it's still a birthday card. Aaugh! (Reaches in and pulls
up a piece of cloth)What were you thinking?
- Robert:
- It's a dirty rag!
- Jean:
- It's Jacob's first spit-up cloth.(Puts it in the
box)
- Robert:
- (Looking Heavenward)Help me Lord.
- Jean:
- Oh, you're one to talk mister throw everything away.
What about that sweaty towel you've had since before we were married?
- Robert:
- Hey now that's a collectors item.
- Jean:
- Right.
- Robert:
- It is! That's the towel Wilt Chamberlin had
on the bench when he scored 100 points!
- Jean:
- But it smells. At least you could let me wash it.
- Robert:
- What are you, nuts? That's Wilt
the Stilt's Sweat on there!
- Jean:
- (sarcasticly)Oh heavens we don't want to lose any
basketball sweat. (Reaches into can, and pulls out ream of
paper)Honey, these are the programs from Freddies first
T-ball season. That's just as important as some stilt guys sweat.
- Robert:
- That's Wilt the Stilt. I'm sorry,
I just couldn't imagine why you'd keep a hundred of those things.
- Jean:
- I was going to send them to relatives...but I never got around to it.
- Robert:
- Well since you never sent them, why keep them?
- Jean:
- I still might.
- Robert:
- Honey, that was 18 years
ago. Half those relatives are dead now. Look I saved two of them. I
figured we could keep an extra in case something happened to the first.
- Jean:
- Oh c'mon, what if I just keep
about fifty? (Drops half in the trashcan
- Robert:
- Five.
- Jean:
- Twenty Five? (Drops more in the can)
- Robert:
- Ten
- Jean:
- Fifteen, and that's all. You can even burn the rest.
(Continues to search through trash can)
- Robert:
- C'mon Honey. You've got to learn to let go of the past. You just
can't live for all this material stuff from history. I mean what if
the Lord were to call us into some kind of ministry work in another
country? How can He use us when we're carrying around all this extra
baggage?
- Jean:
- (Casually looking through can) Oh I
think the Lord could find a way to let us keep some of our momentos for
posterity.
- Robert:
- (Looks to the audience throws up hands in defeat)
- Jean:
- (Snatches a few more sheets of paper while he isn't
looking)Oh look! Here's that old picture of you and...
(Stops suddenly. Looks at husband as if expecting anger)
- Robert:
- I don't even want to hear his name in my house, let alone see his face.
- Jean:
- But he's your sister's husband.
- Robert:
- That's her problem.
- Jean:
- But it was so long ago... You weren't even saved yet.
In fact you were both drunk.
- Robert:
- Look, don't bring it all up again ok? I
don't need to be reminded.
- Jean:
- No I guess not. You seem to be doing a good job of remembering all by
yourself. I've held my piece about this for all these years out of
respect for your feelings, but something you just said a few minutes ago
really rings true.
- Robert:
- About living in the past? I've left him in the past.
- Jean:
- No not that. You asked how the Lord
could use us when we're carrying around all this extra baggage.
- Robert:
- But I...
- Jean:
- You know you have to forgive him.
- Robert:
- But he won't have anything to do with me.
- Jean:
- That's his problem. It isn't your
responsibility for him to forgive, just for you to. (Hugs him)
You know I'm right. Tell you what. You work on getting rid of your
excess baggage, ... and I'll try to geet rid of some of mine.
- Robert:
- Well I know that the Lord is going to have to
clear the path for it. I'm going to need to work through this with
prayer. He'll let me know when the time is right to make contact.
- Jean:
- I know you can do it with His help.
I'm going to make us some tea. Then I'm going to get back in here and
throw away some junk.
- Robert:
- Ok
- Jean:
- (Exits. Phone rings.)
It's for you... It's your sister.
- Robert:
- (Pause) I'll
take it in here. (Goes to trash can, pulls out photo,
looks at it before going to phone) Hi Sis....(Pause)
Not bad, we're all doing pretty good....(Pause)Hey
uh... look could you put Jerry on the phone. (Freeze)
© 1995 Robert J. Lee
Permission is granted to all who, free of charge, would use this skit
to help proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This may not be used in
any production which charges admission.
God Bless You
Please send additions or corrections to
rjlee@prostar.com or
Mathew and Paulyn Pole (mathew.paulyn@iname.com)