Oh, How Lovely
This month, Wayfare is delighted to present the three winners of our first ever ten-minute play competition. Congratulations to our third-place winner, “Oh, How Lovely,” by Andrew-Elijah Schindler.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Jerusha
A young wife who was recently forced to drop of out school because of a chronic illness brought on by Covid-19. Returned missionary and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Orin
Jerusha's husband. Still in school, Orin tries to make things work as the pressure of maintaining his life and marriage fall more and more on his shoulders. Returned missionary and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
SETTING
Jerusha and Orin’s Basement Apartment
Late Sunday morning. Sunlight catches dust in the cramped basement apartment. A large arm chair and small kitchen. Jerusha enters, pajamas and heavy eyes. She has been crying, a brightly colored face mask clutched in her hand. Jerusha sits in the giant arm chair and shifts, unable to find a comfortable position. She has been doing this for months.
ORIN (sung from off stage): Oh, how lovely was the morning, Radiant beamed the sun above.
(Orin enters from above, stepping down into the basement apartment. A light descending into darkness.)
ORIN (cont.): Bees were humming, sweet birds singing, music ringing through the—(still sung) What was your favorite talk?
JERUSHA: I didn’t watch.
ORIN: You’d think they’d figure out how to run a zoom call after four years.
(Orin gets close to Jerusha, clearly fishing for a kiss.)
JERUSHA: Or they could wear masks.
(Jerusha turns over in her chair, scrolling on her phone.)
ORIN: Something wrong?
JERUSHA: Bad pain day.
(Silence. Orin takes off his shoes.)
ORIN: I told bishop how you were doing better with the new medicine.
JERUSHA: Had to stop taking it.
ORIN: Since when?
JERUSHA: I’m allergic.
ORIN: I know what will make you feel better.
(Orin finds a cup and a small plate.)
JERUSHA: What?
(Jerusha is still turned away. Orin finds a loaf of bread. He tears a corner off of one slice and puts it on the plate.)
ORIN: I can’t possibly say.
JERUSHA: Why not?
ORIN (sing songy): That would be cheating!
(Orin stealthily fills the cup with a small amount of water.)
JERUSHA: I know you’re trying to be fun but I have a headache and—
(Orin kneels in front of her holding the plate and the cup.)
ORIN: Surprise!
JERUSHA: I really don’t—
ORIN: I used to do this for older members back home, so I figured this wasn’t too different. Not that you’re old, just . . . you know.
JERUSHA: Like during lockdown?
ORIN: You wanna do a hymn first? I can sing!
JERUSHA: I don’t think we should.
ORIN: Bishop said it was alright.
JERUSHA: I slept through the meeting.
ORIN: I thought the connection was bad.
JERUSHA: It was.
ORIN: So what happened?
JERUSHA: I wasn’t feeling a connection so I went back to sleep.
ORIN: You weren’t feeling it?
JERUSHA: No.
(Orin puts the bread and water away and starts to clean.)
ORIN: Guess what?
JERUSHA: What?
ORIN: I love you.
(Orin goes in to kiss Jerusha, she doesn’t move and he pulls away.)
ORIN (cont.): Bad pain day?
JERUSHA: Yeah.
(Orin continues to clean with less energy than before.)
JERUSHA (cont.): How was church?
(Orin is silent just long enough for something to feel off.)
ORIN: Great! There was a talk that mentioned that scripture mastery scripture I like.
JERUSHA: Oh yeah?
ORIN: Yeah, it’s the one about not being tempted more than you’re able. Gosh I used to have it memorized. Do you remember how it went?
JERUSHA: I always hated scripture mastery.
ORIN: Oh. The Relief Society president said she misses having you in class.
(Jerusha scrolls on her phone.)
JERUSHA: I’m sure she does.
ORIN: She wants to know if you’d be up for teaching again.
JERUSHA: I mean, sure.
ORIN: Really?
JERUSHA: Not every time, but on a good day, for sure.
ORIN: That’s great! I thought you’d be too scared of getting sick.
JERUSHA: I wouldn’t do it in person.
ORIN: Why not?
JERUSHA: Because we can use zoom, or skype, or whatever.
ORIN: She wants you there in person.
JERUSHA: Did she say that?”
ORIN: No, but—
JERUSHA: I can’t go to church if it isn’t safe.
ORIN: Of course not.
JERUSHA: Is there a reason why you haven’t been wearing your mask?
ORIN: I have been.
JERUSHA: Then why did I find this?
(Jerusha holds out the face mask.)
ORIN: I have more than one.
(Orin leaves her hanging.)
JERUSHA: Then where is it? The mask you wore today.
ORIN: I get that you’re scared, but you aren’t helping anybody by staying inside all day.
JERUSHA: I don’t stay inside all day.
ORIN: That’s right, you go to friends’ houses, out to restaurants, shopping, but not to church.
JERUSHA: There are too many people.
ORIN: They said that you could sit in a corner away from everyone. You can wear a face shield, you can dress up like the guys from Monsters, Inc., but you don’t even want to try.
JERUSHA: If they wear masks, I’ll go.
ORIN: If you wear a mask, I’m sure you’ll be—
JERUSHA: Safe?
ORIN: Yes.
JERUSHA: A mask keeps you from getting other people sick—
ORIN: I know how masks work.
JERUSHA: If I catch something, I’m only getting worse.
ORIN: You’ve had it twice already.
JERUSHA: And I get worse each time!
ORIN: How? How does it get worse?
JERUSHA: I can’t stand for more than a few minutes, most days I can’t think straight, and the pain.
ORIN: How do we know that isn’t—
JERUSHA: What?
ORIN: If it hurts so bad, then why won’t anybody do anything about it?
JERUSHA: I’m trying to—
ORIN: Doctors don’t believe you.
JERUSHA: You know why they don’t believe patients?
ORIN: That’s right, ableism or sexism.
JERUSHA: Don’t make fun of me.
ORIN: Do you really think that doctors know less than someone who spends all day looking for excuses on TikTok?
(Jerusha pushes past Orin and goes to the kitchen sink. Her back to the audience, she begins to shake with sobbing. She turns on the faucet and washes her face over and over again.)
ORIN (cont.): You can’t get better if you keep on doing the things that made you sick.
(Jerusha stops washing her face.)
JERUSHA: Do you think I want to be like this? Because if it gets any worse, I can’t promise that I’ll be here tomorrow.
ORIN: At least consider—
JERUSHA: I need you to believe me—believe that this is not in my head.
ORIN: But—
JERUSHA: Tell me it isn’t in my head.
ORIN: It isn’t.
JERUSHA: It isn’t what?
ORIN: It isn’t in your head!
JERUSHA: Then why did you say I was faking?
ORIN: They’re not going to broadcast sacrament anymore. I wanted to try to get you to come before you found out.
JERUSHA: Why would they do that?
ORIN: That’s why I talked to Bishop. I thought I could convince him, but he asked me to encourage you to come. He said that you’ll do better in church, that people would be happy to see you.
JERUSHA: And you believed him?”
ORIN: He’s a good guy. I thought if I pushed you, you’d come back to church on your own.
JERUSHA: Pushed me?
ORIN: I’m sorry.
JERUSHA: The world ended four years ago! Then everyone forgot. I’ll be sick for the rest of my life and they won’t do anything to help.
ORIN: I help.
JERUSHA: If you want to help, then wear a mask. It isn’t hard.
(Jerusha pushes the mask into Orin’s hand.)
ORIN: How many blessings have I given you?
JERUSHA: I don’t know.
ORIN: How many weeks has your name been on the prayer roll? How long have we done everything that we’re supposed to?
JERUSHA: More than two years.
ORIN: How do you think that we have any of this? Who do you think works? Who do you think goes to school? Who do you think cooks? Who do you think cleans? Who do you think helps you shower?
JERUSHA: You don’t need to do everything.
ORIN: If I don’t do them, then they don’t get done. This whole life we have only works if I make it work, and do you know what the worst thing is?
JERUSHA: What?
ORIN: I can’t act like it’s hard. I can’t act like my world ended. I don’t have the luxury of giving up because the moment I begin to slip, the ward asks if I’m really okay. My grades fall, I lose scholarships. I already lost a job, and your family acts like I can’t take care of you. I can’t even be angry about it because if I ever told the truth, I would lose everything.
JERUSHA: Then why do you try if it’s so hard?
ORIN: I made a promise to somebody I love. I promised that I would be faithful, that I would love them, in sickness and health.
JERUSHA: We had no idea that things would be like this.
(Jerusha stands and goes to Orin, but he pulls away.)
ORIN: If everything was a bit easier, then I could do this.
JERUSHA: If what was easier?
ORIN: Being honest.
(Still for a moment.)
JERUSHA: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
ORIN: I thought you hated scripture masteries.
JERUSHA: You don’t.
Andrew-Elijah Schindler has long had a deep love of literature, cinema, and digital art, a love that is propped up by his deep love of language and dialogue. From learning to speak a second language by the seat of his pants in Peru or navigating the building of a successful marriage, Andrew-Elijah remains committed to dialogue and the belief that communication can conquer our greatest challenges. Andrew-Elijah loves his wife, his faith, his emotional-support cat, making people laugh, and you’ll almost never find him without wearing a bit of green.
Art by Brittany Tuckfield.
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