Oh, My Happy Angel

Character: Sydney LeClaire

Setting: Funeral of Eugene Smithson
Spoken to: Eugene Smithson’s family

Fade In:

INT. Funeral Home- Morning

The room in this funeral home is small. There is a small aisle between two
sides filled with chairs. Every single seat is filled with someone wearing
all-black. Floral decorations surround the walls of this room. A brand-new,
wooden casket lays in the front of the room with it open. There is a podium
with a microphone to the right of the casket.

SYDNEY, wearing a long black dress, slowly approaches the podium. She appears
fidgety as she holds her several papers and is looking down. She taps the mic.

SYDNEY:
(In a shaky voice) Ummm, hello everyone. Some may
know me well, but the rest of you have probably never
heard of me. Well, keeping it brief, my name is
Sydney LeClaire. I am… I was Eugene’s fiance. Umm,
let’s see...

SYDNEY flips through the various papers she has in her hands

SYDNEY:
Umm, Eugene was someone I held dear. That was
redundant. I was his wife… I mean, soon to be wife.
(Presses hand onto her forehead and sigh) Anyways, I-

The podium’s microphone makes a shrieking sound and catches her off-guard.
Sydney drops her papers and tries scrambling to pick them. Sydney crouches
down and is about to grab them. Then, she stops and stands upright. She grabs
the mic with her left hand and clears her throat.

SYDNEY:
(In a slightly less shaky voice) Let me start this
over. Hello everyone, I’m Sydney LeClaire. I met
Eugene Smithson at this bowling alley. It was the
weekly bowling tournament and my team reached the
finals. Turns out Eugene’s team was the group we had
to go against. It was a really close game, and it was
down to me. I had the last swing and my team needed me
a strike to win. I was lining up my shot like this
(SYDNEY imitates her stretching and throwing gesture)
 when Eugene got up and shouted at the top of his lungs
(SYDNEY impersonates a musky, heavy voice that is
supposed to be Eugene’s) “If you let us win, I’ll
take your cute self on a date.” It took me aback. In
short, I struck out and won my team the tournament and
struck out with him. Our first date was memorable.

SYDNEY props her two hands on each side of the stand. She possesses this sort
of passionate and determined face.

SYDNEY:
(In a stronger voice) It was the way he held himself-
never too serious. Had an amazing smile, even better
laugh, and the best humour. Whenever I was going
through something, he would crack a joke or two and
that was enough. (Moves her hands in an energetic,
lively manner) That was all I ever needed to make me
happy. From all the time I’ve known him, from when we
visited his older sister in Barrie during Christmas or
my parents in Brantford during Easter, he showed me
this gift of growing up as an adult, but still being a
child at heart. For that, I will be grateful.

SYDNEY pauses and looks towards the casket

SYDNEY:
To think, he looked like the most happiest person ever.
I wish I knew, how badly he was hurting. (Voice gets
softer) I mean, he mentioned it once or twice but I
never really put my mind to it cause as he said, “It
was in the past. I’ve gotten the help I needed. There
was nothing to worry about.” He was a strong person,
really. I wish I was that strong. (Plays with her
thumbs whilst continuing to speak) From that messed up
childhood of his, no wonder his older sister wanted him
away from his father so bad, it was that bad. (Looks
down in remorse) No human- let alone child should ever
be forced to do the messed up things he had to do.

SYDNEY slams a fist onto podium surface.

SYDNEY:
I should have known something was up, the moment I
found that opened letter from his father. (She looks
straight forward and squints, almost looks like as
though she’s glaring) His father seemed caring, at
least in that letter. He basically went on about how
much he missed his son and how he wanted to catch up
with him. It seemed sweet, but oddly repulsing just
knowing he… his hands just… I should have questioned
Eugene about it and well, I didn’t. Perhaps if I did,
he would still be here. (Looks at her ring finger)
Still back by my side.

As much as I want to remember him for his happiness, me

seeing his body so liveless was the complete epiphany
of sadness. Seeing him just hanging there, when I got
home from work and decided to head up upstairs to
surprise him, ironically. The sound of our bedroom fan
just threw the whole sight off, cause it felt
standstill… like it was even normal… (Her face looks
numb and lifeless by lack of expression now)

Umm… if he was still here, I would hug him. Hug him

and never let him go… Umm.. shucks… uh … (Starts
rubbing her eyes) If he’s watching me from up there, I
hope he knows that I… I love him… and I hope that if
this is what he wanted, that he escaped his messed up
existence here. (Continues wiping her face and starts
trembling) Maybe, he can finally relive his childhood
the way he rightfully deserves up there (Points to
above her). Ummm… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not doing
something sooner... I’m sorry. (Covers face with her
hands and is sobbing profusely).