THE OPERATION

by

Kevin Delin

A 10-Minute Stage Play

Contact Email: info@rassbrat.com

CAST:

Adult: gender neutral, 30s-50s, child of Mother

Mother: female, 25 to 35 years older than Adult

Both roles are race neutral; however, the Adult’s race should
appear genetically connected to that of the Mother.

PLACE & TIME: Here & Now

NOTE: There are no actual, physical phones onstage during the

play. Except for dialing and hanging up, actors will not
pantomime a phone’s presence in any way during the conversation.
For example, neither actor should hold a phone to their ear.
The entire phone conversation should be spoken outward, away
from the other actor and generally towards the audience.

Stage Directions are not to be read during Staged Readings.

SETTING: A bare stage save for two chairs,
each with an actor. The chairs are
inches apart and canted out from
each other. Each actor faces the
audience in this open-angled way
with no visual contact of the other
actor on stage.

AT RISE: In the stage left chair: the ADULT,

Somewhere in their 30s to 50s.

In the stage right chair: the Adult's

MOTHER, 25 to 35 years older.

The Mother remains seated for the

duration of the play. In contrast,
the Adult is free to move once the
conversation begins. The Adult can
remain seated the entire time - or
rise, pace, stand, sit, rise again,
etc. However, the Adult may not
cross onto Mother's side of the
stage, may not look toward the Mother
or stage right, and must return to
the seated position well in advance
of hanging up the phone.

The Mother is quiet, perhaps flipping

through a magazine or working an
embroidery. There is a long pause
while the Adult fidgets, thinking.

Finally, the Adult pantomimes

retrieving a cell phone and calling
Mother.

A brief pause, then:

MOTHER
Hello?

ADULT
Hi, Ma.

MOTHER
Hello?

ADULT
Yeah, Ma, it's me. Can you hear me?

MOTHER
Yes, darling. How are you?
 2.

ADULT
I'm okay. You called.

MOTHER
I didn't call. You dialed me.

ADULT
Yeah. I know. I'm returning your call. You didn't leave
much of a message.

MOTHER
That's right. I called your brother and then you. Neither
of you picked up so I left a message for each of you.

ADULT
Right.

MOTHER
I didn't have to call your sister because she was with me in
the doctor's office.

ADULT
Well, she lives one town over from you.

MOTHER
It's very convenient to take her with me.

ADULT
I know.

MOTHER
She heard everything first hand.

ADULT
Right. I get it. So: I'm returning your call. What's up?

MOTHER
I just finished telling your brother. I just got off the
phone with him. He called me back right after he was done
with work. Are you done with work?

ADULT
No, Ma. I'm on the West coast. There's still a good chunk
of the afternoon yet.

MOTHER
What time is it there now?

ADULT
Three hours earlier than what you're reading on your clock.

MOTHER
Oh. So you're still at work?
 3.

ADULT
Yes.

MOTHER
Well, do you want to call back when you're done?

ADULT
No! I'm calling you now!

MOTHER
You could wait until after work. This isn't an emergency.
Your sister was there with me at the doctor.

ADULT
Yes, I know.

MOTHER
So it's not an emergency.

ADULT
I understand. But you left a message about an operation and
you're my mother and so I'm kind of interested in the topic.

MOTHER
Okay but I didn't mean to interrupt your work day.

ADULT
I'm the one who's calling you! You're not interrupting
anything!

MOTHER
Okay.

ADULT
Okay.

A beat. The Adult expects to hear

something but - nothing.

ADULT (CONT'D)
Ma, why did you call?

MOTHER
Well, it's seven millimeters.

ADULT
What is?

MOTHER
The growth on my brain. Didn't you hear my message?

ADULT
You didn't mention anything about that in the message.
 4.

MOTHER
Well, I mentioned the operation.

ADULT
Ma, I'm kind of feeling like I started in the middle of this
conversation.

MOTHER
I told you about this six months ago.

ADULT
I remember there was a spot -

MOTHER
Yes. Dr. Zhang noticed a spot on the CT six months ago -

ADULT
See? I remembered.

MOTHER
So you do know. Why did you say you didn't remember?

ADULT
I'm trying to connect the details here, Ma. So you decided
six months ago to wait...

MOTHER
Yes. Dr. Zhang wanted to operate but I wanted to wait.

ADULT
And...?

MOTHER
He let me wait. So I waited.

ADULT
And...?
MOTHER
It's been six months and now it's gotten bigger.

ADULT
And now it's seven millimeters.

MOTHER
No! It was seven millimeters. Now it's nine. Weren't you
listening?

ADULT
Ma! I have no idea where we are in the story. I want you
to stop and back up.
 5.

MOTHER
I told you this six months ago. I told you about my meeting
with Dr. Zhang. Your sister was with me then, too -

ADULT
Ma! I know you've been living with this information all day
but I'm coming in on the end of it.

MOTHER
I'm getting very frustrated.

ADULT
I know the feeling.
(takes a breath to recenter)
Can you just explain the whole thing like you would explain
it to a five year old? Remember when I was five? Explain
it to me like that. Now: what is this thing that's seven
millimeters?

MOTHER
Nine.

ADULT
Sorry, nine millimeters. What is it specifically? Is it a
tumor?

MOTHER
Yes.

ADULT
Okay. So we're talking about a tumor in your brain.

MOTHER
Not in my brain. It's at the base of the brain. The doctor
said it was pressing up against my spinal cord.

ADULT
Have you noticed any possible effects from it? Any tingling?
Has your memory been affected at all?

MOTHER
No. I told you six months ago it showed up in the CT I took
from when I was in the car accident. It's not from the
accident, though.

ADULT
I remember.

MOTHER
He thinks -

ADULT
Who thinks? The doctor?
 6.

MOTHER
Of course, the doctor!

ADULT
I just want to follow the story.

MOTHER
Yes. So the doctor thinks I could have been walking around
with this for years. No one knew.

ADULT
I remember your saying.

MOTHER
That's what Dr. Zhang said last time. If I didn't have the
CT from the accident, no one would know I had this.

ADULT
I know. I was asking about how things are feeling now. Now
that you know it's larger.

MOTHER
I didn't know it was larger until I had another CT scan with
Dr. Zhang last week. He and I came up with a plan. Your
sister was there.

ADULT
So you've said.

MOTHER
Dr. Bashir will be able to do the operation.

ADULT
I thought we were talking about Dr. Zhang.

MOTHER
We were. Now we are talking about Dr. Bashir.
ADULT
So this is the guy who's going to remove the tumor?

MOTHER
It's not a tumor. It's a growth.

ADULT
I thought it was a tumor.

MOTHER
No, I never said tumor. It's a growth. And Dr. Bashir is
available to take it out.

ADULT
Okay... so it's good he's the one taking it out?
 7.

MOTHER
Of course, it's good. Why wouldn't it be good?

ADULT
I don't know. I'm asking.

MOTHER
I'm very happy with Dr. Bashir. He's a vascular surgeon.
That's better than a neurosurgeon.

ADULT
I'll take your word for it.

MOTHER
You don't think I know what I'm talking about?

ADULT
I said I'll take your word for it.

MOTHER
He was my doctor before he left to practice in Florida. He
was the one that looked at my feet.

ADULT
Okay.

MOTHER
You don't remember.

ADULT
About the problem with your feet? Of course, I remember.

MOTHER
Not my feet. His name.

ADULT
Honestly? I don't remember his name, Ma. I didn't know it
was going to be important.

MOTHER
I used to mention him all the time when he was looking at my
feet.

ADULT
Okay.

MOTHER
You weren't paying attention, I guess.

ADULT
I did pay attention to your feet!

MOTHER
No, the doctor's name.
 8.

ADULT
Ma, how long ago was he dealing with your feet?

MOTHER
Umm... about five - no, six years ago.

ADULT
You're expecting me to remember your doctor's name from six
years ago?

MOTHER
Don't be fresh.

ADULT
I'm sorry. So you like Dr. Bashir.

MOTHER
Yes. I wouldn't have gone to Dr. Zhang if Dr. Bashir didn't
go to Florida.

ADULT
And you got Bashir to come up from Florida to operate?

MOTHER
I never said that. Dr. Bashir moved back to Connecticut.

ADULT
Oh. Alright.

MOTHER
Does it make sense that he'd come to Connecticut just to
operate on me?

ADULT
No, Ma. I was confused.

MOTHER
Dr. Bashir's a vascular surgeon.

ADULT
Uh-huh.

MOTHER
That's better than a neurosurgeon.

ADULT
Right. So you'll go to Hartford for the operation?

MOTHER
No. Dr. Zhang is in Hartford. Dr. Bashir is at UCONN.

ADULT
Oh. So you'll have to travel to Storrs?
 9.

MOTHER
Why Storrs?

ADULT
Because that's where UCONN is located.

MOTHER
(laughing)
No. The UCONN hospital is in Farmington. Close by. How
long have you lived in Connecticut?

ADULT
It's been a while. And when I lived there, we fortunately
didn't have to deal with hospitals. How long will you have
to wait before the operation?

MOTHER
There's no wait. It'll be in three weeks.

ADULT
Three weeks? You can see a surgeon about a brain operation
that quickly?

MOTHER
Of course. Your sister and I already talked with Dr. Bashir.
We have a plan worked out.

ADULT
The insurance company is going to let you get an operation
that quickly?

MOTHER
You seem surprised.

ADULT
Everyone I know has to wait months to get their procedures
done. Are you sure the insurance will let you? That you'll
be reimbursed?

MOTHER
Yes, I'm sure. I've done this before. I'm older than you,
you know.

ADULT
That's usually how it works with mothers and sons/daughters.
[choose appropriate gender of Adult]

MOTHER
(laughing)
That's right, darling.

ADULT
Okay, then. I guess you have this sorted out.
 10.

MOTHER
Everything is sorted out. I made a plan with your sister
and the doctors. There's nothing to worry about.

ADULT
Right. Nothing.
(beat)
Ma?

MOTHER
Yes?

ADULT
I love you, Ma.

MOTHER
And I love you too, kiddo.

ADULT
Okay.

MOTHER
Okay. Go enjoy the rest of your day, darling. We'll talk
soon.

ADULT
Okay, Ma.

MOTHER
Okay, bye now.

ADULT
Bye.

They hang up. The Mother goes back

to her previous activity. The Adult
is still. Sitting. Thinking.
Then:

ADULT (CONT'D)
I love you, Ma.

BLACKOUT - END OF PLAY