Steer
Excerpt of a one act play. Produced by Rabbit Hole Theatre Company in Redlands, CA in October 2018.
***
There are five different “cars” onstage, each with a different group of people in it. Car 1 has Bryan, a teen boy, and Don, his grandfather. Car 2 has Angela and Katarina, both adolescent women. Car 3 has Tabitha and Lucas, a middle-aged mother and father with their two teen daughters, Charlie and Skyler. Car 4 has sisters Casey and Peyton, who are both adolescents. Car 5 starts with Nicole, a young woman. Focus begins with Car 1.
DON
Nothing like a couple of wide open fields to keep a man grounded, right kid?
Bryan doesn’t respond, and instead stares intently out the window.
DON
What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?
Bryan quickly glances at Don and lets out a forced laugh.
DON
Your father went through a phase like this when he was a kid. He didn’t wanna give me the time of day. I didn’t take it personal, of course. That’s just how kids are sometimes.
Focus shifts to Car 4.
CASEY
So, uh, when’s the last time you talked to Dad?
PEYTON
Dad and I don’t really talk anymore.
CASEY
Oh, sorry.
PEYTON
No, it’s fine. He hates Andrew… You don’t know Andrew, do you?
CASEY
Is he the one with the glasses?
PEYTON
No. He’s an elementary school teacher. We met on Tinder.
CASEY
Ugh I hate Tinder.
Casey realizes what she just said.
CASEY
Sorry, I--
PEYTON
No, I get it. It’s weird. But we’re happy, I guess. He’s a surfer too. Do you still surf?
CASEY
Not really.
PEYTON
Oh. Um, I’m excited to see Mom’s new place.
CASEY
Yeah. Me too.
PEYTON
Yeah.
Focus shifts to Car 5.
Nicole stares intently ahead as she drives. She is visibly shaken and distressed. She notices a hitchhiker, KENDALL, on the side of the road and pulls over to pick her up. She gets in the passenger seat.
KENDALL
Where you headed?
NICOLE
Nowhere in particular. Where do you need to go?
KENDALL
West.
NICOLE
Alright.
KENDALL
So, what are you running from?
NICOLE
What?
KENDALL
You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.
Nicole is quiet. She seems to be thinking hard about something.
NICOLE
I just needed to think. Driving clears my head. I’m headed back once I cool off.
KENDALL
Hm.
