Blow Wind, livre ebook

• First produced in May 2018 by Dancing Sky Theatre in Meacham, Saskatchewan
• Productions of the play have featured musicians on stage with the cast.
• The play takes some inspiration from King Lear but is not an adaptation.

JOLENE
Barley. He planted mostly barley there.
That where you found her?

KATHLEEN
She didn’t “find” me. That’s where I was.

There’s a flurry of activity as Jolene, keeping busy, goes about getting supper ready for Kathleen.

JOLENE
Mom doesn’t let Tom plant that field. Do you mom? (To Sarah) You staying for supper?

KATHLEEN
I have my reasons.

SARAH
Where else would I eat?

JOLENE
You never know.
Was she hard to find?

KATHLEEN
I’m right here you know.

JOLENE
You are now. That’s cause I sent Sarah to go find you.

KATHLEEN
I’d have come back. I know my own farm.

JOLENE
I’m not going to eat with you tonight mom. Sarah’s here so she can stay and eat supper with you. (To Sarah) Haven’t eaten with my own family all week.

SARAH
How are they?

JOLENE
Good. Good. Kaitlyn and Brandon are good. They’re both busy with school and everything.

KATHLEEN
Kaitlyn’s a very good hockey player.

SARAH
And how’s Brandon?

KATHLEEN
Brandon’s a very good video game player.

JOLENE
Good. Good. He’s – everything’s good.

SARAH
How’s Roy?

JOLENE
(She’s giving up nothing.) Good.

SARAH
(To audience)
Roy’s Jolene’s husband.

JOLENE
(To aud.) He sure is.

Jolene puts something down or hands something to Sarah as if to go.

Good luck.

KATHLEEN
I’m right here.

JOLENE
(To Sarah)
It’s getting difficult to –

(Now to Kathleen)
It’s getting difficult to leave you alone for long stretches of time, mom.

KATHLEEN
It is not.

JOLENE
Yesterday you were halfway down the road and Tom found you and brought you back in his truck. Do you remember that?

KATHLEEN
I like getting rides in his truck.

JOLENE
He told me you said you were going to the rink.

KATHLEEN
What if I was?

JOLENE
But you weren’t going to rink, mom. We both know that.

KATHLEEN
I was going to the rink.

JOLENE
But you had no reason / to go to –

KATHLEEN
I was still going to the rink.

JOLENE
(Sigh) Anyway. Mom, why don’t you go wash up? I need to talk to Sarah.

KATHLEEN
(Walking away)
About me.

A pause as Jolene stops and waits till Kathleen’s gone.

JOLENE
You got my email?

SARAH
Your text? The length of three emails? Yes.

JOLENE
Yeah. She’s...there’s no way of knowing one hour to the next where she’s at.

SARAH
I’m here now. I can keep an eye on her.

JOLENE
I don’t mean out there, I mean in here (Indicates her head).

How long you here for?

(Sarah doesn’t really know.)

Chris stayed in Ontario?

(Sarah nods.)

SARAH
I found her yelling at a storm just now.

JOLENE
Uh-huh.

SARAH
Uh-huh?

JOLENE
As in, she does that.

SARAH
Why?

JOLENE
(Shrugs) It’s new. She’s been doing it a few months.

SARAH
Months? What’s it about?

JOLENE
(No idea.)

SARAH
She’s yelling at dad. She kept calling out “Robert.”

JOLENE
Well if you’d been married to someone for 45 years, you’d probably yell at them to.

SARAH
She was...she was pretty angry.

JOLENE
Yeah. Well. He wasn’t always a picnic.

(Another moment.)

It’s getting worse.

SARAH
That’s what you said / in your email.

JOLENE
She’s young.

SARAH
I know.

JOLENE
It could go on for years.

SARAH
I’m not going anywhere.