POTATO BLOSSOMS

By Okla Elliott

CHARACTERS:

Megan: Early twenties.
Jasper: Megan’s older brother. Late twenties.
Setting: Megan’s front lawn. Present time.

AT RISE: MEGAN is positioning a pair of life-sized art mannequins. She is recreating the scenes from a photo album and including herself in the recreations. Her camera is on a tripod. After several photos are taken, JASPER enters in formal black dress. MEGAN is posed with the mannequins for another photo. The camera, on a timer, flashes and shoots a photo which includes JASPER.

MEGAN

(Notices JASPER.)

Look what you did. You ruined it.

That was going to be perfect. That was Mom and Dad’s honeymoon. Look how happy they were. She was cold, and he put his arm around her.

(Begins re-positioning the mannequins, comparing poses with the photo album she’s recreating.)

Here, take the next picture. Be real still and push the button when I tell you.

(Poses with the mannequins.)

Okay, now.

What the hell are you doing?

Just take the picture, will you?

JASPER

(Presses trigger.)

There. Where did you get these mannequins?

MEGAN

I stole them from the studio in the Art Department at school when I graduated.

JASPER

That’ll look good on your grad school applications. What is this?

MEGAN

Here, help me set up this pose.

JASPER

(Reluctantly helps.)

Is that good?

MEGAN

I think so. It’d better be. I’m almost done.

That’s nice. Now, what is it you’re doing?

Have you ever looked at a photograph of people you know, and you’re not in it, because it was taken before you were born? That has always creeped me out, made me feel like I didn’t exist, like I was dead.

I’ve never thought about it, I guess.

Those photographs make me sad. They’re little worlds you’ll never be a part of, no matter how much you wish. So I’m fixing that.

JASPER

You’re putting yourself into them?

Have you ever heard about that boat? A man stole another piece of it every night, and replaced each piece he stole with one that looked just like the old one, and started building a boat of his own. After a while he had the whole boat, but the owner never knew the difference. It’s kind of like that. Which one is the real boat?

(Pause.)

I remember that from philosophy class. Apparently philosophers worry about things like that. I just took the class to fulfill a requirement. I’ll get these pictures developed and have a whole photo album full of them.

JASPER

Megan, why are you doing this?

MEGAN

Mom and Dad had full lives, even before we were born. Do you realize that? They had little perversions they shared. Mom liked certain sexual positions better than others, just like me or you. Maybe she liked to talk dirty. That would be so romantic, don’t you think?

JASPER

This is entirely inappropriate. I don’t want to talk about Mom’s sexual perversions, or yours for that matter. Especially not today.

MEGAN

(As if JASPER hadn’t said anything.)

Do you remember the potato cuts Dad stored in the cellar? How they would get those long tendrils? What were they called?

JASPER

Eyes.

MEGAN

That’s right, eyes. What a strange thing to call them. And we’d plant those cuttings, once the eyes were long enough. New potato plants would grow from them like some weird starfish that grows a whole new body from just one arm.

(Pause.)

I loved the potato blossoms. Mom laughed at me when I told her they were my favorite flower. How do you like that? My favorite flower was a fucking potato.

(SHE lets out a joyless burst of laughter.)

JASPER

Megan, we have to go soon. And look at you. You’re not even dressed yet.

MEGAN

But you sure are. Look at that suit. That suit says: “Good, loving son in mourning.”

(Grabs his tie.)

And this is a new tie even. Very important occasion for you to buy a new tie.

JASPER

You have to be adult about this and stop acting crazy.

MEGAN

But crazy is exactly how I want to act right now.

JASPER

(Hugs her.)

Come on, Meg, it’ll be okay.

MEGAN

No, it won’t be okay. That’s just it.

(Pulls away.)

The possibility of okay has been destroyed.

(Resumes with the mannequins.)

JASPER

You have to stop this. It isn’t doing you any good. It’s unhealthy.

MEGAN

(Desperately, ineffectively positioning the mannequins.)

Why shouldn’t I be crazy? The whole world is. All of this has happened, Jasper. And acting adult and mature and civil about it isn’t going to change a goddamned thing.

JASPER

It was an accident. There’s nothing any of us can do.

MEGAN

An accident? Some drunk son of a bitch plows…An accident? I can’t believe you.

JASPER

Fuck you, okay. This isn’t any easier on me, you know. I lost them too. Just because I’ve not gone schizo like you doesn’t mean this isn’t affecting me. So, could you just lay off? Yelling at me—or blaming me, or whatever it is you’re doing right now—isn’t going to help any more than playing some sick game with these damned mannequins.

MEGAN

(Pause.)

I’m so sorry. It’s just…

JASPER

No, I’m sorry.

MEGAN

It’s just that this is so hard.

JASPER

I know.

(Picks up the photo album, flips through it.)

They had some good times. Look at this one. Dad with his big shit-eating grin, and Mom laughing at some tomfool thing he’s done.

MEGAN

Here, where is it? Here. This is my favorite. I love old Polaroids. And look at you, all curly-haired and dimple-cheeked.

JASPER

Mom and Dad are so young here. All four of us.

MEGAN

Such a normal family. I remember thinking that a lot, how normal we were. It seemed all of my friends’ families had a divorce, an alcoholic, a drug-addicted son, something. But not us. We were Leave-it-to-Beaver normal compared to other families.

JASPER

How many more of these photo albums are there?

MEGAN

Six or seven.

JASPER

I’d like to look through them sometime. Me and you.

MEGAN

That’d be nice. I’d like that.

(Pause.)

I’ve got an idea. Let’s re-take this picture.

JASPER

Megan.

MEGAN

No, it’s okay. Come on.

JASPER

But we’re already in this photo.

MEGAN

Humor me.

(Pause.)

Please.

(After some reluctance, JASPER joins MEGAN in arranging the mannequins, organizing their pose, and setting the camera’s timer. We see the flash of the camera, and they stand a moment in silence. JASPER puts his hand lovingly on her shoulder.)

MEGAN

Jasper.

(Pause.)

Thanks.

JASPER

Go get ready now.

(MEGAN exits. JASPER collects the camera and tripod, considers the mannequins, then exits. We are left with the lifeless mannequins before BLACK OUT.)

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