Day 18
On a cold, sunny Saturday, I decided it was time to write another play. .As a playwright, I feel like I should write plays every now and then, otherwise, how could I be a playwright? So today, I give you a play about a situation that was all too common all too recently. If you are interested more in this topic, may I suggest the book The Woman They Could not Silence by Kate Moore? It’s quite interesting, and well written. Oh, well, here I am recommending other women’s writing rather than posting my own. So, for your reading pleasure, The Bath.
THE BATH
CAST:
CHARLOTTE: A woman of approximately 20
JULIA: A woman around the same age
DR. LARSON: Male, over 40
MARTHA: Female, over 30, nurse
SETTING: Day room in a state mental hospital
AT RISE: JULIA is the only one present; she is tied into a chair. Her head rests on her chest and she appears to be asleep. MARTHA enters.
MARTHA: You’re gonna get a friend today. (pause; no response) She’ll be here any minute. They cleared out this room just for her; why are you still here?
(JULIA doesn’t respond; MARTHA checks her hands.)
MARTHA: Had to tie you to the chair again? Come with me…we’re leaving to let them work.
(MARTHA unties JULIA’S hands and tries to lift her. JULIA breaks away, more alert than she seemed. She is under the table before MARTHA can grab her.)
MARTHA: Now you stop that. Get out of there. At once.
JULIA: You’ll have to come get me.
MARTHA: Behave yourself. We can’t have the new arrival see you acting this way. She might get…ideas.
JULIA: If she’s coming here, she probably already has ideas. That’s why they locked me up, wasn’t it? I had ideas, and women aren’t supposed to have ideas.
MARTHA: You are a wife. Wives don’t need ideas. They need obedience. Get out of there.
(A sound at the door. MARTHA grabs a cloth and drapes it over the table so JULIA can’t be seen. She straightens her clothes and is ready to greet the visitors. DR. LARSON enters with CHARLOTTE.)
DR. LARSON: This is the day room. Patients spend a lot of time in here. Your parents chose this place because of this room. It’s so bright and cheery. (CHARLOTTE doesn’t say anything.) I guess we’ll have to teach you cooperation. Don’t worry, we’re used to it. (A sound from under the table) Nurse, what’s under there?
MARTHA: Nothing…just…I coughed. I hope I’m not coming down with consumption.
DR. LARSON: This is Charlotte. She’s going to be under our care for a while…just until she…is cured.
MARTHA: Yes, sir. What’s wrong with her?
DR. LARSON: She is out of control. She refuses to get married.
MARTHA: We’ll cure that.
DR. LARSON: I hope so. Is it all right to leave her here for now? I want to go over the records of the other patients before I assign her to a room.
MARTHA: No problem. All the doors lock, and she can’t escape.
(MARTHA and DR. LARSON exit. JULIA creeps out from under the table. CHARLOTTE doesn’t notice her; she is watching the others leave.)
JULIA: Hi.
CHARLOTTE: Oh! You scared me. I…didn’t see you come in.
JULIA: I was already here…hiding. I wanted to greet you before they had a chance to…to…
CHARLOTTE: I’m not crazy. I just don’t want to get married. I don’t belong here.
JULIA: None of us belong here. We’re all here for the same reason.
CHARLOTTE: You won’t get married either?
JULIA: I’m married. But my husband didn’t think I was…obedient…enough. So he brought me here. This place is full of women who refuse to obey, who want to have a mind of their own.
(Footsteps are heard in the hall; JULIA scoots back under the table. DR. LARSON enters with MARTHA.)
MARTHA: I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to put her with Julia.
DR. LARSON: It’s the only room with an empty bed. They’re about the same age. And Julia is comatose; it’s not like she can create any problems for… (he notices CHARLOTTE and breaks off).
MARTHA: Comatose? I haven’t seen that.
DR. LARSON: Nurse, leave the doctoring to the doctors. You take care of the nursing. The new patient will be rooming with Julia.
(DR. LARSON exits.)
MARTHA: Leave the doctoring to the doctors. Yeah, right. Anyone who thinks Julia is comatose is the biggest fool of a doctor… (Realizes CHARLOTTE can hear her…and JULIA.) Get out of there now.
JULIA: I’m out.
MARTHA: What games you been playing with the doctor?
JULIA: No games. I’m usually sleepy when I talk to him. He’s…soporific.
MARTHA: I suppose you heard. This is Charlotte; she’s your new roommate.
JULIA: Hi, Charlotte, I’m Julia.
(Lights fade; when they rise, both CHARLOTTE and JULIA are in the day room. There may be indications of others who have been there, or maybe are still there.)
CHARLOTTE: How long am I gonna be here? The doctor won’t say.
JULIA: You’ll be here until you obey.
CHARLOTTE: I don’t wanta live here forever! How long have you been here?
JULIA: Six months. I refused to consummate my marriage on our wedding night; the next day, he brought me here.
CHARLOTTE: Why wouldn’t you consummate?
JULIA: My mother picked him; let her consummate.
(MARTHA enters.)
MARTHA: I hear you’ve been fomenting rebellion again.
JULIA: Me? I don’t foment anything…I don’t even have any yeast.
MARTHA: Don’t use that innocent face and voice with me. I’m told you’re the one who encouraged Polly to attack the orderly. She’s incoherent, but she is still able to tell us ‘Julia said’.
JULIA: Did she tell you what I said?
MARTHA: She didn’t need to. We know you.
JULIA: I just said we were having cabbage for dinner. She hates cabbage. I didn’t know that.
(MARTHA opens a cabinet and pulls out a large wash tub. JULIA ducks under the table and pulls CHARLOTTE with her. MARTHA plunks the wash tub down and uses a bucket to fill it with water. She reaches under the table and pulls JULIA out by the hair; she gets CHARLOTTE instead.)
MARTHA: Now you’re trying to make someone else take your punishment. That’ll go worse for you, missy.
JULIA: I’m not! You grabbed without looking. (She comes out.) I don’t want to get Charlotte in trouble. Here I am.
(MARTHA grabs JULIA and throws her to her knees in front of the wash tub. She shoves her face into the tub, holding it in as long as she can without killing her. She pulls JULIA out of the tub, then shoves her down again as soon as she’s breathed. She repeats this several times; CHARLOTTE starts toward her, tries to stop her, but MARTHA grabs her and holds on, even while thrusting JULIA down and pulling her up. After several times, she releases JULIA but not CHARLOTTE.)
MARTHA: Looks like she’s already filling you with nonsense. Try to stop a legitimate punishment? You’ll get double!
(MARTHA repeats the procedure with CHARLOTTE. When she releases her, CHARLOTTE collapses on the floor.)
MARTHA: When you learn to behave, the tub will stay in the closet.
(MARTHA exits.)
JULIA: Are you all right? (CHARLOTTE doesn’t answer.) Speak to me! Are you breathing?
(CHARLOTTE struggles to sit up.)
CHARLOTTE: Why did she do that?
JULIA: It’s standard punishment for misbehavior…even if you don’t misbehave. I told the truth, you know. That was all I said to Polly. They don’t care. No trials, no witnesses. When a nurse decides you’ve done something, they dunk you. Martha’s the worst. I think she likes hurting me.
CHARLOTTE: Why? Did you do something to her?
JULIA: Not that I know…but rumor has it she was jilted by a fiancé. She was brought here because they said she wouldn’t have been jilted if she behaved. I guess, in a way, she never left. They trained her to be a nurse, and now she hates all of us.
CHARLOTTE: We’ve got to get out.
JULIA: I’ve tried. They medicated me so I couldn’t. I fooled them; I figured out how not to take the medicine without them knowing. They can’t figure out why it doesn’t work. I pretended, but Martha caught me.
CHARLOTTE: There has to be a way out! I can’t stay here!
JULIA: There is. (Waits for Charlotte to listen) You can get married.
CHARLOTTE: Great. Out of one prison into another. I would be his fourth wife; he is older…a lot older…than all his wives, but they all died. Some people think he beat them to death.
JULIA: My husband only wants me for a baby. I’m not interested in babies; I want to travel, and write. Everyone says that’s crazy.
CHARLOTTE: They wouldn’t think it was crazy if you were a man.
JULIA: I know. So…do you have some idea for getting out? I’m willing to listen…and let you know if I’ve already tried it.
(CHARLOTTE and JULIA put their heads together. Time passes. They are at the table when MARTHA comes back. She is carrying a tray.)
MARTHA: Julia! Time for your medicine. Charlotte, we’ve got medicine for you, too!
CHARLOTTE: We? Who else is here besides you? (She starts looking around as if expecting to see someone.) Julia, I think she’s hallucinating! She sees other people here.
JULIA: We gotta nip that in the bud. You better hold her.
(CHARLOTTE manages to get MARTHA in some sort of hold; MARTHA can’t fight back without dropping the medicine. JULIA pulls the wash tub out of the closet; it is obviously already filled by the way she drags it. CHARLOTTE holds MARTHA while JULIA relieves her of the tray. They get MARTHA to her knees and shove her face in the water. They only leave her for a second, and do not dunk her again, but it is enough. MARTHA has lost all her fight.)
JULIA: Get the keys!
(JULIA takes the medicine from the tray while CHARLOTTE searches for the keys. She is successful.)
CHARLOTTE: Quick. I don’t’ think I can hold her much longer.
(JULIA pours both doses of medicine in MARTHA’S mouth, followed by a cup of water on the tray. MARTHA fights, but no good. CHARLOTTE changes clothes with her.)
JULIA: Ready to go!
(DR. LARSON comes in; MARTHA is asleep, and covered with a blanket.)
DR. LARSON: What’s wrong?
CHARLOTTE: (trying to copy MARTHA’S voice) I told you Julia wasn’t comatose! She and Charlotte attacked me. I managed to dose them, and I’m taking this one to her room. I’ll be back for the other as soon as I’ve got her locked in.
DR. LARSON: Good job, good job. I see you had to…bathe…them.
CHARLOTTE: So much water…what a waste.
(CHARLOTTE fumbles to find the right key; she looks at DR. LARSON in panic, but he hasn’t noticed. JULIA helps her find it while DR. LARSON is reviewing a chart. They exit.)
END OF PLAY