Leaves Read online

  Lucy Caldwell

  Leaves

  In memoriam

  Daphne Moore

  and for

  Níamh Louise McKee

  1990–2005

  www.niamhlouisefoundation.com

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Characters

  Act One

  Scene One

  Scene Two

  Scene Three

  Scene Four

  Scene Five

  Scene Six

  Scene Seven

  Act Two

  Scene One

  Scene Two

  Scene Three

  Scene Four

  Scene Five

  Scene Six

  Scene Seven

  Act Three

  About the Author

  By the Same Author

  Copyright

  Acknowledgements

  Leaves was written at the National Theatre Studio during the autumn–winter of 2005, and I would like to thank Lucy Davies and all at the Studio, as well as Jack Bradley, Chris Campbell and everyone in the National Theatre’s Literary Department. Thanks also to Natalie Abrahami, who guided the play through its first readings and rewrites; to Thomas Conway, Garry Hynes, Felicity O’Brien and the rest of the Druid Theatre Company; to Alan Brodie and Harriet Pennington-Legh; and, at a much earlier stage, to Simon Stephens and the Royal Court YWP; to James Macdonald; also to my ‘Doghouse’ boys: Nick Harrop, Ben Musgrave, Matt Morrison, Robin Booth, Amman Paul Singh Brar (and Jenny Tuckett). And above all, my most heartfelt thanks to Ben Jancovich and Graham Whybrow, both of whom have been not only wonderful mentors but great friends.

  Characters

  THE MURDOCH FAMILY

  David

  late forties

  Phyllis

  late forties

  Lori

  nineteen

  Clover

  fifteen

  Poppy

  eleven

  Setting

  Belfast, present day

  Act One

  SCENE ONE

  The living/dining room.

  It is the evening before Lori is due to return home.

  David, Phyllis, Clover and Poppy are sitting around the table, eating dinner.

  David is eating mechanically. Phyllis is eating quickly and defiantly. Clover is pushing food around her plate and Poppy is not even pretending to eat.

  They are sitting in silence and not meeting each other’s eyes.

  The room should feel too big and echoey.

  There is a small pile of gaudily wrapped presents on the floor.

  Silence.

  Poppy (suddenly – she has been trying unsuccessfully to catch someone’s eye for a while) This time tomorrow.

  Beat.

  I said, this time tomorrow.

  David Yes, Poppy.

  Poppy Imagine.

  Clover Poppy.

  Poppy What?

  Mum.

  This time tomorrow, Mum.

  Phyllis Yes, love.

  Poppy Are you excited, Clovey?

  Clover Shh.

  Poppy Why?

  David Poppy.

  Poppy What?

  David That’s enough.

  Poppy What?

  I was only saying. I was only trying to –

  Clover Leave it, / Pops.

  Poppy But –

  Clover Just leave it.

  Silence.

  Phyllis There’s more bread, if anyone …

  Clover No thank you.

  Phyllis There’s almost half a loaf left, I can cut some more.

  David?

  David I’m all right for the moment, thank you.

  Silence.

  Poppy (sulkily) I was just trying to cheer everyone up, that’s all.

  Clover Are you not right in the head or something?

  David Clover.

  Poppy Yeah, Clover.

  David That applies to you too, Poppy.

  Now eat your dinner, come on.

  Poppy I’m not hungry any more.

  Phyllis Please, Poppy.

  Poppy I said I’m not hungry.

  David Your mother has gone to the trouble of cooking you your dinner and you’ll damn well eat it.

  Clover Just eat it, Pops.

  Poppy But –

  Silence.

  You know it’s funny but I seem to be the only one in this family that cares about her coming home. I’ve made her a welcome home card. I don’t see anyone else making an effort.

  Silence.

  Phyllis stops eating abruptly. David carries on eating and does not raise his head. Clover jerks round and glares at Poppy. Poppy ignores her.

  And I was the one that wrapped the presents.

  Clover Which is a stupid idea anyway what are we giving her presents for does anyone really think that she’ll actually want /

  Phyllis Please, Clover.

  Clover What.

  Phyllis You’re not helping.

  Clover What? I’ve just been sitting here trying to eat my dinner Poppy’s the one who’s been /

  Poppy I haven’t done anything! All I was trying to do was /

  David Both of you! You’re as bad as each other, would both of you just /

  Clover Oh great, so I’m getting blamed as much as her now. That’s great, that’s just /

  Phyllis (loudly, to David) How was your day, David, did you have a productive day?

  David Fine, it was fine, thank you.

  Phyllis Good, that’s –

  Silence.

  Clover (sadly) So how was your audition Clover oh my audition it was great thanks Mum thanks for asking /

  Phyllis / Your audition …

  Clover You completely forgot, didn’t you?

  Phyllis It was today.

  I’m sorry, pet.

  Beat.

  Well, how did it go?

  Beat.

  Clover What?

  I can’t believe you /

  David / Clover.

  Clover / just asked me that, Mum!

  David Your mother was only trying to /

  Clover Well, if you really want to know it was terrible, it was the worst audition I’ve ever done and I’m not going to get into the orchestra now so that’s that /

  Phyllis / Clover –

  Clover and I don’t want to talk about it any more.

  Silence.

  I wasn’t going to say anything, I was just seeing if you’d remember. It was the most important audition I’ve ever done and /

  Phyllis I am so sorry, love.

  Clover Yeah, well, sorry doesn’t make it any better, does it?

  Beat.

  Phyllis gets up abruptly and leaves.

  Silence.

  Poppy See what you’ve done?

  Clover See what I’ve done?

  Beat.

  David hurls his cutlery to the table and gets up and walks out (in a different direction from Phyllis).

  Poppy You made Mum cry. Why did you have to say anything anyway? It wasn’t Mum’s fault she forgot.

  Clover (standing up) Nothing’s anyone’s fault, is it.

  Clover marches out of the room. Poppy is left sitting on her own.

  SCENE TWO

  Later on that evening.

  Lori’s room.

  A typical enough teenage bedroom. But it must have a half-hearted feel: much of the childish paraphernalia is gone – but it is not quite an adult room. Posters. Pages ripped from fashion magazines. Photo collages on the walls – many of them of Lori and Clover. Occasional gaps where pictures have been removed. Bookshelves. A couple of trophies or medals. A few soft toys on the top shelf. Knick-knacks. Fairy lights around the window.

  A couple
of cardboard boxes: Phyllis has been tidying the room; after Lori left for university she intended to paint and redecorate it, but never quite got around to it.

  A couple of piles of children’s books on the floor.

  The curtains are open. The bed is stripped of sheets. Clover is sitting on the bed, knees hunched up in front of her, gazing at the photo collages. The fairy lights are switched on, but the main lights are not.

  Phyllis enters and switches on the main lights. Clover starts.

  Clover Mum.

  Phyllis I’ve been looking all over the house for you.

  Clover Oh.

  Phyllis Been looking everywhere.

  Clover Right. Well.

  Here I am.

  Phyllis Can I sit down?

  Clover shrugs. Phyllis perches on the edge of the bed. Beat.

  Phyllis (lightly) What are you doing?

  Clover Nothing.

  Silence.

  Nothing, just –

  Nothing.

  Silence.

  Phyllis I’m sorry, Clover.

  Clover It’s okay.

  Phyllis No, Clover, it isn’t okay. I’m sorry.

  Clover I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t’ve said anything, Mum. (Sadly.) You’ve got more important things to worry about.

  Phyllis No, Clover!

  You mustn’t think like that, sweetheart.

  You are just as important to me.

  Silence.

  Will you come here (and) let me give you a cuddle?

  Clover Mum.

  Phyllis Come on.

  Clover Mu-um. Just – leave it, okay?

  Silence.

  After a bit Phyllis gets up and walks over to the window. She stares out for a second. Then she turns back to the room. She bends down and picks up one of the story books: a collected Hans Christian Andersen. She sits down and takes the book in her lap. Strokes the cover with one finger. Opens it, and riffles through the pages. Smiles to herself – despite herself.

  Phyllis (suddenly) ‘The first dog, who guarded the chest of copper shillings, had eyes as big as teacups. The second dog, who guarded the chest of silver coins –’

  Clover / Ohh –

  Phyllis ‘– had eyes as big as …?’

  Beat.

  ‘Pinwheels. And the third dog, who guarded the chest of gold –’

  Clover Had eyes as big as round towers!

  Phyllis ‘Had eyes as big as round towers.’

  Clover ‘The Tinder-Box’!

  Phyllis ‘The Tinder-Box’, that’s right.

  Clover And – and Dad always used to say it was a warning against playing with matches.

  Phyllis So he did!

  Clover ‘The Tinder-Box’.

  God.

  That’s a – a blast from the past.

  Phyllis is still riffling through the pages.

  Phyllis Listen.

  Listen to this one.

  Clover Mum, I don’t think –

  Phyllis ‘Peacefully the wide sea lay abroad. No movement could be felt on board our ship.’

  Clover Mum, listen to me, Mum, I don’t think –

  Phyllis (continuing) ‘The youngest of the monks was very handsome, with a pale melancholy face. He told me that since his sixteenth year he had not seen his mother, who was very dear to him. “And now I shall not see her till we meet in Heaven!” he sighed.’

  She stops abruptly.

  Clover Mum –

  Phyllis It’s funny, isn’t it, but I can’t recall ever reading you this one.

  She turns the pages.

  Did I ever read it to you, do you remember?

  Clover I don’t know, Mum.

  Probably not, no. Because it’s a true one, isn’t it, and we never liked the true ones much. It was the fairytales we liked.

  Phyllis Yes, perhaps you’re right.

  Beat.

  There’s a lovely line in it – listen – where is it – (Riffling.) here it is, here it is: ‘It seemed as if men were walking about with torches at the bottom of the sea, and as if these were suddenly blazing up.’ Isn’t that lovely now?

  Clover Yeah but, Mum –

  (Sudden resolve.) I really don’t think you should –

  Mum, I don’t think it helps.

  I think what you should do is –

  I think the best thing to do is –

  To put the books back up in the attic where they came from.

  Mum.

  D’ye hear me, Mum? D’ye hear what I’m saying? Because –

  Phyllis Oh, Clover.

  What’s to be done, eh?

  Beat.

  D’you know, this morning I bumped into the mother of a girl that went to primary school with Lori. And she didn’t – know, of course, and she said, being polite, ‘So how’s Lori getting on?’ and I said – I mean I just couldn’t – I couldn’t bring myself to – and I just said, ‘Good, good, she’s grand.’ I mean, what was I supposed to say?

  Clover Yeah. I don’t know.

  Beat.

  Phyllis I’m sorry, love.

  Clover No, Mum (it’s all right) –

  Beat.

  Hey – look Mum, d’ye want a hand tidying, because, because we could do it now, I mean –

  Beat.

  Phyllis It’s getting late, love. I think you should go to bed.

  Clover What?

  Phyllis School tomorrow and all that.

  Clover But – if I gave you a hand and that – it wouldn’t take long –

  Phyllis Thank you love, but –

  Beat.

  Clover Mum –

  She doesn’t say what she was going to say. She stands for a second then leaves the room. Phyllis remains with the book on her lap, staring at it.

  SCENE THREE

  The living room.

  Poppy is under the dining-room table. The story of Peter Pan is open beside her. She is holding a jotter which she closes and hides behind her back. She freezes and tries to make herself as small as possible.

  Clover has just come in.

  Clover Don’t think that because you’re under the table I can’t see you.

  Don’t think that you can hide from me.

  What are you doing under there, anyway?

  Silence.

  I asked you a question, dickhead.

  Silence.

  You’re so weird, Poppy. You know, if you’re not careful you’re going to grow up to be really, really weird.

  Clover bends down.

  Oh my God. You’re reading Peter Pan.

  Peter Pan is a kiddies’ book, Poppy, in case you didn’t know.

  God. You weirdo.

  Beat.

  Poppy Mum was reading it to me. It was sort of nice. It was like being little again.

  Clover You shouldn’t encourage Mum.

  Poppy It wasn’t my idea. I was just helping.

  Clover Encouraging Mum doesn’t help anyone, Poppy. And you can’t let her treat you like you’re little. You’re not. You’re almost twelve, for God’s sake. It’s unhealthy.

  Silence.

  I need to talk to you, Poppy. Come out of under there.

  Poppy I don’t want to.

  Clover What?

  Poppy I don’t want to.

  Clover God, you’re weird.

  I could tell the boys in your class at school.

  Is that what you want me to do, Poppy?

  Beat.

  God, Poppy.

  Beat.

  Mum’s still in Lori’s room.

  And Dad’s smoking in the garage.

  Beat.

  Does that mean anything to you, Poppy?

  Does any of that mean anything to you?

  It’s so pathetic the way you’re acting as if you’re the only one.

  Beat.

  It really is.

  Beat.

  What are you writing?

  Beat.

  Give me.

  Poppy No.

  Clover Give it to me.

 
; Poppy No.

  Clover Give it to me now.

  She snatches the jotter from Poppy.

  Poppy does not move.

  Clover begins to flick through the pages.

  Poppy Give it back.

  Beat.

  Please, Clovey.

  Please give it back.

  I’m sorry.

  Beat.

  Clover ‘A list of reasons’?

  Poppy I’m sorry, Clover.

  Clover ‘We didn’t phone her enough.’

  ‘We should have visited.’

  Why have you written all of this down?

  That isn’t even how you spell ‘suicide’ anyway, stupid.

  She breaks off.

  Beat.

  God, Poppy!

  Here. There’d better not be anything I said in here. I mean it. What I say is my business and it’s not to go in your stupid little diary. All right?

  Poppy Words don’t belong to anyone.

  Clover What?

  I’m warning you, Poppy. You’re not to write down anything that I say or do in here, okay?

  Beat.

  I said –

  Poppy Okay, Clover. Okay.

  Clover ’Cause, God, Pops.

  Mum’d better not see this.

  I’m serious, Poppy.

  Silence.

  ‘There’s no smoke without fire.’

  What is that supposed to mean?

  Beat.

  Poppy It’s –

  There’s no smoke without fire is what Mum said.

  It was just afterwards, after the phone call, when she and Dad had that big argument about who was to blame. When Dad said that no one. And Mum said –

  That was what Mum said.

  And then Dad said –

  Clover ‘Big fish, small pond.’

  Poppy Yeah. Big fish, small pond syndrome.

  Clover Which is a stupid thing to say anyway. And I don’t think it’s true. I think Lori would’ve been as clever as any of them.

  Poppy Yeah.

  Me too.

  Beat.

  Clovey.

  Imagine, right, imagine what it would feel like if she was dead.

  Clover Why?

  Poppy (thrown) Well, just imagine.

  What would it be like.

  ’Cause I keep on trying to imagine, but I can’t.

  Clover Well –

  Well, if that’s what you ‘keep on trying to imagine’ then you’re stupid, Poppy.

  Because she wouldn’t be – dead.

  No way.

  Silence.

  Poppy Don’t cry, Clovey.

  Clover (fiercely) I’m not crying.

  Poppy I cry sometimes, too. Everyone does. Even Dad. That’s why he goes to the garage, so no one can see him, and he thinks no one knows.