A family drama

Please, Mom, Pass the Desert!

((adapted from the Manual for the formation of Lay Collaborators – 1995)

 The following letters indicate the different parts or “voices”:   N = the Narrator;

A = Avril the daughter of the family; J = Jason the son of the family; M = Mom and D = Dad.

 N:        Avril and Jason Brown were not looking forward to their Sunday lunch. The problem wasn’t the food. Mom was a great cook and Sunday lunch was always special. The real problem was Dad. He had made up his mind about the forthcoming holidays. Avril and Jason had just come home from the meeting of the parish youth club.

 M:       “Hi, kids!”

A & J: (somewhat moodily) “Hi, Mom!”

J:         “Where’s dad?”

M:       “Oh… He’s inside at the dinner table already. He wants to see you about the holidays. And Jason, please, no fights.”

J:         “Yeah, sure , Mom.”

D:        “Ah! There you are! It’s about time you two came home! You spend too much time at that youth club.

A:        “No, Dad! that’s not fair, the youth club is good for us.”

D:        (Smiling proudly) “Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, I’ve got some good news for you all.

Can you guess?”

N:        Avril and Jason remain silent. The atmosphere begins to get strained. Dad gradually

stops smiling.

J:         (Deliberately not looking at his father) “Please pass the mielies.”

N:        Dad just looked at his son and did not pass the mielies. Instead Avril did so.

D:        (Somewhat seriously) “It seems to me that you are not interested in where we are

going for our holidays, Jason”.

J:         (Bluntly) “No, to be honest, Dad, I’m not interested.”

N:        Avril nearly choked on the piece of meat she was eating. She was sure that her

brother’s blunt answer would set her father off. So she tried to intervene, hoping to

smooth things over.

A:        “Where are we going, Dad?”

N:        Dad could hardly answer Avril. He was inwardly mad at Jason and he showed it with

his eyes which were radiating fire at his son. Jason was just ignoring his father’s stare.

D:        (Eventually) “We’ll be going to X (any familiar town/city destination) to visit your

Aunt Claire. That’s where!

N:        Just then Mom came in with the desert. It was a fine fridge cake. She immediately

saw what was going on.

M:       “What’s wrong now?”

D:        (His voice getting gradually louder and more annoyed) “Your darling son here is too good to travel with us to visit your sister in X. He is not interested in this family any more! He’s getting too big and too proud for his own good! That’s what’s wrong!

J:         (Shouting back) “That’s not true! It’s just that you always decide all by yourself

where we should go for holidays, and then you expect us to get all excited about it! I

like Aunt Claire, but I can’t stand X. It’s nowhere. It’s dull and there are no places to go. And anyway we went there two years ago. Why can’t we all of us decide where to go? Perhaps someone around this table can answer me that!

D:        (Really angry now) “Am I really hearing this from my own son? You are really

something, my boy! Your sister is happy to go to again this year, Aren’t you, Avril?”

N:        Avril was really dreading this question. She wished she had said nothing and that her

father had left her out of the discussion. She was caught between her father and the truth. She really didn’t want to go to Newcastle either. So she just played with a piece of fruit on her plate.

D:        (Sharply) “Avril, I asked you a question! You are happy to go to X to your Aunt Claire, aren’t you?”

N:        Avril didn’t answer. Her mother decided that she had to step into prevent the

argument going any further.

M:       “Hey, look, everybody, Let’s not spoil our Sunday lunch, OK? We can eat now and

talk later.” (Turning to Dad) “I’m sure the kids will be happy with whatever you plan for us. They just need some time.”

J:         (Mumbles under his breath.) I won’t be happy if I have to go to X!

D:        (Angrily) “What was that, Jason?”

J:         I said “I WON’T be happy if I have to go to X!”

N:        Dad became really angry now. He slapped his knife and fork down on the table and

nodding his head stared straight at Avril.

D:        “And you, Avril, you agree with your brother?”

A:        (Hesitating) “Well…

N:        Avril knew that it was hopeless. She had to answer. And she would have to tell the

truth. She couldn’t hide it any more.

A:        (Sadly) “No, Dad, I don’t want to go…”

M:       (Breaking at once) “Now kids, this is not right. You’re showing no respect for your

father. He works hard: he plans a nice holiday for us every year, and all you are is

ungrateful. (She looks wearily at her husband).

N:        Dad just gets up and storms angrily out of the room.

J:         (Slamming his own knife and fork down on the table - Angrily) “This is rubbish! I’m

16 years old, for crying out loud. Do I have to be dragged around on holidays with

my parents every year and never have any say about where we go?”

A:        (Turning to her brother) “Jason, be fair. Last week Dad wanted to discuss a few ideas about where we should go on holidays and you didn’t have any time for it. You

wanted to go out with your friends.”

J:         “It wouldn’t have made any difference! He always does what he wants!”

M:       “Maybe so, but you often show little interest in planning family things, and then you

complain about them when they don’t go your way.”

A:        (Turning to her mother) “What do you think, Mom?”

N:        Her mother didn’t answer immediately. Instead she lowered her head and began

spooning out some of the fridge cake into her desert bowl. She did not look up at her

daughter as she answered.

M:       I think going to your Aunt Claire is a wonderful idea. She is always so good to us. She really tries to spoil you every moment we are there. I can’t imagine you not having a good time there with her. You always enjoyed it the other times we went.”

N:        Jason just sighed, put down his knife and fork and left the room. Avril wanted to run

and cry. But she stayed at the table.

A:        (Sighing) “Please, Mom, pass the desert.”

 Questions for discussion:

1. Who is the most to blame for creating tension in the family?
2. Have you ever experienced something like this in your family?   If yes, could we share some examples?

      3. Should children be consulted about family plans?   How are family holiday plans decided in your  family?

       4. Is walking out a valid solution to avoid escalating arguments?

       5. Was family supper perhaps the wrong moment to introduce the topic?

        6.If you were to referee the quarrel, how would you go about it?