The
Engagement
A Play in One Act (soon to be a major motion picture)
By Keri Maijala
Act I, Scene I
Setting:
The couple's '80s ranch-style home, on a gloomy Saturday in April.
Characters:
Paul: Tall, bespectacled and
quirky; early 30s. Uncharacteristically enthusiastic this day.
Keri:
Redheaded and flighty; late 20s with an unnatural attraction to
all that is Disney. Very tired after spending a whole night awake
with her epileptic Lhasa apso, Escrow.
Paul:
I'm going to go shopping for your birthday present. I'll be back
in a while.
Keri: (Suspicious because her
birthday is still three weeks away and Paul always waits until the
day before) Okay, I'll go lay down for a while since Escrow is resting.
Three hours
later Keri awakens to find Paul has not yet returned. The phone
rings.
Keri:
Hello?
Paul: Hi, honey.
Keri: Where are you?!
Paul: I'm at my mom's house.
Keri: You've been gone for three
hours! Where have you been?
Paul: I had to go to several
different places to get your present.
Keri (accepting this answer):
Oh. Okay. Come home now.
Paul: I'm on my way.
Keri: I want a Furby.
Paul: What?
Keri: I want a Furby.
Paul: A Furby.
Keri: Today. I've decided I
want one now.
Paul: (Sighs) Well, I'm starving,
so we can go to Ruby's and get a Furby on the way.
Keri: You're going to have to
call around for one while I get ready.
Paul: (resigned). Okay.
Paul comes
home, and calls many different stores. A Furby, apparently, does
not exist in this hemisphere. Keri is very disappointed. She continues
to primp in preparation for dinner at Ruby's. Paul, in the meantime,
sings "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something.
He looks at Keri, somewhat alarmed.
Paul:
I heard that on the radio today.
Keri: (confused) Um... okay...
As they
leave for dinner, Keri notes the FasTrack toll pass on the counter.
Keri:
AHA! You should have put the FasTrack back in my car! Now I know
you went to Orange County!
Paul vehemently denies this. They leave for dinner, only to have
Keri insist on stopping for lottery tickets. She then remembers
she had not yet called a Toys R Us about 30 minutes away, so she
does. They have the elusive Furby. Paul is forced to drive 30 minutes
out of his way, blood sugar levels dangerously low, for an annoying
little toy. They eventually go to dinner, Paul eats and is happy.
They go home; Paul is waiting to present Keri with an engagement
ring. Keri, oblivious, plays with the Furby. For two hours. Every
burp and giggle is hailed as the pinnacle of entertainment. Paul
is, of course, forced to witness. As the evening wears on, Keri
goes online to discover more wonders the Furby has to offer. Paul
has had enough.
Paul: Put the Furby down and
come sit with me by the fire.
Keri: But look... when you clap
four times... oh wait... it did it before...
Paul: Put the Furby down.
Keri: But if you...
Paul: Back away from the Furby.
Keri: (resigned): All right.
They go into the living room where the fireplace is lit. They
sit down. Small talk. Then:
Keri: So, Paul, what are your
plans?
Paul: Well, I was going to sit
here and talk for a while, then go to bed.
Keri: No, I mean plan
plans.
Paul: You mean like marriage?
Keri (shrugs): Sure.
Paul: I don't know.
Keri: (Some disparaging remark
about not having a ring. Paul acts hurt.)
Keri: Oh, Paul, stop. I know
you're going to get me a ring eventually.
Paul: So you want to get married.
Keri: Yeah.
Paul: So you want to get married
to me.
Keri: Yeah.
Paul: Well, then open this.
Keri is
presented with a small, Tiffany blue box tied with a white ribbon.
She opens it to reveal a classic Tiffany engagement ring; a half-carat
round diamond set in platinum. It doesn't suck.
Paul: Will you marry me?
Keri: Yes, please.
Paul puts the ring on Keri's left ring finger.
Keri: I knew it! You were singing
the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" song!
Paul: Whatever.
The end?
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