This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is unintentional and strictly coincidental.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
List of characters:
CARLY BURTON: Carly is a 20-year-old, female, dutiful full-time college student and part-time waitress at Gina’s Dessert and Coffee Shop. She recognizes that her life is on the cusp of major change, but is quite torn between following the wishes of others versus following her own instincts. She is not shy, yet not outgoing; she is an average-looking girl of no particular distinction. Carly is respectful, but carries about her an air of confusion, dissatisfaction, anxiety, and a search for answers, but also the energy and freshness of youth. She dresses as most college students in inexpensive, comfortable clothing. She is hesitant to speak to John at first, but warms up to him as the conversation continues.
JOHN SMITH: John is an 89-year-old man, about to turn 90 on his next birthday. He served in the army in WWII, has been married and widowed, raised children, and seen them leave and begin families of their own. He spent his life as a self-employed, respected clock maker and repairer. He has lived and learned, and he has a calm and quiet wisdom that surrounds him. He is not prone to anger, but is prone to contemplation. He wears a dark suit and a hat in such a manner that looking at him would cause one to believe that he wears a similar looking suit each day and that he never leaves the house without his hat, tipping it and/or removing it when passing a lady on the street or entering a building. Yet, he neither puts on airs nor presents himself as better than anyone else—this is simply the uniform of his generation. He is not feeble, yet his age is physically showing.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Setting:
The setting is a bus stop bench in front of a city courtyard field with a lush green lawn, trees, and shrubs; downtown city buildings are in the far back. It is daytime on a warm spring day. It is the current day.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
ACT I, Scene 1
(bus stop bench, daytime)
JOHN SMITH
(John enters, walks to the bench, and sits down.
He tips his hat upward as he turns his face upward to the sun, smiles, breathes deeply, and sighs with gratitude and enjoyment.)
It certainly is a beautiful day.
(John comfortably sits alone for a moment, enjoying the beauty.)
CARLY BURTON
(Carly enters carrying a backpack of books. She sets the pack on the ground and sits end of the bench opposite John. She exhales as if fatigued, and does not look toward John until he speaks.)
JOHN SMITH
Good day, young lady.
(John tips his hat to Carly).
CARLY BURTON
(with fatigue) Good morning.
JOHN SMITH
Busy morning?
CARLY BURTON
Huh? Oh, I just got out of morning classes over at the university. There was just a lot… uh… it’s just been one of those days.
JOHN SMITH
Oh, yes, I remember the college days very well. Of course, I got my schoolin’ many years ago. The army paid for it after I served in World War II. But, I can still remember how some of those days felt, well, daunting. Wondered sometimes how I would get it all done. But, you know, somehow, it always did get done. It’ll be the same for you. What are you studying?
CARLY BURTON
Um, I’m majoring in English, studying to be a teacher when I get out.
JOHN SMITH
Honorable profession, teachin’, helpin’ the minds of the young to expand, to learn to think and reason for themselves.
CARLY BURTON
(doubtful) Yeah, I guess.
JOHN SMITH
You disagree?
CARLY BURTON
Hum? Oh, no, you’re right. It is an honorable profession. An important one, too. It’s just…
(Carly looks at her watch.)
Are the buses running on time today? I wait tables down at Gina’s Dessert and Coffee Shop and I was hoping to get there early to talk to Gina about my schedule.
JOHN SMITH
I only arrived a few moments before you did, but I’ve made use of public transportation for many years now, and I’ve found that the buses always arrive when they’re supposed to.
CARLY BURTON
Wow. I’ve not been that lucky.
JOHN SMITH
Well, dear, it’s not a matter of luck or chance or time. It’s more about simply accepting things as they are and recognizing opportunity when it arrives. Everything happens for a reason. (shakes his head gently as if hearing truth) Everything happens for a reason.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly looks at him with confusion. She appears to begin to say something, but then changes her mind. They sit in silence for a moment. And, then Carly looks at her watch again.)
Sir, this probably sounds really strange, but I got this assignment this morning in English Comp. class. I’m supposed to interview an old, uh, I mean and elderly person and basically write a brief biography of their lives. It’s supposed to be a stranger. The professor thinks that it will keep everybody from just writing a paper about their grandma from stuff they’ve heard in the past and never actually interviewing anybody I guess. And, since the bus won’t arrive for a few more minutes, do you think I could ask you a few questions?
JOHN SMITH
(smiling) I’m John. John Smith. How do you do?
CARLY BURTON
(smiling) Fine, Mr. Smith. I’m Carly Burton, you’re local English major. (laughs quietly)
JOHN SMITH
Carly. What an interesting name. Not a name one hears everyday like John. Is it a family name?
CARLY BURTON
(Carly takes a notebook and a pen from her pack.)
No (giggling). My parents were big fans of Carly Simon. Uh, she was a singer or something back in the sixties, I think. Maybe the seventies. I’m not sure. It was before my time.
JOHN SMITH
(laughs gently) Yes, I suppose it was. But, I’ve heard of her. You should listen to her music sometime. Wonderful songwriter. Her lyrics actually had something to say. I think she was married to James Taylor for a while.
CARLY BURTON
Who’s that?
JOHN SMITH
(laughs gently) Carly, never make the mistake of discountin’ music or people or anything just because it’s old or new. Give it a chance. You never know what you might like or what it might have to teach you. Now, me, I’m about to turn ninety years old on my next birthday. I’ve lived through the age big band music, swing music, rock-n-roll and rockabilly, and folk and new age and just about everything you can think of. It’s all got something valuable to offer, even if you don’t particularly care for the sound. I make it a point to listen to the popular music of your generation just to see what I can learn from it.
CARLY BURTON
Really?
JOHN SMITH
Really. Think of all we’d miss if we didn’t give it a chance. As an English major you must appreciate that new authors are only found if we read their words and give them a chance. Legends are only created if we continue to read anew what generations before have read and read again. It’s the same for everything just as it is for literature.
CARLY BURTON
I never really thought about it like that before, Mr. Smith. (with more excitement) All the great painters and sculptors that would have been lost to time if we hadn’t continued to study their masterpieces for hundreds of years. Even the hieroglyphs on the ancient tombs of Egypt were a form of art, creativity. The art created in any generation just tells us so much about the culture of the time.
JOHN SMITH
You seem to have an interest in art.
CARLY BURTON
Oh, I love it. It’s fascinating how the artists used different colors and different shading, even different types of brush strokes to create feeling or some subtle, even hidden meaning. The reason why art has both continually changed and stayed the same throughout the history of man is because of the changes in our cultures. But, even with all those changes, there are these basic foundations of the human race that never seen to change, these constants that make us want to paint and sculpt and sketch.
JOHN SMITH
You must enjoy your art classes tremendously. I can sense your passion for the subject.
CARLY BURTON
(sad Well, I’ve only been able to take a couple, as elective courses.
JOHN SMITH
And, why is that, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
My parents don’t think art or art history is a valid field of study. In other words, they think it’s just a hobby to read about in my spare time and not something to actually waste time or money on in school. They think English, teaching, is a legitimate major.
JOHN SMITH
Oh.
CARLY BURTON
But, anyway…
JOHN SMITH
And, what do you think?
CARLY BURTON
It doesn’t matter what I think.
JOHN SMITH
Carly, Carly, what you think is the always the most important opinion when it comes to your life, your choices. (gently pointing) You, Carly, your opinions, your thoughts.
CARLY BURTON
Well, I don’t know. I guess they’re right. I mean a degree in art history might get me a job as a museum curator, but there are very few of those jobs so my chances wouldn’t be very good. And, well, college is really expensive and my parents will only pay for it if I major in what they want, and they want me to be an English major, a teacher. They would settle for me being a high school teacher, but what they really want is for me to go all the way, get my PH.D. and be a university English professor. That’s something they could brag about to their friends. Their daughter, the college professor.
JOHN SMITH
But, it’s not what you want.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly speaks while looking toward her feet which are nervously swinging beneath the bench.)
No, not really. I mean, you know, I enjoy literature, I enjoy it quite a bit, actually. It’s a form of art, too, you know. I just don’t want to spend all that time getting advanced degrees and then spend my life teaching it. I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be horrible or anything to spend my days teaching literature, it’s just…. it’s just not the art form I want to dedicate my life, too. I mean, college is important, you know. After all those years getting a degree, you’re kind of stuck in a certain area of employment for the rest of your life unless you go and put in a few more years studying something else.
JOHN SMITH
Ummm, I see.
(John looks to Carly with compassion and deep understanding.)
CARLY BURTON
(Carly catches John’s gentle stare, returns her gaze to her feet, and then quickly returns her eyes to John.)
Why are you looking at me like that?
JOHN SMITH
Dear, why are you not looking at yourself like that?
CARLY BURTON
Huh?
(Carly pauses, then nervously takes her pen and paper from her lap and lifts it closer to her face.)
Uh, maybe we just need to get on with this interview. Never know when the bus might arrive.
(Carly begins to write on the notebook.)
Let’s see. John Smith, and you said that you were 90 years old, Mr. Smith?
JOHN SMITH
I’ll be ninety years old on my next birthday, here in about a month or so.
CARLY BURTON
Wow. I see your wedding ring. Are you married, Mr. Smith?
JOHN SMITH
My Rebecca passed on last spring. It was cancer that finally took her from me, but she fought it more bravely than I ever fought any battle in the war. She was the most beautiful soul I ever knew.
(John takes out his wallet, opens it, and shows the open wallet to Carly.)
This picture was taken in 1948. The day we got married. She was overseas, too, Carly. That’s where we met. Rebecca was in the USO—she would dance and sing and make all the boys forget that they were so far away from home, for a little while anyway. She had this great energy about her.
CARLY BURTON
She was beautiful.
JOHN SMITH
(John looks at the open wallet, closes the wallet and returns it to his pocket.)
Yes, she was. In every way. I was in the army with some great men, great leaders, had some wonderful professors in college, but, by far, she was my greatest teacher. Rebecca, well, Rebecca really lived. She seemed to know the secret of life, so to speak. She never knew a stranger. Never had an enemy. People loved her, loved just being around her, being in her presence. Have you ever known anyone like that, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
(sadly) No, no I don’t think so. It sounds like you had a really good marriage.
JOHN SMITH
Wouldn’t trade those memories for the world. We had three sons. Of course, they’re grown now with kids and grandkids of their own! (smiling brightly) I’m a great-grandfather, Carly!
CARLY BURTON
(Carly smiles and laughs.)
I bet you’re a great grandfather, too.
JOHN SMITH
I try my best, but they really make it easy. I love being a part of their lives.
CARLY BURTON
So, you’re family’s close? You know, you hang out together and stuff? I mean, well, so many families today just sort of discard the elderly.
JOHN SMITH
I’ve been very fortunate, Carly.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly pauses as the weight of John’s comment strikes her, but then quickly returns to her notebook.)
Uh, what about employment, Mr. Smith? What has your field of employment been?
JOHN SMITH
Oh, I’ve been employed in many roles, Carly.
CARLY BURTON
So, you’ve had several jobs—
JOHN SMITH
Oh, you meant jobs. That type of employment.
CARLY BURTON
(Looks to John strangely.)
Yeah.
JOHN SMITH
Well, I had a few jobs when I was young, and of course military work could be considered a job, but I’ve spent most of my life as a clockmaker. I had a room at home where I would make clocks or fix clocks that people had that had broke a tiny spring or mechanism. There’s a lot to be learned from studying clocks, Carly. They’re such beautiful, sensitive items. And, keeping time, well, that’s important to everyone. I’ve been working with the clocks for, well, let’s see, over fifty years. And, I’ve loved every moment of it in its own unique way for whatever it had to offer. I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed to have been able to work with those intricate, delicate clocks.
CARLY BURTON
So, you must have been successful in your business.
JOHN SMITH
Successful, oh yes, I was quite successful.
CARLY BURTON
What was the most you made in a year, do you think?
JOHN SMITH
Oh, money. You meant that type of success. Well, I don’t really know. It was my Rebecca who kept up with the books and such. She let me just concentrate on the clockwork. We met some wonderful people workin’ with clocks. Everyone has a clock, you know. And, many people have heirloom clocks that are passed down through the generations of their family. Timepieces are good for that. We heard some incredible stories of families and people and places. Some of those clocks had traveled across the world as families immigrated to new countries or moved after getting’ married or clocks were built and then shipped to someone when a baby was born. I’ve been able to work with some amazing history, Carly, truly inspiring stories of life and death and, well, everything in-between. (pause) Oh, but you asked about the money, didn’t you. I have a tendency to babble on sometimes. I don’t really know how much we made, dear. But, we were always quite blessed, never needed anything; we lived simply, yet we never wanted for anything. But, it’s not about the money, Carly. Do you know what my very first job was? I was five years old when I had my first job. I was paid less than a penny for working all day in a little restaurant my uncle owned. I stood on a chair and after my aunt washed the dishes, she would hand each one to me to dry. (proudly) Oh, I had my little hand towel and I’d stand there on the chair and dry glasses and plates. I felt so proud that I could help, that I could contribute. Until then, I just felt like a little kid who was always underfoot. But, that day, I learned that even at my young age, I could do something helpful. And, then, I got paid, to boot. I didn’t know that I was going to get paid until the end of the day. I just thought my aunt and uncle were watching me while my mother gave birth to my sister, Maureen. You know, most children were born at home back then, and the adults just had an easier time if the family helped take care of the little kids so they weren’t getting’ into things when the mother was tryin’ to bring a new life into this world.
CARLY BURTON
(smiling) Wait a minute. How do you get paid less than a penny?
JOHN SMITH
(laughs gently) Money is like life, Carly. Nothing ever stays the same. The penny wasn’t the original currency. Money wasn’t the original currency.
CARLY BURTON
You mean like bartering? Trade fruits or vegetables for meat or a blanket or something?
JOHN SMITH
No dear, the currency that existed prior to possessions, before we all decided to section off this and that and claim it as our own instead of acknowledgin’ it as belonging to all of us as a unified whole: Energy.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly has a lengthy pause as she looks toward John with confusion and concern. She then begins looking toward the left and right for the bus.)
(quietly, to self) Wonder when that bus is gonna get here? (to John) So, what other jobs did you have when you were a kid?
JOHN SMITH
Oh, I did lots of odd jobs like that, jobs that would last a day or two. I would work during the summer months at a little grocery store there in Gordonville, and of course I’d always help my parents on their small farm every day throughout the year. Of course, I didn’t get paid for that unless you count room and board. (laughs gently). They were good people, my parents. Hard workers, honest people, they really understood the land, how the soil and the water and the weather were all connected and important to each other. I didn’t mind workin’ on the farm, really didn’t. It just wasn’t what I was truly interested in. But, I was the oldest, so it was really what my father wanted me to do, take over the farm, keep it in the family, handed down from the father to the eldest son. He meant well. He really did. But, you asked about the jobs I had in my youth, didn’t you. I suppose I was really no different than any one else. I had some jobs that I really enjoyed and other jobs that left me relieved when the work day was over, but all of them, Carly, each and every one, had something important to teach me. I wish I had realized that then. Do you enjoy your job, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
I’m a waitress. Nobody likes that.
JOHN SMITH
Oh, I don’t think that’s true.
CARLY BURTON
I have never, and I mean never, met anyone who enjoyed being a waitress. Never. Too busy customers that can’t be satisfied, too many uncontrolled kids running around, trying to make everybody happy and you just can’t do it. Nobody likes it. Nobody. You have people who get excited about how much they made in tips from time to time, but nobody really likes waiting tables. It’s something we do because we have to.
JOHN SMITH
Oh, I see.
(John looks to Carly with deep understanding.)
CARLY BURTON
There you are with that stare again. What’s with that expression.
JOHN SMITH
What do you think it means, this expression?
CARLY BURTON
Like, like you see right through me. Like, almost like you think I’m lying. No, more like you know I’m lying but I don’t.
JOHN SMITH
Oh, I don’t believe that you’re lying, Carly. I believe that you believe what you’re saying.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly sighs heavily.)
What does that mean?
JOHN SMITH
(John inhales and exhales deeply and slowly.)
Well, dear, you seem like a bright girl. Yet, you’ve said that you do this job that you never enjoy because you have to.
CARLY BURTON
Right. Exactly.
JOHN SMITH
Why do you have to do this job, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
Because I need a job that will work around my classes.
JOHN SMITH
And, this job, this particular job is the only job that will allow you to work around your classes?
CARLY BURTON
And, I need the money to pay some of my bills.
JOHN SMITH
So this is the only job that will allow you to work around your classes and pay some of your bills?
CARLY BURTON
You know jobs for college-aged kids are not easy to find. And, when a new school term starts we’re all competing with each other for the local jobs.
JOHN SMITH
So, they, too, are searching for jobs that will work around their class hours and pay some of their bills.
CARLY BURTON
Well, of course.
JOHN SMITH
And, are they all waitresses, Carly? Do they all work in this job that you say no one ever enjoys?
CARLY BURTON
Uh, well, no, no they don’t.
JOHN SMITH
Are they all in jobs that they don’t enjoy, jobs that no one ever enjoys?
CARLY BURTON
Well, no. Some do, some don’t, I guess. At least, according to what they say. I know one person who works at a local radio station, works the midnight shift but he loves it because he’s around music every day. He’s a music major, you see. I know other people who work at grocery stores, quite a few that work at the mall. My dorm mate actually works as an intern at a local bookstore. She’s studying business management and so she’s learning the ropes. She talks likes she loves it because they’re teaching her how to perform every job in the store so that she not only knows how to do each job but how all the different jobs work together and effect each other, how they all effect the customers and sales and just the whole business.
JOHN SMITH
So, you realize that some people enjoy their jobs?
CARLY BURTON
Oh, sure. I wish I could be so lucky, to have a job I enjoy.
JOHN SMITH
How did you become a waitress, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
(laughs nervously) The usual way. I filled out an application and Gina decided to hire me.
JOHN SMITH
Did you apply to other jobs as well?
CARLY BURTON
Well, sure. Lots.
JOHN SMITH
And, do you believe that there is no other job that you could ever do, ever learn to do, no other such job for the rest of your life?
CARLY BURTON
Well, of course not. If I believed that I wouldn’t be in college.
JOHN SMITH
Then why, dear Carly, do you believe that this is the job you have to do? Why do you believe you have no other choices? As though were you drafted or forced someone to do this job and only this job?
CARLY BURTON
(Carly has a lengthy pause, and just begins to realize the truth.)
Hum. I shouldn’t have said it that way. I see your point. I could try and get another job. It’s just that I’ve been at Gina’s for two years now. I know how to do the job, you know. It’s familiar to me. I know where things are and how they work. I know every possible route to take to get to Gina’s from the dorm.
JOHN SMITH
I’ll tell you a little secret, Carly, that my Rebecca taught me before we ever married. Whether you realize it or now, you believe the things you say and think. But, there is a big difference between recognizing your own decisions as opposed to believing that you’re the victim of the decisions of others. And, that difference is freedom and empowerment. It makes all the difference in the world, Carly, in how you feel about having to get up every day and live.
CARLY BURTON
So, you think I should get another job?
JOHN SMITH
You’re not really thinking this through, dear. You’re making it too complicated. It really is much easier than that. Consider what you’ve said, dear. You said that no one ever enjoys the job. They might like the tips once in a while, but they never actually enjoy the job. You never actually enjoy the job.
CARLY BURTON
Yeah.
JOHN SMITH
(John looks insightfully to Carly.)
Um-hum. If no one ever enjoyed the job, do you think that the restaurant would succeed, that people would want to go to a restaurant where no one enjoyed their work? Surely there must be something positive about workin’ at Gina’s, something enjoyable?
CARLY BURTON
Oh, I see. I guess you’re right. I just don’t think about it much, I guess. It’s not it’s a horrible job, I guess. There’s Will, that Gina’s husband. He and Gina do the baking, but Will is really funny and he really seems to love baking and mixing ingredients and trying out new flavors and stuff. Will says that he never makes a mistake; he just finds flavors that won’t work. Whatever that means, But, actually, he’s kind of inspiring. When I’m around him, I want to be creative, too. And, well, not all of the customers are unable to be pleased. Some of them really seem to enjoy their orders; they must, they keep coming back. I guess we have the same type of customers as any other coffee shop. We’ve got the college kids who nurse a single cup of coffee while they read and work on term papers. Of course, we’ve got the blind daters. You can spot them as soon as one of them walk into the shop. We have one father who brings in his four-year-old son every Saturday morning to order a doughnut and milk. It’s nice to see them together. And, then, there’s a retired science professor, he’s widowed, he comes in every Sunday afternoon after he visits the cemetery. He’s really nice. He always has a story to tell about when he was teaching and all that science has learned over the years. Travelers always have stories, too. I’ve been able to meet people who live in other countries and hear them talk about what life is like in their little corner of the world. It’s fascinating to see how all these different people, these different lives have this one little dessert shop in common. Like a common denominator or something…. But, when I talk about the good things, no one really wants to hear it. Least, it seems that way to me. But, when I talk about the bad things, most people chime in and talk about their own jobs.
JOHN SMITH
You mean they complain about their jobs, too?
CARLY BURTON
Well, yeah. Are you gonna tell me now about that law of attraction everybody’s talking about?
JOHN SMITH
Law of attraction? More like the path of least resistance.
CARLY BURTON
I don’t understand.
JOHN SMITH
The truly wise, Carly, learn that their life is what they create it to be. And, then they discover that the path they thought was the most difficult is actually the most comfortable.
CARLY BURTON
I still don’t understand.
JOHN SMITH
Most people, not all, mind you, but most people are easily lured into the attitude of others. One person complains and the others join in. One person applauds and everyone else joins in. One person starts the wave or a cheer at a pep rally and everyone else joins in. Few people recognize their own wishes or beliefs, and fewer still are strong enough to stand true to their self when greeted with an opposing view. Joy is knowing what path you wish to walk and walking it even when others disagree. But, to do so, you must first know what you want; and then the hardest part is acknowledging that every decision is your own. (lengthy pause) Do you realize, Carly, that you can choose to enjoy your life or you can choose not to? Ultimately, it really is up to you. Oh, there will always be some things about any job that you don’t particularly like doing. But, overall, at the end of the day, you can decide whether to view that job as something enjoyable or not. You can choose to focus on the difficult customers or you can focus on the aspects of the job that make you, well, smile, laugh. Life is like that, Carly; it can be as easy as you make it to be.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly appears to contemplate John’s words.)
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
ACT II, Scene 1
(Bus stop, daytime, John sits on the bench. Carly stands near the bench, looking for the bus and deep in thought. Carly is beginning to understand John’s meaning.)
CARLY BURTON
(Carly continually looks away from John.)
Wonder when that bus will finally get here.
(Carly sighs and sits again on the bench.)
JOHN SMITH
The buses always arrive right on time, Carly. You’ll see.
CARLY BURTON
Mr. Smith, how did you know that Ms. Rebecca was the one for you? And, please, don’t say you just knew. I hate it when people say that. I’ve never just known if someone was right for me or not. If I had, I never would have seen a relationship break up. I would have known it wouldn’t work before it ever got started.
JOHN SMITH
(laughs) Do you have a fella, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
Yes, sir. Well, sort of. I mean, I guess. It’s kind of hard to say. I certainly don’t know if he’s right for me or not.
JOHN SMITH
And, what are your doubts?
CARLY BURTON
I don’t know. He’s… well, I guess he’s okay. My parents like him. It’s just that he’s a lot like my parents. He’s always telling me what to do and wanting me to be whatever he wants instead of whoever I want to be. He’s an accounting major. He wants to work for the Fortune 500 companies. Thinks that’s where the big money is. He talks about it a lot, about all the money he’s going to make and all he’s going to buy with it. Strange thing is, he hates math and numbers and accounting. He says it’s the sacrifice he’s willing to make for the paycheck. Besides, he calls me names sometimes that, well, they make me feel… incompetent, like I don’t really matter in the world. I don’t know. He and my parents just say I’m too sensitive.
JOHN SMITH
And, what do you think?
CARLY BURTON
I think it’s like hanging out with my parents. I don’t particularly like it.
JOHN SMITH
Does he make you feel good?
CARLY BURTON
He makes me feel tired. Really tired. Actually, the truth is, I feel better when he’s not around. That’s a horrible thing to say. I shouldn’t think like that.
JOHN SMITH
If he makes you feel poorly, Carly, why do you continue the relationship?
CARLY BURTON
My parents like him. That’s, you know, one less thing I have to hear about from them. And, well, it’s not like he’s all bad. I mean, he does nice things, too, things that make me feel good.
JOHN SMITH
Well, no one is all bad, Carly. But, there are people who make us feel good, who lift us up, and remind us to feel joyful, and then there are people who will try to make others feel badly so that they can feel better about themselves. The world is filled with both, and you never avoid all the people who make you feel poorly. But, you can choose how much time you dedicate to those people, and you can choose to exercise your power over your own reactions.
CARLY BURTON
So, you think it’s my fault, too. That’s it’s just me being too sensitive.
JOHN SMITH
Never give away your power, Carly. You can let someone get under your skin or you can choose to just let it roll off your back, as my father used to say. It’s not easy; I won’t lie to you about that. But, it is within your power to decide. (pause) Of course, spending most of your time with people who remind you to feel good makes it easier to exercise your power to remain joyful when you encounter the negative ones.
CARLY BURTON
And, Ms. Rebecca made you feel good?
JOHN SMITH
(John nods yes)
Oh, that’s not to say that we agreed on everything or never had an argument. Sometimes, she made me more mad than anyone else I’ve ever known. But, she always reminded me to find the good, no matter the situation. She made me a better person. She never stole my power from me and she never asked me to surrender it to her; she always reminded me to hold on to my own power and she taught me to exercise it in the most positive, affirming manner. She taught me how to take the most personal high road, so to speak. She had a way of making people feel they could accomplish anything, or at least remind them of their own courage to try. If it weren’t for her, I don’t think I ever would have found the courage to go into clock making.
(There is a lengthy pause as
Carly contemplates.)
CARLY BURTON
So, your father must have been really mad when you didn’t take over the family farm and went into clockwork instead.
JOHN SMITH
He was quite disappointed, yes. I recall a few uncomfortable arguments over the issue. I had farmed alongside him for a few years, so he knew that I had at least given it a chance. I think somewhere deep inside he knew it wouldn’t make me happy in the long run. But, back then, work wasn’t so much about being happy or doing something you enjoyed. Back then, it was about just getting food on the table. Times were different then. But, that changed about the same time as the war. A lot of things changed back then. And there grew a desire to do something more than just toil for a fair wage. Now, my father, farming was in his blood. He loved it. He knew how to work in the soil, how to read the sky to predict the weather. I admired him. But, yes, there was some friction when I decided to make timepieces instead of follow his choices for me. But, he came around, in time, when he saw the peace that it brought me….and saw that I could put food on my family’s table with such a profession.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly turns to John, and sits on the bench attentively.)
What did you study in college, Mr. Smith? Was it clock making?
JOHN SMITH
(laughs) Oh, no dear. Times were quite different then. We didn’t have all of the choices that you young people have today. To learn something like clock making, we would apprentice someone, even though they might not make a living with the skill. No, it was my cousin Hamilton. It seemed like he could fix or build anything. He’d sit around at night after his work on his farm was through tinkering with all sorts of little inventions, seeing how things worked by taking them apart and putting them back together. And, he could find his way around the inside of a clock with his eyes closed. He’s the one who taught me. Then, later on, I was able to study with a local clockmaker who did make his living with timepieces. But, in college, I studied agriculture, like my father wanted. At that point, I really didn’t know what else to do and the military was going to pay for my schooling and at least I had some experience with farming. I enjoyed it, though. Thought I might work for the government in their agriculture department or something when I got out. But, sometimes plans don’t quite work out the way you think they will.
CARLY BURTON
(disappointed) Oh.
JOHN SMITH
As an English major, surely they’ve had you read Thoreau?
CARLY BURTON
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately… and not, when I came to die, discover that I had no lived.”
JOHN SMITH
Yes, dear. What do you think it means? Not to him, but to you.
CARLY BURTON
Well, no one wants to look back over their life on their deathbed and be filled with a list of everything they wanted to do but never did. They don’t want to die full of regret or sorrow because their lives went unfulfilled, empty.
JOHN SMITH
And, how does one go about avoiding a deathbed of regret?
CARLY BURTON
I guess they have to try, they have to take a risk.
JOHN SMITH
And, what is it, Carly, that they’re risking? What is it that they’re really putting on the line?
CARLY BURTON
Um, failure, I guess. I’d really hate to follow my dreams and end up proving my father right. And, what if he is right? What if I were to follow my dreams, study art, and then I couldn’t get anything more than a job waiting tables? And, what if my parents didn’t approve of art and refused to pay for college? And, what if they got mad and never forgave me? That sure would make holiday dinners a little uncomfortable. What if I pursued a career in art and then found out that it was teaching English that I really wanted and art just wasn’t all I thought it was cracked up to be?
JOHN SMITH
Fear and doubt will always be your toughest opponents. They can stop you in your tracks, hold you down better than cement. But, you shouldn’t feel ashamed about havin’ fears, Carly. Everybody has them, everybody doubts them selves. What determines whether or not you die with regret is whether you choose to face your fears or give in to them.
CARLY BURTON
If I never try, I’ll never know?
JOHN SMITH
If you never try, you’ll never fail, but you’ll also never succeed. All that regret people talk about, they only see it as something bad when they’re on their deathbed, when they realize that there is no time left to make a different decision. Up until then, they don’t think of it as regret; they think of it as a very safe place to be. Up until then, they can make excuses and blame everything and everyone else except their self. It was the law’s fault why women couldn’t vote—-until, that is, someone fought to change the law. People like to blame society a lot for all they didn’t do. People like to blame ignorance, saying they can’t do this or that because they don’t know how when there are buildings dedicated to housing information on everything there is to know. They’ll say it’s the economy’s fault why someone never started a business or bought a farm. It’s the weather’s fault or the risk of danger why some adventure isn’t undertaken. It’s your parents’ fault that you didn’t study art or pay for your own schooling so that you could choose your path. (nods at Carly) The excuses are easier than the truth, for a while anyway. Then, on their deathbed, they realize that there is and never has been any one else to blame. And, that undeniable truth is the hardest truth of all.
CARLY BURTON
(quietly) But, what if I fail?
JOHN SMITH
All this talk about failure and success. Carly, do you really even know what it is? Everyone could have a different definition, and they could all be right. Whatever you think success or failure is, that is what they shall be. Is success making a lot of money? Well, if that’s your truth, so be it. You may or may not make a lot of money, especially if you continually compare yourself to everyone around you. Is success being able to spend your days in a chosen field, doing a job with aspects you enjoy? Is it just being able to work on a certain hobby every day, even if it’s not how you put food on the table? Is it being true to yourself? Because if that is your answer, Carly, success will look quite different. You are the only one who will ever be able to look back on your life and decide if you were successful or not. You’ll actually be able to feel successful or like a failure every single moment along the way; it’s your choice. But, to really be true to yourself, you have to accept that, from time to time, your path, your choices, may disagree with what others want for you.
CARLY BURTON
So, you think I should change my major and pay for college myself?
JOHN SMITH
(laughs gently) Carly, dear. My opinion doesn’t matter, shouldn’t matter in your choices, your life. You’re the only one who can make those decisions, and you’re the only one that will live with the results, whatever they may be. Don’t give your power away to me or to anyone else. But, in accepting your own power over your self, you must also accept full responsibility for the outcomes of your decisions.
CARLY BURTON
Good or bad, huh?
JOHN SMITH
Everything, good and bad, is a learning experience, if we simply allow it to be. Everything is a just a vehicle to something else. But, strangely, once you truly accept responsibility for your self, your decisions, your thoughts, your actions, there’s a great peacefulness that comes, and it sets up residence. Do you remember your poetry, Carly?
CARLY BURTON
My poetry?
JOHN SMITH
One of my favorites: Robert Frost. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
CARLY BURTON
Mr. Smith, when you, well, when you’re on your deathbed, what will you think of when you look back on your life?
JOHN SMITH
I’ve been very blessed, Carly. I truly have. I could die any day… I could have died any day over the last fifty years or so, and died in peace, contented. I have no regrets. I waste no energy on things left undone. I am and have been very blessed. My Rebecca taught me that. It’s a waste of life to get caught up in what was or what wasn’t or what might be. Life is now, this day, this very moment. Waste it wondering about what it’s not, and you waste that opportunity for joy that you can never retrieve, even if that very moment is your final moment on this Earth. Oh, by most people’s way of thinking, I’ve had ups and downs, good days and bad. I’ve experienced wins and losses, successes and failures. I had arguments with my wife from time to time, there were times when I had to discipline my kids, customers who couldn’t be pleased, and things like that. But, my Rebecca taught me to live each day like it was the last day of my life, to cherish it, to feel a real appreciation for it. Life is an on-going education, Carly, and every moment is filled with lessons for us to learn. We can either respect life and all it has to offer or we can dread life and blame it for all that arises. I’ve been blessed, Carly. I truly have.
CARLY BURTON
But, your wife has died. And, you’ve probably lost other people who were close to you.
JOHN SMITH
Yes, yes, that is true. And, those things hurt when they happen. But, if I dwelled in that place of hurt, then I couldn’t enjoy this conversation with you, I wouldn’t be able to laugh with my grandchildren or really feel the warmth of the sunshine. Death is as much a part of life as birth, Carly. As much as we try to ignore our own mortality, not one of us will be able to avoid it. And, that’s why we should live while we’re here. Say what we feel. Do what we dream. Make that phone call instead of putting it off. Send the flowers while they’re living instead of after they’re in a coffin, as they say. I won’t try and convince you that it’s ever easy when people die, Carly. But, it is easier when you know that you’ve made the visits and you’ve said that the Thank You’s, and the I Love You’s, and the I Miss You’s, and the I’m Sorry’s. And, when your own time nears, it’s easier to accept when you know that you’ve lived life loving yourself, and forgiving yourself, and respecting yourself, your power, your choices, when you know that you’ve lived with passion and followed the path of your choosing. When you have peace within, Carly, you don’t look for peace without, and you don’t wonder if you’ll be finding peace on the other side.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly looks at her watch.)
Wow. I guess the bus isn’t coming today.
JOHN SMITH
The bus always comes on time, Carly. Always.
CARLY BURTON
(smiles contently) Yeah. I think I get that now. I’m glad I met you, Mr. Smith. I really am. I sure didn’t think I’d learn so much from this interview I had to do for class. Thank you.
JOHN SMITH
(John nods gratefully and tips his hat.)
Thank you, dear Carly.
CARLY BURTON
(Carly stands to leave, putting her notebook in her backpack.)
Well, I should get going. Thanks again. And, I hope everything goes well for you.
(Carly turns to walk away.)
JOHN SMITH
And, what of you, Carly? Your schooling? Your art? Your parents. Your life. What happens when you leave here today?
CARLY BURTON
(thoughtfully, smiling) Life happens. My life. (smiles, to herself) Yeah.
(Carly walks off stage.)
JOHN SMITH
(John smiles, looks up again toward the sun.)
THE END
written by Debra Phillips
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental.
No comments:
Post a Comment