Molly's+Play

Fighting for Truth  Molly Katz-Christy   Ms. Chung **SCENE 1** SETTING: Teenage boy’s room CHARACTERS: Jason Dad //(JASON sits on bed with his backpack on the floor, organizing papers. The walls are a baby blue and Mozart is playing turned all the way up.)//

DAD (//knocks on door, no response, tries again timidly// ): Jason? ( //no answer, a little louder but almost doesn’t want Jason to hear// ) Jason? ( //much louder// ) Jase?

JASON (//absentmindedly// ): Mmm?

DAD (//takes deep breath, enters, then takes his time closing the door// ): Jason.

JASON (//realizes DAD is nervous, moves some papers and moves over on his bed to make room for DAD to sit next to him, more sensitively// ): What, Dad?

DAD (//hesitates, then says with a sad smile// ): Jason.

JASON (//confused// ): //What//, Dad?

DAD (sighs, but knows he has to start): Well, fourteen years ago, a little boy named Jason was born. His parents loved him, but—

JASON (//thinking, “what the?” breaking his dad’s quiet// ): Dad, where are you going with this?

DAD (//lost his train of thought// ): What I’m trying to say is… that… Jason, you’re adopted.

JASON (//confused, shocked, but not mad yet// ): What? But you told me you were there when I was born.

DAD (//slightly defensive// ): I didn’t want you to feel like you weren’t one of us.

JASON (//now angry// ): Not one of us? You lied to me! What else have you lied to me about? You’re not my father. Mom’s not my mother. And what about all our—your other relatives? Why did you hide this from me?

DAD (//things aren’t going the way he planned// ): I wasn’t ever going to tell you. I didn’t want you to have to go through this. JASON: Never tell me! And have me go through life thinking you were actually my father! DAD (//protesting, almost begging for acceptance// ): I //am// your father. I wanted you Jase. I loved you from the begin— JASON (//shoves him out the door// ): I don't //know// you! //(JASON slams door and DAD exits. He faces audience but is talking to himself.)// JASON: He lied to me. He //lied// to me! That's not fair. Parents shouldn't lie to their kids. I need to //do// something about this.

**SCENE 2:** SETTING: Adoption center

CHARACTERS: Jason Receptionist Ann //(Lights up. Adoption center waiting room. RECEPTIONIST is sitting at the desk on the computer. She smiles as JASON walks in.)// RECEPTIONIST: How can I help you? JASON (//hesitantly// ): I…umm…have…some questions about being adopted?

RECEPTIONIST: Do you have an appointment?

JASON: No.

RECEPTIONIST: I’ll see if Ann is available. (//Picks up phone// .) Hi Ann. Can I send someone in? ( //pause// ) Okay, thanks. ( //She gestures for JASON to go in a door at the end of a hall.// )

(//JASON walks through the door. Ann is sitting in a chair behind a desk. She shuffles some papers, sees him, and sighs as if she’s seen too many kids.// )

ANN (//as if she’s said this a million times before// ): The search for birthparents is a big ordeal, especially emotionally, and you should think carefully before deciding. But no matter what you decide is right for you—

JASON: I’m not searching for my birth parents.

ANN (//caught off guard// ): No?

JASON: No. I just found out I was adopted.

ANN (//starting to get back on track// ): And your name is?

JASON: Jason Green.

ANN: Oh, //you// ’re Jason. Your father contacted me recently.

JASON: What did he talk to you about?

ANN: He needed some of your information for insurance reasons. We got to talking and he explained his plan to never let you know that you were adopted, and—

JASON: And that was okay with you? For him to lie to me?

ANN: Well, we recommend that they tell their children—

JASON(//incredulously// ): Recommend?!

ANN:—but we leave the decision up to the parents. We have a strict policy where we don’t contact families after the adoption unless they request it.

JASON: And what about us? Don’t we have any say?

ANN: Well, like you, children can come into the adoption agency at any time to—

JASON: But what if we don’t know we’re adopted? We wouldn’t know to come here!

ANN: Like I said, we leave the decision on when and if to tell the children up to their parents. JASON: So what you’re saying is if our parents make the wrong decision, we have to live with it? That we're not strong enough to know the truth?

ANN: Parents know their kids better than anyone, and—

JASON: Not better than the kids themselves. We need to know so that we can make choices for our //own// futures.

ANN: You have to trust that parents know what is best— JASON: Trust liars!

ANN: I'm sorry, but we have a policy. (//RECEPTIONIST enters// ) RECEPTIONIST(//to ANN// ): Telephone. ANN (//to Jason, apologetically// ): Excuse me. (//RECEPTIONIST exits. ANN picks up a phone on her desk. A packet on her desk catches his eye, and he bites his lip as if debating possibilities.// ) ANN: Hello? (//pause// ) Mmhm. Yes, I was just about to mail the packet. We have the paper records here. ( //she picks up a stack of paper on her desk and looks at it// ) Oh, sure, I can get that too. One second. ( //puts down paper, then turns around to go through filing cabinet behind her. JASON looks around, takes a phone out of his pocket, and takes a picture. She turns back around with another sheet of paper. JASON mouths the words “bye, thank you,” and moves to down center stage. Lighting shifts off her office so that it's clear JASON is talking to himself.)//

JASON (//blows up picture on his phone and is squinting to read it)//: Private Adoptions in the year 1996. (//excited pause)// Oh, I wonder who's on this. (//scrolls down//) Anna Tournas? She's adopted? And Matt Jeffers? He never told me that! I bet half of these kids go to Jefferson High! And, I bet they don't know they're adopted. If I tell them, they're on my side. **SCENE 3:** SETTING: Cafeteria CHARACTERS: JASON BUNCH OF KIDS

//(Lights up. A cafeteria with a table center stage. JASON sits at table, surrounded by 10-12 kids eating lunch, confused about why they are there.)//

JASON (//slightly nervous// ): Okay... umm... so I called you all here because I found this list. ( //Puts a printout of the picture he took of the adoption list in front of them// ) Private Adoption in the year 1996. All of your names were on this list. Just names, but I just looked you up and got your phone numbers. ( //pause, some confusion around him// ) You're all adopted.

(//About half of the kids have “well, yeah” looks on their faces, but the other half is shocked. There are three or four “What?!”'s as the knowledge sinks in.)// KID 1 (//as though this is obvious// ): Well //yeah//. My parents told me ages ago. KID 2 (//shocked// ): Are you sure? KID 3: I'm not adopted! JASON: See for yourself (//hands the list to KID 3// ). KID 4: But then, why didn't my parents tell me? JASON: Because they wanted to shelter you from the truth. KID 4: So they //lied// to me?! (//JASON nods with a sad smile, as if saying “the world's crazy, I know.”)//

KID 5: So they told me they were my real parents because they didn't want me to know the truth? That's not fair!

JASON: That's why we're here. To change that.

KID 6: When? How? JASON: When? Tomorrow. How? I'll tell you.

SETTING: Adoption Center CHARACTERS: Jason Receptionist Bunch of Kids Ann
 * SCENE 4:**

//(Lights up. RECEPTIONIST is sitting at her desk. BUNCH OF KIDS and JASON enter. She is surprised to see so many, but smiles at them.)// RECEPTIONIST: How may I help you? JASON: Can we speak to Ann? RECEPTIONIST: Let me just see if she's available. (//picks up phone and dials// ). Hi Ann. Can I send a couple of kids in? ( //short pause// ) Great! Thanks. ( //hangs up// ) Go right in. //(Points down the hall. JASON and BUNCH OF KIDS go into ANN's office.)// ANN (//this is not her idea of a couple of kids and is confused but trying to mask it// ): Hello! Come in. What can I get for you?

KID 7(//starts speaking in a dry, controlled tone of voice//: Until yesterday, none of us knew we were adopted.

KID 8: Until yesterday, our parents had lied to us.

ANN (//confused and suspicious// ): But you are adopted? ( //they nod// ) Then how did you find out?

KID 9: Jason.

ANN: Jason?

JASON (//apologetically// ): I saw a list of adopted kids from 1996 on your desk, and so I took a picture with my phone.

ANN (//shocked and slightly angry// ): And you told them that they were adopted? I thought we talked about how that was the parents' responsibility.

KID 10: But Jason //had// to tell us. Now we know the truth. We know what our parents should have told us a long time ago.

KID 2: We're old enough to know the truth. We always have been.

KID 3: And we've never been young enough for lies.

ANN (//overwhelmed// ): We never tell parents to //lie// to their kids!

KID 4: Withholding the truth is a lie.

KID 5: You don't tell our parents to do anything.

KID 6: Which is why you have to change your policy.

KID 7: To prevent this from happening.

KID 8: To prevent parents from making the wrong decisions.

JASON: To give kids the opportunity to make their own decisions.

ANN (//even more overwhelmed, because she knows they're right// ): We have a policy! KID 9: You need to change your policy.

ANN (//trying to calm them down, even though they are calm// ): This isn't in our control. We are under state regulations. We can't just change things ourselves.

KID 10: Then we'll write letters. We'll make phone calls. We'll make our voices heard.

JASON: People like us need to know the truth. (//Lights// )

SETTING: Jason's room
 * SCENE 5: **

CHARACTERS: JASON DAD

//(Lights up. Just like beginning,// //JASON sits on bed with his backpack on the floor, organizing papers. The walls are a baby blue and Mozart is playing turned all the way up.)//

DAD (//enters more confidently than before//): Hey Jase. (//sits on bed next to JASON, who moves over papers and turns down music.)//

JASON: Hi Dad.

DAD: I know I should be upset with you for doing all that behind my back, but (//pause)// I'm really proud of you, Jason. For going after what you believed in. (//He pauses, but JASON doesn't respond.//) I'm sorry, Jason. I know I should have told you before, it's just(//pause)// I didn't want to hurt you.

JASON: I understand, Dad. I don't agree, but I understand.

//(Lights)//