Source: Wikipedia
I can barely watch—can hardly read—about the unprovoked attack on Ukraine. The country now turned into bomb sites, the population on the move, and all, seemingly, to feed Putin’s delusional need for a reconstituted empire.
So, for a short reprieve from carnage, I’ve revisited a 10-minute play. It’s a form I like: short and sweet, a small frame for a story’s development, a mini-journey for the characters. “Transit of Venus” was prompted by that occurrence back in 2004. I hope you’ll enjoy Ralph and Margaret and Angelo and Giovanna.
Eastport, Maine: June 8, 2004
The Transit of Venus
by
Robert Moulthrop
CAST
RALPH Construction worker, late 30s
MARGARET RALPH’s wife, late 30s
ANGELO Owns the small grocery store, late 20s
GIOVANNA ANGELO’s wife, early 20s
NOTE: A Maine accent could be used.
Eastport, Maine. A rock, facing east. Tuesday, June 8, 2004.
Early morning, just before sunrise.
Two beach (lounge) chairs. RALPH is seated in one, absently eating peanuts, one at a time, from a can, looking alternately up at the sky and at the horizon. We watch him eat several peanuts. MARGARET enters. At some point she will sit in the other chair. For the moment, she stands and looks at the sky, looks at the horizon, looks at the sky, looks at the can of peanuts, watches Ralph eat one, looks at the sky, watches him eat another one . . .
MARGARET
Where’d you get those?
RALPH
What?
MARGARET
Those nuts.
RALPH
What?
MARGARET
Those peanuts. Where’d you get them?
RALPH
You want one? You know, if the sun doesn’t get up over the horizon pretty damn soon, we’re going to miss it.
MARGARET
Did you take them out of the cupboard?
RALPH
I don’t think so. When did they say?
MARGARET
Five-thirty. Well where then?
RALPH
(looks at watch) Five thirty exactly? Or are you just doing one of your approximating things?
MARGARET
(looks)
RALPH
You can look all you want, but this is really something. First time since 1882. Venus passing right between the earth and the sun. Cosmic ride. Wshooooze! (makes a motion with his hands.)
MARGARET
A dot moves across the sun. Sure it’s not just ashes from a beach fire?
RALPH
It’s Venus, Margaret. Not happening again til 2012, and we won’t be able to see it then.
MARGARET
You do do your reading. I’ll give you that. You working today?
RALPH
Starting at 10. Over to Norwood Road. Still at that foundation.
MARGARET
So where’d you get those peanuts?
RALPH
From the table, I guess. I don’t know. And then not again til 2117. We’ll be gone.
MARGARET
I should hope so.
RALPH
This is historic. Once in a lifetime. Not to be missed.
MARGARET
Whoever heard of peanuts first thing in the morning. I was leaving them out for supper.
RALPH
Peanuts for supper?
MARGARET
For the thai chicken you asked for.
RALPH
I’ll go get some more.
MARGARET
Angelo’s is closed today. There, is that some kind of sunlight over there?
RALPH
Are you sure?
MARGARET
Something about going to Bangor. There was a sign, remember? Don’t you want a sweater? Aren’t you cold?
RALPH
Bangor?
MARGARET
You’re shivering.
RALPH
I’m not cold. Seems to me it’s almost warm. In the middle of the week?
MARGARET
June in Eastport isn’t warm, Ralph.
RALPH
Suit yourself. Did the sign say why?
MARGARET
No, just Bangor. Speaking of which, Marjorie called last night.
RALPH
What’s Bangor got to do with Marjorie?
MARGARET
She went to college there, Ralph. Your own sister.
RALPH
Beauty school. Sure you don’t want a peanut?
MARGARET
It was before Jay Leno. You were awake.
RALPH
Tell me again. Look. Is that the sun?
MARGARET
No, it’s just the reflection from a headlight.
RALPH
Hope no one’s coming. I really want to get this to myself.
MARGARET
She said Samantha had a cold, so she didn’t want to wake her up, and Harry wasn’t going in to work today anyway, so they were just going to sleep in and see it on TV.
RALPH
Good.
MARGARET
Sounds like you don’t want to see your sister.
RALPH
I love Marjorie. And I love Samantha, too. Crissake, Margaret, don’t make me out to be some kind of ogre here. All I’m saying is that I’ve been looking forward to seeing this thing ever since . . .
MARGARET
You just heard about it last week.
RALPH
Well, ever since last week, then. Man’s got a right to look forward to something for a week, I guess, if that’s all the notice he has.
MARGARET
Give me those peanuts. You’re never going to get into StopnSave today.
RALPH
Then make something else.
MARGARET
I don’t want something else. I want Thai. It’s on the meal planner. Give me the peanuts.
RALPH
(Takes one more). There. Take ‘em, take ‘em. Thai-schmai. There’s that light again.
MARGARET
You need to enlarge your palate. Someone’s coming up the road. They stopped at the house.
RALPH
Why is anyone coming up here before six on a Tuesday?
MARGARET
Maybe they heard you were giving away peanuts.
RALPH
Tell them to go away. First time this Transitory Venus thing in a hundred years, and we’ll be the first to see it. Best reason to live in Eastport.
MARGARET
They’re already seeing it in Europe. In Europe they’re already bored with the whole idea. They’ve gone back to bed.
RALPH
Just like we were the first to say “Hello” to the Millennium.
MARGARET
Which time? When the nines all turned over, or the real time. You weren’t first the second time.
RALPH
The second time wasn’t the real time, sister.
MARGARET
The second time was the real time and you know it. You just won’t admit it because you went to sleep and missed it.
RALPH
I went to sleep because the second time was boring, because I’d been up for days pouring that concrete out on Route One, and because you didn’t wake me up. Nobody stayed up for the second time anyway. It was all over on the first time.
MARGARET
I was awake. I tried to wake you up. But all you said was “Unggggngngn” the way you do. You never wake up any more.
RALPH
If you’d really wanted to wake me up, you know you would have. You just wanted to keep it for yourself.
MARGARET
You didn’t believe in it anyway, Mister. You said the first one was the real one since that’s when all the nines went over and all the fireworks and all, so even if it was wrong, it was right.
RALPH
Well, it was right. Seems like it’s a long time getting light this morning. Who’s that coming?
MARGARET
Looks like Angelo and Mrs. Angelo.
RALPH
Giovanna.
MARGARET
Really.
RALPH
I wonder what’s going on about Bangor.
(ANGELO and GIOVANNA enter.)
ANGELO
Hey, Ralph.
RALPH
Hey, Ange. Giovanna.
GIOVANNA
Just Ginny. The other sounds so old fashioned.
MARGARET
Morning, Angelo. You’re up early.
RALPH
I know. Just kinda fun to say.
ANGELO
It was Ginny.
RALPH
Giovanna.
ANGELO
She wanted to see it.
RALPH
Yeah. It’s historic.
MARGARET
Historic occasion for eating a whole can of peanuts.
ANGELO
And you’ve got the edge, up here, I was telling Ginnie.
GIOVANNA
First light, he said.
RALPH
That’s right. We’re the first, not counting Grand Manan. First on the continent.
GIOVANNA
So I thought . . .
ANGELO
She thought, well maybe.
GIOVANNA
We’re going down to Bangor today.
MARGARET
I saw the sign. But . . .
ANGELO
They think. Well, they think . . .
GIOVANNA
Angelo!!
ANGELO
Ginny, come on. Ralph and I are old friends..
RALPH
Yeah, and worse than that. Pull up a chair. Margaret, why don’t you get Angelo and Giovanna, uh, Ginny a chair here?
MARGARET
Yeah. Sure thing. (doesn’t move.)
ANGELO
See, the thing of it is, is . . .
GIOVANNA
Bangor, they think they can . . .
ANGELO
We’ve been trying, see . . .
GIOVANNA
And Angelo, he really wants . . .
ANGELO
Well, you do, too, honey.
GIOVANNA
Of course, yes, I do, I really do.
ANGELO
So, the doctors in Bangor, they . . .
GIOVANNA
But I thought, well . . .
ANGELO
Her mother’s kind of old fashioned, see . . .
GIOVANNA
You could guess. My name and all . . .
MARGARET
Giovanna.
GIOVANNA
Yeah, silly, isn’t it.
RALPH
Sounds nice to me.
ANGELO
Her mother, she called, she’d heard about this Venus thing.
RALPH
Transitory Venus.
GIOVANNA
Actually, it’s the Transit of Venus.
MARGARET
Sounds like something Ralph’d be watching on the Playboy channel.
RALPH
I thought you were getting some chairs for our guests here.
ANGELO
Her mother thought it might, you know, well, make a difference.
GIOVANNA
If I was the first, you know. If the light somehow hit me first.
RALPH
It’s not like a light, though. It’s a shadow. It’s like this mini-eclipse.
ANGELO
But the first to see it. Out here, first light of sunrise, every day, first sun to hit the United States.
GIOVANNA
So, the first sign of the Transit of Venus, even though it’s not the whole thing.
ANGELO
She’s so smart.
MARGARET
You can just tell.
GIOVANNA
No I’m not. Not really, I mean. I just read about this is all, after my mom called.
ANGELO
They live in Naples.
RALPH
Oh.
GIOVANNA
No, Florida. They retired. We just get the end of it here. Just the last part of it, of Venus, going across the sun. Boop. Like that.
ANGELO
And then it happens again in twelve years. And then not again for a hundred years.
MARGARET
How will you know?
GIOVANNA
Know what?
MARGARET
If all this standing in the light, whatever, did any good?
ANGELO
Well, it can’t hurt, can it? And when the baby comes, we’re going to call her Lucia.
GIOVANNA
That’s sort of like “light.” I know it’s old fashioned. We’ll probably really call her Lucy.
RALPH
What if it’s a boy?
ANGELO
Marshall. You know, like Mars.
MARGARET
Better than Pluto.
ANGELO
Isn’t that the light? Just there? The sun?
RALPH
It is. Just a little south from where it was yesterday.
MARGARET
And a little north of where it’ll be tomorrow.
GIOVANNA
Gee, it’s so pretty up here in the morning.
ANGELO
You don’t mind if we stand in front, do you?
GIOVANNA
It goes so fast. I didn’t think the sun would rise so fast.
ANGELO
Here, honey. Stand here, stand in front of me. Face right into it. Just don’t look is all. Trust me, it’s there.
ANGELO brings GIOVANNA directly in front of him, puts his arms around her. She leans back on him as the golden light begins to reflect, first on their face, then all over. MARGARET moves closer to RALPH, who reaches out, takes her hand, and pulls her closer. Subtly, he moves her in front of him, so they are only slightly behind the other couple, but in the same position.
ANGELO
(intones) Transit of Venus, Transit of Venus, light to the light inside, touch her now. (Pause. Then to Ralph and Margaret). Her mother told me to say it. (To Giovanna). Isn’t that right sweetheart?
GIOVANNA
It feels so warm. I didn’t think I’d feel so warm so soon.
MARGARET
Just that spot, I see it. I don’t think we should look right at it.
(From behind RALPH, MARGARET reaches out her hand and places it gently on his shoulder.)
RALPH
(quietly) Ralph, Junior. Now that would have been something all right.
(Lights get brighter, then fade quickly to black.)
END OF PLAY