Emily Hageman
Blue
LILITH A woman. Same actress, plays ages six to adult.
GRANDMA LILITH A grandmother. 60-80.
GRANDPA LOU A man. 30-50.
SETTING: Throughout time.
AT RISE: LILITH sits in the middle of the stage.
LILITH
This could be a sad story, but I’ve decided it’s not.
(GRANDMA enters. She is performing a household
chore. Lilith is six. She sprawls on the floor like a child.)
LILITH (cont.)
Gramma, did you know the sky isn’t blue, it’s really just a bunch of dusts and water. The sky is black like outer space.
GRANDMA
Hmm, looks blue to me.
LILITH
Yeah, but it’s not. I asked my teacher and she said so.
GRANDMA
Your Grandpa Lou always said that the sky was blue and he would know.
(GRANDPA LOU enters, dressed like an airline pilot.
Lilith ages for a moment and address the audience.)
LILITH
My Grandpa Lou was very dead by the time I was six.
(six years old)
Grampa Lou, Grampa Lou, tell me, Gramma!
GRANDMA
Well, I don’t know, if you really think the sky is just dust and water--
LILITH
Please, Gramma, please?
GRANDMA
Alright, alright. Grandpa was a--
LILITH
Pilot!
GRANDMA
Yes, and he--
LILITH
--was a big hero!
GRANDMA
Yes, and he--
LILITH
Saved all the people!
GRANDMA
Shall I tell it or you?
LILITH
Okay, okay, you tell, Gramma.
GRANDMA
Grandpa Lou was a pilot for a big airline. One day, something went--
(Grandpa sits in his cockpit. He acts it out. He and
Grandma overlap.)
GRANDPA & GRANDMA
--wrong with the engines--
GRANDMA
And Grandpa had to think fast.
(Lilith climbs into the cockpit next to Grandpa and watches
him.)
LILITH
Think fast, Grandpa Lou!
GRANDMA
The plane was flying--
GRANDPA & GRANDMA
--out of control--
GRANDMA
And the ground was--
LILITH, GRANDPA & GRANDMA
--creeping up--
GRANDMA
And in those days he had no copilots so he had to drive it by himself and he was lucky he was so strong. Everyone on the plane was--
GRANDPA & GRANDMA
Really scared--
GRANDMA
But he made them all feel safe because he was such a good pilot. He did some quick thinking and then he touched down the plane and--
LILITH & GRANDMA
--saved the day!
(Grandpa stands up and flashes a heroic smile. Lilith
claps. Grandma watches him lovingly. The grandparents freeze and Lilith ages.)
LILITH
I had never wanted a world that was simple, but this story I ate with pleasure and satisfaction. All children love sweets.
(Lilith is twelve)
Grandma, I have to write a report in English about a family member. Can you tell me the story about Grandpa.
GRANDMA
Your grandpa was a big airline pilot--
LILITH
And he saved a lot of people--
GRANDMA
That morning he was late to work.
LILITH
He was?
GRANDMA
Yes, did I tell you that?
LILITH
I forgot that part.
GRANDMA
And as he was flying something went
GRANDPA & GRANDMA
--wrong with the engine
(Grandpa Lou is back in the cockpit. He looks tired. Lilith
sits next to him.)
GRANDMA
So grandpa had to--
LILITH
Grandpa, think fast
(Grandpa thinks fast.)
LILITH (cont)
Grandpa, save the people.
(Grandpa saves the people.)
GRANDMA
He did it without a copilot because they didn’t have--
LILITH
Grandpa Lou, the hero.
(Grandpa Lou stands and smiles. He is tired.)
LILITH (cont.)
Even people who are dead age.
(Lilith is eighteen.)
It’s the anniversary of Grandpa Lou’s day, isn’t it?
GRANDMA
Yes. I can still remember it so clearly--
(Grandpa Lou is on the phone and he is tired and maybe
hungover.)
GRANDMA (cont.)
He called me and he sounded so--
GRANDPA
Lily, I’m not sure if I should go in, I feel so
GRANDMA
And I told him
LILITH
(plays her Grandma)
You only go in if you feel up to it, sweetheart.
GRANDMA
And he was very tired and felt sick, but he went in because he was responsible and it’s a good thing he did because
GRANDPA
Wrong, wrong, I don’t know how to--
LILITH
Grandpa, it’s okay, think--
GRANDPA
The ground is creeping up
LILITH
You can do it, Grandpa, you have to
GRANDPA
People are scared and I’m
LILITH
You’re a hero, Grandpa, you make everyone feel better by
GRANDMA
And he landed the plane and he was a
(Grandpa drops his head into his hands.)
LILITH
And each year, the story shifted. Maybe she thought I didn’t notice
GRANDMA
And he was a young pilot, he’d never flown without a copilot but he was late to work and
GRANDPA
Just give me a plane, any plane, I’ll
GRANDMA
He’d never flown a plane that size before and the folks weren’t sure
GRANDPA
I have to get home, my wife is
GRANDMA
He wasn’t sure if he should go in
GRANDPA
Lily, I’m not sure if I should
GRANDMA
But I was pregnant and I didn’t want to be alone
GRANDPA
My wife needs
GRANDMA
Maybe it was me
GRANDPA
The ground was creeping closer and I thought of all the people
GRANDMA
But he landed the plane so he was
GRANDPA
Don’t say it
GRANDMA
And everyone said he was a
GRANDPA
I’m not
GRANDMA
And he was always my
GRANDPA
I didn’t know what I was doing and all those people almost
GRANDMA
He was so brave
LILITH
And the years crumbled and so did Grandma until she was too worn to lie.
GRANDMA
He told me later
GRANDPA
When the plane was taking off, I saw the equipment wasn’t
GRANDMA
But he thought
GRANDPA
It’ll be fine if I just
GRANDMA
And he was so young
GRANDPA
And I thought I would never die
GRANDMA
And the plane was so big
GRANDPA
And I cried
GRANDMA
And his pants were soaked when he
GRANDPA
And when it was over I
GRANDMA
I told him he was a
GRANDPA
No, no, I almost
GRANDMA
But he didn’t, but because he’d almost
GRANDPA
I almost
GRANDMA
He couldn’t shake off the feeling that he
LILITH
He couldn’t remove the feeling that he
GRANDMA
He was broken in places I could see or touch and he couldn’t believe that I still
(Grandpa is weeping.)
LILITH
And sometimes love can’t
GRANDMA
And if you can’t feel love, the world slips out from under you
LILITH
And if your feet aren’t on the ground
GRANDMA
And he could never leave the cockpit
LILITH
The story that people told about him scraped his skin raw
GRANDMA
And so he gave himself the end he thought he deserved
GRANDPA
Ground is creeping up
GRANDMA
And I found him
GRANDPA
And you can’t see
GRANDMA
I told people it was a heart attack because I couldn’t
GRANDPA
(bitterly sarcastic)
A hero
GRANDMA
He could only see the dark parts of himself anymore and the thing people loved most about him was
LILITH
I know. I know. I know.
(A moment of perfect stillness. Lilith searches the faces of
her grandparents.)
LILITH (cont.)
And I thought, I thought, my God. My God, you beautiful, broken people. And I thought--
GRANDMA
Maybe it was me
GRANDPA
I was so stupid
LILITH
I wish you could see that I
GRANDMA
I wish I could back and say, don’t go, I’ll be fine
GRANDPA
And I’d say I’ll come tomorrow
LILITH
And that the perfection of your heart is still so glittering to me and I never once thought
GRANDMA
Selfish
GRANDPA
Coward
LILITH
And that you didn’t have to be so
GRANDMA
I’m so sorry
GRANDPA
I hate everything about
LILITH
You deserved the sky. The big, open, expanse of endless bright lights and color, a world of
GRANDMA
Will you ever know that I
GRANDPA
I couldn’t
LILITH
Not black and white but
GRANDMA
Think of him as
GRANDPA
I was never
LILITH
Blue. Dust and particles and vapor. You were blue.
(Lilith turns and searches their faces. Grandpa and
Grandma are as she remembers them, as she chooses to. Slow fade out.)
