a veteran

Scene: 1 (Four swings are hung onstage; the wind rattles through them eerily. The wind stops, the lights become brighter and softer, and four children walk onstage. These four children consist of three boys and a girl, and the girl walks to the swings.) The girl: I found new swings! t (She races up to the swings.) The girl: C’mon, join me! (One of the boys joins her on the swings.) One of the boys: Fine, Roseline. Roseline: Thank you, Steven. (The other two boys are standing off to the side.) Roseline: C’mon James and Oliver! (One of the boys joins Steven and Roseline.) Oliver: I’ll do it, but only because James did. (The lights move to focus on the opposite side of the stage; the same characters, but noticeably older appear on a copy of the set from before. They are swinging on the swings.) Oliver: My papa thinks he’s got a new job opportunity; he’s really excited about it. He says that President Franklin is going to save us with his New Deal programs, and then we can have a nice house again. (Steven sighs.) Steven: I miss my old house. Now we just live, all together, without enough space. (Steven looks sad and frowns.) Steven: The most fun we ever have is when we get to play boardgames. (Steven has a small smile at the thought. Lights alight on the opposite side of the stage where an identical set is, with the characters with an extra year older, all sitting in a circle on the ground.) James: Truth or dare, Oliver? (All 3 children swivel their heads to Oliver.) Oliver: Truth. (Oliver looks nervously over at James while James ponders his question.) James: Who do you like? We promise we won’t tell them. (Oliver seems surprised and shoots a quick look at James.) Oliver: I like….someone. (Oliver’s eyes dart to James and then down to his hands.) Oliver: Not going to say who. (Protests rise from the group, and James looks confused about Oliver’s answer. Oliver looks at them one time, before leaving. Lights transition to another copy of the scene, but it is a year later again. The 13 year olds are slowly swinging on the swings.) Roseline: Can I tell you folks something? (There is a unanimous nod among her friends.) Roseline: I…..I have a crush. I like Ethan. Steven: Ooooh, Roseline likes Ethan! (James turns to Oliver.) James: So who do you like anyways, Oliver? (Oliver looks away.) Oliver: No one you would know. (Scene ends, lights move to opposite side of stage. There is an identical set with 14 year old versions of the characters where the lights go. James, Oliver, Roseline, and Steven are sitting in a circle, playing cards.) Oliver: So I just realized that I didnt really love her; I just knew it would be unfair to keep her next to me when I would never really love her. So thats why I broke up with her. (Jamess eyes light up for a second, then he passes Oliver a card from the deck.) Oliver: There is someone that I think I actually like though. I know this person really well, and I can only hope they like me as much as I like them. (Olivers eyes land on James, and he has an almost wistfully happy smile.)