Rosebuds

Cast of five: 3 teenage girls, (two younger, one older) and 2 women. About 17-18 minutes.

Excerpt:

As the play opens, there is a single rose bud in a vase sitting on a
small table. A young girl is sitting in a chair reading a book and
her mother comes in.

MARGARET: Angie, I just got off the phone with Sara’s mom, and they
will be here any minute. (Pause and notices the rosebud) Where did
that rosebud come from?

ANGIE: From our rose bush out front.

MARGARET: Why did you pick it?

ANGIE: Because, I think it’s beautiful! I wanted to have it in the
house so I could watch it open.

MARGARET: You should have left it on the bush, and watch it open
there.

ANGIE: I was afraid I would forget to go and look at it. This way,
it will be right here all the time.

MARGARET: But it might not open now. If you left it alone, it would
be sure to open, but now that you have cut it, it might just die and
not open at all.

ANGIE: Really? I thought that as long as I put it in water, it
would still be alive and it would open.

MARGARET: Well, it still might. When did you pick it?

ANGIE: A couple days ago.

MARGARET: A couple days ago? I didn’t see it before now!

ANGIE: I was keeping it in my room. I brought it down here because
I didn’t want to miss it when it opened.

MARGARET: Your room is dark, there was probably not enough light.

ANGIE: So you think it won’t open now?

MARGARET: Oh… well, I don’t know, Honey. I don’t want you to get
your hopes up.

DONNA: (offstage) Yoohoo!

MARGARET: We’re in here, Donna! Come on in! (To Angie) You and
Sara have a good time, but keep it down. Donna and I have a lot of
work to do on the social.

DONNA: Hi! (Entering with Sara) How are you Angie?

ANGIE: Fine.

DONNA: How do you like school this year?

ANGIE: Its okay I guess. Some of my classes are really cool. But
some are not so cool.

DONNA: I hear ya. Sara is having a real hard time with math. That
was always my worst subject when I was in school.

ANGIE: My dad helps me a lot with my math. I think I’m getting it.

MARGARET: Well, Donna, we have work to do. You girls have a good
time. We’ll be in the dining room. (The ladies exit and as they go)
I was thinking that we should write down all of our ideas on a
piece of paper…

SARA: What’s that book you are reading?

ANGIE: It’s “Little Women”. I’ve read it before.

SARA: Oh, yeah…me, too. That was my Mom’s favorite, so she really
wanted me to read it. I think my favorite part was when Jo cut off
her hair and sold it.

AMY: (entering) Who cut off her hair?

SARA: Oh, hi Amy! We were just talking about Angie’s book.

AMY: Oh. (She flops down in a chair and picks up the book) Oh, I
remember reading this. You know, life is not the way it is in books.

ANGIE: What?

SARA: What do you mean, Amy?

AMY: These books that we read….they are always so exciting and
romantic. Real life is never that way.

SARA: That book is really old. Things are a lot different today.
That took place over a hundred years ago.

AMY: Things were better then.

SARA: You mean the old fashioned way?

AMY: There’s old fashioned… and then there is being ridiculous!

ANGIE: What are you talking about Amy? You seem all out of it today.
Is it because of that talk you were having with Mom and Dad last
night?

AMY: I guess they think that I can’t take care of myself. They are
so afraid that some boy is going to hurt me that they want to keep
them away altogether!

SARA: Sounds like your parents won’t let you date.

AMY: It’s not like it’s a date. The school is having a carnival,
and Daren asked me if I could go with him….and Mom and Dad say that
I can’t. They don’t want me to date. It’s not like I am going to be
alone with him some place! We will be at the carnival with the
whole school.

SARA: We are not allowed to go to school functions like that.

AMY: You’re too young anyway, Sara. What about your brother? Do
your folks let him date?

SARA: No, he’s not allowed to date either. But he doesn’t seem to
mind.

ANGIE: I didn’t know you liked Daren. When did that happen?

AMY: It’s not that so much. He’s okay. I just wanted to go and
have fun with my friends. But Mom and Dad said it would be a date
and I would be spending all my time with a boy and going on rides and
stuff, and they don’t want me to do that.

SARA: Sounds like my parents. I think most Christian parents are
like that. I guess you can understand where they are coming from.

AMY: Fear. It is all fear. They don’t want something to happen.
But where is trust?

SARA: My mom is always saying that we are in too much of a hurry to
grow up. We need to take our time. Enjoy being children and let
things happen slowly. When it is time for us to be adults, we will
know, and it will be easier. Something like that. I dunno. She
says that all the time to me because I always want to be older. I
would love to be your age, Amy.

AMY: It ain’t so hot, believe me.