14: Oatmeal and Outlets

The next morning. The Andreas Kitchen. Judy drinks coffee –exhausted. She makes breakfast oatmeal. She works quickly and stares at the clock repeatedly. Several times she goes to the spice cupboard and gets out a brown paper bag. She then puts it away. She begins to sweat, she is very dirty. Kitty walks past the kitchen, carrying the canvas. Judy is unaware. Judy makes two bowls of oatmeal and sets them out. Then very carefully, she takes the brown paper bag that she has been fumbling with the entire time, takes out a small brown bottle and spoons two table spoons into one of the bowls. Then she brings the bowls to the table. She pours herself more coffee. The entire time she has been fumbling with the plugs on the walls in order to make things. Kitty returns without the canvas.

Kitty: What’s that?

Judy: Oatmeal. For your father and me.

Kitty: No, that. That brown bottle on the counter.

Judy rushes up grabs the bottle puts it in the bag and puts it back in the spice cupboard.

Judy: Mommy’s special spice. Now nevermind.

Kitty: I’m hungry too.

Judy: You can have some cereal later. Now go play. Daddy’s coming in in a minute.

Kitty: You should see the painting. The one that Michael brought. It’s beautiful.

Judy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now go play.

Kitty: I don’t have anyone to play with.

Judy: What about all those dolls you have?

Kitty: They aren’t real people!

Judy: Pretend that they are.

Alfred enters ready for work.

Alfred: Kitty!

Kitty: Daddy!

They hug.

Kitty: You should see the painting that Michael brought for me. It’s beautiful.

Alfred: I will look at it after breakfast. I see your mother has made a wonderful breakfast for me.

Kitty: Not for me.

Judy: I always give her cereal after you’ve gone, Alfie, dear.

Alfred: I know.

Kitty: But I wanna have some oatmeal too!

Alfred: You can have some of Daddy’s. Daddy doesn’t really like oatmeal.

Judy: You don’t? What do you like?

Alfred: I like Malt-O-Meal, the chocolatey stuff, but not oatmeal.

Judy: Well you should eat some of it.

Alfred: Kitty, you want to eat some with your dad?

Kitty: Yeah.

Judy: I put your bowl over there. There’s more in it. Mine is just for me. You know I’m trying to watch my figure.

Alfred: Yeah. Could you get me some orange juice? Wanna take the first bite, kitty cat?

Kitty: Yeah.

Judy watches intently. Alfred spoons a healthy dose into Kitty’s mouth.

Kitty: (spitting it out) Gross! This is gross!

Alfred: Kitty. It’s just oatmeal. Look at this mess you’ve made.

Kitty: Tastes like poison.

Alfred: Kitty. Uh. . . this is so messy. Judy, if we still had Clara around, she could take care of this.

Judy: I know.

Alfred: I am going to call her later this afternoon.

Judy: Fine.

Alfred: Then she could at least clean up the messes that Kitty makes.

Judy: Yes. Aren’t you going to eat any of it or are you going to waste it?

Alfred: I’m going to eat some of it. Let me be.

Judy sits at the table. She begins to eat her oatmeal.

Alfred: Aren’t you going to clean it up?

Judy: Alfred, I’ve been making breakfast all morning. Can’t I just sit and eat in peace for a few seconds?

Alfred: You’ve been making two bowls of Quaker Oats Oatmeal and it took you all morning?

Judy: Not literally.

Alfred: Then quit complaining. You should clean this up.

Judy: Fine.

Alfred: (spooning a bite) Hmmm. This is strange. Normally I don’t like oatmeal, but it has a different sort of flavor. Kind of like licorice. . .

Judy: I know. I like it.

Kitty: I don’t like it. It’s yucky.

Judy: We don’t shout things like yucky. . .Kitty.

Alfred: Try some. I don’t think it’s supposed to taste like this. I hope I don’t get any sort of food poisoning.

Judy: You’ll be fine.

Alfred: Wait. Judy taste mine.

Judy: I have my own.

Alfred: Let me taste yours.

Judy: No.

Alfred: What is wrong with you?

Judy: Nothing. I’m just really stressed out. I didn’t get any sleep last night.

Alfred: Where’d you sleep?

Judy: On the couch in the living room.

Alfred: I see. I guess I’ll just finish this and be off to work. Judy, you unplugged my cell phone.

He gets up and leaves the oatmeal untouched.

Judy: I needed it for the beaters. I made some cookies.

Alfred: Now it’s dead! Do you want the company to go under?

Judy: I’m sorry.

Kitty: You’re gonna be sorry.

Alfred: Kitty, please. Can you go play?

Kitty: Fine. Come look at my painting though!

Alfred: I will. I will.

Judy: (in cupboard) Here. Here. We have another plug strip.

Alfred: This is too much for that one outlet. We shouldn’t have all of this stuff plugged in.

Judy: It’ll be fine. Let me plug in your phone. Finish your oatmeal.

Alfred: You seem different this morning.

Judy: I’m just trying to be different that’s all. I’m not very happy. You made that clear last night.

Alfred sitting back down and eating his oatmeal.

Alfred: I know. Where did you go last night?

Judy: What?

Alfred: I came out to talk to you last night about something and you were gone.

Judy: I had some errands to run.

Alfred: Like?

Judy: I went to speak to my brother.

Alfred: What about?

Judy: We haven’t spoken for ages. I wanted to talk to him.

Alfred: I see.

Kitty: (from living room) Now presenting!

Alfred: What is she yelling about now?

Judy: Probably that canvas that Michael brought. . .

Kitty: Presenting the artist known as Kitty.

Judy and Alfred go into the living room.

Alfred: Kitty, you know-

Judy: Did you finish your oatmeal? Oh my-

Alfred and Judy walk into the living room and the canvas, rehung, has been drawn on with crayons, but the likeness of the woman in the portrait is definitely Judy.

Kitty: And her wonderful portrait of red suited Judy-Mommy!

Judy: Kitty, honey, what’s happening to Mommy in the picture?

Kitty: Oh, the orange juice is fire and that is a rope. Mommy is swinging in a fire!

Alfred: I feel a headache coming on. Kitty, that is inappropriate. You know you are not supposed to be in this room. Take that portrait down and put it in your room. Go play with your dolls. Please.

Kitty: But Daddy-

Alfred: Do it for, Daddy. Oh, I need to lie down. I feel faint.

Kitty: Daddy, I wanna play artist.

Alfred: You can. You can. I have to go to work.

Judy: You don’t look well. Maybe you should lie down.

Alfred: No, if I stay home Goode’s will go under for Good.

Judy: But you don’t look well.

Alfred: I have to get out of here or I’ll go crazy.

Alfred exits.

Judy: Kitty. Do what your father says. He’s in control . . .for the time being.

Alfred: (from off) If you slept on the couch, how on earth did that thing get up there?

Judy: I don’t know. She must have done it when I was cooking this morning. (to Kitty) Those are inappropriate things to paint. Why don’t you paint flowers or rainbows?

Kitty: You are inappropriate. I don’t want to paint what you tell me to!

Alfred: (from off) You two stop fighting!

Judy: I have to work out. I just have to. I can feel that oatmeal going straight to my hips.

Alfred: (from off) Let’s not have it again. It didn’t sit well with me. (entering) But I will be home for dinner tonight, so please have it ready.

Judy: My pleasure.