Chapter 7

George and Phyllis enthusiastically got up and applauded. I casually looked to see if George had an erection and he clearly did, so I knew this scene had just the right amount of eroticism to it.

Since we were through with the scenes in the tub, Karol and I got out for a bit and dried each other off.

"Michael, did you see George's bulge? He wouldn't admit to it, but I know we've hit the exact right tone to these scenes, Karol said to me.

"Yeah, Kid! That and the fact we heard the banter between him and her, might just move them towards something in the future."

"Let's not push them too hard. For the same reason we're holding off getting married, we should keep those two apart or he might inadvertently micro-direct Phyllis to some moment in the play that doesn't ring true."

We walked back into the living room, clearing our throats just in case we walked into something a little bit weird. Phyllis and George had moved back inside, awaiting us.

"So, are you three gonna give me a taste of the 'New and Improved' Confrontation Scene?" George asked rubbing his hands together in anticipation like an evil genius

"Well, we've all seen the result of that scene, so now we can throw ourselves back into what caused Molly to leave," I said. "May I record this Phyllis? It will help Karol and I work things out! You ready to 'cut loose?'" I asked.

"Sure, Michael ... just be ready for a slap, early on," Phyllis rejoined.

I grabbed the recording equipment and moved it inside to record the scene, replacing the disk. "That works both ways, Phyllis," I said with a mischievous chuckle in my voice.

"Daddy," Karol said. "Are you going to hit mommy?"

"Thanks, K ... that got me into the part, Ready?"

"Curtain, Act 2 — Scene 1."

Phyllis, as MOLLY "Robert, you rotten sonofabitch, did you fuck your own daughter, on our bed?"

Michael, as ROBERT "Why do you care? At least someone in this house is getting some."

Phyllis slapped me really hard ... I was kind of ready for it!

MOLLY "What a slut! Your own daughter ... you took your own daughter's virginity ... in our bed, the same bed that you took mine in all those years ago. You're one sick bastard — I'm calling the cops!"

I gave Phyllis a safe stage slap, making it sound worse than it was.

ROBERT "Are you such an bitch, that you're going to call the cops, just because I gave my daughter what you don't seem to want anymore. She could probably give you a lesson or two in how to please a man."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw and heard George pump his fist and give a 'Yes, exactly!'

Karol, as JESSICA coming in from offstage, "Why are the two of you yelling so loud? What happened, what's going on in here, anyway?"

MOLLY "Did your father take advantage of you last night, Jessica? Did he sexually abuse you?"

JESSICA "Yeah. We had sex, but he didn't abuse me ... he didn't do anything I didn't want him to do. He wanted it. I wanted it. It was consensual ... and it was fan-fuckin-tastic!"

MOLLY "You're not old enough, Jessica! Legally, you can't consent! At least not in this state, you little slut!"

Phyllis gave Karol a solid upstage fake slap, and Karol timed it perfectly, dropping to one knee and grabbing at her face like she'd been bitch-slapped.

ROBERT "Don't yell at my daughter like that? And, if you hit her again, I'll call the police and have them haul your fat butt to jail."

MOLLY "You ... piece of shit!"

JESSICA "Daddy's NOT a piece of shit ... you are! You've changed, mother. You've changed ... so much that I can't tell who you are any more. You hit my father ... then you hit me!"

Karol started to sob, "The parents that I remember growing up ... are gone. Gone because their love is gone. Gone because their hope is gone. Gone because ... he wants me now ... and not you."

MOLLY "I can't believe you're talking to your mother like this? I've got half a mind to put you over my knee right now and slap some sense into you."

ROBERT "Don't even think about it, Molly! I will not stand by, and let you abuse your own daughter."

MOLLY "I'll talk to this stupid strumpet anyway I want. I'm her mother, and she's not eighteen years old yet. You are going to jail for incest, and she'll live here ... with me."

ROBERT "You call her any more names like that ... and they'll be taking me away for beating the shit out of you. You're the one who drinks all the time, you smell like a liquor store. Jess, did you have a man over last night?"

JESSICA Matter-of-factly, "What? Oh yeah. Some ... some guy broke in and — and he stripped off all of my clothes and dragged me into your bedroom last night.

Very dramatically from this point on, "It was horrible ... He hurt me, inside. He threatened me ... he said he'd kill me if I fought him. I didn't recognize him, it was so dark ... when it all happened."

ROBERT "Did he ... penetrate you, honey?"

JESSICA "He wore, wore one of those ... those rubber plastic thingies on his dick."

ROBERT "So, you never saw his face, and he wore a rubber?"

MOLLY "You dirty rotten sonofabitch! You think that'll stop me from calling the police?"

ROBERT "Call them ... to report Jessica being raped, I don't care ... go ahead, they'll see that you're drunk, they'll see that you slapped her and they will probably take you away as being a totally unfit mother."

JESSICA "I've still got bruises on my arms from last week, when mommy hit me, Robert! Will that help?"

MOLLY "I see ... this has turned into a witch hunt. I'll pack my shit and leave right now. You two deserve one another. After I dry out, I'm ... going to be calling the police and report you as a child molester ... then your pretty little slut of a daughter will be put in child services until she becomes of age."

ROBERT "You said you were going to leave, so leave! Don't let the door hit you on the butt on the way out, you stupid fat bitch!"

"BLACKOUT"

George got up and yelled, "Hell Yeah, that was amazing, all of you. Phyllis, I'm so impressed with you — you really tagged him with that slap ... are you all right Michael?"

"I'm fine, George ... since I knew Phyllis was itching to slap me, I worked the dialogue to give her the perfect opportunity, and she didn't pull it at all, which was all right, since I'd been expecting it. I pulled my punch, to protect Phyllis, but it worked out well. Are you OK, Phyllis?" I asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, Michael — god, that was so cathartic, yelling and screaming and hitting and cursing. Everyone should get a chance to do something like that in his or her lifetime."

"Karol," George said, "The slap that Phyllis gave you was the best of the bunch! Your reaction and falling looked very honest and realistic. All of you ... were really awesome."

"George," I asked..."Anything specific we did that came off as too brutal or too offensive?"

George replied, "Karol — when Michael asks if you had a man over, make the realization of what you are being asked a little broader. So everyone understands that at that point you're 'covering' for your dad! Maybe add some big sloppy tears, if possible?"

"Sure thing, George — thanks, I wasn't real sure on how big to play that?" Karol replied.

George added, "No, really ... it was all just at the right level of reality! Any more hitting would be gratuitous, and more cursing would be too much, the sexual overtones are set rather low, but scenes 2 and 3 make up for that. Let's all get in the hot tub, I've been waiting days to see Phyllis in a suit."

"Well, all right ... but no grabbing George, or you Michael!" Phyllis said grabbing her bag.

"No problem, Phyllis ... I got my own girl — who really likes it," I said.

"Oh, Daddy touch me there, please!" Karol said with a cute smile.

"I'll be back in a minute," said Phyllis, shaking her head at Karol's remark.

While Phyllis was gone, I walked over to George and said, "You know, she's had a crush on you ... for as long as I have known both of you ... but be nice, or I'll come after you with a baseball bat!"

George responded by saying, "I'm not going to approach her romantically until after the show is over, I don't want to affect her performance ... but that won't keep me from flirting with her ... a lot."

Phyllis came back in a very attractive, but somewhat conservative bikini. Being in her forties, Phyllis dresses very smartly, although I know, from having been in about six plays together that she is really quite pretty. If she were to dress in clothing that was a little more provocative maybe George can bring her out of herself a little. I think he's just older than her, so they matchup that way.

"Nice bikini, Phyllis," George said.

"Thank you, George," Phyllis responded. "But it's twice the material of the one that Karol's wearing, isn't it?"

We all got into the hot tub, it being big enough for eight, the four of us fit nicely with plenty of room. Karol and I took up very little room, while George and Phyllis weren't quite comfortable enough with each other to get real close to each other.

"So, Phyllis, what did you think of our 2 - 2 and 2 - 3 scenes?"

"I'm really impressed with both of you, regarding how easily you improved everything leading up to those last two scenes of the play. Have either of you had any previous experience doing improvisation?" George responded.

"I don't know about Karol, since I just met her, but I had a theatre class in college, that taught us how to think outside the scene. We practiced by improvising some classic plot lines, like STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and THE GLASS MENAGERIE, being asked to move the stories from there traditional locations to somewhere else ... for example, we were asked to improvise DEATH OF A SALESMAN as if it had happened in Las Vegas. It was all very avant-garde at the time. Now I hear a lot of schools, even high schools are getting into improvisation," I said.

Karol responded by adding, "I've only done about eighteen plays, compared to Michael's seventy-plus, but I've had a few directors, who taught some improvisation skills while the play was in rehearsal ... we did PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM reversing the sex of all of the characters ... not to go on stage, but to help understand that dialogue is based on listening to and hearing your fellow actors."

She finished by saying, "I had fun in college doing that, but I never got my degree, having to get a job to help out my mom, who'd lost my dad the previous year. When my mom died suddenly, I tried to go back to school, but I had lost my self-motivation to succeed."

"How about you two, George and Phyllis, any improvisational experimentation?" I asked.

They both shook their heads no ... so I had an idea to break the ice between them a little. Karol recognized that I was brewing some kind of a plot, so she said, "Let's all try an improv? George and Phyllis ... you're a married couple and I'm your daughter. We walk into a restaurant and Michael is our waiter, OK — GO!"

GEORGE "Hello, we'd like a table for three please? My wife, daughter and I would prefer a table to a booth."

MICHAEL "Certainly, what a lovely family you are ... I see where your daughter gets her lovely looks," I said with a heavy Italian accent

PHYLLIS "Thank you, that's very nice of you. I did have her when I was very young!"

MICHAEL "Is this table to your liking?"

KAROL "Yes it is, thank you."

MICHAEL "My name is Javier, and I will be your server this afternoon."

Karol giggled at my horrible attempt to sound like Antonio Banderas.

MICHAEL "Here is your menu, our special tonight ... today is crabs, unlimited crabs ... all-you-can-eat crabs."

They all laughed.

PHYLLIS "I'd like a Martini with my lunch? Is that all right with you, honey?"

George had clearly not expected this turn and was surprised when Phyllis' face was so close to his, when she said this to him.

GEORGE "Anything she wants, my baby doll gets."

He put his arm around Phyllis and she actually snuggled up next to him. I saw only one of her arms ... no telling what the other one was up to.

KAROL "Daddy, I know what I want for lunch today?"

GEORGE "What's that, sweetie?"

KAROL "I want Javier for lunch, Can you sit with us Javvy? I never met anybody with such a nice smile. I think I'd like to get to know you better — much better."

MICHAEL "Certainly, let me take your order and I'll take my lunch break and join you folks, if that's all right with your parents. What's your name, beautiful?"

KAROL "My name is Ginger ... my dad's name is Dennis and mommy's name is Julia. We are the Seamons!"

Everyone giggled at her Freudian moment.

MICHAEL "Are you ready to order?"

GEORGE "Can I order for you, honey ... I know what you like?"

Phyllis gave him quite a look, but went along with it, probably wondering how far he might take this 'honey' stuff.

PHYLLIS "Sure, Dennis here knows what I like ... to eat, don't you just want to eat him up?"

GEORGE: "Thanks dear, she'll have the Steak and Peas, with Fries and a Pepsi, while I want a Tuna Melt with Fries and a Chocolate milkshake ... Ginger, tell the man what you want?"

KAROL "Come here Javvy, I want to whisper in your ear what I want?"

MICHAEL: "Sure, Gin-gin ... what do you want to eat?"

This might be the most loaded question I've ever thrown to Karol, since we have known each other. I know how she would answer this if it were just she and I, but with George and Phyllis playing, all bets are off.

KAROL "I want you naked, right now Javier. I want to see just how big your dick is and whether or not it will fit inside my tight virgin pussy!"

GEORGE A little rattled, but calmly and quickly said, turning to Phyllis, "Would you like something like that too, Julia. We could just forget the food we ordered and ... do it right here, right now?"

PHYLLIS hearing the challenge in his voice, she kept a cool head. "Don't forget honey, we conceived Ginger at that very table exactly seventeen years ago, so give it to me, please right now!"

This was the moment of truth for George ... he was in complete sexual overdrive right now and he wasn't sure if Phyllis was 'playing the scene' or actually ready to have sex with him.

MICHAEL I decided to move things forward. "Let me go get your food!"