Time to Move On (2013)

TIME TO MOVE ON

BY

LATACESH C.

 

CHARACTERS:

FANTASTIC the PINK YAMAHA MOTORCYCLE, female, 21 years old

COURAGEOUS the BIG PURPLE TRUCK, age 65, her Mother

SETTING: On a Mississippi country highway road. Hot winds are blowing. There are chickens, horses, and the smell of cow manure. The road is smooth and soft. The dirt on the side of the road is red like red Kool-aid. The sky is clear and there are no clouds in sight. The family lives in a garage. It smells of mildew, there are cracks in the ceiling and the garage door creaks. The top attic windows are broken because of the crows.

TIME: A hot summer day mid-June. 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon.

AT RISE: COURAGEOUS is parked outside the garage waiting for FANTASTIC to pull in from her afternoon ride.

 

(FANTASTIC pulls into the driveway. She looks very confused at COURAGEOUS as if she thinks she has done something wrong.)

 

FANTASTIC

Hey Mom, what’s going on? Why are you parked outside?

 

COURAGEOUS

Just thinking. Waiting for you to pull up.

 

FANTASTIC

Oh?….Did I do something wrong Mom?

 

COURAGEOUS

Of course not. Why would you ask a skeptical question like that?

 

FANTASTIC

Wooh! You had me frantic for a moment.

 

(FANSTASTIC turns off her engine and settles in)

 

What’s up Mom? Is there something bothering you?

 

COURAGEOUS

Yes, there is. I need to talk to you about something very important.

 

FANTASTIC

What is it Mom? …Did something bad happen?…What’s going on?

 

COURAGEOUS

No! Of course not. I have just been thinking about a lot of things.

 

FRANTASTIC

Likeeeee…?

 

COURAGEOUS

Well, for instance, I want to open up my own Car Hair Salon and I think that this would be good for the BOTH of us.

 

FANTASTIC

Mom are you really serious?

 

COURAGEOUS

Yes, of course I am. I have always wanted to own my own Car Hair Salon. I’ve always thought a lady truck or car should always look nice and there should be more lady trucks like me to help them. Waking up early to get to the shop, to open it up and see what the day brings makes me excited. Having a salon would be so wonderful for US. I’ve been looking and I found a garage that’s for lease.

 

FANTASTIC

Ohhh really….That’s good Mom.

 

COURAGEOUS

What do you mean by “Oh, really” ? You don’t like my idea?

 

FANSTASTIC

Mom, it’s a good dream for you. But I have my own dreams that I want to reach someday. And they are not to run a Car Hair Salon.

 

COURAGEOUS (looking annoyed)

Okay. So tell me, what your dream is, Fantastic.

 

FANTASTIC

Well, I want to become a motorcycle racer…and become famous…and meet other motorcycles.

 

COURAGEOUS

What? Here you go, talking about that racing stuff again!

 

FANTASTIC

Mom, you know what? There ARE female motorcycle racers out there!

 

COURAGEOUS

So you’re telling me that you want to be just like them, huh?

 

FANTASTIC

Yes. That is exactly what I want to do. You just do not know how bad I want this.

 

COURAGEOUS

So you’re telling me that you really want to go out there and risk your life racing with the Motorcycles ?!

 

FANTASTIC

If that’s the way you want to put it, I guess that is what I want to do.

 

COURAGEOUS

Well you know what? I’ve talked to the owner of the garage and I have by tomorrow to give him an offer.

 

FANTASTIC

Well you know what? There’s a race in Florida and I have ONE day to get there.

 

COURAGEOUS

FLORIDA! Are you serious!! When did this happen?

 

FANTASTIC

Mom, this was a decision that I made on my own and I though it was a good one.

 

Mom, I am not a child anymore and I can take care of myself.

 

COURAGEOUS

What makes you think you can go out there and take care of yourself? HUH? Tell me that! You have never done anything on your own!

 

FANTASTIC

Well Mom, I went down to the registration center and registered myself for the race. Yes.

 

Two weeks ago. And I wanted to tell you about it but I knew the racing situation would make you mad.

 

COURAGEOUS

 

Are you even prepared for this type of thing? Do you know what to do and what not to do?

 

FANTASTIC

Mom, I have been practicing for almost a year now. And I think I am prepared for this race.

 

COURAGEOUS

Fantastic, this is no game. Do you know that you can crash and get seriously hurt and have life-threatening injuries?

 

FANTASTIC

I know that bad and good things can happen out there. I know that I am making a decision that will change my life forever, good and bad.

 

COURAGEOUS

You are my baby girl and losing you would be like a piece of me had died. We have been together for 21 years and now you want to leave me. You are my first born and before I met Adventurous, you were like my mate.

 

FANTASTIC

I will always be your baby girl no matter how old I get or how far I go Mom.

 

COURAGEOUS

You are the only one that I know I can tell anything and everything to and not have to worry about others knowing. I’m getting older and I still have to take care of your brothers. Fantastic…we could be the bet mother-daughter owned hair salon in all of Mississippi!

 

FANTASTIC

Mom. Being a dresser in a salon, that’s just not my thing.

 

COURAGEOUS

Fantastic, I really don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to be the only female in the garage. If you leave me I will be so lonely.

 

FANTASTIC

Mom, seeing you happy about your dream makes me happy. And seeing you overwhelmed makes me never want to let you down. I have never been separated from you and I don’t want to make you sad. But Mom, I have to go out. I have to see what the world offers me. Down here in Mississippi I am the only pink motorcycle. And I have been seeing the same roads and highways all my life. I want to get out there and see how other winds feel hitting against my windshield! Mom…Don’t you want me to be happy?

 

COURAGEOUS

Of course I do. I would love seeing you happy. But there are a lot of things I wish I did not have to let go of.

 

FANTASTIC

You never have to let go of anything unless you want to. And I don’t want you to let go of anything that has us in it.

 

COURAGEOUS

It is just so hard for a mother to let go of their child…and let them go on by themselves.

 

FANTASTIC

Mom, I am ready to be out there by myself. I think that I am capable of making my own decisions and they will be good ones.

 

COURAGEOUS

Fantastic, you know that there are bad people out there that will try to hurt you because of what you are.

 

FANTASTIC

Mom , I know I can’t trust anyone but myself. You did not raise a fool, I hope you know that. You have raised a bright young motorcycle who knows what she wants in life and wants to achieve it.

 

COURAGEOUS

Yes, I believe you do. And as I sit here I begin to think that it is time for me to let you go and become the great adult motorcycle that I do want you to be. That I know you can be. You go to Florida then. And you know what? You better win that race.

 

FANTASTIC (smiling from mirror to mirror)

Oh! My God! Thank you Mom. I am so excited that I’m ready to do donuts in the road!

 

THE END



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