Marta, Melanie and Mary: a screenplay epilogue

(for a summary of Marta, Melanie and Mary’s earlier escapades, go here.)

INTERIOR: DAY. A CLASSROOM, EMPTY SAVE FOR MARTA, MELANIE AND MARY, WHO HOVER OVER THREE DESKS NEAR THE DOOR. MARTA IS TYPING ON A BRIGHT GREEN LAPTOP. MARY IS FILLING OUT A BLUE PAPER. MELANIE IS SHUFFLING THROUGH A PILE OF INDEX CARDS.

SIOBHAN ENTERS, LADEN DOWN WITH BOOKS AND PAPERS, A LITTLE FLUSTERED.

SIOBHAN: All right, girls. Are you ready?

MARY, SILENTLY, HANDS SIOBHAN THE BLUE PAPER.

SIOBHAN: What? Oh, yes. Do you have a pen?

MARY, WITHOUT SPEAKING, HANDS HER A PEN. SIOBHAN SCRAWLS A SIGNATURE ACROSS THE PAPER AND HANDS IT, AND THE PEN, BACK TO MARY. MARY LEAVES THE ROOM, BLUE PAPER IN HAND.

SIOBHAN: All right, I guess we’ll have to wait until she brings the projector back.

MELANIE: Miss, are we going to lose a lot of points for not doing this last class?

SIOBHAN: No. I understand that there were extenuating circumstances.

A TEACHER, ALSO LOADED DOWN WITH PAPERS AND KEYS AND GENERAL TEACHERY PARAPHERNALIA, STICKS HER HEAD IN THE DOOR.

TEACHER: Are you free for lunch?

SIOBHAN: I don’t think so. I have to bring the cat to the doctor.

MARTA AND MELANIE LOOK UP FROM WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

TEACHER: Oh no.

SIOBHAN: I’ll let you know, though.

THE TEACHER NODS SYMPATHETICALLY AND WITHDRAWS.

MARTA: Miss, you have a cat?

SIOBHAN: I do, yes.

MELANIE: Your cat’s sick? What’s wrong?

SIOBHAN: Her face and neck are swollen. It’s very strange.

MARTA: Oh no. Can a cat have allergies, miss?

SIOBHAN: I think so, but she’s old, and she’s never had allergies before.

MELANIE: How old is she, miss?

SIOBHAN: She’s almost fifteen. But she’s very small and cute, like a kitten.

MARTA AND MELANIE: Awwww!

MELANIE RETURNS TO HER SHUFFLING. MARTA WATCHES, HER LIP POUTING SLIGHTLY, AS SIOBHAN ERASES THE BLACKBOARD AND LOWERS THE PROJECTOR SCREEN.

MARTA: Miss, are you married? Do you have a boyfriend?

MELANIE: Marta! You shouldn’t ask questions like that to teachers.

MARTA: Oh, it’s ok. She’s like a friend.

SIOBHAN: I’m engaged to be married, actually.

MARTA AND MELANIE: Awwww!

MARTA: So you’re planning? Are you excited?

SIOBHAN: I am pretty excited, actually. (SHE SMILES.) Are you girls married?

THEY GIGGLE.

MARTA: I’m in a new relationship. Two weeks!

MELANIE: Me, it’s been two months.

MARTA: Miss, how old is the best age to get married?

SIOBHAN: Forty.

MARTA AND MELANIE: Noooo!

SIOBHAN: I was married once before, actually. I was twenty-five when we got married.

MARTA: What do you mean, you were twenty-five? How old are you now?

SIOBHAN: I’m almost forty. I’ll be forty next year.

MELANIE: You are not.

MARTA: That’s not possible.

MELANIE: I would say you were …. twenty something. Late twenties.

SIOBHAN: That’s very sweet.

MARY RETURNS, PUSHING THE MULTIMEDIA PROJECTOR. THE OTHER TWO GIRLS FOLLOW HER TO THE FRONT OF THE ROOM. THEY BEGIN CLUMSILY UNWRAPPING WIRES AND PUSHING BUTTONS.

MARTA: Mary. [MARY, STRUGGLING WITH A WIRE, NODS.] Miss, I’m going to make you happy now. Mary?

MARTA ASKS MARY A QUESTION IN ARMENIAN. MARY LOOKS UP FROM THE TANGLE OF WIRES AND OBSERVES SIOBHAN THOUGHTFULLY FOR A MOMENT. MARTA SAYS SOMETHING ELSE – THE SUBTITLE “Answer in English” APPEARS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. MARY PAUSES A BIT LONGER, AS THOUGH TRYING TO FIND HER TONGUE.

MARY: Twenty…..seven.

MARTA: See miss? Nobody believes you.

THE PROJECTOR IS READY. MARY FINISHES PLUGGING IT INTO MARTA’S GREEN LAPTOP.

MARTA: Miss?

SIOBHAN: Yes, Marta.

MARTA: I feel sad about your cat. Will you let us know what happens with her?

SIOBHAN: Thank you. Sure, I’ll let you know.

MARY FLICKS OFF THE LIGHTS, AND THE ROOM FILLS WITH THE BLUE LIGHT OF THE PROJECTOR.

FADE OUT.