Tea and Daisies

Jurnee Evans

FREDERICK FORESTER, a timid but friendly Black man in his early- to mid-40s. He is rather tall and has short hair. He is wearing a bright purple floral suit with matching shoes and diamond stud earrings. He walks with a slight limp and uses a metal and wooden cane that looks sturdy but almost antique or vintage. He has a gold wedding band on his left ring finger, and his nails are painted purple to match his suit and shoes.

LILAH LILLY, an upbeat and empathetic white waitress in her mid- to late-20s. She is of average height but is taller due to wearing high heels. She has long hair that is pulled back into a ponytail or braid with a white ribbon tied into a bow. She is dressed in a yellow sweater tucked into a pair of denim jeans with a white apron over her outfit; straws, napkins, pens, and a small notepad can be seen peeking out of the pockets at the bottom of the apron. She is wearing a small pendant and earrings that depict flowers. Her nails are painted the same yellow as her sweater.

 A sunny summer Wednesday afternoon in modern day Portland, Oregon.

A quaint and small diner dressed in browns and greens. There is a wooden counter upstage with three stools, wooden with green seats, set at equal distance from each other in front of it. A round wooden table is set off-centre downstage with two chairs that are similar in style to the stools on either side of the table. Upstage of the first counter is another counter with attached vertical shelves behind it that has usual diner appliances, such as coffee makers and hotplates, on the counter and glasses, mugs, and other such dishware, all white porcelain or clear glass, on the shelves. A few plates, some silverware, and a cup or two are on the front counter, giving the suggestion of customers. The lighting is soft and yellow to mimic sunshine, not white or artificial-feeling. There are vines, moss, and flowers on the furniture to give the impression that plant life is growing from the wood. The flowers should be various, in both species and colour. The flora should look like it belongs there, not that it has been placed there or arranged but rather that they are a part of the diner itself. Vines, moss, and flowers, as well as twigs and even a branch or two, are scattered on the floor of the stage, but like with the plant life on the furniture, the plant life on the floor should look like it is meant to be there and not appear to be placed there.

[All of the lights on stage come up simultaneously. A current pop song plays softly but loud enough for the audience to recognise the song and make out at least some of the lyrics. LILAH is toward the left side of the stage and is standing between the counters upstage, facing the audience and the front counter. She looks bored: her shoulders are slumped forward, her eyes are glazed over and looking out at seemingly nothing, and her dominant hand is mindlessly running a green cloth along a small area of the counter in front of her. She is careful to not touch or disturb any of the plant life on the counter’s surface.]

[After a beat, a tiny bell chimes and FREDERICK enters from the right side of the stage. LILAH looks up to him and beams, smiling brightly and dropping the cloth on the counter. Both LILAH and FREDERICK walk toward each other and meet in the middle of the front counter. FREDERICK leans against the counter wearily.]

LILAH

[still smiling] The usual?

[FREDERICK chuckles and nods.]

LILAH

[holding up an index finger] Just a minute.

[LILAH turns around and faces the other counter. As she begins to make a mug of hot tea, she waves her hand behind herself as an indication for FREDERICK to go sit down. FREDERICK chuckles again before turning around and walking to the table and chairs downstage. He sits in the chair on the right.]

[LILAH makes noise as she makes the tea; the clattering of a tea kettle on a hotplate, a metal spoon in a container of sugar, a lemon and knife on a cutting board, and other such sounds are heard layered on top of the pop song.]

[As LILAH continues to make the tea, FREDERICK gets comfortable in his seat: he leans his cane against the table beside him, he rests against the back of the chair, and he gently places his hands on the top of the table. He glances briefly toward LILAH as she makes the tea, and then he looks at the tabletop before him. His eyes settle on a daisy that is between the gap of two boards that make up the tabletop. He stares at the flower for a beat. He reaches out with his left hand and brushes his fingertips against the petals. His eyes distinctly shift to his wedding band. His left thumb reaches under his other fingers to run the pad over the ring, turning it around his finger. FREDERICK suddenly looks sad and tears well up in his eyes as he looks back to the daisy. He returns to caressing the petals with his fingertips.]

[Once LILAH has finished making the tea, she walks around the front counter and approaches FREDERICK. Her expression changes from upbeat to worried upon seeing him still staring at and caressing the daisy. LILAH reaches out with her empty hand and slowly touches his shoulder.]

[FREDERICK jolts and turns his eyes to LILAH. He immediately looks away again, embarrassment flashing across his face.]

LILAH

Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.

[LILAH sets the mug down on the table between FREDERICK’s hands, and he looks back up at her. LILAH gives him a small pursed smile and her eyes are soft and warm. FREDERICK sighs and nods to himself. Then he meets LILAH’s sympathetic gaze to give her a smile and jerk of his head to indicate a “thank you.”]

LILAH

[swatting her hand in front of her] It’s really no problem! Your tea is my favourite thing to make.

[Both FREDERICK and LILAH laugh. LILAH takes a step to walk away but stops to touch FREDERICK’s shoulder again and gives it a firm squeeze. LILAH walks back upstage and goes between the two counters again and quietly begins cleaning up the mess she made from making FREDERICK’s tea.]

[As soon as LILAH gets between the two counters again, FREDERICK picks up the mug. He blows on the tea and takes a sip. He smiles and visibly basks in the warmth of the mug and flavour of the tea.]

[Over the following minute or two, FREDERICK drinks the entire mug of tea and LILAH continues to clean up the back counter as quietly as possible. As this happens, the pop music gradually fades out and the lights on stage gradually dim. By the time FREDERICK finishes his mug of tea, the music has completely faded and the stage is nearly completely dark.]

[A spotlight filtered green comes up cropped close on FREDERICK and “Spring: Largo e Pianissimo Sempre” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons begins to play very quietly while slowly rising in volume.]

[FREDERICK sets the mug down on the table in front of him. He leans forward, resting his elbows on the tabletop, and stares into the mug. After a beat, FREDERICK’s shoulders begin shaking and he places his face into both of his hands. He is sobbing, but any sound of him crying is covered up by the music having reached full volume.]

[The song comes to an end and “Autumn: Adagio Molto” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons begins at full volume. At the turn of the songs, the spotlight changes from a green filter to an orange one.]

[FREDERICK slowly raises his head, tears still running down his cheeks. He then looks around himself and the spotlight on him widens to show LILAH still cleaning in the background. FREDERICK looks back to LILAH and his face softens. His eyes turn back down to the empty mug in front of him. Then his eyes wander to the daisy growing out of the table. FREDERICK adjusts himself and brings his hands in front of him. He stares at his wedding band and runs the pad of his right thumb over the top part for a beat.]

[When the song reaches the part where the cello joins in, FREDERICK grabs the ring with his right thumb and index finger, pulling it off slowly. He twiddles with the ring in his fingers for a beat, gazing at it with both love and sadness. FREDERICK drops the ring into the mug. He reaches out to the daisy and plucks it from its place on the table. He looks at it with the same expression of love mixed with sadness before placing it on top of the mug, the daisy acting as a lid covering the mug.]

[FREDERICK rises to his feet and grabs his cane. As the song comes to its end, FREDERICK reaches out and caresses the petals of the daisy one last time, and then he turns and exits from the right side of the stage where he entered from earlier.]

[Simultaneously, the spotlight turns off and the lights on stage come back on. A new current pop song begins playing softly but loud enough for the audience to recognise the song and make out at least some of the lyrics. LILAH turns around, having finished cleaning up the back counter. Her eyebrows scrunch in confusion as she looks around the stage in search of where FREDERICK went. LILAH walks around the front counter and to the table downstage.]

[LILAH pauses to stare at the daisy on top of the mug for a beat. She picks up the mug and glances around the stage again. LILAH lifts up the daisy and looks down into the mug. Shock erupts on her face before quickly melting into a pensive expression. Her face displays her coming to a realisation and she gently places the daisy back on top of the mug. LILAH turns her head toward the right side of the stage and smiles; it is a caring and friendly smile.]

LILAH

[still smiling] He deserves to finally move on. Antonio’s been gone for three years now…

[As LILAH’s voice trails off, her smile fades and she appears to mourn. After a beat, her smile creeps back onto her face and she holds the mug closer to her chest.]

LILAH

[as if talking to FREDERICK] He’s missed, but he’d want us to live on. I’m glad you’re taking that step… And I’ll watch over this for you.

[After a beat of gazing at the exit and smiling, LILAH walks away. She stops between the two counters. She sets the mug down in front of her on the front counter and all the lights black out in unison.]

Jurnee Evans, a May 2022 graduate from EIU with a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and minors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Film Studies, has been writing fiction since the age of 10 and discovered their passion for poetry and dramatic writing through their time at EIU. Their short story “Its Eyes Are Staring from the Dark” and two of their poems, “Wander in the Woods with Me” and “I Will Pick Flowers for You,” were published in The Vehicle’s 2022 issue, and their play “Cruel Nature” was produced as part of EIU’s New Works Festival in November 2022. In addition to being a writer, Jurnee is a visual artist, avid reader, tarot enthusiast, drag performer, animal lover, horror connoisseur, and activist; all of these passions, but especially the latter two, tend to bleed into their writing. Jurnee can be found online as @silhouettecrow across the platforms they use.