Legacy

Cast: Tammy Delasole – about 30 – married to Michael

Michael Delasole – early 30s – married to Tammy

Sharon Cassidy – the Delasoles’ neighbor

Doug Barnett – Tammy’s brother, 3 years older than Tammy

Charles Barnett – Tammy’s late father

Customer #1 – male or female customer at the estate sale

Customer #2 – female customer at the estate sale

Customer #3 – female customer at the estate sale

Customer #4 – male or female customer at the estate sale

Jan – Daughter of customer #2 at the estate sale

Dan – Son of customer #3 at the estate sale

Scene 1

Time: The present

Place: Outside the Delasoles’ house

An estate sale is going on. We see some odd pieces of furniture and bric-a-bracs, including a stereo, a singing fish, some old records, a rack of clothes, and an old desk.

Tammy is sitting at a card table stage right with a cashbox and checklist. Customer #1 is standing in front of her with a painting, handing her some bills, which Tammy tucks into the cashbox. Customer #2 and Jan, her daughter, are looking through the merchandise.

Tammy: Thanks, sir, enjoy the painting!

Customer #1 exits stage left as Michael enters from stage left carrying a laptop and a binder of papers. He’s an associate professor at the local university, and has just come from class. Tammy stands when she sees him.

Michael: Ciao, donna bella! (He kisses Tammy.) How’s the sale going?

Tammy: Not bad. A lot of the furniture is still left, and so is Mom’s perfume bottle collection.

Michael: I can’t imagine why!

Tammy: (Giggles) Yeah, right. But most of Dad’s tools are gone, and about half their old ‘60s albums. Oh, and you’ll never guess the first thing I sold this morning.

Michael: What? Oh, not that old…

Tammy: (In unison with Michael) Stuffed armadillo! (Michael grins and shakes his head.) I actually had two people fighting over it! And the madness hasn’t stopped since. I really could use some help, Michael. Will you be able to join me?

Michael: Not yet. I’ve got some papers to grade.

Tammy: Come on, you’ve got all weekend for that!

Michael: Well…all right. But let me at least put my stuff away. (He heads for the house, then pauses, spotting something on the desk.) Whoa! Is that one of those singing fish!

Tammy: Don’t even think about it! I’m not having one of those things on my wall! And don’t you dare push that button!

Michael: (laughs) Okay. It was just a thought. Oh, I’m going to get myself some iced tea. Do you want anything?

Tammy: (teasingly) Let’s see. I’ve been out here since 6:30 this morning fighting off the early birds and territorial scavengers, all without my usual dose of caffeine. Yes, tea would be lovely, thank you! I’m parched!

Michael: Two teas it is. (Michael exits through the door)

Tammy stands for a moment, watching the people at the sale. Customer #2 comes up to her.

Customer #2: Would you take 20 for that Tiffany lamp?

Tammy: Well…I really can’t go that low on it. How about 25?

Customer #2: 25, huh? That’s a possibility. I’ll have to see what else you’ve got.

Tammy: Well, let me know what you think.

Sharon enters from stage left, walking backwards and calling offstage.

Sharon: Listen, you kids take that Supersoaker in the back yard! I don’t want you soaking Mrs. Delasole’s customers!

Tammy: (calling) That’s right! You let me do that! (To Sharon) Hi, Sharon! (Hugs her) Mmm. What’s that lovely scent? Don’t tell me! (Takes another whiff) Is it – chlorine?

Sharon: Yes, that’s basically my summer perfume. And sorry I couldn’t get over here earlier. The kids insisted on spending the day at the pool.

Tammy: Oh, no problem.

Sharon: (Looks around) So this was your inheritance, huh?

Tammy: Yep, Doug got the house; I got all the junk in it.

Sharon: Oh, I wouldn’t call it all junk. There are some pretty nice pieces here. Those armchairs look sturdy – they just need a couple of slipcovers. And does that console stereo still work?

Tammy: Like the day they first got it.

Sharon: Well, you’ll find some music nut with a stack of albums who would love to have that. And this desk! I love this!

Tammy: You can have that for a song!

Sharon: I’d bust out singing right now, if I had room in my house for it! What, is there something wrong with it?

Tammy: I just don’t have real good memories of that thing.

Sharon: What, that desk? Why?

Tammy: Well, it’s not the desk itself so much as what it represents. See, Dad and I were never close. He was a salesman when he and Mom married, and was still on the road when I was born. I think I must have been five or six when he was made a regional manager and didn’t have to travel any more, but then he spent most of his evenings at that stupid desk working on sales figures and whatever else he had to do. Actually, he didn’t talk much to any of us. I guess Mom was used to it, and when Doug got older, Dad started doing a few things with him, but me? I might as well have been invisible.

Sharon: Well, I’m sure he must have loved you.

Tammy: I suppose. He just never said anything to me. I used to wish I knew what he was thinking, but I could never figure him out.

Sharon: I guess that must have been pretty hard for you, huh?

Tammy: (Shrugs) I had Mom. (Rubs her eyes and forehead tiredly)

Michael: (Calls loudly from offstage) Tam? Honey, we’re out of tea! How about lemonade?

Tammy: No! Did he say we’re out of tea? (Shouts back) We can’t be, Michael, I just bought some!

Michael: Well, I sure can’t find it!

Tammy: You better not be messing up my kitchen! (There’s a crash from offstage) Don’t do anything else; I’ll be right in! (To Sharon) The man’s hopeless! He can translate the most complex Italian poetry into beautiful English, but put him in a kitchen and he’s completely lost. (Smiles fondly) I blame Mama Delasole for that.

Sharon: Why?

Tammy: Oh, she’s pure Sicilian. In her family, men were never permitted to set foot in the kitchen. That was the women’s territory. (There’s another offstage crash) Listen, Sharon, can you watch the money for a few minutes while I rescue Michael?

Sharon: Sure, take your time.

Tammy: Thanks. (Exits through the door)

Sharon sits at the table and shuffles some papers.

Customer #4 enters and goes to the far table stage right.

Customer #3 and Dan enter. Customer #3 begins looking over stuff at the table stage left. Dan goes straight to Jan. He gestures toward where he entered from stage left. Jan and Dan whisper to each other and he broadly mouths the word “Supersoaker”, emphasizing by pantomime. They exit toward Sharon’s house stage left.

Sharon looks up and smiles as Customer #3 approaches her.

Customer #3: Excuse me, I was wondering about that stereo system?

Sharon: As a matter of fact, I was just asking my friend about that. She says it’s in perfect working condition.

Customer #3: Really? I’d love to have something like that, but I’m not really able to pay 60 for it. Do you think she’ll take 40?

Sharon: Well…I don’t think she’ll take less than 50, but I bet she’d be willing to throw in a couple of those albums. Let me see…(Looks at the papers) According to this, she’s still got some Four Seasons, Dion, the Buckinghams, the Association – tell you what, why don’t you look through them and she should be back out soon.

Customer #3 begins looking through the albums near the stereo.

Customer #4 comes up to Sharon with an armful of items.

Customer #4: I’ll take these.

Sharon: Let’s see. That’s – seventeen-fifty. Thank you.

Customer #4 exits stage left. Customer #2 looks around for her missing daughter, and then exits stage left to look for her. As she leaves, Doug enters and starts poking around. Sharon puts away the money, and then spots Doug.

Sharon: Excuse me, aren’t you Tammy’s brother, Doug?

Doug: (turns to Sharon with an easy smile) That’s right. And you’re…?

Sharon: Sharon. Sharon Cassidy. We met at your Dad’s funeral last year.

Doug: Oh, yeah. You live right next door here, don’t you? How are you?

Sharon: Fine, thanks. You know, we were just talking about you.

Doug: You were? About what?

Sharon: Well, Tammy seems to think you got the better deal with the house.

Doug: The house? A better deal? Come on! It’s falling apart! Dad really let it go after Mom died. It’s going to take major work and money to whip it into shape. It needs new wiring and plumbing to start. Then the doors and the windows barely slow down the wind – and you know how windy it gets around here! Oh, and the wallpaper – yesterday the dog got hold of a loose corner – tore off a whole section.

Sharon: Really? It doesn’t sound very safe.

Doug: I issue all visitors hard hats.

Sharon: (chuckles) Come on, you can’t be serious.

Doug: Have you ever crawled under a house to replumb a toilet that’s been leaking for years?

Sharon: Eeeww!

Doug: And the roof? I had to put a rain gauge in the living room to measure how much rain was coming in.

Sharon: (laughing) Now I know you’re joking!

Doug: (grins) All right, maybe it’s not that bad. Anyway, I love doing that kind of stuff. I’ve been building houses ever since high school. It’ll take a lot of weekends, but I’ll get it fixed up. No, I think Tammy’s got some real treasures here. I just don’t think she knows it. I’m kind of hoping to latch onto Dad’s old ball gloves. He got them from Granddad; they’ve got to be worth something.

Sharon: Well, the house has got to have at least some sentimental value for both of you, right?

Doug: I suppose. (Gets serious and goes over to the desk and starts gently rubbing the top.) You know, we should’ve been expecting it, but Dad’s death kind of took us both by surprise. But I think it hit me harder than it hit Tammy. I guess she always resented the relationship I had with him. I dunno. Maybe it was because she was a girl.

Sharon: Well, I’m a girl and I have a great relationship with my dad. Now, Mom’s another story….

Doug: (Ignoring her and cutting her off) Dad seldom expressed emotion. That didn’t bother me – I knew he cared about me anyway. But I think maybe Tammy needed to hear it from him.

Sharon: You may be on to something. I know girls really need to hear from their fathers how much they love them. Do you think your dad loved her?

Doug: Tammy? Sure! But I don’t think I ever heard him say so. I know he never said it to me. But then again, I don’t think I ever knew, really what he thought about her. Except he always seemed frustrated that he couldn’t talk to her, and that she wouldn’t talk to him.

Sharon: I think Tammy was just as frustrated. She was telling me how much she resented that desk, because he spent so much time at it instead of with her.

Doug: Yeah. I remember he used to spend hours every evening writing at this old thing. (Looks at it a moment) I can’t imagine what he found to write about. I mean, he was a terrific salesman, and had one of the best sales teams after he left the road. He kept meticulous records. He showed me not too long before he died, when I told him I was thinking of starting my own contracting business, and taught me how to do it. But there’s no way he could have spent all that time on numbers!

Sharon: Did you ever ask him about it?

Doug: Yeah, but he just gave me some kind of vague answer. You know, “Oh, stuff”.

Sharon: Mmmm. I wonder what’s taking Tammy so long. I think I’ll go check on her. Could you stay and watch the shop?

Doug: Sure.

Sharon exits through the door.

Jan sneaks onto the stage and tries to squirt Doug with the Supersoaker but gets very little out. Doug reacts with surprise then faces his attacker)

Doug: Hey, young lady, let me show you how that Supersoaker is really supposed to work!

Doug starts chasing Jan offstage left. She exits, but he stops, shakes he head and grins, and returns to look at some of the merchandise with his back to the door of the house.

Sharon: (from offstage) I should check on the kids….

Tammy: (from offstage) I see them out back. They’re fine. They’ve given up on the Supersoaker and – (pause) – uh, oh, they’ve moved on to the garden hose.

Sharon: (from offstage) The garden hose? My windows are open! I’ll be right back!

Sharon hurries out the door and past Doug, heading for her home stage left. Doug looks after her.

Customer #2 marches Jan back on stage. Jan and Doug grin at each other as she passes. Customer #2 looks over items on the table stage left. Jan goes to stage right and looks at stuff on the table there.

Tammy calmly enters with a glass of tea. She doesn’t notice Doug, but she does notice that the moneybox is unmanned. She looks a little irritated and starts counting the money. Doug spots her and sneaks up behind her.

Doug: Hey, sis!

Tammy screams and jumps and money goes flying. She glares at a grinning Doug and starts gathering money. Doug helps her.

Tammy: You scared me half to death! And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?

Doug: What? No “Hi, how are you, Doug, has the old house killed you yet?”

Tammy: (sighs) Honestly! (Mimics him) Hi, how are you, Doug, has the old house killed you yet?

Doug: Aww, sis, I didn’t know you cared.

Tammy: So, what are you doing here?

Doug: Well, aside from my deep love and concern for my little sister, I was going to take that old armadillo off your hands.

Tammy: Nope, sorry, already sold.

Doug: Sold?

Tammy: First thing this morning. You weren’t serious, were you? You really wanted that thing?

Doug: No! I thought it was the coolest when we were kids, but now I can’t believe Mom let him keep it around the house. Really, though, I would like the ball gloves, if they’re still around.

Tammy: Yeah, they’re somewhere over there. (Gestures toward table, stage right.) Feel free to look. Excuse me? (Moves him out of the way to talk to Customer #2, who’s waiting behind him.)

Customer #2: That’s okay, I can wait.

Tammy: No, no, he’s just my brother. Let’s see. (Doug grins and shakes his head, then moves off as she counts up items.) That’s a dollar seventy-five.

Customer #2: Will you take a check?

Tammy: A check. For a dollar seventy-five. Ah – I don’t think I can take any checks. But I can hold it for you until tomorrow.

Customer #2: I think that’ll be okay. What time are you starting?

Tammy: Eight o’clock.

Customer #2: Mmm – can you hold it ‘til nine?

Tammy: I guess so. We’ll see you then.

Customer #2: You know, I think I’ll look around a little more.

Tammy: Um – okay, good.

Customer #2 continues to browse as Doug returns with the ball gloves. Sharon re-enters and stands by the desk, watching Tammy and Doug.)

Doug: Here they are. Well, I’ll be off. Good to see you, sis.

Tammy: Ah, ah, ah! Where do you think you’re going? That’ll be $10, please.

Doug: What? You’re kidding! You’d charge your own brother?

Tammy: Hey, you got the house, I got the contents. You want the gloves, fork over the cash.

Doug: But the house – oh, never mind. Here. (Takes out $10 and drops it on the desk.) Here you go, Miss Generosity. I’m outa here. (Exits stage left)

Tammy sits for a moment, then sighs and starts gathering her materials. Dan comes on stage with the Supersoaker. He looks around, searching for a target, then spots his mom, Customer #3. He carefully lines up the Supersoaker, aiming at her. But Tammy spots him before he can shoot.

Tammy: What are you doing with that Supersoaker?

Dan is startled and fires.

Tammy: Ma’am, are you okay?

Customer #3 grabs Dan by the arm.

Customer #3: I am – he’s not! (Escorts Dan firmly offstage, left)

Tammy shuffles through the papers on her table, looks at the desk, then shakes her head and appears to be dejected.

Sharon: (approaches Tammy) Tammy, honey, are you okay?

Tammy: (pauses and sighs) I guess I was pretty hard on Doug.

Sharon: Oh, he’ll probably be okay. Say, I’ve been thinking about this desk. What are you asking for it?

Tammy: I originally put 50 on it, and then dropped it to 30. Nothing.

Sharon: No offers at all?

Tammy: Well, one woman offered me 10 for it. I know, I should have taken it. But as much as I resent that desk, it was still Dad’s.

Sharon: Well, I just had a wonderful idea. You know that annual Antiques at the Arena next weekend? Well, did you know that the “Antiques Roadshow” is going to be taping there Sunday afternoon?

Tammy: You’re not suggesting I take this desk….

Sharon: Why not? I mean, I’m no expert, but it looks like a nice piece. I’ll bet you could get it appraised for a lot more than you’re asking, and when the segment airs, you’ll have buyers beating down your door.

Tammy: “Antiques Roadshow”, huh? Well, it’s worth a try.

Sharon: Sure it is. Well, I’d better go check on the status of the Supersoakers and hoses. We don’t need to douse any more of your customers. (Pauses, looks at the desk.) See ya in a few! (Exit, stage left)

Tammy: Bye!

Jan begins looking through the stuff on the desk. She finds an old hat, puts it on. She tries it in several different positions. Then she finds a mirror and tries to match her facial expression to the position of the hat. She continues doing this until Michael enters from the house. Then she and her mom, Customer #2, also exit stage left.

Tammy starts clearing off tables; Michael starts helping her.

Michael: Honey, what’s with all those old papers and boxes in the family room?

Tammy: They’re Dad’s papers. I haven’t even begun to sort through that stuff yet.

Michael: Think there might be something juicy about your family in there?

Tammy: In Dad’s papers? Michael, the only “juicy” that man ever knew came in a glass at breakfast. It’s probably just household finance records and notes from his business. And since when are you interested in the Barnett family gossip?

Michael: I don’t know. I’ve just always felt kind of guilty that I never got closer to your family. I wish I could’ve gotten to know your Dad better before he died.

Tammy: Yeah, well, you’re not the only one. Come on, we’ve got to get this desk back into the van.

Michael: What? Why?

Tammy: I’ll explain while we go.

Michael: Well, okay. Tammy, did you find a treasure in there?

Tammy: I don’t know. (Pause) Maybe….

(The lights fade as they grab the desk)