CEOInterviews.AIThe play - For Love by David Fuks

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Narrator0:07

For Love by David Fuks. Scene one. Janice Joplin music is playing. We see Nah in her bedroom. The room is a hybrid between the child's room it once was and the desire of an adolescent girl to enter the free and alternative lifestyle world she is Ires to explore. Her brother Jerry is 21. He is at his parents' home making a rare appearance visiting from college. The year is 1970.

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Nina0:44

Hell yes, I want to go to the Grandy Ballroom. Joplin and BB King, it's fantastic, but I can't get out of here. No, my brother came in for Friday night dinner and Mom wants me to light the candles. It's like slavery. What's like slavery? I've got to go. Shabbat is like slavery, it's a list of things I can't do. I can't drive, I can't write, I can't cook, it's like being chained. Her tradition. Did you know that Joplin is at the Grande tonight? It would be a mitzvah to see Joplin who's opening only BB King. Oh Jerry, do you think you could take me after dinner? I'll even pay for the ticket. I'm selling candy at the Americana on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Oh, would you? We've got a big hurdle to get across. Ma won't mind if she knows you're taking me. Pa will be glad to have a quiet night just with her. We can make dinner work and then go. Oh Jerry, please sit down for a second. We need to talk.

What Ma asked me to talk with you about something she doesn't want to get ponall. She's afraid he'll go nuts.

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Jerry2:00

What the hell are you talking about? What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?

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Nina2:05

I found out you took LSD.

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Jerry2:11

Oh God, oh God, how the hell did she know?

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Nina2:13

I have no idea, but all I know is there is a secret network in this neighborhood and Ma has informants. It drove me crazy too.

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Jerry2:18

Jesus, life as I know it is over. If we were Catholics, Ma would send me to a convent. Instead, I'll probably be grounded for the next two years and then have to marry some young rabbi and have a litter of little kids and wear a wig and get fat. Oh God, oh God.

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Nina2:35

Call down, call down. It's going to be okay. I'll help you get past this. You just have to do exactly...

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Jerry2:42

The hell are you talking about? Listen, I'm sure this will work.

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Nina2:46

Okay, what you go out there and look really sad and you say the following words: 'I'm very sorry, it was just an experiment. I know it was stupid and I'll never do anything that stupid again.'

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Jerry3:06

That's it? That's your great wisdom? I just say that and she's going to believe it?

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Nina3:07

Trust me, she wants to believe it. If she says anything else, just repeat it.

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Jerry3:14

I'm very sorry, it was just an experiment. I know it was stupid and I'll never do anything that stupid again.

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Nina3:22

You have to at least pretend to feel guilty.

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Jerry3:28

I'm very sorry, it was just an experiment. I know it was stupid and I'll never do anything that stupid again. Got it. Go ahead. I'll wait here. Come right back when you're done.

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Narrator3:41

Nah exits and Jerry sits on the bed, thumbing through Nina's albums. The stage is quiet. She returns.

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Nina3:55

That is amazing, my God, just amazing. It's like magic. It's a well-worn path, you just can't use it too often, not more than once every six months. Also, my advice is go away to college. Ann Arbor is only an hour away, but it's far enough. Come on, let's go light the candles.

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Jerry4:16

Are we going to the Grande later?

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Nina4:20

Yes, and you are buying the tickets.

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Narrator4:23

Scene two. It is 15 years later, the year is 1985. The siblings are meeting over a cup of coffee in a nearly empty cafe. Jerry, 35 years old, the returning prodigal son. Nah, 30 years old, she has been divorced.

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Nina4:45

Okay, it's your turn. Let's do Spoonful. She always drove me crazy with that big tablespoon. You be Ma, I'll be me.

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Jerry4:55

You should eat. Just one more spoonful. It shouldn't go to waste.

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Nina4:59

I'm not hungry, Ma. I ate all I could already. It was good, but I'm full.

But my darling, you shouldn't let anything go to waste. You kids now, you don't understand what it's like to be hungry. Eat, just one more spoonful for me.

That spoon is as big as a snow shovel. Besides, I'm not hungry. It's enough already.

What, you don't like my cooking? You want maybe to go for a trey cheeseburger? Good kosher food isn't good enough for my little American princess?

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Jerry5:34

Ma, I love your cooking. I'm just full. I can't eat another bite.

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Nina5:40

If you love me, you can eat it. You should be grateful. You know there are children starving in Europe.

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Jerry5:48

So send them the food. Send them the spoon. I've had enough already.

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Nina5:55

I knew, I knew you didn't love me. Oh my God, for what did you send me such an ungrateful daughter? Didn't I suffer enough?

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Jerry6:10

Okay, okay, give me another spoonful.

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Nina6:13

Look, I love you, see? I'm grateful. See? Piggy.

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Jerry6:22

Damn, I love her, but she makes me crazy. It's a wonder I didn't end up obese or anorexic.

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Nina6:29

Okay, wise guy, it's your turn. You get to be 17, I'll be Ma. Take your best shot.

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Jerry6:35

Mind boy, shik? Be honest with me and tell me the truth. Sometimes you don't like me.

Don't be silly, Ma. I like you all the time. I'm your son, I love you.

Of course a boy loves his mother, this is natural. But you can be honest with me. After all, you're a teenager. Sometimes you don't like me. I understand, it's also natural.

Ma, honest to God, I like and love you all the time.

Come on, honey, you can be honest with me. You know I was once a teenager too.

Ma, you were in a concentration camp when you were a teenager.

Yes, but before that I was a teenager just like you. It's natural to see that your parents aren't perfect. Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings. Relax, you can be honest with me. Sometimes you don't like me, am I right?

Okay, okay, sometimes I don't like you.

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Nina7:40

Go? How could you say this to your mother? After all I've been through, to have such an ungrateful child. You're breaking my heart, you're killing me.

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Jerry7:52

Oh, I'm sorry. I really do like you all the time. It was just a joke, an experiment. I just wanted to see what you would do. I always like you.

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Nina8:00

An experiment? A joke? Who are you, Mengele? This is how a boy treats his mother? Wait, wait until your father gets home. Wait until your father gets home.

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Narrator8:17

Wait until your father gets home was the scariest phrase in her vocabulary. She knew how to trigger the man and he always had a can of whoop ass ready to open.

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Nina8:26

So it must have been hard for you to tell Ma you were divorcing Manny. She had hopes for a grandchild and Manny was a Jewish kid from the neighborhood.

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Jerry8:38

No, not really. I was sort of matter of fact about it.

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Nina8:40

No, really? She asked me why I left him and I was blunt: because he was screwing my best friend. I told her.

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Jerry8:48

That's blunt. I'm sure Ma appreciated your frankness.

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Nina8:50

Manny had no imagination. He screwed Debbie, so I told them both to go to hell.

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Jerry8:58

Really? The bigger loss for me was Debbie. Manny was the boy from the neighborhood I was supposed to marry. I guess I was just following a script. But Debbie, I was hurt more by her deception. Also, Manny was boring in and out of bed. I guess that's why I've been seeking adventure.

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Nina9:12

So I noticed. Your list of conquests is like the UN, keeping that from Ma.

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Jerry9:17

Ma always needed to have a fiction she could hold on to. She thinks you're still looking for a nice Jewish girl.

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Nina9:26

No, Ma has given up on me. She understands that I've disappointed a wide variety of women.

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Jerry9:31

So what are you criticizing me for? I at least tried to live up to Ma's expectations. You moved across the whole damn country. It makes me seem easier.

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Nina9:40

I'm just trying to live up to positive advice. He told me, 'Jerry, lie to your mother. She doesn't need to know what you do and what girls you've been with. Let her think you're a good boy.'

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Jerry9:52

I hate to break it to you, but Ma doesn't think you're a good boy. She thinks you're a bum, but she loves you anyway. Ma's hoping for the best. I tried to advise her. I said, 'Expect nothing and you're rarely disappointed.' So she got mad at me. She said, 'I expect my kids to be wonderful. I didn't come to America so my kids could be underachievers.'

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Nina10:14

I know I'm killing her, but I'm keeping my mouth shut. I'm not displaying my imperfections blatantly. I'm keeping hope alive.

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Jerry10:20

She must be very grateful. You don't think she doesn't see right through you? I think she sees you better than I do.

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Nina10:27

That's because you have a lazy eye.

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Jerry10:31

Actually, it's not an eye problem. I went to the eye doctor and she told me the problem has to do with the receptors in the brain. The brain sometimes isn't able to perceive things properly.

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Nina10:41

That must be the part of the brain you use to pick men.

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Jerry10:48

What the hell are you saying? Honest to God, I have never seen such a parade of overactive deviants you're dating. Guys from like every possible ethnic group, to which I have no objection, but you keep dating the same cheating and abusive losers over and over. I know I'm being blunt, but I've got to say it worries me. You know I try to be polite and friendly, but I think you deserve better. You know the only one I really liked was Chen, the Chinese guy, but that was just because he laughed at my stupidest joke and owned a fishing boat. Whatever happened to him?

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Nina11:29

He dumped me and went back to Hong Kong so his family could find him a wife. I rest my case.

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Jerry11:34

Screw you.

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Nina11:36

You know what? Getting screwed is nice. Here's my answer: unscrew you. I want to stay, but I can't believe you would talk to me that way. No, shut up, I'm talking to you now. How could you pass judgment on me like that? How could you think that what you said was funny or helpful or anything that I might want to hear, that I could take in? Jesus, I thought I could trust you. I thought you were my person. I open up and you crack wise, you tease me. I thought I knew you. You're my brother, for God's sake. How can you be so untrustworthy, so cavalier? I'm not talking to you to hear my own voice. I'm talking to you to hear your honest thoughts, not some glib 'don't look at me like it's no big deal.' Jesus, you know what? Screw you, I'm leaving.

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Jerry12:26

I'm sorry, okay. I was too harsh. Look, I know something's up, that you're unhappy and Ma's unhappy. I want to help. I can at least listen and shut up.

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Nina12:36

You are an ass.

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Jerry12:44

Was there ever any doubt? When we were little, I used to look up to you.

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Nina12:47

What I'm best at is being disappointing.

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Jerry12:52

Okay, so you've met Larry. Do you like him? The black cop on the Detroit PD?

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Nina12:59

Yeah, I like him all right.

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Jerry13:02

Well, I love him. I told Ma that we're getting married. So she is celebrating by hanging up curtains, covering mirrors, and rending her garments. I don't understand how anyone who survived the Holocaust can be a racist.

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Nina13:13

She's an American now. She's assimilated. I think Larry's just the most clearly Gentile man Ma could imagine. Do you think he would ever convert to Judaism? He's a Baptist, and no, I'm not converting either.

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Jerry13:30

Really? Are you all right with this?

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Nina13:33

Well, he is a cop, you idiot. If you love him and he loves you back, then I think it's great. But do you think Ma will ever warm up to this marriage?

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Jerry13:43

That's why I want your help. I want you to talk to her, to convince her.

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Nina13:46

Okay, let's try that on and see what she thinks. We'll say, uh, I'll be Ma, you be me.

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Jerry13:56

Your sister is killing me. She's in love and you have to go into mourning. Why shouldn't I mourn? Okay, Manny didn't work out. She couldn't fall in love with another Jewish man. The heart does what it wants to do. Falling in love isn't rational.

She will be dead to me. If you love her, how can you do this?

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Nina14:17

It is because I love her that I must do this.

Oh, do you think she'll go that far?

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Jerry14:23

Is there any reason to doubt that she will?

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Nina14:27

It's complicated.

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Jerry14:29

It's more complicated than you think.

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Nina14:34

What?

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Jerry14:39

I'm pregnant.

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Narrator14:44

Scene Three. 1986, eight months later in Detroit. Jerry is visiting Nina in her apartment.

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Jerry14:55

Oh, Isaiah is finally asleep. You must be pretty tired yourself. How's the first day at home?

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Nina15:01

Oh, I waver between elation and terror. He's a beautiful baby, but I can't wait for your wife to get here. Sandy has been wonderful. It's a great gift to have her come and stay for a while.

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Jerry15:14

Do you have a plan? Sandra will eventually come home. You can't do this alone.

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Nina15:19

No, I know. I have to go back to work in the fall. I've got a lot to work out, and Larry is no help at all. Oh, he was beautiful and fun, but it's okay. It doesn't matter. Ma asked me if I would like to live with her for a while. I almost fainted.

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Jerry15:36

It's not a bad idea. She's come a long way. I guess babies will do that.

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Nina15:42

Oh, sure. She hopes Isaiah will become the president, or even better, a doctor. At least she knows how to love. She could be a big help. The price might be too high.

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Jerry15:51

She wants you to pay rent? Oh, I wish it was that simple. She wants a bris.

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Nina15:56

You need some help finding a... oh, don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to mutilate my baby.

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Jerry16:00

It's not exactly mutilation.

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Nina16:03

No, what is it then? You can dress it up with a doctor and a little party, but it's a Bronze Age ritual, a useless ritual from a distant era. Why the hell would I want to make my baby bleed and have an unnecessary medical procedure?

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Jerry16:16

Well, at least it is a medical procedure now. They're using antiseptic surgical tools, not a sharpened rock or a bronze knife. Come on, Nina, it's an act of faith.

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Nina16:27

Faith? Sure, they cut off an inch before they know how long it's going to be. That's serious faith. Maybe we should sacrifice a goat or two and throw some blood on the altar. Goats are very expensive.

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Jerry16:42

So this is a religious ritual as well. What's the big deal? Don't you want to raise your child as a Jew? Don't you want him to be a member of the tribe? Or what, he can only pay retail? Don't be ridiculous. I'm Jewish, so he's Jewish. We don't need to do some ritual bloodletting to satisfy some paternalistic fantasy about a deity with a long white beard demanding a blood offering. It's a sign of a covenant. Besides, since the Holocaust, God's not the senior partner in this deal. Also, are you aware that they do something worse to little girls in some cultures? I know that is awful, but a bris doesn't prevent a man from experiencing pleasure. Also, you know damn well that Jewish women are supposed to experience sexual pleasure. It's a recognized expectation and obligation. Shalom bayit, a peaceful home, it's a mitzvah. In our family's case, it'd be a freaking miracle. Just look at how Ma was when I told her about Larry. Without question, she was wrong to be so rigid, but she's not being rigid now. Listen, there are two fundamental tasks for adults: the first is you have to forgive your parents, and the second is you have to forgive yourself. Ma wants to love you and your baby and to help you, and you need the help because Larry is gone from your life. So tell me, really, what is so important about a little piece of skin?

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Nina18:10

If we do this, you're holding the baby, and I'm going to wait to comfort him in the next room.

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Jerry18:14

Uh, I was hoping to stand in the back of the room and crack wise. You know, there's a whole genre of jokes just for brisses. Please, first you have to test my faith, and now you have to test my sense of humor. You know, mohels don't charge a fee, they just get tips. And do you know what they do with the skin? They make a product. It's called the traveling man's wallet. You rub it and it turns into a suitcase.

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Nina18:42

I'm beginning to consider human sacrifice.

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Narrator18:45

Scene four. It is 13 months later, the year is 1999. Jerry and Nina are in the parking lot of Nina's synagogue. Nah is now 41, she has become a strong independent woman. Jerry is 46, he remains a bit impulsive. Ma's waiting in the car with Isaiah.

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Nina19:09

I told her I wanted to talk to you for a minute before we get ready for the party tonight. It was a great Bar Mitzvah. Oh, I'm so proud of Isaiah. He did great reading from the Torah, leading the service, that speech. He was fantastic.

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Jerry19:23

Yeah, he was great right up to the speech. God, Mom just about had a heart attack. Tell me one thing: did you help him write that speech?

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Nina19:30

We spoke over the phone a couple times, exchanged a couple of emails. I was just trying to help him to make his speech more memorable, unique. The kid is 13. I just wanted him to do the drill, get the event over with, and keep the peace. And the kid comes up with 'Moses was black' as his topic.

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Jerry19:48

His Torah portion was from Leviticus. Where does it say in Leviticus that Moses was black?

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Nina19:55

Look, I'm not even sure there was a historical Moses. But if the guy was real, it makes sense that he was a person of color. His Torah portion was about leprosy. I know that's a gross topic, but it was the luck of the draw. He could have talked about health care, he could have talked about the fearfulness of Bronze Age Jews when someone got sick and how faith helped them. God, he could have talked about comic books. Didn't Jews invent Superman? Actually yes, but that's not relevant to the Torah portion.

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Jerry20:23

But you fed him an idea that... honest to God, I don't care if Moses was black. Hell, I think it would have been great. But Ma has a limited capacity to see the creativity of the idea. She got stiff and started shaking. Do you know how you can tell that Superman was Jewish? His Kryptonian name was Kal-El, that's Hebrew for 'all God.' And who but a Jew would change his name like that? She's freaked out.

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Nina20:48

She'll be fine. She loves Isaiah, right? The kid was articulate and did a great job. Just promise her he'll become a doctor and she'll calm down. Besides, part of the Torah portion was a statement against racism.

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Jerry20:58

What? Okay, first of all, what was Moses? He was the Prince of Egypt, a member of the royal family. And on what continent is Egypt? Africa. And what color are African people? Sub-Saharan, they are dark brown. North African, they are lighter brown. They are people of color. Hence, so was Moses.

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Nina21:19

A wonderful cocktail party syllogism, but it has nothing to do with his Torah portion.

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Jerry21:28

So the Torah portion is about leprosy, but there's a little aside: Miriam, Moses' sister, gives him a hard time for marrying a dark-skinned Midianite woman, and God gives Miriam leprosy. Moses has to ask God to give her a break and heal her. A clear anti-racist statement. Okay, Rabbi? So how did we end up white? Thousands of years of intermarriage. The Romans dispersed us everywhere, and whoever was nice to us, we married. That's why Ethiopian Jews are black, and Chinese Jews are Chinese, and Spanish Jews speak like Spaniards. But you knew Ma was going to be at the service, and that she barely accepted Isaiah, who is both African-American and Jewish, as her grandchild. Yet you had to stir things up.

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Nina22:15

It's part of my role as an uncle to provide contrast.

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Jerry22:17

Great. You come here to stir things up and leave me trying to keep the peace while you fly back to the West Coast. Besides, I think Isaiah needed a black Moses.

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Nina22:28

Oh, enlighten me, oh wise uncle who lives on the coast. Do you remember during the 1967 riot that an inner city church had a statue of Jesus painted black? So didn't it get sandblasted after things settled down? Yes, but the priest repainted it. He said that he thought the neighborhood needed a black Jesus. Well, I think Isaiah needs a black Moses.

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Jerry22:48

What he doesn't need is a batshit crazy uncle. But I guess you can't choose your relatives. Besides, Jesus probably was too. Of course, yeah, of course. God, didn't they hide him in Egypt when he was a baby? It would have been hard to hide a little white baby in Egypt. Jesus, how can someone so smart be such an idiot?

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Nina23:08

It's a gift.

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Narrator23:12

Scene five. It is 2002, three years later. Jerry is at a desk. His phone rings.

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Jerry23:21

Hello, this is Jerry Silver. How can I help you?

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Nina23:24

It's your turn. My turn. Ma's coming West. It's your turn.

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Jerry23:29

I didn't know I was getting a turn. Do you need a vacation from Ma?

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Nina23:34

Oh, I need a permanent vacation from Ma. I need a vacation from her sharp intake of breath every time Isaiah does something less than perfect. I need a vacation from her criticism for how I cook. Hell, she was telling me how to cut up an onion. I got upset, which I know sounds stupid, but it's like I can't do anything right. And when I started to cry, she called me crybaby. You know she won't live with me. We don't keep kosher. She's agreed to come your way. She's willing to move into the assisted living apartments near you. They keep kosher there, right? Are you bringing her out? It's a long flight. She's on the plane right now. She should be there in about four hours.

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Jerry24:14

Four hours? I'm calling you from the airport. What the hell? I haven't even talked to Sandra about this. We have to get the guest room ready. I mean, I have to get furniture for this apartment. We have to figure out a lot of logistics.

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Nina24:31

Don't worry. I've talked to Sandy. She's agreed to be helpful. She's even getting glass dishes and new silverware so Ma can eat at your house for a few days until she moves in to Mount Si.

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Jerry24:39

Well, I'm not ready. Brace yourself, darling. You know, I could have been helpful in some other way. You moved 2500 miles away. It's not like I could have dropped by. I was a kid then. I needed to find my own path. You know, nothing I could do was ever good enough for Ma, and no girl was ever good enough for me. I had to move to the West Coast. It was as far as I could get in a Chevy. If the road had kept going, I would have driven to Hawaii. But that was a long time ago. I've settled here now.

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Nina25:09

Great. Congratulations. It's your turn now. You convinced her to come here to live in an assisted living. How?

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Jerry25:15

I told her I could never find another husband if I had both a child and my mother living with me. You couldn't send Isaiah instead? He likes our kids.

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Nina25:25

Schmuck. Do you really want to get married again at my age? Hell no. Guys my age are married or have too much emotional baggage. They want a new wife, they're looking for a younger woman. Younger men are also looking for younger women, or they're weird and need too much training. Older men are hoping to find a companion who will be their caregiver. Nope. I just want to raise Isaiah and send him away to college when the time comes. Don't worry, Jerry. Ma is looking forward to seeing you and to making a few friends that she can complain about when you come over to see her every day, which I promised you would.

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Jerry26:01

Maybe she'll meet an old guy and fall in love.

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Nina26:05

What? Yeah, oh, these places are like The Love Boat. Sure, filled with guys who couldn't take yes for an answer. I heard one story about an 80-year-old fellow who walked into the confessional. He said, 'Father, I'm having an affair with a beautiful 20-year-old woman. Every day we check into the Hilton and make passionate love for four hours.' The priest said, 'My son, you have sinned. Say five Hail Marys and five Our Fathers and make an act of contrition.' The old guy said, 'Well, actually, Father, I'm Jewish.' The priest said, 'What are you telling me for?' The old guy said, 'Telling you? I'm telling everybody.' Good luck, boychik. Oh, God.

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Narrator26:52

Scene six. It is 2007, five years later. Nah and Jerry are in Jerry's kitchen in Portland. Nah is looking through a photo album as Jerry prepares a salad.

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Jerry27:06

Are you okay with onions? Red and green ones?

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Nina27:08

Yeah, not yellow. And a salad, you don't mind if your breath is stank?

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Jerry27:14

I don't have a date tonight. Besides, your breath is stank even without onions. At least I don't have the Zachly. Your breath smells exactly like your feet.

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Nina27:22

You do have a way of making me feel welcome. These pictures are amazing. I forgot how young Ma and Pa were. They look sweet. You would never guess what they had gone through. Some of these are in Germany in the displaced persons camp, aren't they? That one is, and the next two. This one is from Detroit in the 1950s. God, look at that car. It's like a boat. Is that a Chevy? Sure, Pa wouldn't have a Ford. He said that Henry Ford was a fascist. Pa, yes, I remember. For a guy who ended up owning a business, Paul was a remarkably consistent utopian socialist. Hey, he moved to the right and became a Democrat. You know what he used to say? 'There's a big difference between Marxism, Leninism, and Stalinism.' Must have freaked him and Ma out to arrive in America just in time for the McCarthy era. Pa told me that they were more disturbed by the racism. You know, they came in through New Orleans. Pa said that when he saw separate water fountains for whites and colored people, it shocked him given what they went through. Yes, but there was nowhere to go back to. Did you know that Ma has forgotten Pa? Really, after all those years together? That's why I have the picture album. She wonders if Pa was good to her. He treated her like a queen, and she doesn't remember. She can't remember people, and she gets agitated. One of the social workers told me that Alzheimer's requires family members to be like Zen Buddhists. You have to live in the moment and not worry about the past or the future. Namaste. Your mama say namaste.

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Jerry29:16

It's funny having Ma out here. I wanted so badly to get away from her when I was a kid. She made me crazy, and now I just hope to hang on a little, to keep things about her, to be close to her.

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Nina29:30

You always had a taste for irony. I had to. Do you remember the milk and cookies incident?

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Jerry29:35

Of course I witnessed it.

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Nina29:36

Okay, I'll be Ma, you be yourself at 18.

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Jerry29:39

I just took a bath and I'm having milk and cookies in the kitchen.

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Nina29:44

Schmendrick, you take a bath but you can't wash the tub? Do you think this is a hotel?

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Jerry29:49

I'm just having some cookies and milk to rebuild my strength. I'll wash the tub in a few minutes.

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Nina29:53

You want I should have to wash the tub? And again at my age? Ma, relax. I'll wash the tub in a few minutes. Just let me finish my milk and cookies.

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Jerry30:03

Milk and cookies? But I wouldn't have given for a crust of bread when I was your age.

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Nina30:08

Relax, here, have a cookie.

First my parents died, then I was in a concentration camp, then I was in a displaced person's camp, and now I've got you for a son. You're killing me.

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Jerry30:28

Bravo. Me and Hitler and Eichmann. Okay, okay, I'm going to wash the tub. But Ma, but now since I'm killing you, maybe you should take out a term insurance policy. Is this how you talk to your mother?

N

Nina30:45

And the Academy Award goes to Nina Silva for her remarkable portrayal of the mean mommy monster. I'd like to thank all the little people who helped me get to this moment, particularly my brother Jerry, who isn't nearly as good of an actor as I am.

J

Jerry31:01

What? You don't even know how to act normal. Besides, I earned this award. You moved across the country and deserted me. I had to stand up for myself.

N

Nina31:15

Look, I've spent most of my life disappointing people. It's my superpower. What do you want, an apology?

J

Jerry31:21

Okay, I'm sorry. I always saw you as strong. I was getting away from Ma. I never thought I was abandoning you. Do you know how Ma reacted when she heard I wasn't a virgin?

N

Nina31:34

Well, you couldn't exactly tell her it was just an experiment and I'd never do it again. So I suppose she tried to shame you.

J

Jerry31:41

Well, she did more than try. She ranted and raved. She told me no decent man would ever want me. I can believe it. When I was 13, she told me that masturbation was abnormal. She told me I would go blind. I told her I would quit when I needed glasses.

N

Nina32:00

You ass. I'm talking about my life. She got Pa riled up. She always knew what buttons to push. He was furious. He threatened to hit me with a candlestick.

J

Jerry32:10

Oh God, what did you do?

N

Nina32:14

I knew that if I ran, he would do it. So I looked at him calmly. I looked him right in the eyes and I said, 'Go ahead.' And he backed down.

J

Jerry32:25

Am I here talking with you? Maybe I should have stayed. Do you think you could have protected me?

N

Nina32:33

No. My relationship with Pa was always a choice between passive resistance and active fleeing. I think maybe you could have protected me.

J

Jerry32:43

A wonder we're not completely screwed up.

N

Nina32:47

Speak for yourself.

J

Jerry32:49

You know when Pa became frail, he became sweeter and more forgiving. I'm sorry Ma can't remember him. Alzheimer's is a nasty thief. She's even forgotten the Holocaust.

N

Nina33:05

No, I'll show you how it was. You or Ma just asked me what happened to our parents.

J

Jerry33:11

So tell me what happened to our parents.

N

Nina33:14

Ma, I'm your son Jerry.

J

Jerry33:24

Oh, I'm doing fine, Ma. But tell me, what do you remember about your life in Europe?

N

Nina33:31

I'm from Europe.

J

Jerry33:32

Oh, just as well. Let me tell you a little story. You were born in Poland. Your father was Yakov, your mother was Rifka. Ah, just like in the Torah. Yes, they had a little leather shop. You had eight brothers and sisters. You were a bright and beautiful girl, and they all loved you very much. It was a long time ago, and you were the only one left. Why so sad? Not so sad. You met Herman, who you married, he was Pa. You had two children, me and Nina, and we all loved you. You taught us how to love. You kept us safe. And I'm your favorite. And you promised me... no, I didn't. It wouldn't be safe. You're right. Besides, I get seasick.

N

Nina34:30

She seemed pretty much with it today. Ma has periods of lucidity, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for a moment. I gave her a Hanukkah present during a lucid moment last week. Be Ma for just another minute. Okay, tatala, here I am, Ma. I was wondering what I could give you for Hanukkah, and I've got it. No, JLA, what is it? I'm still not a doctor. A, you killing me? One last disappointment we both enjoyed it. How thoughtful.

N

Narrator35:05

Scene Seven. 2007, 10 days later in Ma's assisted living apartment. Nah is sitting in a chair near Ma's head. She is wiping her brow with a washcloth and singing to her softly.

N

Nina35:23

Chitty bitty bitty bitty bim bum, shitty bitty bitty bitty bum bum, shitty bitty bitty bimm.

I'll take this in the living room, Ma. Hello, oh Isaiah, I'm so glad to hear from you. How are your final exams going? Of course it matters. I know you wish you could be here. No, no, you don't need to come out. No, there's no time. I think we'll lose her tonight, honey. She would have wanted you to finish your exams. She's very proud of you. No, really, no, it's not realistic, Isaiah. We're going to bring her back to Detroit so that she can be buried next to Pa. Yes, you can help there. I'll text you the contact information for the funeral home and for the rabbi. Yes, you can call them and get things started. That would be a big help. But Isaiah, I want you to focus on your exams. Your GPA is very good. Let's keep it that way. Okay, okay, I love you too. Tell Isaiah I love him too. Uncle Jerry sends his love. Yes, okay, I'll call you in the morning. Yes, thank you, you're very kind. I know you loved her too. Yes. Thanks. He's a good kid. That's hard for him, not being here. You sent the caregiver home? Yes, I told her we have it from here. She was very sweet, like a little angel. How's Ma? Her breath is a little choppy, like the nurses said it would be, but she's quiet now. She said something I didn't understand. She said 'Sarah.' Who was Sarah?

J

Jerry37:22

Sarah was Ma's younger sister. Ma talked to me about her a couple of years ago. You don't know this story? I guess you might have forgotten to tell me. It was shortly after the German occupation of Poland, maybe December of 1939. Ma's family had not yet realized how dangerous the world had become. It was late afternoon. Two Nazi soldiers, SS men, arrived at Ma's home. They burst through the door. They pushed everyone out into the yard. No coats, no time to adjust. The family's dog barked, and they shot it. A damned pet, harmless. They just killed it. Maybe just to raise the stakes, to frighten them, as if the presence of SS soldiers wasn't enough. And the more senior of the two said, 'We must have one of the children. We must take one to be a worker. We have a camp in Czechoslovakia, and they need a worker.' Ma's father, Yakov, stepped forward and tried to speak to them, and they knocked him to the ground. My God, I doubt that God was present at that moment. So then the junior officer inspects the family and looks at each of them. He sees Sarah trying to look away. She was only 12 years old. And he steps forward and quickly grabs her hand. 'This one,' he says, 'we'll take this one.' 'No, let me go, no!' Exactly, a little girl like that. She screamed and wailed and pleaded, and the family stood in mute terror. And then Ma stepped forward. Ma was 16 then, not yet an adult, but she loved Sarah. She said, 'My sister is too skinny and weak to do any work. She won't be of any use to you. Take me instead.' And they did just that. They let Sarah go, and they took Ma to a slave labor camp called Obral. She was a slave there for five years until the liberation. I knew she had been a slave. I didn't know she had sacrificed herself for her sister. I don't know that I could have been that brave. I'm certain that I could not. But there's an element of irony as well. You see, Sarah and the rest of Ma's family died in Auschwitz. Ma's moment of sacrifice saved her life. It made no sense. The arbitrary nature of survival, the chaos that the world had become, has always stayed with her. God, her obsessive compulsive disorder makes sense. If the world outside your home is chaos, you must make everything in your home, everything that you can control, predictable, always to conform to what will keep you safe. I don't think Ma had OCD. I think she had CDO. That way it would have been in alphabetical order.

N

Nina40:14

There's something I've never shared with you about Pa. Turnabout is fair play, I suppose. No, it's not like that. Pa told me after Isaiah was born. He asked me not to tell you. He made me promise. But now, now it's time. You know already that Pa spent five years in Buchenwald, that he was a slave laborer, that they kept him with the political prisoners and forced to work among those who were being killed. It's hard to imagine what that hell was really like or what he had to do to survive. I know it was what made him hard and angry and volatile. What you don't know was that Pa had a wife and daughter before the war.

J

Jerry40:59

Really? Oh God. I mean, I know he was eight years older than Ma. I assumed that as a young man there must have been some women, but we didn't talk about that. I was curious, but I thought it would have been an intrusion to ask him anything that personal. I didn't want to trigger an outburst. What were their names? What happened?

N

Nina41:23

His wife was Anna, Anya Rosenberg. He said that she was very pretty. Their baby was named Bluma, means flower. Bluma. I suppose they didn't survive. Pa was in jail. He beat up a cop during a strike, and they locked him up before the war started. When the Nazis came, Anna and Bluma were among the first taken. Pa said that Anna could have lived, but she wouldn't let them take her baby away. She carried Bluma into the gas chamber. How could he know? I can't explain it. I couldn't ask him. When he told me, his grief was so strong that you would have thought the event had just happened. I could only listen. Manu, yes. And he didn't want you or Ma to tell me. You are far away. Pa said he didn't want you to be upset because you weren't the first child. Which is the only emotions he could share with me was anger and disappointment. I know he was trying to toughen me up, but he mostly taught me how to be a victim. Hell yes, I left. I left physical abuse on one side and guilt inducement on the other side. So I learned to be a clown, to act like I didn't give a damn, to fight and spit and swear, and finally to escape. Jesus, Anna and Bluma. No wonder he was such a mess. J, you have to forgive him. You have to forgive them both. I want to see how Ma's doing. Just give me a minute.

J

Jerry42:53

How are you doing, Mama? It's okay, we're here and we love you. How's she doing? She's uncomfortable. She's resting quietly. I think it's close. You know, I do forgive them, and I loved them both. I remember coming home once prepared to talk to them about that, to tell them that I understood and that I forgave them, to tell them that I was sorry. And I realized that there was no point. That they had forgotten what it was like, or that they tried to suppress that time, to set it aside. So I just kept my mouth shut and left it alone. A harder part for me has been forgiving myself.

N

Nina43:47

Well, if I were you, I'd have a hard time forgiving myself too.

J

Jerry43:52

Uh, there's the sister I always loved. Go screw yourself.

N

Nina43:58

Come on, we need to be close to Ma. There's not much time.

N

Narrator44:00

They returned to the bedroom together. Nah beside Ma as she returns to the use of the washcloth on her brow.

J

Jerry44:12

I once asked Pa how he was able to start over, to make another family, or to make a family after all he had been through. No, he said. For love. When I met her mother, and I could love again, it saved me.

N

Nina44:36

Her breathing seems irregular. It's apnea. She's in the final stage. You can count the seconds between breaths. It's 10 this time. We love you, Ma. 20 seconds this time. 30 seconds this time. Oh God, she's gone now. What? Her soul is confused. We recite the Shema. Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. I'm pretty sure she said I could have a sailboat. Shut up for a minute. End of play.

D

David Fuks46:34

Uh, as a playwright, one of the joys of writing is not the solitary work of writing, but to be able to be a writer and then to work with a remarkable cast and a director to be able to make this piece of art happen. And we are blessed with real talent in the room. Aaron Jackson is a wonderful actress who is a student at the Actors Conservatory. Tyler Hunt, a remarkable actor, also had been a student at the conservatory, and he and I were classmates and did some scene work together. It was really always fun to get to work with Tyler. And then Sarah L, who is an Equity actress, a member of SAG-AFTRA, on solidity, not here, not now, and also on the faculty of the conservatory. And I'm grateful to say also my good friends. The impulsive behaviors are mostly true. And there were some things that really stood out. I mean, the reveal about Ma and Sarah is a true story, and the reveal about discovering that there was another wife and another child, I was 35 when that happened. So those things were real. But the playfulness in terms of the relationship between these two wonderful actors really reflected, you know, I mean, there was a lot of inventive joking around, but the tenderness really was real. I have to give credit to S.L. also. Her directing was really remarkable.

The play - For Love by David Fuks

About David Fuks