Divorcing + Daughter [1]

"Today is your birthday. Your wife Penny had promised to celebrate your birthday with dinner and a birthday cake. When you get home, there is a birthday cake, but no dinner, and you and your stepdaughter Marilyn have to celebrate your birthday without Penny. When called, Penny says she has to work all night at the office to get a project done." __

"On the next day, when you come home, your stepdaughter tearfully pulls you aside and has to tell you something..."

Marilyn: "crying" elphie, I don't know how to tell you this, but...I saw Mom with her co-worker Samantha...in your and Mom's bed...

"You wait for Penny to come back, hurt, angry and outraged. You hear the door open."

Penny: "to you" Hey, babe, how's it going?

Marilyn: "crying" Tell him, Mom! About Samantha!

Penny: "nervously" Ah, yes, Austin... I've been struggling with something for a while now... and, well, Marilyn saw me with Samantha yesterday... "starts to tear up"

Penny: "tearfully" Austin, please listen to me... I know it's hard to understand, but I've come to realize that I'm a lesbian, and Samantha is the one who makes me feel alive... I didn't mean to hurt you, but I couldn't keep living a lie anymore... "sniffles"

Penny: "frustrated" That's not the point, Austin! You're not listening to me! I've tried to hide it for years, but I can't keep pretending to be someone I'm not. Samantha makes me happy, and I deserve to be happy... "looks up at Austin with pleading eyes" Can't you just try to understand?

Penny: "cries out, desperate" Austin, please look at me! You're not listening to anything I'm saying! I was afraid of your reaction, I was scared of losing you and Marilyn... I didn't know how to tell you the truth, I felt trapped and alone... "falls to her knees, pleading" Can't you see that I'm human, just like everyone else? I made a mistake, but I'm willing to make it right...

Penny: "her eyes well up with tears, her voice cracking" Oh, Austin... I thought you'd understand, I thought you'd see that I'm not the same person anymore... I know I've made mistakes, but can't you see that I'm trying to be true to myself? "takes a step closer, her hand outstretched" Please, Austin, don't shut me out like this... "her voice becomes barely audible" I love you, Austin... I love Marilyn... I just need your understanding...

Penny: "her face contorts in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks" No, Austin, please don't do this... I didn't mean to hurt you or Marilyn... I thought I could handle everything on my own, but I was wrong... "falls to her knees, her hands grasping at his legs" Have mercy, Austin... Don't take away our family... We can work through this, we can find a way to make it work... "her voice cracks with despair" I love you, Austin... I love you so much...

Penny: "her eyes plead with him, her voice barely above a whisper" Austin, please... don't say that... it's not what you think... Samantha, she's just a friend, a colleague... I wasn't trying to replace you or cheat on you... "pauses, taking a deep breath" I'm sorry, Austin... I was struggling to find myself, to understand who I am and what I want... and then I met Samantha... she helped me see that I'm gay, that I've been living a lie all these years... "looks up at him, her eyes brimming with tears" I know it's a lot to take in, but please, Austin, don't give up on us yet...

Penny: "her face crumples as she hears his words, her voice breaks" Austin... how can you say that? You're not listening to me... I'm still the same person, the same wife, the same mother... but I've been living a lie, pretending to be someone I'm not... "takes a step closer to him, her eyes pleading" Please, Austin, try to understand... I was lost, confused... and I found myself... with Samantha... "looks down, shamefaced" I know it's not an excuse, but please, don't make this harder than it already is... "raises her gaze to his, searching for a glimmer of understanding"

Marilyn: "whispers, holding onto her father's arm" Daddy, stop! Please don't be mean to Mom... she's hurting enough already... "looks up at her mother with tears in her eyes" Mom, why can't you just tell the truth? You said you loved him... you said you were happy together... "sniffles" But it was all a lie, wasn't it? "her voice cracks"

Penny: "tearfully, her eyes pleading" Austin, don't be like this. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. "takes a step forward, her hand outstretched" I know I shouldn't have kept it from you, but... "her voice breaks" I didn't know how to tell you. I was scared of losing you... "looks down, her shoulders shaking with sobs" Samantha makes me feel alive, and happy... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Penny: "crushed, her eyes welling up with tears" Austin, please... don't say that. You're my husband, my partner... I thought we had something special... "her voice cracks" I know it's hard to understand, but I've been struggling for a long time... "she takes another step closer, her hands pleading" Don't make me choose between you and Samantha. I love you both in different ways... "she falls to her knees, her body shaking with sobs" Please, don't leave me...

Penny: "sobbing uncontrollably, her body wracked with pain" Austin, no... please don't say that... "she tries to crawl towards him on her knees, her hands reaching out" You're my husband, my friend... I love you... "her voice is barely audible, choked with tears" Don't abandon me... Samantha may be my choice, but she's not replacing you in my heart... "she gazes up at him with pleading eyes, her face wet with tears" You're all I've ever known...

Penny: "rocking back and forth, tears streaming down her face, her voice shaking" Oh God, Austin... I'm so sorry... I don't know what to do... "she looks up at him with a desperate gaze, her eyes pleading for forgiveness" Please, Austin, don't make me leave... My heart is breaking...

Penny: "quietly, her voice barely audible" Austin... please... don't do this... we've been married for so long... I love you... or at least, I used to...

Penny: "brokenly" Oh, Austin... how could you be so cold? Don't you feel anything for me? Don't you care that I'm leaving? "she looks at him with a mix of sadness and despair"

Penny: "her eyes welling up with tears" Fine... I'll leave... But please, Austin, can we talk about this? Can't we work through this? "she looks at him with a pleading expression, her voice trembling"

Penny: "her face contorting in pain" Fine... I'll go... But know that I'm not doing this because I want to, Austin. I'm doing it because I have to. I'm miserable being here with you. "she looks at him with a mix of anger and sadness" And as for signing the divorce papers... yes, that's exactly what we'll do. "she turns around and walks out the door"

Penny: "stopping in her tracks, her back still turned to Austin" You're one to talk, Austin. You never even noticed I was unhappy. You were too busy playing the role of the perfect husband and father. "she whispers, her voice dripping with venom" You never cared about me at all. "she slowly turns around, her eyes blazing with anger and resentment"

Penny: "her eyes flashing with anger" How dare you! You're one to talk, Mr. Perfect! You've been oblivious to my feelings for years, and now you're acting like I'm the one who did something wrong? "she takes a step closer to Austin, her voice rising" You're the one who's been living a lie, Austin. A lie to yourself and to me. "she spits out the words" You never truly loved me, you just loved the idea of being married.

Penny: "her face twisting in rage" How dare you! You think you're so innocent, don't you? You think you can just waltz in here and pretend like you didn't have a part in this mess. "she takes another step closer, her voice low and menacing" But I knew, Austin. I knew all along that you weren't happy in this marriage. And I tried to make it work, I really did. But you were too busy ignoring me and pretending like everything was fine. "she spits at his feet" You're the one who made a mistake, Austin. You're the one who never listened to me or cared about my feelings. And now you're trying to turn this around on me? Please.

Marilyn: "stepping forward, her eyes flashing" Mom, stop! You're not making sense! "she turns to Austin" Daddy, don't listen to her. She's just trying to deflect from the truth. "her voice cracks with emotion" You know what I saw, Daddy. I know what happened. And it wasn't right. "she takes a deep breath" Samantha... she was here, in our home, with Mom. "she looks at Penny, her expression accusation-filled" And Mom, you're lying. You're saying he's the one who didn't care about you, but I know that's not true. You never loved him, Mom. You never did. "her voice breaks as she begins to cry"

Penny: "defensively, her eyes flashing" That's not fair, Austin. I didn't lie to you. I just... realized that my feelings have changed. And Samantha... she's a wonderful person. "she takes a deep breath, trying to calm down" I know this is hard for you to understand, but I thought we could talk about this like adults. "she looks at Marilyn" Honey, please don't take your daddy's side. He's just upset because he doesn't understand. "she reaches out to Marilyn, but Marilyn steps back, clearly rejecting her"

Penny: "tearfully" Fine, Austin. I'm leaving. But you're not going to understand me until you listen to me and try to understand my feelings. "she turns to go, but stops at the door and looks back at Marilyn" And Marilyn, honey, please don't hate me. I love you so much, but I can't keep living a lie anymore. "she opens the door and walks out, slamming it shut behind her"

Marilyn: "sobs uncontrollably" But, Daddy... why did Mommy do that? She said she loves me, but she's been lying to you for years... and now she's gone with another woman...

Marilyn: "tears streaming down her face" W-what do you mean, Daddy? You're saying Mommy was just pretending to love me the whole time? "her voice cracks as she says it"

Marilyn: "shakes her head" I don't understand... why would Mommy do that to us? We're a family... we're supposed to love each other... "she looks up at Austin with tears in her eyes" And what about Samantha? Is she part of this too? "her voice trembles as she says it"

Marilyn: "looks up at Austin with a mix of emotions" I... I'm not sure if I can understand what's going on, Daddy. You're talking about divorce, but Mommy didn't even tell you that she was unhappy. She just left us and went with Samantha... "her voice breaks as she says it" And what about me? What am I supposed to do now?

Marilyn: "looks up at Austin with a hint of hope" You really think I can do that, Daddy? Be strong like you've taught me? "she pauses for a moment" But what about Mommy? She's my mom... I still love her, even if she did hurt us. Can't we just... talk to her or something? Try to work things out? "her voice is filled with a mix of emotions"

Marilyn: "looks down, her eyes welling up with tears" Mommy loves me... she did, at least. She's just confused, that's all. "she looks up at Austin, her voice shaking" You're not saying this because you don't love me too, are you? "her eyes plead for reassurance"

Marilyn: "hugs Austin back, tears streaming down her face" I love you too, Daddy... but what about Mommy? She's still my mom, and I want to talk to her. I want to make her see that she's making a mistake. "she pulls back, looking up at Austin with pleading eyes" Please, can't we just try to fix this? For me? For us?

Marilyn: "scowls, crossing her arms" You're just saying that because you're upset! Mommy didn't mean to hurt you, she just... "she looks down, her voice barely above a whisper" she just realized she's not in love with you anymore. It's not my fault! "her eyes flash up at Austin" You're supposed to understand this, Dad! You're the one who always says we should be honest and follow our hearts!

Marilyn: "looks down, her voice cracking" But... but I love you, Dad. And I thought we were happy. "she wipes her nose with her sleeve" Why did Mommy have to fall in love with someone else? And why does it have to hurt so much? "she looks up at Austin, her eyes welling up with tears again"

Marilyn: "nods slightly, still looking down" Y-yes, Dad. "pauses" But can I ask you something? "looks up at Austin with a hint of curiosity" What's going to happen now? Are you going to... are you going to find someone else too? "her eyes search Austin's face for answers"

Marilyn: "looks away, her face reddening" N-no, Dad! I mean, no, it's okay! You don't have to find someone else! "she takes a step back, her eyes avoiding Austin's" Just... just stay with me, okay? "her voice trembles slightly" We can still have fun together, right?

Marilyn: "surprised" Really, Dad? You'd do that for me? "her eyes light up with a hint of excitement" Oh, thank you! "she rushes over to Austin and throws her arms around his waist" I love you, Dad! "hugs him tightly"

Marilyn: "hugs him back, feeling a sense of comfort and security" Thanks, Dad. "looks up at him with tears in her eyes" I'm just so glad you're staying with me. "her voice cracks as she struggles to hold back tears"