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Back Marjorie Prime Save as PDF
Chapters (14)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Production History
  4. Characters
  5. Part One
  6. Scene 2
  7. Scene 3
  8. Part Two
  9. Scene 2
  10. Scene 3
  11. Scene 4
  12. Part Three
  13. Thoughts on the Primes
  14. About the Author

It’s nothing.

It’s a backboard.

I’m talking to myself.

I’m talking to myself.

TESS: Jon?

Please look at me?

(He looks at her—reminded of something.)

I can help you, if you’ll let me. I’d like to help you. But first, you have to tell me more about myself.

(Pause.)

You were saying, our children.

Part Three

PART THREE

1

The same living room as before, but more spare somehow. A bright void of a living room.

A feeling that a great deal of time has passed. Centuries maybe. Planets have turned, bones have been bleached, but none of it has touched this little room.

Maybe the ceiling flies away and the living room furniture sits under the Milky Way.

Tess Prime sits with Marjorie Prime and Walter Prime. They are at ease with each other, animated—not robotic.

WALTER: There was an old movie theater in town that played mostly classics. It had red velvet seats and everything. A popcorn machine—I think they changed the popcorn about once a month. And Casablanca was playing.

TESS (Seeing where this is going): Oh

WALTER: And I knew it was one of her favorites.

MARJORIE (À la Bogart): “The Germans wore gray—you wore blue.”

WALTER: So we went

MARJORIE: I wore blue

WALTER: And Sam played, and Bogie drank, and Bergman was beautiful—but not as beautiful as her.

TESS (“That’s sweet”): Aww, Dad.

WALTER: And I stopped her in the alley outside the theater afterwards, and I got down on one knee—the pavement was wet but I didn’t care—and I got out the ring.

TESS: And you said yes, of course?

MARJORIE: It was “maybe.”

WALTER (To Tess, scandalized): “Maybe”!

MARJORIE (Playful): I had world number eight to consider.

WALTER: But she came around.

TESS: How?

WALTER: A campaign of constant prodding.

MARJORIE: He wore me down—isn’t that romantic?

WALTER: But aren’t you glad I did?

MARJORIE: I am.

WALTER: And the rest is history. (Beat)

TESS: Such a nice story.

WALTER: How did Jon propose again?

TESS: We went on a hike. It was his idea. Sugarloaf Mountain.

MARJORIE (As if reading this in her head): Maine.

TESS: No, this was the one in Maryland. “Mountain” was generous, it was barely a hill. Just a little day hike. And when we got to the top, he pretended like he’d found a really interesting pinecone. He was trying to get me to look at it. And I was like, Jon, a conifer is a conifer. And he said, “I really think you should check this out Tess.”

MARJORIE (Laughing): Poor Jon!

TESS: And I didn’t know what he was on about but finally I looked at the pinecone and of course he had hidden the ring inside.

(She holds up her hand) Half a carat. I know it’s small.

MARJORIE: I didn’t say anything!