Edge

a one-act play

by
Jim Dalglish

Jim Dalglish
20 Dory Lane
Eastham, MA 02642
(617) 308-0788 (m)

JimDalglish@mac.com
www.jimdalglish.com

Edge copyright  by Jim Dalglish

It is an infringement of the copyright to give any performance or public reading of
this play without permission by the playwright.
Characters
Tom Farm boy in his late teens (Act I); late twenties (Acts II and III)
Mark Farmer in his late thirties
Abbey Southern traveling sales woman in her late thirties

Setting
Farm house situated fourteen miles from Arvilla, North Dakota, a small
rural town on the edge of the Red River Valley.

Now.

Scenic Elements
The set should suggest the interior of a farm house on the plains of
North Dakota. Set pieces can be minimal. Walls are not necessary —
furniture can indicate various rooms. Necessary set pieces can be
limited to: couch, sideboard, bed, kitchen table, chairs, stove, sink,
cupboard, screen door, and bathroom door.

Edge p.2
 Scene 1

(Lights up. Late evening. Farm house.

Couch. Table. Two chairs. Bed. Sink. Stove. Cupboard. Pot.

Sideboard. Trophy on sideboard. Dust.

Tom enters through screen-door. Wears dirty flannel shirt. Jeans.

Tennis shoes. Baseball cap with “Cenex” across front. Face, exposed
forearms covered with dust, dirt. Walks slowly. Heavily. Crosses to
kitchen sink. Washes face. Arms. Dries himself with dishtowel.
Reaches into cupboard. Removes can of soup. Opens it. Pours into
pot. Lights stove. Places pot on burner.

Stirs soup. Watches.

Crosses into bathroom. Shuts door. Sound of urination. Flush. Re-

enters. Zips fly. Crosses downstage center. Gazes intently into
Mirror. Removes comb from back pocket. Combs hair. Combs into
different style. Puckers lips. Examines blemish on chin. Frowns.
Crosses back to stove. Stirs.

Mark enters. Taller. Older. Same style of clothes. Same kind of dirt.
Stretches. Yawns. Scratches back of neck. Crosses to sink. Washes
face. Arms. Dries with dishtowel. Crosses into bathroom. Closes
door. Sound of urination. Flush. Re-enters. Zips fly. Crosses to
table. Sits. Picks up “Farm and Home” magazine. Reads. Lips move
soundlessly.

Tom stirs soup. Mark reads magazine.

Mark turns page. Tom turns burner off. Removes soup bowls from
cupboard. Pours soup into bowls. Crosses to table. Sets bowl in front
of Mark. The other opposite. Tom sits. Mark puts magazine beside
bowl of soup. Looks down at soup. Looks at Tom. Tom stands.
Crosses to cupboard. Removes two spoons. Returns. Gives spoon
to Mark.

They stare at each other.)

MARK
This it?
TOM

Edge p.3
Too tired.
(Mark finishes. Belches. Yawns. Tom picks up bowls. Crosses to
kitchen. Fills sink with water. Washes dishes.)

Who was she?

MARK
Who?
TOM
The girl.
MARK

TOM
. . . the one in the continental.
MARK
I don’t know.
TOM
Honked. Waved. Gave you a big smile.
(Mark smiles. Crosses to screen-door. Turns on porch light. Tom
washes bowls.)

MARK
All we need now is rain.
(Tom places bowls, spoons back in cupboard. Crosses into main
room.

Mark looks out screen-door. Tom stares at Mark.

Mark turns. Crosses to trophy. Rubs head of statue on trophy. Exits

into bedroom. Strips to underwear. Throws clothes on floor. Tom
crosses to screen-door. Turns light off.)

Leave it on.
TOM
What?
MARK
Leave it on.
TOM
Edge p.4
It’s attracting moths.
MARK

(Tom turns light on. Mark lies on bed. Lights up cigarette.)

Coming?
(Tom crosses to bedroom. Takes off clothes. Throws them on floor.
Crawls under covers. Next to Mark. Mark smokes.)

Kinda cute.
TOM
Seen better.
MARK
Where?
TOM
Around.
(Mark laughs. Combs fingers through Tom’s hair. Jostles Tom’s
head.)

MARK
Man of the world.
(Mark extinguishes cigarette. Crawls under covers. Tom rolls over.
Looks up at Mark. Puts head on Mark’s shoulder. Mark puts arm
around Tom. Gently plays with Tom’s hair. Tom closes eyes.

Lights out.)

Scene 2

(Lights up. Noon.

Mark sits on couch. Reads “Farm and Home.” Tom sits on other end.
Chews fingernails.

Mark reads. Tom chews.)

TOM
Read one.

Edge p.5
 MARK
“Man needed for custom combining.”
TOM
“. . . custom combining. . . . ”
MARK
Harvest a field . . . drive all night . . . work another section in the morning.
TOM
Hard way to make a living.
MARK
Dangerous.
(Tom crosses to mirror. Examines blemish on chin.)

Keep pinching that thing, your whole face will fall off. It’ll stop one of these days.
(Tom puts baseball glove on. Tom throws ball into glove.)

Want to play catch?

TOM

MARK
Listen to the radio?
TOM
Static.
MARK
Shoot at a couple cans?
TOM

MARK
You’re out of luck.
(Tom crosses to sink. Lowers head to faucet. Drinks. Turns. Stares
at Mark.

Mark reads.

Tom runs at Mark. Jumps over back of couch. Tackles Mark. Both fly
to floor.

Edge p.6
 They wrestle.

Mark ends up on top. Pins Tom to floor. Both breathe heavily, try to
catch their breath. Mark smiles. Tom smiles.)

Who’s the man?

(Lights out.)

Scene 3

(Lights up. Late afternoon.

Tom sits on couch. Stares into space. Yawns. Scratches neck.

Sits. Stares.

Lights out.)

Scene 4

(Lights up. Early evening.

Tom sits at table. Throws baseball in air. Catches with mitt. Throws.
Catches. Throws. Catches.

Knock at screen-door. Tom crosses to door.)

ABBEY
Hi.
TOM

ABBEY
May I speak with the woman of the house?
TOM

ABBEY
I said, “May I speak with the woman of the house?”
Edge p.7
 TOM
No.
ABBEY
No?
TOM

ABBEY
Why not? She out or something?
(Tom nods.)

When she comin back?

TOM
Dead.
ABBEY
Probably not for a while then, huh. Oh well, doesn’t matter. Stand back, honey, or
I’ll have to knock ya over.
(Abbey pushes door open. Crosses to center.)

Saw your light . . . thought I’d trot over and be an imposition. Name’s Abbey.
(Extends hand.)

Said my name’s Abbey.

TOM

ABBEY
Well?
TOM
Tom.
ABBEY
Tom.
TOM
Abbey.
ABBEY
That’s right, honey. Two syllables.

Edge p.8
 TOM
Nice to meet you.
ABBEY
Whole sentence . . . whoa, honey! Slow down . . . might break a tongue! Where’s
Daddy?
TOM
What?
ABBEY
Where’s the man of the house?
TOM
In town.
ABBEY
Arvilla?
TOM
Ya.
ABBEY
I can wait.
(She sits.)

Don’t mind if I do. (Pause.) This is where you ask me if I wanna drink. (Pause.)
Well, go on, ask.
TOM
Want a drink?
ABBEY
Nope. Pack my own. Glass and ice suit me jes fine.
(Tom crosses to cupboard. Removes glass. Fills with ice.)

When’s he due home?

TOM
Later.
ABBEY
I can wait . . . got all night.
(Tom hands Abbey glass.)

Edge p.9
Thanks, hon.
(Pours liquor into glass.)

Want a lick?
TOM

ABBEY
Go on. Put some hair on your chest. Ask me, you need it. Sit down, Tom honey.
Makin me nervous.
(He sits.)

TOM

ABBEY
Don’t talk much up in this neck of the dust bowl, do ya?
(Abbey stares at Tom. Tom crosses to screen door. Looks out.)

Beauty, aint it? Ever seen a pink continental before?

TOM
Seen that one before . . . once.
ABBEY
A girl can do well for herself when her back’s against the wall. Comes in handy
when you have to get out of Dodge . . . and get out fast. My kind of work you can’t
always rely on repeat business.
TOM
My father know you?
ABBEY
New in town. Drove up the gravel road a few weeks ago. Thought I’d put down
anchor awhile and get to know the locals. Maybe do a little business.
TOM
Don’t sound like you’re from around here.
ABBEY
Bamma.
TOM

Edge p.10
South?
ABBEY
Deep, baby, deep.
(Takes compact out of purse. Looks in mirror.)

Hill country. That’s where I come from.

(Uses fingernail to pick dirt between teeth.)

Shit! Windier than hell out there. Smile for a split second and your mouth’s full of
black shit. How can you stand it?
TOM
Used to it.
ABBEY
Don’t think I want to get used to this god-for-saken place. “NORTH DAKOTA”
Something about it sounded right. Sounded adventurous . . . rugged . . . masculine.
A place where you might find just what you’re looking for. Just what you need.
“NORTH DAKOTA.” There it was on the map. Open territory. Did a little
homework, thought it had potential. Boy did I have my head up my ass. Got to be
nuts to live here. Flatter than hell. Looks like the whole state’s been steam-rolled.
110 in the summer. 40 below in the winter. Nothing. A whole state full of nothing.
Like it’s the edge of the world or something. Ever seen a forest?
TOM
We have a shelter belt.
ABBEY
Shit. Isn’t a tree didn’t have to be hand-planted in the whole state, I bet. Look out
that door, what do you see? Go on, honey. What do you see?
TOM
Green stalks of wheat shining in the moonlight.
ABBEY
Nothin. Absolutely nothin.
TOM
You’re wrong.
(Abbey crosses to Tom at door.)

Edge p.11
 ABBEY
Prove it, baby.
TOM
See that light over there?
ABBEY
What about it?
TOM
That’s Nelson’s. And that one there?
ABBEY
Yep.
TOM
Berg’s. See that one?
ABBEY
Barely.
TOM
That’s the light atop the grain elevator in Arvilla.
ABBEY
Hell . . . must be fifteen miles away.
TOM
Fourteen and a half.
ABBEY
Got to be something wrong with a place when the nearest bar is fifteen miles away
and you can see it on a dusty night. Honey, if this isn’t the edge of the world, bet
sure as hell you can see it from here . . . bet sure as hell. Where I come from at
least we got hills . . . not much else, but at least we got hills.
TOM
That gravel road’ll take you out of here just as easily as it brought you in.
ABBEY
Soon as I find what I’m looking for. If I can’t find it, I’ll float to the next bright light.
You can bet on that, baby.
(Abbey crosses to table. Sits.)

What time you say your daddy be back?

Edge p.12
 TOM
I didn’t.
ABBEY
May as well start without him. Real shame there no farm girls on this back forty.
But a girl has to make a living after all. Didn’t come a moment too soon. Ask me
you need it bad . . . real bad, honey. Come and sit over here, Tom honey. Come
on, sit. Won’t hurt you. Come on. Here, boy.
(Tom crosses to chair. Sits.)

Tired of being a choir boy? Well your friend Abbey here can turn a trick that’ll put a
little zip in your fly.
(Abbey straddles chair. Sits on Tom’s lap.)

Now relax, honey. Nothin to be afraid of. We’ll just unbutton this . . .
(Abbey unbuttons Tom’s shirt.)

So shy. I can tell you’ve never done this before . . . but I know you’re gonna like it a
whole lot. A whole lot. You’re gonna love it.
(Abbey reaches into purse.)

TOM
What’s in the bag?
ABBEY
Bear with me, honey. Have to improvise a little. Usually do this with the woman of
the house, but something tells me you’ll do. . . .
(Abbey extracts a glass bottle from purse.)

Hi! My name’s Abbey and welcome to the brave new world of Anna Mae custom
cosmetics. Our summer line, scientifically formulated to match your skin’s special
needs, features a special collection that will unlock the natural . . . um . . . allure of
any . . . a . . . Marlboro Man in the makin.
TOM
What are you going to do with that?
ABBEY

Edge p.13
Relax or this could get kinda messy. Here is the latest word in personal hygiene.
Just one light layer of this specially formulated mud will unlock your pores and free
the impurities that all those damn adolescent hormones are pumpin into your face.
(Abbey smears mud on Tom’s face.)

TOM
I get enough of this in the field.
ABBEY
Special kind of mud.
TOM
I don’t need it.
ABBEY
That’s not what that nasty little zit on your chin’s tellin me. Lay back and be still.
One dose of this and you’ll be a whole new person.
TOM
This is stupid.
ABBEY
Hell! Got some in your mouth. Almost done . . . just a few more strokes . . . and it’ll
be over. There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?
TOM

ABBEY
Now, we’ll wait for five minutes.
TOM
Five minutes?
ABBEY
Has to dry.
(Abbey stands. Tom stands. Crosses to mirror.)

Don’t touch it!

TOM
Looks stupid.
ABBEY

Edge p.14
No it doesn’t, baby. Hell, underneath all that dirt is a new man. Like a moth ready
to shed its cocoon. Peel back all those layers of silt and you hit bedrock. Bedrock,
honey. One solid hunk of a man itchin to be born. Instant manhood, ten dollars a
bottle.
(Abbey crosses to screen-door.)

Headlights. Daddy drive a pickup? Hmmmm. Just like all those old biddies in town
said. Tall. Broad shoulders. Nice, round ass. 100 percent American grade A,
USDA approved, choice cut. Free and clear. Bull’s-eye, Abbey, baby. Bull’s-eye!
(Abbey crosses to far corner of room. Checks face in compact mirror.
Mark enters. Sees Abbey. Stops. Tom crosses to Mark.)

MARK
What’s with the shit smeared all over your face?
(Tom crosses to sink. Washes face. Wipes with dishtowel. Abbey
lights cigarette with expensive lighter. Blows smoke. Walks to Mark.)

ABBEY
Name’s Abbey.
MARK
Mark.
ABBEY
Nice to meet you, Mark.
MARK
Nice to meet you, Abbey.
(Tom crosses to mirror. Looks.)

TOM
Nothing happened.
(Lights out.)

Scene 5

(Lights up. Late evening.

Edge p.15
 Mark sits on couch. Tom sits on couch.

Mark stands. Crosses to trophy. Rubs head of statue. Crosses into

bedroom. Takes off clothes.)

MARK
Coming?
(Tom crosses into bedroom. Strips to underwear. Crawls under
sheets. Mark smokes.)

Kind a cute.
TOM
Smells like sardines.
(Tom rests head on Mark’s shoulder.

Mark doesn’t extinguish cigarette. Doesn’t put arm around Tom.

Doesn’t run fingers through Tom’s hair.

Lights out.)

Scene 6

(Lights up. Early evening.

Abbey stands at stove. Adds ingredients to large pot of homemade

soup. Tom sits on couch. Mark reads “Farm and Home.”)

ABBEY
. . . So she turns to me and says . . . get this . . . she turns to me, sees the valise
and says, “I knew you’d turn out like this. From the moment I felt you kickin in my
belly, I knew you’d turn out as irresponsible, self-centered, and nasty as him.” I
looked that ice-cold bitch straight in the eye . . . straight in the eye and said, “You
drove him to it, you ice-cold bitch. You drove daddy out the door, down the road
and out of our lives.” Pretty good for a pup, huh? Then she called me a two-bit
whore. Her own daughter, a two-bit whore.
TOM
Sounds like a stupid movie.

Edge p.16
 ABBEY
That old bitch. Next morning . . . woke up in a truck stop in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville. Memphis. Tallahassee. Jackson. Houston. Phoenix. At first I was
looking for him. That was the plan. He’d understand. Followed a trail of forwarding
addresses, unpaid bar tabs, bad business deals, jilted barmaids. . . . Then the trail
kinda petered out. Money petered out too. Had to scrape.
Everyday . . . till I was practically worn right through. Couldn’t go home. Not to that
ice-cold bitch. (Absently:) You do what you have to do. (Lower tone:) Didn’t
recognize him at first. Dashboard lights can do a number on you. After we took
care of business, I was picking through his wallet. License fell out. There was a
picture of a man. Ten years younger. Thirty pounds heavier. The man I
remembered bouncing me on his knee. Only now it was like looking at him through
the bottom of a whisky bottle. Still makes my skin crawl. That ice-cold bitch was
right. Took his lighter. Only thing besides his keys I could find. Borrowed his car
and flew as fast as I could. Drove until the gauge said “empty.” That’s when I
decided to float. Float from one bright light to the next. ‘Course, now I have my
cosmetics. Retail. Given the right attitude, you can sell anything.
(Abbey crosses to screen-door.)

North Dakota. Land of silt and money. You know this hell hole has more
millionaires per capita than any other state in the union? I did my homework.
Nothin is ever what they say it is. Aint that the truth. Hell. Boring black hell.
In my business you need people with a little money to lose. Where the hell are the
mansions? Shit. Where in Christ’s name are the cities? Millionaires? Where the
hell are they?
TOM
Grand Forks. A whole street full of three story houses. One even has columns and
a turret.
ABBEY
Grand Forks? Describe it, honey.
TOM
It’s got everything. University . . . shopping centers . . . country club . . . traffic lights.
...
Edge p.17
 ABBEY
(Laughs:) Sounds real big time. How far?
TOM
Sixty miles.
ABBEY
Shit. May as well be in another state. Nothin out here. Nothin but straight roads.
Square wheat fields. And flat. Christ. Flatter than a pancake griddle. Why the hell
is it so flat?
MARK
It’s not flat.
ABBEY
What do you mean, “It’s not flat”? So flat you could play billiards on the dirt.
MARK
We live on the edge.
ABBEY
Edge?
MARK

ABBEY
Edge of what?
MARK
Valley
ABBEY
Valley?
MARK
Red River Valley.
ABBEY
Don’t see any river.
MARK
More than 30 miles away.
ABBEY
What’s the valley doin way the hell over here then?

Edge p.18
 MARK
Prehistoric glacial lake bed. Fifty miles wide. Two hundred miles long.
ABBEY
Still don’t see any edge.
(Mark crosses to screen door.)

MARK
There.
ABBEY
Where?
MARK
You have to look real close.
ABBEY
Can’t see it.
MARK
It’s the dirt.
ABBEY
Plenty of it, honey.
MARK
The land in the valley is pure black silt. Millions of years ago, the glaciers melted
and the valley was covered by a lake. The lake dried up. All that’s left is sediment.
Layer upon layer of the most fertile soil on earth. So many layers you can’t hit
bedrock. Drill a thousand feet down and you won’t hit a thing. Nothing there but
black dirt. Dirt so fine it runs through your fingers like black water. So rich you can
eat it in a cereal bowl for breakfast.
ABBEY
I’ll pass. Get enough of it in my mouth on a windy day.
MARK
You can plant anything in the Valley. But you hit the edge and it’s a whole different
story.
ABBEY
(Teasing:) More excitin than this last one?
MARK
Edge p.19
You’re making fun of me.
ABBEY
Go on, Mark honey. I’m listening. Didn’t know you were such a geographist. That’s
all. Go on.
MARK
See that rock up there on the horizon?
ABBEY
Ya, honey. I see it.
MARK
That marks the edge of the valley. Used to be the shore of the lake. From there
west the black silt disappears. It gets rockier. Every spring a new crop of them
pokes up through the soil. You break your back trying to clear them. The land
starts to drift along aimlessly. About all it’s good for is wheat, maybe beets, barley.
Rolling fields from here to the Rockies.
(Abbey gently touches Mark’s hand.)

ABBEY
When you tell that story, your eyes light up like diamonds . . . like two crystal-blue
diamonds. (Softer:) Sorry, daddy. Guess I just wasn’t looking close enough.
That’s just the thing, though, don’t you think? You got to pay attention or you just
might get the wrong idea about a thing. Same with people. On the outside they
may look all boring and flat, but underneath . . . underneath, it’s a different story. I
can tell that about you, Mark. It’s a real different story for you.
(Abbey ‘s hand slides up Mark’s arm.)

Can you tell that about me? I wish you could. All you need to do is look close
enough.
(Abbey puts Mark’s arm around her shoulder. Looks out door.)

Edge of the valley, huh? (Gently:) You know, Mark, honey . . . I still think it’s flat.
(Tom crosses to stove.)

TOM
You burned the soup.

Edge p.20
 (Lights out.)

Scene 7

(Lights up. Early afternoon.

Abbey sits at table. Sorts bottles of beauty products. Tom sits on

couch.)

ABBEY
How’d she die?
TOM
None of your business.
ABBEY
Fact of life, honey. Tell me.
TOM
Stopped breathing.
ABBEY
Ya?
TOM
Heart stopped beating.
ABBEY
Ya?
TOM
Eyes rolled up.
ABBEY
Ya?
TOM
(Quietly:) She wet the bed.
ABBEY
Ya?
TOM
We laid her out in the living room.
ABBEY

Edge p.21
How old were you?
TOM
Eight.
ABBEY
Tough.
TOM
Ya.
ABBEY
Still . . . ten years is a long time, baby. Gotta cut those strings. Cut ‘em loose and
fly. Poor Mark. Alone all those years . . . buried alive in this hell-hole . . . moping
around like there’s no tomorrow. Fine lookin man like him . . . alone ten years. . . .
Can’t figure it. Ask me, something just aint right . . . aint natural. . . . Know what I’m
sayin’, boy?
TOM

ABBEY
You and daddy alone on this spread . . . something about it just aint natural.
(Lights out.)

Scene 8

(Lights up. Late evening.

Mark sits on couch. Smokes. Tom sits at table. Reads.)

MARK
What are you reading?
TOM

MARK
What are you reading?
TOM

Edge p.22
“Farm and Home.”
MARK
Late.
(Mark grinds out cigarette. Tom crosses to bathroom. Shuts door.
Sound of urination. Flush. Crosses to bedroom. Undresses. Gets
under covers. Mark crosses to screen-door. Turns on light. Looks
into distance. Tom crosses to bedroom doorway. Stares at Mark.

Mark stares out door.

Mark turns. Crosses to trophy. Rubs the head. They stare at each
other.

Lights out.)

Scene 9

(Lights up. Evening.

All three seated on couch. Tom on left. Mark on right. Abbey in

middle.

They watch TV.

Mark seems tense. Abbey lights cigarette with expensive lighter.

Smokes cigarette.

Lights out.)

Scene 10

(Lights up. Evening.

All three seated on couch. Mark on left. Tom on right. Abbey in

middle.

They watch TV. Abbey smokes cigarette. Mark slowly moves hand
over and touches the back of Abbey’s neck. Abbey smiles slightly.
Tom reaches into pants pocket. Takes out Abbey’s lighter.

Edge p.23
 Flicks lighter on. Clicks cap shut. Flicks lighter on. Clicks cap shut.

Abbey notices lighter. Frowns. Places hand out toward Tom. Tom
places lighter in Abbey’s hand. Abbey sighs. Shakes head.

Lights out.)

Scene 11

(Lights up. Afternoon.

Tom sits on couch. Chews calluses on hand.)

ABBEY
How big is daddy’s farm, honey?
TOM
Average for the valley.
ABBEY
How may acres?
TOM
Two-and-a-half sections.
ABBEY
Sections? Is a section bigger or smaller than an acre?
TOM
640 acres in a section.
ABBEY
So that’s . . . wait . . . about fifteen hundred acres.
TOM
About that.
ABBEY
Jesus Christ! Got to know a few bankers. They say an acre of this flat black shit is
worth about $600.00. That sound right, or were they singing me a tune?
(Tom shrugs shoulders.)

Edge p.24
They say your daddy’s been smart. Hasn’t leveraged a thing . . . not a single pail of
this black shit. Whole farm is free and clear. Let’s see . . . the house . . . the barn. .
..
(Tom stops chewing callous and stares at Abbey.)

Just asking a few questions. Always a good idea to be able to chat up a

customer . . . know enough to be able to shoot their shit. That’s all.
(Abbey paces back. Forth. Picks up trophy.)

What the hell?

(Points to statuette on trophy.)

What’s wrong with this picture, honey? Look real close now.
TOM

ABBEY
Look again.
TOM

ABBEY
Look again, Tom hon. Something’s wrong. Real wrong.
TOM

ABBEY
Shit! Doesn’t have a prick! No prick at all. Nope. Wouldn’t call that a prick. Can’t
fool me. That aint no prick. What do you think, honey? Huh? Just glossed over.
Looks like a fold in his crotch. Couldn’t call it a man, could ya? Nah. Not a real
man. Seen toddlers with more goodies in their basket than that. What do you say,
Tom hon? Do you think it’s a prick? Come on, honey, tell me. You should know.
Sure you’ve had lots of experiences with pricks . . . lots of experiences. You should
know one when you see one. Probably seen a few real close up . . . real close.
TOM

(Abbey glances into Bedroom.)

Edge p.25
 ABBEY
You sleep with your daddy, don’t ya? Don’t ya? Don’t ya?
TOM

ABBEY
Well, then you should know what a man’s tool looks like. Hell. Probably even have
first hand experience with them . . . not implyin anything, honey. Nope. Not a thing.
All I mean is that . . . I mean you . . . you do have one, don’t you, Tom? Don’t you?
Come on, tell.
TOM
Yes.
ABBEY
Yes, what?
TOM
Yes, I have a prick.
ABBEY
Nice trophy. Yours?
TOM
No.
ABBEY
Mark’s? Where’d he get it?
TOM
College.
ABBEY
Mark went to college?
TOM
In Grand Forks. Was on the wrestling team.
(Reads plaque on trophy.)

ABBEY
“First place 170 pound class. North Central Conference.” Hero. You wrestle?
TOM
Not good enough for a scholarship.
Edge p.26
 ABBEY
What’d he study?
TOM
Geology.
ABBEY
So that’s where he gets all that prehistoric glacier crap. Figures. Why the hell your
daddy farm if he went to college?
TOM
Had to quit after two years.
ABBEY
Didn’t have the smarts?
TOM
Had to take over the farm. Grampa died.
ABBEY
Natural causes?
TOM
Arm got caught in a combine.
ABBEY
Disgusting. How’d daddy meet mamma?
TOM
Wrestling cheerleader.
ABBEY
Raw. Raw. Ooh, baby. Makes my teeth hurt. Bet she was happy as a pig in mud
to move to this hell hole. Bet those saddle shoes and tight sweaters came in real
handy hauling hay bales. One day living in Grand Forks, dreaming about white
picket fences, deluxe shopping malls, fancy parties, expensive clothes, new bright
and shiny traffic lights . . . the next, you wake up with a pitchfork in your hand.
It must have been love. Was it love, Tom, honey? Tell me, was it love?
TOM
Yes.
(Abbey holds Tom’s face in her hands.)

ABBEY
Edge p.27
You love your daddy, don’t you?
TOM

ABBEY
Looks like you need another dose of my special mud, honey.
(Tom crosses to mirror. Frowns. Mark enters through screen door.)

(To Mark:) You’re late!

(Mark crosses to sink. Washes. Dries with dishtowel. Goes to
bathroom. Sound of urination. Flush. Enters zipping.)

You’re late!
(Mark picks up trophy. Crosses to place trophy belongs. Stops.
Crosses to Abbey. Shows her trophy. Abbey applies makeup to face.)

What do you want me to do, daddy? Get down on my knees and kiss it?
(Lights out.)

Scene 12

(Lights up. Night.

Tom undresses in bedroom. Mark stands by screen-door. Turns

porch light on. Tom crawls under covers. Waits.)

TOM
Why is she here all the time? She has her own room in town.
(Tom waits.

Lights out.)

Scene 13

(Lights up. Late night.

Tom sleeps in bed. Wakes. Sits up suddenly. Looks for Mark. Mark
stands by door. Looks out.

Edge p.28
 Lights out.)

Scene 14

(Lights up. Late afternoon.

All three sit on couch. Abbey in middle.

Abbey turns and stares at Tom. Tom reaches into pants pocket.
Takes out Abbey’s lighter.

Flicks lighter on. Clicks cap shut. Flicks lighter on. Clicks cap shut.

Abbey places hand out toward Tom.)

ABBEY
Baby . . . how many times I have to tell you?
(Tom places lighter in Abbey’s hand.)

Don’t you have anything better to do?

TOM

ABBEY
A 4-H meeting to go to?
TOM

ABBEY
FFA?
TOM

ABBEY
Maybe a movie you gotta catch?
TOM
Nearest theater’s 60 miles away.
ABBEY
If you hurry, bet you could catch the 7:00 feature.

Edge p.29
 TOM

ABBEY
A few friends you can get into trouble with?
TOM
Tired of boy games.
ABBEY
Maybe a field that needs harvesting?
TOM
Wheat isn’t ready yet.
ABBEY
Why don’t you go hide in the bathroom for an hour like any healthy boy your age?
TOM

ABBEY
All I can say is I hope you’re not around when that zit on your chin decides to
explode. Disgusting.
(Tom runs out screen-door.)

Was it something I said?

(Mark crosses out screen-door.)

Where you goin?

(Lights out.)

Scene 15

(Lights up. Afternoon.

Abbey paces floor. Smokes. Tom and Mark crouch over table. Mark
is writing on piece of paper. Tom reads what Mark is writing.

Abbey paces.)

MARK

Edge p.30
The way I figure it, these acres will go to the PIK . . . the heads are small and the
protein count is low.
ABBEY
Impotent grain. Everything about this state stinks.
MARK
The premium acres we’ll keep in the Quonset. About. Wait a minute.
ABBEY
I’m bored.
MARK
Wait a minute.
ABBEY
I’m bored. I’m bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. I’m bored. I’m bored with this boring
boredom. I’m bored with being bored. Let’s face it, Abbey, you’re bored. Bored
stiff. Bored flat. Bored out of your gourd. So bored you could be dead and no-
one’d know it. Heart didn’t stop beatin . . . no, still beatin. Still breathin. No, not
dead. No. Just on the verge of bein bored to death.
TOM
Go sell some more makeup.
ABBEY
I’m going through a dry spell. Farm girls got no fashion sense, baby. May as well
sell it to a pack of heifers. Things are getting pretty desperate.
MARK
Maybe 3 thousand bushels. If we’re lucky.
TOM
At 3 a bushel, that’s break even.
MARK
We’ll wait.
ABBEY
Can’t wait. Can’t wait. I want some excitement now.
MARK
Maybe by fall things’ll turn up.
ABBEY

Edge p.31
So bored I feel like goin out into the fields, findin a little animal. Something cute,
cuddly, defenseless. Something so precious it’ll make your teeth fall out. Find this
little cutesy thing. Take out a shotgun and blow its head off. Pump its body full of
lead. Till it’s just a ragged piece of bloody fur. That’s how bored I am, honey.
MARK
The rest we leak slowly into the market.
ABBEY
Slow leak.
TOM
When do we start?
MARK
Forecast is good for next week. If we don’t have a heat wave, the protein count
should stay up. Wheat should be ripe.
ABBEY
Dismal golden waves of boring grain stretchin monotonously all the way to the
Rockies.
MARK
Next Friday.
ABBEY
What?
MARK
Next Friday.
ABBEY
You promised.
MARK
When it’s ready to be cut. . . .
ABBEY
You promised.
MARK
There’ll always be another one next year.
ABBEY
You promised.

Edge p.32
 MARK

ABBEY
You promised. You promised. You promised. You promised!
MARK
(To Tom:) Want to go to the county fair on Friday?
TOM
Sure.
(Abbey puts hands on Tom’s face.)

ABBEY
Tom, honey. This face of yours just has to go! Why, I bet I could bury it in 6 feet of
my special mud and it wouldn’t do one lick of good!
(Lights out.)

Scene 16

(Lights up. Afternoon.

Tom and Abbey face each other. Abbey has hand out.)

ABBEY
Give it to me, baby!
TOM

ABBEY
I know you got it. Come on, boy. Hand it over.
(Mark enters through screen door.)

Mark?
MARK
What now?

Edge p.33
 ABBEY
He took it again.
MARK
What?
ABBEY
You know. Only about the hundredth time.
MARK
(To Tom:) Do you have it?
TOM

(Mark shrugs. Walks to sink.)

ABBEY
Mark?
(Mark washes hands.)

MARK
Give it to her.
ABBEY
I want it now, boy!
TOM

MARK
He doesn’t have it.
ABBEY
I saw him take it!
(Mark brushes hands over Tom’s shirt and pants pockets.)

MARK
He doesn’t have it!
ABBEY
Oh yes he does. You got to watch this one. Real close. Can’t fool me, boy.

Edge p.34
 MARK
He doesn’t have it. I checked.
ABBEY
Strip him!
MARK
Abbey. . . .
ABBEY
I saw him take it.
MARK
Where’d you put it?
TOM

ABBEY
Strip him!
MARK
(Shaking head:) Abbey. . . .
ABBEY
You calling me a liar? Is that what you’re saying?
MARK
Abbey, no one is calling you a. . . .
ABBEY
I saw him take it! I want my lighter back. And I want it now! Strip him!
(Mark reaches inside Tom’s shirt. Tom pushes Mark back. Mark
steps back and stares at Tom.)

Mark, you gonna take that from him? Why don’t you act like his father for once?
Who wears the pants around here, huh?
(Mark grabs Tom. Rips shirt down off shoulders. Tom struggles.)

Strip him!
(Mark pushes Tom down on floor. Rips pants open. Tom struggles.
Mark reaches into underwear. Takes lighter out. Looks
dumbfounded.)

MARK

Edge p.35
You lied to me. . . .
(Tom stands. Hikes pants up. Crosses to mirror.)

ABBEY
I told you he took it. You know, boy, I’ve been watching you. Stealing this lighter’s
the least of it, you ask me. You know what I mean? I’m not just talking about you
being a liar and a thief. Ask me, something just isn’t right. Something about you
just smells a little off. Think you know what I’m saying. Don’t ya, boy? Seen your
type before. I been around, baby. Sometimes it only goes skin deep. Harmless
little boy games. Fall face first in the mud, and you can get up, dust yourself off,
and call it a new day. Just shake it off. Know what I’m saying? But with you, baby,
it’s a different story. The stain goes all the way to the bone. You can try to shake it
all you want and never lose it. It’s about time someone told you. About time
someone tagged you good. What are you going to do, Mark?
MARK
What?
ABBEY
You can’t let him get away with this. He’ll have to be punished.
MARK

ABBEY
Mark?
MARK
(To Tom:) Don’t do it again.
ABBEY
You’ll have to do better than that.
MARK
It was only a lighter. What the hell you want me to do?
(Abbey uses lighter to light cigarette. Inhales. Looks at Tom. Exhales
smoke. Smiles.

Lights out.)

Edge p.36
 Scene 17

(Lights up. Night.

Tom sits at kitchen table. Circles paragraphs in classified section of

“Farm and Home”. Crosses to mirror. Looks into mirror. Frowns.

Mark and Abbey enter through screen-door. Mark is drunk. He has

his arm around Abbey. They stumble. Laugh. Abbey holds Mark up.
She clutches a large stuffed bunny plush toy.)

ABBEY
Bull’s-eye! Bull’s-eye! Never seen anything like it.
MARK
Bull’s-eye!
ABBEY
Drove it home! Right in the center. You nailed that one but good. But good, honey.
MARK
Bull’s-eye!
ABBEY
Didn’t think you had it in you. No, didn’t think. Thought it was all just talk. But you
did me proud, honey. Real proud. Straight shooter. One hell of a straight shooter!
MARK
Bull’s-eye!
ABBEY
Sorry we left without ya, Tom baby . . . but thieves have to be punished. Specially
when they’re caught. Can’t let you start your way on a life of crime. Nip that one in
the bud. You’ll thank me for it some day. Finish your chores, boy?
TOM

ABBEY
Don’t look at me with that tone of voice!
(Shows stuffed bunny.)

See what daddy won me? A trophy of my very own.

Edge p.37
 TOM
Does it have a prick?
ABBEY
Daddy’s gonna take care of that, hon.
MARK
Bull’s-eye!
ABBEY
Shoulda seen him. Rifle in hand. Lookin down that long barrel. Nerves of cobalt
blue steel. Blood as cold as a Dakota wind-chill. That little tin bunny didn’t stand a
chance. Technique. Mark, baby, that’s what you got. Technique.
MARK
Bull’s-eye!
ABBEY
You just sit here and relax. I’ll take care of everything.
(Abbey exits into bedroom. Grabs pillow. Tosses pillow on couch.)

Everything’s gonna go like a steamroller from here on out. I did my homework . . .

got it all planned. Nothin to worry your little head over. You’re in my hands, Mark
baby. I’ve been a busy girl. Hell, with all this boredom had to do something.
(Abbey crosses into bedroom. Grabs sheet. Blanket.)

That should do the trick. Come on, daddy.

(Abbey lifts Mark to feet. Walks him to bedroom. Tom stays in living
room. Tom reaches into pocket. Removes Abbey’s lighter. Flicks
lighter on. Clicks cap shut.)

Steady. This way, baby. Ya just gotta get her outta your head, honey. I know it’s
tough, but ya gotta do it. Fact of life. Ten years is a long time. Too long a time. I
been playing a waiting game. But time’s up. I’m flat broke and tired of floating.
Real tired. I need a place to land.
(Abbey undresses Mark. Tom flicks lighter on. Clicks cap shut.)

Now relax. Nothin to be afraid of. We’ll just unbutton this a little. I can tell you’re
gonna like this a whole lot. A whole lot. You’re gonna love it. Painless. Leave it to

Edge p.38
Abbey and it’ll be painless. You won’t feel a thing. It’s not as bad as it seems.
Nothin to get sentimental over. Naw. This place isn’t right. It’s not where I belong.
(Abbey removes her clothes. Lays Mark on bed. Mounts him. Tom
looks away. Stops playing with lighter. Puts it in pants pocket.
Crosses to mirror.)

We can fly, just fly. Run away from all that boring black shit. Fly away from all
those ugly people . . . all those doors slammed in our faces . . . all that talk behind
our backs. Ask me you need it, Mark baby. Need it bad. Real bad. Baby. Oh. So.
Bad. You need it. Freedom, baby! You need it. Three stories, daddy. A nice
house with a white picket fence. That’s what you need.
(Abbey starts to grind on top of Mark.)

Three stories. Three. With columns and one of them turrets. One of them tall. Oh,
baby. Real tall. Huge. Huge turrets. So tall. Oh. Oh, baby. So tall. Higher than
the light on top of the county elevator. Up. So high. You’re floating. Floating free
and clear. Like a moth floatin on the prairie breeze. So high you can see the edge.
The edge of the valley. The edge. The edge. Oh. Oh. Oh. I’m there, honey. I’m
there. I’m on the edge. I’m on the edge. I’m there!
MARK
Bull’s-eye!
ABBEY
What do you say?
MARK
I do.
(Tom throws mirror to floor. Glass shatters. Kneels down. Picks up
shattered glass with hands. Squeezes hands.

Blood.

Abbey stands. Grabs sheet for wrap. Crosses into living room.)

ABBEY
What the hell? Jesus H. Christ! Blood. What the hell did you do to your hands?
Mark? Mark, come quick! Blood everywhere. Mark! Bring some towels. Some . . .
some . . . some gauze . . . some . . . shit, Mark, hurry!

Edge p.39
 TOM
Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me! I said don’t touch me!
(Mark pulls on pants. Enters.)

MARK
Shit.
ABBEY
Don’t just stand there, do something. Get some towels. I’ll take him to the couch. . .
TOM
Don’t touch me, you ice-cold bitch . . . you two-bit whore!
ABBEY
Mark, did you hear that?
MARK

ABBEY
Mark?! Mark, say something!
MARK
Apologize.
ABBEY
Do as daddy says, boy.
MARK
Apologize.
TOM
She’s a two-bit whore.
(Mark pushes Tom to floor. Tom tackles Mark.

They wrestle.

Tom ends up on top. He stands. Crosses to trophy. Smashes it on

floor.)

Who’s the man?

(Tom runs out door. Abbey crosses to screen-door. Mark stays on
floor.)

ABBEY

Edge p.40
Didn’t know Tom could run so fast. Across the field. Runnin like a madman. Right
past that big boulder.
(Blackout.

End of Play.)

Edge p.41