"The Affliction." Act Two | Arthritis Information

 

Scene One

Body is stretched out on a couch, Mind, with list in hand (now three pages
long) is sitting at a computer...

Body moans, turns to lie on one side, groans, turns to the other side. With
Knees pulled up and hands on head, moans again. Says....
I"ve never been so miserable in my life".

Silence..............
           Body groans again.
Silence .............        ..............

Suddendly Mind yells out,
"Bod! Look at this! There's this chat room on the internet and and they
call themselves the Predhead and they all sound like us!" They sure do not
like old Pred!"

Body struggles up, shuffles over to Mind and looks at the computer
screen. Says..
"Yeah, those complaints, that's us all right. They keep talking about
Rheumies, what's a Rheumy?

Mind looks up at Body and says..
"I don't know, maybe we should see a doctor."



Scene Two

Mind and body are sitting in an examining room, doctor comes in and sits
down. Says...
"What can I do for you?"

Mind and Body both start talking, about their complaints, how awful they
feel, about Pred and his pills, how they helped at first, and then added
more miseries......

Doctor, shaking his head.says...
"That Pred, He's a dangerous fellow."

Mind/Body: What is causing all this wretchedness?"
Doctor: I' Don't Know.
Mind/Body "How long will it last?"
Doctor: "I Don't know."
Mind/Body: "What can we do?"
Doctor: Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

Mind and Body stand up, look at each other and leave, muttering...
"A lot of help that was."
But my body can't handle the aspiring... does better with the pred! Now
what?
And BTW, isn't a rhuemy someone ou live with in College?
pgrOMG this is hilarious, keep em coming Libeth - I swear the talent on this board is amazing.  Thanks for a breathe of fresh air.  hehe, just noticed my typo - I can't handle the aspiring or the aspirin!
hope the fact that the mind & body have left doesn't mean we are done...
Are you a writer Libeth? Love your work!She is a writer, no doubt.  What a crazy mind.  Wonderfully deranged.  I love it.

Libeth,

You have a fun way of looking at things.  We love it! Keep it up!

Kathy

 

Hi, I'm not a writer, I am a visual artist, (painter, printmaker), although I
have done a lot of writing about my work and the visual art requires a lot of
head work. Never written a play before! The worst pain about this "Affliction"
is not being able to create. The work in the studio is more than I can do,
and I guess the need to create has bought about the play. Writing it is
keeping me sane.

Better to laugh than cry, Libeth

Hi Libeth,

Your writing may be helping many of us keep our sanity too.

The hardest part for most of us is not being able to do the things we love to do at the same level as before.  You have found a way to use your talent to bring humor to situation that has very little humor in it.

You go girl!!!!

Kathy

So you SHOULD be a writer. I don't think there is much difference between
visual and written art... if you write about what you visualize!
Keep us laughing!
pgrScene three

Body is lying on the couch reading a book. Mind, lists in hands, is sitting
at the computer.

Mind turns in the chair, hooks an elbow over the back, says...
"You are actually doing something, Bod".

Body: "Well, yes sort of. Twenty minutes of reading, twenty minutes of
resting the eyes. But, look at me, my beard is growing, my cheeks look
like I"m blowing bubblegum, my wattles are hanging lower, my hump
looks like I should be in the Notre Dame Cathedral, my belly is pottier, my
weight is at an elephant and a half, and my big toe seems to be
separating from the others."

Mind turns back to the computer.

Silence...............
           sound of a page turning, clicking of computer keys.
Silence..............
          
Body: "I had a roomy in college, actually four before I graduated.
        (thanks pgr)
Mind:" So did I, but I think the predheads mean something else.

Silence.........
        a page is turned, the keys click.
Silence.........
       
Mind: "Bod, the predheads say that their doctors aren't very helpful and
they refer them to a Rheumatologist, what they call Rheumies.
Bod:" What's a Rheumatologist?
Mind: A specialist. They are pretty expensive though, and sometimes
insurance doesn't pay or cover all the costs.
Bod: "Ah Yes, the great American Health Care system.

Critic stand up, turns to leave, hesitates, sits down again muttering
"PolItics"


Act three is in rewrite.It just keeps getting better!
And THANKS for the credit... I rolled ont the floor laughing!
pgr

Bravo!!!!

That is funny!

Kathy

LOVE your responses!!!! They keep me going!!!

Libeth
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