Scene 7: IN PERSPECTIVE
1962
In the backyard of the Mason's suburban house in Rockdale. Alex’s family are gathering around the barbeque. Her father, Ken, is cooking sausages. Her mother, Eileen, has a tray with beer and lemonade. Stephen is erecting a folding table and chairs out of what appears to be an oversized suitcase. Her aunts, Olive and Jean have plates of food. Alex is very pregnant and is in a bad mood. Stephen, as always, is uncomfortable visiting his wife’s family. He erects a beach umbrella for the centre of the table and sets up two more chairs while Alex makes shandies for Olive and Jean. Ken is a little drunk
KEN
They've been building the bloody thing
For three bloody years!
EILEEN
Language, Ken.
KEN
Bugger the language Eileen,
It’s crook I tell ya
Bloody crook.
STEPHEN
Here we go again...
OLIVE
It’s no use,
He’s off...
JEAN
Oh god it’s hot.
The lamingtons are melting.
OLIVE
To Alex
Fetch us another shandy will ya, love?
KEN
Four years to build they said.
Three million quid they said,
And that was before the old premier dropped dead.
EILEEN
Now Ken
You can't blame someone for dropping dead.
KEN
Ah but
No sooner had he kicked the bucket,
Caught the ferry...
EILEEN, ALEXANDRA
Sending Ken up.
Fallen off the twig...
KEN
...than the cost jumped to five million!
Five million quid.
STEPHEN
That's some jump all right.
ALEXANDRA
Annoyed.
Oh, don't encourage him!
Some things take time dad.
Look at me.
STEPHEN
Proudly
Look at you!
He puts his arm around her.
OLIVE
It’s no use he’s off...
JEAN
Oh god it’s hot.
ALEX
shrugging stephen off
And there’s the lottery, Dad,
Don’t forget that.
KEN
Lottery!
They could raffle off Gina Lollabrigida
And it still wouldn’t cover
A figure like five million quid.
And what’s to show for it
A bloody great slab of concrete.
No bloody roof!
EILEEN
Language!
OLIVE
Don’t Ken
It’s New Years Day.
Please let’s not argue...
KEN
We’ll all be sittin’ up like Jacky
In the open air at this rate.
And it'll get worse
That's for bloody sure.
EILEEN
Language!
KEN
It prob’ly
Won’t be finished now ‘til ‘64.
STEPHEN
If at all!
KEN
And by then
It will have topped ten million quid!
STEPHEN
Or more...
ALEXANDRA
Stop it, don’t encourage him!
OLIVE
Oh God it’s hot.
KEN
You know what it is, don’tya?
ALEXANDRA, EILEEN, OLIVE, JEAN, STEPHEN
We know.
We know.
KEN
It's a bloody...
ALL
White elephant!
KEN
That's what it is.
ALL
A bloody white elephant!
They're all amused except Ken.
KEN
Oh go on, laugh!
I'm sick to death of pipe dreams.
The money we've wasted
On pipe dreams.
Living in Fairyland...
The hopes we had
For you, Sandy.
ALEXANDRA
Please, Dad.
EILEEN
No longer amused.
That's enough Ken.
KEN
The hopes we had...
EILEEN
That's enough!
Pause
STEPHEN
You’re not being fair, Ken.
It takes time
To get the technique you need
To sing opera.
Alex...
KEN
Should have gone overseas when she had the chance!
STEPHEN
An old wound.
Are you blaming me?
EILEEN
Of course he isn't, love,
It's just...
It's just...
ALEXANDRA
I made my choice, dad:
I chose a life here
With my husband.
Most would say I did the right thing.
KEN
After all we sacrificed for you
You're mother and me...
JEAN
Lay off it Ken,
You're drunk.
KEN
All those lessons
We couldn't afford...
ALEXANDRA
Dad...
EILEEN
Enough,
You're making a fool of yourself!
KEN
You could have been a star!
That's what your teacher told me.
A star,
World class,
The best.
STEPHEN
I think it's time we went home.
Alex?
EILEEN
Don't go, love.
Come inside and help me with the tea.
It's the drink talking,
That's all,
The drink talking...
Eileen leads Stephen inside.
ALEXANDRA
I'm young, Dad.
My career hasn't even begun yet,
There's plenty of time.
And Stephen has a future too remember...
KEN
A big future blowing wind out of his arse!
He's a wimp.
He'll never amount to anything.
ALEXANDRA
He’s my husband!
OLIVE
There's a change on its way;
A thunderstorm.
Better get inside
Before we're soaked to the skin.
Olive starts clearing everything up.
ALEXANDRA
Maybe I should have taken the scholarship
But I didn't and now...
She bursts into tears.
Olive moves to comfort her.
Jean starts to move inside.
JEAN
One thing at a time, darl,
You’ve enough on your plate!
Come in and put your feet up.
She goes inside.
OLIVE
Tell you what, love
I'll shout you an opera house lottery ticket
Tomorrow.
If it wins, your troubles are over
What d'ya say?
ALEX
Thanks Auntie Ol.
You're a real fairy godmother.
Olive produces an orange out of the air as if by magic and gives it to Alex. She smiles. Olive goes in.
KEN
I'm sorry we never did enough
To give you a proper start.
ALEXANDRA
You gave me everything...
KEN
Only we didn't have enough
We never had enough.
And where are we now?
The same old house,
The same old job,
The same old struggle to make ends meet.
The way things are going
We won't have a roof over our heads.
I’d hoped...I’d wished for... I wanted so badly
A ticket out of all this.
Sure, bit of money our way,
Bit of glory to bask in,
But more, more than that:
To hear that kid sing
Was enough to break your heart;
Send you places.
Touch you.
Lift you... even out of this hole.
Now it’s too late,
She’s left it too late.
She’ll never have a chance to shine here.
I’ve had my head in the clouds
ALEX
Where are my dreams?
Where’s that pathway once so clear?
A wife, a mother
What will the future hold for me?
I turned my back on my hopes
For my husband, for love.
And now the child I wanted so badly
Makes my other child wait.
My other child:
My first,
My dearest,
My song, my voice, my soul.
Why must it wait?
Why did I wait?
I’ll never have a chance like that again
I’ve had my head in the clouds
From offstage we hear Eileen's voice.
EILEEN
Ken, Alex!
Tea's made, you two!
ALEXANDRA
Come inside dad,
The tea'll get cold.
They go inside. The storm breaks. She still has the orange in her hand.