a very hot day

the town park, a picnic area. in the center is a large ball of ice with a man frozen inside. he is dressed as if from the 1977. it is very far into the future. maybe 2077, 2177, 2277.

characters:
construction worker 1
construction worker 2

male counterpart of a couple (written as male)
female counterpart of a couple (written as female)

mother
father
3 daughters (all ranging in age from 6 - 10)

woman 1
woman 2

*each line overlaps or nearly overlaps the preceding line. when characters aren't talking out loud, they are having their own conversations quietly or silently that lead them to their next line.

the construction workers sit together, as do the male and female, the family. both women are offstage.

mother : kailee, stop staring at that man, you're not invisible!
female : jim, stop making that face.
male : i'm trying to look scary so that kid stops looking at me.
female : what?
male : i don't ever want kids.
construction 1 : that kid couldn't even tell the difference between his left and right, how does this new foreman expect him to be able to -
construction 2 : you're tellin' me, but i already know - it's because he comes cheap.
construction 1 : well you get what you pay for. i heard he's dating the guy's niece. did you see brown's face when he told us?
woman 1 (entering, on the phone, woman 2 enters shortly after from the opposite end of the stage. she has luggage) : did i tell you the northeast corner, or the southwest? i can't remember - oh - nevermind. i see you.

the two women meet slightly off center, hug.

woman 2 : it's so great to see you! how are you! is it always this hot? the moment i got off the train everything got all ashen and hot.
woman 1 : i'm so glad you're hear, it's been so long - actually i hardly even notice the weather.

the girls become uproarious with screams and giggles.

father : kaylee! kaila! kim! no talking - eat your food and sit there.
mother : girls, no movies tonight if you don't listen to your father.
kim (the oldest) : not my dad!
mother : what did he say!
woman 1 : you said you'd been working out, but wow Julie! you look great!
construction 1 (gesturing to his sandwich) : just great! the guy put mustard on here. i can't eat this.
construction 2 : you want to trade - no mustard on mine.
construction 1 : i'll just eat my sandwich. that's a little - you know?
woman 1 : gay?! that explains it, that explains it.
male : i just want someone to explain to me why it's so hard to control kids? do parents just get -

the girls scream. the parents continue eating and stare at the ground.

male : - because they just don't know consistency? my dad always said if you can't spell it than you don't really know what it means. sometimes, i -
woman 1 : sometimes in the middle of winter.
woman 2 : even then? why?
woman 1 : no one knows or at least whoever does doesn't talk about it. i've never actually looked into it myself.
woman 2 : but it's so hot...
woman 1 : my car is air-conditioned, let me start it now and in a moment it will be nice and cool.

she pulls out a small remote and presses a button.

woman 2 : humid, too.
construction 1 : humidity -
father : wet -
female couple : sticky -
construction 2 : so clammy -
mother : stains -
male lets out a breathy high pitched sigh. in unison everyone drinks from bottles of water. the ice in the background collapses. a man falls out and struggles to get up. he is shaking and wet. he looks around, scared. everyone looks at him, surprised. the man screams as if to say something incredibly important about the past hundred or thousand years he had been trapped in the ice watching life pass and change. something that would be life changing. it would stop everyone in their tracks. but he can't pronounce the words and it comes out as incomprehensible screaming. after several sentences of his screaming, he falls to the ground, dead.

pause.

female (a little sadly, but not too heavily) : he kid of looks liked my dad.
male : the man who'd would rather see you as a cat lady instead of married to me.
female : what?
male : his approval to ask you - that's what he said when i talked to him about it.
female : are you -

male gets to one knee. as the next line happens.

construction 1 : - finished? got a lot of piping to install.
construction 2 : yeah. yeah. just let me - jesus. (he drops his pudding) my pudding! done now, i guess. let's go.
mother : - to bed without any supper if you keep behaving like this.
father : and a spanking.

the girls pause. then imitate the man very loudly and maybe for too long - and run off stage. both parents are defeated.

father : i'll unlock the door.
mother : i'll pick up the trash.

she picks up the trash. woman 2 stares at the body - horrified. woman 1 looks through her purse.
woman 2 : what was that - that just happened?
woman 1 : aahh- ha! chapstick! what? oh - i'm not sure.

she presses another button on her key ring. the sound of a car alarm disarming.
the end.