Life
By Michael BloxhamJesse is a 17 or 18 year old boy who has gone through turmoil and hates his life. He is angry at the world and God for the events that happened in his life. He is speaking to himself, the Lord, and to an audience. This monologue is the complete text of the play.
JESSE
THAT'S IT! I can't TAKE it anymore. I am FED UP with my life. Prison would be a WHOLE lot better than the life I have now. My so-called "parents," who are suppose to encourage me; they think NOTHING of me. They KICKED me out TWO years ago... After what happened... My house... the shed in the backyard. (Sarcastically) Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not SO bad. No heat, no water, my dirt bed; OH and let's not forget the rats and the spiders that keep me company. It's GREAT, wonderful even. The only reason I live there is when my parents are out I can watch the house. When they're gone, I can finally eat, shower and get a change of clothes. (Slight laugh.) You know what? I don't even think they know I'm in the shed. I would have stayed with... with my friends and ESPECIALLY my girlfriend... (Total face change to sadness.) If they were still here.
I had a circle of about twelve of thirteen friends, including my girlfriend. Everyone was friends with everyone... Then... then came that night. About two and a half years ago, we all planned a camping trip. We planned it for the weekend before our senior year started. A week before we are suppose to leave, my mom gets a call. My grandmother passed away the night before, she was only seventy-two. My mom got off the phone crying. The funeral ironically enough, was the Saturday of my camping trip. I had to tell my friends I couldn't go. I would have gone if my mom hadn't forced me to go. I like my grandmother in all, but I wanted to go on that camping trip.
So the week went by and I left to go to Oklahoma on Friday and at the same time my friends including my girlfriend left on the camping trip without me. Before they left my girlfriend told me that she is going to bring a video camera to record the trip so that on Sunday when they get back we all can see it... together. Saturday came and gone. Pretty much a normal funeral. Everyone cried when we put her coffin in the ground. We left to catch a flight back here later that day. We got back home Sunday morning. A few hours later, my girlfriend called, saying they were on their way home, and they'd be back around 9 o'clock that night.
Around 9 o'clock I left to go to my girlfriend's house to surprise her when she gets home. At 9:25 I was wondering what happened to them. Suddenly, a knock on the door. I went to answer it and when I open the door... it was a police officer. He told me that a van, matching the van that my friends took for their camping trip, was found wrapped around a tree about ten miles out of town. He said there were no survivors. He than gave me the belongings that were found and that could be taken out of the van. One of those items... the video camera. The Police officer said that a woman with red hair had that in her hand with the lens facing her. That was my girlfriend. He was amazed that the video didn't break. When the officer left. I sat on the couch and put the video in. I laughed at all the stuff my goofy friends did. The video was dated so I could keep track of what time the video occurred. The date changed to Sunday, at 8:30. About an hour ago. My girlfriend was filming everyone telling then to say one last thing before they turn off the camera. One by one everyone said something. Now the only ones left were herself and the driver, Brian. When he was finished he made a superman pose. Taking both hands off the wheel to do it. From the back of the van someone screamed "WATCH OUT!!" Brian quickly recovered from hitting the truck one the other side of the road. However, it wasn't good enough. The van swerved off the road, did a complete flip and somersaulted down a steep hill. Then, it hit a tree and... and the car wrapped around it. The video camera still rolling was now pinned on a shot of my girlfriend. She was all bloody and cut up. With every last ounce of energy she had left she blew me a kiss... and died. The camera stayed in that position until the battery died a few minutes later. I turned off the tape and just balled my eyes out. My girlfriends parents came home an hour later and I told them the whole story. Then it came to me. This was all my fault. If I would have gone on that trip, my girlfriend wouldn't have brought the video camera; if she didn't bring the video camera she wouldn't have distracted Brian; and if Brian wasn't distracted he would of seen the truck and never would have gone off the road and hit that tree. They would all still be alive if it wasn't for me.
That happened two and a half years ago. It's horrible... Having to go to two funerals in the same month. The second one was the hardest on me. That's why my parents kicked me out. I went over the deep end after the funeral. My life ended that day. I never went to school. What was the point? I tried going the first day but I left half way through. I couldn't do it.
There's nothing left for me. Nothing. I know what I have to do. (He takes out a gun.) I planned to do it on the anniversary of their death, but I can't wait. I can't keep living without them. (He puts the gun to his head. The end.)
Life was written by Michael Bloxham. If you have questions or comments about the work, write to: mikebobsquareham@yahoo.com
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