Lost Lake (4 page)

VERONICA
:
No.

HOGAN
:
I'd like to see her play. She's gonna be on the soccer team. She was recruited and everything. Don't know where she gets it. Not from me. It's funny how kids just latch on to these things and
go
. Like your boy with his birds maybe.

VERONICA
:
Well, who knows how long that'll last.
     Before birds it was old airplanes, like from World War Two. He gets a new obsession every two weeks seems like. He's always onto the next thing so fast, it's hard for me to keep up.

HOGAN
:
He got a father?

(
Beat
.)

VERONICA
:
Yes.
     Both of my children do, actually.

HOGAN
:
Oh hey. I didn't mean to, uh—

VERONICA
:
And the father of both of my children passed away, two years ago. All right?

HOGAN
:
Oh jeez.
     Sorry.

VERONICA
:
Thank you.

(
Beat
.)

HOGAN
:
How?

VERONICA
:
Hit and run. On the street in front of our building.

HOGAN
:
Well shit.

(
Beat
.)

VERONICA
:
Excuse me, I'm going to bring the children their lunch.

(
She exits
.)

HOGAN
:
I'll see what I can do about the water heater.

Fade
.

 

SCENE 3

That evening.
VERONICA
alone. She looks troubled. She tries to settle down to read a paperback. Her cell phone rings.

VERONICA
:
Charles? Hi, thanks for calling me back. I'm fine. We're— Yes, everything is fine but I needed to tell you something, you'll probably hear it from Mia. There was a little incident today out on the lake. It— No, everything's fine, but she— Charles? Can you hear me? Charles?
     Sorry, is this better? I'm just losing you a little up here.
     Is that any better? Charles—? Shit.

(
She moves to a different part of the room. Cell phone rings
.)

Hi. I'm sorry. The service up here— Yes, okay. Well, look, all it was was Mia was out swimming with my kids and she got out a little far and must have got a mouthful of water. Excuse me? No. No. I was out there with them, right on the shore. No, I wasn't swimming, I was just watching them and I— Charles. Charles. I'm gonna tell you the whole story, all right? Just hold on. She got out a little far and got a mouthful of water and went under a second so I jumped in and pulled her out, the whole thing wasn't more than maybe ten seconds and everything was fine after, I gave them all hot chocolate and everybody's good but I just wanted you to hear it from me right away. I don't think so. No, you don't have to come up. She's having a great time. Uh-huh.

(
HOGAN
knocks and enters
.
He carries a carton of eggs
.)

Well, you did say she had passed her Red Cross test. Well, actually she wasn't even out farther than she could stand, it was just one of those things where she opened her mouth at the wrong time and got a faceful of water and then got scared, it could've happened in the bathtub. I know, she swims better than my kids. She's asleep now. Ate a big supper, uh-huh. Hot dogs and baked beans. No, I got her the tofu dogs. Yeah, I'll have her call you first thing. What? You're cutting out. Hello—? I'll have her call you first thing in the morning—

(
She hangs up
.)

Asshole.

HOGAN
:
Uh-oh. Salty language!

(
Beat
.)

You need to call him back?

VERONICA
:
What? No.

HOGAN
:
He wasn't mad, was he?

VERONICA
:
Sorry, do you want to tell me what you're doing back here?

HOGAN
:
Just making sure everything's okay.

VERONICA
:
Everything is fine.

HOGAN
:
The water heater—

VERONICA
:
It's fine! It was fine at four o'clock when you got done fixing it.

HOGAN
:
Just because it was running before doesn't mean it stayed running long enough to heat up the tank. I thought you'd appreciate me coming back to check up on it.
     And I brought you some eggs.

(
He goes to put them in the fridge
.)

VERONICA
:
Eggs?

HOGAN
:
From my brother's.

VERONICA
:
What, does he keep chickens or something?

HOGAN
:
No.

(
Beat
.)

VERONICA
:
I see you found some dry clothes.

HOGAN
:
Yeah.

VERONICA
:
Good thing you didn't clear out those drawers like you said, you got plenty of extra clothes around the place.

(
She gets settled again on the couch
.)

HOGAN
:
What are you reading?

VERONICA
:
Mystery.

HOGAN
:
Any good?

VERONICA
:
Yeah, I'd like to finish it.

(
Beat
.)

HOGAN
:
He wasn't blaming you, was he? The dad.

VERONICA
:
He was just concerned.

HOGAN
:
Why'd you say “asshole” then?

VERONICA
:
I didn't.

HOGAN
:
Yeah you did.

VERONICA
:
Oh whatever, he was just worried about his little girl.

HOGAN
:
He wanted to come get her?

VERONICA
:
What difference does it make?

HOGAN
:
You think he doesn't trust you?

VERONICA
:
I don't care if he trusts me or not.

HOGAN
:
Seems like you do.

VERONICA
:
He trusts me, he let me take his girl for the week. He's just one of those parents, you know, one of
those
parents.

HOGAN
:
What kind?

VERONICA
:
You know.

HOGAN
:
White?

VERONICA
:
What? No.

HOGAN
:
Sorry.

VERONICA
:
I mean, yes he is, but that's not what I mean.

HOGAN
:
Uh-huh.

VERONICA
:
I mean that kind of New York parent like, oh she got a nut allergy so if you have even one almond anywhere in the house it's an emergency.
     And makes his kid wear a helmet all the time. Pushing her on a swing at the playground. Like she's going skydiving.

HOGAN
:
Really? On a swing?

VERONICA
:
Maybe not that. But like that.

HOGAN
:
You were making peanut butter sandwiches earlier.

VERONICA
:
I gave her plain jelly! She ain't gonna go into anaphylactic shock looking at the Skippy jar. And guess what? If she does I got an EpiPen. I've got everything. I could perform open-heart surgery with the kit I brought up here. I'm equipped. So don't go and sort of imply that …

HOGAN
:
That what?

VERONICA
:
Whatever. It doesn't matter.
     Oh and by the way. Something else you forgot to clear out your drawers before we got here, your magazines. My little boy found them. I put them in a bag by the door, you can take them when you go.

HOGAN
:
What's the big deal? So I left some hunting and fishing magazines—

VERONICA
:
It wasn't just hunting and fishing. You left something else mixed in there.

HOGAN
:
Oh.

VERONICA
:
Yeah, oh. So tonight I got a seven-year-old showing me—

HOGAN
:
Yeah, okay, that is my fault.

VERONICA
:
Thanks a lot.

HOGAN
:
That is a little embarrassing, I'm sorry about that.

VERONICA
:
You should be.

HOGAN
:
Oh come on, it's not
so
strange.
     You're a nurse.

VERONICA
:
What does that mean?

(
HOGAN
shrugs
.)

All right. If you don't mind, I'm gonna read my book and then I'm gonna go to bed so good
night
, for heaven's sake.

HOGAN
:
Okay. I'll be out in the truck if you need anything.

(
He starts to go
.)

VERONICA
:
Wait.

HOGAN
:
What?

VERONICA
:
Out in the
truck
?

HOGAN
:
Way down the drive. Near the road. You can't see it from here.

VERONICA
:
Is that where you've been while you were waiting to check the water heater? Sitting in your truck the whole time?

HOGAN
:
Sort of.

VERONICA
:
What do you mean, “sort of”?

HOGAN
:
Well, since it's come up … I've sort of been sleeping out there.

(
Beat
.
She stares at him
.)

VERONICA
:
What?

HOGAN
:
Debbie kicked me out.

VERONICA
:
Who?

HOGAN
:
My sister-in-law. The attorney? I mean, she didn't so much kick me out as make it clear she didn't want me staying there at all while you were renting. And my brother's too pussy-whipped to say no. Can you believe that? My little brother.

VERONICA
:
How long have you been out there?

HOGAN
:
I guess more or less since you arrived.

VERONICA
:
Oh my God.

HOGAN
:
Did you know I was there?

VERONICA
:
No, I didn't know you were there!

HOGAN
:
So what's the problem?

VERONICA
:
I'm
renting
this place! Do you understand that?
I am renting this property
. You are not supposed to be
on
the property.

HOGAN
:
Come on, I'm
barely
on the property.

VERONICA
:
No. I am sick of this. This is bullshit.

HOGAN
:
What?

VERONICA
:
This is one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. Renting this rat-hole, and you skulking around the property like some weird freak—I'm sorry but that's what you are, you are freaking me out! I am done with this.

HOGAN
:
What do you mean?

VERONICA
:
I am done. We are leaving.

HOGAN
:
The kids are sleeping.

VERONICA
:
First thing in the morning. Right now I want you out of here. Go. Park your truck
elsewhere
. Do you understand me?

HOGAN
:
You're acting like I'm dangerous or something.

VERONICA
:
I will call the police. I swear I will call 911.

HOGAN
:
You think
I'm
dangerous? You're lucky I was around here today!

VERONICA
:
Yeah, 'cause you were skulking around like the creepy oddball you are.

HOGAN
:
I wasn't—

VERONICA
:
Creepy backwoods oddball freak.

HOGAN
:
You should be thanking me!

VERONICA
:
Oh, just shut up and get out of here, will you, please? We'll be gone in the morning. Then you can move back into this dump, with your hockey sticks and sleazy magazines—

HOGAN
:
You're the dangerous one.

VERONICA
:
Excuse me?

HOGAN
:
Kids who can barely swim—yeah, I watched them, they're not as good as you think they are—leaving those kids all by themselves in the water while you're off God knows where.