"Maggie's Choice"

First Part of Lesson 2, Assignment 2

POV –Suzy-birth mother to Jake (he was raised by grandmother) and sister to Maggie.
Scene-Suzy and Maggie arguing over Suzy’s drug use and refusal to take meds for bipolar disorder with Jake entering the conversation near the end and having his own impressions of the conversation.

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“Maggie, you’re here, shoot, look, I’m cleaning all this up. I just had to get some things figured out. I think I know how I can…”

“Give me the pills.”

“Oh, c’mon Maggie. Quit acting like mother. I told you I’m clean now.” Look at her, resting on one hip like she used to when she was threatening to tattle on me. What a prude.

“I’m not an idiot, Suzy. You’re springing off the walls. You haven’t breathed since you started talking. What are you smoking, meth or something?"

“I don’t believe this. I told you ten times, I’m not on drugs anymore. I quit weeks ago. Why don’t you ever believe me? I’m so sick of this. No one ever believes me. It’s always 'Suzy, why can't you ever .... or why did you always do...... Yah, yah, yah. You really screwed it up this time, Suzy.'" Well, get in line, Maggie, you aren’t the first one who’s been disappointed in me. Shut up, shut up, shut up, for Godsakes. Quit ranting. You're making me feel like crap.

“Then what the hell’s wrong with you. You have papers pinned all over the kitchen, your spinning out of control and either you’re on some major speed or you’ve gone completely nuts.”

“Option two, dear sis, you hit the jackpot.”

“What do you mean. Now being nuts is your excuse for using?”

“No silly, I’m not using right now. I’m Bipolar, didn’t mother tell you? I am nuts. So, you gonna keep on yelling at me or can we just talk this out?” Surely to God, she knew already. Mother can’t keep her mouth shut about these things, I thought. But for once, maybe I should. Deep breath, in, out.” Okay, sis, here’s the thing. Mother was embarrassed and, well, if truth be told, she didn’t want to worry your little head about our troubles while you were off in college doing whatever you were doing out there. Must be nice being the baby of the family.”

“You are not going to derail this conversation. I’m still trying to figure out why Mother never told me and yes, I was in college trying to make a life for me and Liam. Sorry for trying to be responsible for once in my life. That was your department til you just flipped your wig after high school. What happened, anyway. You were Miss Most likely to succeed. What the hell happened?”

“Oh, let’s see. I got pregnant, my boyfriend killed himself, and poof, guess what, ‘I’m afraid you are suffering from Bipolar disorder, here, take these pills and it will be all better. Well that’s a crock.” Ooh, my head my head is throbbing. Pills, there has to be a few Tylenol around here. They’re weak, but at least they aren’t d-r-u-g-s. “And by the way, when did you turn into so such a bore. You used to be the cool one, and look at you now. Miss perfect. So, Mags, when did you get so damned perfect anyway?” Uh-oh, shes making some serious eye contact. That and the pregnant pause. Anyone have a garbage lid. I think I need protection.

“When I got pregnant with Liam, Suz, that’s when. When you have a kid, you’re supposed to f’in grow up.”

“You’re right. I’m a shitty mother. You are so right. That’s why Mother had to adopt Jake. That’s why I disappear for weeks at a time, because I’m such a bad mother I refuse to let my son see me all screwed up. Nope, either way, I suck as a mother. You’ve made your point.” Actually, I’m thanking drama class because this is getting to her. Eyes watering, yep, got her. I try for a few more doses of acting class melodrama. Nothing like the ole ‘slide down to the floor like a rag doll, run your hands through your hair and and add tears for emphasis. “But here’s a newsflash for you. Granny was Bipolar too. It’s in the genes. You better watch out”

“No way. Granny was so cool. She was not Bipolar. Wouldn’t I know about that? Well, never mind. I would have thought I’d have known about you. This family makes no sense. Can’t keep a secret about presents but keeps this stuff under lock and key?
Granny. I just can’t see it. Are you sure?”

“Yep, ask Mother. As she tells it, Granny just mellowed out as she got older. By the time we came around she was just eccentric. Everyone was too polite to call them crazy back then, just a “odd” or “different. And you know what? They never gave her medicine to take. So why do I need to take it? That’s what I want to know.”

“Maybe its different with different people. All I know is that if you’re bouncing off the walls and acting like you’re on speed, perhaps you need to take something. That’s all.”

“I hate em, Mags, they make me feel like shit. Anyway, look at all this I’ve been doing. I’ve practically written a book. I get stuff done, Maggie, I don’t want to stop. That medicine makes it all go away; the creativity, the magic, its just gone.”

“Suzy, if you’re going to live here with us while Mother is in the hospital, you gotta get on the meds. I’m serious. I can’t have you going off like this in front of the kids and I don’t want to keep accusing of drugs if you aren’t doing them, the illegal ones, that is. I just don’t think I can take it and I’m afraid that if you don’t, that’s when everything will go away. Your son, how can he grow up right seeing you go off in tangents like this?”

“I’m not doing it, sis. I’m not getting back on those meds. You’re just going to have to kick me out. I can’t do it. Anyway, the counselor is a jerk and I’d have to get two or three appointments with him before I could even see the shrink. So, its not like I can just go and get the pills.”

“I want to help, Suzy, but if you don’t want my help, if you don’t want to get better, you might as well just pack up your bags and leave. I have to do this right, Suzy. You just can’t stay here without getting some help, okay.”

I thought I heard a noise, Jake maybe. Shoot, if he starts on me too, say goodbye to sobriety. This goody two shoes thing is just too much for me to cope with today.
“Fine, Maggie, I’ll do just that. Don’t come find me. I’ll call you when I find perfect again. Maybe in a few dozen years. Jake, if you’re there, get a good look at your momma. I’m leaving. She’s kicking me out. You heard her.” Nothing like a slammed door to align with a teenager. Now I just have to decide if I’m going to really pack my bags or just lay here and cry a few more minutes. Gotta milk this for a as long as it takes. She’s not going to poison my son against me. No way.

“Suz, I mean, mom, listen, let me in. Whatever she said, she didn’t mean it. She just had a bad day at work. She’ll let you stay. I’ll talk to her, I promise.”

“I love you kiddo, thanks. That would be great. Maybe she’ll listen to you. I don’t know why she’s such a prude, really. You know, she used get in trouble all the time. I was the straight A student, not her. Did you know that?” Look at this boy. I can’t believe he’s mine. Only thing since high school I ever did that was good. Has his daddy’s green eyes. I can’t do this to him. What if he turns out bipolar too. What if he kills himself like his daddy did. “Better yet, Jake, don’t talk to her. I think I have some things to take care of. I’ll call you later this week, I swear. No drugs either. I promise. Okay?”

“You can stay, really. I know you. Where you gonna stay? I mean, don’t go getting yourself killed okay? You gotta call me every night. You hear me?”

“You’ll make a good daddy someday, Jake. Don’t rush it though. But you’re a good kid. Don’t forget that, alright?” I decided on the suitcase. Crying was just making my nose run. Besides, maybe I did need some help.

“Maggie, she doesn’t have to go, right? For real, mom, stay. We can figure this out. She’s not mad at you anymore.”

“I’ll call you.” I called back, walking away as quick as I could before I changed my mind. I had no idea where I was going to stay but once you make an ass of yourself in front of everyone, you can’t just waltz back in the room, even if you forgot your favorite toy. That’s one of the first rules of throwing a good hissy fit. I thought of Jake, practically chasing me out the door, begging me to come back. I’m such a shit. I know I am but I can’t help it. I’m just screwed up that way.


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Second Part of Assignment 2

POV: Jake –
Scene: Jake walks up to the kitchen door and hears the tail end of an argument between his birth mother,Suzy (who didn’t raise him) , and her sister, Maggie, who is now having to raise him during the grandmother’s illness. Liam is Maggie’s son and is mentioned just briefly.
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“What are they sayin’, Jake? Are they fussin’?”

“Hey, Liam, why don’t you go get the mail for your mom and go real slow. They might be saying cuss words and you don’t need to hear em, right?”

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Suzy’s got a bad mouth, for real.”

“Well, so does your mother. So go on now, and come back in through the back yard. Go swing for a few minutes too, okay. I’ll come get you when it’s over.”

“Okay, you promise?”

“Yep. I swear.” Finally, I can really listen in. Not that its hard with all the shouting. Good thing I got Liam off on a mission. He didn’t need to hear all this anyway.


I can hear every word they’re saying..I think this is mom….“I’m not doing it, sis. I’m not getting back on those meds. You’re just going to have to kick me out. I can’t do it. Anyway, the counselor is a jerk and I’d have to get two or three appointments with him before I could even see the shrink. So, it’s not like I can just go and get the pills.”


I can hear Liam coming back. Just when its’ getting spicy in there. “Liam, go on, I’ll be back there in a minute. I promised, didn't I.”


I listen in, again. Its Maggie this time.“I want to help, Suzy, but if you don’t want my help, if you don’t want to get better, you might as well just pack up your bags and leave. I have to do this right, Suzy. You just can’t stay here without getting some help, okay.”

“Fine, Maggie, I’ll do just that. Don’t come find me. I’ll call you when I find perfect again. Maybe in a few dozen years. Jake, if you’re there, get a good look at your momma. I’m leaving. She’s kicking me out. You heard her.”

Aw shoot, she heard me. Great.

“Jake, come in here. How much did you hear?”

I couldn’t tell if Maggie was mad at me or just afraid I heard something I was going to tell Gramma. “Enough, I heard enough. Perfect, really perfect, Maggie. Now you’ve gone and scared her off. You know she could die our there in the streets. Then you’d be sorry, you know. By the way, in case you want to know, Liam is out back waiting on you two to quit acting like five year olds. Heck, he’s already five and he doesn’t even fight like that. You better hope you didn’t scare her off. Jeez, Maggie, do you have to be so mean to her?”

I hurried down to the spare room, well, Suzy’s room. Okay, I call her Suzy most of the time because their mother is Mom to me and Mother to them. But she’s had a bad day. It makes her feel better, I guess.

“Suz, I mean, mom, listen, let me in. Whatever she said, she didn’t mean it. She just had a bad day at work. She’ll let you stay. I’ll talk to her, I promise.”

“I love you kiddo, thanks. That would be great. Maybe she’ll listen to you. I don’t know why she’s such a prude, really. You know, she used get in trouble all the time. I was the straight A student, not her. Did you know that?”

“You can stay, really. I know you. Where you gonna stay? I mean, don’t go getting yourself killed okay? You gotta call me every night. You hear me?”

“You’ll make a good daddy someday, Jake. Don’t rush it though. But you’re a good kid. Don’t forget that, alright?”

“Jake, let her go.” Maggie just thinks she knows everything. What does she know, she hasn’t been here the last fifteen years. Off at school then having her own family and worrying about why Liam’s daddy didn’t want to stay married to her. She doesn’t even know what goes on around here.

“Maggie, she doesn’t have to go, right?” I yelled a little louder but mom kept walking down the stairs to the sidewalk. “For real, mom, stay. We can figure this out. She’s not mad at you anymore.”

“I’ll call you, I swear, this time, I will.”

Yeah right, I thought but didn’t say it. She was already gone, again, anyway, draggin that bag of hers like it was full of bricks. She can be such a drama queen but it doesn’t mean I want her getting killed out there. .

“Jake, baby, I know you’re worried about her but she’s gotta do it her way. You understand? You can’t fix her, you know?”

“How do you know so much about it? I mean, you weren’t here all this time hardly. How do you know we can’t fix her.”

“I’ll tell you that story another time, kiddo. What I meant is that we can’t fix her but she can decide to get help fixing herself. If she doesn’t want help, there’s not much we can do. And Jake, I didn’t really kick her out, you know. You do know that, right?”

“I guess. Hey, Maggie, lets go sneak up on Liam. He’s still out back waiting for you two to quit fighting. You know him, he may be still sitting there at bedtime if we don’t go tell him it’s over.”

“Quit raggin’ on my kid, you little brat. Race ya there.”

I smiled at the Maggie I remembered, this one running through the grass in her flip flops trying to be beat me. Maybe I should let her, just this once. After all, she’s has had a long day.