Be Proud of Your Past

CHARLIE - Early 20's, Male. Reminiscing about past life - Northern Accent
SHELLY - Late 30's, Female. Snobby. Puts on a posh accent
WENDY - Late 30's. Female. CHARLIE'S mum. Working Class - Northern Accent


CHARLIE
Me mam were in and out of school like nobody's business. (Mimicking) "Charlie's done this, Charlie's done that". I couldn't help it! I didn't mean to cause trouble, it just kind of found me! I remember one parents evening, I was in reception and my mum bumped into Elizabeth Slaters mother.

CHILDHOOD MEMORY - FLASHBACK

SHELLY
Fancy seeing you here!

WENDY
Well, my kid does go to this school!

SHELLY
Oh of course! I forgot you had another one... what's his name?

WENDY
Charlie

SHELLY
Oh

WENDY
Is there a problem

SHELLY
No no it's just

WENDY
Come on spit it out!


SHELLY
It's just... you're Charlie's mum?

WENDY
Yes... I think we established that part

SHELLY
Should have guessed really

WENDY
Excuse me?

SHELLY
Well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it

WENDY
What's that supposed to mean?

SHELLY
Well you were never the brightest at school were you dear

WENDY
Excuse me!

SHELLY
Oh, come on Wendy, you can hardly expect Charlie to be Einstein with your background

WENDY
Who the bleeding hell do you think you are! I have you know that Charlie is dead clever for a kid his age!

SHELLY
That's not what my Elizabeth says, she told me that every time he gets asked to read something out in class he just makes the stories up from the pictures.

WENDY
It's called being creative, but I guess a posh snob like you wouldn't understand

SHELLY
I would rather be considered a snob then... well... whatever your sort is!

WENDY
My sort??? And what exactly is my sort??

SHELLY
Oh, come off it Wendy, you can't possibly think that you are perfect. You have one kid locked up, another knocked up and one that can just about spell his own bleeding name! Not like my Elizabeth, she's already learning to play Mozart on the piano. Come on love, just admit it you have nothing to be proud of!

WENDY
How dare you! How bloody dare you! What gives you the right to criticise my kids and my parenting skills! Yeah ok maybe my kids haven't had the upbringing that your precious princess has, but you know what they are the best thing that happened to me and I am bloody proud! I have a daughter who's going to give birth to a beautiful baby and she's going to be an amazing mum! Andrew may have got in a bit of bother with the police, but you know what when he gets out with the amount of brains he's got, he will do something with his life. And as for Charlie, he's bloody 4 and he can already make up stories off the top of his head. So maybe my kids can't play bloody Mozzarella -

SHELLY
Mozart

WENDY
But they have life skills that your perfect Eliza -

SHELLY
Elizabeth

WENDY
Will never get, she's a spoilt brat.

CHARLIE:
And that was the first of many fights my mother was party to at my school. Some of them I saw, some of them I only heard about. But you know what, my mum must have done something right because look at me now! I was always a creative kid, but I was never the smartest! Truth was I made the stories up because I couldn't read the words, but I wasn't ever going to admit that at the time! I didn't care for education, I just wanted to entertain people, make them laugh. But you know what, you shouldn't ever judge someone or determine their future just on what you know of their past. I'm at university now and where is Elizabeth? Working full time as a window cleaner. Just goes to show you, you can do anything that you put your mind to. My past doesn't define me, but I wouldn't change it for the world.