A Moment in the Life of _____

Written and Performed by Catie F., Nick R., Ryan B., and Justin S.

Characters:

Thomas' mother

Thomas' brother

Thomas' best friend

Stranger

Setting

The present, following the death of Thomas, who was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. The stage is black with a light above each person on stage.

Mom:

If I had only kept him at home that night. If I had only been more careful about where I let him o. Maybe these things wouldn't have helped, but you never know. Those little questions... you don't think to ask them in that instant before you make the biggest mistake of your entire life. Who knows? Maybe a simple talk with him the night before, or maybe if he still had his father. All I know is that now he is gone. I wonder what he was thinking in that instant when he was caught in the headlights. You know? They say your life flashes right before your eyes. Like a movie. I wonder what my baby saw. I wonder if he saw the first waves to crash on the sand when we went to the beach when he was five; or the time we all went to Disney World, but it rained the entire time; or the time I was sick on his birthday, and we didn't get to go anywhere or do anything but watch movies and eat sweets. That night, he hugged me and told me, "Mommy, that was the best birthday I have ever had." I wonder if he got to feel every hug all over again, his firs kiss all over again, the feeling of the bat when you know it's over the fence. Or did he have to feel the pain of every rejection, or the feeling after a fight, or every moment that left him sad and devastated? Like when his father died. Little Thomas was only 8, but it hit him hard when I had to tell him daddy wasn't coming home. He cried and cried, and then one day, he said, "Daddy will always be there and even though I miss him... I need to be a big boy." And I know his daddy was always there for him and now I know that he is there with his daddy right now, in heaven. He was such a sweet boy. Always kind, loved animals, made good grades, laughed every chance he got. Everybody makes mistakes, but I hope that in that moment before that drunk driver collided with my boy, that he knew the reality of his mistakes. I hope that man knew I was never going to get my boy back, and I would have to live the rest of my life with the fact that I never get to wake him up in the mornings or hug him before bed, or laugh at his jokes, or even tell him I love him. All I want is my baby back.

Brother:

Ha ha... my brother, Thomas. What words can describe him? Of course, he was always a good kid, but when we were together... we were anything but good. We were always breaking something, always fighting about something, we were always laughing about something. Those seemingly "nothing" moments are now all I have left of my younger brother. Only memories... I can't punch him in the arm and give him a hard time about a new girlfriend, when he knows I'm only kidding. I can't ever grab my glove and take him out to the field and play a little. I can't even hug him and tell him I really do love him... ever again. When our dad died... I got to say good bye, and I got to spend the time with him I wanted. He had prostate cancer and was fading fast. We almost considered it a relief in so many ways... he was suffering and that's not something I wanted for my dad or anyone one, for that matter... but especially him. Me and Thomas didn't really talk much about my dad's death until later. I mean he was only 8, and I didn't feel up for much discussion. But when we did talk... about two years later... that's when I realized how much my brother meant to me and always will. When I first got  the news that he was in the car accident that changed all of our lives forever, I couldn't believe it. I just went numb. I didn't know left from right. He was just there and because of someone else's mistake... he is gone forever. Slipped through my fingers... It's not fair. He still had his whole life ahead of him. He had a baseball scholarship lined up and the grades to match his ability. He was only 17, for Christ's sake! What kind of world is this when a man you don't even know can kill your brother and have the pleasure of dying with him? If that man wouldn't have died a few days later, after the crash... I would have killed him. It was my brother... why did it have to be him? It's not fair! His last words were, "I'll see you in a little bit; call me if you need me." I need you but now I can't call. And I know exactly what I would say to him if I got the chance... a simple "I love you".

Best Friend:

I knew things that no one knew about Thomas, his inner most thoughts... we told each other everything. I always trusted him and looked to him for everything. Who am I to confide in now? Thomas is gone. I remember the first day I met Thomas. I had just moved from Kansas and I had no idea what to think. The mountains and the scenery... so different. The accent and the people... even more so. It was a Saturday, and I was riding my bike, checking out the new neighborhood... when all of a sudden a baseball flew out in the road. I stopped, got off my bike, and threw the ball back to him. He thanked me and just started to walk off, but then he turned around and asked if I wanted to play. I was so excited... I thought it was going to be so hard to pick back up and start my life over. Of course I said sure and we began a life-long friendship. But it didn't last long because Thomas' life was cut short. I also remember the first day of school. I wasn't in Thomas' class, and I thought I was gonna die, having to make a whole new set of friends. All of them filed in and began talking about years before... and I was alone. But finally it was lunch. Thank the Lord and hallelujah... I would know somebody. I came in and there was Thomas, waiting by the door. "Thought you'd never come," he said. And at the instant... even in the third grade I knew everything was going to be okay. Everything was going good, and then that's when Thomas' dad died. I felt his pain because I cared about him so much... and I know most guys don't share their feelings, but we cried together more times than I can count. We needed each other.

Stranger:

I didn't know him really well... heck, I didn't even talk to him more than maybe once or twice. I didn't know his parents or even if he had any. I didn't know his favorite color or food or song... or anything. All I know about Thomas is that he changed my life in just a single moment. I remember it like it was yesterday. Me and my mom got in a fight right before school and my did... I didn't even know where he was. He had been drinking the night before, so who knows. Nothing had been going right for me then. My grades sucked. My dad was drinking again, and I was just always in the wrong place at the wrong time, it seemed. I hated life then. That morning, I was sick of it... so sick I was willing and eager to leave it all behind. I was set on getting rid of the problem... me. I really thought no one cared if I was there or not. So just as I walked up to school, Brad... ugh, that jerk... came up to me just trying to start something. I wasn't going to fight back... I mean, look at me. I was so sick of it, and right when I was ready to cry, Thomas came along and asked what was going on and stepped between me and Brad. Brad looked Thomas in the eye but then just walked off. All I could think to myself was "Finally! Someone cares." I didn't know what to say other than thank you... that was all right to say at the time. But looking back, if it wasn't for Thomas just being nice, I might not even be here. Why did he do it? I'll never know. He reminded me that not everybody and everything sucks. There were still people who cared. Gosh, I look back on it now, and I realize how much he meant to me, and I didn't even know him. He gave me my life... why did his have to be taken so early? I guess he had served his purpose... whether at home with his family or maybe with his best friends, or maybe... just maybe... for me alone.