INT. SHOT OF KITCHEN INSIDE FRANKS HOME

HAGAR is busy at the counter, mixing something in a large bowl as she is preparing breakfast. JEFFREY enters stage right, dressed in a business suit and tie but is carrying his dress shoes in his right hand and a garment bag in the other hand. As he enters the kitchen he realizes HAGAR hasn’t heard him come in. He quietly sets his dress shoes and on the floor and garment bag on a chair and sidles up behind HAGAR and props one arm on the counter, waiting for her to turn and notice him, which she does.

HAGAR: (visibly surprised) Oh! You scared me.
JEFFREY: (says nothing but blinks theatrically with an oversized grin)
HAGAR: (pauses for a moment and then gasps) No. Again?
JEFFREY: Yep. Just got the call. The car to take me to the airport should be here in a few minutes.

JEFFREY smirks and then sits down at the table. HAGAR frowns and looks deeply upset but returns to stirring the mixture in the bowl.

JEFFREY: Sorry, honey. Nothing I can do about it. I see you’re making pancakes but how about rustling me up some bacon? I’ve got a long flight ahead of me.
HAGAR: (turns to him with a sharp look on her face but says nothing)
JEFFREY: Come on, a couple of strips won’t hurt me. You know how Doctor Goldstein is. He’s always worrying about me too much.
HAGAR: (says nothing but keeps stirring)
JEFFREY: Look, I don’t like it any more than you do. But they went and changed their government and Mugger wants me to go down there and show the flag, let ’em know everything is still on track, that just because they decide to move a few people around doesn’t mean anything has changed. In fact…

HAGAR whirls around, visibly upset and turns and faces JEFFREY, angrily waving a flour covered spoon in his direction.

HAGAR: A few days? That’s what you said last time!
JEFFREY: Well what can I do? This is my job, honey. I’ll be back in time for us to go to the temple this weekend.
HAGAR: But you’ll miss Matthew’s baptism for your great great grandfather Charles! And you promised him you’d be there.
JEFFREY: (spreads hands out) What can I do? And what exactly do you want me to do? Not go? This is just something I have to do.

HAGAR once again turns and resumes mixing.

JEFFREY: Anyway, as Mugger was saying, it’s not so bad. There’s a lot worse places to go than Ro…

HAGAR whirls around again to face JEFFREY, now more visibly upset than ever.

HAGAR: Oh Mugger says? Mugger says! Mugger says! You sit there with your long face as if you hate going but the truth is you love the fact that you get to go hang out with your best friend and eat ham and sausages all day and party in the mountains while I’m stuck here taking care of everything.
JEFFREY: He is not my best friend! He is just a good friend.
HAGAR: Well you act like he’s your best friend.
JEFFREY: Look, he’s a good guy. You really should give him a chance. Anyway, he’s the point man over there and he needs me to come down and handle the situation. It’s my JOB, honey.
HAGAR: And you sit there and have the nerve to ask for bacon like you didn’t hear what Doctor Goldstein told you last week.

JEFFREY wave his hand in dismissal and picks up the newspaper and begins reading it.

HAGAR: And here you are, getting ready to head off to that godforsaken country and go stuff your face with more bacon. Well fine, I hope you do get a heart attack because you certainly don’t seem to want to take care of yourself and this family!

JEFFREY angrily throws down the newspaper on the table and raises his voice for the first time.

JEFFREY: Take care of this family? Look around you, woman! Look at this house! Where exactly do you think it all came from? It came from ME (points to himself) doing my JOB! You’ve got a lot of nerve to tell me I don’t take care of this family when I’m the one flying around the world to tell these third world crackers how to balance the books and run their miserable little countries. Me, Hagar, me!

HAGAR is about to retort when both of them notice little JENNY enter the kitchen from stage right, wearing a nightgown and yawning. She approaches the kitchen table and notices her father dressed in a business suit.

JENNY: Daddy? Are you leaving us again?
JEFFREY: Come here, muffin and give your daddy a hug. Daddy has some business that he has to take care of but he’ll be back by the weekend so don’t you worry one bit, sugar plum.

JENNY embraces her dad in a long hug and JEFFREY lovingly strokes her hair and kisses her on the top of her head. JENNY then sits at table and with an unsteady hand pours herself a glass of orange juice from the carton sitting on the table.

JENNY: Daddy?
JEFFREY: Yes, sugar dumpling?
JEFFREY: Are you going back to (struggles with the word) Ro…Ro…Ro…
JEFFREY: Yes I am. Remember the nice dolly I brought you last week? Maybe I’ll have another nice present for you when I get back this weekend.

JENNY seems content with this answer and takes a long drink of her juice. HAGAR is smiling as she stares at her daughter and her anger has completely disappeared. JEFFREY beams contentedly at his daughter and looks at his wife, who at first fails to notice him. She then snaps out of her reverie and brings over a sizzling pan with bacon and puts three strips onto her husband’s plate. JEFFREY enthusiastically begins to eat his breakfast.

HAGAR: So what time does your flight get in?
JEFFREY: About ten in the morning.
HAGAR: Our time or their time?
JEFFREY: Their time. So that’s like two thirty in the morning at our time or something.
HAGAR: Well be sure to call me and let me know that you’ve arrived safely.
JEFFREY: I will.

Just then a car horn is heard from offstage. JEFFREY points at his shoes and HAGAR scurries over to get them. As JEFFREY finishes wolfing down the last bites of his breakfast HAGAR kneels on the floor and puts her husband’s shoes on his feet and laces them up. JEFFREY stands up and wipes the grease off of his mouth and chin with a napkin and then bends over to kiss JENNY on the forehead.

JEFFREY: I love you, pumpkin sweet’ums.
JENNY: Love you too, Daddy.

JEFFREY hoists the garment bag on his shoulder and kisses his wife chastely on the cheek.

JEFFREY: Goodbye, honey. Be back on Sunday.
HAGAR: Bye. Have a safe trip. And don’t drink the water!
JEFFREY: Don’t worry, I won’t!

JEFFREY exits stage right. The lights go out and the curtain drops.

NOTE: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.