Daylight Saving

Nick Enright

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781925359138
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

While Tom is away, an old boyfriend pays a surprise visit to his wife at home. Her plans for a candlelit reunion go awry when her highly stressed neighbour and her mother drop in. %##CHAR13##%%##CHAR13##%Winner of the Gold AWGIE Award.

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

The living-room and deck of FLICK and TOM’s house. The front door is prominent. There are two other doors - a swinging door to the kitchen, and a door or hallway to bedrooms and bathroom. The house next door is accessible from one end of the deck. The room is casually but elegantly furnished – a rug over polished wood floors, sofas, dining table and chairs, a TV and VCR, books, pictures and photographs on the walls. Beyond the windows and past the deck, there is an impression of height, of trees. The deck has a view of Pittwater. The house is high, the front door a fair climb up steps from the road. FLICK is at the front door, waving off an unseen group, who are calling goodbyes and thank-yous.

FLICK: My pleasure.

She closes the door.

My pleasure? I’ve had more fun at the dentist’s.

She examines a spot in the rug.

Burnt right through. Thanks, guys.

A key turns in the front door. TOM hurries in, casually dressed, carrying a briefcase.

TOM: That’s quite a crew.

FLICK: You’re not kidding. The sound guy put out his cigarette on the rug.

TOM: You got off lightly. I’m running, Flix. Can you pack those files for me?

He thrusts his briefcase into her hand, and goes into the bedroom, tearing off his clothes. FLICK starts to pack the files.

How was the interview?

FLICK: Interview? It felt more like an inquisition.

TOM: [off] When are they showing it?

FLICK: Friday night.

TOM: [off] I’ll have to miss it.

FLICK: So will I. Can you believe it, she asked me if I’d been unfaithful? Well, near enough.

She listens for a response from the bedroom.

Tom? She asked me—

TOM re-enters, half-dressed.

TOM: Have you seen my reading glasses?

FLICK: About fidelity.

TOM: What about fidelity?

FLICK: That’s what she said. What kind of question is that?

TOM: Par for the course. Australian journos are only interested in dirt. If you brought them Simpson and his donkey, they’d be checking them for steroids. Have you seen them?

FLICK: What?

TOM: My reading glasses.

FLICK: By the bed.

He goes back into the bedroom. She goes on packing.

She was out for blood, I think. And she got it. She said the damned word, and I blushed. Would that show up on television? That will look great, won't it? What do you think about fidelity, Felicity? And… whoosh. Sunset over Pittwater.

TOM: [off] What did she ask about Jason?

FLICK: Do you remember when I used to blush all the time?

TOM: [off] What?

He reappears with a suitcase which he dumps in the middle of the floor.

What did you say?

FLICK: I said I used to blush, remember, at the drop of a—

TOM: About Jason.

FLICK: What?

TOM: She must have asked.

FLICK: Well, she didn’t, Tom. There are other topics in the world.

The telephone rings. TOM answers.

TOM: Hi, Jason. Hang on. [To FLICK] Could you pack my razor?

She goes.

Yes, I did… Yes...