Middle

David Eldridge

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781350334403
• eBook ISBN: 9781350334427
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Why do people ever see things through?
Why do they ever stay?
It's so hard. Every relationship reaches a crossroad some time. As dawn breaks, Maggie is heating some milk and Gary wonders what she's doing out of bed. Maybe it's time for an honest conversation – but how much honesty can this marriage take? Following his five-star play Beginning, which played sold-out runs at the National Theatre and in the West End, writer David Eldridge brings his raw, touching and funny style to a portrait of a 21st century marriage, the second of three plays to explore love and relationships.

Chapter

Late February 2016.

The large kitchen of a detached house in Shenfield, Essex.

It’s big enough to comfortably home a kitchen island with bar-stooltype chairs. It’s spotlessly organised and clean but you can tell a child, or children, live in this house from some artwork on the fridge door.

The kitchen is mostly modern but there is a sideboard with glass cupboard doors containing their large collection of fine bone china tableware and dinnerware. Most stuff is put away leaving clean surfaces and lines. But there’s a knife block. A Bluetooth speaker. And a fruit bowl with bananas, some satsumas and a couple of kiwi fruit.

Its neither night, nor morning, some time after 4 a.m. The only light is coming from the cooker hood and a lamp.

Maggie, forty-nine, pours some milk into a saucepan and heats it on the hob. She does it carefully, slowly, she doesn’t want to burn the milk, minding her dressing-gown sleeves. She glances briefly at her iPhone and then puts it in her dressing-gown pocket.

In the kitchen doorway is her husband Gary, forty-nine, in West Ham United pyjamas. He sips water that he brought down with him.

He watches his wife pour the milk into her ‘M’ mug. She takes a sip. She finally looks at him.

They look at each other for a long time, for as long as you think you can get away with.

GaryDidn’t you want to use the microwave?

MaggieNo.

GaryIt’s a lot easier.

MaggieI didn’t want to.

GaryTwo minutes. Bing.

Silence.

MaggieI can never get it just how I want it.

Silence.

GaryOr put it on for a minute. Stick your finger in. Twenty more seconds. Thirty more seconds. Job done. Bosh.

Silence.

MaggieI would have thought a microwave’s more of a ‘bing’ than a ‘bosh’?

She smiles, sips. Silence.

Gary comes further into the kitchen and slips his iPhone from his pyjama shorts pocket, looks at something and scrolls for a moment. Then he plugs it into a charger plugged into the wall. Silence.

GaryWhat’s wrong?

Silence.

MaggieI can’t sleep. I haven’t been to sleep at all.

Silence.

GaryWhat’s wrong?

Silence.

MaggieI’m not sure I love you any more.

Gary blinks and fetches the kettle which he fills and then flicks on.

He fetches his ‘G’ mug and another fresh mug for Maggie.

He fetches the teapot from the sideboard. He watches the kettle boil. The kettle boils.

GaryOh. You don’t want any tea do you?

MaggieNo.

He looks at her, composes himself. She looks at him, holds his gaze. Silence.

GaryWhat?

Silence.

MaggieDid you hear what I said?

Silence.

GaryYou know what? We didn’t defrost the pork.

He goes to the freezer and takes out a frozen pork belly.

I knew when we went to bed we’d forgotten something.

He finds a plate and puts the pork on it.

MaggieGary, did you hear what I said?

GaryI know I’m in trouble when I’m ‘Gary’.

He goes back to the mugs and teapot and throws in two teabags. He re-boils the kettle, pours water into the teapot. He looks at her.

GaryWhat?

MaggieGary?

GaryI can’t believe you woke me up again.

Silence.

I was having a really good sleep. I was in a really deep sleep. I was having a wonderful dream.

Silence.

I was in a big holiday camp. At a school reunion. Like that Butlin’s at Minehead. But more old-fashioned, like Hi-DeHi!. There was cod, chips and mushy peas for breakfast. All over that. And they was all there from school. But everyone had gone grey. Like exaggerated. Lucy Wilson looked like she had a silver wig on. And she was the fittest girl in my year. Adam Phillips had brought along the model he did of the Thames Barrier. As his geography project. And everyone said he was still a muppet. And Michael Keeley was taking pictures on a proper camera. We went on the flumes. Played on the penny pushers. Every one tried to crack on with Lucy Wilson like they did at school.

And she kept winking at me. But I ignored her. Everyone was dancing to ‘So Macho’. By Sinitta. And we was all having a right laugh. Hands in the air. Like you just don’t care.

MaggieI wish I had your dreams.

Silence.

There’s never any poin...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Middle
• Dedication
• Contents
• Characters
• Chapter
• eCopyright