Summary: Two women neighbours are outside hanging up their wash and having a discussion. Both see the others items and make comments and small talk based on the obvious. What both women don’t realize is that they are both talking about their life secrets in a surface kind of way. The women talk about the obvious stains in their families laundry, while being as evasive about the truth behind the stains. Keywords: gossip, life, community, reality, real life
Style: Dramatic  Duration: 6min
Actors: 2F

Characters
Kristen and Bonnie (Two Women in their 30s)

Props
Two little laundry lines , Clothes pins, Two laundry baskets. Clothes: One white men’s dress shirt, One new woman’s shirt, One teen boys shirt, one old worn looking high school or team sport shirt, some extra filler items, and tea towels etc for the pre-hung line. Pre taped inner voices of women to be played on the sound system.

Script

(Stage setting is two back yards. One partial 3 foot high fence between the women separating the clothes lines and yards. Kristen’s yard has a clothes line out with some tea towels and generic items on it. Bonnie’s line is empty. Kristen enters stage with her basket of “clean clothes” and begins to take down the ones on the line. Bonnie enters with her basket a few seconds later and begins to hang up her laundry)
K (joking) Hey Bonnie, working overtime again? Any word on that RAISE yet? (laughs as she knows a woman’s work is never done )
 B Oh, you mean the 14 cents I found in the bottom of the washer this morning? (laughs, then sighs) Finally enough of a breeze to dry the laundry. It took so long for my line to dry yesterday.
 K Yeah, this load was dry in less than an hour. ( Bonnie starts hanging clothes on the line – Men’s white dress shirt) So, did you find a babysitter so you could go out for dinner Saturday night?
 B Oh yeah, we did.
 K Well, you must have had a good time that night! (Teasing Bonnie) I see your lipstick stain on the collar, there.
 B ( speaking calmly and casually) Yeah, deep shade of red, hay? Any suggestions how to get that out?
 K You could try Spray & Shout.
 B Yeah I should try that.
 ( Inner voice plays on sound system for audience to hear… INNERVOICE BONNIE: Shout huh? You should’ve heard us shout when I discovered that red lipstick stain AFTER the dinner party. RED, I don’t even wear red lipstick!
 (Kristen hangs up new woman’s shirt)
 B Wow, is that a new shirt?
 K Oh yeah, I just bought it online from the Dolce and Gabbana website. I’d love to tell you how much it cost, but Bob had to sell his car for me to get it. ( laughs loudly) Good color don’t you think?
 B Kristen you’re a self acclaimed shoppaholic”. I could use a few new things myself, You want to go shopping?
(K&B laugh)
 INNERVOICE KRISTEN: Yeah, well, beauty is expensive these days. If you knew that we are in overdraft every month you’d think differently about this shirt. My husband may ACTUALLY have to sell his car someday.
  (Bonnie hangs up her old school/ sports shirt)
 K (laughing) I think it’s time you borrow one of my new shirts. How old is that thing?
 B HAHA. It belonged to my sister when we were in high school. I keep it because it reminds me of when we were in basketball camp together.
 K I didn’t know you have a sister? ( Bonnie brushes off the question)
 INNERVOICE BONNIE : 15 years later, and I still miss her. We were all so hopeful that she’d pull through. I still fear the word cancer and I still miss her.
 ( Kristen hangs up teen boys shirt)
 B Did your son get his driver’s licence yet?
 K I think that he wants to save to get his own car first….We have too many rules for driving ours.
 INNER VOICE KRISTEN : I can’t believe that he’s had his licence for a month and he already lost it for a DWI….a whole year before he gets it back, not to mention a few AA meetings later, so irresponsible.
 B That’s probably a good idea. Why don’t you come over later and have some iced tea?
 K That sounds great! I’ll be over later around 3.
 B See you later.
 (Both women exit with their baskets. Leaving the items hang on the line.)
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© Copyright Bonnie DeGagne and Kristen Birley, all rights reserved. The script may not be reproduced, translated or copied in any medium, including books, CDs and on the Internet, without written permission of the author.
This play may be performed free of charge, on the condition that copies are not sold for profit in any medium, nor any entrance fee charged. In exchange for free performance, the authors would appreciate being notified of when and for what purpose the play is performed. They may be contacted at: Bonnie Degagne <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>