31 Plays in 31 Days, #16 - "Rings"

It amuses me to think that Nathaniel’s son Reggie and Mary’s oldest daughter Tory might eventually get married, to make another Mr. and Mrs. Reginald and Victoria Hawking. I know it’s kind of cheesy and cliched that to want to get the children of my two heroes together. But I swear I have more reason than just the obvious self-gratification factor. 

A major theme of the whole series is the idea that Mrs. Hawking is lost so that Mary may be saved. The former may have endured too much bitterness, disappointment, and injustice to ever truly be happy, but that what her suffering drove her to do made it possible for the latter to be all right. Even if it’s too late for Mrs. Hawking herself, her suffering ultimately resulted in Mary being able to find happiness and her purpose in life. By extension, it also enables that for their children.

The first Mr. and Mrs. Reginald and Victoria Hawking were very unhappy. But their unhappiness was the catalyst for all the important things that Mrs. Hawking went on to do. It was the progenitor of the new life and purpose she opened up for Mary, Nathaniel, and their respective children. It made it possible for those children to meet, to fall in love, to make a life together, something that never would have happened if circumstances were different. 

I really like the idea that they stand as symbol of how she made something of her pain that made life better for others. Tory and Reggie get to be happy in their marriage, instead of trapped and sad like she was— they get to be vibrant, productive, happy people. Version 2.0 was an improvement on version 1.0.

Frankly, I think it annoyed the shit out of Mrs. Hawking when she heard about the two of them. But I also think that when Reggie wanted to propose to Tory, she gave him the ring that the Colonel gave to her, with the notion that with them was a place where it could actually do some good. I sketched out a little bit of a scene for that. If it were ever to be included in a real piece, I think I would split up the beginning and the end of it over the course of a larger story. But here it is as an interesting exploration of the idea.

( Day #16 - Rings )