31 Plays in 31 Days, #22 - "Giving Away"

I've been picking at this piece for a long time. I think I could possibly extend it into a full ten-minute play with some expanding and polishing, but I pushed myself to finish it just to have something to post today. It's from after Mary and Mrs. Hawking have their break, and Mary agrees to marry Arthur and go to America with him. This is from just before their wedding, a moment between Mary and Nathaniel, who is giving her away.

It's mostly fluff, about the bond between the two characters. Developing their friendship is important to me while keeping it platonic, and I like how a piece like this pays that off in a powerful way. Also, it's an exercise in dealing with one of the largest potential pitfalls of the whole series, how often everyone ends up talking about Mrs. Hawking. Here, it is DELIBERATELY AVOIDED by the characters' intention. But, because of the recent blowup she's a conspicuous and painful absence— she refuses to attend Mary's wedding —there are some slight allusions that I hope acknowledge the reality of the situation without centering her.

Last year's Day #25 - Wedding Toast would occur just after this.

( Day #22 - Giving Away )