And Then I Heard This

In Motherhood Out Loud I played the part of a mom whose only child left for college.  

I’d start the vignette by shouting over my son’s music playing loudly in the background.  The music continued playing as I described myself as an overly-protective parent whose life revolved around my son. 

I described the process of moving him into his dorm room and crying all the way home.

The most powerful part of the vignette is the description of returning home alone.  "And then we got home.  And then we heard this: the quiet."  

The music abruptly stops and there is a long, uncomfortable silence on stage as I comprehend the absence of my son and his music.

We closed Motherhood Out Loud last night.

Finally.

For the past 6 weeks a typical day would be like this: leave for work at 6:30 AM.  Work until 5-ish.  Fight traffic to get home. Say hi to Dave.  Take Kevin for a walk.  Grab something to eat.  Say bye to Dave.  Go to rehearsal. Come home at 10:30. Go to bed.  Wake up at 6 AM and start over.

I could barely keep my eyes open at work some days.   I was really looking forward to May 24th, when I could finally get my life back. 

Today is May 24. I woke up this morning with nothing to do.  No lines to learn. No rehearsals. No costume to find.  No bio to write.  No shows.  

And guess what?  I feel a lot like the Mom I played just last night.  

And then I heard this: the quiet.

My life is quiet again.  

But, unlike the Mom I played last night, I am going to do something about it.

You got it:  

Time to audition for another show!