Snapshot
March 19th, 2021
Starring: Faye (female, late 40’s), Lia (female, 13, Nolan (male, 11), Beck (male, 8)
A warm Friday evening, the city. Faye stands as Lia, Nolan and Beck return from the ice cream shop/stand, holding their prizes: Lia’s is strawberry (in a cup), Beck’s is vanilla (in a kids cake cone), and Nolan’s is some zany multicolored tutti frutti (in a waffle cone). They all start to walk together, in a horizontal line, down the street.
FAYE
Is everyone satisfied?
Everyone nods, a little too distracted to respond.
FAYE
Nolan, what’s poking out of yours?
NOLAN (mid bite)
Sour gummy worms.
FAYE
You’re brave. I don’t know how you eat that stuff.
NOLAN
It’s good wanna try?
FAYE
Thank you babe, I’m ok.
LIA
Wanna try mine, Mom?
FAYE
No, it's all yours.
Faye notices Beck hasn’t eaten any of his.
FAYE
Do you like yours, Beck?
BECK
Yes.
FAYE
You have to try it first, silly goose.
BECK
I want Daddy to have some.
FAYE
Have it while it’s cold.
BECK
But I want Daddy to—
FAYE
Daddy won’t be home until late tonight.
BECK
Again?
FAYE
I know, I’m sorry honey.
LIA
Why’s he so busy now?
FAYE
He’s got that big talk coming up, remember?
NOLAN
He already had a big talk.
FAYE
He’s got another one.
…
LIA
So he’s at his office?
FAYE
Yep.
LIA
Can I call him?
FAYE
He’s busy.
BECK
Can I?
NOLAN
You don’t have a phone—
LIA
I just wanna say goodnight—
FAYE
No. We’re not...you’ll all see him in the morning, ok? I promise.
The kids stare at Faye for a second, but know better than to keep bombarding. They all keep walking. Faye looks at all of them, down the line, eating their ice creams. She looks forward again, looking ill
They reach a street corner, with an option to walk further down the street, or a crosswalk to cross the street. The kids line up at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal. Further down the street, Faye spots something. She stares at it, thinking it through. The crosswalk walk light goes on, and the kids start to go, assuming Faye is behind them. Lia turns to see Faye frozen, still staring ahead. Lia stops her brothers from crossing.
LIA
Mom...?
Car’s this way.
FAYE
I know...
One last stop.
They all walk down the street instead. After another block, Faye stops in front of a photo booth: touch screen, curtain and all.
NOLAN
What is this?
LIA
You take pictures inside.
NOLAN
Cool!
BECK
Why?
FAYE
To remember things.
Faye opens the curtain, stepping aside:
FAYE
Everyone in!
The kids file into the booth, the boys on either side, Lia in the middle. Lia looks at Faye.
LIA
Are you coming?
FAYE
There’s no room.
LIA
We can make some—
FAYE
No, just you guys. For the fridge door.
Faye pulls out a couple bucks from her pocket and hands them to Nolan.
FAYE
Put those in.
Nolan puts the dollars into the machine, and it boots up.
NOLAN
Can I press?
Lia realizes she has ice cream on her face.
LIA
Woah I’m not—
BECK
Where’s the camera?
FAYE (pointing)
Right there. Just keep looking right there.
Lia wipes off her ice cream moustache.
NOLAN
Now are you—?
LIA
I’m good.
FAYE
Ready Beck?
BECK
Ready!
Nolan presses the button. The timer starts to count down from five. Then Lia notices Faye’s still holding the curtain open—
NOLAN/BECK
5...4...3...2...
LIA
Mom—!
FAYE
Dad and I are getting divorced.
With that, Faye closes the curtain. We can’t see inside, but we hear the camera click a few times. Outside the door, the film starts to print out of the dispenser. Faye looks down at the picture strip: In the succession of five photos (top to bottom), we see the kids’ faces, morphing from shock, to confusion, to anger, to defeat. In the last photo, Nolan looks ready to cry, Lia’s dropped her ice cream, and Beck still doesn’t really understand. The dispenser prints three copies. Faye scoops them up.
The curtain opens and Lia steps out. She faces Faye, not really knowing what to say. From the booth, we can hear Nolan’s sobs. Faye holds the picture strips out to Lia:
FAYE
For you and your brothers.
LIA
Why?
FAYE
Just take them.
LIA
Why?
FAYE
Please—
LIA
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?
Strangers walking down the street stop and turn their heads. Faye plays it cool, keeping the photos outstretched:
FAYE
So you’ll never forget it.
LIA
...what?
FAYE
The moment we let you down.
Lia pauses, then takes the photos from her mother. She scans down a strip, looking at the progression. She looks back at Faye, somehow holding it together:
LIA
What do we do now?
FAYE
Nothing to do.
Round up the troops and go home.
Lia nods, then slips through the curtain back into the booth, towards the sniffle sounds. Faye looks down the street, only seeming to spot couples holding hands. She puts her head down.
Lia reemerges, holding Nolan and Beck’s hands. In their other hands are their melted ice cream cones. The boys make brief eye-contact with Faye, who can’t bear much at the moment. Luckily, Lia starts to walk with them back down the street, in line, as before. Faye watches them go for half a block, then jogs to catch up.
Back in the booth is Lia’s cup of strawberry ice cream, melting into a red puddle on the floor. It’s topped with pieces of the photo strips, neatly ripped into tiny sprinkles.