Hurdle

December 16th, 2020

Starring: Coach Parent (60’s), Athlete Kid (early 20’s)

The local high school track.  Coach Parent (twirling a whistle) stands next to Athlete Kid (in jeans) at the starting line.  Around the entire track, the center lane is filled with hurdles.

ATHLETE KID

What is this?

COACH PARENT

Your future.

...

ATHLETE KID

How do you know what my future looks like?

COACH PARENT

We’ve all got hurdles.

ATHLETE KID

That’s so many.

COACH PARENT

I tried to factor in everything.  The world, who you are, what you say you want to do.  Considering that, this is conservative.

ATHLETE KID

If this is the future, how do I know what each hurdle means?

COACH PARENT

Use your imagination.

On your mark

ATHLETE KID

I question the effectiveness—

COACH PARENT

Get set

ATHLETE KID

Still questioning—

COACH PARENT

POW.  Everyone else has started running.

ATHLETE KID

What happened to run my own race?

COACH PARENT

You are.  But you’re not until you start running.

Starts walking down the lane.  Reaches the first hurdle.  

COACH PARENT

Hurdle one.

ATHLETE KID

I can’t.

COACH PARENT

Sure you can.

ATHLETE KID

No I understand what the hurdle represents, but I literally can’t jump over it.  

COACH PARENT

The fear in can’t is the only thing stopping you.

ATHLETE KID

Please.

COACH PARENT

Hurdle it.  

ATHLETE KID

Please.

COACH PARENT

Find your way.

Athlete Kid begrudgingly approaches the hurdle, jumps, then straddles it, swinging one leg over the other.

ATHLETE KID

By the book, I think I’m disqualified.

COACH PARENT

You cleared it.  That’s all that matters.  Keep going.

Athlete Kid keeps walking until they reach the next one.  They climb over the same way.

COACH PARENT

You got it.  

They reach the next.  They get over it, maybe with a bit more ease.

COACH PARENT

There you go.

At the quarter lap mark, Athlete Kid reaches a section of hurdles, all smushed together.

COACH PARENT

Uh oh, we got a quadruple.

ATHLETE KID

Never seen one of these at the Olympics.

COACH PARENT

They’re all over life.  Watcha gonna do?

Athlete Kid crouches and starts to crawl under.

COACH PARENT

ERR.  Disqualified.

ATHLETE KID

That disqualifies me?!

COACH PARENT

You have to go over it.

ATHLETE KID

How?

COACH PARENT

Figure it out.

ATHLETE KID

That’s the worst advice you can possibly give.

COACH PARENT

By the time you get here, I might not be around.  You might have no one.  

ATHLETE KID

Fine, I’ll go around it.

COACH PARENT

ERR.

ATHLETE KID

That’s a solution!

COACH PARENT

That’s not hurdling, it’s evading.  Plus, you mess up someone else’s race.

ATHLETE KID

Does my future not include interacting with other people?

COACH PARENT

Sure, but you’re not exempt from hurdling your own hurdles.

ATHLETE KID

Ok, so using my imagination, the runner in the lane next to me has a private helicopter and airlifts me allll the way over the hurdles.  

Athlete Kid jogs around the hurdles, going the full rest of the lap, reaching the start line again:

ATHLETE KID

I win!

COACH PARENT

You’re a baby.

ATHLETE KID

You’re babying me.

COACH PARENT

It’s the truth.  You can’t accept what you’re heading into.

ATHLETE KID

And that scares you, so you create some horrible metaphor to clear your own hurdle.  It gets me nowhere.  You’re tearing my meniscus before the starting gun.

Athlete Kid starts to walk off the track, heading for the sidewalk.

COACH PARENT

The long, stubborn walk home, huh?

Must be hard with a torn knee.

ATHLETE KID

Weird.  Suddenly it’s better.

They keep going.  

END OF PLAY

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