Mac finds Judith in the den, aimlessly surfing the channels of daytime TV. He curls up next to her on the couch. She puts her arm around her little brother and draws him close. Mac begins to speak.
Mac:
Judith, how come you hate Joe so much?
Judith:
Who says I hate him?
Mac:
You always fight with him and you look so mean when you talk to him. I heard what you said to Mum. You know the drugs and stuff.
Judith:
He's rude and I would never want him for my brother or for a friend....
Mac:
But he's nice to me. And he's nice to his sister. He beat up this really bad guy who hurt her. I don't think you should be so mean to him.
Judith:
Listen Malcolm, don't worry about it. If you want to like him, that's fine. But you should know he's not the big hero you think he is. Never mind, you wouldn't understand.
Mac leaves.
Judith blankly stares at the TV and thinks to herself, "I hate this family. Mum will never leave Joseph and Dad doesn't want me to come to England. Even Mac doesn't understand why I can't stand that disgusting stepbrother..." She goes out into the back yard and sits under a tree. Tears roll down her cheeks. She doesn't see Joe approach.
Joe:
What's your problem?
Judith (quickly drying her tears):
Ugh, it's you.
Joe:
I love you too, princess.
Judith:
Stop calling me princess. I hate it.
Joe:
You want to know why I call you princess?
Judith:
Not rea...
Joe:
Because from the moment you came into this family all you've done is act like you're better than us.
Judith:
I don't have to...
Joe:
What do you know about me, Judith? You're so damn stuck on yourself that you don't have a clue about anyone else. All you do is feel sorry for yourself and blame us for your misery.
Judith:
No, I ...
Joe (bitterly):
I'm terribly sorry, Judith, that my sister got raped and psycho me had to waste the guy. Very dirty stuff for a proper British girl.
Judith:
Shut up, Joe. You think your so smart. Well, I can say the same thing to you that you told me - you don't have a clue about me.
Joe:
Oh Lord, did I hear you right? We actually have something in common? Well, this is cause for celebration.
Judith:
Everything with you is a joke. It's impossible to be real with you.
Joe:
Are you suggesting you want to bear your soul to me? How touching.
Judith:
Forget it. You're such a stupid ass. For a moment there I actually felt some sympathy for you.
Joe:
Keep your pity, Judith. I'm not interested.
Judith:
I didn't mean it that way. (She pauses) The guy was a pig. I guess he deserved it, though it was pretty stupid of you to be the one to get violent and get yourself into trouble.
Joe:
I'm shocked. I think you actually agree with something I did. Of course you would have preferred that I talk to the lad. Perhaps, I should have suggested to him that his behavior was inappropriate. Yes, here it is. This is what I should have said, "Excuse me Derek, but I understand you might have raped my sister. I do believe that was not a proper thing to do. In the future never again act in such a cowardly fashion." Yeah, that would have done it all right. That would have gotten his attention.
Judith:
Forget I ever said anything. It just doesn't pay to be nice to you.
Joe:
Then don't bother. I don't want your brand of niceness. The fine print reads, "You're no good, Joe. Yes, he was a creep but you should have done it my way - the right way."
Judith doesn't answer. She fights off tears and then gets up and leaves without saying anything.
Judith flees to her room, a room she shares with Chris, after her talk in the back yard with Joe. She huddles in the corner on the floor with letters from her friends in England. Tears roll down her cheeks as she reads them.
Chris comes in and sees Judith crying. Judith hurriedly wipes away the tears. Chris doesn't speak to her, but curls up in her big chair, her head down. The scene is two young women looking fairly dejected, each for her own reasons.
Finally, Judith speaks.
Judith:
How are you doing, Chris?
Chris:
How do you think? (No answer from Judith.) Well, pretty lousy, thanks to my big brother, who made sure that the whole town would know about what happened.
Judith:
Maybe what he did wasn't so bad.
Chris:
Yeah, easy for you to say. How would you like walking through the halls at school and hearing people whisper after you, "slut" and "Got any for me"?
Judith:
Listen, I'm really sorry that this happened to you. I know it must be horrible, but at least you know that Joe put him out of commission for a while.
Chris:
This is a scoop - you defending Joe. I thought you hated his guts.
Judith:
I do, but, I mean, I don't...I don't want to hate anybody. What I mean is, it's disgusting to think that someone can do things like that to girls and never get punished for it.
Chris:
Yeah, well, this is one more pig who won't get punished either.
Judith:
But you can do something about that. You can testify against him in court.
Chris:
Yeah, right, I've heard that one before. What does everyone think I am - some kind of Joan of Arc? Why do I have to be the one to get up on the stand? There were lots of girls he's raped. Why do I have to be the brave one?
Judith:
Because you are. Brave, I mean. You're gutsy.
There is a long pause while Chris thinks about it. She looks up at Judith and sees someone different than who she had thought she was.
Chris:
Why would you give me a compliment like that? You never did it before. I thought you thought I was some kind of slut.
Judith:
I never really thought that. I mean, I think you could dress a little less provocatively -
Chris:
Yeah, aren't these clothes weird enough for you?
Judith:
Well, they aren't so bad, but, I mean, there's something in between...what I'm trying to say is, I don't think that clothes always reflect the person inside. But unfortunately, guys think they do. So when you wear something that is very revealing, it might be just because it's fun for you, but they might think you're sending a message that you're...ready for anything.
Chris:
Just what I needed - a lecture on modesty.
Judith:
Chris, I'm not trying to lecture you. I think you've been through something terrible and that you're brave and I think that with the support of the family maybe you can go on the stand and put this scumball away. And I think that what Joe did might have been kind of primitive but at least he was protecting your honor. Not every brother would do that for his sister.
Chris:
(quietly): So what do you think I should do now? (Quiet again.) And when did we all of a sudden become a family that supports each other?
Judith:
Well, maybe we're not a family but that still doesn't mean I can't support you. You know it could have happened to me as well.
Chris:
Right, you're just the type to go up to a room with a strange guy.
Judith:
Chris, I'm not the prissy you think I am.
Chris:
Yeah, but you're not me either.
Next Episode: A Frantic Morning and a Thief
Previous Episode: Joe's First Therapy Session
Back to Austen-Kutchinsky Home Page
