THE FUNERAL HOME
CHOIR A
1. He looks handsome.
2. They made him handsome.
3. Courage.
4. You’ll need courage.
5. We came to lend you courage.
6. We didn’t see it coming.
7. We can’t always see it from close up.
8. You can’t see.
9. You can’t hear the call for help.
10. It’s not your fault.
11. It’s nobody’s fault.
12. There’s no one to blame.
13. We only see it when it’s too late.
14. He’s with the Lord now.
15. I don’t believe in God, but he’s with Him anyway.
16. This is the kind of thing that makes you wish you believed.
17. He lives in our memory.
18. We’ll never forget him.
19. Memory, memories.
20. He’ll always be with us.
21. It was right to have visitation.
22. It’s important to grieve.
23. It’s good you had an open casket.
24. People need to see him.
25. At first, you’re afraid and you don’t want to see, but after you realize it’s good to be able to see him.
26. You have to see.
27. I looked.
28. Courage.
29. We’re here for you.
30. And you have the girls.
31. You still have the girls.
32. That’s right: Karine and Marie.
33. Especially Marie.
34. It’s good that you have the girls.
35. Did she say her brother’s become an angel? That’s so cute. (to someone else) Marie says her brother’s become an angel.
36. Kids are tough.
37. Yeah, tough.
38. Well, life goes on.
39. Kids are life itself.
40. Life goes on.
41. The video was a good idea. Classical ballet.
42. Classical ballet. He’d have liked that.
43. His favourite dance: “The Dying Swan.”
44. “The Dying Swan”—it is nice, isn’t it.
45. It’s a good thing you can do what you like in a funeral parlour these days.
46. You can do what you like.
47. Everyone according to his beliefs and personal interests.
48. You really can do what you like.
49. They personalize it more these days.
50. It’s more personal.
51. Before, it used to be the same for everybody. Now it’s more personal.
52. You can even have a cappuccino.
53. It’s better nowadays.
54. Before, it wasn’t so good. Now it’s better.
MONIQUE stands before the eye. During what follows, we sense that she is going to speak, but each time she takes a breath and breaks off. She breathes more and more rapidly. At the same time, a phone rings.
MARIE 1
…throughout the period of the Middle Ages, in fact, portrayals of the angels were amputated, so to speak, but the Renaissance restored their feet to them, a sort of gradual reinstatement of their complete being from hip to toe.
We will attempt to draw conclusions from their partial humanization and their move away from the celestial, floating entities they used to be.
Thus the research has been limited to the archaeology of image, specifically the details concerning feet and their uncertain portraiture. The outcome has been a questioning of the representation of the world at large—sometimes veiled, sometimes not—to the extent that the world itself is revealed to us.
MARIE 2 and KARINE are on the phone. KARINE is in a phone booth at the hospital.
KARINE
…appendicitis.
MARIE 2
Is it something serious? I can never remember if it is…
KARINE
Not if you catch it in time.
MARIE 2
…And did you?
KARINE
Well… I almost didn’t. I mean, I didn’t realize. When he wouldn’t stop complaining about his stomach hurting, I thought he was going to die, as usual. You know how he is. I didn’t want to go to the hospital; I didn’t want go and wait five hours just for them to tell me my son was stressed out.
MARIE 2
There was no way you could have known, Karine.
KARINE
Well, the doctor told me I waited way too long and it could have turned out really bad.
MARIE 2
Yeah, but at least it didn’t.
KARINE
Good thing the school nurse called me right away…
MARIE 2
Is John with you?
KARINE
John’s in Toronto…
MARIE 2
Oh yeah, that’s right. Is he coming home?
KARINE
…I told him there was no point rushing back. He’s due home in two days anyway.
MARIE 2
So it’s an infection, is it?
KARINE
They’re operating on him now.
MARIE 2
Right away… now?
KARINE
It’s so weird to think they’re looking at his insides… seeing part of him I’ll never see.
MARIE 2
How long do they think it’ll take?
KARINE
I should be able to go to the recovery room in two hours. Know what he said just before they put him to sleep?
MARIE 2
What?
KARINE
He said he was afraid he might not recognize himself without an appendix, so I told him it wouldn’t show at all.
MARIE 2
Yeah, well, it doesn’t…
KARINE
He hated the idea they were going to take away a piece of him, so I told him he didn’t need it anyway.
MARIE 2
Sure, it isn’t good for anything…
KARINE
I promised he’d recognize himself; boy, I sure hope he will. How much do you wanna bet he’ll fix it so he doesn’t, just to get me! Anyway, I won’t be able to make it… sorry.
MARIE 2
Don’t worry about it… give him a kiss for me.
KARINE
I’ll be thinking of you… good luck!
MARIE 2
Thanks. Let me know how things go.