There
is a thud of something being knocked over. A mug shatters on the floor. BEN -
mid-twenties, dark-haired and of medium build - and MUM - stouter and with
greying hair and kind features - are facing off in the kitchen; a modest but
clean room. BEN is mid-sentence, starting to back away. MUM is standing hands
clenched, leaning forward.
BEN
(scornful, as if echoing MUM’s previous
words)
‘Just a phase’, I’m not some fourteen year
old kid!
MUM
(coldly)
You’re deluded. That’s what you are.
BEN’s
grip tightens on a mug clasped in his hand.
BEN
(getting angry)
Do you think I’m doing this to hurt you? This
wasn’t a choice I got to make – I didn’t choose to spend twenty years feeling
like I’m in the wrong fucking body.
BEN gestures to his person, angrily.
(cont.)
I didn’t choose the gender I was born, and it
wasn’t a fucking choice to reject it! It’s who I am! I don’t know how that’s
so…so hard for you to understand!
MUM
No… (pausing) no, it’s not. I don’t know why
you can’t see that. Have you seen those types? Ben, you’re not one of them…
MUM trails off, realising what she’s said.
BEN stares.
BEN
(in disgust)
Is that really how you feel? ‘Those types’?
He angles for the door. MUM starts forward.
MUM
Ben—
BEN
(icily)
No, don’t bother.
MUM
Ben—
BEN
I don’t want to hear it.
BEN
turns to leave. He is mid-stride and halfway out of the room when MUM speaks
again.
MUM
(quietly)
If you walk out that door, don’t expect
you’ll be welcome back here.
BEN
(stunned)
I won’t.
BEN
exits. MUM stares at the empty doorway. The front door slams shut. BEN storms
down the drive, stuffing a hoody into a messenger bag. MUM stoops to pick up
the pieces of shattered china from the broken mug; when she straightens, BEN is
gone.
2. INT. MICK’S PLACE – EVENING 2.
The noise of the TV drones in the background.
The tattered curtains are drawn shut, minimum light filtering through. Clothes
and other various items are scattered on the floor and around the messy room. A
bundle of blankets has been dumped untidily next to the sofa. An ashtray
littered with cigarette butts sits square in the middle of the coffee table.
BEN and MICK are sitting on the sofa, smoking; BEN is hunched forward, tense,
MICK leans back, relaxing into the sofa. BEN takes another drag on his
cigarette and ashes it into the ashtray. He stares at the TV, clearly not
paying attention to the images on screen.
MICK
(casually)
(cont.)
So she told you if you walked out you
couldn’t come back?
MICK breathes out smoke slowly, looking at
BEN, who seems to suddenly realise MICK is speaking to him and glances up.
BEN
(nodding)
Said I shouldn’t expect to be welcome back
there (pausing; bitterly) -- like I’d want to go back after that?
MICK
(frowning, and finishing his cigarette, he
puts it in the
ashtray)
You can’t think like that, kiddo. It’s
family. She’ll come around.
BEN turns to look at MICK, incredulously.
BEN
How long have you known my family for? (he
takes another drag on his cigarette and exhales slowly, pausing) She’ll never
agree with it. Too set in her ways. (he begins to look visibly upset, looking
at the floor instead of MICK) Just so afraid of change. Y’know?
MICK
(sympathetically)
You can’t seriously believe that – you don’t
actually believe she’d rather lose you than try and accept this?
A pause. BEN drops his cigarette in the
ashtray and sits forward, putting his head in his hands. MICK embraces him
tightly. The silence lingers further, punctuated by the drone of a reality show
on the TV in the background, and BEN sighs heavily. MICK squeezes his shoulder
and stands up, stooping to pick up the bundle of blankets on the floor.
MICK
C’mon. You just need to get some sleep.
(attempting to be lighthearted, he nudges BEN again) Bet you’re fucking
knackered, eh?
BEN
(agreeably)
Mm… (he stands up and turns off the TV,
reaching out to take some of the blankets from MICK) thanks for letting me
crash.
MICK
(shooting BEN a shit-eating grin)
S’alright, not like you’ve got any other
mates is it?
BEN snorts and punches him in the shoulder.
Together they throw blankets and pillows messily on the sofa.
3. INT. MICK’S PLACE – MORNING 3.
BEN is woken by the loud buzzing of his phone
on the coffee table. His hair sticking up in all directions and his clothes in
disarray, he jolts upright, throwing the blankets off himself in the process.
He picks up the phone, to see the caller ID is MUM. Indecisive, his thumb
hovers over the ‘answer’ button, but after a moment of hesitation he declines
the call and puts the phone back on the table, grabbing the blankets and
pulling them over himself again, he goes back to sleep. The phone buzzes again
in the background, ignored.
Time passes; BEN wakes up again to the sound
of the phone buzzing and continues to ignore it, staring at the TV instead,
which has been left on. Used mugs and cigarette butts collect on the coffee
table. They are soon joined by empty takeaway packets. The room becomes more
decrepit as time continues to go by. On one occasion MICK walks into the room
eating a packet of crisps. Hearing the phone buzzing, he goes to answer it but
has his hand slapped away by BEN; shaking his head, he backs off, looking at
him in confusion.
MICK
You just gonna ignore her?
BEN shrugs. MICK shakes his head again.
MICK
I don’t understand you sometimes, y’know.
BEN
(moodily)
Told me I wasn’t welcome back. Her own
family. She can fucking sit and think about that for a while.
MICK sighs and leaves the room. BEN goes back
to staring at the TV, resolute.
Once again, BEN is asleep the next time his
phone goes off. Sitting up, he reaches out to hit the ‘reject’ button once
again but MICK, appearing suddenly, snatches the phone out of his hand and hits
the answer button – BEN, angry, jumps up to grab the phone back but MICK holds
him off with his free arm.
MICK
Mrs O’Reilly, hey, how are- yeah he’s here …
you wanna talk to
him? Uh huh? I’ll pass you on…
Turning, he offers the phone to BEN, who
refuses to accept it.
MICK
Fucking talk to her, Ben. You can fix this.
Begrudgingly, BEN nods and takes the phone.
BEN
Hey, ma.
4. EXT. A PARK BENCH – AFTERNOON 4.
MUM is already sitting on the bench, handbag
beside her, hands clasped together nervously. She stares out across the park,
watching other people pass by idly. BEN enters the park, can of energy drink in
hand. He takes a swig from the can and noticeably pauses mid-stride when he
sees MUM already sitting on the bench. Taking another drink, he puts the energy
drink in a bin and shoves his hands in the pockets, walking over to sit next to
MUM, who has already noticed his presence. She attempts a smile, which goes
unreturned.
MUM
How’ve you been?
BEN
(obviously angry)
How do you think I’ve been? You kicked me
out, ma. Told me I wasn’t fucking welcome to come back.
MUM
I didn’t mean that – Ben, honey, I was just
angry, I was upset, you’d just told me something that –
BEN
(cutting MUM off sharply) told you something
that what?
There is an awkward pause.
MUM
Something that – something that I have
trouble coming to terms with.
BEN
Have. Present tense.
MUM
(starting to get irritated)
You were born a boy – I just, I don’t see why
you would reject that. I don’t understand why you would! And all the
operations, injections, all of that, to change who you are? Why? I just…I
don’t… (she trails off, shaking her head)
BEN
You know what I don’t understand – why you
can’t accept the decisions I’ve made. Why you can’t be there when I need you
to, even if you don’t agree with this. (he pauses) Why did you even want to
talk to me, ma? You haven’t fucking changed at all.
MUM
I wanted to try—
BEN
No you didn’t. You wanted me to change my
mind.
MUM
(placing a hand on his arm)
Ben—
BEN
(shrugging her away)
Don’t bother.
BEN stands up, stuffing his hands in his
pockets again, and walks away without looking back. MUM stands up as though to
follow him, but thinks better of it, and is left standing, watching him leave.
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