Tania.co.za

My party

(Grace and Jaco depart with their toddler, Julia. Ross leaves to buy his younger brother a take-away. Paul says goodbye to go home to his wife, Marlene, who is sick in bed. Tania hands out sweets to act as chips, and Anton explains the rules of Blackjack for the benefit of Roelof and others who aren't seasoned players.)

Liezel: Aw, the music has stopped.
Roelof: I can fetch my Ray Charles CD.
Tania: Yes, please.
Roelof: OK, just don't spike my drink while I am gone.
(Exit Roelof.)
Tania: (Slightly hurt) I wonder why he said that.
Liezel: Maybe he thinks we're members of some swingers cult.
Anton: I wonder what would happen if he got back and we were all naked, and we just sat here acting as though nothing has happened.
(A moment of silent glances follows.)
Liezel: I know what! Let's all swap clothes!
(Tania and her brother Anton swap T-shirts. Tania's three-quarter sleeved Morgan T-shirt is of a soft red fabric and has a glittery print on the front and a cut away neckline. On Anton it is so tight that it looks as though it has been painted onto his body.)
Tania: Hahaha! You look gay.
(Tania looks at Marisa and Mikhailo)
You two swap shirts!
(Marisa and Mikhailo swap shirts. Marisa's shirt is a feminine blouse with delicate flowers and rounded lapels.)
Liezel: What about me?
Tania: I can wear your dress and you can wear Anton's T-shirt and my pants. Let's go into the bathroom!
Liezel: Hurry, he could be back any moment!
(Exit Liezel and Tania. Enter Roelof. Enter Liezel, giggling, squeezed into Tania's cargo pants. Enter Tania wearing Liezel's knee-length dress, and a shiny satin night-gown to mask her lymphoedema. All sit down.)
Roelof: OK, so are we going to play?
(Tania, Liezel and Anton giggle.)
What?
Tania: Is your drink OK?
(Liezel, Anton and Marisa giggle.)
Roelof: Why, what have you done to it?
(Liezel, Anton and Marisa laugh out loud. Mikhailo chuckles.)
Tania: Nothing, it's just that you were worried that we might spike it, so I just wanted to find out if everything seemed normal to you.
Roelof: (Confused, suspicious) Ye-es...
(Liezel looks at Mikhailo wearing Marisa's girlie shirt and packs out laughing. Anton laughs at Liezel and Tania laughs at Liezel and Anton. Liezel falls over from laughter. Marisa and Mikhailo smile and pretend that life is still normal.)
Roelof: What? Why don't we play now?
(Liezel rolls on the floor, shrieking with laughter.)
Tania: (To Roelof) So, everything is just fine? Do you mean to say that none of us look different to you?
Roelof: Well... (pointing to Anton) He's wearing a different shirt.
(Mikhailo and Marisa join Anton, Tania and Liezel in laughing out loud.)
Marisa: Doesn't it strike you as strange that everyone is wearing different clothes?!
Roelof: (Sheepishly) Well... my usual approach to things that I find strange is just to to act as if they are normal, in case they really are normal.
(All except for Roelof degenerate into hysteria.)

Marisa and Roelof pretend to get motherless. (Everyone actually went to bed sober but in excellent spirits!)