Parenting, good and not so good.Two fathers in a hospital waiting room discuss the arrival of their newsest children. One not really into this “church thing”, and the other thanking God for His goodness. Hospital waiting rooms, a good opportunity for witnessing.

PropsThe set is the hospital waiting room and should be furnished as such with a couch, chair, table. There should be signs and pictures on the wall which give the clear indication that this is the obstetrics ward. Have styrofoam cups for coffee and also magazines available.

SoundSince the actors will be moving about the stage, remote mikes would be useful for each actor. Taped sounds from hospital, (doctor being paged, baby crying, etc., are needed.

LightingHave bright lighting as would be normal in a hospital.

CostumesOnly regular casual clothing required for men, nurses uniform for nurse.

Cast
Nurse
Mr. Cameron
Mr Harrison
Mr. Arnold
All men would be in twenties / thirties.

Sample of script:

When lights come on, fathers-to-be are pacing back and forth, waiting for the birth of their children. Some are drinking coffee, others absent-mindedly reading magazines. At those times indicated in script, the nurse comes out to inform another man that he is now a father.

Nurse comes on stage.

Nurse: Mr. Arnold. Congratulations, you are the father of an 8 pound, 6 ounce baby boy!

Arnold: Did you hear that, I’m a father, I’m a father! Man wait till I tell all my friends. (Pulls a cigar out of his pocket, sticks it in Cameron’s mouth). Here, have a cigar!

Cameron, hands back cigar:Sorry, I don’t smoke, but congratulations anyway!

Arnold: Well here, have a candy cigar! See, it says, “It’s a Boy”, right here, in licorice!

Cameron: So you knew it was going to be a boy?

Arnold: It’s our fifth child, we have four daughters. This one simply had to be a boy! I got to go and let all my friends know! Man, a son! We done great!

Arnold leaves room, Harrison approaches Cameron.

Harrison: That guy sure is on top of the world! I’m glad that he got his son but we will have a daughter. We are going to call her Marie.

Cameron: Oh, I suppose you have four sons!

Harrison: No, this is our first child. We went to a fortune teller and she told us it would be a girl. Besides, I wouldn’t want a son who someday would have to go through what I’ve gone through tonight, waiting here in this waiting room is awful!

Cameron: It isn’t easy, but I would guess that our wives have gone through a little more trauma than we have tonight.

Harrison: Your first, too?

Cameron: Yes. My wife and I are thankful to God that we will be parents.

Harrison: God. I take it that you are, that is that you go to church.

Cameron: Yes, we are Christians. Are you a Christian too?

Harrison: Oh, yeh, yeh, ‘course! Christians, yep, that’s us. Well, we don’t go to church right now, but both I and Nancy went to church when we were kids. And of course we will have Marie baptized. We want to use the baptism gown that Nancy wore when she was baptized, and Nancy’s mother wore the same gown when she was baptized. You know, kind of a family thing.

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