Dos and Don'ts

FADE IN:

Gretchen and Jude climb out of their car in front of Jude's school. It's Open House Day, and parents and kids are all heading to school to check out the kids' classrooms and artwork. Jude is slow.

GRETCHEN

Come on Stinky Magoo, let's go!

JUDE

(sotto voce)

Mom! Don't call me silly names in front of people!

GRETCHEN

Oh. Sorry. I'll try to just call you Jude. How's that? And maybe Bugs.

I don't know if I can help myself from calling you Bugs. It might just...

pop out.

JUDE

(begrudgingly)

Yeah, okay.

GRETCHEN

Anything else I shouldn't do?

JUDE

Don't sing, okay?

GRETCHEN

Sing?

JUDE

Yeah. You're always singing really loud. It's embarrassing.

GRETCHEN

(sarcastic)

Wow. I wouldn't want to embarrass you or anything. Okay. I'll try to control

myself. Anything else?

JUDE

Well...maybe you can try not to talk too much.

GRETCHEN

Don't talk too much. Check. I'll try hard at that one.

They continue walking toward the school. Jude reaches out and takes Gretchen's hand.

GRETCHEN

You don't want me to talk, but it's okay to be seen holding my hand?

JUDE

(considers for a beat)

Yeah. You're my mom. That's cool.

GRETCHEN

Okay. That's cool.

Gretchen smiles and they walk into the school holding hands.

FADE OUT.

Comments

[Jan]

Well, you're a cool mom, so it's cool to hold your hand...as long as you don't sing or talk too much. ;)

[VandyJ]

And the dictates start. Turbo has requested that I not touch him in public, at least not too much. Just wait until they turn 13 and we become the dumbest people in the world.

[Aimee]

*sniff*

[Arnebya]

Their logic cracks me up.