THE TROUSERS
by Alison Chaplin
This scene involves two brothers. One brother has borrowed the other brother’s brand new trousers and they have been damaged. But all is not as it seems…
Two characters. Male. Ages 6 - 12.
JOHN is sitting reading. PETER enters, carrying a pair of trousers. He is angry.
PETER: What have you done?!
JOHN ignores him.
PETER: I’m talking to you!
JOHN: I’m reading.
PETER: Stop reading right now!
JOHN reads for a little while longer, then sighs. He places a bookmark in the page and puts the book down. He looks at PETER.
JOHN: What?
PETER: You know what.
JOHN: If I knew then I wouldn’t be asking, would I?
PETER: (Holding the trousers up) These.
JOHN: Trousers.
PETER: My new trousers. My brand new, best, trousers.
JOHN: Oh.
PETER: They’re ruined.
JOHN: Aah, I can explain.
PETER: (He crosses his arms) Go ahead, I’m looking forward to hearing this.
JOHN: Well you remember Sam’s birthday party…?
PETER: Yes. I couldn’t go because I was ill.
JOHN: That’s right. And I wasn’t going to go without you.
PETER: But you did.
JOHN: Yes, because Mum said it would be rude for both of us to miss it.
PETER: So?
JOHN: So I got ready in a bit of a rush.
PETER: And?
JOHN: And I couldn’t find my smart trousers.
PETER: So you took mine?
JOHN: Borrowed.
PETER: And now they’re ruined.
He holds the trousers up. There’s a big hole in the knee.
JOHN: I didn’t do it on purpose.
PETER: No one ruins a good pair of trousers on purpose!
JOHN: He had a trampoline and five of us were jumping on it.
PETER: At the same time?
JOHN: Yes.
PETER: It was lucky that no one was injured.
JOHN: Yes. Anyway, my leg went through the side hole. And…
PETER: …rip.
JOHN: Sorry.
PETER: Why didn’t you tell me?
JOHN: I was afraid you’d be angry.
PETER: You were right!
JOHN: So I just put them back in your room.
PETER: You never respect my things.
JOHN: That’s not true.
PETER: What about my guitar?
JOHN: I didn’t mean to drop it. It was an accident.
PETER: My best ink pen?
JOHN: I just pressed a little too hard, that’s all. It was an accident.
PETER: My computer?
JOHN: The cup was too full. I didn’t mean to spill it. It was an accident.
PETER: And now my best trousers are ruined.
JOHN: I couldn’t help falling. It was…
PETER: …an accident. I know.
JOHN: You could repair them.
PETER: (Holds the trousers against his legs) Really? Do you think so?
JOHN: Oh dear.
PETER: What?
JOHN: They’ve shrunk. They’re too short for you.
PETER looks down. He is puzzled.
PETER: That’s odd.
JOHN: Perhaps it happened when they were washed?
PETER: Just a minute.
PETER looks at the inside of the waistband then starts laughing.
JOHN: What?
PETER: These aren’t my trousers, they’re yours. Your name label is in them.
JOHN: Oh no!
PETER: Bad luck.
JOHN: But they were in your drawer!
PETER: They must have been put in the wrong drawer. By accident.
PETER hands the trousers to JOHN and leaves.
This is an original duologue by Alison Chaplin and it isn’t part of a longer script. Arts On The Move can be commissioned to write original monologues and duologues for your students. Just email info@artsonthemove.co.uk