Man Explains It All
Directed by Becca Gilbert
With William J. Brown III & Annamarie Macleod
[A room. TROY and JOY are assembling school projects of some sort -- trifold poster board, dioramas, etc.]
TROY Who made the rule that the parents gotta set up these displays?
JOY The parent association, of course.
TROY Well, I'm a parent, and no one asked me.
JOY I'm convinced that the Parent's Association is a shadowy front organization, honestly. But, they felt that the parents should, you know, get to know one another, and what better time than the Culturama Fair.
TROY
Get to know each other?
JOY Oh, private schools, we're all coming from different parts of the area, different circumstances... it's building a cultural bridge. Like they're teaching each other about different countries, we're all of us working together, for the kids.
TROY
For the kids!
JOY
Hurrah.
TROY
Which one's your kid?
JOY
Lisa. "Japan."
TROY
"Cameroon."
JOY Lisa's the one with the glasses, and the--
TROY
--the hair, everywhere?
JOY
Oh yeah.
TROY She's got some head of hair, that kid!
JOY Yeah, and you try taming it every morning!
TROY No thank you! I get Melody's hair into braids, under a
baseball cap, and bam, out the door.
JOY She does have a variety of baseball caps...
TROY
Gets it from her dad. [He tips his baseball hat]
So, uh, when's your next one due?
JOY
What?
TROY
Oh, I just, I mean--
JOY
No, I don't know what you mean.
TROY Oh god. I just mean, I thought you -- had a younger kid! Yeah, I thought I heard that Lisa had a little brother, or sister, or--
JOY
It's brother. On the way.
[Troy breathes out]
Yes! I'm pregnant! Messing with people who think they've just called me fat is just about the only happiness I get right now.
TROY Oh Jesus, I just saw my life flash before my eyes.
JOY
Yeah, yeah.
TROY
You really shouldn't do that.
JOY
Do what?
TROY
Mess with people ike that, it's the WORST thing, to make someone feel bad about... how you look.
JOY
The worst thing?
TROY Ah, well, These things are sensitive--
JOY
Like my feet, you mean?
TROY Like, in a delicate social situation, I don't want to feel like the bad guy.
JOY I didn't say -- Never mind. I'm sorry. It was a bad joke. Having a baby in me makes me mean.
TROY It can't be that bad, my wife's done it four times, she didn't do anything to make me feel bad about it.
JOY
Well maybe she should've.
TROY And what good would that have done?
JOY Well, you sure care about not looking like a bad guy, maybe if a woman had rattled your cage a little earlier, you'd care more about not being a bad guy instead.
TROY Hey, hey. Let's calm down. We're supposed to be getting to know each other, right? But I'm not the kind of guy to go easy on you or cut you slack because of... y'know.
JOY Is this a 1950's TV set? Are we not allowed to say pregnant?
TROY There's kids around, come on! You don't have to be all, hormonal, right now, do you?
JOY I don't have to be, but I sure am!
TROY I'm just telling it like it is, you don't have to be like this, you're hiding behind some screen of--"Oh, I'm hormonal, and I'm not accountable! Bring me pickles and ice cream" And oh, now I look like the bad guy.
JOY Are you man explaining Pregnancy to me right now?
TROY
What?
JOY
Are you Man. Explaining. This to me?
TROY That's a very clunky way of saying "mansplaining."
JOY
What?
TROY I'm saying, I think you mean "mansplaining."
JOY Are you mansplaining Man Explaining to me now?
TROY
...Alright, that was pretty good.