Fiction: Date Rape (A Play) by Gary Beck

Scene 1

(Sunday morning. The living room of the Bennett family. Enter Jennifer. Distraught. Megan enters.)

Megan: “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been walking around this morning like death warmed over. Are you sick?”

Jennifer: “I’m not sick.”

Megan: “Then what is it?”

Jennifer: (She looks around to be sure no one can hear her) “I was raped.”

Megan: “Oh, no. (she rushes to Jennifer and hugs her) When?”

Jennifer: “Last night. At a frat party.” (she cries)

Megan: “My poor baby. (comforts her) Tell me about it.”

Jennifer: “A guy in my lit class invited me to the Lacrosse team party. Larry was away this weekend, so I went. There was a lot of drinking, pot smoking, I think some of them were snorting coke. I didn’t like it, but it didn’t threaten me. People were dancing and having fun. Ron, the guy who invited me, offered me coke, but I refused. He got me a beer and we danced. I started feeling dizzy and he led me to another room. I guess I passed out, because the next thing I knew when I woke up my clothes were off, he was on top of me and he was inside me. (Jennifer looks at Megan, horrified) He was doing it to me. I tried to push him off, but I could barely move. It was hard to talk, but I said: ‘Stop. Get off me. Please stop’. But he kept on until he came in me, moaning like an animal.” (She breaks down sobbing)

Megan: (comforts her, asks) “What happened after that?”

Jennifer: “He left. I found my clothes, got dressed and snuck out of there. I didn’t want anyone to see me. When I got back to the dorm I was so agitated I couldn’t stay

there. I was afraid I’d go crazy. So I came home.”

Megan: “Well we’ve got things to do.”

Jennifer: “What?”

Megan: “First we’ve got to to go the emergency room and get you examined and let them take DNA samples of your attacker. Then we go to the police and report it…”

Jennifer: “I don’t know if I can deal with that…”

Megan: “You’ve got to. Monday morning we’ll go to the school and report it.”

Jennifer: “No. I can’t. Everybody’ll know.”

Megan: “You didn’t do anything wrong. He did. Let them look at him. It sounds like he gave you that date rape drug, then assaulted you. He’s a criminal. You’re an innocent victim. (Megan hugs her and whispers) If you don’t have him arrested, the same thing that happened to me will happen to you.”

Jennifer: “What do you mean?”

Megan: “I was raped when I was your age.”

Jennifer: “Oh, Megan. I didn’t know”

Megan: “I was so ashamed I didn’t tell anyone. I started drinking, had panic attacks, became depressed and dropped out of school. When I finally told Mom, she took me to the doctor and he diagnosed me with post-traumatic-stress-disorder.”

Jennifer: “I had no idea. Mom told me you were sick, but she never explained what was wrong.”

Megan: “What did you expect? You were 12 years old. She couldn’t tell you I was raped. You were an innocent kid. You wouldn’t have been able to deal with that.”

Jennifer: “Someone should have told me something to make me understand what was wrong with you. All they said was you were sick.”

Megan: “It took me a year to finally tell Mom what happened. By that time I was an alcoholic. I was miserable and had lost control of my life, which was a mess. I was beginning to think about suicide. Out of desperation I told Mom. She got me help, but it took two years and a lot of money we couldn’t afford before I got back on my feet. Then I went back to school and rebuilt my life.”

Jennifer: “I wish I knew. Maybe I could have helped.”

Megan: “There was nothing you could have done. Now we have to make sure the same kind of thing doesn’t happen to you. I know what you’re going through. I was there. You have to protect yourself. The only way to do it is by overcoming your shame and feelings of guilt that it was your fault, then facing what has to be done.”

Jennifer: “I don’t know if I can. It’s so humiliating.”

Megan: “That’s why it’s so important to get treatment, with proof that it happened, and have your attacker arrested. He’ll be the one who’s humiliated when he’s in jail.”

Jennifer: “Alright. I’ll do it. But you’ve got to go with me.”

Megan: “Of course, Jen. I’ll stay with you every step of the way. First you’ve got to tell Mom and Dad.”

Jennifer: “Do I have to?”

Megan: “Sure. They’ll be part of your support system. We’ll need them.”

Jennifer: (Hugs Megan) “Thanks, Meg. Last night I thought I’d die of shame. As long as you’re with me I can face it.”

Megan: “All the way, sis.” (exit Jennifer, Megan)

Scene 2

(Late afternoon. The Bennett family living room. Enter Jennifer. Megan leads in Julia and Mitchell Bennett)

Mitchell: “What’s up? We were about to take a power walk before dinner.”

Megan: “Jennifer has something to tell you.”

Julia: “I assume that’s why you brought us here. What is it?”

Jennifer: (Megan gestures for Jennifer to speak. Jennifer stares at her parents for a moment) “There’s no easy way for me to say this. I was raped last night.”

Julia: “No. No”. (Rushes to her. Mitchell stands there stunned. Then slowly goes to her and hugs her. Julia and Jennifer are crying. Mitchell is miserable)

Megan: “We went to the hospital and they checked Jen thoroughly. They found some of his hair on her clothes and one of his pubic hairs. They also found his semen on her abdomen, even though he used a condom. They tested her blood which still had a heavy presence of Ryphonol. There was almost no alcohol level, which proved she wasn’t drunk. Then we went to the police station, spoke to a detective and filed a complaint. We gave them the medical records and after they questioned Jen they issued a warrant for his arrest. Jen was terrific. You can understand how she was feeling, but she did everything right.”

Julia: “Well thank heavens for that. We couldn’t survive another case of a daughter keeping her mouth shut and going nuts.”

Megan: “Mom! Don’t talk like that. Jennifer did us proud. She actually asked the detectives if they could arrest the guy in class.”

Mitchell: “Good for you, Jen. That took nerve. (He pats her fondly) We’re here for you. Whatever you need we’ll get for you.”

Jennifer: “Thanks, Dad. I’m glad you’re not mad at me.”

Mitchell: “Of course not. It’s him I’m mad at. If they don’t send him to jail I’ll get him.”

Julia: “Don’t talk that way, Mitch. Jen was smart enough to go to the police. They’ll take care of him. You don’t have to pound your chest like the righteous avenger.”

Mitchell: “Are you telling me I can’t hate the guy who violated my daughter?”

Julia: “No, Mitch. Just don’t stir her up. She’s going through enough as it is.”

Mitchell: “I know this is hard for you, Jen, but you did the right thing going to the police. This way everyone’ll know the scumbag’ll get what he deserves.” (Jennifer nods, beginning to believe that she can deal with the nightmare.)

Megan: “I told her what happened to me.”

Julia: “Did you tell her what it cost us because you didn’t have she sense to speak up?”

Megan: “No, Mom. I thought it was more important to help her, rather than tell her about how much you spent on doctors, therapy and medication.”

Mitchell: “We did whatever we had to in order to save our daughter. Just like we’ll do for Jennifer.”

Julia: “Judging by how sensibly she’s dealing with this, she won’t need addiction rehab, or hospitalization.”

Megan: “That’s a little cold-blooded, Mom.”

Julia: “I didn’t mean it like that. We’re still paying off our debt from your treatment. We just couldn’t afford another major treatment expense.”

Mitchell: “Let’s stop talking about money and do whatever we have to to take care of Jen.”

Julie: “Of course. That’s what we all want.” (exit all)

Scene 3

(Sunday evening. The living room of the Bennett family. Enter Jennifer and Larry)

Jennifer: “I have something to tell you.”

Larry: “Let me guess. You’re not going to sneak into my dorm room tonight.”

Jennifer: “No. It’s something serious.”

Larry: “Like what?”

Jennifer: (She hesitates) “I was raped last night.”

Larry: “What?”

Jennifer: “You heard me.”

Larry: “Are you joking?”

Jennifer: “No. It happened.”

Larry: (Getting upset) “How?”

Jennifer: “I went to a frat party last night…”

Larry: (Amazed) “Why did you go to a frat party?”

Jennifer: “You weren’t here. It was Saturday night. I was bored, so I accepted an invitation from a Lacrosse player.”

Larry: (Indignant) “You went on a date?”

Jennifer: “It wasn’t a date. It was a party.”

Larry: “Some guy asked you and you went? Sounds like a date to me.”

Jennifer: “That’s not important. I’m trying to tell you what happened to me.”

Larry: “So you went out with this guy and he raped you?”

Jennifer: “I didn’t go out with him. I met him there. He gave me a drink that was drugged and I passed out. When I woke up he was raping me.”

Larry: “Did you try to stop him?”

Jennifer: (Outraged) “Of course I did. I had trouble speaking, but I told him to stop. I was so groggy that I couldn’t resist.”

Larry: “Did you enjoy it?”

Jennifer: “Are you crazy? How can you ask that?”

Larry: “You know what they say. Most rapes are invited by the way women dress and act.”

Jennifer: “I don’t believe you said that. I was drugged and overpowered. It wasn’t my choice. I was violated. Don’t you understand that?”

Larry: “It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t go to the party.”

Jennifer: “Are you saying I asked for it?”

Larry: “What else should I think? You went out with a strange guy to a frat party. We know what happens at those kind of parties.”

Jennifer: “I hoped you’d understand and care about what happened to me.”

Larry: “What do you want me to do? Go find the guy and beat him up?”

Jennifer: “I expect you to be concerned that something terrible happened to me. Instead, you’re saying it was my fault.”

Larry: “Well you shouldn’t have been there.”

Jennifer: (Crying) “You’re just making it worse. Get out of here.” (Larry shakes his head angrily and stalks out. Jennifer exits.)

Scene 4

(Evening. The living room of the Bennett family. Enter Jennifer, then Megan)

Megan: “So how did it go?”

Jennifer: “Not good. He thinks it’s my fault I got raped because I went to a frat party.”

Megan: “Why the lousy bastard. What did he say?”

Jennifer: “That if I hadn’t gone out on a date it wouldn’t have happened.”

Megan: “I’m so sorry. I thought he was a nice guy, though I didn’t know him very well.”

Jennifer: “I couldn’t believe he blamed me. He was always so nice. It was a shock to find out how he really felt.”

Megan: “Just remember that guys don’t always know how to deal with something like this. It can threaten their masculinity.”

Jennifer: “Are you defending him?”

Megan: “No. I’m just trying to be fair.”

Jennifer: “Well don’t. He turned out to be an insensitive jerk.”

Megan: “Better to find out now, when you have a support system and can do without him.”

Jennifer: “That’s one way of looking at it.”

Megan: “You have to develop a different mindset now. You were victimized. That doesn’t mean you’re helpless. Someone took advantage of you, but you began fighting back today. That shows character. It may take some time, but you’ll come out stronger from this.”

Jennifer: “It doesn’t feel like that.”

Megan: “Give it some time. You’ll see. You’re a survivor. You’ll come out of this alright.”

Jennifer: “I hope you’re right. But how can I ever trust a guy after this?” (Exit Jennifer and Megan)

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. His poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and his published books include 30 poetry collections, 13 novels, 3 short story collections, 1 collection of essays and 3 books of plays. Gary lives in New York.