At home, Rory and Mitchell's mother, Katherine, is finishing up dinner preparations. Good natured Mitchell is happy to help set the table. Rory is supposedly helping by laying out the silverware, but her attention is fixed on the television that resides on the far side of what serves as their kitchen, dining, and family room. The Nat King Cole show is airing in flickering black and white, and Pearl Bailey and the band are finishing up Takes Two To Tango. When they're done the audience applauds and programming turns to a commercial for the popular daytime soap, The Brighter Day.
"Our years are as the falling leaves. We live, we love, we dream, and then we go. But somehow, we keep hoping that our dreams come true on that brighter day."
Katherine notices her daughter's dereliction to the chores at hand. She orders-
"Mitchell, please turn off the television."
"Got it mom!"
Mitchell quickly and dutifully dances across the room and turns off the television. He gives his sister a snide grin as he returns to the table.
Rory's cold stare is abruptly interrupted by her approaching mother who asks-
"Rory, did you forget the napkins again?"
Automatically, Rory goes to a drawer to retrieve the napkins, and then she goes to sit at the table with the others.
Mitchell enthusiastically looks at the heap of spaghetti before his nose.
"I'll pray!"
* * * * * *
After dinner, Rory moves in slow motion while removing dishes from the table. The television is on again, and Judy Garland is being interviewed about her big comeback in A Star Is Born. Her exciting tales of Hollywood movie sets and red carpet premiers are simply too much for Rory to resist.
Mitchell stands on a wooden bench in front of the sink with his arms deep in mountains of suds.
"Hey sis, pick up the pace!"
Sitting on the sofa and leafing through a stack of papers, her mother glances up and adds with slight irritation-
"Hurry and finish, Rory, we have to take a look at that homework."
"No we don't" whines Rory. "I can finish it before class tomorrow, I promise."
"No. Tonight." her mother insists. "Get those dishes off the table and let's get to it."
Rory sighs in annoyance, then gathers a good armful of dishes from the table and takes them to her waiting brother. But her gaze is again fixed on the television as she returns to the table for more. Her motions slow, and in a stupefied trance her hand searches the table and finally grasps a single fork. She ambles back toward the sink, her head looking back over her shoulder the entire way. Stopping well short she stands there holding the solitary utensil out toward her brother while he stares back at her in disbelief.
"Earth to Rory!" he snaps, "Wake up dummy!"
"Mitch, watch your language please." says their mother as she gets up and turns off the television.
"Rory, that's enough, get out the books!"
Despite her protests, Rory and her mother are soon seated at the same table, now arraigned with school books and notepads. Mitchell is there also busily copying down some spelling words.
"Where are we at again?" inquires her mother.
Her face flat down on the table and buried within her arms, Rory gives a muffled response-
"Lesson 2".
Her mother flips through her math book to the appropriate page and finds a folded paper marking the spot. Suddenly Rory jolts upright and makes an attempt to snatch the sheet, but her mother's hand is already there, and giving her daughter a knowing glare she holds it up and unfolds it. There are a couple of half attempted division problems at the top of the paper, but a sketch of a princess, several dwarves, and a mean looking hag fill all the rest. Her mother stares up at Rory in peeved exasperation. Mitchell shakes his head in exaggerated bother. Rory manages to look embarrassed and defiant at the same time.
"And where is today's work?" asks her mother.
"That's it" Rory mutters.
Her mother draws in a long breath through her nose, and exhales.
"All right, let's get started."
