[Based on the musical "Falsettos" by James Lapine and William Finn]
The past year had been a fateful one for Trina. Eventful and cataclysmic, actually. She had found out that her husband had been cheating on her. With a man. She didn't know if that made it better or worse. It certainly did put things into perspective though. Things that had always been hiding in the shadows of her mind, with her too preoccupied with trying to be a good wife and mother. Soon, the divorce papers were underway and she had to start seeing a psychiatrist. Her husband’s psychiatrist, in fact – Dr. Mendel. That too, on his recommendation. Now, almost a year later, laying the dinner table for three, she couldn't help but think back to the dreadful day, the disastrous dinner that had changed everything.
New York City 1979
Marvin came home from the office earlier than usual that day and she was pleasantly surprised.
"Trina?" he asked.
"Yes, honey," she replied, lost in her grocery list.
"Would it be alright if I called someone over for dinner today?"
Trina looked up. "Is it the Appelbaums? I would need time to prepare, Marvin. You know they're a big family," she replied with a worrisome look on her face.
"No, not the Appelbaums. It's Whizzer, actually."
"Your friend from work?"
"Yes."
"Just him?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I think we can have one more person for dinner," she smiled at him. Was she imagining things or did he look nervous?
An hour later, a young man in a sharp suit and well-coiffed hair showed up at their doorstep. Polite, well-mannered and making sure to compliment each of her dishes, he had impressed Trina right away.
"So, are you married yet, Whizzer?" she inquired.
Whizzer shook his head gently. Her husband was about to say something when Jason, their son, asked, "Do you play chess?"
Whizzer looked at Marvin and smiled. "I like to believe that I do," he said to Jason.
"Would you be interested in a match with me after dinner?"
"Sure." Whizzer replied.
"Jason, my son, get ready for the most boring chess match of your life," Marvin said, getting up for a glass of water.
Whizzer shot up a glance at him knowingly.
They finished up dinner and Trina insisted that he stay for dessert. He acquiesced. While laying out slices of kugel on a tray, she could hear Jason's laughter from the next room and wondered why Marvin had never invited the young bachelor to their home before.
"I might suck at chess, but I'm definitely better than your father at baseball," she heard Whizzer defending himself amid jeers from Marvin. She left the kitchen with the tray balanced between her hands to find the living room silent and empty except for Jason rhythmically bobbing his head up and down to the walkman around his head. She put the tray down and went to look for her husband in their bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and she could hear voices coming from within. She was about to call out his name when she caught sight of Marvin's hand on Whizzer's ass. Trina felt her eyes widen, appalled. A gasp must have escaped her mouth because the two men suddenly whirled around in her direction. She took a few steps back and saw Marvin saying something to her. For a moment, she didn't hear anything. Then, all her senses came crashing back as he tried to explain. There wasn't much explaining done from Marvin's side. At least, it was not what Trina had hoped to hear. He was gay, he always had been, and now, he was finally brave enough to be himself. He only wished that he had got a better way to tell it to her.
New York City 1980
Trina let out a sigh. At least, the worst was over and both of them had been able to move on with their lives. They had split amicably and Marvin was a better father to Jason than he had ever been. Jason, confused by their parents' separation, had ironically, out of all people, found a friend in Whizzer and seemed to be doing better with some therapy himself. Oh, and as for herself, seeing her ex-husband's old psychiatrist had turned into actually 'seeing' him, once they got the ethical issues out of the way. They were scheduled to get married next week, with Jason's blessing, of course. Turns out he liked the doctor, although not as much as he liked Whizzer, who seemed to be his favourite adult. While laying out the table for dinner, Trina couldn't help but wonder how the symphony of her life had turned out to be a string of falsettos from father, son, and lover.
Shreya Jathavedan
B. A. (H) Psychology
Third Year
[Edited byPriyambada Kashyap and Mehak Aggarwal
Art Curated by Basundhara Jana and Mehak Aggarwal]
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