Extract from This Feral Life

This Feral Life

By Julia-Rose Lewis

Mia, a 17 year old girl wearing a school uniform stands in a graveyard during the day, she begins to talk whilst removing her school socks and shoes

Mia: Always wag down here, no-one looks in the graveyard. The sun shines brighter, best spot for sunbaking. Come when shit gets lame at school. She kept saying “Nurse?

Psychologist?, Teacher?”- as if!… annoying. Want it to be easier. Want to drink more, dance more, sleep more. “Photography is not a stable career” that bitch told me. She said, “What about journalism instead?” I said, I don't give a shit about the news. She said, “Don't swear Mia.” I said, rack off! She said, “Mia? Is this about your dad?, It’s ok to feel angry.” Her face. She had that look on her face. Don’t look at me with that face! I stood up, pushed a chair over and left. Had to get out. Didn’t actually mean to push the chair over, but didn’t bother to pick it up.

Lucy Coleman as Mia in This Feral Life in Out of Place (2013, atyp)

I’m not planning on working weekend shifts at Hungry Jack’s for the rest of eternity like some of those moles will. Never get out. I’m not gonna make-manager buy a fucking

1 This Feral Life © Julia-Rose Lewis, 2013

restaurant, become a fat lard who’s been flipping patties for 40 years and never seen the world. Na, I’ll get out. I work drive through, that’s a big deal you know. Only the chicks who take smoke breaks with Ted our boss get asked to do drive through. So I started. Smoking I mean. It worked. Stole the durries from dad, Winny Reds, 16mils, fuck me. Nearly died. Watched the way you held the cigarette in your mouth. Inhale, say something, hold it in. Exhale.

I. Was. A. Natural.

Welcome to Hungry Jack’s, place your order/ Listen. Customer at the window / $14.95 please/ P plates at the speaker talking. Listen to the order. Fuck. Listen. Concentrate/ “Ah can we have like, two Bacon Deluxes, wiv cheese, yeah wiv cheese. Oh wait hold on… babe you want cheese? Babe cheese!? Oh no wait only one wiv cheese.”/ Concentrate, take the order. Customer at the window getting impatient. Talk to them Mia/ Cash or Credit?/ P plates in my ear again/ “and um can we get…..soft serve in the cokes, like a coke float, ya know?”

(Pause)

“Does that cost extra?”/

Yes. Fuck. It costs extra! We don’t give ice-cream away dipshit.

It’s full stressful. Only messed up a few times. Think I’m pretty good. Dad was stoked when I got drive through. Went out for steak to celebrate. No big deal, but he was full proud. Still, I’m not dumb enough to think I can’t do better, one day. I’m gonna be something awesome, I’ll be great. I’ll be famous probably. Gonna buy a camera.

Photograph people that have a good story in their wrinkles. Sell them, make a book.

Art galleries you know… (She throws her hands in the air)…success.

Beat

2 This Feral Life © Julia-Rose Lewis, 2013

I’m not a Goth, I don’t come here at night. I’m not like that.

(She pauses realizing that the topic is grim)

I’m actually OK. I’m not messed.

This shit just happens. I’m sick of that face. That ‘Oh, so sorry for your shitty life’ face.

Hate that face. Want to smash that face when I see it. The chicks at school and that counsellor have it, wear it all day long looking at me. Moles. Just look at me! Just look at me normal! Just talk to me normal! I’m not a fuck up! Stop waiting for me to break.

Stop waiting for me to break up into little pieces and blow away. I’ve got this one. I’m actually ok.

I think pretty loud thoughts but they all call me quiet. At school the girls whisper about me being quiet. Not talking. I’m actually not though….

Read the full monologue of THIS FERAL LIFE in the Currency Press publication THE VOICES PROJECT 2013: OUT OF PLACE. See; http://www.freshink.com.au/publication/ Featuring Lucy Coleman as Mia in OUT OF PLACE, directed by Paige Rattay for atyp, 2013.

Images © Olivia Martin-McGuire.

3 This Feral Life © Julia-Rose Lewis, 2013