Owen Sheers: The Two Worlds of Charlie F

FrankYou mustn’t worry about me, baby, I’ll be fine. But I am missing you loads. I think my balls are going to explode!

MarcRobbo, you prick! Good to hear from you, mate, and thanks for the mags. Keep ’em coming! LOL.

ChrisHearing from the lads after I got back helped loads. I thought about them tons. What are they doing? Has anyone been hit? Cos you don’t know until they come rolling into the hospital. So yeah, those bluies meant a lot.

LaurenThe second tour was easier than the first. I knew I wouldn’t hear from him for five, six weeks at a time, so I’d make plans to distract myself. Weekends at the spa with the girls, that kind of thing. He asked me to send him porn, which I did. But I never sent him photos of me like that. I’ve seen too many of the ones sent by the other girls to fall for that. I mean, I’m not going to provide relief for the whole unit!

DaveI’m losing lots of weight in this heat. You’ll have a new man when I come home! I think about you all the time. We’ll have to do something special when I come back, take a trip with the kids or something.

CharlieI head out on a ‘camping trip’ with the ‘boy scouts’ next week. I’ll call as soon as I can, I promise! I love you, honey. Not long to go now. I know you hate this, just please don’t hate me for it.

Soldiers( sung )

Please don’t worry, I’m with a good bunch of lads.

And, you know, we look out for each other.

Letter Writers( sung )

Hope you get this, hope you’re safe, hope everything’s all right. Miss you.

Soldiers( sung )

Send my love to Mum and Dad.

I don’t know when I’ll call again.

Letter Writers( sung )

Everyone here is thinking of you.

We’ve heard nothing on the news. Miss you.

Soldiers( sung )

All my love, all my love.

Letter Writers( sung )

Look after yourself, my love. And come home soon.

DanielNo one gets to keep their mobile phone. They’re too easy to intercept. Or if the enemy get hold of the sim card, then they phone the families at home, tell them their son or husband’s been captured, and that isn’t good. So each week we get twenty welfare minutes on the sat phone instead. It’s great, to hear your wife’s voice, to speak to the kids. But it’s really hard too. You feel the distance. After speaking with them I have to try really hard to disconnect from them again. Otherwise it gets to you. And saying goodbye, that’s the hardest. Saying goodbye.

Letter Writers( sung )

Kiss, kiss. Love you. Kiss, kiss. Love you.

PS. PS. Love you. Love you.

Soldiers( sung )

All my love. All my love. All my love.

Letter Writers( sung )

Kiss, kiss. Love you. Kiss, kiss. Love you.

The singing repeats and fades as both groups return to reading their letters on either side of the stage.

Roger is watching John, who looks distressed.

RogerOf course sometimes the news from home is bad news. Your dog’s died. Someone’s ill. Or your missus has dumped you. There’s always a few Dear Johns. But you can’t let it get to the lads. You can’t have one of your boys out on patrol who hasn’t got his head on the job. So you’ve got to sort them out, whatever it takes.

MarcOi, Philips. What you got there?

RichardShe hasn’t, has she? The bitch.

JohnYeah, she has.

MarcCome on then.

Marc takes the letter from John.

‘Dear John’ — Fuck, I can’t believe she actually gets to write that. ‘Dear John, I know this will be hard for you to read, but please believe me this is even harder for me to say.’

DarrenYeah, I bet it is love, cos you’ve got mortars coming in and only ration packs for the next five months too, haven’t you?

Marc‘I’m just not sure I can do this any more.’

RichardMore like she’s doing some other bloke, some matlow or civvie down the pub.

Marc‘When I read about that soldier killed last week, I felt so sick, thinking it could have been you.’

FrankSo you thought you’d bin him. Yeah, nice.

DaveFucking witch.

Marc‘I know I said I would wait for you, but I didn’t know it would be like this.’

Marc hands the bluey back to John. The Soldiers start singing ‘Plenty More Fish in the Sea’ by The Streets.

John cracks a smile .

RogerYou have to make them smile. What else you going to do? You’ve got to defuse stuff quickly, and humour’s the best way to do that. Attack, like they say, it’s the best form of defence, isn’t it?

Lights come up on Sarah and a Chaplain. She is dressed in funeral black, her head bowed. He wears a stole and cross.

ChaplainWe are gathered here today to honour the life and memory of Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, a young man of extraordinary courage who was willing to lay down his life for the lives of others and to pay the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of his country.

The Soldiers gather around the Chaplain and begin singing ‘Abide with Me’. The hymn continues under the following action .

Sarah walks downstage .

SarahIt’s wonderful when he calls, of course it is. But it’s so frustrating too. There’s so much we can’t say. Or don’t say. I have to talk to him about all this ordinary stuff, about seeing friends, going shopping, what the weather’s like, when all I really want to ask him is, were you shot at today? Are you OK? Are you going out on any more ops? But I can’t, can I? Because he can’t tell me. Because all I’ll get is silence. And I understand that, I do. Because sometimes there are things I can’t tell him either.

A phone rings. Sarah answers her mobile. The lights come up on the other side of the stage to reveal Daniel on a sat phone. Frank waits a little way behind him.

DanielDarling? Darling, it’s me.

SarahOh, it’s so good to hear you. How are you?

DanielI’m fine, fine.

SarahDid you get the recipes?

DanielYes, I did. Thanks. Though not sure I’m really doing them justice.

Beat.

SarahHow is it out there?

DanielHot. Even hotter than before, if that’s possible.

SarahRight.

DanielAnd there?

SarahAll fine. Good. Been raining today. Lucy’s at netball though, so …

DanielOh yes. Yes, that’s Tuesdays and Thursdays now, isn’t it?

SarahYes. She sent you a bluey yesterday.

DanielGreat. Did she get mine?

SarahNot yet, no.

Beat.

DanielDid you hear about Jones?

SarahYes, I did. His poor mother. I’ve written to her.

DanielYes, so have I.

Beat.

But you mustn’t worry. Everything’s fine, really.

SarahRight. Yes.

The phone starts beeping.

DanielLook, darling, I think I’m about to run out of minutes. I’m so sorry. I’ll top up tomorrow.

SarahOK. Don’t forget we’ll be at your mother’s next week.