A Terrible Depth
Prologue, May 1998
Transcript below the cut
GWANG. Ugh, I don’t even want to go to work today. Wish I could stay right here with you.
JIP. [Laughing] Keep dreaming. Can’t think like that when I’m creating another mouth to feed as we speak.
GWANG. He’ll be here soon, huh?
JIP. Yeah, soon. We’ve got our 36-week appointment on Wednesday.
GWANG. [Sighing] Can’t believe it. It’s flown by.
JIP. [Smiling] Come on, we gotta get going.
RUBY. Mrs. Saeiao, will you sign for my volunteer hours for helping out at the library? I need it for Key Club—Mrs. Saeiao? Are you okay?
JIP. Ruby, go get Mrs. Burns across the hall in the art room, please.
RUBY. Is something wrong with the baby?
JIP. I don’t know. Please hurry!
MRS. BURNS. Contractions? How far apart?
JIP. About seven minutes.
MRS. BURNS. And they’re not Braxton-Hicks?
JIP. I don’t think so. Something’s different.
RUBY. Mrs. Saeiao, is there anything I can do to help?
MRS. BURNS. Ruby, honey, thank you for getting me. Go ahead back to class, everything will be okay.
RUBY. Okay…feel better, Mrs. Saeiao.
MRS. BURNS. I think we need to send you to the hospital.
JIP. Ginny, I’m scared. He’s not supposed to come yet, it’s way too early. I’m not due until later in June, we’re not even halfway through May.
MRS. BURNS. Baby must be eager to meet the world, my dear. I’m going to call Principal Newcomb to let him know what’s going on. Breathe.
PRINCIPAL NEWCOMB. Jip, will you be okay from here?
JIP. Yes, my husband is outside. [Smiling] He bolted here as soon as I called him.
PRINCIPAL NEWCOMB. I’ll bet he did. Keep us posted, okay?