How to get rid of a brother
Joseph really didn’t help himself –
Joseph, a young man of 17, was tending his flocks with his brothers…..and he brought their father a bad report about them. Genesis 37:2
No one likes a tell-tale, especially one that can do no wrong himself. Joseph was his father’s favourite and when you find yourself in a position of favour, it is hard not to take advantage of it and to start to believe it – even in his dreams Joseph saw himself as better than his brothers. No wonder they couldn’t wait to get rid of him……
This is a drama I wrote in the set entitled ‘Worthy of a Soap Opera’. This one is called ‘How to get rid of a brother’.
Introduction: Ask any teenager which child is the favourite in their family and they will invariably say not them! Sibling rivalry is normal, prevalent, inevitable – and sometimes downright destructive! This story is like those that play out in TV soap operas and sometimes must take place in real life. Getting rid of an annoying sibling is something that is often wished for and dreamt of, sometimes talked about and very occasionally, acted upon.
Scene: Sit down, get comfortable and imagine the scene. In a village just like Hollyoaks, in a bar just like The Loft, three lads are having a heated discussion with the young man behind the bar…..they are four brothers in fact. Reuben is the oldest and is serving behind the bar.
Dan: Dad won’t like you working here, you know Reuben. He has plans for his twelve sons and I don’t think having his oldest son working in a place like this is part of his plan at all.
Reuben: Do you really think he’ll notice? It seems to me that all he cares about is Joe. The rest of us don’t matter to him at all.
Dan: You’re right, we all know Joe’s his favourite. I guess when you’ve got children from four different women, you’re naturally going to love the son of your only true love best of all.
Reuben: And how unfair is that? Whatever we do will never be enough. It makes me so mad!
Asher: Joe doesn’t help matters though, does he? Always telling Dad about what we’re getting up to. Brothers should stick together. He seems intent on bringing us all down.
Dan: And have you heard about the dreams he’s been having? If he knew what was good for him, he would just shut up and keep his stupid dreams to himself. Thinking that he will be better than us, make more of his life than we will – that we will all admire his success one day. As if. He needs to keep on the right side of us – or else.
Jude: Or else what, Dan? Have you got a plan?
Dan: Not really. But who does he think he is?
Reuben: Has wonderboy shown you his new jacket yet? Dad got it for him, of course. Some designer label so exclusive I can’t even remember what it is. He’s really rubbing our noses in it now.
Asher: Do you know what I think? Let’s just get rid of him. We’ll all be better off without him around.
Reuben: What are you talking about? We can’t just get rid of him.
Dan: Why not? Asher’s right. Life’s never going to get any better for us until he’s out of the picture. We can make it look like an accident. It happens all the time.
Reuben: Count me out. I agree we could rough him up a bit, show him that he can’t get away with treating us like scum any more. But no more than that. I’m not having his blood on my hands for the rest of my life. I’ve got work to do. Let me know what you decide. (goes off)
Asher: You’re pretty quiet, Jude. Have you got any ideas?
Jude: (slowly) Yes, but it will take some planning. We don’t have to kill Joe to get rid of him. We can pretend he’s dead. I’ve got a contact in Manchester who will deal with him for us. Joe’s only seventeen. They’ll have a use for him, I’m sure. We might even get some cash for him.
Dan: That’s quite a plan. Do you think we can pull it off?
Jude: We won’t know until we try. To Joe (raise glass in a toast)
Dan and Asher: To Joe (all drink together)
Discussion questions
- Do you have siblings? If so, what is your relationship like with them?
- Is it natural for parents to have favourites? Is it right? Do your parents have a favourite?
- Can you understand why these brothers are annoyed with their brother Joe?
- What other solutions could there be to deal with their rising frustration?
- How could their father and Joe act differently?
- Are there any similar issues in your own family that need sorting out?
Jude’s plan does work out and Joe is sent away to Manchester. Write out the conversation between the four brothers and the father explaining what has happened to Joe.
