Act 4, Scene 15: “Poo Are You?”

TRL’s dad begins to report his “BMs” to TRL. Granted, it is a big deal for TRL Senior because he just had surgery and a first crap is a milestone indicating that the body is getting back to normal. But somehow, hearing the word “BM” out of his dad’s mouth both catapulted TRL back to his youth, making him feel uncomfortably like a little boy again, and also sending him forward when he would be taking care of his old dad. The timing seemed cosmically inauspicious: the boys had just emerged from diapers and could take their own craps in the toilet. Why couldn’t TRL Senior have said “Just took a crap, all systems go,” or even “Pinched one off, no stopping me now.” But “BM” – gross. And not even acknowledging the nature of the event, assuming it was known that it was a big deal after the operation. Not couching it as an after effect of the surgery made it even more intimate. TRL felt both very young and very old. And, well, gross.