The Inevitable Turn

[PATTI]
Isn’t this nice? Everybody’s being so nice
Nothing is wrong, trouble’s half passed
Everybody civil and getting along
Will it last?

[KIM, spoken]
You should open a restaurant, dad!

[BUDDY, spoken]
Maybe I will

[DEBRA]
No matter how well things are going
It always takes a turn

[BUDDY]
No matter how happy we seem
There’s always a turn

[PATTI & DEBRA]
Just below the pleasant chatter, we’re aware
Of a steady burn that’ll flair
We push it down

[PATTI, BUDDY & DEBRA]
But then we take the turn
We always take the turn
The inevitable turn

[KIM, spoken]
Roll?

[PATTI, BUDDY & DEBRA]
We fight against the turn
We struggle with thе turn
The inevitable turn

[BUDDY, spoken]
Hеy, Debra
If you’re looking for work, they’re hiring at Costco
I hear the pay is not bad

[DEBRA, spoken]
Huh, I should look into that
Thanks for thinking of me, Buddy

[BUDDY, spoken]
Any time

[PATTI]
Isn’t this sweet? Everybody’s being so sweet
Look at us swerve, all on our guard
Everybody’s hoping not to take the curve
We’re trying so hard

[BUDDY, spoken]
And if you do get a job, you can finally pay me back

[DEBRA]
No matter how lovely the evening
It always takes a turn
No matter how careful we are
There’s always a turn

[PATTI, BUDDY & DEBRA]
And despite the friendly banter, we’re annoyed
By a topic we should learn to avoid
We never do

[PATTI, BUDDY, DEBRA & (SHOWCHOIR)]
Instead we take the turn (We take)
Of course we take the turn (We take)
The inevitable turn

[DEBRA, spoken]
So when you say pay you back…

[PATTI, spoken]
Debra!

[BUDDY, spoken]
I meant for the stereo you stole

[DEBRA, spoken]
Stole? You agreed to give me that stereo

[PATTI, spoken]
You guys!

[BUDDY]
It’s all going fine, then it changes so fast
A look, a joke, a slight from the past
Which will burn
Pass the salt, sling the mud
Carve the meat, draw the blood

[DEBRA, spoken]
We had a deal, Buddy

[BUDDY]
Take the turn

[DEBRA, spoken]
You promised to give me that stereo
If I went next door and slapped Swicky around

[BUDDY, spoken]
Debra!

The Showchoir begins to sing ooh’s underneath the dialogue

[PATTI, spoken]
Wait, what?

[DEBRA, spoken]
Which I went to do! It’s not my fault it didn’t happen!

[KIM, spoken]
You hired Debra to beat up Mr. Swicky?

[BUDDY, spoken]
Well I couldn’t do it myself, he’s my neighbor!

[KIM, spoken]
This is exactly what I don’t wanna know!

[BUDDY, spoken]
He did some awful things, Kim

[DEBRA, spoken]
It wasn’t just him

[BUDDY, spoken]
Ms. Denton said she saw a masked intruder crawl in his window
Did you wear a mask?

[DEBRA, spoken]
Yes, a pig mask

[BUDDY, spoken]
A pig mask?

[DEBRA, spoken]
I didn’t wanna be identified and you told me to scare him

[BUDDY, spoken]
I didn’t tell you to kill him!

[DEBRA, spoken]
I didn’t know he had a weak heart!
He just took one look at me and dropped dead!

[BUDDY, spoken]
You were wearing a pig mask!
If a pig lady crawled in my window, I’d drop dead too!

[KIM, spoken]
That’s why we left Lodi, because you stared Swicky to death?

The showchoir stops singing

[PATTI, spoken]
I should’ve never told you!
None of this would’ve even happened, Buddy
If you had never known

[KIM, spoken]
Known what?

[PATTI, spoken]
I really wanted another baby

[BUDDY, spoken]
Patti…

[PATTI, spoken]
But I was scared

[BUDDY, spoken]
She doesn’t wanna know

[KIM, spoken]
Scared it would be like me?

[DEBRA, spoken]
So she made sure it wouldn’t be

[KIM, spoken]
You had sex with Mr. Swicky
So dad hired Aunt Debra to beat him up
But Aunt Debra killed him instead
What is wrong with you people?!

The adults all break out into an argument as Kim slowly leaves the table

[SHOWCHOIR]
No matter how well things are going
It always takes
No matter how happy we seem
There’s always
With just a blow of the wind
With a steady burn, with a steady burn
Oh!
We take the turn
Oh, we take the turn

[BUDDY, spoken]
Do you ever stop?!

[DEBRA, spoken]
Kim?

[PATTI, spoken]
Oh my God

[BUDDY, spoken]
What’s happening?

[PATTI, spoken]
Buddy, help her!

[BUDDY, spoken]
Kimmy?!