The Wrong Piece at the Wrong Time

This story is by Leslie Keig and was part of our 2025 Fall Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

MARTHA, female, middle aged, married to BLAKE

BLAKE, male, middle aged, married to MARTHA

TIME AND PLACE

2020 during the COVID shutdown, in Martha and Blake’s home

SCENE: MARTHA and BLAKE sit center stage at a card table. They are working on a jigsaw puzzle, BLAKE’s reading glasses hang from a chain around his neck.

MARTHA (reaches across BLAKE to grab a puzzle piece)

BLAKE (annoyed)

Hey!

MARTHA (pleased)

I’ve been looking all over for that piece! (with a flourish, puts the piece in the puzzle)

BLAKE

Well, you don’t have to be so smug about it.

MARTHA

I’m sorry… I just haven’t put a piece in for a while. I think you’re hogging them.

BLAKE

I’m not hogging them! I’ve arranged them. See? (gestures to the pieces in front of him) These are lighter blue, these are darker blue, these are purply….

MARTHA (giggling)

Purply? Is that a word?

BLAKE (loosening up, in for the fun)

Yes, purply! You know, not quite violet, not quite eggplant, not quite lavender…

MARTHA

…not quite indigo, or lilac…

BLAKE

Exactly! Purply!

MARTHA (after a pause)

So how many puzzles do you figure we’ve done this year, since the shut down?

BLAKE

No idea. Too many. (pushes chair back from the table, bored and anxious)

MARTHA

Got that right. (takes advantage, reaches for another piece)

BLAKE

Hey!

MARTHA

I needed this purply piece! (puts it in, then scoots her chair closer to BLAKE, to start working his section)

BLAKE

Hey! (covers up his section of the puzzle) What do you think you’re doing?

MARTHA (pouting)

I finished my section, and you’re not doing anything.

BLAKE

You’re right. (reluctantly turns back to the puzzle, puts in a piece) OK, fine, but don’t mess with my sorting.

MARTHA

(picks up a piece) What about this one? How come it’s been separated from the rest?

BLAKE

(takes the piece from Martha, considers it) Well…. I couldn’t decide where it should go. See how it’s got blue on this side, fuzzy green on this side….

MARTHA

Fuzzy green. Very descriptive.

BLAKE

(ignores her) …so I couldn’t decide which pile to put it in. (thoughtfully, turning the piece over in his hand) I don’t know….(suddenly startled, looks carefully at the back of the piece.) There’s writing on the back!

MARTHA

What? Really? (tries grabbing for the piece but BLAKE holds it out of reach) I want to see!

BLAKE

I found it, I get to read it. (holds the piece close up) It says…. The writing’s so small. (puts on his reading glasses) it says… (he stops, looks up)

MARTHA

What? What does it say?

BLAKE (looks directly at MARTHA dead serious)

It says, “saw her cheat.”

MARTHA (laughing)

What? What’s that supposed to mean.

BLAKE (still serious)

“Saw her cheat.” That’s what it says. “Her.” You.

MARTHA (dismissively)

Pffff. How am I supposed to have cheated? How do you “cheat” (air quotes) doing a jigsaw puzzle?

BLAKE

Maybe that’s not what it’s talking about.

MARTHA

Yeah?

BLAKE

Maybe we’re talking about cheating cheating. Like, having an affair cheating.

MARTHA (stops laughing)

Is this some kind of joke? You’re not taking this seriously, are you? (pause) You are, aren’t you.

BLAKE

Well, are you?

MARTHA

Oh, c’mon, Blake. This is some stupid prank, by the puzzle company, or something.

BLAKE

You haven’t answered my question. Are you having an affair?

MARTHA

What? No. (looks away) No, of course not. (stands up and walks away from the table.)

BLAKE (also stands)

You are, aren’t you. (MARTHA won’t look at BLAKE) I said, you ARE, AREN’T you. (MARTHA still won’t look at BLAKE) Hey! I’m talking to you! And you can’t even look at me!

MARTHA (frustrated, turns back towards BLAKE)

Really? I’m having an affair? How? We never even leave this house! Or if we do, we’re masked up! No social contact! Six feet apart!

BLAKE (angry and sarcastic)

But you do leave the house! “Food shopping” (air quotes) or at least that’s what you say.

MARTHA

What?!? Oh, so what you’re saying is, I get up at what, 6:30 AM every damned Tuesday morning when the store’s safely empty, but instead of “food shopping” (air quotes) I go meet up with my lover for twenty minutes. And oh, then I magically get home with a car full of a week’s worth of groceries? Is that what you’re saying?

BLAKE

That’d be your opportunity, yes.

MARTHA

What, and risk bringing home COVID? Have you gone mad?

BLAKE (getting angrier)

You’re not answering, because you’re lying! Liar!

MARTHA (getting scared)

What … am I supposed to say? You’re being ridiculous.

BLAKE (and angrier)

Ridiculous? Ridiculous you say? (holds up the puzzle piece in MARTHA’S face) Is this ridiculous? No. This is proof!

MARTHA

Proof? Proof of what?!

BLAKE (in a rage)

Proof you’re a cheating whore!

MARTHA (backing away)

Blake! Get a grip! What…?!

BLAKE (upends the card table, puzzle pieces go everywhere)

Get a grip? Get a grip? (grabs MARTHA by the collar) YOU get a grip! (pushes MARTHA away)

MARTHA (whimpering)

What do you want me to say? Baby? What am I supposed to say?

BLAKE

Tell me his name.

MARTHA

What?

BLAKE (quietly)

I said, tell me his name. Just… tell me his name.

MARTHA (quietly)

What makes you so sure it’s a man.

BLAKE

What?

MARTHA (angry now)

You deaf? I said, what makes you so SURE it’s a MAN. For that matter, what makes you so sure it’s for SEX!

BLAKE (startled)
What makes me so…wait….what?

MARTHA

Sex! Sex! Sex! It’s where your damned filthy mind went. Over what. Over some damned foolish puzzle piece!

BLAKE (wide eyed)

What…what are you talking about?

MARTHA

OK, YES! YES! I AM sneaking around behind your back!

BLAKE

I knew it! I knew you were lying!

MARTHA

YES! OK! I was lying! But it’s not what you think. It’s not for some…tawdry hook up.

BLAKE

No? Explain it then. What exactly is it?

MARTHA

It’s…I don’t know how to explain it….It’s…well. I am meeting up with a friend. A woman. And, you’re right. We meet up at the Safeway. Masked up. (pauses) We’re both so…lonely, and fed up with…with… this damned social isolation.

BLAKE

Someone I know?

MARTHA (angry again)

What does it matter who it is! And anyway, I can’t betray her trust…she needs the break from her husband….

BLAKE

Oh, so it’s ok to betray MY trust, but not some mystery woman. And, what. I suppose you need a break from ME, too! Is that it?!?

MARTHA

Blake! Stop it! OK, look. Let’s be honest. I love you. I think you love me. But really. Did we honestly sign up for 24/7 shut in when we took our vows?

BLAKE (stares at MARTHA, then turns away, collapses into a sitting position on the floor amongst the puzzle pieces)

(quietly) For better or for worse….

MARTHA (sits next to BLAKE, gently strokes his back)

Blake, honey…. We just…have to give each other a little space. Too much togetherness…. We just have to figure out how to give each other space until this damned pandemic is over…if it’ll ever be over….

BLAKE (starts gathering up the pieces of the puzzle, putting them into the puzzle box)

Maybe….

MARTHA (picks up a clump of pieces still held together, idly turns the clump over, gasps)

BLAKE (looks over at MARTHA)

What is it?

MARTHA (sets the clump of pieces still held together, upside down on the floor in front of her)

Blake….I don’t know….Blake….there’s like writing on the back of all these pieces here. Here, give me that puzzle piece.

BLAKE (hands her the piece)

Here…

MARTHA

Look, see? That piece fits in here…. Oh my god. Oh Blake, oh my god, we’re such idiots…

BLAKE

What? What is it? What does it say?

MARTHA (bitterly laughing)

Oh my god, oh, this is so stupid! I can’t believe… OK, Blake, are you ready? I’ll try to read it in such a way that you’ll get it…. OK. Ready? jigSAW puzzles, fiscHER and sons, of CHEAT river Pennsylvania….

BLAKE

What?

MARTHA

Yeah, see, look, Blake. That piece…it’s part of, like, the puzzle company’s name stamped on the back, in like cursive font or something… See? The words, they line up…. Jigsaw Puzzles, Fischer and Sons, of Cheat River Pennsylvania, but that middle piece? By itself? reads SAW HER CHEAT.

BLAKE (aghast)

What have I done.

MARTHA

I don’t know…

BLAKE (nearly in tears)

Martha…I….Oh Martha. I love you so much. These walls….I’m going mad….

MARTHA

I love you too, Blake. But…what can we do?

BLAKE (suddenly jumps up)

MARTHA

Where are you going?

BLAKE