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KILL TO EAT, PART I
by Caridad Svich Caridad Svich is a US Latina playwright whose works include Iphigenia…a rave fable, 12 Ophelias, The House of the Spirits (based on the novel by Isabel Allende) and Alchemy of Desire/Dead-Man’s Blues. She’s been produced at venues across the US and abroad including Denver Center Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, 7 Stages, Salvage Vanguard, ARTheater-Cologne, Teatro Mori (Chile) and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She’s alumna playwright of New Dramatists, founder of NoPassport theatre alliance and press, contributing editor of TheatreForum and associate editor of Contemporary Theatre Review. She trained for four years with Maria Irene Fornes and also holds an MFA in Playwriting from UCSD. Visit her at www.caridadsvich.com For performance rights please contact Elaine Devlin Literary Inc c/o Plus Media, 20 West 23rd Street, 3rd Flr, NY, NY 10010. E-mail: edevlinlit@aol.com ------------------------ Figures: MELLY/MIRANDA/MONICA, his lover, at odds, edgy and strong; changed being, earth-bound spirit; and transformed self with the aspect of a serene assassin, late 20s LUCA,* middle man in the chain of parallel world/underworld command, in charge of things in mind, somewhat elegant and charming, late 20s-early 30s NERO, Luca’s impulsive, feral go-to man, wants more out of life, 16 DULCE**, local tattooed icon, torch song diva, survivor in the life game, late 20s-30s (live, and could also be on video) Setting: Notes: *Luca is pronounced Lou-kaa; the “e” in Nero is pronounced like the “e” in “tent.” Script History: Special thanks to Raul Castillo, Juliana Francis Kelly, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Bryant Mason, Alfredo Narciso, and Stephen Squibb.
Part One 1st movement Prelude Far away the carnival is seen In the foreground, a one-room apartment is barely glimpsed, Then far away. 1. In the foreground the room is seen again more clearly. MELANIE (MELLY): Should we…? HENRY: No. They might come again. MELLY: Now? HENRY: They came before. MELLY: But that was before. HENRY: Doesn’t mean they won’t come again. MELLY: …I thought we’d never find this place. Jim’s place. Right? HENRY: Someone’s… MELLY: I thought you said Jim. HENRY: Yes, well, Jim, Jimmy, what does it matter? It’s a room. It was left here, trick of the lock, come in. It’s a lead. That’s all. A good lead. HENRY: Through the streets. Yes. MELLY: I almost lost you. HENRY: We’re here now. That’s all that matters. MELLY: …Does it hurt? HENRY: What? MELLY: Your leg? HENRY: It’ll pass. MELLY: They hit you hard. HENRY: They were drunk. MELLY: Everyone’s drunk. It’s carnival. HENRY: The city’s in chaos. MELLY: You wanted to come. HENRY: I like chaos. MELLY: You like running away. … What? HENRY: It’s dark. We should wait a while. MELLY: I’m thirsty. HENRY: See if there’s water. MELLY: From the tap? Can’t drink from the tap. You know that. Not here. HENRY: One sip. One glass. What’s it gonna hurt? MELLY: If I get sick… HENRY: I’ll take care of you. MELLY: You say that…. HENRY: I mean it. MELLY: A gent, eh? HENRY: I can be. MELLY: Not to my knowledge. HENRY: Have I ever? Have I…? She goes to the sink, steals a sip of water from the faucet. MELLY: Brown. HENRY: Huh? MELLY: The water. HENRY: It’s like that here. MELLY: I feel sick already. HENRY: It’s just water. MELLY: I want to go home. HENRY: We can’t. Not yet. MELLY: It’s been days and days. Damn carnival…Everyone’s crazy. HENRY: They’re waiting for the saints. MELLY: What saints? HENRY: The dead. MELLY: Catholic country. HENRY: Most of it. Not all of it, though. MELLY: They think the saints are gonna save them? HENRY: I think they just want to know they’re around. I remember my grandma—Nana—she used to speak to them—the dead—she’d carry on all sorts of conversations. And with the saints especially. She’d have extensive dialogues. MELLY: Was she from here? HENRY: Her family. MELLY: Any left? HENRY: Don’t know. Never looked them up. There are whole sides of my family…Blood relations… MELLY: Strange. HENRY: What’s strange about it? MELLY: You’d think…I mean with blood relations… HENRY: Sometimes blood relations are the worst. MELLY: What’d you mean? HENRY: Well, they ask for things, don’t they? MELLY: Favors? HENRY: They expect things just cause you’re kin. It’s a stupid rule. MELLY: Family rule? Pause. HENRY: Get me a glass. MELLY: The water’s brown. HENRY: I don’t care. I need something. MELLY: Leg hurts? HENRY: Throbbing now. MELLY: We should find a doctor. HENRY: And say what? MELLY: Just to look at you. HENRY: Some kids hit me with pipes. What’s a doctor gonna say? MELLY: He could give you medicine. HENRY: Just get a glass; give me water. MELLY: See what’s here…. (looks in cupboards) Jimmy doesn’t believe in having anything, eh? HENRY: I don’t know. MELLY: He’s your friend. HENRY: I barely know him. MELLY: Know him enough that he told you bout this place. HENRY: Jimmy’s got lots of rooms. All over the world. MELLY: You should put me in touch. HENRY: What for? MELLY: Might need a random room one day. HENRY: You’re gonna leave me? MELLY: I didn’t know we were together. HENRY: What the hell are we, then? … Melly? MELLY: (finds a mug) Ah, here’s something. HENRY: I’m talking to you. MELLY: Coca-Cola. HENRY: What? MELLY: The mug. HENRY: You said we weren’t together. MELLY: I didn’t say… HENRY: What’d you mean? MELLY: I’m here, right? All this damn way…world over… If I’m not with you, then who am I with? HENRY: I don’t know. MELLY: Just relax. HENRY: …damn hurts… MELLY: Here. Here’s a lovely Coca-Cola mug. She hands him mug with water. HENRY: Plain. MELLY: Huh? HENRY: Mug. Just the logo. No bears. No polar bears. MELLY: You like bears? HENRY: Christmas ad. Yeah. Coca-Cola. Always brings a smile. MELLY: Wouldn’t have figured. HENRY: What? MELLY: You with the cute. HENRY: I’m not like the Japanese. Whole culture of it. He drinks. Tastes like shit. MELLY: I warned you. He spits it out. HENRY: Is there anything else? Look in the fridge. MELLY: What fridge? HENRY: There—over there—? MELLY: Never seen one of those before. HENRY: Old kind. Nana had one of those. MELLY: (opens it, quick glance and) Empty. HENRY: Check the freezer part. MELLY (approaching Henry): You want Jello shots now? HENRY: Had plenty already. MELLY: Blues, reds, greens… HENRY: Goddamn yellows. They’re the best. Goddamn vodka lemon zingers. They caress each other, linger….a moment. MELLY: Okay. She goes to freezer, opens it. Christ. HENRY: What? MELLY: Gun. There’s a gun in the freezer, Henry. HENRY: Take it out. Let it de-frost. MELLY: What’d you—? HENRY: Just take it out. MELLY: …Is that why we came here? To this end-world place? Pause. HENRY: Getting quiet. MELLY: Henry? HENRY: The world’s finally falling asleep. MELLY: Henry… HENRY: Everything will be fine. 2. The town square. Early morning. Carnival debris everywhere: In the foreground, LUCA enters in nondescript, somewhat rumpled clothes. LUCA: He’s late. After brief moment,
He’s late. NERO: What? He didn’t—? LUCA: No. NERO: Crap. I wouldn’t have gotten up, then. LUCA: Can’t sleep all day. There’s work. NERO: What? LUCA: Things to do. NERO: Wait for him to show up. That’s all. LUCA: He’ll show up. NERO: He’s got money, this guy? LUCA: Jimmy sent him. NERO: Jimmy’s an ass. LUCA: Hey. NERO: I can say it. LUCA: He feeds us, puts food on our table. NERO: But what does he give us? Crap. Leftovers. Slops. While Jimmy eats world. (sings in punk mode) Jimmy eats…Jimmy eats…Jimmy eats world. LUCA: You try, you try… NERO (picks up discarded junk-food, perhaps bag of chips, from ground, eats): Huh? LUCA: You can’t sing, Nero. That’s the truth. NERO: I sing at the club. LUCA: You get a cut from the bar? NERO: No. LUCA: Then you don’t sing at the club. In distance, Tattooed Figure stirs. NERO: (admiring from afar the figure’s tattoos) Tigers and snakes. LUCA: You wanna look at tattoos all day? NERO: I thought you said we were waiting. LUCA: There’s waiting and there’s waiting. NERO: …We could screw it. Do something. LUCA: (referring to Tattooed Figure) Screw it? Get what out of it? NERO: Get what we want. LUCA: That’s why you don’t advance, Nero. NERO: Huh? LUCA: Move forward in life. NERO: I move forward. LUCA: You don’t even got shoes on. NERO: I forgot. LUCA: I try to teach you, Nero, but… you wanna fiddle with THAT while we got money on the line? NERO: I don’t see the money. LUCA: It’ll be here. In time. NERO: Yeah? And what if this guy doesn’t show? What if he’s going round the corner, shaking somebody else’s hand? LUCA: Jimmy says the man will be here, he’ll be here. NERO: Jimmy’s a liar. LUCA: Hey. NERO: I can say it. LUCA: You want I tell Jimmy you say it? NERO: Go ahead. LUCA: On the line, Nero. NERO: On what line? Jimmy loves me. LUCA: He loves you now… NERO: He’s always loved me. LUCA: Kiss and make up, eh? NERO: Kiss and put a fist in. LUCA: You know why I like you, Nero? Cause you’re fulla shit. Always have been. NERO: I’ll get him on the phone. I’ll prove he loves me. LUCA: He’s outta reach. NERO: What? Syria? Bangkok? Dirty dealing with the petrol and sex gurus? LUCA: Clean deals, Nero. That’s all Jimmy does. And we benefit. NERO: Leftovers. LUCA: You want more? NERO: Don’t you? LUCA: Work for someone else, see how far you get. LUCA looks at his watch. NERO: You know where this guy’s from? LUCA: Jimmy says north. Somewhere in the north. Family, though, is from here. That much he did say. NERO: Ex-native son, then? LUCA: Could be. NERO: Could be fun. LUCA: Good for a laugh. Yeah. NERO (slips on discarded carnival mask): It’s carnival. LUCA: Only thing this country knows how to do right: throw a party and make a mess. NERO: …Hey. LUCA: Hmm? NERO: (refers to tattooed figure) Let’s screw it. LUCA: Might as well. NERO and LUCA approach the Tattooed Figure. Tattooed Figure stirs. They hold it down and… 3. Dive bar is seen: Crap decor. Decaying red walls. [Note: DULCE could be on video, pre-recorded, in this scene.] “City of Dreams” DULCE: (intro) Silent rose of summer day Love’s despair She continues singing softly in the background, HENRY: I’m sorry. LUCA: What? HENRY: Bout before. Back there. Being late. I’m not like that usually. Things got a bit…complicated. LUCA: Girl, eh? HENRY: She wasn’t feeling well. Had to take care. LUCA: Shouldn’t have brought her. HENRY: We go everywhere together. LUCA: Like a song, eh? Like this song. (to singer) Sing it sweet, honey. Sweet and straight to the heart. Drown my pain. DULCE: (continues song) Here all is touched, DULCE’s image fades slightly. LUCA: You hear that? HENRY: I don’t know. I haven’t been… LUCA: You should listen to this song. HENRY: Look, I said I was sorry. LUCA: So am I. HENRY: Huh? LUCA: Your leg. HENRY: You had something to—? LUCA: Carnival. People go wild. They do things. In the background, instrumental music shifts to something hard and even more rhythmic. HENRY: Near broke it. LUCA: But not quite. See? They’re good, those kids. They know what they’re doing. Just what I tell them. That’s what they do. No more, no less. HENRY: Some kind of perverse joke? LUCA: More like a leash. Something to keep you near, limit your mobility. HENRY: Melly can get me around. LUCA: Get rid of her. HENRY: She’s all right. LUCA: I don’t want to have to do it, Enrique. HENRY: My name’s— LUCA: Enrique. That’s your name here. That’s what I’ll call you. HENRY: I can just tell Melly to lay low, keep quiet. LUCA: We’re talking a clean hit here. You follow? It’s gotta be clean all around. HENRY: I’m good for it. LUCA: Not with her around you’re not. HENRY: Okay. I’ll tell her. LUCA; You get rid. You follow? Music builds. You’re our guy, Enrique. Come on. Dance with me HENRY: What? LUCA: A little spin, a little twirl… LUCA dances freely. HENRY: You’re insane. LUCA: This is the ripe end of a thousand moans in a dry martini glass. LUCA coaxes HENRY to dance. HENRY: Screw this. HENRY walks away. LUCA: What are you saying? Are you saying you don’t want to do this now? HENRY: And another country goes to war. LUCA: War’s good business, cheri. HENRY: …all I really came down for was carnival. LUCA: (in Spanish) Carne se va… HENRY: It comes back. LUCA: It never comes back, Enrique. That’s the beauty of carne-val. HENRY: I don’t know what I want, okay? I don’t know why the hell I came here, why I even agreed to anything with Jimmy. (Cause of) Some old debt? Some schoolyard bullshit way back who knows when? What does Jimmy know about me anyway? What has he ever known? This whole thing, man, this thing… is fucked. LUCA: Hey. Hey. Hey. Come on, Enrique. DULCE: (sings chorus from “City of Dreams”) Be stilled , my city DULCE beckons HENRY with the song. HENRY follows her. 4. The apartment. MELLY is about to leave. NERO: Where you think you’re going? MELLY: Huh? NERO: Get back. Get in. MELLY: Who the hell are you? NERO: Get back. MELLY; Get off me. NERO: Sit. Come on. MELLY: Who are you? Where’s Henry? NERO: Who? MELLY: Henry. NERO: Don’t move. MELLY: I can’t stay here all day. NERO: Why not? You don’t like this place? This is a good place. Prime location. You know how much this goes for on the market? MELLY: I don’t care. NERO: You don’t give a shit. MELLY: I don’t care. NERO: What’s this? Huh? MELLY: Purse. NERO: Fancy purse. MELLY: Who the hell are you? NERO: I’m no one. Just passing through. (looking through her purse, wallet, etc) Melanie. That you? MELLY: What do you think? NERO: I think you think I hate you. MELLY: Really? Why would I think that? NERO: The way you look at me. Hatred in your eyes, girl. MELLY: I’m not your girl. NERO: You’re his, eh? His girl? MELLY: I don’t know what you mean. NERO: Henry. MELLY: So, you do know him. NERO: Yeah, yeah, we’re like…real close. MELLY: You’re so fulla shit. NERO: You swear a lot. He like you like that? Swearing like a man, like a sailor boy? Tough and salty? That how he likes you? MELLY: Look, I don’t know what you’re, but I need to… She rises. He goes to her, forces her down. NERO: Hey. Hey. Hey. I said, sit down, stay put. You’re not leaving, girl. Not this place. This place is end home for you. MELLY: …Okay. NERO: Yeah? MELLY: All right. NERO: I’m just trying to be nice. Keeping things in line. MELLY: I see. NERO: You’re making fun of me? MELLY: No. NERO: Don’t parrot, then. MELLY: I’m not. NERO: Agreeing with me, pacifying me. MELLY (puts his hand on her thigh): Screw that. NERO: Salty sailor mouth girl. That’s what you are. Am I right? MELLY (beckoning…a tactic): Fuck yeah. NERO (follows her lead): Yeah. I figured. He’d like that. Bitch like you. MELLY: You like, too? NERO: I got no opinion. MELLY: Swing the other way? NERO: Fuck off. MELLY: Just asking. NERO: Shut up. MELLY: I thought we were getting to know each other. NERO: I’ll stuff this fancy purse down your throat you keep up. MELLY: Just like a man. NERO: Just like. Yeah. I’ll do it. MELLY: I see. NERO: Parrot. MELLY: I’m not. NERO: No? MELLY: No parrot here. I’m a good bitch. NERO: Salty… MELLY: Get close, you’ll see. NERO: Henry know this about you? MELLY: Henry doesn’t need to know everything. NERO: Not his girl, then. MELLY: I’m no one’s girl. NERO: Fuckin’ letting on. MELLY: Fuckin’ make me. They’re very close for a moment, NERO: That you? That old song? Answer it. MELLY: (on phone) …yes…Henry… NERO: You’re breaking up. MELLY: What? NERO: Tell him. It’s over. MELLY: What? NERO: Found a new lover. (holds her, pulls gun from leg holster/strap underneath pants, aims gun at her ribs) Now. MELLY: Henry… NERO: Over. MELLY: No, there’s no one…everything’s fine… I’ve just been…you know maybe we shouldn’t… NERO: What kind of break up line is that? MELLY: Listen, Henry, it’s over, okay?…Over. What do you think it means? ….I can’t see you anymore. No…No. It’s got nothing to do with…I just…I’ve had it, okay? I’ve…I mean, you’re the one who wanted to wait around. I’ve waited. So… …Someone else? Yeah, yeah, as a matter of fact there is. I’ve got a brand new lover. Yeah. Real hot. Real trick in the saddle. You don’t believe me? He’s licking me right now. Yeah. Yeah. Wanna taste? …Oh, I’m disgusting? You’re disgusting. You brought me here. What’d you expect? ..That’s right. …No….No. You can’t. No. I’m gone, Henry. She ends the call. She resists crying. NERO: That was good. You’re a good actor. That what you do? The phone rings again. Don’t... Let it go to…. He’ll get tired after a while. After he’s gone crazy mad and cried his eyes out. He’ll get tired. He’ll stop. He’ll forget. That’s what men do. MELLY: That what you do? NERO: Come on. MELLY: What? NERO: You’re leaving him. Then let’s go. MELLY: I thought you said— NERO: Stay here? In Jimmy’s craphouse? You gotta be kidding me. MELLY: …Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. MELLY flails at him. NERO subdues her. NERO: Hey. Hey. Hey. Easy now. MELLY: Where—? NERO: Just go. NERO leads MELANIE out of the apartment. 5. In the hall of longing, in the crying room of all crying rooms, HENRY: She left me. Just like that. I don’t…I mean, we were together, right? DULCE: You tell me what to do? Like you tell your girl? No wonder she left you. HENRY: Be kind. Can’t you see my heart’s breaking, Dulce my Dulce… DULCE: I’m not yours, ace. HENRY: But for tonight… How bout a little mercy on a man whose heart is rent? DULCE: You talk like this all the time? HENRY: I never talk like this. DULCE: Don’t get in the habit. HENRY: You don’t like it? DULCE: I don’t like sentiment. I sing about it enough. HENRY: Sequined shimmy, that was you. DULCE: And what’d you think? HENRY: I thought… she sings nice even if I don’t understand all of it quite. DULCE: What else? HENRY: I thought… She wears her hurt proud like a true warrior. DULCE: Tragic fucking diva. HENRY: And I thought… I’d sure like a tattoo from her strong hands. DULCE: But not a real one. HENRY: I’m a coward. DULCE: Paint. Like a little kid. HENRY: I don’t want my heartbreak to last. DULCE: You just want my hands. HENRY: And your imagination. Yeah. DULCE: No imagination here, ace. Template, that’s all. Tigers, snakes, roses, dragons, skulls, people point to something, I give it to them. HENRY: People point to you, you give? DULCE: Not so fast. HENRY: Why not? DULCE: We’re nothing to each other. HENRY: All the better. DULCE: All the worse, I say. HENRY: Why’s that? DULCE: You got a case of it. Ripe as anything. HENRY: No case. She was a chain round my neck. DULCE: That fast you turn on love? HENRY: Screw her. Be done with her, I say. DULCE: Harsh words. HENRY: I’m a harsh man. (referring to tattoo design) A little more blue… DULCE: You’ve a classic case. Remind me of my ace. HENRY: What ace is that? DULCE: Liquid ace. Long ago ace. Faraway man. HENRY: How far’d he go? DULCE: Into the belly of the outback. Straight into red earth and songs sung by some other angel dear. Que importa he said, where we are, as long as we’re en corazon. HENRY: Sounds a thief, this man. DULCE: He stole everything from me. My life, my country… Years I wasted dreaming he’d come back. Till I was plain out of song. (spitting the words in a punkish snarl:) Corazon in little star pieces on the gin-soaked floor. …You have strong arms. HENRY: Take them. DULCE: You think Dulce’s easy, eh? HENRY: I think Dulce’s dulce. DULCE: Hero man, are you? HENRY: What’d you mean? DULCE: Come to save this country. Come to be a hero. You think I don’t know? I know who you are. I’ve seen your kind before. HENRY: I’m not like the rest. DULCE: I’ve seen them come through here. Luca’s boys. HENRY: I’m not— DULCE: Luca’s trigger men. HENRY: I want your mouth. They kiss. 6. LUCA spies on DULCE and HENRY from across the way, LUCA: Enrique leans on her. Enrique takes her in. 7. In the back of a van whose windows have been shrouded, MELLY: The masks came first The van stops. Move. The back door of the van opens. MELLY is exposed to sudden daylight. 8. HENRY: I look at him. I aim. I shoot. NERO: Go on. Keep walking. Don’t show me your eyes. MELLY: Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. LUCA: Don’t show him your eyes. NERO: Just keep walking. Don’t show me your eyes. // HENRY: And I aim NERO: Just keep walking. MELLY: Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. LUCA: Don’t show him your eyes. // HENRY: And I look at him NERO: To the edge. Go on. Keep walking. MELLY:Sonofabitch. Sonofabitch. LUCA: Don’t. Don’t… NERO: What are you waiting for? Huh? NERO yanks the leash. What are you waiting for? NERO yanks again. What do you think this is, bitch? MELLY: Sonofa- NERO yanks again. MELLY stumbles. NERO: Get up. // HENRY: And I aim NERO: Up. HENRY: heart NERO: Don’t show me your eyes. HENRY: brain. MELLY is at the edge of the terrain. NERO: Good. See? See how easy? See how nice it is here? LUCA: Nice. That’s right. // HENRY: And then I turn NERO: Tell me it’s nice. HENRY: And I walk away. MELLY: It’s nice. NERO yanks the leash. NERO: Louder. HENRY: And I don’t look back. MELLY: It’s nice. NERO: Louder. HENRY: I don’t even try. MELLY: It’s nice. NERO: …And look. Straight out. Straight to the future. NERO leans into her, drawing the leash close, gun at her back. HENRY: And I disappear. LUCA: You just disappear. HENRY: Into the crowd. Like a light. NERO pulls the trigger. MELLY falls. 2nd movement 9. Morning. A breakfast café in the town square. Petite croissants and espresso. LUCA sips and eats. NERO absently plays heads or tails with a coin. LUCA: At least it’s quiet. NERO: Yeah. LUCA: Can’t stand mornings when they’re full of noise. Croissant? NERO: I don’t do carbs. LUCA: Since when? NERO: I don’t. LUCA: You’re strange. NERO: Just leave me alone, okay? Leave me alone. LUCA: …What is it? NERO: Nothing. LUCA: She give you trouble? NERO: She was fine. Everything was fine. You said do away with her, I did. The full treatment. LUCA: Van? NERO: Yeah yeah, van, the works. LUCA: Where’d you—? NERO: What do you care? I did it. She’s done. Out of the picture. LUCA: You left the phone. (reveals phone) NERO: She wasn’t gonna need it. LUCA: What did Jimmy say? Destroy the phone. He said destroy the phone. NERO: He didn’t say shit. LUCA: You know, I’m having breakfast, Nero. The least you could do… NERO: You think I don’t know? Jimmy didn’t say shit. He doesn’t give a pigeon’s squat about the girl. LUCA: A pigeon’s squat? Well, that’s a phrase for a Sunday morning. NERO: He doesn’t. He’s not like that. LUCA: You know what he’s like, eh? NERO: As a matter of fact I do. LUCA: You’re awful close to Jimmy. NERO: He likes me. LUCA: He uses you. NERO: He likes me around. LUCA: But he’s never around. NERO: …He didn’t care about the girl. LUCA: You’re saying I—? NERO: Yeah. Yeah. LUCA: Nero, I don’t run things. I take orders. Same as you. NERO: Bullshit. LUCA: What is it, huh? What is it you have to ruin my croissant and espresso? NERO: You didn’t even meet her. LUCA: I don’t have to meet to know. I see Henry’s eyes. I see his vision clouded. I see he doesn’t want to do things. After Jimmy’s sent for him, coaxed him into the deal, promised ALL of us bank when this goes through, when the country makes good with those who want to invest in what we have to offer and not in what we can sell easy. You follow? NERO: Fuel. LUCA: Fuel. That’s right. Of all kinds. You follow? NERO: …You got Dulce. LUCA: What do I got with Dulce? What do you got with Dulce? Dulce’s just there. She doesn’t cloud our visions. NERO: Look, I’m tired, you know. LUCA: You want out of everything? Go on. Live on the street like you did before. Sell yourself. Put yourself on the rack. See how much you can make. NERO: I can make. LUCA: Make coin. NERO: More than that. LUCA: Listen to me… you like this country? You like where we’re at? NERO: I don’t know. LUCA: We can do better. This guy Jimmy knows…our new leader (if all goes as planned)…he studied abroad…his pockets are lined deep. NERO: Doesn’t mean we’ll get any of it. LUCA: We’ll get some. We toe his line, we get some. What do we get now? NERO: Nothing. LUCA: That’s right. Good-for-shit gives us nothing. NERO: He promises stuff. LUCA: Full of words, he is… yeah, beautiful, revolutionary words. NERO: How do you know he—? LUCA: I know. I sense these things. NERO: Jimmy’s a liar. LUCA: You got some in with Jimmy? What’s it about, huh? NERO: She was a sweet girl. LUCA: Who? NERO: Melanie. LUCA: You want her phone? You want to listen to her voice? LUCA smashes the mobile phone. NERO: Shit, man. We coulda made something off it. LUCA: Cheap phone. Make what? You want to mourn now? Go on. Do your grieving. But keep it inside, keep it to yourself. No one likes to have grief around. It’s a messy business. Messy and dull. NERO: If it was me… LUCA: What? NERO: What if it was me? LUCA: Christ. How sentimental do you think I am? NERO: Fuck you. LUCA: At this hour? NERO: Fuck you to hell. LUCA: You know, Nero, I don’t appreciate -. NERO: After all I’ve done for you? …I’ll call Jimmy. I’ll do it. LUCA: Go ahead. Tell him whatever you’d like. NERO: What’d he give you? LUCA: Sorry? NERO: He give you some kind of advance? LUCA: Nero… NERO: He gives you but not me. But I have to do the shit work, is that the story? LUCA: No story. NERO: You tell Jimmy…you tell him I’ve had it. LUCA: Tell him yourself. You’re close, after all. NERO: Give me that. LUCA: What? NERO: Croissant. LUCA: You’re hungry now? NERO: Tell him he can piss his goat in the river. NERO stuffs croissant down LUCA’s throat and walks away. 10. Seconds later in the same cafe. DULCE: I didn’t know Jimmy had a goat. LUCA: Piss…off. DULCE: Good morning, Luca. LUCA: Water. DULCE: Like a little baby you are. LUCA: Give. DULCE (she doesn’t give him anything): He’s a good kid. You should treat him right. LUCA: What’d you think I do? DULCE: I think you use him. Cause he’s…sweet. LUCA: Stay out of my business. DULCE: I can’t. I’m in it. LUCA: How much you need? DULCE: It’s not about that. LUCA: How much? DULCE: Enrique and I were spontaneous. LUCA: Bullshit. DULCE: See? That’s why people piss on you. You don’t know how to be kind. LUCA: Sweet. my sweet…leave off, okay? All this…got nothing to do with you. DULCE: It’s everything to do, ace. LUCA: Hundred. That do you? DULCE: Don’t be vulgar. LUCA: I treat people as I see them. DULCE: You treat everybody the same. Is that it? LUCA: We need to take Enrique out to the country. Have him meet his relatives. DULCE: Why don’t you do it? LUCA: What? DULCE: Central plaza. As the sun starts to set… LUCA (hands her another hundred): Go on now. DULCE: You’re going to need a whole lot more to buy me off, ace. LUCA: Don’t think I won’t do it. You push me, I’ll bury you, sweetheart. DULCE: You should be the one to do it. Leave Enrique out of all this. LUCA: My hands are dirty. DULCE: Wash them. LUCA: Permanent stains. Curse of habit. (he draws a cigarette, lights it.) DULCE: …And after? LUCA: Hmm? DULCE: What will become of him? LUCA: You don’t need to worry bout that. HENRY appears. HENRY: Worry about what? LUCA: How’d you sleep? HENRY: Fine. HENRY kisses DULCE. LUCA: I was just telling Dulce here that you should get out to the country today, meet some of your family. It’d be good for you. Get re-acquainted with the soil. HENRY: I was never acquainted with it. LUCA: Genetic line, something in your DNA…you’d be amazed the kind of knowledge we have in our bodies…all sorts of places and things… HENRY and DULCE continue…deep into each other during: HENRY: Uh-huh. LUCA: Are you listening to me? HENRY: …I’m hungry. LUCA: We should get you something. Dulce, you want to see what they have in the kitchen? DULCE: I don’t work here. LUCA: Do me the favor, sweet. After all, you’ve already made yourself a bit of something today. Without so much as a lick. DULCE: Bastard. LUCA: You’re right there. I never did know my family. DULCE: Weep the weeping song. LUCA: It does keep weeping, doesn’t it? But then again you should know; it’s your specialty. DULCE (breaks away gently from HENRY): …I’ll go check. HENRY: Don’t go. DULCE: I won’t be long, ace. DULCE kisses him lightly, and goes within. LUCA: You’re taken with her. HENRY: She’s all right. LUCA: She’ll skin you if you’re not careful. HENRY: What? LUCA: Dulce…. Sweet oh sweet…. HENRY: We’re just passing time. LUCA: She’ll wear you out. Can’t have that. HENRY: I’ll be fine. LUCA: (indicating vest) She give you that? HENRY: (sees smashed mobile on ground) What’s with the phone? LUCA: Some drunk lost his way, took it out on his phone. He sings an original murder ballad “On the Banks of Weeping Lilies” Drawn and quartered will I be Drawn and quartered say no more Slight pause. HENRY: We should go to the country. LUCA: Get some air, move about… HENRY: Yeah, it’ll be good. LUCA: Just think, Henri, cheri… in a few days time… this whole country will know what you’ve done. Come on. We’ll take my car. HENRY: You sure? LUCA: It’s a piece of shit like everything else in this country, but it works. HENRY: What about your—? LUCA: I’ve had enough breakfast for one day. LUCA and HENRY walk away. 11. On the phone, at a gas station on the road. LUCA: What am I going to say to that? Jimmy, he has to make a connection to this place. You said it yourself…. I know. I know…. He’s still hung up on the girl… Even with Dulce….yeah…yeah…Well, between you and me, Jimmy, Nero’s a piece of shit. No offense. I know you like him, but I spend half my time defending you. That’s the truth. …What? …Sure. I can do that. …. .Tomorrow. HENRY comes into view, from gas station. (sings from Disney’s “Alladin”) A whole new world. 12. And in the dirt country, the low country HENRY: This is something. LUCA: Out here. Yeah. HENRY: And you’re from here? LUCA: That’s right. HENRY: Don’t know how you could leave. LUCA: Don’t romanticize. HENRY: I mean it. LUCA: There’s no work here, Enrique. HENRY: The land. LUCA: It’s too rough. It doesn’t yield. And the parts that do have been bought. HENRY: BY whom? LUCA: This and that giant the world over…first thing our charming good-for-shit leader did was sell off the land. Didn’t care about who lived here, their houses, their families….You see that stretch of land? There was a massacre there. HENRY: What? LUCA: A crowd stood up to the giants. HENRY: Jesus… LUCA: Blood and bark…bones and hair…the smell was in the air for days and days… You see, this is why, this is why, we must get rid of good-for-shit. HENRY: Right there on that stretch of land… LUCA: Right there. HENRY: No wonder you left for the city. LUCA: Not that it’s much better. HENRY: Not like this, things like this… LUCA: Happen there too. In the city, we’re used to massacres. They’re boring, even. Imagine that. Boring massacres. HENRY: I don’t know how you can— LUCA: What do people see? What they want. You see, violence is our best-selling brand. The world craves it. Eats it up. Give me more, the world says. Show me the slums and the drugs, the casual deaths and the…Show it all, the world says, and we oblige. HENRY: While he makes a killing. LUCA: He’s our fearless leader, after all. HENRY: … I’m surprised you don’t chide Jimmy for it. LUCA: How’s that? HENRY: For making a speck of change from all this mess. LUCA: Profit is profit. We all make what we can get. HENRY: Yeah, but…whose profit at what profit? HENRY: Cynical. LUCA: Purely cynical. Absolutely. But who will own up to that? Will you look at him, Enrique, and really see him? HENRY: Aim and shoot. LUCA: Whatever else may happen, don’t forget that. HENRY: What do you mean? LUCA: Just that. Whatever else happens…do what needs to be done. HENRY: …You all right? LUCA: Hmm? HENRY: Like you were fading off… LUCA: I’m fine. …Come on. We should go see your family. If they’re still around here, they’ll be a bit further up the road. HENRY: You go on. I’ll catch up. LUCA: Enrique… HENRY: I just want to be here a while. Just be here. LUCA: Let the land swallow you. HENRY: Amazing country. LUCA heads on up the road. HENRY remains. 13. Minutes later, NERO appears. NERO: You shouldn’t stay here. The air’s no good. HENRY: I’m just resting a bit. NERO: This ain’t no hotel. Go on. HENRY: I’m just… NERO: What? What are you looking at, pendejo? HENRY: Are you from here? NERO: I’m from everywhere, just like you. HENRY: I was just wondering…over there, that stretch of land… NERO: You can’t buy it. It’s been sold. Years now. HENRY: No, I don’t want to… NERO: Then what? What do you want, pendejo? HENRY: Look, are you from here? NERO: I told you. I’m from everywhere. Just like you. HENRY: Okay. All right. Well, thanks. HENRY starts to walk away. NERO: Where are you going, eh? Where are you going? NERO cuts HENRY short. HENRY: Up the road. NERO: What you do there? HENRY: I’ve family. NERO: No family there. Everybody’s dead. They killed them all. HENRY: Well, I’m going anyway. NERO: You’re a real pendejo, pendejo. HENRY: Look, what do you want? Huh? Money? NERO: Fucking joke you are. HENRY: Why’s that? NERO: Look for family, eh? How bout your girl? You look for your girl? HENRY: What are you talking about? NERO: I take you to her. I show you where she’s at. HENRY: What the fuck are you talking about? NERO: Your girl. You got a girl, right? Little lover. Little Melanie. HENRY: Fuck you. NERO: Watch the lover go. HENRY: Fuck you. You know something? What do you know? Huh? Who the hell are you? NERO: This girl of yours…she smells nice… fancy purse, right? HENRY: Where is she? NERO: Fancy purse…little smile…talks bout you… HENRY: Where is she? NERO: (a taunt) Melanie. HENRY lunges for him. NERO blocks him, holds him in his grip. Temper temper. You upset, lover boy? HENRY: Just tell me where she is. NERO: I thought she left you. I thought you didn’t care. I thought all you wanted was to keep in your little save-the-country game with Luca. HENRY: How do you know about—? NERO: You think nobody knows anything round here? You think you’re the only one, lover boy? HENRY strikes NERO. HENRY: Fuck you. NERO: Big words from the big man. HENRY: Fuck you. HENRY strikes him again. NERO: Nasty hand you got there. You box? Huh? HENRY: I do what I like. NERO: So do I. NERO strikes him back. What’d I say, eh? Temper, pendejo. You gotta cool down. HENRY: Just tell me where she is. NERO: Just like that, eh? You come to our country, do things for us, tell us what to do? HENRY manages to breaks away but NERO strikes him. That’s enough now. HENRY goes for him again, but NERO strikes HENRY’s leg, in same place he’d been struck before during the night of carnival. HENRY:… jesus god… NERO: Praying now, eh? HENRY: Look, I’ve some money. Just take it. NERO: “Just take it.” Fucking pendejo. I’m from here, asshole. This is my country you want to fuck with. Who gave you the right? HENRY: Where’s—? NERO: Shh. That’s enough, pendejo. NERO gags HENRY with a handkerchief. You listen now, that’s all. Nice and quiet. You listen to me. He ties HENRY’s hands and legs and arms with length of cord during: I saw the assholes come here He’s finished tying him. Shame. That’s what we felt. Undeniable shame. HENRY’s mobile phone rings. The ring-tone is of an old-fashioned phone ringing. Is that Papi? Is Papi Luca calling to find out where you are? NERO retrieves the phone from HENRY’s jeans pocket but doesn’t answer it. Fucking pendejo. NERO walks away, on and up the road until he’s gone. Night begins to fall. From the stretch of land where the massacre happened long ago, a radiant vision: MELLY is seen.
End of Part One
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