TYING UP
SANDIMA
A FULL LENGTH DRAMA
Maura
Campbell
233
Crescent Road,
802/660-7906;
ibsen3000@yahoo.com
CHARACTERS
JEANNE,
late thirties
AMY,
early twenties, JEANNE’S alter ego, innocent, free-spirited
MRS.
FAIRCHILD, late middle age, JEANNE’S mother
CARLOS,
early twenties, Hispanic, JEANNE/AMY’S husband
MORGAN,
late thirties, JEANNE’S second husband
LAURIE,
teenager, JEANNE’S daughter
JUNIOR,
twenties, mentally retarded man
DR.
LEONARD, JEANNE’S court appointed psychiatrist
SPANISH
MUSICIANS
SETTING
Present,
and moves through time
ACT
ONE
Two
areas; a bed stage left, a table and two chairs stage left. Behind is a roll around cart. A bottle of wine and two glasses on it.
A
SCRIM PANEL on the back wall. Two other
SCRIMS, one left and one right.
Perhaps
there is another level – more scrim panels. A CUBAN BAND is unseen,
but
the music plays. They are lighted
sometimes,
other times not.
The
SHADOW FIGURE of SANDIMA moves
acrobatically through the stage and then is gone.
She
– SANDIMA may be a She – lives behind the scrim panels. She appears
In
red light, she dances, she imitates
Characters
– she is a presence, she is an
Influence. There is no play without
SANDIMA. Play with her.
CUBAN
MUSIC is loud and lively, builds to a high then the volume becomes low, low,
lower, lowest as the lights come up slowly revealing a woman, JEANNE, about
forty years old, lying in a heap on the floor.
She wears pajamas and is soaking wet.
She
moves a little, then a little more, then she lifts her head and looks
around. She is confused, drugged
even. She gets up, falls back down, gets
up again.
JEANNE
Hey!
She
stumbles, then falls to the floor.
BLACKOUT. MUSIC is loud.
LIGHTS
COME UP. JEANNE sits up this time, rubs
her face, wrings out her pajamas, slaps her face, she gets up, falls, then gets
up more steadily.
I’m, yeah… I’m, okay, yeah… Hey.
She sobs all at once.
Can anybody…
hey! What the fuck?… Come on!
She
still cries, but walks around looking for a door.
Can anybody
hear me?… I’m in here… I’m awake… This
is not okay… Please! Help me!
Please… God… please… Hello?… Jesus Christ. Is anybody fucking here?
(Pause.) I am not a criminal. Would
someone please answer me?
She checks the walls of the room. As
she moves, the CENTER SCRIM PANEL lights up – the OTHER CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY
appear in a dim light – then they are gone.
What
the hell… Jesus… Jesus… I’ve really done
it this time…
She makes an ineffectual attempt to
wring out her hair, nightgown, etc.
JEANNE
All
right. So I’ll wait.
The
music rises a little, then a lot. She
sinks to her knees.
Stop
that! I can’t… stand it… stop, my head, it’s…
The
music is painfully loud, JEANNE screams a long time. BLACK OUT.
MUSIC STOPS.
THE
LIGHTS COME UP. JEANNE is on the
floor. A NEWSPAPER is on the BED.
She
wakes slowly again, rubs her head, her eyes.
She is cold. She goes over and
picks up the newspaper and looks at it.
She reads to herself. Then she
sits down, almost falls down trying to sit, and reads aloud.
JEANNE
Jeanne
Hubble, thirty-nine, beloved daughter and mother…Oh, thank God, I’m dead!… Jeanne
Hubble, thirty-nine, Jesus Christ. She was born in
She
puts the newspaper down and gets up abruptly.
She looks around for a hidden camera, or glass, or some way to ascertain
is someone is watching.
Hello? Who brought the newspaper?
She
waits, then gets the newspaper and shakes it in the air.
You know, this
thing. I don’t think this is funny. I’m
scared. Is that what you want?
She
gives up on the floor. MUSIC PLAYS very
softly. BLACKOUT. JEANNE SPEAKS…
Hey! Hey, cut that out-
She falls over something in the dark.
Jesus!
The music gets louder.
I don’t want
to be dead! I want… I don’t want this
fucking newspaper!
The
sound of the newspaper being torn up.
Stop it! Stop it now!
Please! God, please make it stop!
MUSIC STOPS. Quiet a moment.
AMY sits and read from the newspaper.
AMY
Jeanne
Hubble, thirty nine, beloved daughter and mother, died yesterday.
She was born in
AMY
looks at JEANNE, then at the newspaper photo, then at JEANNE, then goes over
and shakes her.
Hey! Hey, this must be you!
JEANNE opens her eyes and looks at AMY.
JEANNE
What are you…
My God, someone’s here!
JEANNE
is incredibly relieved, she looks at AMY like she can’t believe her eyes.
I’ve been
here, I don’t know, forever. What the
hell is going on?
AMY
What? I don’t know what you mean.
JEANNE
I woke up here
and… now you’re here. Are you, I mean,
are we dead?
AMY
Dead?
JEANNE
I don’t feel
dead. I feel like hell, but I don’t feel
dead. This is all very strange. You look familiar. Do I know you?
AMY
My name’s Amy.
JEANNE
Amy, Amy… I don’t
know any Amys. I’m Jeanne.
AMY
The newspaper
says you died yesterday.
JEANNE
I know! I read it, too! But I don’t know what it means.
AMY
Well, I think,
you know, it means you’re dead.
JEANNE
But I don’t
remember dying. I remember it was Laurie’s birthday and I think we must have
had a fight…
MUSIC
comes up. CARLOS GARCIA offstage singing
a love song. AMY responds. It gets
louder.
CARLOS
enters. He wears a bathrobe – he is
fresh from the shower – and he carries his clothes which he puts on.
NOTE: Here and in other places SANDIMA may appear behind a scrim panel. She comments silently on the action – she swings on a rope, she flips, she makes fun…
AMY
Who’s Laurie?
JEANNE
My daughter.
AMY
Nice name. I wonder if Carlos would like it.
JEANNE
Who’s Carlos?
AMY
My
husband. He’s from
JEANNE
Carlos from
AMY
He’s a
chef. And a singer. But one day we’re
going to have a book store.
JEANNE
My- God.
AMY dances into CARLOS’ arms.
CARLOS
Hey!
She helps him dress.
AMY
What do you
think of the name Laurie for a girl?
CARLOS
Laurie? Can we give her my mother’s name, too?
AMY(laughing)
Laurie
Juanita. I like it. You smell good.
CARLOS
I have to go
to work.
AMY
Mm hm.
CARLOS
What are you
doing?
AMY
Nothing.
CARLOS
Okay. We can’t make love now.
But
he moves in a slow dance with her.
AMY
I can’t do it.
CARLOS
You are
learning.
AMY
I just don’t
have the Latin rhythm. You have to be
born to it-
CARLOS
Just look in
my eyes.
AMY
If I look in
your eyes, I can’t see what I’m doing.
CARLOS
You have to stop thinking about dancing
and feel the music.
You ever see a baby when the music
plays? Nobody has
to explain about rhythm. They just move. They just feel.
So that’s all you has to do. Is remember to feel. Verdad?
AMY watches their feet.
Don’t look at the ground. The music is not in your
feet.
Close your eyes. Put your heart
to my heart. And
then feel the music. The music is not out there, Jeannie.
He
touches his heart.
The music is in here.
They dance a little better now, AMY
relaxes in his arms.
JEANNE
Okay, that’s not
funny.
AMY
Hey, what’s
the matter?
JEANNE
I’m not amused
by any of this.
AMY
What are you
talking about?
JEANNE
Carlos. My husband?
Is this some kind of holograph?
AMY
What’s a
holograph?
JEANNE
This is not
happening. And he never looked that
good.
AMY
You’re just
jealous.
JEANNE
Jealous? I’m dead.
She
picks up the newspaper.
Remember? And you’re a phantom. He’s a phantom. We’re
all phantoms.
MUSIC
STARTS again. JEANNE looks up at the ceiling.
Would you stop
the fucking music already?
The music stops.
CARLOS
I have to go
to work.
AMY
What time will
you be home?
CARLOS
Late. The
restaurant closes at eleven. Then we’re
playing at the club – remember? You want to come down later?
He kisses her hands.
Te quiero.
CARLOS
exits. JEANNE speaks deliberately to
AMY.
JEANNE
Amy was my
cat’s name. My mother gave it away when
I was ten because it made me allergic.
You’re me. Aren’t you. Some… version
of me. My husband Carlos-
AMY
He’s my
husband-
JEANNE
Okay, so he’s
your husband. You can have him. He broke my heart once, now it’s your turn.
AMY
Carlos loves
me.
JEANNE
Yeah, well,
he’s not too bright. I guess that makes
you not very bright. Or me, either, for that matter.
JEANNE
takes the RED SASH off AMY’S waist.
You know what
he does with this? He ties up
Sandima. You ever met him?
AMY
Of course I
know Sandima. It’s part of Carlos’
culture. I think it’s adorable.
JEANNE
It’s superstition!
AMY grabs the sash back.
AMY
It’s
mythology!
CARLOS reenters.
CARLOS
Jeannie! Did you see my car keys?
AMY
I thought they
were in your pocket.
CARLOS
Sandima must
have hidden them again.
He takes the RED SASH.
Sandima, you
are a bad little spirit.
He ties the sash in a knot.
Give me the
car keys and then I’ll let you out.
AMY
Did you look
on the kitchen table? Maybe they fell
out when we were…
She kisses him.
Or the stairs.
CARLOS
I’ll be late-
She kisses him again.
Or the
bathroom.
They
are really kissing now, and back up onto the bed where they begin to make love.
JEANNE watches them with some disgust, then picks up the newspaper and goes
back to the chair and sits and reads aloud.
JEANNE
Jeanne was predeceased by
her first husband, Carlos Garcia, of
AMY
and CARLOS fall off the bed, blankets and all, and eventually wind up under
it. She puts down the newspaper, walks
over to the bed and looks at the lovers, then feels under the mattress and
finds the keys.
Hey, lover
boy. Carlos. Amy.
CARLOS
pops his head up and then sits up.
Catch.
She
throws him the keys. He catches them.
CARLOS
(TO AMY)
Sorry,
love. I have to go to work.
AMY
Wake me up
when you come home.
CARLOS
Si.
CARLOS exits.
AMY
How did you
find the keys?
JEANNE
They were in
the bed. They were always in the
bed. You know something, this guy is not
what he appears. He’s a criminal. He’s out making drug deals.
AMY
I don’t
believe you.
JEANNE
Did you ever
notice anything strange about his eyes?
AMY
What, they’re
brown and beautiful-
JEANNE
The way he
stares. The way he loses things-
AMY
Stop it!
AMY
grabs the newspaper and begins to read aloud.
“Jeanne
Alice Hubble, thirty-nine, beloved daughter and mother-
JEANNE grabs it back.
JEANNE
Don’t.
AMY
You want a
drink?
JEANNE
A drink?
AMY
Yeah. An alcoholic beverage. You know, Scotch. Something like that.
JEANNE
(Pause.) I gave it up.
AMY
Oh. Well.
I guess I shouldn’t drink either.
I’m pregnant.
JEANNE
No kidding.
AMY
Two
months. Here, feel.
AMY
puts JEANNE’S hand on her belly.
It’s not
kicking or anything. Carlos’ sister says
that doesn’t happen until at least five months.
Maybe six. We’re hoping for a
boy.
JEANNE
I think you’re
going to have a girl.
AMY
Carlos’ sister
says-
JEANNE
It’s a girl.
AMY
I didn’t mean
to get pregnant. Not now, anyway. I don’t know how it happened.
JEANNE
God plants a
little seed inside you-
AMY
Well, I know
that, but we were careful.
JEANNE
Even on the
kitchen table?
LAURIE
(VOICE OVER)
Mom?
JEANNE
Laurie?
AMY
Hey, are you
all right?
JEANNE
My daughter, I
heard my daughter, dear God, don’t tell me-
LAURIE(VOICE
OVER – FRANTIC)
Mom!
JEANNE looks around helplessly.
JEANNE
Laurie, where
are you? God, please, don’t do this!
JEANNE
opens the newspaper and reads her obituary again, frantically-
…received her B.A. from the
She looks at AMY.
Why are you here?
AMY
I’m waiting for Carlos-
JEANNE
I’d like you to leave. Right
now.
AMY plants herself on the bed.
AMY
You don’t like me? You leave.
JEANNE
I was here first.
AMY
This is my house!
JEANNE
House? This is your house? This is hell. We’re in hell.
Your husband is going blind. Did
you know that?
AMY
Stop it.
JEANNE
And there’s nothing anyone can do.
And he’s got no skills,
all he can do is cook. Who’s
going to hire a blind chef?
AMY
He’s in a band-
JEANNE
Oh, yes, the only Cuban singer in
AMY hides under the covers.
I want you to listen to me!
JEANNE tries to pull the covers down.
Whatever cosmic joke is being played, I
can at least tell the truth. And the
truth is you’re married to a guy that is going to ruin your life completely-
AMY pokes her head out.
I love him!
JEANNE
He’s uneducated! He can’t even
spell!
AMY
He’s Spanish!
JEANNE
He can’t spell in Spanish either.
AMY
I don’t like you!
JEANNE
I – am – you! How do you like that? I’m what you turn
into.
AMY
It’s not possible.
JEANNE
Hey, I have – had – a pretty good
life. A decent second husband.
AMY
You’re married.
JEANNE
To Morgan. He’s an accountant.
AMY
So he counts people’s money, how
interesting.
MORGAN enters. He sits down and takes off his shoes and puts
on mules. He puts on some classical
music, then he finds the newspaper and begins to read it. He scratches his head and yawns, clears his
throat, etc.
SANDIMA comments…
JEANNE
Yes, and not only that, he makes
money. A lot. He’s refined.
Well read. He can identify every
one of Mozart’s compositions. And Bach –
and Chopin-
AMY
Sounds like a real ball of fire.
JEANNE
He’s responsible. And he loves Laurie. I mean, what good is it to have a hot
Latin lover when he’s not around to pay
the bills, or pick his daughter up from school.
AMY
That him?
JEANNE
I – yes. (Pause.)
I don’t remember him being so fat.
AMY
The more to love!
JEANNIE watches him a moment; he
doesn’t see her. LAURIE enters.
LAURIE
Hey, Morgan, Mom home?
MORGAN
Hi, sweetheart. No, she’s working late tonight. How was school?
LAURIE
Oh, boring.
MORGAN
How about you and me going out for
dinner. Or a movie? Is there anything
you’d like to see?
LAURIE
Actually, I’m going to a meeting
tonight.
MORGAN
What meeting is that?
LAURIE
Oh, just a forum for kids. You know, speaking out about
our feelings, that sort of thing.
MORGAN
Is there something you need to talk
about, honey?
LAURIE
No, it’s just kind of fun to go. Some of the kids really have problems and,
well, I just listen. Actually, don’t
tell her. Please. Just say I’m studying
at
Beth’s house. You know how she gets.
MORGAN
I know how she gets.
MORGAN takes out a large roll of bills
and hands some to her.
Need some money?
LAURIE
Wow, thanks.
MORGAN
What time will you be home?
LAURIE
Oh, about ten.
MORGAN
Do you need a ride?
LAURIE
Mike’s picking me up.
MORGAN
Hey, how about a kiss first?
MORGAN kisses LAURIE then sits and
reads the paper.
AMY
That horrible man.
JEANNE
What?
AMY
Did you see the way he looked at
her? The way he touched her?
JEANNE
He’s her father-
AMY
No.
No, he’s not. He’s- you said. I
heard you say- he’s not going to do this-
She
walks over to MORGAN.
You know something? You’re a creep! Don’t you ever, ever come near that girl again,
do you hear me? Or I’ll kill you!
MORAN
doesn’t hear her.
JEANNE
Amy, stop it!
MORGAN
Jesus!
You scared me! I thought you were
working late.
JEANNE
Well, here I am. How was your day?
She
kisses him.
MORGAN
Fine.
I had plans to go out.
JEANNE
Out- where?
MORGAN
Bill Matthews from work. We thought we’d go over to the boat
show. It’s the last day.
JEANNE
Oh, boats! Right.
Mind if I tag along?
MORGAN
Actually, it’s kind of a working
thing. We’ve got some accounts
that are troubling us, we want to talk.
JEANNE
That’s all right, then. Do you want some dinner?
MORGAN
I had a late lunch. I was just reading the newspaper before I
went out.
JEANNE
Is Laurie here?
MORGAN
She’s at Beth’s studying. I told her to be home by ten.
JEANNE
Beth.
MORGAN
Her friend.
JEANNE
I don’t know any Beth.
MORGAN
She’s tall with red hair.
JEANNE
Oh, Beth!
MORGAN
So, I’ll just finish reading the
newspaper.
JEANNE
Okay.
Silence between them. JEANNE gets the bottle of wine and a glass
and brings it to the table. She tries to open it unsuccessfully. MORGAN notices.
MORGAN
I thought we agreed you wouldn’t drink
during the week.
JEANNE
Well, it’s just me here. What’s the difference?
MORGAN
The difference is we made an agreement.
JEANNE
continues to try and open it.
JEANNE
Well, I think after the day I’ve had…
You want some?
MORGAN
And you’ve already been drinking. Haven’t you.
JEANNE
No, I haven’t-
MORGAN
I can smell it on you-
JEANNE
God, I can’t believe you noticed. I can’t believe you notice
anything I do. I came home early, I thought, all right,
we’ll
have a nice dinner-
MORGAN
I’ll stay home.
JEANNE
And this is the first I’ve heard of any
fucking boat show!
And who’s this Bill Masters-
MORGAN
Matthews, I said I’d stay home-
JEANNE
Where’s Laurie?
MORGAN
I just told you, at Beth’s house,
she’ll be home by ten-
JEANNE
I don’t like this! I don’t like coming
home and not finding my daughter-
MORGAN
All right. All right, we’ll have dinner. I’ll take you out.
JEANNE
I don’t want to go anywhere. I just
want to wait for Laurie.
MORGAN
All right, we’ll wait. We’ll both wait.
JEANNE
Go to the boat show.
MORGAN
I’m not going.
JEANNE
I want you to. I want to be alone. Actually, I’m tired. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t go on like that. I did have a glass of wine after work. Sarah and I worked through
lunch and then we grabbed a bite. I had linguini with clam sauce-
MORGAN
Where did you eat?
JEANNE
Oh, that Italian place, you know-
MORGAN
I can’t think where you mean. There’s not an Italian restaurant near your
office.
JEANNE
We drove. I drove her home and it’s on
the way there. That’s
where we ate and I had the glass of
wine.
So, you’re going to the boat show?
MORGAN
I guess so.
JEANNE
Have fun.
She moves away and toward AMY. MORGAN takes off his slippers and puts his
shoes back on. He stands and watches her
during the next segment.
AMY
He’s lying about everything.
JEANNE
I’m the problem! He can’t stand me, how can you blame him?
AMY
He’s got… hot eyes!
JEANNE
What are you talking about?
AMY
That’s what Carlos would call
them. Hot eyes. The way
he looks at Laurie, the way he looks at
you. It’s not friendly.
LAURIE reenters. She carries a bag of junk food and has high
energy.
LAURIE
Hey, Morgan.
She opens a bag of chips and starts
eating – she’s hungry.
MORGAN
What happened to your meeting?
LAURIE
Oh, it got cancelled. Is Mom here?
MORGAN
She’s lying down. Difficult day at work. I wouldn’t disturb her. I’ve been meaning to ask you. What do you want for your birthday?
LAURIE
It’s funny you should ask.
MORGAN
Why?
LAURIE
There’s this demonstration called
“Young Women Speak Out” and you have to be fifteen-
MORGAN
Wait a minute, wait a minute, where is
this demonstration?
LAURIE
In
MORGAN
We?
LAURIE
It’s through the Women’s Center. You know, where I do community service. We leave early Saturday morning, we stay in a
hostel and come back on Sunday. Please?
MORGAN
And when is this?
LAURIE
On my birthday! That’s what’s so awesome! I’ll be old enough to go! There’s going to be thousands of women
marching down
be covered on the news.
MORGAN
And what are we demonstrating…
LAURIE
A woman’s right to choose.
MORGAN
I thought women had a right to choose.
LAURIE
Now!
But there’s constant legislation being introduced to change that.
So that’s what I want for my
birthday. I want to go to Washington and
I
need you to help convince Mom. Oh, yeah, and I want a hundred
dollars. For the trip! And I want to make a donation.
And besides, a lot
of the girls never have any money. So
please help me convince Mom?
Because I’m going anyway.
MORGAN
I’ll tell you what. Take me out for
dinner tonight. And I’ll think about it.
LAURIE
What?
MORGAN
A man’s go to eat, right?
LAURIE
Well. I guess so. Should we get something for Mom?
MORGAN
She had linguini. She told me.
He
takes her arm and they exits.
JEANNE
You know how I know I’m dead?
AMY
How?
JEANNE
None of this actually hurts. It’s like it’s not happening to me. For a moment,
it is.
And then it’s not. It’s like it’s
happening to someone else.
She
gets the wine bottle.
SANDIMA comments…
How about it?
AMY
I’m pregnant. I can’t drink.
JEANNE
One glass. One glass is good for you. Cabernet
Sauvignon. Do you know what Elizabeth Barrett Browning said? All one needs for happiness is wine, love
and
AMY
That’s life, love and
JEANNE
Same thing.
She
pours two glasses.
Cheers!
They drink.
CARLOS reenters. His hand is bandaged. AMY hands her glass to JEANNE and runs to him.
AMY
Carlos, what happened?
CARLOS
I cut my hand, I was chopping onions
and I wasn’t careful.
AMY
Let me see- Carlos, you’ve got to see a doctor.
CARLOS
It’s nothing. It’s stupid. I was chopping onions for paella and I wasn’t
watching what I was doing.
AMY
Does it hurt?
She
kisses his hand.
CARLOS
I may have to miss work for a few
days. Until it heals a little
better. Jeannie?
One day there will be no more cooking.
You know how you’ve talked about a bookstore? I am going to buy a store. A book store.
For us. But you will
have to be the brains.
AMY
But, how are we going to do that?
CARLOS
There is someone, a friend, who will
loan me the money. Not yet, but soon.
AMY
Who is it?
CARLOS
You don’t know him. When the time is right, I will bring him for
dinner.
AMY
Dinner!
Carlos, I made black beans.
CARLOS
You did that?
AMY
They’re on the stove. I may have left them on too long…
CARLOS
Jeannie, you’re drinking.
AMY
What?
Oh, wine. I made black beans,
your sister said to put in some wine,
so I poured myself a little.
CARLOS
It’s not good for the baby, you should
never take that.
AMY
I thought one glass would be all right-
CARLOS takes the glass away and puts it
back on the table.
CARLOS
Never.
Do you understand me? What you
eat, the baby eats.
It’s very important.
AMY
Okay, okay. Do you want to try them?
CARLOS
The black beans?
AMY
And rice?
CARLOS
You really made black beans and rice?
AMY
I wanted to surprise you. I’m not sure how they’ll taste, I might
have put in too much garlic.
CARLOS
There is no such thing as too much
garlic.
AMY
Well, all right. I’ll get you a plate!
CARLOS watches her exit, then sits and
puts his head down. JEANNE walks over to
his and almost touches his shoulder before he gets back up and takes out a
large roll of bills and counts them. He
hides the money under the bed. JEANNE
watches.
AMY
reenters with a plate of food.
AMY
Now, tell the truth. Don’t lie.
CARLOS
takes the plate.
CARLOS
I’m sure they’re delicious.
AMY
I might have burned them a little. They smell kind of funny.
CARLOS
takes a bite.
Well?
CARLOS
Fantastic.
AMY
Really?
CARLOS
My sister gave you this recipe?
AMY
I followed it as best I could. I didn’t have any green peppers,
though, so I used cucumbers.
CARLOS
That’s what’s different! I like it.
AMY
Would you like some coffee?
CARLOS
Sure.
No. I mean, I’ll make it.
AMY
You don’t like my coffee.
CARLOS
I do, it’s just that I like you
better. Don’t leave.
He
kisses her. MUSIC comes up.
Don’t leave.
He kisses her and finds a way to put
down the black beans. JEANNE
watches. They find their way to the
bed. JEANNE picks up the plate of food
and continues to watch them. She takes a
bite; she makes a horrible face.
JEANNE
That must have been love!
SANDIMA
comments…
BLACK
OUT.
SCENE 2
The lights come up. AMY is lying on the bed. JEANNE sits and reads from the newspaper again.
JEANNE
“Jeanne Alice Hubble, beloved , yeah, yeah… Born in
AMY
stretches and yawns.
“…Morgan Hubble, her estranged husband
also of Buffalo,
AMY
You were an actress!
JEANNE
I wasn’t an actress. “Jeanne was responsible for creating
‘Sidewalks and Saturdays,’ and improvisational theater company for
developmentally challenged adults.”
AMY
You were an actress!
JEANNE
I was an organizer. I never acted.
AMY
What was ‘Sidewalks and Saturdays?’
JEANNE
It was nothing, really.
AMY
Tell me.
SANDIMA
lights up. JUNIOR goes
through
the panel on a scooter, then
comes
back the other way. SANDIMA
plays
with him.
JEANNE
We’d say, “Okay, it’s Saturday and
you’re walking down a sidewalk.”
They loved the fact that it was
Saturday. And we’d ask, “What do you
see?”
And, oh, never mind.
AMY
Tell me.
JEANNE
It was a job, you know? Nine to five. Are you hungry? I think I’m hungry.
She
looks around.
AMY
Boy, you’re slippery.
JEANNE
What do you mean, slippery?
AMY
You keep changing the subject. It’s like, whoa. I don’t even see it
coming.
Slippery.
JEANNE
You sound like my therapist. God, lets hope he never finds me up…
Are we up?
AMY
What?
JEANNE
Or down. I suppose we could be down.
She
looks around.
Probably it was all hogwash. Heaven and hell. Who would kill me?
AMY
I don’t know. What makes you think you were killed?
JEANNE
I must have died somehow. I didn’t, you know, have cancer or anything.
AMY
What about a car accident.
JEANNE
Not likely. I didn’t have a license.
AMY
Really?
That’s funny.
JEANNE
It’s not funny. I was taking medication – under a doctor’s
orders –
and I got stopped for having a light
out. And you know what? They
arrested me for DUI. How would you like that?
AMY
Not very much.
JEANNE
I’m appealing. I want to remember how I died.
AMY goes over to the bed and get under
the covers.
I think… you know, I think I was
choked. My throat hurts. Look at me, is it bruised?
AMY
I don’t know.
JEANNE
Would you please look?
AMY
I don’t want to.
JEANNE
God, it’s not that hard.
She
feels her neck.
Maybe there’s a mirror…
JEANNE picks up the WINE GLASS and
tries to see her reflection.
Jesus Christ.
AMY
What is it?
JEANNE
continues to stare.
What?
AMY comes over and looks. She touches her face, then she looks at
JEANNE. They both look carefully.
Oh, no.
Quiet
between them a moment.
JUNIOR enters, a wild man on a scooter.
JUNIOR
What do you see, Jeannie, what do you
see?
JEANNE AMY
I
see me. I
see me.
JUNIOR
(TO
AMY)
Wanna play? Wanna play, wanna play, wanna play?
JEANNE
laughs in spite of herself.
JEANNE
Amy, meet Junior.
AMY
Hi, Junior. What do you want to play?
JUNIOR
Sidewalks and Saturdays, Sidewalks and
Saturdays, Sidewalks and Saturdays!
Sidewalks and Saturdays!
JEANNE
Okay, Junior, okay. Settle down. You’re going to hurt yourself.
JUNIOR
I’ m settling! I’m settling!
(To AMY.) You’re pretty.
He hugs her tight, then puckers up for
a big kiss.
JEANNE
Now, Junior, you know better.
JUNIOR
What’s your name?
AMY
Amy.
JUNIOR
Will you marry me?
AMY
I’m already married.
JUNIOR
Darn.
Oh, well. Jeannie, let’s play,
let’s play-
JEANNE
Okay, Junior. We’ll play.
He
is so excited.
Okay, you’re walking down the sidewalk-
JUNIOR
And it’s Saturday!
JEANNE
And it’s Saturday… what do you see?
He thinks very hard.
What do you see, Junior?
JUNIOR
I see…
I don’t know!
JEANNE
Maybe you see a
cow.
JUNIOR
No.
JEANNE
Maybe you see… a
camel!
JUNIOR
Oh, that’s
stupid.
JEANNE
How about a windmill!
JUNIOR
A windmill! A windmill!
What’s a windmill?
JEANNE
It has arms that
go around and around like at the carnival-
JUNIOR
Okay! Okay!
I’m at the carnival! And it’s
Saturday, and I’m riding
the windmill,
and I’m way up high-
JEANNE
And what do you
see?
JUNIOR
I see… a blue
sky… and a big yellow sun… Look, at me,
Jeannie,
look at me, I’m
way up high…
He
climbs up on the bed.
AMY
Be careful!
JUNIOR
What do you see,
Jeannie, what do you see?
JEANNE
I see… a
beautiful pool of water… and a swing… look, Junior,
now you’re on
it, you’re on a swing and you’re going
to leap into
the water-
JUNIOR
Here I
come! Here I come!
He leaps at JEANNE and they both go
down laughing.
AMY
Are you guys
okay?
JUNIOR
notices the long red scarf and gets it.
JUNIOR
Hey, look at me,
I’m a pirate!
He
ties it around his head.
AMY
Junior, you
mustn’t tie up Sandima!
JUNIOR
What?
AMY
Sandima. He’s a little spirit. The Cubans believe he lives in red
things.
Like the
scarf. And if you tie him up, he can’t
have fun.
She
takes the scarf.
But sometimes,
he has too much fun. Have you ever lost
anything,
Junior?
JUNIOR
Once I lost a
half an hour!
AMY
What do you
mean?
JUNIOR
That’s what Mrs.
Pritchard said. She was that other
teacher who
used to pinch me
when she got mad. She said, “Junior, you lost
a half an hour
today!”
AMY
But you can’t
get time back.
JUNIOR
Why not?
AMY
Well, because,
once it’s gone it’s gone.
JUNIOR
I’m going to tie
him up and get back my half hour!
AMY
And what would
you do with that half hour?
JUNIOR
Well, I wouldn’t
give it to Mrs. Pritchard.
AMY
Sometimes it’s
too late. You have to tie him up right
away. Because,
you know, he
forgets where he puts things after a while.
JUNIOR
I’m going to
find that half hour, Sandima! And you’re
going to
help me!
He scooters upstage, twirling the red
scarf,
he throws it in the air and disappears.
He scooters through SANDIMA’S panel-
The light has come up – SANDIMA holds
a pocket watch on a chain. She makes as
if to swallow it and disappears.
AMY
Wow!
JEANNE
He’s been one of
my clients for, well, years. I don’t know what I would
do without him-
She
realizes what she has said.
Unconditional
love. Probably the only time in my life.
AMY
That’s like
Carlos.
JEANNE
Oh, please. Look.
She goes over to the bed and takes
out the cash CARLOS hid there.
See this? Drug money.
I saw him hide it.
MORGAN enters. He walks nonchalantly
into the space and sits down in a chair
with his newspaper again.
AMY
Carlos wouldn’t
hide anything-
JEANNE
He stashing it
away for, God only knows for what.
AMY
It’s not
his. He would tell me if he had this
kind of money- how much is it?
JEANNE
Ten thousand
dollars, more or less.
AMY
Ten thousand…
that’s a down payment on a house.
JEANNE
I think he’s
financing his next drug deal. What are you doing?
AMY
I’m putting it
someplace safer. When Carlos brings it
up, I’ll tell him.
But if you know
that money is there, maybe someone else does.
AMY
hides it in the table.
JEANNE
I don’t think
it’s a good idea. Amy, put it back where
you found it.
I remember this-
She
sees MORGAN. Then whispering-
Amy!
JEANNE
turns to MORGAN.
MORGAN
You’re up.
JEANNE
I must have
fallen asleep. Is Laurie home?
MORGAN
She came home
right after you went to bed. Turns out
the meeting
was cancelled.
JEANNE
What meeting?
MORGAN
The one with
Beth. The homework meeting. So I took her to dinner and
now, well, I
guess she’s gone to bed. I didn’t get a chance to finish the
newspaper so I
thought I would do it now.
JEANNE
You didn’t go to
the boat show?
MORGAN
Laurie had to
eat.
JEANNE
What did you
have?
MORGAN
I had a steak.
Laurie had a vegetarian dish.
JEANNE
And it was…
good?
MORGAN sees the opened bottle
of wine and two glasses.
MORGAN
Did you have
company?
JEANNE
What?
MORGAN
I’m just
finishing the newspaper. Why don’t you go to bed and I’ll be up
in a little
while.
JEANNE wants to keep talking-
a little desperately…
JEANNE
You remember the student I was telling
you about? Junior? The one with
the heart condition? We were playing
“Sidewalks and Saturdays”
today and I said, as usual, “It’s
Saturday and you’re walking down a
sidewalk. What do you see?” And you know what he said?
MORGAN
No I don’t. You see I’m reading the newspaper. I came in and sat
down.
I answered your questions. And
not at any time
did I give you a signal like putting
down my newspaper.
That was a subtle hint that I’m not
interested in talking just now.
I don’t mean to be rude. But I have explained this to you many
times before.
JEANNE backs away and sits on the
bed.
AMY watches MORGAN. MUSIC comes up.
LAURIE, JUNIOR AND CARLOS dance in a CONGA LINE.
They wind around the stage. MORGAN is oblivious, reads his
newspaper.
MORGAN looks up, finally, and watches
LAURIE. When they pass by him he makes a
playful pass with his hand at her and misses.
Then MORGAN gets up and touches gets behind her in the CONGA
LINE. The LINE freezes.
AMY screams very, very loudly. The CONGA line dances off.
AMY frantically searches the
newspaper. She turns each page and sees
the same words-
AMY
“Jeanne Alice Hubble, beloved mother
and daughter- Jeanne Alice Hubble, beloved mother and daughter- Jeanne Alice
Hubble, beloved mother and daughter- “Jeanne Alice Hubble, beloved mother and
daughter…”
JEANNE
Okay, so I’m
dead, I’m dead, I’m dead.
SANDIMA
comments…
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT ONE.
The band behind the scrim – fantastic
and sexy. SANDIMA dances.
Lights go down on them and up on the
stage. JEANNE and AMY sleep in the bed
together. JEANNE sits up, rubs her
eyes. She looks at AMY. She gets up. She finds a blanket and wraps it
around her. AMY wakes up.
AMY
Jeannie?
JEANNE
God, how long
have we been asleep?
AMY
It’s hard to
tell. Are you all right?
JEANNE
No. I’m cold.
AMY
You’re
shivering.
JEANNE
I feel
terrible. What’s the use of being dead
if you feel terrible?
I thought that
was one of the advantages. No more feelings.
(Pause.) No memories.
AMY
What are you
remembering?
JEANNE
My death. I think I remember my death.
AMY
Okay.
JEANNE
I drowned. It’s obvious.
I drowned. And I hate
drowning.
AMY
Maybe you were
taking a bath.
JEANNE
I remember
choking and then…. Really nothing. Maybe I didn’t
actually
drown. Maybe he just threw my body into
the river after it was dead.
AMY
I love to
swim. Carlos and I sometimes go to the
ocean at night and
swim in the
nude.
JEANNE
Could you focus
for a minute on my murder? It’s always
sex, sex,
sex with you.
AMY
Sorry.
JEANNE
I’m trying to
recall what I did the day I was murdered. It’s important.
JEANNE sits in one chair. AMY,
trying to appreciate the gravity of the
situation, sits in the other.
AMY
Why don’t we try
a little meditation. To clear your mind.
I could
hypnotize you.
JEANNE
Just what I
need. I don’t suppose you have a
cigarette.
AMY
No.
JEANNE
I haven’t smoked
in years. But right now I sure as hell
could
use one.
AMY
It’s bad for
your health.
JEANNE
There’s no
river.
AMY
Excuse me?
JEANNE
The nearest
river is two miles away. I got choked
and then probably
stuffed in the
trunk of a car and thrown in the river.
AMY
That’s awful.
JEANNE
You have no idea
how awful. You’re up here floating
around
fantasizing
about Carlos. Do you know what the world
is like?
Do you know what
people do to each other every day?
Babies scalded,
old women raped,
whole civilizations terrorized? I got
off lucky. I could
have lived in a
third world country and washed my clothes
in sewage every
day.
AMY
Why would you do
that?
JEANNE
Because that’s
life! And you know what? I don’t have to worry
about it
anymore.
AMY
No more sewage!
JEANNE
Nope. Hm.
I’m feeling better all of a sudden.
Wow. It was like,
I couldn’t feel
any worse. And then it’s gone. Now I just feel like
nothing again.
AMY
You’re really
feeling better?
JEANNE
I am.
AMY
Too bad. I was going to make you some chicken soup.
JEANNE
You could do
that, couldn’t you. Just like that. Just snap your
fingers and
there’s the chicken soup. Maybe that’s
all we have to
do. Snap our fingers.
AMY
You really think
so?
JEANNE
snaps her fingers.
Then
AMY tries.
Nothing. They try again.
JEANNE
What are you
wishing for?
AMY
I’m not telling.
JEANNE
What do you
mean, you’re not telling. You might be
canceling my wish out.
Music
plays. She starts to dance.
` AMY
I got my wish!
JEANNE
You wished for
this?
AMY
Why not? I love Latin music. You know what’s funny, when Carlos
tries to teach
me to dance, I feel so awkward, I guess because he’s
so good at
it. But when I’m by myself, everything he says makes sense,
and I start to
feel it inside me. See what I mean? Come
on, dance with me.
JEANNE
You’re joking.
AMY
I can’t dance
alone.
JEANNE
I can’t
dance. And neither can you, from the
look of it.
AMY
Hey, you’re
being mean. Would you tell Junior he
couldn’t dance?
JEANNE
Junior can
dance.
Music
is more insistent.
AMY
Come on, come
on, who’s going to see us?
AMY grabs JEANNE’S hand and off
they go. JEANNE is completely awkward,
AMY a little better, but not much.
It’s all in the
hips. Move your hips.
JEANNE
These hips? Once they start moving, they’re dangerous.
AMY
Come on!
They dance more successfully.
The music builds, they glide
a little, but JEANNE can’t sustain
it.
The music slowly fades.
JEANNE
Enough. Wow! I
was dancing for a minute. We were
dancing.
Were we dancing?
AMY
We were
dancing. Why did you stop?
JEANNE
It’s- because it
was fun. I don’t want to have fun.
AMY
Okay.
JEANNE
Was it fun for
you?
AMY
The earth moved.
They
roar.
JEANNE
You really
wished for music?
AMY
I wished that
you would smile. And you did.
JEANNE
You used up a
perfectly good wish on me?
AMY
Yes.
JEANNE
You’re okay,
kid.
AMY
Let’s do it
again, Mrs. Garcia.
JEANNE
My name is
Hubble.
AMY
Hubble?
JEANNE
Jeanne
Hubble. What’s wrong with Hubble?
AMY
Nothing. It’s just that nobody is named Hubble. Isn’t that a rocket ship?
JEANNE
You obviously
didn’t see The Way We Were.
Robert Redford played a
character named
Hubble.
AMY
I hate to tell you this, honey, but that guy you’re married to?
He ain’t no
Robert Redford.
JEANNE
Oh, forget about
it. He’s not real. And neither are
you.
You’re not
even… anybody.
AMY
That’s a fine
thing to say. Suppose I am. Suppose I am
somebody.
And you’re
nobody.
JEANNE
That’s
ridiculous. Look- (she grabs the
newspaper). Look at this…
She
searches the newspaper.
JEANNE
My picture is
right… it’s right… (Pause.) All right, who switched the newspapers.
She throws it down. JUNIOR enters.
He wears roller skates, a crash helmet
and a backpack. Attached to him are
lots of balloons. He is very excited.
JUNIOR
Jeannie! Wanna play!
Wanna play wanna play wanna play?
JEANNE
Junior? Junior, I…
JUNIOR
Wanna play wanna
play wanna play?
JEANNE and AMY sit on the bed –
mad at each other – fighting over
space.
JEANNE
I can’t play
right now, Junior.
JUNIOR
I miss you. (He kisses her all over her face.)
JEANNE
Aren’t you
supposed to be in the art room right now?
JUNIOR
No! I’m not going there. I already made my Porky Pig statue.
Now I wanna
play.
AMY
What do you want
to play, Junior?
JUNIOR
Sidewalks and
Saturdays, Sidewalks and Saturdays, Sidewalks
and Saturdays…
He is very excited, jumping
around.
He claps his hands
Sidewalks and
Saturdays, Sidewalks and Saturdays…
JEANNE
Junior, you need
to calm down.
They
fight over JUNIOR.
JUNIOR
I love you,
Jeannie.
JEANNE
I love you,
too. But we can’t play until you calm
down. Remember your
asthma?
JUNIOR
nods.
Are you calm?
JUNIR nods more vigorously.
MORGAN reenters and walks over
to the chair and newspaper. The
newspaper is completely torn
apart. H
e begins reorganizing it.
MORGAN
(To
himself.) I suppose it’s too much to ask
that I have a few minutes
without
interruption.
JEANNE
Okay. Let’s play.
JUNIOR
jumps for joy.
Remember about
staying calm?
JUNIOR
calms down.
Okay. You’re walking down the sidewalk-
JUNIOR
And it’s
Saturday!
JEANNE
And it’s
Saturday.
JUNIOR
skates serpentine around
JEANNE.
What do you see?
JUNIOR
I see… What do I
see? What do I see?
JUNIOR, still spinning like a windmill,
crashes into MORGAN. JEANNE tries
to quiet JUNIOR, who nevertheless
giggles.
MORGAN
(Looks up.) You didn’t bring him home.
JEANNE
His respite
worker called in sick and I thought just for one night it wouldn’t…
MORGAN
You’re
priceless, you know that?
Priceless. How many times and how
many ways do I
have to say it? I do not want any of
those people in
my house. I don’t want to hear about them, and I
certainly don’t want
to see them.
JUNIOR
Hey, Jeannie,
this guy’s a bum.
JUNIOR
goes up to MORGAN and
hits
him.
MORGAN
Jesus Christ!
MORGAN gets up, throws down the
newspaper and storms off.
JEANNE
Junior, don’t-
Morgan, I’m sorry. I tried to call you
at work but they
said you weren’t
there. Whenever I call they say you
aren’t there!
MORGAN
For your
information, I was picking Laurie up at school.
She missed the
bus.
JEANNE
Laurie doesn’t
ride the bus. She hasn’t ridden the bus
since the
seventh grade.
MORGAN
So, now I’m a
liar?
Music comes up. Enter CARLOS,
MRS. FAIRCHILD and LAURIE
in a CONGA LINE.
JEANNE
I’m not calling
you a liar. But Morgan, we’ve been
married for four
years and I
think there’s something very wrong. I’m thinking that
Laurie and I
should move out.
MORGAN
Move out? Why, because I don’t want strangers in my
house?
Because I like
to read the paper?
*LAURIE is deposited behind the bed,
hidden from view. JUNIOR joins the
dancers.
JEANNE
Morgan, you
haven’t touched me in months. It’s as
if- I repulse you.
MORGAN
So what am I
now, gay?
JEANNE
Frankly, I
hadn’t thought of that.
MORGAN
Very funny.
JEANNE
I’ve made some
calls about an apartment.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
(from
the CONGA LINE)
Yoo hoo!
JEANNE
God, my mother’s
here.
MORGAN
Jeanne. Jeanne, you and Laurie can’t leave. I’m
sorry.
I’m sorry if
I’ve been distant. I’ve been under a lot
of pressure
lately and I…
For Christ’s sake, I adopted her!
The CONGA line exits, except
for MRS. FAIRCHILD.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Sorry if I’m
interrupting!
MORGAN
Hello, Mrs.
Fairchild.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Goodness, after
four years, it’s Flo. Isn’t it Flo?
MORGAN
Flo.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Am I
interrupting?
JEANNE
We’re discussing
Laurie.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Oh, she’s just
going through a phase. It’ll be over
soon. Who’s in the mood
for ribs? My treat.
MORGAN
Actually, I had
a late lunch.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Nonsense, big
man like you. How do you expect to wink wink if you don’t eat?
JEANNE
Mother, for
Christ’s sake.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Oh, I brought
you up to be a prude. That’s what
happens,
every generation
reacts to the one before. I was very
modern,
you know. Laurie takes after me.
MORGAN
She’s a
wonderful girl. Those small pointy
breasts, that cute little ass-
JEANNE shrieks. MORGAN
and MRS. FAIRCHILD watch her a
moment.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
She used to wake
up like that. Tch tch. The doctor thought it was her bowels. She used to hold it. A good dose of Castor Oil!
MORGAN
Why don’t you
ladies go out for ribs? I had a late
lunch.
Maybe bring me
home some. Hm?
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Great idea! Jeanne, remind me. I’m picking some up for Eduardo, anyway.
MORGAN
Who?
JEANNE
The blind man
Mother takes care of.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Do you like
potato salad?
MORGAN
No, I, um, sure.
He
looks longingly at his newspaper.
JEANNE
I’m just going
to bed, Mother. I have a headache all at
once.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Nonsense, it’s
my treat. Well, I’ll be. I never knew
her to turn down ribs.
She
calls after MORGAN.
You should taste
Eduardo’s black beans. Blind as a bat,
he can
still whip them
up.
AMY
Carlos? It’s started!
I think- oh, my God!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
What is it,
Jeanne?
AMY
Carlos!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Is it the
baby? Oh, my God, Carlos! Where is that boy? Carlos!
JEANNE
What’s
happening?
AMY
My water broke-
and it hurts! Carlos!
JEANNE
Just calm down,
calm down. Dear God, not this again.
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Where’s your
hospital bag?
AMY
I haven’t packed
it yet, I didn’t expect this-
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
It’s a good
thing I flew down, where’s the telephone?
AMY
It hurts! The Lamaze teacher said it would feel like
pressure!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Yeah, like
giving birth to a watermelon, I did it three times-
AMY
I want Carlos!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Where’s the
phone? I can’t find a damned thing in
this mess-
JEANNE
Just
breathe. Remember what they taught you
in class-
AMY
I don’t want to
breathe!
CARLOS
enters, carrying RED ROSES.
CARLOS
Baby! Sweetheart, what’s wrong?
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Thank heavens
you’re here, we’ve got to get her to the hospital.
AMY
Carlos, Carlos,
I can’t do it. I can’t do this.
CARLOS
What’s the matter,
it’s the most natural thing in the world, our little
seed is grown to
a flower and now-
AMY
It’s coming!
CARLOS
Coming?
AMY
Coming!
CARLOS
Now?
AMY
Aaah!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Boil some hot
water!
She
looks around.
I’ll boil some
hot water! What’s the hot water for?
They’re always
boiling water!
CARLOS
Listen, Jeannie.
You remember what they said in the class if this
happened. We have to put you on the bed-
He
helps AMY over to the bed.
Okay, now, I’m
going to wash my hands and then I’m going to feel
if the baby is
there-
AMY
Oh, God!
CARLOS
exits to wash his hands.
JEANNE
I’m here, I’m
going to breathe with you. Come on, You
know what
to do, now
breathe!
JEANNE and AMY and MRS.
FAIRCHILD breathe together.
CARLOS returns.
CARLOS
Don’t worry,
everything is going to be all right. I
can do this.
AMY
It hurts! Oh, God!
JEANNE
Keep breathing!
CARLOS
feels between her legs.
CARLOS
The head! I feel
the head! Now you need to push, Jeannie.
Like you
practiced. Lean against me. You ready?
MRS.
FAIRCHILD and JEANNE are
behind
AMY, leaning against her back.
AMY
I’m pushing
already!
CARLOS
Push! Push!
Push! Push!
JEANNE
Jesus Christ,
she’s pushing!
CARLOS
Come on,
Jeannie, you can do it! I see it- her,
him-,
it’s coming, Dios
mios, Jeannie, you are doing it!
LAURIE
appears between AMY’S legs.
It’s a
miracle! Mira, Jeannie, we have
made a girl!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Did I hear the
word “girl”?
CARLOS/AMY/JEANNE/MRS.
FAIRCHILD
What a perfect –
look at that face – look at that hair! – She’s perfect, etc.
LAURIE stops crying. CARLOS gets on the
bed with AMY and LAURIE.
CARLOS
My beautiful
family!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Don’t forget
about me!
LAURIE
smiles.
CARLOS
Look! She’s smiling!
MRS.
FAIRCHILD
Only a genius
would smile at this age!
CARLOS
Of course she’s
very, very smart. This is a smart girl.
She’s got brains
just like her
mother. Look-
He
takes a necklace off his neck.
My mother, may
she rest in peace, gave me this when I was a baby.
You see this
stone?
JEANNE
Yes.
CARLOS
It is special
stone. For people with hot eyes when
they look at Laurie,
it will protect
her.
JEANNE
Protect her from
what?
CARLOS
Hot eyes.
JEANNE
You can’t put a
necklace on a baby, she’ll strangle herself.
CARLOS
We will have a
pin made with this stone. Look! She’s
smiling again!
JEANNE
She’s got gas.
CARLOS
She is a flower.
JEANNE
Now I think
she’s about to throw up.
CARLOS
Jeannie, we made
a flower!
JEANNE
Carlos, I’m
tired. This flower is closing up.
JEANNE walks over to the table
and pours herself a glass of wine.
CARLOS
How can your Papi
ever go to work with this flower in my arms? I
am supposed to
watch the rice and instead I want to watch you.
LAURIE
smiles broadly.