HIRO:
i missed you
so I came to you
Then I needed to breath
so I dove into air
then i felt zen
so I opened my eyes
Then I felt close
so I ran away
Then I felt empty
so I found fulfillment
The I felt scared
so I hid
then I felt lonely
so I stayed put
Pause.
so I stayed lonely.
End of Play.
MILLENIAL WOMAN walking down the streets of New York City. She passes HOMELESS WOMAN.
HOMELESS WOMAN: Spare some change?
MILLENIAL WOMAN: I’m so sorry, I going off a credit card.
HOMELESS WOMAN: I have square.
MILLENIAL WOMAN: Excuse me?
HOMELESS WOMAN: If you only have a credit card, I have square. You can pay me through square. There is a processing fee, though, so keep that in mind if you’re lying to me about the cash.
MILLENIAL WOMAN: Oh.
HOMELESS WOMAN takes out a phone with the Square attachment on it.
MILLENIAL WOMAN: SORRY!
HOMELESS WOMAN: Hm?
MILLENIAL WOMAN: When I say credit card, I mean I only have... do you take Apple Pay?
HOMELESS WOMAN: Oh... no...
MILLENIAL WOMAN: Sorry...
HOMELESS WOMAN: There are still a lot of businesses that haven’t adopted Apple Pay...
MILLENIAL WOMAN: I know, it’s a total drag.
MILLENIAL WOMAN starts to leave.
HOMELESS WOMAN: I do take Venmo.
MILLENIAL WOMAN: What?
HOMELESS WOMAN: Do you have Venmo?
MILLENIAL WOMAN: ....... yes.
HOMELESS WOMAN: I have Venmo too! Great!
MILLENIAL WOMAN: Great...
Pause.
MILLENIAL WOMAN sighs and takes out her phone.
MILLENIAL WOMAN: What’s your handle?
HOMELESS WOMAN: @StartUpVenture25
MILLENIAL WOMAN starts typing it into her phone to pay HOMELESS WOMAN.
Lights Fade.
Ebd of Play.
JOMAR asleep.
Blissfully asleep.
So happy and asleep.
Silence.
Snore.
Silence.
Snore.
Then -
JOMAR jumps up.
JOMAR: OH SHIT! I still have to finish the -
JOMAR collapses back into bed.
JOMAR is back asleep.
Lights fade.
End of Play.
DARIUS:
Look, I hear you.
And I understand you.
You’re trying to fire me.
Or, I mean, you ARE firing me.
But before you do that.
Before you fire me.
I want to remind you, that we are family.
FAMILY.
And I don’t mean to say that as some hokey, you owe me bullshit but, actually, you do owe me.
Cause I have had your back from the beginning.
And don’t act like I’m terrible at my job.
I am doing fine.
We just gotta stop bringing in these fools who keep fucking things up on staff.
Why are we hiring them?
Why are we hiring them and firing me?
Huh?
Tell me that.
How man you people do you owe favors to, to make you hire these fucknuggets?
AND THEN you FIRE me.
Me.
The guy you ACTUALLY owe a favor to?
Many favors.
FAMILY.
Hell. Even if I wasn’t family.
The shit I’ve done for you.
You -
You know what?
I’m done.
Fire me.
Hire them.
Good luck with that.
Ya need it.
MARCUS:
You ever wonder
why we’re still here?
like
we’ve been here for so long
well
some of us
some of us have been around for so damn long
and after a while
you can’t help but think to yourself
why the hell am I still here?
i wonder that
wonder that all the time
when things get tough
things get hard
i wonder that
yeah...
i wonder that
cause life
in life
some things are easy
and some things are hard
and sometimes i worry
that the things in my life that are easy...
i worry that I’ve gotten through all that
and all that’s left is the hard
the life that’s hard
and for the rest of my life to be hard...
i don’t know if I can handle that
so I can’t help but wonder to myself...
why are we still here?
why am I still here?
...
some things are easy
some things are hard
...
life.
End of Play.
Eugene:
Hey everybody.
Thanks for, um, coming.
I see some of you crying out there.
Sorry about that.
I guess I should kinda feel, I dunno, the same.
But, like, let’s be real here.
Like super real.
Dad was kind of an ass.
I mean, am I right?
Come on.
You know I’m right.
Don’t lie to yourself.
I mean, you don’t have to stop crying or anything.
A guy died.
That’s sad.
No matter how you put that, that’s sad. You know?
...
Actually. I guess...
Unless it was Hitler.
That wouldn’t be so sad.
Unless you were his mom.
That’d be sad.
Unless she knew he was a totally crazy man doing terrible things...
Maybe she’d be relieved, right?
...
...
Dad wasn’t Hitler, though.
So I guess it’s sad.
Oh God...
Am I crying...?
Oh God...
i guess it is...
i guess I am...
shit.
sad.
ugh.
i gotta go.
thanks for coming.
um
yeah
bye.
VICTOR at a reading and book signing of JUNIOR MOLINA – a Latin-American novelist.
There is a long line of people in front of VICTOR, a long line of people behind VICTOR.
VICTOR watches JUNIOR MOLINA interacting with each of his fans.
He seems nice.
He shakes their hands.
He doesn’t rush them.
He has conversations with them.
He takes a bite of his steak in between people.
Makes sense, it’s been along night and he probably hasn’t had dinner yet.
VICTOR flips through the book, murmuring to himself.
VICTOR watches JUNIOR MOLINA again.
VICTOR flips through the book some more.
VICTOR nods his head.
Beat.
VICTOR is now at the front of the line.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Hey buddy, what’s your name?
VICTOR: Victor.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Vicotr….
VICTOR: Just Victor.
JUNIOR MOLINA: One name only. Alright, I’m good with that.
JUNIOR MOLINA cracks the book open and starts to sign VICTOR’S book.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Thanks for coming tonight.
VICTOR: Yeah.
JUNIOR MOLINA: I appreciate the support.
VICTOR: Actually.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Actually…?
VICTOR: I have some questions for you.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Ok.
VICTOR: Can I ask them?
JUNIOR MOLINA: I mean, there’s a lot of people behind you in line but sure.
VICTOR: Great.
VICTOR takes out a notepad with a list of questions.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Whoa!
VICTOR: If this goes well it shouldn’t take too long.
JUNIOR MOLINA: What is that?
VICTOR: My list of questions.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Alright.
VICTOR: One – have you ever murdered anyone?
JUNIOR MOLINA: WHAT!?
VICTOR: This is the easy one so…
JUNIOR MOLINA: No. Of course I haven’t murdered anyone.
VICTOR: Good.
JUNIOR MOLINA: What is this about? Are you with some Tru –
VICTOR: Two – Have you ever drugged anyone?
JUNIOR MOLINA: Who are you?
VICTOR: Answer the question.
JUNIOR MOLINA: No!
VICTOR: Good.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Are we done yet?
VICTOR: No.
JUNIOR MOLINA: I think we actually are –
VICTOR: Three –
JUNIOR MOLINA: No.
VICTOR: No to the question?
JUNIOR MOLINA: You haven’t even asked the question. No to you even asking the question.
VICTOR: Have you ever raped anyone?
JUNIOR MOLINA: No! Jesus! I have not.
VICTOR: Great.
JUNIOR MOLINA: I am done here.
VICTOR: Just one more.
JUNIOR MOLINA: What are these questions for?
VICTOR: I like you’re writing.
JUNIOR MOLINA: So?
VICTOR: I want to be a fan.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Than be a fan.
VICTOR: But before I commit –
JUNIOR MOLINA: Commit?
VICTOR: To being a fan. I need to know –
JUNIOR MOLINA: Jesus.
VICTOR: Have you ever used your fame or power to take advantage of any women?
Pause.
JUNIOR MOLINA: What are you talking about?
VICTOR: Have you ever used your fame or power to take advantage of any women?
JUNIOR MOLINA: What have you heard?
VICTOR: Nothing.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Who sent you?
VICTOR drops the book down in front of JUNIOR MOLINA.
VICTOR: No one.
JUNIOR MOLINA: Why are you here?
VICTOR: I told you. Now I know. Thanks. Keep the book. I don’t want to read it.
VICTOR exits.
JUNIOR MOLINA looks around at the line.
JUNIOR MOLINA clears his throat.
JUNIOR MOLINA looks at the event organizer.
JUNIOR MOLINA: I’m gonna, um, use the rest room.
JUNIOR MOLINA clears his throat and exits.
END OF PLAY.
Spotlight on a mic on a mic stand.
GWEN shyly enters.
She looks around.
She looks at the microphone.
She smiles.
She speaks into the microphone.
GWEN: hello?
No response.
GWEN taps on the live mic a few times.
GWEN: anyone here?
No response.
GWEN: huh.
Pause.
GWEN: hit it!
The backing track to Amy Winehouse’s Tears Dry on Their Own starts to play.
GWEN: whoa.
The music stops.
Pause.
Beat.
GWEN: hit it!
The backing track to Amy Winehouse’s Tears Dry on Their Own plays again.
GWEN grabs the mic dramatically and starts to sing to the song.
She is quite good at it.
It's really nice to see her without inhibitions.
GWEN: (Singing)
All I can ever be to you is a darkness that we knew
And this regret I got accustomed to
Once it was so right
When we were at our height
Waiting for you in the hotel at night
I knew I hadn't met my match
But every moment we could snatch
I don't know why I got so attached
It's my responsibility
You don't owe nothing to me
But to walk away, I have no capacity
He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I'm grown
And in your way
In this blue shade
My tears dry on their own
Slowly the lights in the house rise.
GWEN sees all of us in the audience.
Without warning she starts screaming.
It’s a blood curdling scream.
The scream of only a shy person with massive anxiety can produce.
She runs away like a gazelle spotting a lion from afar.
Silence.
It was nice while it lasted.
END OF PLAY.
An isolated light on JEFFREY with his backpack on the floor next to him.
Above him is a projection that reads “This Is America”
JEFFREY looks up at the projection and reads it.
JEFFREY: Seriously?
As JEFFREY looks at the words,, they get closer and then read “#ThisIsAmerica”
JEFFREY: Oh wow, you think your clever? Look, what Donald did with that one was too good. If I’m gonna get on that level I’m gonna need some time so…
JEFFREY picks up his backpack.
JEFFREY: I’m gonna get to work. I’ll be right back. Um. Watch the video.
JEFFREY exits.
END OF PLAY.
MELVIN, a Filipino-American guy in his 20’s and his buddy ROGER, a Caucasian-American guy in his 20’s at a gas station. They are pumping gas into MELVIN’s car. They both lean on the back of the car, sharing a pack of skittles, waiting for the tank to fill.
We hear the gas siphoning into the car.
Beat.
ROGER: Hey Mel.
MELVIN: Mm?
ROGER: I was thinking.
MELVIN: Yeah?
ROGER: Do you ever think about what it’s like to be Filipino-American.
Pause.
MELVIN: What?
ROGER: Do you ever think about it? Like, what it’s like to be Filipino.
Pause.
MELVIN: What are you talking about?
ROGER: Cause I think about it. Like all the time.
MELVIN: Why?
ROGER: Because you’re my friend.
MELVIN: That doesn’t make sense.
ROGER: Of course it makes sense. You are my friend. You are Filipino so I think about what it’s like to be Filipino.
Pause.
MELVIN: Ok.
ROGER: What?
MELVIN: Nothing. I didn’t say anything.
ROGER: You said Ok.
MELVIN: Ok!
ROGER: Don’t you think about what it’s like to be white?
MELVIN: Jesus, Rog.
ROGER: When we became friends you never thought about what it what must be like to be white?
MELVIN: No Roger, because you are not the first white person I’ve ever met.
ROGER: There are Filipinos all around here too!
MELVIN: Yeah, now that you moved to Milpitas, but when you were in Texas?
Pause.
ROGER: Fine.
Pause.
MELVIN: And I already know what it’s like to be white. It’s all money and neutral and privilege.
ROGER: Hey! That’s not nice.
Beat.
MELVIN: You’re right that wasn’t nice.
Pause.
MELVIN: My bad.
Pause.
ROGER: I mean I am privileged but what am I supposed to do about it? I try to be good but sometimes cops just pass me by. Should I waive my weed in their face?
MELVIN: Hell no!
ROGER: Exactly.
Pause.
Beat.
The gas pump pops. The tank is full.
MELVIN and ROGER look at the pump.
MELVIN: I don’t have to think about what it’s like to be Filipino-American. Just like you don’t have to think about what it’s like to be white. We just are.
MELVIN puts back the pump and closes his gas tank.
MELVIN heads opens the door to the car.
MELVIN: You coming?
ROGER: Oh, Yeah!
ROGER jumps into the car with MELVIN.
END OF PLAY.