Five Plays. Samuel D. Hunter

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СКАЧАТЬ (Silence.)

      TROY: There’s a lumber yard outside Seattle, my cousin Jen is always saying she can get me a foreman job. It’d pay three times what I’m making here. Eight years ago when the paper mill closed, she offered me the same job. Tammy would’ve been totally willing to move, Becky would have been fine with it, she doesn’t— . . . I didn’t even tell them about it. (Pause) When I was little kid I thought all I wanted was to get out of Pocatello. I had the opportunity and I couldn’t even do it. Felt like I was going to have a panic attack just thinking about moving out of here. And I still don’t know why.

      EDDIE: It’s your home.

      TROY: More like my coffin. (Takes a long swig of wine) What about you? What are you gonna do?

       (Pause.)

      EDDIE: I don’t— . . .

       (Eddie trails off. Pause.)

      TROY: Look, I’m sorry for blowing up, we’re not—. It’s not about you, we all know that.

       (Pause.)

      EDDIE: Yeah.

       (Isabelle reenters quickly.)

      ISABELLE: Troy, you really need to come to the front—

      TROY: What?

       (Cole enters from behind Isabelle, looking a little gaunt, tired. He stares at Troy for a moment.)

       Dad, God. What are you—? What are you doing?

      COLE: Hm.

       (Cole goes to the speaker on the ground, picks it up, and places it on the table. He moves to the decorative wine bottles, starts arranging them.)

      ISABELLE: He was out in the parking lot, I didn’t know / what to—

      COLE: Go get him, would you?

      TROY: What?

      COLE: I’m not going to ask twice. I’m tired of doing shelves myself. I don’t pay people to smoke on the sidewalk.

      TROY: Shit.

      EDDIE: Should I call someone?

      TROY: No, he’s just—. He does this sometimes, wanders off, he’s okay. (To Isabelle) Thanks, Isabelle, you can— . . .

       (Isabelle exits. Troy goes to Cole.)

       Dad, c’mon. (Touching his arm) We’re going home, just—

       (Cole pushes him off.)

      COLE: Get off, would you?

       (Becky enters.)

      BECKY: What’s going on?

      TROY: It’s fine, Grandpa’s fine.

       (Cole knocks over a potted plant. It spills dirt all over the floor.)

      COLE: You see what you did?! You’re distracting me!

      TROY: OKAY DAD? LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME.

       (Cole finally looks at him.)

       You’re not at the store, the store closed twelve years ago. Remember? Look at me.

       (Cole looks around. Silence.)

      COLE: I don’t— . . . (Long pause) Glass of water, please.

       (Cole sits at a table.)

      TROY (To Eddie): Just keep him in here, okay? (To Cole) Dad, I’m going to get you some water and make a call, okay? Just—stay here.

       (Troy exits. Cole grabs a breadstick and starts eating it. Cole looks at Eddie.)

      EDDIE: I’m, uh—. I’m Eddie, I work with your son. I work with Troy.

      COLE: Damn paper mill makes the whole town smell like dung. When I was a kid we could actually breathe. (To Becky) Tammy, this bread is awful. Would you bring me something else?

       (Becky, not exactly knowing what to do, goes to the table and pushes the vat of salad toward Cole. Cole grabs a fork and starts munching on the salad. Becky sits, joining him at the table. Eddie watches.)

       Where did Troy run off to?

       (Pause.)

      BECKY: He’ll be back in a second.

      COLE: He doesn’t sit still for ten seconds, that one. You’re good for him. You’re his ballast.

       (Silence as Cole eats.)

      BECKY: Grandpa how did you get here?

      COLE: How’s that?

      BECKY: County Care is like six miles away, how did you get here?

      COLE: I don’t know what you’re asking me. Get me some water, please?

       (Becky hands him an untouched glass of water from the table. Cole drinks.)

      BECKY: Did you walk all the way here?

      COLE: Nothing wrong with it, it’s good for you. People drive too much in this town.

      BECKY: I told Dad not to put you in that County Care place. That place is terrible. I told him it’d just make you worse. But of course, he doesn’t listen to me, he’s such an idiot.

       (Eddie sits at the table across from them, watching.)

      COLE: Well, he’s not the brightest. I always tell him, if you don’t want to take over the store, be a plumber. There’s a simple logic to it. You should have waited longer before having a child with him. I don’t mean to sound harsh.

       (Pause. Cole continues to eat.)

      BECKY: No, it’s okay.

      COLE: Still in his twenties and he thinks he knows everything. His sister is the same way, she rushes into everything. Marries that idiot straight out of school. He’s not good for her, you know, I think he smokes marijuana.

      BECKY: They got divorced when I was a kid, Grandpa.

       (Cole looks at Becky for a second, becoming a little more lucid. He looks around a bit.)

      COLE: Hm.

      BECKY: Your store is closed. Dad took it over when I was a kid for like a couple years but he sold it and now it’s a Payless Shoes.

      COLE: I know that, I’m not an idiot. (Pause) Becky. Have some.

       (Cole serves Becky a little bit of salad.)

      BECKY: СКАЧАТЬ