PRISONERS in PARADISE A full Length Play by John Monteleone CONTACT: e-mail: writing@johnmonteleone.com PO Box 2723 Sag Harbor, NY 11963 IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PRODUCTIONS STUDENT CLASS PROJECTS If this is for a student class project you may use this text or sections of it free of charge but I want to know that you're doing it for my resume and would love a video tape of the production, and/or quality rehearsals. PRODUCTIONS OF ANY KIND OR LEVEL You may read and use this text-based script for considering work but if you want to produce my work as a student, amateur or professional production you must purchase scripts from me online and pay royalties per performance. __________________________________ Copyright 1997 by John Monteleone All Rights Reserved Registered with WGAE CHARACTERS: PUNK. Late twenties to mid thirties. A man who appears to be a gangster, but was once a family man, and decent in all respects. He seems tired, beat, impatient and on the edge. JOHNNY. A few years younger than Punk, his brother by adoption, and his closest friend. Johnny is very sensitive and compassionate, but emotionally unstable and intellectually slow. He is by no means retarded. CHRIS. Thirties. A Harvard Graduate and priest. He is the son of the wealthy and powerful Governor. EVE. Mid thirties. An occasional prostitute, porn actress and junkie seeking the American Dream. She is also Punk's ex- girlfriend and at one time, his mistress. THE TIME: The present. THE SETTING: A warehouse on the outskirts of a city. No walls. Open space with a set in the middle of nothing. The set consists of make- shift furnishings taken from other people's garbage. The main area is open. To the rear is a kitchen area, off stage bathroom and main entrance door. In the main playing area is a beat recliner, wooden chairs, a table with crayons, various house plants, and a television on a sofa. The kitchen is complete, But beat up. All of the set pieces have space surrounding them, suggesting a displacement from their actual homes. There is a sense of separateness, disharmony, and a feeling of being outcast and alone within a huge world. ACT 1 Morning. Lights up. Johnny is drawing with crayons at the table. Punk is on the phone, impatiently waiting for someone to answer. Punk and Johnny are in the middle of a conversation. PUNK ...it was a perfect little house... JOHNNY Perfect? PUNK ...perfect red roof, perfect little flower garden, green green lawn, nice white picket fence... JOHNNY Swings? PUNK Swings, slide, monkey bars, little windows wit' perfect lace curtains... JOHNNY Nice inside? PUNK Perfect! JOHNNY I had the same dream. PUNK Jus’ sittin' in a green prairie, nothin' surroundin' it for miles an' miles, an' this family? JOHNNY Except it was on a desert. PUNK Desert? JOHNNY Nothin' surroundin' it but a dry, disgusting desert. PUNK No, Johnny. JOHNNY Vultures flyin' over death. Lizards walkin' across rocks. Blazin' sun... PUNK ...This asshole ain't answerin' his phone. PICK THE DAMN THING UP I KNOW YA THERE. JOHNNY ...sun's meltin' down over sandy white desert mountains. Lone cactus on a grassless hill. Tumbleweeds crossin' salt flats pushed by ancient winds... PUNK No. JOHNNY ...lizards walkin' across rocks. PUNK Nope. JOHNNY A snake hissin' in a tree... PUNK That ain't it I’m tellin’ ya... JOHNNY That’s it. PUNK (to phone) ...Maybe he’s in the bathroom! JOHNNY (growing frustration) ...nothin' surroundin' it for miles an' miles. An' this family... PUNK (to phone) SON-OF-A-GODAMNED-BITCH! JOHNNY ...an' sittin' high up on a cliff, lookin' down, there's an Eagle. Below, red rock 'n' sand stretched out for miles in every direction. Eagle sees a mouse tryin' to escape the heat, swoops down, grabs the mouse by the back of its neck an' pulls it up into the vast, open sky. Mouse screams for it's life, as it disappears outta sight. PUNK Except it was on a prairie. JOHNNY Desert. PUNK Grasslands, mountains, the sunset an' the sea behind it. JOHNNY (violently) A DESERT! IT WAS MY DREAM! MINE! PUNK BULLSHIT. JOHNNY AN' I SAID IT WAS ON A DESERT! PUNK PRAIRIE GODAMNIT! JOHNNY THAT'S STUPID. WHAT KIND OF DREAM WOULD THAT BE--A LITTLE HOUSE ON A PRAIRIE?! PUNK (sarcastically) SO YA SAYIN' IT WOULD BE "SMART" IF IT WAS A LITTLE HOUSE ON DA DESERT? JOHNNY I'M SAYIN' IT WAS MY DREAM. PUNK SO INSTEAD OF GOIN' OUT TO PICK FLOWERS, YA'D PICK CACTUS? CATCH VULTURES? JOHNNY NO FUCK HEAD. PUNK OW, I GOT BIT BY A LIZARD? JOHNNY DON’T TAKE MY DREAMS FROM ME TOO YA ASSHOLE. PUNK All right, all right for Chrissakes what’s the big fuckin’ deal. Jus’ a stupid dream. I'm gonna hang up if he don’t answer. JOHNNY I'm sorry I lost it on ya. PUNK It's his fault. Him an' his big-shot father don't wanna talk to us. (to phone) PICK UP, IT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT! JOHNNY Maybe he's writin' a speech on recoverin' from the recovery. Punk slams the phone down angrily. PUNK (to Chris who is off-stage) WHY AIN'T HE ANSWERIN' THIS TIME, CHRIS? Punk exits mad. PUNK (while exiting) HE ON DA ROAD TRYIN' TO GET RE-ELECTED WIT' SPEECHES ON FREEDOM AN' LOVIN' YA BROTHER? HUH, ASSHOLE? JOHNNY (yelling to Punk) PROBABLY GETTIN' A TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR HAIRCUT. (laughs) PUNK (off stage) PROBABLY SMOKIN' MARY-JANE BUT NOT INHALIN'. JOHNNY That's probably why he ain't answerin'. PUNK (entering) Here ya go: Mice for the eagle. Punk enters holding Chris by the back of his neck. Chris is blindfolded and his hands are tied in front of him. Punk violently throws him center stage. Chris lands on the floor face down. CHRIS It's not my fault. PUNK No. It ain't no one's fault. We're all innocent here in this garden; bunch 'a goody two-shoes in a brothel. CHRIS I'm sorry. PUNK (suddenly) Why the fuck ain't he answerin' his Godamned phone? CHRIS I honestly don't know. PUNK Fuck you, "honestly." JOHNNY Go easy. PUNK Fuck you, “go easy”. Nothin’s easy around here. Everyone makes a simple thing like answerin’ a phone a major catastrophe. Gotta cause a conflict. Can’t just kidnap the Governors son and get some retribution... No, it’s gotta go on and on and on and for what? Because he wants to make a big fuckin’ deal outta this and bust my balls. I think about ya father, an' I need a bucket of TUMS, Chris! The Governor's son. Mr. "I got everything’s been kidnapped by a maniac, an Govey sits in La La land--WHAT THE FUCK, "may-I-ask", IS GOIN' ON HERE?! CHRIS I'm... I want to apologize for him... I mean... he's... it's not like him to... to... I'm terribly sorry... Chris looks towards Punk. He is blindfolded. CHRIS I meant... I can understand how you must be feeling. I don't mean to sound argumentative. (pause) I'll do anything you want please don't... injure me. I'll do anything. I cherish my life. PUNK Like that? Why would ya? CHRIS What, sir? PUNK Why would ya cherish ya life, if ya had to live like that? Chris looks towards Punk blindfolded. PUNK Pick him up an' put him in the chair. JOHNNY (picking Chris up) Sure Punk. For you, anything. Even this here. Even though I don't want no part of it. Ya need me. Here I am. We're brothers. PUNK We owe each other. JOHNNY What's family for, right? PUNK Family. Chris is in an armless chair, center. Johnny looks at him. He grows frightened, sits and draws passionately, desperately trying to avoid the situation. PUNK You look like I feel. Tie him. JOHNNY (drawing) He ain't goin' nowhere. CHRIS I want to talk to you. PUNK I bet. (to Johnny) Tie him, Johnny. JOHNNY I wanna go home. PUNK This is home. JOHNNY I jus' wanna draw. I can't deal wit' this, Punk. I'm scared. PUNK Get away from that picture an' do like ya promised. They look at each other. JOHNNY He looks like it hurts. PUNK It don't hurt, right Chris? CHRIS Anything you say, sir. PUNK See? Now do like ya promised. Johnny hesitantly begins tying Chris to the chair. Punk picks up Johnny's drawing. JOHNNY (while tying Chris) Like my drawin' there, Punk? I keep seein' it. Like the dream. Ya look out over the ocean, ya know? PUNK (looking at drawing) I'm lookin'. JOHNNY (while tying Chris) An' it's so big ya can't see it end. An' it kinda blends in with the sky. An' there's this line. Ya can't see it really, but ya know it's there. Ya can't tell what color it is. But ya know that the dark blue green of the ocean and the light blue of the sky are touchin'. They're jus' touchin'. Punk sits in his beat recliner and dials. Johnny and Chris watch in silent terror. Ten seconds. Punk slams the phone down hard. PUNK ...It don't... it don't make... it don't make no... Now, I'm calm. I'm calmin' myself down. See? Now. (breathing deeply, calming himself) There I go. Here I am. Johnny Massages Punk's shoulders. PUNK It's his private, number. I did my homework. How can this be happenin'? Punk jumps up. PUNK I'll kill him, so help me I'll take his useless life... Jesus, I sound like a motherfuckin’ thug with a filthy mouth Johnny. Tell him (Chris you ask Johnny), I’m sophisticated. I’m a man of the world. I read War an’ fuckin’ Peace by what the fuck’s his name now... JOHNNY ...Breathe... PUNK ...I spent a year on this. My life! Johnny, it's his kid. His child--this rot-faced, no good son of a bitch piece of garbage- -this, is supposed to be sacred to him. His gift from heaven. His life. His blood. It's barbaric--like a bitch eatin' her own. CHRIS I'm sorry. I want to talk to you. PUNK No. NO! No. Don't you fuck wit' me on this. I want the truth. This is my life. This is me. This is me. Why’s there no answer? JOHNNY Okay, okay, buddy. I hear ya. We hear ya. You heard him, right Chris? CHRIS Certainly did, yes. JOHNNY Calm down. Here. Drink this. Let it rest. Take a breath. (massages his shoulders) Sit. Here, in Popsy's chair. Punk sits in his beat recliner. Sentimentally touches the chair. PUNK Popsy's chair. Mamma bought it for him. (pause) His kid, Johnny. JOHNNY I know. PUNK If some God-forsaken asshole took my kid; some pervert took my baby (an' I mean this wit' all of my heart what's left of it), I'd castrate the S.O.B. wit' a dull knife. JOHNNY Ouch. PUNK I swear to you I would do this sinful thing--an' you know I ain't profane. JOHNNY (to Chris) This ain't like Punk. PUNK I don't like to be profane, may my mother's soul not rot in Hell, that I am. JOHNNY Popsy an' my Mamma adopted Punk. PUNK May my mother rest in peace, that I've become what I have--God knows (an' I say this sincerely, Johnny) it ain't her fault-- may she rest in peace. JOHNNY An' Mamma an' Popsy, too. PUNK Of course. JOHNNY But this thing here... PUNK ...God help us. (to Chris) YOU HEAR ME, GOD? JOHNNY He heard ya. CHRIS I did. JOHNNY (to Chris) ...this thing here, you got him flipped out loony... PUNK ...It's his blood... CHRIS ...You’re right sir... JOHNNY (to Punk) ...That's what's ugly. (to Chris) That's what's ugly, Chris. PUNK There's only one thing worse than this unforgivable, motherfucker of a crime we've committed. JOHNNY What's that? PUNK NOT ANSWERIN' HIS PHONE! It's criminal. Worse. It's dis- courteous. JOHNNY 'Cause? PUNK Kidnapper's call YA ANSWER DA MOTHERFUCKIN' PHONE..! This is basic etiquette. Read fuckin’ Ann Landers... JOHNNY ...An' Punk ain't profane--it's this thing here... PUNK ...It's simple, common decency... Punk dials again. JOHNNY ...Not like this here, Right, Punk..? PUNK ...No respect for ya blood, what kind of perverse animal are ya? It’s ringin’. JOHNNY Worse than animals. PUNK Vermin. JOHNNY Blood's blood. PUNK Blood is blood. That's right, Johnny. Ring ring ring here we fuckin’ go again... God rest my mother's soul (this silent savior's playin' games wit' my hungry heart)--I wanna make 'em suffer. Ring ring ring... JOHNNY (to Chris) Ya hear Punk? CHRIS Quite clearly. JOHNNY This ain't like him. He used to volunteer in church. CHRIS Really? JOHNNY (to Chris) Mamma an' Popsy used to make 'im. PUNK God help me for what I'm doin'. Not even a fuckin’ answerin’ machine for Chrissakes. JOHNNY Hard to believe? PUNK What's the world comin' to? Slams the phone down. JOHNNY Ouch. You okay? PUNK I'm okay. JOHNNY You okay? PUNK I'm at peace. JOHNNY Ya at peace? PUNK FUCK NO but that’s what I want! That’s what we all want, ‘cause we don’t got it. Am I bein’ profound about this or what? JOHNNY Like the bible. CHRIS Would you consider untying my hands? Their getting numb. PUNK No... CHRIS ...Johnny, I'm hungry and I haven't gone to the bathroom... PUNK ...No... CHRIS ...Maybe we can... PUNK ...No... CHRIS ...think this out... PUNK ...No... CHRIS ...togeth... PUNK ...I was thinkin' (no reflection on you, Johnny) I hate everyone and everything, this is a sad fact of my life--I feel like I'm breedin' scorpions right here. (his stomach and heart) But ya know what I would really like? JOHNNY Surprise me. PUNK I'd like not hatin' 'em--I know it’s a contradiction but it’s true so help me mamma. I'd like to love 'em--love everyone... Even you Johnny, ya been with me my whole life. I hate you, an' him, an' his fuckin' father. I hate this whole fuckin' life. JOHNNY Ya hated Mamma an' Popsy? PUNK Raised us best they could. An' I'm grateful, Johnny. Eternally (we know this). JOHNNY They went along wit' the rules, like a book, God love ‘em, an’ look what happened. PUNK This, is what I’m sayin’, Johnny (the truth must come out) the banks shot 'em right in their lovin' hearts (our feelings must remain separate)... May their souls rest in peace. They were angels dressed in immigrant clothes. Was it their fault they had a dream in a nightmare? JOHNNY How long ya think it's gonna be, Punk? PUNK Forever, 'til it ends. JOHNNY If he answers, we collect, right? PUNK (nervously) We kidnapped the Governor's son. Democracy ain't gonna like it. Punk dials again. All wait. Ten seconds. Slams the phone down. Simultaneously: Eve bursts through the front door carrying a stuffed grocery bag; Punk falls behind the chair; Johnny hides under the table; Punk pulls out his gun; Eve see him, screams and throws her arms up--the grocery bag falls to the floor with a loud crash; Chris pants in shock; Eve sees them and stops screaming. They look at each other for a long moment. Eve is dressed in bold colors, suggesting a street hooker. EVE (sarcastically) WHAT THE FUCK YOU PULLIN' THAT GODAMNED NUKE ON ME FOR?! PUNK Johnny was supposed to LOCK it! Johnny locks the door. JOHNNY I think I'm havin' a heart attack. PUNK All this time the fuckin’ Police Department coulda walked in that door--It was supposed to be LOCKED. JOHNNY I said I was SORRY! PUNK Help her pick up the food. I'm hungry. Punk lays back in his chair and drinks a beer. Johnny picks up the food and begins placing it on the table. EVE (picking up groceries) Shit, I'm destroyed. PUNK Tell me somethin’ upliftin’? EVE I'm feelin' it already, Punky. I know ya stashed my fix. I'll need mommy in my arm soon. So don't go playin' games. PUNK I don't know where you put ya fix. Don’t start with that shit. Make me laugh. EVE I'll need it soon. No games, okay Hun? (moves to Chris, smiling) So this is him, huh? I like the outfit. A new "Punk fad"-- ROPE. PUNK Ya shoulda been a comic. EVE (to Punk) Gimme a kiss, Hun? PUNK Never again--learn to live wit' it. EVE (to Chris, flirtatiously) What's ya name, handsome? PUNK Don't call him that. CHRIS Christopher. EVE Chris? CHRIS Christopher T... EVE ...I'll call ya Chris... Cross. Like it? CHRIS Thank you. That's a very nice name. EVE Did they tell you about me? PUNK Told him not to inhale near ya--he might catch somethin' deadly. Eve rubs Punk's back very sensuously. EVE You still want me to be your little virgin, Punky? PUNK What's wrong with that, purities a thought I’d like to be able to think--where the fuck is it, I’m looking? EVE Pure? PUNK Yeah. EVE Underneath all the shit, I guess who the hell knows anymore-- ain’t out there that’s for sure. From behind, she kisses Punk's neck caressing him. Punk jumps up and moves away. Eve angrily pulls the blindfold off Chris in one quick motion. CHRIS Thank you. Punk looks at her like he’s about to kill her. EVE I wanted to give him light. Pure light. To much darkness'll kill ya--look at us. PUNK You might have just cost this asshole his life! CHRIS I won't say anything. PUNK I feel better. EVE (to Punk) Commere baby. PUNK (to Johnny) Keep her off my back, willya? JOHNNY Sure, Punk. EVE (to Punk) You don't want me, Chrissy here will. I gave him sight. CHRIS (to Eve, quietly) Thank you. EVE You're welcome, Cutie Pie. PUNK Don't call him that. EVE (to Chris) You're welcome, Stud Lug. PUNK (to Johnny) Keep Lilith offa him willya, like ya agreed. (to Eve) Fuckin' ridiculous on-screen name. Lilith. What the fuck's that mean? EVE They gave it to me, I don't care. PUNK Gotta have some slut-name ya wanna be successful. Somethin' all the horny 'burbies can remember. Like, "STARRING": Pussy- Cat, Super-Twat, Love-Tunnel, Cum-Ing, Org-Asm, some shit like that. Lilith..? (laughs mockingly) EVE ...It's cute. Like lilies in a field. You're jealous. PUNK Den call yaself Rose-ith, or Chrysanthemum-ith. (laughs mockingly) Daffo-dildo-ith! Hey, that's a good one! EVE I don't care. Eve playfully strokes Chris's chest, then kisses the top of Chris's head. Punk dials the phone. They all stop. Ten seconds. He slams the phone down. Looks at Chris. CHRIS This must be aggravating for you. JOHNNY He's probably writin' a speech on bein' concerned about ya family. CHRIS I'm upset with him, too. JOHNNY Maybe he's at one of Eve's peep shows. PUNK FUCK FUCK FUCK... JOHNNY ...Pissed off, Punk..? EVE (to Chris) ...I hope ya not disappointed how I look? I was Goldi-Lox in a sewer, Chrissy. But I work out. Look at that. (makes a muscle) Jane Fonda. CHRIS Very nice. EVE You find me attractive, Chrissy? PUNK I tol' ya to leave him the fuck alone. Why don't you listen? EVE (to Punk) No kindness in ya, is there? PUNK Kindness don't work. EVE (to Chris) Punk's proof. (cracks up) Eve caresses Punk. EVE Gimme a kiss? Punk slaps Chris across the face. PUNK See what I mean? EVE Ain't Punky sweet?--like an outhouse? Eve turns on the radio. A fifties oldie love song plays behind the action. It is romantic and slow. EVE Dance wit' me, Punk. Punk continues staring at Chris. Chris grows very uncomfortable. EVE (to Punk) Ya like the way I dance? PUNK (to Chris) I'm gonna get stubborn on your face he keeps it up. EVE Punk's all hot air, Chrissy. Inside he's a marshmallow. Don't pay no attention to him. PUNK I always knew that tongue in ya mouth was good for somethin'. EVE (kisses Punk's face) I love marshmallow's. PUNK I jus' didn't know what for until I saw ya in the video store on ninth. EVE (teasing Punk, she moans sexually) 'Cause I'm loved by the whole world, right Chris? PUNK Ya want the whole world up there, don't ya? EVE I got room for everybody. PUNK WHERE YA GONNA PUT JERUSALEM?! EVE (like a little girl, touching her heart) Here. PUNK (grabbing his groin) Here. EVE (cute) Don't pick on me. PUNK The Atlantic couldn't fill you up. EVE (like a little girl) There's room for the whole stinkin' planet. JOHNNY (playfully) We know. (laughs) EVE (more serious, to Punk) Enough even to fill your bottomless pit of emptiness! PUNK We're over. We're history. I’ll never touch that sperm ridden body or yours again. It smells of disease. Eve stops, hurt. EVE Ya jus' jealous... PUNK I ain't jealous... JOHNNY (to Eve) ...He don't mean it. PUNK ...I meant it... JOHNNY ...You're jus' tense... PUNK ...It's my heart... JOHNNY ...She's my family. You want her... PUNK ...I don't... JOHNNY ...Ya should... EVE ...I've given up for you... JOHNNY ...She's sacrificed! You owe her! Punk dials the phone, and paces. EVE I took care of ya. When ya was unemployed. When ya was fucked up, suckin' the bottle, I went to work. PUNK You never went to work for me. EVE Smelly, slimy, disgusting men an' women tellin' me what to do for them. Eight hours a day. I swear to God, I felt like a prostitute. JOHNNY You are a prostitute. EVE No I ain't. JOHNNY Yes you are. EVE I ain't no slut. They need me to fill up their losses. PUNK Their losses emptied you of yourself, an' emptied my love for you. EVE Don't blame me 'cause ya can't feel nothin', or get it up no more! CHRIS (to break the tension) Your emptiness, can end. PUNK I feel better. CHRIS Let me help you. I want to help end thi... PUNK (to Chris) ...Like you ain't empty? JOHNNY He's full of somethin' Punk, up to here! PUNK No, here. JOHNNY No, here. PUNK NO, HERE! JOHNNY NO, HERE! They howl with laughter. EVE Forgive 'em, they're jus' pissed off at everybody 'cause they hate themselves. Punk slams the phone down. Stares at Chris. CHRIS I’m a human being. You're torturing me. Please... PUNK (to Chris) ...I've prospered for bein' a prick, and I've hurt for bein' kind, what’s ya point? Teasing, Punk puts the food near Chris who tries to bite into it. As he does, Punk pulls it away. PUNK (still teasing Chris with food) Money. Shelter. Love. No no. Not for you. EVE Stop that. JOHNNY Give him a bite. For Mamma. Eve grabs Punk's hand and tries to drag him into the bedroom. Punk keeps teasing Chris with his food. EVE Johnny'll watch him. Come-on Punk, I need it. Punk resists. She pulls at his arm. EVE You need it. JOHNNY Big time. PUNK LET GO! Punk pushes her hard. EVE (growing angry) Ya hemorrhoids botherin' ya again, fuck face? PUNK (to Eve) Watch ya mouth, God’s watchin’. JOHNNY (to Punk) Let me feed it. Johnny lets Chris take a bite out of his sandwich. Chris takes a huge bite and rips the meat and bread like a ravenous dog. He chews full mouthed. JOHNNY Be a polite barbarian (continues feeding him). EVE Gimme a kiss. I need ya kisses... PUNK ...I don't know where ya fix is. Be responsible for ya own drugs, willya. I ain’t your parent. EVE (growing frustration) Ya treatin ' me like him again. I feel all bit up. Chris takes another huge bite, ripping at Johnny's sandwich. EVE (growing frustration) Let's make some meanin' together. PUNK Livin's got nothin' to do with meanin'. Meanin's jus' icin' on the cake an' we don't got no cake. EVE I need meanin' in my life. PUNK Like junk in' ya veins twice a day. Like suckin' cock for a bunch of suburban couch potatoes. That's ya meaning? Can’t stop bullshittin’ yaself, can ya Eve? Chris eats ravenously, ripping at the food. EVE Ya love to tear me apart. Well go ahead, then. Tear me wide open an' ya know what you'll see inside? Heaven. The most beautiful place in the world's inside of me, right here. But they don't want that. (regarding her body parts) They want this, an' this, an' this--so I give it to 'em. Even if it's made up, some... some fantasy... so what? It's some connection they gotta have, or they wouldn't buy it. Helps keep the dead alive. I know, 'cause I been dead a long time. An’ what’s wrong with makin’ love to people for money? What do you do to make money that’s so fucking great? Pollute everything, even little kids cereal an’ milk, an’ air? Killin’s better to you? Eve bursts into tears. JOHNNY (to Eve) You okay? EVE Fuck off. PUNK PHONE! JOHNNY (to Eve) He busted you, too, huh? PUNK PHONE!!! JOHNNY I'm right in front of ya. Johnny stands holding the phone. Punk dials. EVE (growing darkly sarcastic and very hurt) You lied to me, too. Your a thief and a liar. "No meanin' without my kid an' wife blah blah blah. It's like walkin' the junk yard at night, blah blah blah--an' I fell for it hook, line an' sinker, givin' ya this, an' this, an' this! PUNK I loved her, you knew that. EVE What was I? JOHNNY What was she? PUNK You were special, too--UNTIL YA SPREAD YA LEGS FOR THE METS! EVE I was? PUNK Still no answer, Christmas? CHRIS (to Punk) He's... malevolent. EVE I was, Punk? CHRIS It's... unforgivable. PUNK I'll sue the motherfucker. CHRIS Good idea. Punk pulls out his gun. CHRIS I'm... a priest. JOHNNY This is Rome? Pause. JOHNNY What’s he mean? CHRIS I'm a man of God, Johnny. JOHNNY Punk an' me, too. Holy shit! PUNK Yeah, jus' about what's become of holiness. He’s robes, altered, everything, Johnny. I knew and I shoulda said somethin’ but it slipped my mind--I’ve sinned. EVE I wanna confess somethin'. (cracks up) PUNK (to Eve) Park ya sin over there. EVE Ya kidnapped a priest? Wanna be sure it’s a holy crime? You really do want to get in touch with the father, don’t ya? (cracks up) Punk picks up the phone and dials. He is very tense. CHRIS I can help you. I want to. Please, let's sit down, and have a conversation. We have to talk. PUNK (pacing) A conversation? CHRIS Yes. Talk to one another, with civility. JOHNNY Like, a conversation ya mean? CHRIS That's correct. PUNK Tell me what the fuck's goin' on here, an' maybe I won't blow ya face into the rear fuckin' wall. I'm losin' my patience wit' all this bullshit. Why the fuck, won't he answer his phone? EVE (still laughing) 'CAUSE HE KNOWS IT'S YOU! Punk abruptly puts the gun against Eve's head. JOHNNY (to himself) I'm gonna have nightmares again. EVE Don't ya maniac, ya might hurt somebody. JOHNNY Put ya tool down, bro. EVE I jus' want my fix. PUNK That's what all this "I love you" shit's about, ain't it? EVE I don't know. PUNK Ya been makin' up stories again, to get me to supply you wit' drugs, right? EVE I don't know. PUNK Make it look like it was me? When all I ever did was take care of you? EVE Whatever ya say. PUNK That’s what I say? Is it what YOU say? EVE Sure. Sure. Please, I'll be quiet. Take it away. This ain't like you. JOHNNY Ya made me a promise. CHRIS Please don't hurt her. She's innocent. PUNK No one on this Earth's innocent of our crimes. CHRIS She, is innocent, of me... PUNK ...No one's innocent. No one... CHRIS ...All right... PUNK ...Even you... JOHNNY ...She's my family... CHRIS ...Please remove the gun from her... PUNK ...SAY IT... JOHNNY ...My blood... CHRIS ...I'm not innocent... JOHNNY ...I need her... PUNK ...You're guilty as they are, because you, like them, participate in this crime, as criminal or victim. JOHNNY ...I promised Mamma I'd take care of her... PUNK YES? CHRIS ...Yes... PUNK ...An' it switches back an' forth like that, between the two-- one second you're a victim, the next, a criminal. Ain't that right..? CHRIS ...YES. PUNK ...Sometimes it's impossible to tell which is which... JOHNNY ...All right, enough... PUNK ...An' everybody lies. There ain't no way for me to tell if what ya sayin' is the truth, or just a need to save yaself from witnessing somethin' terrifyingly human, and stay comfy in ya chair there. EVE I’m pregnant. Pause. Punk slowly removes the gun from Eve’s head. JOHNNY (sadly) Number ten. Eve does it again! Punk looks in Eve's eyes for the first time. PUNK You're hopeless. EVE I'm full of hope. Pause. PUNK You’re unfit to be a mother, Eve. Pause. EVE (desperate to be held) I was beautiful once. Like a light was inside of me and I was... illuminated. I was in love wit' someone. PUNK You gotta stop this. EVE I can't stop. I'm alive. JOHNNY A baby, Punk. In her. EVE I wanted ta buy a little house, with a yard. Johnny could make us a garden. PUNK Ya dreamin'. JOHNNY I could make us a garden. EVE I thought, we could have us some kids. Raise 'em right. Teach our kids to feel loved? PUNK (sadly) You oughta think, "who the fuck's gonna take care of it?" EVE All I'm thinkin's, maybe I should kill it, before you do. JOHNNY Kill a baby. PUNK (ignoring Johnny, looking at Eve's stomach) A baby? Punk seems mesmerized and stares at her stomach. He reaches out his hand and touches it gently, leaving it there. EVE (as if coming from her baby) I'm a miracle. JOHNNY A family again, Punk? EVE You could be it's father. I believe it's yours. Punk turns away from her, and looks directly at Chris. PUNK (to Chris) What's he like? CHRIS What do you mean? JOHNNY What do you care what he's like? PUNK Did he tell you bed time stories? JOHNNY What kind of question is that? CHRIS Yes. PUNK Which ones? CHRIS He was a... a good... He looked after my well being, my education... PUNK ...Throw a baseball? Pause. PUNK Hug ya? Pause. PUNK Tell you he loved you. Pause. PUNK Didn't understand the questions? For a Harvard graduate you're really an stupid-shit. CHRIS He hugged me. PUNK Is he a murderer? CHRIS What makes you ask that? PUNK Let's say he had blood on his hands. Would his good deeds be penance? CHRIS We are moral beings and we are... PUNK What happens when morality don't work no more? CHRIS Morality allows us to live together. PUNK Morality allows us to believe we're safe. CHRIS Don't you believe in compassion? There are real acts of caring, and love? PUNK This lion sees a deer an' tears off its leg. Deer dies. Her fawn can't nurse. Lion brings the leg of deer back to her den and feeds her cubs. Deer's fawn dies. Vultures eat Bambi's flesh. Cubs purr with satisfaction. Which is the act of Love? Eve starts shaking in the beginnings of withdrawal. She sits, trying to remember where she put her drugs. CHRIS Are you going to kill me? PUNK Would ya forgive me if I killed you? CHRIS Forgiveness is an act of self love. It purifies, releases the venom in our hearts. PUNK Venom? CHRIS Why live with that? PUNK VENOM?! Good solid word. Make a good song title. "Let the VENOM go." CHRIS You can. PUNK No. You can. CHRIS I've seen it in the worst cases of guilt. You can let the pain drain away. PUNK (laughs with a hint of tired anger in it) "Let The Pain Drain Away", by Chris-Cross an' the Holy Smolly's? CHRIS I only want to help you thr... JOHNNY ...Almost as good as "Don't Dump Ya Shit All Over Me." CHRIS Please listen to me... PUNK ...Or "Ya fucked My Life Up, But Hey, What's Family For?" CHRIS I'm talking to you. JOHNNY "Shot Mamma In The Head, So I'd Collect the Bread?" CHRIS Why won't you answer me? PUNK Ring. Ring. Ring. No answer. Prayers. Prayers. Prayers. No answer. JOHNNY Maybe he's at the welfare office. PUNK I think I've lost my faith in him. JOHNNY Maybe he's at the Meth Rehab, or the prisons, or the half-way houses. CHRIS I don't know what's going on with him. JOHNNY Or the police precincts, or the homeless shelters. EVE Where's my stuff, Punky? I need it now. JOHNNY ...Hey, Punk, maybe he's dead. PUNK Maybe he don't care.. But I care EVE Just a little somethin' to straighten myself out. JOHNNY (to Eve) You okay? EVE (rising, almost unable to stand) Don't worry about me. I got everything under control. JOHNNY Maybe he's in withdrawal. Punk drinks strait from a scotch bottle Stares angrily at Chris. Eve rises, with her back to the audience, stands over Chris and pulls her top off. We see her naked back. She stands, swaying. EVE Help me. I hurt father. CHRIS I'm sorry. EVE Sorry don't help. Eve collapses. Johnny pulls her top up and helps her to a crawling position. With his help, she crawls to the sofa. JOHNNY Punk, where is it? PUNK I DON'T FUCKIN' KNOW. Johnny covers her with the blanket. JOHNNY (to Punk) We can't do this to her. Punk slowly brings the gun up. JOHNNY Don't even think it. CHRIS (to himself, terrified) "bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not. (begins weeping) "Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the pure in heart." EVE Please, Punky? Punk puts the gun against Chris's head JOHNNY Hey, Bro! CHRIS (terrified, to himself) "And in thine hand is power and might..." Punk cocks the trigger. CHRIS ..."And in thine hand it is to make great." PUNK Tell me what he did. JOHNNY I can't watch this. PUNK Tell me the truth about the invisible. There was another son. Tell me. Eve lays down in fetal position, facing toward the audience. CHRIS (terrified) There... was a son... PUNK ...The son of the father. What happened to him? CHRIS He is still alive, as far as I know. PUNK Why don't you know? CHRIS It was a cover-up. He was adopted when he was a baby. PUNK How'd ya find out? CHRIS It was an accident. I found a document and confronted him with it when I was a teenager. He was the child of my father's mistress. The woman... PUNK ...The woman? She didn't have a name? CHRIS I honestly don't know. PUNK Honestly? CHRIS I know that he covered it up to protect my mother, and his career. They would have been embarrassed. Please... I'll tell you anything you want to know. Take the gun away. I can hardly breathe. Punk remains frozen with the gun to Chris's head. PUNK What happened to the woman? CHRIS She... PUNK ...Was cast out of paradise? Into poverty wit' her little child in her arms? What was her story? What did she do, this invisible woman your father fucked, who's holy cum made a child in his image? CHRIS She asked for money. And she was denied. PUNK Denied? Denied what? Love? Banished from all responsibility to protect a career, a name? What else was she denied? CHRIS She was... PUNK A Prostitute? Eve sits up with the blanket wrapped around her. She looks like a child, shaking in fear. CHRIS How did you know? PUNK God spoke to me. CHRIS How did you know? PUNK I'm Psy-sick. Let's see... She was a beautiful woman. Beautiful eyes. The soul of a saint. I'm hearin' her voice-- gentle. Her touch--tender. Filled wit' love. She had a little boy. When she held him, he knew he was loved an' nothin' could hurt him. He needed her love, like he needed to breathe. One day she didn't come home. Her friends came to see her and found the little boy sittin' in his own shit; dehydrated, an' hungry, an' cryin' for his mommy. He'd been like that for two days. An' he remembered it. Funny thing, gettin' psy-sick, huh? What happened to her, Chris? CHRIS She requested money, was denied, and she threatened to make trouble. PUNK Trouble for the almighty powerful Cum-Lord? CHRIS She ... disappeared. PUNK "Disappeared"? Her remains were found five years later, in a ditch. Bullet in her head. It's comin' in so strong these pictures. What happened to her little, sweet, miracle of a child. The son of the father, and your half-brother? CHRIS He was adopted. PUNK And he grew up to become? CHRIS I don't know. PUNK Me. (pause) See what sins do? Punk, takes the gun away. Eve bursts into tears. JOHNNY (in total shock) Suck my hind tit.... PUNK ...Welcome home, brotherly love... JOHNNY ...Suck my hind tit.... CHRIS ...It's... a miracle. My God. PUNK What'd ya DO about it? JOHNNY Suck my hind... CHRIS ...I don't believe this. PUNK Wha'd ya DO..? JOHNNY ...Suck my... CHRIS ...I prayed for you every day... PUNK ...How nice. Almighty has cast his sins unto me, and you pray. He's given so generously to your life of luxury. Afforded you the time to dream in ya well funded garden. CHRIS I live at the Rectory. I have no money of my own. JOHNNY Suck my... PUNK ...Don't start lyin' to me about this. He's your wallet. He loved you. CHRIS He loves himself. There's no love in him for anyone else. I left when I was nineteen. I ran away to the Church. Everything reeked of a shady deal. Even a hug. PUNK You're lyin'. CHRIS No I'm not. I hated living there. I hated my childhood. You didn't miss anything. Johnny's family loved you. PUNK You were his son. CHRIS So were you! He kept me because he had to. PUNK I was the product of his deceit. CHRIS I was a showpiece. Something to prove he was a "family man" for his constituency. PUNK That ain't true. CHRIS I WASN'T ANYTHING TO HIM. JUST SOMEONE TO SMILE IN A FAMILY PHOTO AND PUT ON CHRISTMAS CARDS. PUNK I DON'T BELIEVE YOU. CHRIS WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT? PUNK I WANNA KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF... I wanna forgive him. I want him to give me my mother back. But he don't even know the color of my eyes. He don't wanna look at what he created, 'cause he'll see himself, an' that's too fuckin' frightenin': A birth an' a murder in one miserable vision. CHRIS We can go there together right now... JOHNNY ...I got somethin' to say... PUNK ...I want him to come to me on his knees... JOHNNY ...I got somethin' to say... CHRIS ...You don't understand... PUNK ...NO. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! A crime was committed, brother. It won't go away wit' a prayer. You can't bury the crime, like a dead victim. Crimes live on... CHRIS ...Perhaps there was a mistake. A misunderstanding... JOHNNY ...I got somethin'... PUNK ...It sat in this child's heart like the fire of hell. Spoiled blood spoils blood. No communion here. The bread's stale. The wine's gone sour an' here I am. Tell the truth, brotherly love. His sin revealed, spells scandal. The spiritual have no tolerance for the flesh. JOHNNY ... I WANNA TALK. I GOTTA TALK THIS OUT. WHA'D YA DO TO ME? PUNK Nothin' to you. You're my brother. JOHNNY WHA'D YA DO TO US? MY MOTHER AN' FATHER ARE TURNIN' OVER IN THEIR GRAVES SORRY THEY EVER ADOPTED YOU. PUNK I loved them like my own. I'll never forget them any more than my real... JOHNNY ...YA USED ME, TO GET TO HIM... PUNK ...No, Johnny... JOHNNY ... Den you used them too. A whole life OF LIES... PUNK ...I didn't lie to you... JOHNNY ...YA JUS' DIDN'T TELL ME THE TRUTH? I DIDN'T ASK? WHAT BULLSHIT YA GONNA HAND ME? PUNK I love you! JOHNNY NO ONE LOVES ME NO MORE. THEY'RE DEAD! HE AIN’T GONNA BE ME. I WANT HIM OUTTA HERE. PUNK I'm your brother, too. JOHNNY YOU AIN'T MY BROTHER. AIN'T THAT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT? YOU'RE HIS BROTHER. THIS HEIST AIN'T ABOUT GETTIN' OUT. IT'S ABOUT HIM, AN' YOU. MY FAMILY'S BEEN WHAT THEN? PUNK We're family. JOHNNY ...WE BEEN NOTHIN'. WHO AM I THEN...? PUNK ...JOHNNY..! JOHNNY ...WHO WE BEEN? I WON'T BE USED LIKE THIS! YOU LIED TO ME?! YA LIED TO US! Johnny punches Punk square in the jaw sending him across the room landing on his back. Punk, delirious from the blow, tries to rise to his feet. Johnny picks him up with one hand, hits him again square in the face--as Punk hits the ground hard: Blackout. END OF ACT ONE ACT 2 Johnny sits on a box, down stage, looking out into the abyss. He is holding Punks gun. Eve stands slumped over in serious withdrawal. Punk’s back is to the audience and he is waking. EVE I need my fix. Where is it? PUNK Somewhere over the rainbow. Johnny? Wha’d ya do to me? Eve turns on the radio. A 1970's oldie love song is on. She moves to Punk, clumsily. EVE Come dance wit' me, Punky. For ol' times sake. Eve begins to dance very sensuously in front of Punk on the floor. He doesn't move. EVE You like the way I dance? She takes one of his hands and dances. EVE You remember Bermuda, Punk? On the Island? We was steamy once. In the Summer heat. The sunset. Like a rainbow from heaven. An' the clear blue water ya could see the bottom through? You an' me, in the clear blue water. In the sunset. His back still towards the audience, Punk pulls his arm away from her. She continues dancing for him. EVE (still dancing) Ya know, sweetie, I need to take a little ride somewhere nice sometimes, jus' for fun. Break the heat. I need a trip. PUNK Leave me alone. EVE (growing more desperate) You got any heaven, Punk? She dances. He tries to rise, but can’t. EVE (growing more desperate, shaking more violently) Red devils? Angle-dust? Laced Reefer? Fly away forever. Anything? PUNK Do reality on us, Eve. EVE Reality's for people who can't deal wit' drugs. Eve's body is trembling. Each part moving in convulsions as her body breaks down physically. She tries to smile and control the shaking, but the withdrawal symptoms are too overpowering. EVE (crying now) Any Barbi-Dolls, Angie's, even Aunt Mary'll do. I know you keep Gorilla Biscuits. PUNK I don't have no more time for your pain. EVE Help me? PUNK I can't even help myself. Punk rises but falls again. EVE It hurts bad. I'm desperate, Johnny. JOHNNY Think "Hope." EVE Hope I got. JOHNNY Where'd ya hide her stuff Punk? She's dyin'. PUNK I’M TALKIN’ TO YOU. Johnny kicks Punk hard. Eve begins tearing apart the room. Johnny raises the gun. Punk sits up on the floor with his back to the audience. CHRIS Be careful, it's loaded. JOHNNY I KNOW IT'S LOADED. I SEEN HIM. DON'T YA THINK I KNOW THAT. I AIN'T STUPID JUS' 'CAUSE I DIDN'T GO TO HARVARD. CHRIS I know, you know, that it's loaded. I was just trying to be cautious in case you had forgotten--given the circumstances. JOHNNY WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES? PUNK I think ya broke me. Punk turns toward the audience. His eyes are completely covered with blood. He can't open them. PUNK What's goin'..? Johnny, my eyes? CHRIS This, won't work anymore. John, please, let's sit quietly, and find a mutual solution to this problem. JOHNNY I AIN'T ANGRY!!! CHRIS I have an idea. JOHNNY AN IDEA WON'T HELP. PUNK JOHNNY WHA'D YA DO TO ME?! I'M BLIND! JOHNNY Ya always been blind. Ya jus' can't see now. CHRIS (to Johnny) Let me talk to you. JOHNNY We are talkin'. I been talkin'. Don't lie to me no more jus' cause ya scared to death. CHRIS I know we're talking. I meant really talk about this. Just you and I. Quietly. JOHNNY We are really talkin' about this. There jus' ain't no more bullshit. I got the power. You don't like it. CHRIS What I meant, was to discuss, to negotiate a solution, that you and I, would find mutually acceptable. JOHNNY Ya mean ya got another way to connive me into some gutter while you eat caviar? CHRIS I wouldn't do that. PUNK He'll do that. JOHNNY That's what they all say. "I wouldn't do that.”Trust me." "I want to talk to you." "Have faith in us." Lines like that. But they don't mean it. Everything's a figure of speech, but no one's talkin' to nobody else. CHRIS I wouldn't lie to you. PUNK (rising) He'll lie to you. CHRIS I have no reason to lie. PUNK He just lied to you about not lyin' to you. JOHNNY (to Punk) I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU. "I WOULDN'T DO THAT." "TRUST ME." "I WANT TO TALK TO YOU." Fires gun into the floor. JOHNNY I’m sick of you assholes. Make my life fucking misery day and night. CHRIS My God. Chris silently says "The Our Father" to himself, over: Johnny dials the phone. We hear it ring. He listens. PUNK (half way to his feet) Wha'd ya do to me, brother? JOHNNY DON'T CALL ME THAT. Johnny kicks Punk who falls fast and he drops the phone receiver onto the floor--we hear it ring and ring. PUNK I'm sorry, Johnny. JOHNNY No you ain't. Ya jus' scared! PUNK I am scared. Ya scarin' me. I've got an idea. JOHNNY The days of ideas are over. Look at this idea ya got us into. PUNK I won't get no ideas. I'm tired of ideas, too. I'll jus' wait for you to come to your senses. JOHNNY I have come to my senses. PUNK Johnny? You had family. I didn't. JOHNNY I'm bein' sensible for da first time in my life: Fuck all of you, I’m takin' care of myself. PUNK You gotta listen to me. JOHNNY I ain't no one's accomplice ever again. I'm alone. PUNK A family's a silent thing. It ain't jus' who ya live with. There's something connecting you all the time. No matter where they are, even if ya don't know they exist. Even if ya know they're dead, there's a connection. And ya can't run from it. I had to resolve this. Eve moves into the kitchen area wildly opening drawers. EVE (regarding her drugs) I want my mommy. JOHNNY We did the best we could. We gave ya a home. Nothin's ever good enough for nobody. PUNK I loved them like my own. JOHNNY Well you ain't good enough for me. EVE WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU HIDIN', BITCH? JOHNNY I don't need parents. I don't need brothers... EVE ...COMMERE AN' KISS ME GODAMNIT... JOHNNY ...I don't need nobody ever again... Eve tears open the cabinets, the drawers and everything she comes into contact with. PUNK Untie me. JOHNNY Can't be trusted. Nothin's trustworthy. Nothin' an' nobody. EVE All I wanted was a perfect little house, perfect red roof, perfect little flower garden, green green lawn, white picket fence... PUNK ...Stop her before she wrecks everything... JOHNNY ...It don't matter... EVE ...Swings. Slide. Monkey bars... PUNK ...I couldn't stand the loneliness, Johnny. Even when we was together as a family, I felt like I was invisible. She grabs a kitchen knife on the coffee table by the sofa, and with great difficulty, crawls toward Punk. PUNK We can't live alone. JOHNNY Why not? PUNK Because we are alone. Eve grabs Punk at knife point. EVE I gotta have mommy in my arm. I'm achin' for her. I wanna go home. Where is she? CHRIS (quietly) Tell her where her drugs are before she slits your throat. Careful Eve, you might slip. EVE I GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL, WHADYA TALKIN' ABOUT? CHRIS (quietly) I know you do, Eve. I'm trying to get the drugs for you, okay? EVE YA DON'T HAVE TO YELL! CHRIS Punk, tell her where they are. PUNK I don't know. She hid 'em. EVE I know I left it in this place. CHRIS Give her the drugs. PUNK Maybe we're lookin' for somethin' that don't exist. CHRIS PUNK! Tell her. Then we can talk, to Johnny. EVE I'm rotting from the inside out. PUNK I don't know where they are. Eve crawls away, searching desperately. PUNK Maybe you jus' gotta keep lookin', until you die from the search. Maybe there’s no other way to find out except through a death of some kind. Some loss. She ends up at the sofa and begins tearing it apart, ripping the stuffing out very slowly. In an exhausted motion, she throws it center stage in clumps. CHRIS (to Punk) Can we work on this together, or not? Punk lays back, exhausted. PUNK We can never be together. We were alone, together, now we're alone, apart. CHRIS (to Johnny) I know this wasn't your idea. I'll help you. I can give you money. PUNK He won't.... CHRIS ...Set you up in a good job. Give you a whole new life... PUNK ...In the State Pen..! CHRIS ...I can even help him. JOHNNY (to Punk, sarcastically) He can buy me a whole new life. What can you buy me? CHRIS Did I mention women, Johnny? PUNK Don't let him fool you. He'll sermon us right into solitary confinement. Punk extremely tired from his efforts, lays upside down, facing out toward the audience. CHRIS (to Johnny) I'm only trying to help you. PUNK He's helping himself. Johnny, think! He's dangerous. He worships illusions. He's a priest. CHRIS I became a priest to save people! EVE Johnny, You're my cousin. You gotta help me look. CHRIS She can wait. Untie me, Johnny. Please?! PUNK By the refrigerator Eve. Eve finds the drugs under the floor boards. EVE Thank God. Thank God. Johnny hangs the phone up. Eve begins her fix very fast, preparing the heroin on her knees. Johnny looks out over the audience, seeing his dream until the end of the play, disconnected from the others. JOHNNY (quietly and sadly) Bright magenta. The sun was huger then I ever seen it. An' as it set, the sky was lit, with streaks of colors, each one bouncin' offa the other, an' good-bye sun, hello moon, the clouds were floatin', moonlight behind their dance, and everything was together there in this lullaby. Eve shoots up, on her knees. EVE Par-a-dise. CHRIS (praying to himself) "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it..” PUNK What are you gonna do to me, Johnny? Eve crawls to Johnny and curls up onto his lap like a child. EVE I see it, Johnny, over there. Like a mirage. A rainbow. Colors never endin'. Cloud-songs. Angels singin'. Floatin' together. JOHNNY (to himself) Like starry nights mid-summer. CHRIS (weeping) I'm innocent, Johnny. You can't allow me to suffer like this. EVE Like the seasons changin'. CHRIS (weeping) John? Eve sits up. Johnny keeps looking out at his memory. PUNK I'll leave town. You'll never have to see me again, if that's what ya want? JOHNNY Beauty in the falling of the leaves. Color everywhere. I felt like that once. PUNK We were young together once. Remember, John? Eve laughs like a little girl. Johnny hums "THE CRADLE WILL ROCK". EVE I want to feel love, again. Make love to the angels. I am an angel. She rises clumsily, and begins to fly around the room with her arms out, like a child playing airplane, but also resembling "an eagle in flight". EVE I'm flyin'! Look at me Punky! She flies through the room. Johnny hums "TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR". PUNK (rising) Eve, can ya reason wit' Johnny? EVE?! EVE Look... Earth! An' there's the moon, an' mars, galaxies spinnin' like Ferris-wheels, lit like Christmas trees. She spins, dances, flies through the room. Johnny hums "THE CRADLE WILL ROCK". EVE My ghosts? My angels? My lovin' angels? My God. She ends up standing, facing Chris. Johnny stops humming. She approaches Chris sexually. EVE (to Chris) Punk don't want me no more. (touches him) Eve circles around his body, very sensuously, but also like a predator, an eagle perhaps, circling high above its prey below. CHRIS I'm a priest. EVE I'm a lonely. Eve stops with her back to Chris. EVE You like me, Cross? She begins to dance sensuously, directly in front of Chris, with her back to us. We see him clearly to the side of her. She pulls down her top. We see her naked back. Johnny continues looking out over the audience. JOHNNY (to himself) I can see it like it was jus' yesterday. PUNK I got an idea. It's a simple idea. Real easy. EVE (to Chris) You like the way I dance? CHRIS I can absolve you of your sins. EVE I'll absolve you, lover. CHRIS I don't want that kind of pleasure. EVE What kind do ya want? CHRIS I'm a servant of God... EVE Me too. CHRIS Please. Your high. Don't do this. EVE Do what? PUNK (to Johnny) I know what you're rememberin'. She spreads her arms out, like wings of an eagle, then moves in on Chris, straddling and engulfing him and sits on his lap. She kisses him all over. Chris pulls at his ropes trying to escape. CHRIS Please? PUNK (desperate, hurting) Our innocence? (pause) You're rememberin' our innocence? (pause) Is that what ya lookin' at? (pause) John? (pause) Ya seein' purity? (pause) Like when we were kids? Gentleness? Is that what ya lookin’ at? CHRIS Please? EVE (kissing him) Moon's white beams... light of my flesh... the fire of desire... like a flower that needs the sun... Chris pulls violently at his ropes. She will begin slowly moving down his body, caressing and kissing him, until she is kneeling at his feet. JOHNNY (to Punk) This is your fault you asshole. Ya can't keep blamin' everyone 'cause a few shit heads hit you. But that’s all you do. That’s all you ever did. PUNK (trying to rise but unable to) How many can hit you? JOHNNY (angrier) I don't hit no one 'cause I been hit. PUNK You’re bein’ a fuckin’ animal... JOHNNY ...I ain't no animal... PUNK You’re a brute. JOHNNY I ain't no brute! There's a kid and wife out there with a bruised heart 'cause of you. You’re the fuckin’ brute. Eve stops. She looks at them. JOHNNY I gotta be pushed. PUNK Okay! JOHNNY I gotta be pushed. PUNK All right! JOHNNY You pushed me. PUNK Who, me? JOHNNY I AIN'T A KILLER. PUNK YOU’RE FUCKIN’ PURE? IS THAT YOUR DELUSION NOW--MR. SELF- FUCKIN’ RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH A FUCKIN’ GUN. KNOCKED ME FUCKIN’ OUT AN’ PREACHES HE’S NO KILLER? JOHNNY I NEVER HURT NO BODY. Johnny puts the gun to punk’s head. PUNK Did I say anything? JOHNNY I NEVER KILLED NOBODY! PUNK I didn't say nothin'... JOHNNY (violently) ...SAY IT. TELL DEM! PUNK Johnny's a mouse WITH A GUN. EVE (to Johnny) It wasn’t your fault. He was a mixed up guy, that's all. PUNK A killer. JOHNNY NO I AIN’T. PUNKY You’re the one wit’ blood on ya hands. Not me. EVE It was a long time ago. JOHNNY He was a brute. EVE (remembering) It was twenty years ago. Let's forget it. JOHNNY (remembering) I never did nothin' wrong. PUNK EITHER DID I BUT YOU’RE PUNISHING ME FOR IT NOW AIN’T YA? JOHNNY I’M A NICE GUY. PUNK MAYBE I SHOULD PUNISH YOU FOR BEIN’ MY BROTHER. JOHNNY I’M A GOOD PERSON AT HEART, BUT HE PU... PUNK ...ALL THE LOVE WE SHARED DON’T MEAN NOTHIN’? IS THAT WHAT WE’VE BECOME? JOHNNY ...PUSHED ME, GOD HELP HIM... EVE (remembering) Forget it. I'm forgettin' it right now. JOHNNY He wouldn't stop. That’s why it happened, Eve. Let it go. PUNK MAYBE YOU SHOULD KILL ME ‘CAUSE I NEEDED MY PARENTS TO STOP KILLIN’ EACH OTHER AN’ IT MADE YOU FUCKIN’ JEALOUS, ASSHOLE! JOHNNY I didn't want to break up the family. PUNK At least you had one to fuck up. EVE HE DIDN’T MEAN IT NOW SHUT UP PUNK. JOHNNY I didn’t mean to hit him so hard. Punk finally rises and stands blind. JOHNNY He was my uncle. He was family. I wouldn't kill my uncle. What kind of animal do ya think I am? EVE (remembering) I put it outta my mind a long time ago. JOHNNY I jus' wanted him to stop rapin' ya. You was jus' a kid... PUNK Okay, I’m sorry Johnny, Eve’s right, let it go. EVE (remembering) ...It's over! JOHNNY Punk? Ya better do somethin’. Punk turns on the radio. PUNK Eve, listen to that. EVE (proud and scared) I dealt wit' it. JOHNNY She’s gonna lose it, Punk. EVE I got everything under control. PUNK Come on beautiful dance wit' me. EVE (mesmerized, almost to herself) I still feel him holding me down. JOHNNY I can't take it. I don’t wanna remember this. PUNK (to Eve) I'm dancin’? EVE It wasn't his fault. He was insane, that's why. PUNK I wanna hold ya. Eve? EVE (mesmerized) I'm ten and his breath stinks of booze, an' he's sweatin', an' sayin' "you say anything and I'll kill ya mother..." JOHNNY ...I didn't mean it, Punk... PUNK ...Eve, look at me... EVE ...an' I feel this pressure an this pushin' in and then rippin', tearin' me open... JOHNNY ...SHUT HER UP... PUNK ...I'm dancin’... EVE ...Like hell had come inta me... a thousand demons puss comin' outta their eyes fire's cookin' us our flesh meltin' off us our bodies bein' torn open our hearts fallin' into a huge infection... (pause. Like a little girl) ...an' its over, an' he pulls up his pants, wipes me clean an' threatens me again. An' I lay there... Johnny grabs a chair and begins repeatedly smashing it on the floor, breaking it to bits. Punk stops dancin’. PUNK JOHN?! JOHN?! JOHNNY GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY! PUNK IT'S OVER! JOHN?! The wood chair is broken in a heap, like the bones of a corpse. Johnny looks down on it for a long moment, mesmerized. There’s a long silence. Blind, Punk turns toward Johnny. PUNK The past is over, John. It’s over. We’re here now. I see it. I fuckin’ just saw a light flashin’ inside of me. Listen to me. I know somethin’... JOHNNY ...I'm glad I... PUNK ...All our fathers. They’re gone. We’re alone. You and me, and Eve and Chris an’... JOHNNY ...God help me... EVE He was my blood, Johnny. Ya drained my blood? JOHNNY Cleaned the infection. PUNK Figure of speech, Eve. Scared him to his senses. That's all he means. Right, Johnny? JOHNNY Wanted him to stop. PUNK Tell her the truth, Johnny. JOHNNY (hesitant) Yeah, Eve. Jus' a figure of... PUNK (to Eve) ...Speech. A way to say it. You feel better, now? EVE My daddy... PUNK He's livin' somewhere nice. Right Johnny? JOHNNY Right. He's livin' somewhere else. Somewhere nice, Eve. He's okay. Eve snaps the radio off and looks as if she is recovering from the actual experience. EVE (calm) Don't lie to me. He's dead. I don't want ya lies no more. Pause. JOHNNY I'm sorry. EVE He used to tell me God was watchin' over us, ya know? There were guardian angels, and a place called heaven. I remember seein' everything like heaven, an' everything was like a gift. But as I got older, everyone started treatin' me different. He didn't see me the same way no more. Somethin' else happened. To him, then to me. And there I was, in the middle of all this, growin' up, tryin' to be an angel searchin' for the God that raped me of my childhood dreams because he lied to me. Maybe he lied to me because he couldn't stand the thought of his baby knowing ugliness. The ugliness outside, and the ugliness inside of him. But he lied. An' I needed the truth. And I needed softness. And I needed to be touched. Then I was a child, in a woman's body searching for somethin' I couldn't have. I needed to feel free again. But everyone ran away, and heaven, it slipped out of sight. Just disappeared like my daddy. I wish it had been different, ya know? But the way I thought it was gonna be, jus' wasn't the way it turned out. What do ya do with them two things, huh? PUNK (moving towards Johnny) They ain't two things, they're one. Punk continues moving to find Johnny, waving his hands to grab him. He hears Johnny crying. PUNK Johnny, come to me. I need ya help. JOHNNY (crying and frightened, like a little boy) No. Go away. PUNK Even if I die, I will never leave you. You will never leave me. I fuckin’ see it clear as the brightest day I ever lived to see. JOHNNY I was a good kid. I gave you my life. Where is it, Punk? Where’s my life? PUNK Right here. JOHNNY I’m hurtin’ bad. PUNK I never meant to hurt ya. Look at me, Godamnit. We’re family. JOHNNY I never meant to hurt no body. Christ Almighty. What’s happened here? Punk finds Johnny and gently grabs onto him. Johnny resists at first, then, they hug center stage. PUNK No one wants to hurt no one an’ everyone’s hurtin’ everyone. Clean my eyes. EVE Let me. Eve gets a towel and some wine and washes Punks eyes clean. He opens them. She touches her stomach. They finally separate. There is a long, awkward silence. CHRIS You are my brother, too. (pause) My hands... they’re numb. (pause) It’s so hard to listen. Are you listening? PUNK (to Johnny) Untie him, Johnny. If he says anything, so help me God, I’ll sneak into his church and poison his wine. JOHNNY It ain’t my place, Punk. PUNK You’re right. You don’t mind? JOHNNY No. PUNK 'Cause I don't want ya to get mad. JOHNNY I'm an artist. It's my place to dream. You don't like it, fuck you. Johnny sits and draws. PUNK (untying Chris) Jus' don't get mad. JOHNNY Then I gotta dream. It helps me see, like it or fuckin' not. Now leave me alone. Johnny looks out over the audience, dreaming. Punk gets a beer, opens it and stands stage right as Chris rises. For the first time in the play, Chris is free. He stands stage left. Punk and Chris look at one another. Eve is standing upstage between them lit from behind by the amber light of a streetlight spilling in through the large window. It makes her image a silhouette--there is an amber glow surrounding her otherwise unrecognizable face and body. PUNK (to Chris) You’re a free man walkin’ the desert. So go. Chris stands there unable to move. PUNK (to Chris) What are ya waitin’ for? They look at one another from across the room, both frozen in his place. Johnny’s at the table, looking out over the audience, crayon in hand. JOHNNY (looking out) I'm waitin' for somethin' true to come to me. Whatever that is. That makes me feel clean once I get past that fear that makes me want to run from it, and then, all at once, makes me see somethin'. Then I don't get mad. An' I feel free again. I wish it would last more than a moment. But that's all I ever get. Moments of freedom. Through the truth of somethin'. Whatever that is. The lights begin to fade as Johnny draws, and speaks. Punk and Chris stare at one another from across the room not moving a muscle. Eve remains between them, upstage in the amber glow, almost like an angel watching over them. JOHNNY (slow and easy) Deep, black night endless outta nowhere there's this sun sittin' in the distance meltin' down, over sandy, white, desert mountains lone cactus on a grassless hill tumbleweeds crossin' salt flats, pushed by ancient winds lizards walkin' across rocks Eagles seein’ mice below tryin’ to escape the desert heat an' this perfect little house perfect red roof perfect little flower garden green green lawn white picket fence nothin' surroundin' it for miles an' miles (Pause) and this family... Lights are almost black. Tableau for a moment. Fade out. THE END