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Any Last Words?
by:
Sina Kalaaq
Characters:
The
Way we were: a boy/girl in his/her twenties
Chocolate: a gay man in his early thirties
Fear: a man in his mid-thirties
Lady
of the Ring: an old woman in her late sixties/seventies
Scene1
Act 1
(Stage light) [The way we were]
"... And that is the whole story!" "Really?!, Wow, some people...
anyway I got to go." "Are you coming back?" "Of course you dumb
fuck!" "Well I'll miss you too."
And we go our separate ways. I can see us one week from now, coming
back to the same coffee shop. You'll read your stories; I'll read
my poems. Well not poems really. The things I write, I guess you
can call them poetry, or pieces of writing, well poems too, if you
are in a good mood and feeling generous. And we talk about them for
a while and then talk about you, and talk about other people, and
god and stuff, and bullshit, maybe politics a little… "... And that
is the whole story!" "Really?!, Wow, some people... anyway I got to
go." "Are you coming back" "of course you dumb fuck!" "Well I'll
miss you too."
And we go our separate ways. I still remember how we met. You
brought some of your writings and I brought some of my whatever the
hell they are. Then we talked about you, and we talked about me, and
the people we knew, and god, and stuff, and bullshit, and politics
if I remember correctly. I guess I do. I think we did, it was not
that long ago really, it just seems longer, it usually does, or does
it really? This is the first time for me, but I've heard a lot from
people, how it seemed longer than it was.
"... and that is the whole story!" "Really?!, wow, some people...
anyway I got to go." "Are you coming back?" "Of course!" "Cool, it
was nice meeting you." and we went our separate ways.
I can see us ten years from now, well I cannot see the same coffee
shop the business is kind of slow, I don't think they can make it
ten years from now, well if not the same coffee shop, then somewhere
really close. You’ll read your stories I'll say I'm still working on
mine, then we talk about other people, and Google, and you, then
you'll get a phone call, and you'll have to run.
"Really?!, Wow, some people... anyway you got to go." "I will come
back" "Of course you will!" "Well I'll miss you too." and the you'll
go your way, but I will sit to finish my tea and think about the old
times, when we used to sit at the old coffee shop, well even if the
old one survives the test of time, I am sure that they will
redecorate by then, if so I'll think about the atmosphere of the old
coffee shop and how much I hate the new decoration, and about you
and your stories and my poems, yes I'll think of them as poems
because I'll be feeling generous at the moment, and other people,
and god , and stuff, for sure not politics I really don't like it,
and us. I'll think about us ten more years from then on. How we will
come to the new coffee shop and so on. "Really?!, Wow, some
people... anyway I got to go." "Are you coming back" "of course you
dumb fuck!" "Well I'll miss you too."
I can see us 30 years from now how you would come with daisies
because they are my favourite, and you will read me your stories,
and talk about you, and life, and work, and god, and stuff, your
cell phone will ring but you would not pick up, and when you finish
you'll stay there for a while, then you'll get up, you'll give me
the daisies because they are my favourite and then you'll be gone
and I will wish that I had not killed myself at all.
(Lights off)
(Silence)
Scene1
Act 2
(Spotlight)[Chocolate]
And then one day you will wake up, not that it was or is a dream or
that you are sleeping or anything, you just will, for the sake of
waking up, you will just.
Will you? You may, maybe, maybe just.
And then you look at me, no look for me, not that you lost me
neither have I, I swear to God you were right here in my pocket,
with my keys and my wallet and our picture, do you remember it? Oh
no, you were not there, it’s just your picture, headless, hollow,
pointless, half burnt.
God I hated you so, and you never believed, not me or God, I hated
God, but I believed, in you and God, so he stroked me down, why?
God? Why? Did he strike me down; I swear you were right here, in my
pocket, with my keys and my wallet,
(He takes out a piece of chocolate)
Oh a piece of chocolate!
I will give it to the kid, just the way you wanted me to, a girl
and sex and a piece of chocolate. Are you proud? So proud that if I
die you will take care of the child? Not now, but when you wake up.
(Long pause)
(Silence)
Scene1
Act 3
(Spotlight) [Fear]
Fear. There are not that many things that I am
afraid of. The things that frighten me are very few in fact. I’m
only afraid of one thing really.
I have a comfortable life, respected by others,
especially my mother. She is great I really do love her to death,
and among friends and other members of the family.
There are not that many things that I am afraid
of. The things that frighten me are very few in fact. I am afraid of
fear itself.
I have a comfortable life, respected by others,
announcing my engagement very soon, she is a lovely lady, she would
not fit the definition of beauty, I mean conventional beauty, your
idea of beauty, if it is conventional beauty that you find
beautiful, but she is very successful in her field, there’s a lot
expected from her, she is to have a bright future, so they say.
Everybody adores her, specially my mother, She is great I really do
love her to death.
Just the other day I watched someone dying, it
made me think for a moment, about dying, about death, about the fear
of dying, about the fear of death. I was afraid. Frightened to
death, yet I was not afraid of dying, it was the fear itself. To die
was not the problem. Death is a rather simple matter; it is the
living that is complex.
You die, and you’re dead. No question there that
matters, simple.
You live, and how you live, what you live for,
where do you live, who you live with, etc. You live, many questions
to be asked, complex.
As I was watching the process of this someone
dying, in that someone’s eyes, I saw fear, and that fear frightened
me. I was afraid of the fear itself.
To give an example per se, someone dies, someone
we know and truly care about, just to make it more dramatic
henceforward more engaging, per se my fiancé dies, or better yet my
mother dies, She is great I really do love her to death.
(Long pause).
“Per se” is not good enough. Mother is not
dramatic enough. Let’s say you die.
(Pause.)
I mean let’s say “you die”; “you” as in I, I as
in who has a comfortable life, respected by others, specially his
mother whom you-I love to death, That I, the very same I who asks
God, if there is any, why oh why me? Why me and not that ugly whore,
or that old hag, she is 76 for GOD sakes. Why nobody else? Why me?
Why I?
That I.
I as in, let’s say I die, for example.
For example, let’s say I die. (He dies.)
(Lights off)
(Silence)
Scene1
Act 4
(Stage light) [The lady of the ring]
(Empty stage, pause, a ring falls on the stage] [The sound of cars
is heard],
(Off stage) Oopsy-daisy (an old lady rushes in, picks the ring up,
she turns to the audience.)
Oh my I see that you have taken quite an interest in this ring, I am
not blaming you. It is quite exquisite. It was given to me by a
great director when I was just a young girl. Quite talented I was,
or so he thought. He told me as he was giving me this ring, “ you
were amazing, and you are just a young girl, you are quite
talented.” And he gave me this ring. It is a great piece of work if
you ask me, in fact if you ask anybody, all these years and not a
scratch… but this ring [she takes out another ring from her finger]
ah, this one, this ring in not only a ring, it is history. It was
given to me by one of the far relatives of the Tsar of Russia, not
that I am that old, oh god no, it was way after the revolution, even
after the war, I am not that old, with the right makeup, and a good
hairdo, I can pass for 42, and plus today is really not my day, you
know it’s one of those days. (She laughs)
(Silence)
(She looks at the ring again) Ah, this one, this ring is not only a
ring, it is history. It was given to me by one of the far relatives
of the Tsar of Russia, he was in the audience when I was playing
Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet; after the show, he came to me, in my
dressing room. He kissed my hand. He was very impressed. He told me
as he was giving me this ring, “ you were amazing, and you are just
a young girl, you are quite talented. I was very impressed.” and
that is why this ring is among my most precious possessions. Even If
it was made out of gold it could not have been more valuable than it
is right now. It is history.
(She wears the ring, she takes out her engagement ring, she looks at
it, silence, her mouth moves but no sound is heard, she puts the
ring back on and takes off another one) this one has a strange story
behind it. It was during one of my shows, not during the actual
show, we were touring the show. It was such an amazing cast, and we
had the best time, one time we actually left George in a diner by
the road and half way through John finally realized that we have
left him, so we had to go all the way back and pick him up. It was
such a hot day. The smell of waste was not very pleasant either, and
even worst; when we got there, Georgey was no where to be found,
after one or two hours we finally found out that he has already left
with a cab to the hotel, and although we shared the bill we never
heard the end of it.
(Pause) (She Smiles) (The smile fades)
Where was I, oh yes this is a protective ring, it is charmed. It was
given to me by one of my fans, during the touring of one of my
shows. She was in the audience. I was playing Juliet, in Romeo and
Juliet, after the show, she came to me, in my dressing room. She
scared the bejeebs out
of me. She took my hand and started reading the lines, and
telling my fortune. She said “danger!!! You are just a young girl,
and you are quite talented! And you have got a (the old woman
coughs) … ooooh danger!!!!”
She said that and gave me the ring.
She said it’s a protective ring. She said I need protection. I took
the ring and when I looked back to thank her… she… was… talking to
another actress. That stupid woman, she was a floozy, and that is
what she was all about. All her talent. That beanpole wore the
largest falsies I have ever seen. I don’t remember her name. It’s
the age. My memory is not as good, and She never made it big either,
so there is no point mentioning her name. You would not know her. No
one does. She never made it big. Now, I’m not the one to gossip, but
rumour has it that she slept with the entire production to get a
part that was promised to me. I was quite talented you see.
A star. Many people loved me, and well you cannot have love without
hate. There were few jealous people here and there; I don’t remember
any names though. I’m not the one to hold a grudge.
“The young rising star” that’s what they called me. I was all over
the newspapers. In fact I have one right here with me.
(She looks through her big handbag, aggressively.)
Well it seems that I left it somewhere; I don’t carry things like
that. I don’t like bragging, about me and my achievements, and me,
but I have received so many gifts from so many important people.
(She takes another ring)
Take this one for example; it has a very interesting story behind it
I’m sure.
(She focuses hard)
It must have been given to me by a king, a queen or a president of
some sort, (she focuses harder), but I just cannot remember it.
(She takes all of her rings, except her engagement ring, out and
holds them toward the audience.)
In fact each and every one of these has been given to me by a king,
a queen or a president of some sort.
(Pause)
Now in other circumstances I would have never considered, but
because you remind me a lot of myself, and because you like them a
lot….
Twenty dollars each.
(Pause)
Fifteen
(Pause)
Well I’m not selling them for ten.
(She hugs all of her rings)
(Pause)
Ten
(Pause)
All of them for ten.
(Pause)
(She lets go of all of her rings; all the rings fall on the stage.)
(She closes her eyes, takes her engagement ring out, and holds it
toward the audience.)
(Long pause)
(She lets the engagement ring fall, the ring falls on the stage, she
hears the ring falling down. She opens her eyes.)
(She looks through her big handbag; she takes out an empty Tim
Hortons cup.)
A toony, a loony,
Fifty cents for phone call?
How a bout a cigarette?
Even a Native cigarette is fine.
Please?!
(She really tries to get a cigarette from one of the audience.)
*IF
(A member of the audience gives her a cigarette; she takes it, gives
the protective ring to whom, she received the cigarette from,
saying:)
Danger!!!… You have a heart… that is not good, keep this… this is a
protective ring… heart is a dangerous thing to have. You are young,
and you seem quite talented. Keep this. Oooooh danger!!!!!
(She goes back on the stage, she smokes the cigarette and truly
enjoys It. she picks up the rest of her rings. She gives a very
exaggerated curtsy, she sends out some kisses. She exits the stage,
[the sound of a car crash, an accident]
[The sound of a ring that falls on the ground]
(Lights fade)
*IF
(No one in the audience give her a cigarette, she stands there)
(Pause)
(She picks up her rings, she exits.)
[The sound of cars honking and breaking, no accidents]
[The sound of a ring that falls on the ground]
(Lights fade)
Scene 2
(Stage light)
(A table and four chairs, all four characters are playing Mah-Jong)
(The old woman is smoking a cigarette)
(They play for a
while)
(Lights fade.)
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