SOUND OF HELICOPTER IN THE DISTANCE.
Downstage, TRACY, a well-dressed, professional-looking young woman is on her hands and knees. BOBBY, a stylish, but conservatively-dressed young man hovers over her.
BOBBY
Trace? Tracy?
(beat)
I didn’t make you do it.
TRACY
I feel sick.
BOBBY
You’ll feel better soon.
TRACY
Is he for real?
HARRIS, a sleazy-looking middle-aged man, stands upstage, stage right.
HARRIS
Fucking Mario!
BOBBY
How much longer?
HARRIS
Fuck, I don’t know. Should be here by now.
BOBBY
She did everything you asked.
HARRIS
I didn’t ask anything.
I made a suggestion.
Bobby turns to Tracy.
BOBBY
You gonna be alright?
TRACY
Yeah, yeah. Just—
TRACY appears on verge of being sick.
HARRIS looks on with distaste.
HARRIS
Julio will be here any minute.
BOBBY
I thought his name was Mario.
HARRIS
Mario, Julio, what difference does it make?
SOUND OF HELICOPTER GETS LOUDER.
BOBBY looks up at the sky, tensely.
HARRIS studies him.
HARRIS
Don’t worry, they’re not looking for you.
The Avenues, a few blocks away.
(Beat)
Think you can flush ‘em out by shining a light on ‘em? Doesn’t work that way.
They’re not fucking cockroaches.
They don’t fucking care.
They’re laughing.
‘Cause they know.
They got numbers on their side.
TRACY
What’s he saying?
HARRIS
This used to be a nice, quiet neighborhood, hard working families with names like Callahan, Riley, Wilson, Smith.
(Beat)
I never under-fucking-stood what it is about tamales -can you help me? A lump of greasy cornmeal with some kind of shit in it.
(beat)
I remember driving down the street when people still kept up their lawns.
BOBBY
Hey, man, if this isn’t happening—
HARRIS
You kidding?
(laughs derisively)
You wouldn’t last two minutes without me.
BOBBY
It’s been almost an hour!
HARRIS
You two stand out here like the balls on a tall dog.
BOBBY
You think we don’t know what’s going on?
(beat)
Her father is one of the biggest developers in Southern California.
TRACY
Shut up, Bobby.
BOBBY
The biggest. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.
HARRIS
I don’t? Well, I guess I’m supposed to be impressed or something?
TRACY
That was really fucking stupid, Bobby.
HARRIS
Don’t think I haven’t dealt with your type before. I’ve seen it all, man. I know what kind of cloth you’re cut from. I know that pattern. You live in some other part of town, some house on a hill. With a view. Of other houses with people just like you, look just like you, talk just like you. And don’t know shit.
SOUND OF HELICOPTER DRAWING CLOSER
TRACY
Bobby?
HARRIS
You scared little girl? Huh? Maybe you should be scared.
TRACY
I knew this was a mistake.
HARRIS
But not of me. I’ll tell you who you should be scared of. Want me to tell you?
(Beat)
Look at you. You’re living in Dreamland. You think you can fly away, holding onto your little colored balloon. It don’t work that way. I know, I tried it. You come back to earth and it’s a hard landing. WHAM! The hardest.
(beat)
You don’t know shit!
TRACY
Ask him for our money back.
HARRIS
What money?
(laughs)
Hold your horses, Juanito will be here any minute.
BOBBY
We’re splitting.
HARRIS
Okay, Okay, man.
HARRIS peels off a twenty.
BOBBY
What about the rest of it?
HARRIS
You don’t think I waste my time for nothing, do you?
BOBBY
Keep it.
(Under breath)
Asshole.
HARRIS ignores them as they exit the stage.
SOUND OF HELICOPTER GETS LOUDER -IT IS RIGHT ON TOP OF HARRIS, LOUD.
HARRIS (shouts to Helicopter)
It’s over with, you fuckers. Too late. You’ve lost!
(To himself)
I remember when people still kept up their lawns.
HARRIS looks up into the light.
And smiles.
Lights out/sound off, abruptly and in sync.
