Michael James Heartly

TREAD SAMPLE TEXT by: Michael Heartly Washington D.C. HeartlyArts@aol.com TREAD SAMPLE PAGES Characters Total 8 - 4 men, 4 women YA WA STI: 25 to 35 a Cherokee male. HELEN SHEPHERD: Female, 15 years old. Married with a daughter. Just seeing the world for the first time. EDWARD SHEPHERD: Husband to HELEN. 20-year-old Navy Pilot. Blinded by an airplane explosion. MOMMA: HELEN’s Mother. 28. Petite and demure. MOMMA is hearing and speech impaired. N.B.: MOMMA: is a speaking role. Some words and phrases will be in sign language. If a hearing-impaired actor plays MOMMA, her dialogue could be accompanied by a live voice over. MR. WASHINGTON: An African American male. Chauffeur JR: Big, gregarious, Hollywood producer and cattle rancher. 40’s to 50’s male. BETTY: Beautiful, shapely, mid 20’s female, Hollywood starlet wannabe. MILLIE: African American female. 50’s, Feisty and independent. ACT I Scene 9 The Duologue (Lights up on MOMMA DOWNSTAGE LEFT. She is holding the coffee can. HELEN is DOWNSTAGE RIGHT. As the dialogue continues, both MOMMA and HELEN have their own pool of light. The overlapping of speech should be as natural as possible.) MOMMA Months later ... no more blood. The sisters took me to the doctor. They made him marry me. He found a new job working the lakes. They say the lakes don’t give up their dead. Cold waters in the lakes. He was on the lakes when I had Helen. So precious. So little. So frail. She cried. She has good hearing the nurse scratches. Those were the happiest days. I would return to the school with Helen. He would be away. I had a garden. Working it. Scabby mommy knees for the fearful little girl in the cold. Grey days and cold nights. The winds are strong off the lake. Strong. The winds work all year round in Chicago. Helen was growing faster than I could handle. The sisters would help watch her. I would keep our little patch of garden growing, and he would come home once MOMMA and HELEN together Every year and a half. HELEN (Continues.) or so daddy would show up. We were so happy. I’d run into his arms. I was his baby girl. He would hold me in his arms, and we’d fall asleep in the big chair. Then his big steak breakfast and Momma ’s vegetables for lunch. Daddy would devour Momma’s garden vegetables. I’d help rinse them off. We’d all be in the steam filled kitchen and fill the bowls and plates with green and red fresh vegetables. Our tiny house holds no secrets. Paper thin walls echo the anger. Thump, thump, stomp. Daddy was always noisy. Momma made no noise. No noise. Daddy would try to be home before Christmas. In time for my birthdays if he could manage it. He would always give me a little doll. A little something he could find in one of his ports. MOMMA and HELEN He worked the engine rooms of the ships. MOMMA (Continues.) The bowels. Dark innards of the mighty steel shipping lanes on the brutal lakes. He was strong for a boy. A man. A man with strong hands. Hands that smelled of engine oil ... and diesel fuel MOMMA and HELEN And alcohol. HELEN (Continues.) I hated the smell alcohol on his breath. He would laugh and I would turn my face away. Then that night. Before my tenth birthday. He was with me. What are you doing here? The awful smell. His hands grabbing me. I was silent. Listening walls. His hand pressed against my mouth. I tried to cry. What are you doing here? No… no! Clawing. Large hands. A bough to break in this little girl’s garden. He broke it. The pain. The blood. I tried to cry out. His hand pressed me silent. (Pause.) The next morning daddy was gone. My Momma saw the MOMMA and HELEN Blood MOMMA (Continues.) all over her sheet. No more boy man. After that, I had the Chicago evangelical girl’s school for the deaf and dumb find out when his ship would be docking. I had Helen away from then on. It won’t happen. Not with my precious Helen. Never again. Three years later Edward was around the house more and more. Helpin’ to kinda’ fix up the place. Nice to have a man around. Soon he and Helen ... well MOMMA and HELEN It all happened so fast. HELEN (Continues.) Before I knew it I was with Edward. A kind, warm, gentle man. Edward would take care of me. Take me away from the smell of engine diesel and alcohol. Take this broken branch of a girl and let me heal and grow. And I did. We did. I didn’t see daddy again until after MOMMA and HELEN Emily was born MOMMA (Continues.) In the early morning hours. A girl. We are deep with girls. He came ashore. Emily sleeping in the house. The small thin house. He smiled. ‘Another girl’ he says. His big hands rubbing. That awful smile. Never more. ‘You know how much I love little girls’ he says. Rubbing me. Rubbing his hands together. No more. Dinner tonight. Steak… and vegetables. Lots of fresh vegetables from my garden. And his favorite. Mushrooms. Special ones tonight. I know where to look. In the dark corners... the deep dark musty corners. I know where to look. Where to pick the perfect ones. No more. (Pause) He left that night. No more. No more pain. By MOMMA and HELEN The next morning HELEN (Continues.) I awoke terrified by the crashing of hail on the tin roof of our little house. The sisters say the ice comes from the frozen tears of the angels. They said he died that morning. Still in port. Daddy had gotten ill overnight and fell asleep. He never woke up. It is a tradition that a sailor is to be buried at sea. They never give up their dead. Momma had him cremated. Ashes. (MOMMA lifts the can.) MOMMA Ashes. In this can. Just a handful left. No burial at sea. Not spending his eternity in the life-giving water. Not him. Dissolved. Not with courage. Courage at sea. Courage with sailors. No sir. He will be dissolved. Dissolved into the hole. HELEN Weeks later Edward had his accident. An explosion from an airplane. I was five months along. Soon as we could, we began our journey. I brought along the Victrola. Momma brought her records … and his ashes. HELEN looks at MOMMA as HELEN’s light fades to black. MOMMA My records are for dancing. I shall dance upon his scattered ashes. Spread deep. Spread under the road. Under the hot, black, tar of this endless grave. The evil …buried for miles and miles … and miles. Forever pounding deeper … under the treads. Tread away the nightmares. Endless smothering upon his miserable grave. Miles and miles. Hundreds and thousands … tread him to the core. Tread. Dissolve. Dissolve under wheels. Dissolve from sight. Fade to black. End of Scene. ACT I Scene 5 Setting: The Same (WASHINGTON has removed his jacket revealing his suspenders and shoulder holster. He is wearing a dark grey shirt. His pistol is in the holster. MILLIE and YA WA STI are together. MOMMA is still in the truck with Emily. BETTY is STAGE LEFT in the car.) HELEN Look at the moon. I bet I could just walk right up and grab me a slice of green cheese. JR Hey Mister Ya Wa Sti … you in cahoots with Miss Millie over there? YA WA STI We honor our old ones ... the elders … our ancestors. EDWARD Again with the ancestors. MILLIE Don’t be bad talking my ancestors. Freemen. That’s what we are. Came up here from the south. Got us our own piece of free land here in Oklahoma. My ancestors are spinning in their grave. Got it took out from under us. It was ours signed and legal. WASHINGTON How’d that happen Millie? Took out from under you and all? JR Progress. MILLIE Progress? Free land and no man can take it. That’s what was writ. On legal paper. Free to grow our crops. Free to birth our babies. Free to build us our own church. My late husband worked. He was a carpenter. He was good with his hands. Had a way with wood I tell you. Built our house. Built the church. Now it is all dust. Gone like my Jedediah. JR Tornado? MILLIE The tornado of them oil diggers. Black spitting … devils’ work. They need the oil they says. Need it for what? Can’t paint with it. Can’t grow nothin’ with it. Smells nasty as this here tar road. EDWARD Airplane fuel. And for that fancy Rolls-by-god-Royce over there. WASHINGTON Petrol keeps it a-rollin’ allright. It’s a livin’. MILLIE It’s a curse. They done took all our land. All we had left was our house and stretch of garden. Just enough to grow some greens. Some corn. Watermelons. HELEN Mushrooms? Daddy loved his mushrooms. MILLIE Never did cotton to mushrooms. EDWARD (Singing to himself) “Oh I wish I was in the land of cotton ... old ... HELEN Hush Edward. (MILLIE goes to EDWARD.) EDWARD (Quietly singing to himself.) “... look away ... look away ... look away ... Dixie land” MILLIE (Softly to EDWARD.) What you talking about? Cotton? (Loudly.) I’ll tell you about cotton young man. Areo-plane scratched you good huh? My hands and fingers were scratched raw from cotton. We are lucky to have fingers at all! After all the bloodletting cotton plants. You ever picked cotton? You think that face of yours is bad? You outa’ try pickin’ cotton. Out in the blazing heat. Day after day after day. Working your fingers to bleed. EDWARD I can’t feel a thing HELEN I think it’s time to get your bandages back on. MILLIE Yea… you go ahead missy. Cover them scars up. My scars run deep. YA WA STI Many scars upon this land. Many. MILLIE And now I can’t even hold my head under my own roof. (Pointing to YA WA STI.) Government. Hrumph. (MILLIE spits to the ground.) YA WA STI Road runs long. MILLIE Runs? It run over us alright. All of us. Ripped through our little block of homes. Some of the nicest little houses you ever laid eyes on. Built by us … for us. And Swoosh! Gone. Trampled over. Smashed to smithereens. (To YA WA STI.) You and your cracker bosses did it. And I am wanting us all to be blown to smithereens … Praise Jesus! If’in I can get a match to hold. JR Wait a moment there little miss dynamite. Who took your land? Yours and everyone else’s? They just took it? I don’t believe it. WASHINGTON I believe it. MILLIE I am standing here a telling you. They up and took all our land. They stuck those pipes into God’s green earth and sucked out that black evil. Took most of our homes. Most everyone moved on over to Kentucky. Me and Jedediah held true. We kept our house. YA WA STI You still have your home Millie woman. MILLIE Not for long. Got them government papers. JR You got to sell? MILLIE Eviction notice. Came by special delivery. JR Well … this here road to the west coast … that’s progress I tell ya’. People gotta’ move. People gotta’ keep improving. Sorry to hear you got caught up in this. But this here tar road is a good thing. Maybe you and yer’ kin should reflect on that a bit? HELEN You don’t have no children Mille? (MILLIE falls to her knees. She softly sobs. She makes the sign of the cross.) MILLIE (Softly.) Greenwood. WASHINGTON No… EDWARD What? What’s Greenwood? YA WA STI Colords’ killed. (Pause.) Hundreds. JR Terrible. HELEN Greenwood? (WASHINGTON goes to HELEN.) WASHINGTON It was an entire town of folks like me an’ Millie. Right over in Tulsa. Six years ago. They burnt it to the ground. EDWARD We just went through Tulsa not more ‘n two days ago. HELEN Edward. We saw it. Remember? EDWARD Looked like a bomb exploded. Who the hell…? YA WAH SI The white man. (HELEN rushes to MILLIE to try to help her up.) HELEN We are so sorry. Let me help you… MILLIE God rest his precious soul. All me and Jed had was the house. And now the call of the devil … giant iron tractors waiting over there to plow my home to dust. Sorrowful tears I have. YA WA STI Many tears. Nunna-da-ul-tsun-yi. MILLIE (To YA WA STI.) Like you say. YA WA STI Many tears cross west. Too many tears on the dirt road. MILLIE Thunder be praised. Drums and dust to dry the tears! (Whispering to YA WA STI.) Why don’t you help me? (YA WA STI shakes his head “no.”) WASHINGTON (To JR.) Sad, JR. Black man in Tulsa … gotta’ have eyes in the back of yer’ head. (WASHINGTON pulls out his gun and begins to clean it.) WASHINGTON (Continues.) Why I keeps old trusty handy. (WASHINGTON begins cleaning the gun next to EDWARD. WASHINGTON inspects the gun and spins the barrel.) EDWARD (To WASHINGTON.) Smith and Wesson? WASHINGTON Colt. EDWARD Let’s have a look-see. (WASHINGTON reluctantly hands the gun to EDWARD.) HELEN (To EDWARD.) What do you think you are doing with that? EDWARD Just checking the hardware. Has a nice weight to it. JR (To EDWARD.) You be mindful of that. Ain’t no toy. EDWARD Oh… I am rated second class marksman. Done plenty a’ shootin’. HELEN Back when you could see, EDWARD Trigger seems a little tight. WASHINGTON I keep it oiled. Tight likes it oiled. (EDWARD stands up and waves the gun. BETTY enters.) WASHINGTON (Continues.) Woah there, Hop Along Cassidy. Easy. YA WA STI Many tears caused by blind men with guns. BETTY Got yer heater huh Wash? Hi yaa yaa …Hi yaa yaa yaa …Ohhhhhh! HELEN (To BETTY.) Do you mind? BETTY By the light of the moon … stompin’ in the tar pit. Let’s show em’. Come on Chiefy. Let’s get on the war path! Let’s shake up this party! (Imitating an Indian yell by waving her hand on and off her mouth.) Woo Woo Woo…. (BETTY does her version of a Native American war dance. The baby is heard crying from inside the truck.) HELEN You woke up Emily. YA WA STI Spirits happy. Old ones speak through little one. EDWARD Indigestion speaks through little one. (BETTY continues to dance. Baby cries again.) BETTY Hey yaaaaa…yaa yaa ya hey yaaaa… HELEN (To BETTY.) Please! (EDWARD begins waving the gun wildly!) EDWARD Goddamn it, you all just cut it. You are disturbing my little girl. She is trying to sleep in there. And I have just about had enough with all a’ yas’. BETTY (To EDWARD.) Oh, you big strong cowboy. What you waving that for sugar? EDWARD You just watch out, you. YA WA STI [Stop] Ha-le-`wi-sta! You put down the gun now. EDWARD (To YA WA STI.) Get your bow and arrow out Chiefy. I am just getting started. MILLIE Hell and damnation. Let me get to my box. I’ll blow us all to kingdom come. (EDWARD points the gun at MILLIE.) EDWARD Hell no you don’t. Stay put, you crazy old coot! HELEN Edward Carl …watch where you’re pointing that. EDWARD I can see … sorta’. Damn thing probably ain’t loaded. WASHINGTON Uh … MILLIE (Shouting) I can feel it Jedediah. I am coming to you now! (Screaming.) Halleluiah! EDWARD (Shouting) Enough I say! (EDWARD shoots wildly towards MILLIE and hits a nearby crate. They all respond.) HELEN Edward! Have you lost your mind? You almost killed Millie. EDWARD Damn. WASHINGTON Told you. Maybe you better hand it over. MILLIE Praise the lord. (Looking at the crate.) You put a big ‘ol hole in the Chief’s crate here. JR Boy ... You couldn’t hit water from a boat. (EDWARD puts the gun to his temple.) EDWARD Huh? I can hit this. I’ll pull the trigger. I told you … marksman. You all are so smart. (BETTY gets up and begins to walk towards EDWARD.) EDWARD (Continues.) Look at this. You call this lucky? I may never see again. I am ugly. Hideous. Just look what they have done to me. How will I ever get a job? Take care of my family? I am useless. Blind and useless. BETTY (To EDWARD.) It ain’t that bad honey. HELEN (Whispering to BETTY.) What are you doing? EDWARD Keep away. I’ll pull the trigger. I warn you… JR Betty, don’t. EDWARD I am going to pull the trigger if any of you comes one step closer. Brains all over the new road. Get your tribal rags out Chief. I am going to leave a mark in this life. A patch of old Ed here on this stinkin’ goddamn highway. Let me leave the first mark. It don’t matter. When that plane blew up, it should have killed me. I am going to finish what the government started. (MOMMA peeks around the back of the truck. She is holding the baby and providing her a pacifier. She watches nervously.) HELEN Edward, you are scaring all of us. BETTY (To EDWARD.) It’s ok. I know, I know. (BETTY moves next to EDWARD.) EDWARD It’s 1927 and a man is no good less he takes care of his family. I am only half a man. Half a person. Crippled, blind. Useless… MILLIE That is God’s truth. (BETTY sneaks behind EDWARD and takes his free hand.) EDWARD Stop. BETTY Feel that? It’s my hand. Feel how soft it is? I work, day and night, to keep my skin warm and soft. And what for? To be in movies. See? Smooth and warm. Soft right? EDWARD It is soft, yes ma’am BETTY And your wife is soft. Baby soft. Your daughter needs you. Your family needs you. HELEN Listen to her, Edward. EDWARD I’m listenin’. BETTY My family abandoned me. I was left alone. Left to fend for myself. You can’t abandon them here on this dingy highway. EDWARD Yes ma’am. BETTY And now I am moving on to better things. You can too. (EDWARD puts the gun to his side. MOMMA moves closer with the baby.) BETTY (Continues.) That’s right. Think of your new little girl. HELEN Emily BETTY Emily. She will forever miss her daddy. MILLIE Hussy truthin’. YA WA STI You listen to the woman. She speaks strong for you. EDWARD Here. (EDWARD holds out the gun. WASHINGTON grabs it. HELEN rushes to EDWARD.) JR That a boy. Mr. Washington, I think you better keep better track of your firearms. HELEN It is all going to be ok honey. Let me get you fixed up. JR (To EDWARD.) Here, son ... (TO HELEN.) You got any pen and paper young un? HELEN Of course, sir. Here you go ... Ifin’ someone don’t sign, we keep a scratch pad handy. (MOMMA exits into the truck with the baby. HELEN reaches into the gramophone cart and pulls out a scratch pad and pencil and hands it to JR.) JR Here young’un. Lemme’ scratch you some luck son. (JR writes on pad.) This here is the name of a personal friend of mine. He is the vice-president in charge of research for Douglass. EDWARD No kidding? JR Yes sir. Right over in California. Just tell him JR sent you. I guarantee you’ll be set for life. For you and your family. (JR hands the paper to EDWARD.) HELEN Lemme’ see it Edward. (HELEN takes the note pad from EDWARD.) HELEN (Continues.) Golly. Douglass Aviation. Sounds impressive. Thank you, Mister JR, (HELEN hugs JR.) JR Think nothing of it. Don’t lose that piece of paper now. BETTY Ticket to paradise. HELEN Don’t you worry. I am going to put it over here, safe and sound. (HELEN places the scratch pad in the baby drawer.) MILLIE White man buyin’ newfangled inventions. If the good lord wanted folks flyin’ … YA WA STI Planes go too fast. Upset many spirits. BETTY JR, get us some green cheese will ya? I wanna’ fly to the moon. WASHINGTON (Sarcastically) Won’t be the first time. Lemme’ put old Mister Colt away like you said. (WASHINGTON exits.) BETTY Put on some music. Let’s liven up this dusty old patch. JR What ya’ say little lady? Let’s celebrate Ed and yours newfound fortune. (HELEN nods ‘yes’.) Perfect. (JR goes to the Victrola cart and pulls up a record.) JR (Continues.) Let’s see ... how ‘bout Black Bottom? MILLIE Black what? HELEN It’s only a song. It’s called Black Bottom. EDWARD Catchy title don’t ya’ think? MILLIE No, I do not. Sides … Only’s God’s music I need …. BETTY Play that old black bottom! (JR cranks the player, ‘Black Bottom’ begins to play.) BETTY (Continues.) Ohh, so nice. Play it JR. Let the angels sing. YA WA STI Angels sing strong. You’ll see. JR Yes, they do Running Wolf. Yes, they do. (Music plays. HELEN grabs EDWARD and begins to dance with him. BETTY dances by herself.) BETTY Ooh, maybe it will rain. Come on JR let’s dance. Let’s scrub the pan, huh? JR Not right now. Feel that breeze kicking up? That’s a breath of fresh air. YA WA STI [Wind] Ooh new lay. Wind flows from the west now. HELEN Oh yes … it is so cool. (HELEN and EDWARD stop dancing.) HELEN (Continues.) Come on Edward. Let’s take a walk. Please? EDWARD Sure, sweetie pie ... lead on. BETTY How sweet. I am sure Eddie here is itching ... just itching ... to be with a woman. I mean … how long has it been? New baby. Would you like me to tag along? (HELEN moves toward BETTY.) MILLIE There she goes. BETTY I could show you both a thing or two. HELEN That won’t be necessary. BETTY Wouldn’t he like a real woman? Not a child? (HELEN angrily turns off the record.) HELEN I am a woman. (WASHINGTON enters.) WASHINGTON Keep it down folks. JR (To YA WA STI.) Don’t think that’s angels singing. (YA WA STI nods his head ‘yes’.) BETTY I know what a man needs. Wants. EDWARD Come here Helen. BETTY I am sure even though he’s blind, everything still measures up. HELEN He is fine, thank you. (HELEN turns to get EDWARD.) BETTY I’d like to see that for myself. You game? EDWARD It’s alright. We are just going for a little walk. BETTY When was the last time the both of you were alone? Here you are dragging yer’ poor mother and baby cross-country in that rickety shack on wheels. MILLIE (To BETTY.) You interfering in God’s work. HELEN (Responding to MILLIE.) She don’t mean no harm. (To BETTY.) We will manage. (HELEN goes to the truck and opens the door. She signs to MOMMA. MOMMA hands HELEN a bag of bandages. HELEN closes the door and walks to EDWARD.) BETTY I’ll be here if you need any pointers. I’m sure it’s been so long. Eddie’s ... machinery ... might need some of the rust shook off, if you know what I mean. WASHINGTON Pay no attention young’uns. HELEN Come on Eddie. We’ll get you fixed up. This breeze is a relief.