VIGILANCE

By Ian Walker

Sample Pages from Act 1, Scene 1

VIRGIL

Have you ever seen a someone die? Not even a man, a girl-- a twenty year-old kid. Ten years old, standing there with my sister. I hear this crack, and I just went numb. Couldn't think, couldn't move. And then this woman, this girl flies back onto the ground ten feet from me. She was holding some change in her hands and it went everywhere, glittering in the air. I thought, "Money!" I was ten. I thought if I could get my hands it.... Then I saw the blood pooling in the hollow of her throat. People were running everywhere, stepping on her body, and that gunfire-- it just went on forever. I looked up and saw two soldiers trying to stop another from shooting at us, wrestling him to the ground, but he just kept pulling the trigger, over and over. And right then, I knew; that was my first clue. JFK, Silkwood, the Tuskeegee experiments, James Earl Ray, CIA drug smuggling, Vincent Foster--

MARLA

(entering from the kitchen)

It's the Great List again!

(MARLA and CATHY enter from the kitchen.)

MARLA (cont)

I swear, if I had a quarter for every time I had to listen to the Great List I'd put them in a pillow and beat him to death with it.

VIRGIL

How would you recognize a pillow?

MARLA

(coldly)

I'm a damn good house keeper.

VIRGIL

(putting his feet on the coffee table)

Sure you are.

MARLA

I am-- when I've got a house to keep.

VIRGIL

Yeah, ask my mother.

MARLA

(beat, coldly)

Your mother is a vindictive--

CATHY

Marla--

MARLA

--one eyed troll--

CATHY

Marla--

MARLA

--with buck teeth and--

CATHY

(sweetly)

I think we'll be late, don't you?

MARLA

(beat, unwilling to back down)

Get your feet off the table.

VIRGIL

Bring me a coaster.

MARLA

You're not putting your feet on a coaster.

(VIRGIL doesn't reply, doesn't move his feet from the coffee table. Beat. MARLA kisses Bert and Dick on their cheeks as she speaks--.)

(sweetly)

Boys, I love you both. Please, please kill my husband while I'm out. Put us all on Jerry Springer. Ta-ta.

(MARLA exits. Just before CATHY turns to follow, there is a moment when her and Dick's eyes meet, acknowledging, however briefly, that they have not kissed goodbye. SHE exits. VIRGIL crosses quickly to the door after them and peers through the window.)

VIRGIL

I thought they'd never get out of here. This meeting is hereby called to order.

BERT

But Dave isn't here--

VIRGIL

To Hell with Dave if he's chicken. The Committee doesn't need him.

DICK

I wish you wouldn't call it that.

VIRGIL

(coldly)

You can call it whatever you want, Dick.

DICK

We're not a committee. That's just what you call Poker Night.

VIRGIL

What do you want to call it?

DICK

We don't have to call it anything.

VIRGIL

Fine.

DICK

Calling it something doesn't suddenly make it something it's not.

VIRGIL

Are we gonna talk about Duncan or not?

BERT

Maybe we should wait if Dave can't make it.

VIRGIL

Dave can make it, he's just too much of a chicken-shit to be here.

BERT

Why?

VIRGIL

Why? You're right. Duncan's not so bad. Hell, you live next to him-- you should know.

BERT

I didn't say that.

VIRGIL

I mean, it's not so hard to pick up after him when he dumps trash in your yard, is it.

BERT

I never said that!

DICK

I knew from the beginning this was a bad idea. I tried to tell them.

VIRGIL

Who? Duncan?

DICK

The Home Owner's Association.

VIRGIL

(mockingly)

And what did you think they'd do?

DICK

I thought they'd reconsider. It doesn't make sense. We're a neighborhood. Not everyone can live together.

BERT

You've got no right to tell me what I said. I'm the one who lives next to him.

VIRGIL

So what do you want to do about it?

BERT

I wrote a letter to the Association.

VIRGIL

Ooh, ouch.

BERT

I gave them a piece of my mind over this raffle thing.

VIRGIL

I'm surprised you could spare it.

DICK

(interceding quickly)

We've all complained to the Association. It hasn't done any of us much good.

VIRGIL

Buncha crooks.

DICK

They're not crooks, they just don't want any publicity.

VIRGIL

This whole thing is about publicity. Getting their hands on as much of our dough as they can. It's like all those damn fees.

DICK

Let's not get into fees again.

BERT

He's been parking his truck on his lawn. That's against the rules. I looked it up.

VIRGIL

I don't give a damn what he does with that hunk of junk.

BERT

It lowers your property value. That's what the booklet says. I put every penny I had into our house.

DICK

I think what Virgil's trying to say is that there's more at issue here than property values.

BERT

I know-- I know that.

VIRGIL

(simultaneous with Bert)

I think what Virgil is trying to say is Virgil doesn't give a shit about what he does with his truck.

DICK

Quit riling him up.

BERT

This is supposed to be an exclusive neighborhood, and then they go and raffle off a house to the first degenerate that can spell his name. You don't give a house to a man like that! I've got him smoking pot in front of my daughter. Do you know that? He's smoking that stuff in front of my eight year-old daughter.

(The LIGHTS come up front center stage: the lawn area. DUNCAN is standing with a marijuana joint and a can of Budweiser. Three weeks earlier.)

DUNCAN

You think she knows what this is? Shit, if she knows what this is you've got more trouble than me, man. What do you teach 'em around here?

(BERT enters the lawn area)

BERT

Please, she's only eight. Could you not... would you please not speak that way in front of her?

DUNCAN

Speak what way?

BERT

My wife and I don't use profanity around our children.

DUNCAN

Profanity?

BERT

Yes. We'd rather not expose them to--

DUNCAN

I didn't use any "profanity".

BERT

Would you-- could you please... the cigarette....

DUNCAN

Yeah, whatever.

(DUNCAN drops the joint into the beer can.)

BERT

Thank you.

(DUNCAN turns to leave)

DUNCAN

(muttering)

Stupid motherfucker.

BERT

Mr. Duncan, I-- when I came home last night, there were beer cans strewn in our yard. I'm not saying-- I don't know-- I don't know if--

DUNCAN

What are you saying?

BERT

I just-- I thought-- it's just.... I thought--

DUNCAN

You thought?

BERT

I-- uh... I found, uh--

DUNCAN

(aping)

Uh-- uh....

BERT

You're throwing your trash into my yard!

DUNCAN

Where the fuck do you get off accusing me?

BERT

It's the same brand. It's Budweiser-- right there!

DUNCAN

Don't tell me what I drink.

BERT

They're your beer cans!

DUNCAN

You're pissed because you got a bunch of empty cans? Is that it?

BERT

And don't use profanity in front of my daughter--

DUNCAN

You wanna know where the beer is? Is that what you want?

(DUNCAN unbuckles his belt.)

BERT

(overlapping)

What are you doing? What...?! Cynthia, go inside.

DUNCAN

You want the beer?

(DUNCAN unbuttons his fly.)

BERT

Stop that! Cynthia! Cynthia... I couldn't believe it... my daughter.

(The LIGHTS FADE on DUNCAN as he steps back into the darkness.)

She'd... she was so scared, she wet her pants... right there in the yard, she peed in her pants.

(tears welling in his eyes)

BERT (cont)

I could've... I could've killed him. If he'd been there when I turned around, I could've killed him with my bare hands....

(The LIGHTS RISE on the greater lawn area. DICK and VIRGIL are standing outside on the lawn with Bert. It is night.)

VIRGIL

Then we're agreed.

DICK

On what?

VIRGIL

That we've got to do something.

BERT

Do what?

VIRGIL

Show him who's in control here.

DICK

I don't feel in control.

VIRGIL

You don't feel in control? Jesus, that's lame!

BERT

I've been thinking about buying a dog. A rotweiller maybe.

VIRGIL

Don't buy a dog. Buy a gun.

DICK

Please, let's be realistic.

VIRGIL

You be realistic-- a dog's not going to solve anything.

DICK

Neither is a gun.

VIRGIL

Don't be so sure.

DICK

There's a reasonable solution to this.

VIRGIL

People like that don't listen to reason, Dick. They don't work that way.

DICK

Maybe we could take him to court?

BERT

(with alarm)

Over what?

DICK

Exposing himself.

BERT

Cynthia didn't see anything.

DICK

She peed her pants--

BERT

She didn't see anything.

DICK

You could still file charges.

BERT

And have her testify? In front of everybody?

DICK

If she didn't see anything--

BERT

She'd still have to testify. There were only three of us in the yard.

DICK

(gently)

Bert, what if you're not there next time?

BERT

There won't be a next time. I told Cynthia not to play in the front yard.

DICK

She's got to go to school.

BERT

I take her to school.

DICK

She's gotta come home. She can't--

BERT

(flaring)

She didn't see anything!

(beat)

I don't want to make it anymore real for her than it already is.