10-min play, draft 4

[Set in an old dilapidated building where A KID and AN AGING MAN sit against a wall covered by a frayed government poster, like a PSA, that advertises survival skills and precautions for the desert.]

A KID

Why they taking her

AN AGING MAN

Because it’s time for her to leave now

A KID

That what all say but how matter

AN AGING MAN

She still loves you

A KID

How matter

AN AGING MAN

She has no choice

A KID

What that mean

AN AGING MAN

It means she doesn’t want to leave but she can’t take care of herself anymore

A KID

How much gallons she gave to say this

AN AGING MAN

Not a drop

A KID

We take care her Tio

AN AGING MAN

We can barely care for ourselves

A KID

No wrong

AN AGING MAN

You will miss her

A KID

She want go she go

AN AGING MAN

So you won’t miss her

I will miss her

A KID Why

AN AGING MAN

I don’t know I’ve known her all my life

A KID Me also

AN AGING MAN

She was special she gave up so much

A KID

Everyone also gave up no she no special

AN AGING MAN

Oh you won’t understand this was before your time

A KID

I go

AN AGING MAN

We don’t have much anymore on this scorched planet but we still have respect don’t walk away

A KID

How much ounces water give one ounces respect

AN AGING MAN

None it’s for free

A KID

That three five years before

AN AGING MAN

Thirty five years

Your abuela had so much

A KID

Had what

AN AGING MAN

She had spark

A KID

Spark meaning

AN AGING MAN

Meaning she had spark

A KID

What spark what

AN AGING MAN

You know as a person she had spark

A KID

Some spark shit you

AN AGING MAN

What did you say

A KID

What of spark

AN AGING MAN

It was like a spark of magic

A KID

What was

AN AGING MAN

I’m forgetting it no no

I’ll remember

A KID

Speak easy

AN AGING MAN

I am

A KID

Then tell

AN AGING MAN

She had a way with sounds and with beats and tunes and made it beautiful

A KID

What it

AN AGING MAN

Music my boy it was music

A KID

Abuela make music

AN AGING MAN

Yes

A KID

I no know music much

AN AGING MAN

Who does anymore

You hear Daffy humming sometimes though don’t you

A KID

Ya then she cough

AN AGING MAN

Yeah it’s sad but there are other things that make music

A KID

Like

AN AGING MAN

Instruments

A KID

What that

AN AGING MAN

They’re like machines

A KID

Like

AN AGING MAN

Like uh

A KID

No say spark

AN AGING MAN

No no

A KID

No say magic

AN AGING MAN

Oh hush boy instruments are like things you hit hard or soft or blow through and they sound nice

A KID

Oh

How she do it

AN AGING MAN

She used what’s called a piano

A KID

Sound it cost eight seven gallons

AN AGING MAN

It always costed a lot yes but this was before gallons

A KID

Where instmens now

AN AGING MAN

In-stru-ments

A KID

In-stru-ments

AN AGING MAN

They’re no longer around

A KID

No say they went auctions

AN AGING MAN

Yeah they went straight to the auctions to make rich people richer

A KID

Bastards

AN AGING MAN

Can’t blame them boy they want clean water clean food clean clothes some remaining technology so they buy and sell old things like instruments over and over again

A KID

Everyone want water they want much much

AN AGING MAN

That’s not new for folks like us

A KID

Tell more

AN AGING MAN

About

A KID

Pino

AN AGING MAN

Pi-a-no

A KID

Pi-a-no

AN AGING MAN

What do you wanna know

A KID

What it sound

AN AGING MAN

Ooh I have to pull back and think wait

A KID

Do

AN AGING MAN

It’s hard to find the words

THE KID

Tio

AN AGING MAN

Why are you all interested now

A KID

Bye

AN AGING MAN

Oi

A KID

What

AN AGING MAN

You want to know more about your abuela

A KID

She gone now

AN AGING MAN

No she’s going next week not yet

A KID

She go long ago

AN AGING MAN

She’s still here for another week

A KID

I now go

AN AGING MAN

Wait

A KID

Why

AN AGING MAN

Piano.

Big instrument. Feels like something that could control you. Heavy and thick and glossy and hard and it makes delicate sounds and you get surprised. It’s soft even though it’s so big and it has many small white and black things, they’re called keys I think. When you play them it’s like your fingers float, dancing on top the surface… as gently as snowflakes touching the ground… of course we’ve not seen snow or snowflakes since we all started talking in “gallons”. But those keys I won’t forget and your abuela playing them I won’t forget

A KID

I no know her

AN AGING MAN

Everyone has changed we don’t know people mothers sons fathers daughters anyone

Only the piano knew her

A KID

Abuela

AN AGING MAN

Another one us gone

A KID

No gone

AN AGING MAN

She was like an older sister to me

All gone

A KID

No gone

AN AGING MAN

She was gone a while back like the rest of us

A KID

No she go next week

AN AGING MAN

Does she

A KID

Ya

Where piano now Tio

AN AGING MAN

I said they’re with the rich

A KID

In pres-er-va-tion center also

AN AGING MAN

Must be

A KID

Someone know

AN AGING MAN

Why do you sound like that

A KID

Like what

AN AGING MAN

Like you’re going to do something stupid like when you were six years old making fart sounds on people's faces while they were sleeping

A KID

I find piano

AN AGING MAN

Huh

A KID

Find piano some place

AN AGING MAN

Why?

A KID

So abuela play again.