Yeah for sure, the A1’s reliable. She’s a tough old bitch. Longer grip safety, that hammer bite is one mean motherfucker, but this baby never bites. She’s a little heavy, not like those automatics, but she’s slim and she’s pretty. And you gotta love that concealed carry. I pack her on the bus out here. No one’s the wiser.
wally packs up. khalil’s unseen interrogator has returned.
khalil: I don’t like guns. No, never.
Who’s Dr. Pierce?
khalil: Nana. They brought more in the night. A baker. A taxi driver. A scared boy, maybe fourteen. “You make mistake, mister. That’s not my name, mister.” The same story night after night.
Beat.
I miss your stories.
rachel enters, agitated. She’s searching for her drugs in the den—her temporary room.
rachel: Where is it?
khalil: Cell Number Two? I don’t want to go back there.
rachel: It has to be here.
khalil: I don’t want them to “do” me.
rachel finds the last bit of her coke.
rachel: Thank god.
rachel prepares the small line and snorts.
george enters.
george: Rachel . . .
rachel: Dad, whoa, what the . . .
george: / Sorry, did I interrupt?
rachel: / I—geez. You have to knock.
george: I’m not used to knocking for the den.
rachel: Give me my room back then.
george: We’re having that yard sale tomorrow.
rachel: / Can you give me a ride to Santana’s?
george’s phone rings. He sees it’s Sheila and answers.
george: Sheila.
rachel: / There’s this awesome band playing tonight.
george: / No, I haven’t signed it. I’m not a quitter.
rachel: / Can I borrow a little cash?
george: / Nothing’s ever up to your standards, all your to-do lists.
rachel: / Breathe, Dad. Count to ten. Uno, dos, tres.
george: I have lists too. Security. Self-esteem.
rachel: You guys are like little kids.
george: / I’m certainly not seeing Dr. Pierce again.
rachel: Dr. Pierce?
george: / I don’t need my head examined by him.
rachel: What’s going on?
george: / No, you listen. That is an order!
Beat.
She hung up.
rachel: (sarcastically) I wonder why.
Beat.
What was that about Dr. Pierce?
george: You need to borrow some cash?
rachel: Is he a counsellor or something? Dad?
george: Twenty?
rachel: Sixty. What was that about getting your head examined?
george: It’s nothing.
rachel: You’re arguing about it right in front of me.
george: Here’s twenty-five.
rachel hesitates.
I’m sorry. But it’s between your mother and me.
Pause. She takes the money.
So you wanted a ride?
rachel: Yeah.
Beat.
Dad, you should go out dancing sometime.
george: Me? Gosh. No, no.
rachel: Dancing is like flying. I think you’d really like it.
george and rachel exit.
khalil: Williams? It’s over? Chocolate or vanilla pudding. Chocolate please.
Where are you from? West Virginia. Why did you join the military?
There’s poor people in Canada too. Crowded in rooms like this with boarded-up, broken windows. No running water. Indigenous people. Cold and hungry.
Dogs Listen
It’s morning. rachel heads home after a night of partying. She sees a snake.
rachel: Hey, little snake. Where’d you go?
wally enters walking Lucky. rachel almost runs into him. wally is startled. His hand reaches for his concealed gun—but he does not pull the gun out.
wally: Down, Lucky. Stay calm.
rachel: Wally!
wally: You seemed to come out of the hedges.
rachel: Yeah.
wally: You took me by surprise. You shouldn’t do that.
rachel: I’m sorry. I was searching.
wally: Those hedges are high. They need trimming.
rachel: I saw a garter snake wiggy and shimmle, wiggle and shimmy—right in there.
wally: I didn’t see a snake and I’m pretty observant.
rachel: Garter snakes are gentle. They don’t bite.
wally: It’s not a good idea in general to leap out and startle people.
rachel: Do you live around here?
wally: I don’t carry my wallet, just my keys.
rachel: Do you remember me? Nurse Rachel and Doctor Stevenson? I work Fridays.
wally: Oh, you had the radio on and you knew the proper terms for the inner workings of the ear.
rachel: Ear canals.
wally: You’re calling the ear guy. When am I going to see him?
rachel: Soon. Your dog’s adorable. Did you see pictures of my dog in my dad’s office?
wally: Doctor Stevenson’s dog is a water dog. Lucky prefers not to swim or have a bath without cheese slices.
rachel: Pooks loved swimming with me.
wally: I don’t get wet in the ears anymore. The water becomes trapped in there and interferes.
rachel takes out her locket and opens it for wally.
rachel: There’s Pooksy. With me and my mom and dad.
Beat.
Funny, huh, try to get away from my family and I drag my grad present through Central America with me. It’s eighteen-karat gold. I thought for sure someone would steal it.
wally: I don’t carry gold or valuables.
Beat.
rachel: I told her everything. I thought she’d be here when I walked back in the door.
Beat.
I bet you talk to Lucky.
wally: I tell him stories. He likes that.
rachel: Maybe I could borrow Lucky for an hour. Dogs listen.
wally: We can’t stand around here all day shooting the breeze.
wally continues his walk with Lucky, exiting.
rachel: Bye, Wally. Bye, Lucky.
Pause.
Mister Snake? Are you hiding?
Flashback: rachel becomes a child. khalil joins her. They play.
khalil: I have to go now.
rachel: But our game.
khalil: I have school.
rachel: There’s no school today, silly.
khalil: It’s Saturday school. My grandma makes me go. It’s kind of boring but it’s like language, culture.
rachel: My mom says you’re Arab or something.
khalil: We’re Canadian.
rachel: Is it like church?
khalil: Religion is in the mornings. I go afternoons.
rachel: We don’t do church or culture.
khalil: My grandma says it’s important.
rachel: I hardly see my grandma. Yours is really cute. I like her tea and cookies best.
khalil: She’s best at everything, pretty much.
They return to the present.
I live with my grandmother. No, she works two jobs. She speaks English. What are you talking about? Normal stuff, hockey, video games. Played with my friends like every kid. We’re Canadian.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
rachel is alone, watching the last of the yard sale. george bursts in.
george: Rachel, come quick!
rachel: Dad, what the . . . ?
george: There’s a yellow-rumped warbler at the birdhouse.
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rachel: I really don’t give a crap.
george: Is something wrong?
rachel: Everything’s great.
george: Good. Would you like to see the warbler?
rachel: Who needs foosball tables? Stuffy bears.
george: I’m sorry.
Beat.
The warbler’s still there.
rachel: I don’t want to see a yellow-ass warbler!
george: I just thought you might like to. I haven’t seen one of those in ages.
rachel: I don’t want to see a swallow or a chickadee or a dodo bird either.
george: You used to love watching the birds.
rachel: When you guys sell the house can I have my bed back?
george: We’re not selling the house.
rachel: Mom found an apartment. She’s moving in on the first.
george: If we get back into couples counselling . . .
rachel: Dad, wake up. You’re splitting up.
Beat.
Why did I send postcards? Why did I call and think you could . . . You’re too caught up in your bubble to notice anything except warblers at the birdhouse. I should have stayed down there. Then I could remember the way it was. My bed, my room, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Pooks. I never should have come back.
Beat.
george: Rachel.
Beat.
I—I’m glad you came back.
Pause.
rachel: Okay.
Beat.
I said okay. Let’s check out the yellow-ass warbling fucker.
george: Right. Okay. He’s a dapper fellow.
rachel: I scared him away.
george: Over on that maple. Here he comes.
rachel: Oh yeah.
george: He’s a showy one. Look at the bright yellow on his face and sides.
rachel: And his rump.
george: We can’t forget his rump.
rachel: He’s a flashy little guy.
george: Isn’t that something. It’s a good sign. A yellow-ass warbling . . .
rachel: Fucker.
together: (laughing) Yellow-ass warbling fucker.
They laugh.
Cheese Slices and Fat
wally: Thattaboy. Scratches for Lucky. Oh yeah.
(to his landlord) I told you I was good for the rent. A couple of weeks. I’m seeing the ear doctor next week. Applying for disability since I can’t go back logging.
We don’t have anywhere to go. Places nowadays don’t like dogs. The folks are long gone. My sister’s not set up for boarders. Kathy’s not putting me up, that’s for sure. I’ll find the money. One more week. All right, thank you, sir.
(to his dog) This is the best I can do for ya now, Lucky. No deer in the city. Just skunks, raccoons, and coyotes. Imagine this kibble’s covered in cheese slices and gobs of fat. Just close your eyes.
Dogs are Dirty
Sounds of a dog barking. The sounds transform into vicious attack dogs around khalil.
khalil: Take them away. Please. They’re too close. Why are you doing this? I don’t know anything. Take them away. They’re going to bite. Stop. I’m not a stinking baby. I don’t need a diaper.
Tighten Our Belts / Moving On
wally makes a phone call to workers’ compensation.
wally: Put me through to Norman Smith. He’s the guy who turned down my appeal. It’s Wally. I know my rights. I was a faller just like my dad. Shop steward with ten-eighty-four. There’s gonna be fresh evidence. I’m not falling logs or working the docks. My file is not fucking closed.
wally ends his call.
george: There once was a man from Nantucket
Whose dick was so long he could suck it
He said with a grin
As he wiped off his chin
If my ear was a cunt I could fuck it.
Beat.
Maslow’s pyramid. The need to eat. Drink. Sleep. Breathe. All you do is open your mouth and let the oxygen float in. What if you can’t?
george makes a phone call.
Sheila? How—how’s your apartment . . . ? Wait. Our first summer together. The four Bs. Beach, blanket, booze, boobs—your nice, plump . . . there is a point to this.
Riding the ambulances. That call. Little guy. Shivering. I carried him down to the sidewalk. Just hear it once more. I wrapped him in a blanket. “Look,” I said, “that robin’s eating worms.” Please, it’s important. His mother. A domestic. In the head. The kitchen floor.
You held my hand when I told you that story. You were there with me.
Don’t go. Not yet.
She has hung up.
Rachel?
rachel appears.
rachel: What?
george: I rented a house near the park. It has a room for you.
Beat.
rachel: Okay. Let’s go.
george goes to the birdhouse with rachel. Pause. They take it down.
wally: Where’d all your water go? Your dish is empty. That’s no good. I’m sorry, buddy. Let’s fill up your dish. Drink up. Nice cold water. You’re so thirsty.
We have to tighten our belts. Sell that old truck or else we’re out on the street. We’ll get through this, Lucky.
Tell You Anything
rachel talks to a drug dealer. khalil remains in prison.
khalil: Nana?
rachel: Someone at the club said you could help me out.
khalil: The peaches are ripe. I can smell them from here.
rachel: How much?
khalil: Can we pick them?
rachel: Really? That’s kind of a lot.
khalil: I’m alive. I’m with the Americans.
rachel: It was way cheaper in Central America. I get paid tomorrow. Can I pay you the rest then?
Another interrogation begins for khalil.
khalil: I had nothing in my hands.
rachel: Go to hell. Wait, don’t walk away. Yeah, I want it.
khalil: No stabilizer.
rachel: Okay. Let’s fucking get it over with.
It’s as if khalil’s head is soaked with water. And rachel gives the unseen dealer a blow job. khalil tries to pull the hood off. He fights for air.
What was that? Did you just take a picture?
khalil: I can’t breathe.
rachel: Now give it to me.
khalil: I don’t have names.
rachel: You promised.
khalil: Planting trees. No weapons or night goggles. Call my project leader.
rachel: Thank you sooo much.
khalil: I’m not radicalized. I like girls, okay? Beer and hockey.
rachel: Goodbye. Creep.
rachel starts getting high.
khalil: Peaches.
rachel: Here we go.
khalil: Near the capital. Peach trees. Water project. Me and friends from university. Sure, I saw relatives. My parents were born here. They died here. Ask me about that. Not again, please.
khalil endures a second waterboarding treatment.
rachel: Climb that volcano and surf down, fill my nose and mouth with ash, scraping down my throat. Spew it out with the snot and blood. Peel my skin off. Do it again.
khalil’s second treatment ends.
khalil: Nothing in my hands. I can’t breathe. I beg you. Not again. Not ever again.
Pause.
All right. I’ll tell you anything. Yes. Cellphone. Stabilizer. Coke cans, sure. Nails and screws, ball bearings, mortars. Anything to make it boom. I walked by the peach trees, the pomegranate, my hands were overflowing, so many things electric making it thud boom kill Americans. I had so many friends helping me. Bakers and taxi drivers. Lizards and rat snakes. Old men from the village. Teachers from England.
He
is a terrorist. Him too. And him. Fathers, uncles, cousins. All of them. Women.
Beat.
Grandmothers. Yes. We wanted to kill Americans, as many as possible. Fifteen hundred dollars per US soldier. I could buy fast cars and video games. I clicked a clicker. I made soldiers fly in the air. Exploding. Blood. Rivers. Even now it makes me laugh out loud. Beautiful.
rachel and khalil become children once more with the shoebox.
He’s gone.
rachel: No!
khalil: We have to find him.
They hunt for the snake.
rachel: Mister Snake!
khalil: Do you think he was sad?
rachel: We made him paradise.
khalil: Then why did he escape?
rachel: Look. He shed his skin.
rachel holds the shoebox.
A Good Sign
george sets the birdhouse up in a new location and watches for birds.
wally walks by, walking Lucky.
Sounds of a bird, perhaps a magical flash of light, feathers.
george: A rufous hummingbird. Rachel, look! I set up the birdhouse. It’s amazing how quickly their wings beat. It’s a sign, a good sign.
Best Cleaner
khalil is allowed to help clean with the unseen Private Williams.
khalil: Thank you, Williams, I’ll do the best cleaning job up and down the hallway.
Williams. Some kids in Canada got taken from their families. The government sent them to boarding schools. They got slapped if they whispered.
Because I know. It happened to my friend’s uncle.
Have you been to Canada? Last summer me and my friend Dakota hitchhiked up North. His people are from there. We stopped in reserves along the way. People fed us. Moose meat. Salmon. Berries.
After all this, I’ll take you up North. They don’t have igloos everywhere.
Williams? What do you write in your letters to your girlfriend? Do you write the truth?
Bus Pass
It’s the middle of the night. wally can’t sleep. Sounds of static and radio frequencies assault his ears. wally makes a phone call.
Paradise Page 3