by Neil LaBute
TIM crawls out from under DARRELL and kicks his friend savagely in the gut. DARRELL doubles over and TIM pounds away. DARRELL drops to one knee, knocking over a garbage can. TIM follows after DARRELL, who comes up with the can lid and smashes it across TIM’s face. TIM goes down hard.
TIM
Aaaaaahhh!
DARRELL beats him a few more times with it until he is silent. JENN tries to intervene again and is hit hard on the arm and shoulder for her troubles.
DARRELL finally falls back, bloody and breathing hard. He throws the lid loudly onto the sidewalk. JENN huddles near the crumpled, silent body of TIM.
DARRELL
—fucking done, huh?
JENN
Yeah.
DARRELL
Not gonna bring the loveable little tyke back, none ’a this shit—
JENN
That baby . . . oh my god—
DARRELL slowly gets to his feet, staggering a bit. JENN stays where she is, even when DARRELL offers a hand.
DARRELL
Know what? Jenn? Know what we gotta do? Get the fuck out, outta this place. Got a car, take us anywhere we want. (reaches in his pocket) Look, even got my mom’s Visa, so . . . you choose. Choose a place and I’m there. Seriously, just pick and . . . I don’t care the distance from here. We’ll go, ’kay? Just . . . Jenn. Tell me a place. Fuck. Jenn? Jenn! You pick . . . you—
JENN
No, Darrell . . . I don’t think I can.
DARRELL
Come on!
JENN
—so fucking scared—
DARRELL
Jenn, I said “now!”
JENN
No, Darrell.
DARRELL
Oh. Oh, I see, I’m with ya—
JENN
Not gonna leave Tim—
DARRELL
I got it, you don’t accept, huh? Don’t wanna be part ’a the mess. That it?
JENN
No. Just ain’t leaving.
DARRELL
Staying with ol’ Timmy . . . ’s fine. Fine. (BEAT) Guess he didn’t turn out to be so fucking stupid after all, did he? No, not at all . . . well, well.
(DARRELL suddenly picks up the entire trashcan and holds it high over his head. He moves toward TIM but JENN throws her body across him, hands up trying to protect his face.)
So, that’s the end of our fucking story, huh? Yeah? (BEAT) Slit your belly open, all the guy’s dicks been in there, never be able to see I even left a mark—
DARRELL finally drops the can and moves off. Wanders.
JENN
Darrell . . . wait—
DARRELL
Guess I’ll just keep driving, you know? Go upstate, maybe, fuck if I know. Just run like rabbits. Headlights blasting, signposts whipping by, fucking squirrels and shit diving to get outta my way! Yeah, I like that. Got some plastic, might take me anywhere. And I don’t give a fuck it’s any place I ever even heard of—
With that he is gone. JENN is left alone now with TIM in the quiet of the zoo. She slowly sits up, cradling TIM’s head in her lap.
THE LIVING ROOM
Same as earlier, with a few lamps turned on. The TV still noisy, this time with a World War II picture.
RICH and SHARI together on the couch. He is pulling her close, kissing her, but SHARI keeps moving away slightly.
RICH
—fucking tense, huh?
SHARI
Yeah. Can’t help it.
RICH
I know.
SHARI
Fuck, this is . . . I dunno. I just—
RICH
What?
SHARI
Kinda see myself as shit, you know?
RICH
Right.
SHARI
I mean, lying to her, ’bout us, all this time.
RICH
Hey, you don’t like it, then stop.
SHARI
No, I just—
RICH
’S pretty fucking simple. Not, like, no great moral dilemma.
SHARI
No—
RICH
Don’t care for it . . . don’t fucking do it.
He is close to her now, breathing on her cheek. She turns slowly and kisses him again.
SHARI
It’s my mom, that’s all.
RICH
Step. Step-mother—
SHARI
Still. Like some lump ’a shit, doing this to her.
RICH
Sure. (kissing her) Don’t feel that bad, though. Does it?
SHARI
—no. Not so bad, I guess—
She continue to kiss, sliding her hand down into his pants.
RICH
—fucking nice, huh?
SHARI
Yeah.
RICH
Whatever you wanna call it—“wrong,” some kind ’a betrayal, fine—it’s still nice, ain’t it?
SHARI
It’s very nice.
A car goes past and SHARI looks up, nervous. She pulls her hand back out of RICH’s jeans.
RICH
Easy, ’s alright. Said she was gonna run down the 7-11, see if she can spot Darrell. That’s, like, miles away—
SHARI
Sure?
RICH
Uh-huh.
SHARI
’Kay. (BEAT) And you think, I mean, he’s got the baby, right? I’m sure he does, but—
RICH
Absolutely. No question . . . it’s fine. (BEAT) Don’t even know who the dad is, right, so don’t worry so much—
For emphasis, RICH shoots a hand up under her blouse. She doesn’t fight it.
SHARI
Yeah. You wanna take a blood test?
RICH
That’s not so funny—
SHARI
—kinda.
RICH
Uh-huh. (kisses her) Know what I’d like? Tell you the truth, like more than any one thing? Say to your step-mom, “Go to Hell!” and move my shit outta here, take up with you . . . Huh? Be great! Two incomes, I mean, your welfare and my job, got a kid already—
SHARI
Could have more—
RICH
We could. We could do that. Do whatever the fuck it is we felt. Build a deck, the back ’a your duplex if we wanted, pack up and take the baby to Oregon, a fucking vacation, we had the mind to do it. (BEAT) That’s what I’d like to do . . . just be with you.
Long silence as they kiss again, RICH pawing at her as they go.
SHARI
Be so great . . . to be together. You know, like you said, but to do something really different, too. I mean, some kinda thing that nobody’d expect outta us. You and me. (BEAT) Maybe add a deck, or a patio, a kinda addition you was taking about, only paint the house at the same time. But . . . right down the middle, where the two front doors are. And use some color that’d drive the whole neighborhood crazy! Maroon, maybe, or a real splashy kind, like a magenta. Sorta shade you’d never use on a house . . . but we would.
She continues to kiss him as she speaks.
Landlord’d get a bunch ’a complaints, just people driving by, screaming their heads off. City council in an uproar, all kinds ’a court actions against us . . . and we’d stay holed up inside, drapes all pulled shut, baby can’t even go to school when he grows up ’cause kids’d attack ’em on the playground! And you and me can’t get to the car to go to work, or the store, nothing. We all gotta just stay inside. Food running out. Utilities all been shut off. And so . . . we just make love all the time. Day and night. ’Cause that’s all we got left. (BEAT) That’s what I want, Rich—
She finishes speaking and they kiss again fully. After a moment they break and RICH sits up, lighting a cigarette.
RICH
Me too, honey . . . I could handle that.
SHARI
Yeah?
RICH
You bet. (BEAT) But hey, who gives two shits what we want, right?
&nb
sp; A car door slams. RICH gets up and crosses to a counter, finding an ashtray. SHARI runs a hand through her hair.
CAMMIE enters, a bag of groceries in her arm. She comes in and moves to the kitchen to unload.
SHARI
—fucking late, huh?
RICH
Yeah.
CAMMIE
Just wish it wasn’t so late. Wouldn’t worry so much.
RICH
’S okay. (BEAT) So, nothing?
SHARI
Nope.
SHARI
You didn’t see ’em anywhere, Cammie? Darrell, I mean?
CAMMIE
Uh-uh. Drove past most the places I know he and Tim hang out, but—
RICH
Huh. ’S got a job, that Tim does—
CAMMIE
I checked. They ain’t seen ’em.
SHARI
Oh—
RICH
Come on, there’s an explanation for all this! I know there is—
CAMMIE
I did not lose no newborn—
SHARI
’Course not.
RICH
No way.
CAMMIE
Don’t need to worry until you got a reason. Let’s just wait’ll Darrell gets home, ’kay?
SHARI
—sure.
CAMMIE
He comes in and there’s nothing, then maybe we gotta call the cops. Or I dunno.
SHARI
Yeah, he probably knows what’s going on. I’m sure—
RICH
Kid’s gonna show up. No problem. (BEAT) I bet Darrell took ’em out in the Impala, get some smokes or that kinda setup. A fucking Slurpee—
SHARI nods her head in silence.
CAMMIE
’S it, I promise you anything—
SHARI
I’m sure that’s right. Yeah. Something just like that.
CAMMIE is standing in the kitchen archway and RICH gives her a little peck on the cheek. She smiles and moves off.
CAMMIE
Good. Gonna make some coffee, then—
RICH moves back to the couch, ashtray in hand. SHARI leans over and steals a puff, RICH keeping a lookout. She tries to go for more now, a kiss, but RICH stops her cold.
RICH
Maybe you should give your mom a little help . . . she’s pretty tired.
SHARI stares at RICH, then stands and starts off. He smacks! her hard across the backside as she passes. RICH just smiles at her, then turns away to finish his smoke.
THE WALL OF THE ZOO
High cement barricade that stretches off into the distance. Withered foliage can be seen behind. A covered bench in front. Weather-beaten CITY BUS SCHEDULE sign nearby.
Time has passed. Snow is falling, a dusting on everything in sight. Not a soul around.
JENN and TIM stand near the wall. JENN holds a towel. TIM sits pulling down his socks. His shoes are already off.
TIM
—not so bad, huh?
JENN
Yeah.
TIM
I felt a lot worse’n this. Used to go running, I was a kid, you know, what’d they call it, streaking. Me and some other guys—Darrell’d do it—nothing on. So, this ain’t so bad.
JENN
But, Tim . . . why don’t you just keep your clothes on ’til you’re in there, take ’em off over by the thing? The penguin pool.
TIM
’Cause. ’S Sunday, supposed to be closed, but who knows? Some dude in there, gives chase or whatever . . . I’m not leaving shit behind. You got my stuff out here. See?
JENN
Oh, okay. Got it.
TIM
’S just my plan . . . I’m only going in, a few minutes, anyway.
JENN
Fine.
They look at each other for a moment, then TIM strips off his pants. He stands now in his T-shirt and briefs.
TIM
You hear from Darrell yet?
JENN
No.
TIM
Huh, me either.
JENN
I don’t care. It’s better—
TIM
—I been coming here a lot lately, all the time. Not really checking or nothing, but, you know.
JENN
I do, too. Sometimes.
TIM
I mean, once the cops talked to us and all, figured it was safe . . . (BEAT) They all think that Darrell’s got the—
JENN
—I know. Yeah.
TIM
Anyway, I come here, walk around and . . . whatever. You can still see the mark.
JENN
Barely.
TIM
Yeah, but you can still see it. Never actually freezes completely over again, something breaks through a sheet ’a ice.
JENN
Really?
TIM
Yep. Learned that in science.
JENN
Huh. Looked like it mighta got more round, you know? The hole. Like it’s more rounded—
TIM
Yeah. It is, from the water lapping at it. It’s rounder. Almost, like a perfect circle.
JENN
Right.
TIM studies JENN for a moment, then moves to her.
TIM
—I was . . . after, at home, woke up with a fucking ache, you know, headache, like nothing else. But I was okay. ’Cept, every so often, I’m walking down the street, could be anywhere, and I’m suddenly taken over, right? Like, just where I’m standing . . . middle of a school crosswalk, doesn’t matter. I get taken up by these visions. ’S like, I dunno, I can see all this shit. I’m sorta standing knee-deep in water, with forests just sprouting up all around, and kinda palaces in the distance. And I’m there with all this other stuff, too, top ’a the water but I can see underwater, the same time! Spot all manner ’a ocean creatures. Like them 3-d books they had, you’re in grade school, dinosaurs and whatever, you can see the air and the land and under the sea. That’s what it’s like. And I’m just, you know, knocked out by it! I don’t know what’s happening, so I reach out, stop one ’a these water people, a beautiful young girl and I casually say, “the fuck’s go ing on?” And she doesn’t know. She doesn’t, just this big smile at me and then swims off. You believe that? It’s like a fantasy, but it really exists, too, the same time. Kind ’a comforting. And so, in this dream, I just start swimming, right, out with all these trees around and kingdoms and big mother hammerheads coming up and nuzzling me. And after a while, I forget that I don’t swim so good. I just keep paddling. All the time going farther and farther out in the water, but going under, too . . . deeper and deeper. And you know what? I have, like, absolutely no idea the fuck’s going on . . . but I’m having the time of my life.
Suddenly TIM feels as if he’s said too much; he grows quiet. JENN puts a hand on his shoulder.
JENN
—I’ve had the same kinda dream.
TIM
You’re shitting me.
JENN
No. It’s like that . . . not all that stuff, but a lot ’a things are very similar.
TIM
Huh. What do you think ’a that?
JENN
I dunno.
TIM quickly pulls his T-shirt over his head.
TIM
Well, I’m gonna go now. Stand here all fucking day, right?
JENN
Right.
TIM
—’s a good thing to do, ain’t it, Jenn? I mean, going in there?
JENN
I think so—
TIM
I know we swore not to tell nobody and shit, get us into trouble, but I don’t like it much . . . that kid just down under water there. All this time. I don’t—
JENN
Me neither.
TIM
Okay, then. (BEAT) You be here with the towel?
JENN
I’m right here—
TIM
All right.
(TIM crosses to the wall, but stops and looks back at JENN.)
Hey, Jenn?
JENN
Yeah?
TIM
Tell me honest . . . you don’t think this is, like, stupid, do ya?
JENN
No, I don’t, Tim. (BEAT) I don’t think it’s stupid at all—
TIM
—that’s good.
TIM turns and quickly scrambles up the wall. He perches on top for a long moment, taking in a few sharp breaths. TIM smiles back at JENN, then jumps over the other side.
JENN stands alone now, looking up. She clutches the towel.
SILENCE. DARKNESS.