EMMY Well, then I’d better be perfectly honest and tell you about Sam before the tabloids spill the beans.
JAKE Tell me about Sam? Oh no. Oh no! You sick, sick....You’re telling me that...that...Sam isn’t my son.
EMMY Jake...
JAKE Do you know who the real father is?
EMMY Jake...
JAKE Or has there been such a long procession of guys you’ve screwed when I’m out of town that you don’t even know for sure.
EMMY Jake, listen...
JAKE Well, isn’t this great. You’ve ruined our lives you hateful, hateful...
EMMY Damnit, Jake, listen. You’re Sam’s father.
JAKE I am.
EMMY Of course you are. I was just going to say that I know you have this rule about refined sugar, but when you’re out of town, I let Sam have candy. That’s what I was going to say. Candy!
JAKE Candy?
EMMY Yes, candy. And you go off on this weird paranoia trip, thinking you’re not Sam’s father. Is that all you think of me?
JAKE Well, candy’s not good either. So all this time when Sam kept asking if I was going out on tour, it wasn’t because he was going to miss me. Instead he wanted me to leave so he could have candy. Something is really wrong.
EMMY I don’t know, Jake. Maybe we’re not meant to be together.
JAKE No, that’s not it. Maybe we’re just doing it wrong.
EMMY Doing what wrong?
JAKE What Madeleine asked us to do. If we were doing it right, we wouldn’t feel this bad, right?
EMMY Right! Definitely right! We must be doing it wrong, that’s all.
JAKE I’ll go call and leave a message for her. Maybe we could get an appointment to see her tomorrow.
EMMY Yes! Yes! We’re just doing it wrong. That’s all.
[JAKE exits to make a call. EMMY absentmindedly starts to play the song again, realizes what she is doing, and slams her arms down on the piano.]
• • •
Scar Tissue
Gabriel Rivas Gomez
Scar Tissue by Gabriel Rivas Gomez. Copyright © 2011, 2012 by Gabriel Rivas Gomez. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the author.
CAUTION/ADVICE: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that performance of Scar Tissue is subject to a royalty. It is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, and of all countries covered by the International Copyright Union (including the Dominion of Canada and the rest of the British Commonwealth), and of all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, the Berne Convention, and of all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All rights, including professional and amateur stage performing rights, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, video or sound recording, all other forms of mechanical or electronic reproduction, such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, information storage and retrieval systems, and photocopying, and the rights of translation into foreign languages, are strictly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed upon the matter of readings, permission for which must be secured from the author’s agent in writing.
Inquiries concerning rights should be addressed to Gabriel Rivas Gomez at [email protected].
Gabriel Rivas Gomez
Gabriel Rivas Gomez received his MFA in dramatic writing from the University of Southern California in 2007, where he was mentored by Oliver Mayer, Velina Hasu Houston, and Luis Alfaro. His plays Chasing Monsters and Scar Tissue were produced at Company of Angels in downtown Los Angeles. His play Circus Ugly was showcased in 2007 as part of USC’s Under Construction series and in 2006 as part of Cypress College’s New Play Festival, and is set to be produced in the summer of 2012. He teaches writing and theater classes at the University of La Verne. When he is not busy writing or teaching, he can often be found playing with Play-Doh with his daughters, who, along with his wife, Elsie, are the source of his drive and strength.
• • • Production History • • •
Scar Tissue received its world premiere at Company of Angels (Armando Molina, artistic director) in Los Angeles, California, on January 7, 2011, as part of Fatigued (Amelia Worfolk, Daniel Muñoz, Juanita Chase, and Joshua R. Lamont, producers). It was directed by Nathan Singh; the set and light design was by Ivan Acosta; the sound design was by Howard Ho; the costume design was by Laura Quiroz; the projection design was by Tamika Simpkins; fight choreography was done by Gwendolyn Druyor; and the stage managers were Jenefer Perez and Raquel Muniz. The cast was as follows:
CLAUDIA, Monica Sanchez
ALMA, Carolyn Zeller
LEE, Chris Hampton
Characters
CLAUDIA, heart surgeon. 50s. Attractive. Cold.
LEE, her patient. Mid-20s. A veteran. He is a ball of nervous energy. He always knows where any exits to any building are. Tall buildings make him uncomfortable. He avoids bright colors as they make him a target.
ALMA, a ghost. Claudia’s daughter. Early to mid-20s, but needs to be able to “be” everything, from an infant to a teen to a young adult...
The Time/The Place
The then and there, the here and now. USC Medical Center, Afghanistan, and inside the depressed mind of Dr. Claudia Torres.
Author’s Note
This play should focus more on pace and theatricality than “reality” and fact. A projector is needed. Live drumming (perhaps a cajón or tumba drum) is preferable for many of the beats or effects in the play. If this is not available, drumming should be scrapped and sounds should be replaced with engineered, surreal sounds. Timing of projections should be altered to best fit the production and staging.
• • •
[Rhythmic drumming in the darkness. The drumming produces projected images: a ragged doll, an opened envelope, a game of Operation, Clifford the Big Red Dog, an American flag, toy soldiers, a little girl. These images repeat a few times in different orders at different speeds. The drumming becomes a heartbeat. The images stop circling and settle on a heart. DR. CLAUDIA TORRES sits with her patient, LEE GARDNER, in her office. DR. TORRES uses a laser to point to different areas of the projected heart. ALMA is dressed like a research assistant. She sits across the room taking notes. She seems unnoticed.]
CLAUDIA Mr. Gardner...this really—
[LEE scans the room.]
Are you listening?
LEE Call me Lee.
CLAUDIA Lee. This really seems like the best option to me, given your age and prior health problems.
LEE What about medication?
ALMA Carvedilol? Quinapril? Zoloft?
CLAUDIA You haven’t responded to the medications prescribed, and if we don’t act soon—
LEE My neighbor, he had this thing where they used a balloon, and he was fine in a couple days.
CLAUDIA Mr. Gardner, You’re referring to a balloon angioplasty. With some patients, we can insert a catheter into the blocked artery (she demonstrates) and inflate a small balloon—here—in order to compress blockage and allow for better blood flow.
LEE Why not try that?
CLAUDIA It’s like stepping on top of the trash instead of taking out the garbage. It’s a quick fix. That procedure wouldn’t help you long-term, and it wouldn’t address the second problem.
ALMA [Writing.] Taking out the trash....
LEE What second problem?
CLAUDIA Atrial fibrillation.
ALMA Uh-oh.
LEE What’s that?
CLAUDIA You have an irregular heartbeat. See, your brain sends electrical impulses to your heart in such a manner that your heart’s rhythm is disrupted, further reducing blood flow.
LEE And that problem’s not related to the other?
CLAUDIA They are two separate problems; however, I think we can address both in the same surgery.
LEE You’re going to operate on my brain?
CLAUDIA No, Mr. Gardener—
LEE Lee.
CLAUDIA Lee. I operate o
n hearts. We’ll start with the coronary artery bypass—here.
[The heart on screen becomes a game of Operation.]
We will take small portions of veins or arteries from other parts of your body and transplant them—here. While we have you opened up, I can also address the irregular heartbeat, via the Maze procedure.
ALMA Mazes are always tricky.
LEE I don’t understand.
CLAUDIA Do you work on cars?
LEE Yeah.
CLAUDIA If my pressure plate went out, and you were fixing my car, what would you suggest?
ALMA Xanax?
LEE Well, I’d take a look at the clutch, because it’s probably about to go too, and if I’m taking everything apart anyway—
CLAUDIA Exactly my point.
ALMA Splendid metaphor.
LEE You said it was in my brain.
CLAUDIA I’ll make small incisions here and here, which will create scar tissue.
LEE Why?
CLAUDIA Scar tissue doesn’t conduct electricity. It’s like electrical tape. It prevents unwanted surges, thereby regulating your heartbeat.
ALMA Electrical tape. Nice.
LEE You mean to tell me that you plan to fix my heart by fucking it up?
ALMA Such is life.
CLAUDIA I don’t know if I’d call it “fucking up”—
ALMA You don’t need those parts anyway.
LEE What would you call it? Because where I’m from, if someone’s cutting up your heart, it’s called fucking it up. And it sounds like you want to fuck it up for the sake of fucking it up.
CLAUDIA I’d call it your best chance. Sometimes your body needs to handle a little damage before it can properly fix itself.
ALMA ACE!
LEE So with one surgery—
CLAUDIA With one surgery, we could fix two problems.
LEE Is it risky?
CLAUDIA Any procedure of this magnitude is risky, Mr. Gardner.
[LEE bangs on the desk, then composes himself.]
LEE Dr. Torres, it’s a small thing I’m asking for. I been overseas for two stints. And I’d be there again if I wasn’t defective. Over there, I’m Gardner. Here I’m...call me by the name my mother gave me. I’ve earned it.
CLAUDIA Lee. I think you should think about it. Talk to your family. I wouldn’t consider your case urgent, but it should be taken care of sooner rather than later.
LEE While I was in Afghanistan, I got my divorce papers. That’s the closest to family I got.
CLAUDIA Oh. I’m sorry.
LEE It happens.
CLAUDIA We can get you a second opinion.
LEE This is my heart we are talking about.
CLAUDIA I understand that.
LEE What’s the long-term prognosis?
CLAUDIA ...Not great.
LEE So you’re saying I’m fucked. Funny, because when I brought up the balloon—
CLAUDIA I SAID that this is a better option than the angioplasty and I stand by that. This is your best option. Period. But if you want a second opinion—
LEE Wait...
[He scans the room.]
I’ll do it.
CLAUDIA Okay. If you’re not sure—
LEE I’m not one of those who comes home ready to die, understand?
CLAUDIA I didn’t say you were.
LEE I want to live. And if I don’t have a ton of time left, I need to get on with it. I looked you up. They say you’re the best.
CLAUDIA I am.
LEE So if you say this is what I need...you’re probably right.
CLAUDIA Okay. We’ll get you scheduled.
[LEE shakes CLAUDIA’s hand and gets up to leave.]
Lee?
[LEE turns to face her.]
You’d really go back?
LEE You’re damn right I would.
[LEE exits. CLAUDIA sits for a bit. The drumming returns. Softly at first. ALMA whistles a Marine Corps cadence. CLAUDIA grows more and more uncomfortable. A series of pictures of a little girl decorate the screen. None of these pictures feature CLAUDIA. ALMA stops and watches. The drum creates a “knock” at an imaginary door. ALMA clears her throat.]
ALMA January 17, 2010—
[CLAUDIA opens a bottle of pills. She pops a few. ALMA sits and looks stoned. ALMA “transforms” into a one-year-old little girl. She props herself up, wobbles, and starts to walk, perhaps for the first time. She staggers to an invisible person as CLAUDIA’s pager goes off.]
I WALKING!
[CLAUDIA turns off her beeper and watches ALMA.]
CLAUDIA Yes, you are!
[ALMA ages. She is now ten. She is a contestant in a spelling bee.]
ALMA A-N-T-I-D-I-S-E-S-T-A-B-L-I-S-H-M-E-N-T-A-R-I-A-N-I-S-M. Antidisestablishmentarianism.
[ALMA smiles. A bell rings. Applause. She produces a medal from her pocket and puts it around her neck. She looks over at CLAUDIA. CLAUDIA’s pager goes off.]
I won. I won. I WON!
CLAUDIA I knew you would.
ALMA Let’s celebrate.
CLAUDIA I’ve got surgery.
ALMA You’ve always got surgery.
[ALMA ages. She is now thirteen.]
Oh my God. Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygodohmygodohmygod—
[CLAUDIA’s pager goes off again.]
CLAUDIA I’m working!
ALMA I’m bleeding.
CLAUDIA Did you disinfect it? There are alcohol swabs in the cabinet. Peroxide might be better. Get some cotton—
ALMA No. I’m bleeding.
[She turns to reveal that she has started her period.]
CLAUDIA Oh. Check under the sink.
[ALMA pulls a tampon from her pocket.]
ALMA But how...
CLAUDIA Alma, I’m working. This is not an emergency.
ALMA You’re...right. I guess...it’s...not.
[CLAUDIA and ALMA both sit in a trance. ALMA eventually moves to CLAUDIA. ALMA studies CLAUDIA, waives her hand in front of CLAUDIA’s face, and prods her. CLAUDIA is asleep with her eyes open.]
You’re working?...You’re working....You’re working?!
[CLAUDIA snaps out of her trance as ALMA (an assistant again) escorts LEE onstage in a hospital gown. He is sheepish. CLAUDIA approaches LEE, rarely taking her eyes off her clipboard.]
CLAUDIA Okay, Mr.—
LEE Lee.
CLAUDIA Sorry. Lee. We’re going to run a heart cath. I’m assuming the results will support what we found in the preliminary tests, but we need to be sure.
[ALMA produces a long, pointed tube. LEE looks at her strangely and offers her his arm.]
ALMA Huh-uh.
[LEE opens his mouth.]
Nope.
[CLAUDIA puts on rubber gloves.]
CLAUDIA We go in through the groin, Lee.
[LEE grabs his balls.]
LEE You’re shitting me.
CLAUDIA What’s the matter, soldier? You’d go back to war but you’re afraid of a little tube?
LEE You’re a bitch.
CLAUDIA We will sedate you.
[ALMA gets LEE to a gurney and injects him. She straps him down as CLAUDIA lubes the catheter up and runs it up his gown.]
LEE What the fuck?
CLAUDIA Lee, relax. I’ve seen it before.
LEE You said—
CLAUDIA Sedated, Lee. But I need you awake. You won’t feel anything.
[ALMA checks LEE’s pupils. CLAUDIA straps on an X-ray vest. LEE can only stare at it.]
I’m going to inject you with what you might call a series of markers, which will show up on an X-ray. That way we can monitor blood flow and get a firm grasp of the sorts of blockages we’re dealing with.
ALMA This will take a while. Try to relax.
[LEE is sweating.]
LEE I’m...this is fucked.
CLAUDIA Lee, I can’t cut blind. Be brave.
ALMA Ready?
[ALMA slides LEE into the “machine.” As she does, we see his face on the screen.]
CLAUDIA You are goi
ng to hear a clicking sound. It’s normal.
ALMA Here we go.
[ALMA turns the machine on. A drum beat becomes the “clicking” of the machine.]
Hold still, Lee.
CLAUDIA Lee, I need you to slow your breathing a bit.
[LEE closes his eyes. On the screen we get flashes of pictures in his mind: a Hummer, a desert sunset, a child’s drawing, a soldier’s boots.]
LEE I think there’s something wrong with the machine.
CLAUDIA Try not to talk.
[On the screen we are back to LEE’s face. He’s sweating.]
ALMA Lee, I can’t get a read unless you hold still.
[To CLAUDIA.]
Do something!
[CLAUDIA eyes ALMA, then reluctantly takes LEE’s hand.]
CLAUDIA Lee, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it.
[He does. She snaps a three count.]
One. Two. Three. Exhale.
[He does.]
Again.
[He does. She snaps again.]
One. Two. Three. Let it out.
[LEE calms. CLAUDIA adjusts his catheter. As she does, we see different pictures of hearts on the screen. These should vary from medical pictures to valentines to children’s drawings. They should be interspersed with shots of LEE’s face and pictures of soldiers, dolls, and sunsets. The drumming settles into the beating of a heart. ALMA becomes a student who reads a comic book. CLAUDIA watches the screen but is also very aware of ALMA. CLAUDIA’s pager goes off.]
ALMA The heart doesn’t feel pain. At least, not directly. Its fibers are wired in such a manner so that pain is routed differently. Right?
CLAUDIA It’s not so simple.
[ALMA seems impressed that she’s got a piece of CLAUDIA’s attention.]
ALMA When something’s wrong with your heart, it goes a little haywire and it becomes electrically unstable. So you feel pain in other places: fingers, back...jaw....Sometimes, there’s no pain at all. If the nerve fibers never cross, people might not have a clue until it’s too late.
CLAUDIA Hold still, Lee. Don’t be so reductive. That’s usually limited to diabetics or elderly. It’s not as simple as—
ALMA Ironically, when your heart is in pain, it’s the rest of your body that feels it. Right?
CLAUDIA There it is.
The Best American Short Plays 2010-2011 Page 13