41: Michael's Dream

Entombed in his closet at Janet’s, Michael sleeps. Smoke pours in and he wakes up and starts to choke. He gasps. He jumps out of bed in his underwear and throws the door open. When he does, the room melts away and he is in a hazy, vacuous space. He walks unable to find his way, he stumbles, and goes flat on his face. A shoe appears on his back. His father, Alfred, is there.

Alfred: Don’t you ever, ever disrespect her again. She’s going to be my wife.

Michael: She doesn’t even like me.

Alfred: Not when you treat her the way you do.

Michael: I just treat her, the way you treated mom.

Alfred: I could crush your skull boy. I could.

Judy appears.

Judy: Do it, Alfie. Do it. Crush him. Kill him. Please. Please. I can’t live with him in this household.

Alfred: Do you hear her cries? She can’t live with you in this household. I want you to pack up your things and get out of here.

Judy: Yes, get out of here.

Michael: You don’t need to tell me to go. I’ve already gone.

A curtain falls separating Michael from Judy and Alfred. He gets up. The rain pours. Thunder and Lightning. Michael is soaked to the bone. He shivers. He finds solace in an alley way under a box. Tobias lays unconscious a few feet away from him.

Michael: It was cold remember? It was so cold. . . we were both soaked. I’m there, Toby, I’m there again.

Toby: I’ve been in secret societies. I’ve killed men. I know how to fuck people up, buddy. Trust me. Stick with me and you’re stuck for life. Can you do it?

Michael: I’ll do anything. You care.

Toby: Yeah, I care.

Toby’s face transforms into a snakehead.

Toby: I’m going to go out. I’m going to do what I want. We are going to make it for ourselves.

Michael: Where are you going?

Toby: You don’t get to know everything, buddy.

Michael: But I love you.

Toby: No, you don’t.

Michael: You took care of me. You fed me. You clothed me.

Toby: No, I didn’t. Drugs did that. Drugs do everything. Drugs fill up your cups with joy, dude. Do you know how old I am?

Michael: My age?

Toby: I’ve been through what some eighty year old men will never see in a lifetime.

Michael: Sounds sexy.

Toby: Don’t say sexy to me, cunt. We make a pact. We make it now. Brothers forever. Have a bite of my carrot.

Michael: Brothers forever.

Toby: Give me your blood.

Michael: I don’t know if I can.

Toby: Do it.

Michael: Okay.

Michael cuts himself on the arm and offers it to Toby.

Toby: More. I want more.

Michael: I don’t know if I can give you more.

Toby: What would a true brother do?

Michael: A true brother would die for his fellow brother.

Toby: That’s right. I’ve taught you well. Now I feast.

Toby drinks Michael’s blood from his arm.
Michael: Awww, man, that feels good.

Janet appears.

Janet: Michael, what are you doing?

Michael: Nothing.

Toby: Get out of here you stupid retard!

Michael: Don’t say that word. Do not use that word.

Janet: Michael. I’m scared.

Toby: Cut her too. I want to drink her blood. I’m still thirsty.

Michael: So?

Alfred appears from behind the curtain. Judy follows.

Alfred: Don’t you know right from wrong?

Toby: Don’t you know what you want? Weren’t you determined to beat him at his own filthy money game? Make yourself a fortune. . .your way.

Judy: Yes. Yes I was.

Michael: I knew you were just after my father’s money!

Alfred: That’s what men do, Michael. They make a ton of money so they can fuck around with women. They make fortunes so they can have empires of women. That’s what men do. Aren’t you a man? Why haven’t you married?

Judy: You always said there was something wrong with him.

Alfred: I can say that, but you can’t.

Judy: I’m only saying.

Janet: What are all of you saying?

Toby: I’d kill all of them for you, buddy. Is this how you treat me? I want to drink. Kill them all. Think of the alley. Think of the rain. Think of all the pain.

Janet: I don’t know anything about you Michael. I don’t know you. Tell me about yourself.

Michael: I don’t want to talk about my family with any of you! I want to forget.

Toby: If they are dead, you will forget.

Paula’s voice sounds, but she is unseen.

Paula: But you’ll never forget me. Will you? The only thing that is real is love and loyalty, Michael. You have to find love and loyalty.

Michael: I have found love. I love him.

Toby pulls a chain and everyone disappears.

Paula: You can get rid of the sights of the world and you can run from your problems, but the truth always emerges in the sound of love. Wake up, Michael. Wake up. Fucking wake up.

Toby: You’ve felt how good it is to drink blood. Don’t forget that.

Paula: Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

Paula’s voice merges into Toby’s voice.

Toby: Don’t forget to wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

Michael’s eyes open. He is back in the closet. Toby stands over him.

Michael: What the fuck? What are you doing here?

Toby: I had to see you.

Michael: Why?

Toby: I- I-

Michael: What the hell? Is Janet home?

Toby: No. She’s not here.

Michael: She must be at work.

Toby: I climbed in the fire escape.

Michael: How did you know which apartment was-

Toby: I followed you once.

Michael: I just had a really bad dream.

Toby: Yeah? Well we’re in the clear.

Michael: What do you mean?

Toby: I just got rid of her. She’s gone.

Michael: I don’t want to talk about it.

Toby: Come here.

Michael: No.

Toby: Let me lay with you for a few minutes.

Michael: I don’t think I should see you.

Toby: Why? I love you.

Michael: What?

Toby: I said. I love you.

Michael: Really?

Toby: I do. I do, buddy. I do.

Michael: Prove it.

Toby: Let me lie down.

Michael: Nobody is stopping you.

Toby climbs into bed with Michael.

Toby: We’re gonna make this work. We are.

Michael: I hope so.

40: Clearly Moved

Jessica’s apartment. Everything is packed in boxes, but not very well. A lot of loose items, blankets, lamp shades, wrappers, and garbage still litter the place. One of the walls is heavily cracked and smeared with blood. On a tiled floor is a plate glass table and four wooden chairs with wheels and on the other half of the apartment a balcony that overlooks the parking lot. The front door opens and Jessica, Tom, and Clark enter. Tom sees the place and gasps.

Clark: You didn’t tell him?

Jessica: Tell him what?

Tom: Is that blood?

Clark and Jessica exchange a glance.

Jessica: I’m going to go down and help my dad get the trailer ready. Clark. . .can you let him-

Clark: Sure.

Tom: What’s going on?

Jessica exits. Clark and Tom stand face to face.

Clark: So here’s the deal, man. Jessica and I are really happy that you are helping us move today. Well her. Helping her move. This means a lot to us. Did she pay you yet?

Tom: No.

Clark: Well make sure to remind me to have her pay you. Seriously. (pause) How much did she say she’d give you?

Tom: Sixty for the afternoon?

Clark: Only sixty? I’ll throw in an extra twenty for sure. Sixty? That’s not worth this.

Tom: What exactly are we doing, Clark? Aren’t we helping her move? Why is there blood on the wall?

Clark: Miguel did that. Miguel is Jessica’s boyfriend. He has a temper. He-

Tom: I saw scratches on Jessica’s neck last week. She said she did it to herself.

Clark: She did. When she was prying his hands off of her own neck.

Tom: Ouch.

Clark: Yeah.

Tom: So where is Miguel now?

Clark: I don’t know.

Tom: You don’t know?

Clark: Nobody does. Really.

Tom: What’d this guy do?

Clark: Well, Jessica and I were hanging out and this guy just started destroying her shit. He also called over to Roberto’s Uncle and threatened Domino directly.

Tom: Why?

Clark: Miguel fell off the wagon.

Tom: (Silence)

Clark: Have you ever seen a crack addict come back to crack again? He’s a crazy mother fucker. He found out that Jessica and I had been hanging out. He started reading her e-mails. He went ballistic. He attacked her. She just barely managed to escape and then he went ape shit on all of her stuff. It’s been a really hard time.

Tom: I imagine.

Clark: He’s gone now. But he took a hammer to everything here. And the worst part of it all is that Jessica’s friends have turned on her too.

Tom: Why?

Clark: I guess there is an unspoken solidarity between couples who meet in rehab. They did live here together until he went crazy, but because he fell off the wagon, everybody’s mad that Jessica wasn’t there to support him. But how could she have known?

Tom: Maybe because she was hanging out with you?

Clark: What is that supposed to mean?

Tom: Oh. I didn’t mean anything-

Jessica: (re-enters) So did you tell him?

Tom: Yeah, he told me.

Clark: Yeah.

Jessica: Oh, my table. Oh thank god. My glass table. I’m so fucking happy that his hammer didn’t get you. Seriously, I can’t believe he didn’t smash this. I love this table. You two have to promise to be so careful when you are moving this thing. It means the world to me. Did he tell you how he tried to kill me with his hammer? He did. He had this big hammer. Oh, Tom, it was horrible. Could you imagine being chased by a maniac with a hammer?

Tom: Not really. Wasn’t he your boyfriend?

Jessica: We broke up.

Tom: Oh. Do you know where he is now?

Jessica: That fucker Miguel? Oh no. His mother lives in town here, but he doesn’t really talk to her much.

Tom: Aren’t you afraid, he’ll come back?

Jessica: I guess I hadn’t thought about it.

Tom: So where are we moving all of this to?

Jessica: My parent’s house. It’s going to be a three hour drive.

Tom: Three hours? You didn’t mention that.

Jessica: I thought I had.

Tom: No, you hadn’t. I don’t know if I have three hours time.

Jessica: Well six total, because plus we have to drive back.

Tom: Geez.

Clark: Look man. We really really appreciate your help. Just help us with what you can. We can take care of the rest.

Jessica: It’s just that whatever you can do would be great, because my dad has a really bad back –that’s why he is just driving the trailer- and I can’t- well I can’t help because I’m about to pop.

Tom: Wait. . .so it’s me and you?

Clark: Yup.

Jessica: So the longer you stay, the less Clark has to do on his own.

Clark: True.

Tom: I see.

Clark: Did you order the pizza?

Jessica: No, sweetie, I thought you were going to do that.

Clark: I didn’t.

Tom: Wait. Your boyfriend- I mean ex-boyfriend is out there. . .somewhere. We don’t know where. And we are just here in this place. . . with blood ummm everywhere. . .and then we are going to sit and eat pizza in this place and just sit here calmly eating pizza and not worrying about anything. . .not worrying about our LIVES?!

Jessica: Sure.

Tom: What if he comes back?

Jessica: I hadn’t thought about that. What are you doing?

Clark: I’m checking the football game scores on my phone. I get internet on my cell phone.

Tom: I feel like that should wait. I feel like we should get a move on.

A car horn.

Jessica: (calling off the balcony) Just a second, Daddy! Oh wait, there’s the landlady. I gotta go speak to her about breaking the lease.

Clark: Let’s get the table.

Jessica: Be really really super careful. I want to keep the things that weren’t destroyed. Nice. . . .I mean it. Careful, Clark.

Clark: We will. Better go talk to her.

Jessica exits. Clark and Tom lift the table and slowly move towards the door.

Clark: You know. I’m thinking that maybe we’ll want the table down last and the chairs down first. I mean in the order that we take them to the first floor. What do you think?

Tom: I don’t know what to think.

Clark: Lemme go ask her dad which way he wants to load things up.

Tom: Fine.

Clark exits. Tom is alone in the apartment. He gets the shivers. He sits. He stands. He goes to the wall and puts his hand on the massive crack. He goes to the balcony and looks out.

Tom: (thinking) Don’t judge Jessica. She may be fat. Have red hair, A gap between her teeth, but she is still a person. A person who was addicted to crack. You have to help her. You promised you would. People need help. Sometimes. Miguel must have loved her a lot or hated her a lot. Love makes people act insane. I have never loved anybody. I wonder what if feels like. Does Clark love her now? Is he going to be her baby’s daddy? Miguel must be the father. The things men do for women. Ha. The things they do to them. . .that’s more like it. I don’t even know who these people are. I don’t know Clark. I don’t really know Jessica. . .they don’t know me. I could be anyone. Ha. I could be. But I don’t have anyone else.

Throughout the monologue, a corpselike figure has appeared without a shirt on from the back bedroom. Weakly it approaches Tom. Tom turns around just in time to see the eyes peering into him. There is a connection between them and Clark re-enters just in time to see Miguel approaching him.

Tom: Clark!

Clark: Nobody move.

Tom: Who is this?

Miguel: Have you ever seen the devil before?

Clark: It’s Miguel. Fuck. It’s him. I don’t want Jessica to come up here. (calling) Jessica just stay outside.

Tom: (looking out balcony) She’s still talking to the landlady.

Jessica: (off) What? What did you say?

Clark: (calling) Nothing! Everything’s fine! Good. I don’t want to see her get upset.

Miguel: Have you? Have you ever seen the devil?

Tom: I don’t think so.

Clark: He must be coming down off of a bender. He’s probably really weak. Don’t worry about it.

Tom: How can I not worry about it?

Clark grabs a plate of glass from the table and smashes it down on Miguel’s head.

Miguel: Fuck.

Miguel collapses.

Tom: I think I was sprayed with some blood.

Clark: Are you alright?

Jessica: (re-entering) Are you all- Oh my God!

Clark: Somebody call the fucking cops.

Miguel: Do you know what it’s like to be a vampire? Oh, you?

Jessica: I can’t look at him.

Miguel: I’m going to kill you.

Jessica runs screaming from the place.

Clark: Just stay on the ground. Tom’s calling the police.

Tom: (on phone) Yeah. I’d like to report an assault. We have detained some guy. You might want to get down here. The address? I have no idea.

Clark: Gimme. (on the phone) The apartments behind the mall. The apartments behind the mall. I’m gonna kill him if you don’t get down here in five minutes. Yeah. Yeah.

Miguel: I think I’m bleeding.

Tom: You are.

Miguel: I think it feels good. My head was hurting for a long time.

Tom: Mine hurts a lot too.

Clark: Listen you. Shut up. The cops are gonna be here and they are gonna put you away. I’m not kidding. Come on, Tom. Let’s leave this guy here. I don’t want to look at his face.

Tom: I’m just gonna put this-

Clark: No. Don’t.

Tom: Blood’ll be all over everything. This way, the pillow’ll catch it.

Clark: I don’t know why you’d even want to touch that slimebag.

Tom places a pillow under Miguel’s head.

Clark: (exiting) Hurry your ass up.

Miguel: When I kill- I won’t kill you.

Tom stares at Miguel and then runs out.

Miguel: The devil does have mercy sometimes. Sometimes.