Читать книгу Balconville - David Fennario - Страница 5
ОглавлениеACT ONE
SCENE 1
It is night. TOM is sitting on his back balcony trying to play “Mona” on his guitar. The sound of a car screeching around a corner is heard. The car beeps its horn. DIANE enters.
VOICE
Diane, Diane …
DIANE
J’savais que t’avais une autre blonde.
VOICE
Mais non, Diane, c’était ma soeur.
DIANE
Oui, ta soeur. Mange d’la merde. Fuck you!
CÉCILE comes out of her house and stands on her balcony.
CÉCILE
C’est-tu, Jean-Guy? Diane?
DIANE
Oh, achale-moi pas.
The car screeches away.
MURIEL
(from the screen door behind TOM) Goddamn teenagers, they don’t stop until they kill someone. Tommy, what are you doing there?
The sound of the car screeching is heard on the other side of the stage.
VOICE
Hey, Diane. Diane …
DIANE
Maudit crisse, va-t’en, hostie.
CÉCILE
Diane, c’est Jean-Guy.
VOICE
Hey, Diane. Viens-t’en faire un tour avec moi. Diane?
The car beeps its horn.
DIANE
Jamais, jamais. J’t’haïs, j’t’haïs.
VOICE
Hey, Diane.
The car beeps its horn again.
PAQUETTE
(from inside his house) Qu’est-ce qu’y a? Qu’est-ce tu veux, hostie?
VOICE
Diane, viens ici.
PAQUETTE
(yelling from the upstairs window) Si tu t’en vas pas, j’appelle la police.
MURIEL comes out of her house, goes down the lane, and yells after the car.
MURIEL
Get the hell out of here, you goddamn little creep!
The car screeches away. MURIEL returns to her house.
MURIEL
Tom, you gotta get up tomorrow.
TOM
Yeah, yeah.
MURIEL goes into her house.
PAQUETTE
Maudit crisse, j’te dis que t’en as des amis toi. C’est la dernière fois que je te préviens. Cécile, viens-tu t’coucher?
CÉCILE
Oui, oui, Claude, j’arrive. Diane, Jean-Guy devrait pas venir si tard.
DIANE
Ah, parle-moi pu d’lui.
CÉCILE
Son char fait bien trop de train, y devrait faire réparer son muffler.
CÉCILE goes into her house with DIANE. JOHNNY enters. He is drunk and singing “Heartbreak Hotel.” He finds that the door to his house is locked.
JOHNNY
Hey, Irene … Irene, open the fuckin’ door.
IRENE opens the door.
PAQUETTE
(from inside his house) Hey! Ferme ta gueule, toi-là.
JOHNNY
Fuck you!
He goes into his house and slams the door shut.
Blackout.
Scene 2
The next day. It is morning. THIBAULT enters wheeling his Chez Momo’s delivery bike down the lane. TOM comes out of the house with toast, coffee, cigarettes, and his guitar. When he is finished his toast and coffee, he begins to practise his guitar.
MURIEL
(from inside her house) Tom, you left the goddamn toaster on again.
TOM
Yeah?
MURIEL
Yeah well, I’m the one who pays the electric bills.
THIBAULT
(looking at the tire on his delivery bike) Câlice, how did that happen? The tire, c’est fini.
TOM
A flat.
THIBAULT
Eh?
TOM
A flat tire.
THIBAULT
Ben oui, un flat tire. The other one, she’s okay … That’s funny, eh? Very funny, that.
TOM
Don’t worry, Thibault, it’s only flat on the bottom.
THIBAULT
You think so? Well, I got to phone the boss.
He goes up the stairs and steps over the broken step.
TOM
Hey, watch the step!
THIBAULT
(knocking on PAQUETTE’s door) Paquette, Paquette …
PAQUETTE
(from inside his house) Tabarnac, c’est quoi?
THIBAULT
C’est moi, Paquette. J’ai un flat tire.
PAQUETTE
Cécile, la porte …
CÉCILE
(from inside the house) Oui, oui … Une minute …
THIBAULT
C’est moi, Paquette.
CÉCILE
(at the screen door) Allô, Thibault. Comment ça va?
THIBAULT
J’ai un flat tire sur mon bicycle.
CÉCILE
Oh, un flat tire.
PAQUETTE
Que c’est qu’y a?
CÉCILE
C’est Thibault, Claude.
PAQUETTE
Thibault? Thibault?
THIBAULT
Oui. Bonjour.
PAQUETTE
Es-tu tombé sur la tête, tabarnac? Il est sept heures et demie du matin, hostie de ciboire.
CÉCILE
Claude a travaillé tard hier soir.
THIBAULT
That’s not so good, eh?
PAQUETTE
Que c’est qu’y veut?
CÉCILE
Y veux savoir c’que tu veux.
THIBAULT
(yelling at PAQUETTE through the window) J’ai un flat tire. Je voudrais téléphoner à mon boss.
PAQUETTE
Cris pas si fort, j’suis pas sourd. Cécile, dis-lui rentrer.
JOHNNY
(from inside his house) What the fuck’s going on?
THIBAULT
C’est-tu, okay?
CÉCILE
Oui, oui. Entre.
THIBAULT goes into PAQUETTE’s house. JOHNNY comes out on his balcony.
JOHNNY
What’s going on?
TOM
(from below) Thibault’s got a flat tire.
JOHNNY
Flat tire? Big fuckin’ production!
He goes back into his house.
THIBAULT
(inside PAQUETTE’s house) Allô, Paquette. J’vas téléphoner à mon boss. C’est-tu, okay? C’est-tu, okay?
PAQUETTE
(from inside his house) Ferme ta gueule! Tu m’as réveillé asteure. Fais ce que t’as à faire.
THIBAULT
(on the telephone) Oui, allô, Monsieur Kryshinsky … This is the right number? This is Monsieur Kryshinsky? … Bon. C’est moi, Thibault … Oui … Quoi? … Yes, I’m not there. I’m here …
CÉCILE
(from inside the house) Veux-tu ton déjeuner, Claude?
PAQUETTE
Non, fais-moi un café. Ça va faire.
THIBAULT
Un flat tire, oui … Okay. Yes, sir. I’ll be there … Oui. I’ll be there tout de suite … Okay, boss. Bye … Allô? Bye. (He hangs up the telephone.) Faut que j’m’en aille. C’était mon boss. Tu le connais, “I don’t like it when you’re late. When I get to the store, I want you there at the door. Right there at the door.”
PAQUETTE
(at the door, pushing THIBAULT outside) Salut, Thibault. Salut, Thibault.
THIBAULT
Okay, salut.
Coming down the stairs, THIBAULT trips on the broken step and loses his cap.
TOM
(from below) Watch the step!
THIBAULT
Hey, that was a close one. Very close, that one.
THIBAULT exits on his bike.
PAQUETTE
(on his balcony) Cécile, est-ce que Diane veut un lift pour aller à l’école?
CÉCILE
(at the screen door) Diane?
DIANE
(from inside the house) Non.
PAQUETTE
Pourquoi faire?
DIANE
Parce que j’aime pas la manière qu’y chauffe son char.
CÉCILE
Elle a dit que …
PAQUETTE
J’suis pas sourd. Qu’elle s’arrange pas pour manquer ses cours, c’est moi qui les paye cet été.
DIANE
Inquiète-toi pas avec ça.
JOHNNY comes out on his balcony.
PAQUETTE
(to JOHNNY) Hey, people gotta sleep at night, eh?
JOHNNY
You talking to me?
PAQUETTE
(pointing to the wall) No, him. Hostie.
CÉCILE
Claude, j’pense que ce soir, je vais te faire des bonnes tourtières. Tu sais celles que t’aimes, celles du Lac Saint-Jean.
PAQUETTE
Encore des tourtières.
CÉCILE
Claude, t’aimes ça des tourtières.
PAQUETTE
Oui, j’aime ça des tourtières, mais pas tous les jours.
DIANE
(from inside the house) Maman, où sont mes souliers … mes talons hauts?
CÉCILE
J’n’sais pas. Où est-ce que tu les as mis hier soir?
She disappears into the house.
PAQUETTE
Cécile, j’m’en vas.
JOHNNY
Watch the step!
PAQUETTE
(coming down the stairs) C’est qui a encore laissé les vidanges en dessous des escaliers?
TOM
(from below) Not me.
PAQUETTE
It’s me who got the trouble with the landlord, eh?
CÉCILE comes running out on the balcony with PAQUETTE’s lunch bucket.
CÉCILE
Claude, Claude … T’as oublié ton lunch.
PAQUETTE
C’est l’affaire de Thibault … Pitch moi-la.
CÉCILE tosses him his lunch.
JOHNNY
Baloney sandwiches again, eh, Porky?
PAQUETTE exits. IRENE comes out on her balcony to take the underwear off the clothesline.
JOHNNY
What time is it, Irene?
IRENE
(looking at him) You look a wreck.
JOHNNY
You don’t look so hot yourself.
IRENE
You’re beginning to look like a boozer. Ya know that?
JOHNNY
Hey, all I want is the time.
DIANE comes out on the balcony carrying her school books.
DIANE
J’perds mon temps avec ce maudit cours stupide, surtout l’été.
CÉCILE
Diane, est-ce que tu vas venir souper?
DIANE
Peut-être.
CÉCILE goes back into her house. DIANE comes down the stairs. She is wearing shorts and high heels. JOHNNY and TOM both look at her.
JOHNNY
Hey, Diane, ya look like a flamingo in those things.
DIANE makes a face at him and exits down the lane.
IRENE
You like that, eh?
JOHNNY
Just looking.
IRENE
Well, no more meat and potatoes for you.
JOHNNY
Eh?
IRENE
You know what I mean.
JOHNNY
What?
IRENE goes back into the house.
JOHNNY
Fuck!
TOM
She’s mad, eh?
JOHNNY
Ya ask her for the time and she tells you how to make a watch.
He listens to TOM practising his guitar.
JOHNNY
Hey, softer on the strings. Strum them, don’t bang them.
TOM
(trying to strum) Like that?
JOHNNY
Yeah, sort of …
TOM
You used to play, eh?
JOHNNY
Yeah. Ever heard of “J.R. and the Falling Stars”?
TOM
No.
JOHNNY
You’re looking at “J.R.”
MURIEL comes out of her house carrying a bag of garbage.
MURIEL
(to TOM) What are you doing?
TOM
The UIC don’t open till nine o’clock.
MURIEL
Yeah, but there’s gonna be a lineup.
TOM
It’s a waste of time. They never get ya jobs anyhow.
MURIEL
Well, don’t think you’re gonna hang around here doing nothing.
TOM
Okay, okay. Ma, I need some bus fare and some money for lunch.
MURIEL
You can come home for lunch.
TOM
Ma …
MURIEL
I’m not giving you any money to bum around with.
TOM goes into the house with his guitar.
MURIEL
And you leave my purse alone in there, too.
TOM
(coming back out with her purse) Ma, I want my allowance.
MURIEL
What allowance? You don’t go to school no more.
TOM
I want my money.
MURIEL
Gimme that purse. Gimme that goddamn purse.
She snatches her purse away from TOM, opens it, and gives him some bus tickets.
MURIEL
That’s it … that’s all you get.
TOM
Fuck!
MURIEL
Don’t you swear at me. Don’t you ever swear at me.
TOM exits.
JOHNNY
(singing) “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go.”
MURIEL
(to JOHNNY) You’re not funny.
JOHNNY
You’re a little hard on the kid, aren’t ya, Muriel?
MURIEL
Yeah well, look what happened to you.
JOHNNY
Fuck! What’s with everybody today? Is it the heat or what?
He goes into his house. CÉCILE comes out on her balcony. She notices MURIEL’s wash hanging from the clothesline.
CÉCILE
It’s so nice to see that, madame.
MURIEL
See what?
CÉCILE
To see you put up the washing the right way. First the white clothes, then the dark ones. The young girls, they don’t care anymore.
MURIEL
Yeah well, why should they?
CÉCILE
Having children is not easy today? Eh?
MURIEL
Ah, they don’t know what’s good for them.
CÉCILE
Oui, I suppose.
MURIEL
When I was a kid, you just did what you were told and that was it.
CÉCILE
Yes, I remember that, too.
MURIEL
Everybody got along all right. Now, nobody knows their ass from their elbow.
CÉCILE
Elbow? … Yes …
THIBAULT enters on his bike again. He is looking for his cap.
CÉCILE
Allô, Thibault. Comment ça va?
THIBAULT
Ma casquette …
CÉCILE
Ta casquette?
THIBAULT
Ben oui, j’ai perdu ma casquette. Oh, elle est en bas.
He looks under the stairs and finds his cap.
J’veux pas la perdre. J’ai payé quatre dollars chez Kresge.
CÉCILE
Eh, Thibault, ton boss était pas trop fâché?
THIBAULT
Il a sacré un peu après moi, but so what, eh? Il est jamais content anyway. Qu’tu fasses n’importe quoi.
CÉCILE
C’est la vie, hein ça?
THIBAULT
Oh oui. C’est la vie. (He checks his transistor radio.) Hey, thirty-two degrees. That used to be cold. Now, it’s hot.
CÉCILE
Comment va ta mère? Est-ce qu’elle va toujours à Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs?
THIBAULT
Oh oui. Tous le jours. Mes frères sont tous partis, mais moi, j’suis toujours avec.
CÉCILE
C’est bien ça. Ta mère doit être contente.
THIBAULT
J’fais toute pour elle. Toute. Dans un an, elle va recevoir sa old-age pension et puis on va pouvoir s’payer un plus grand logement. On va déménager à Verdun.
CÉCILE
À Verdun. Ça va être bien ça. Thibault, ton boss.
THIBAULT
Oh oui. Mon boss. I better go now.
THIBAULT exits. MURIEL’s phone rings. She goes into her house to answer it. CÉCILE goes into her house.
MURIEL
(on the telephone) Yeah, hello … Who? … Bill, where the hell are ya? … On the docks … shipping out to Sault Ste. Marie … Are you coming back or what? … Don’t give me that crap. What’s her name, eh? … Yeah, I’m getting the cheques … Tom? No, he’s not here … Yeah … Yeah … Look, I’m busy … Bye. (She hangs up the telephone.) Christ, I wish I knew for sure.
IRENE and JOHNNY come out on their balcony. JOHNNY is sipping a cup of coffee. IRENE is wearing her waitress uniform. She is on her way to work.
IRENE
I want to talk to you when I get back, Johnny.
JOHNNY
Yeah, yeah. (sipping his coffee) Agh! What are you trying to do, poison me?
IRENE
I used brown sugar instead of white.
JOHNNY
Shit.
IRENE
It’s healthier for you … You going down to the UIC?
JOHNNY
Yeah.
IRENE
Today?
JOHNNY
Yeah, today.
IRENE starts to come down the stairs.
JOHNNY
Irene, what shift are you on?
IRENE
Ten to six this week.
JOHNNY
Why don’t you quit that fucking job? Get something else.
IRENE
(stopping) Like what?
JOHNNY
Like anything except a waitress.
IRENE continues down the stairs and exits down the lane.
JOHNNY
(shouting after her) Pick me up a carton of smokes, I’m sick of these rollies.
Blackout.
Scene 3
TOM and JOHNNY enter from the lane. JOHNNY is carrying a case of beer.
JOHNNY
I’m telling ya, they’re all fucking separatists at the UIC. If you’re English, you’re fucked.
TOM
The phones are always ringing and nobody ever answers them. Ever notice that?
JOHNNY
Too busy having coffee breaks. (He hands TOM a beer.) Unenjoyment Disappointment Office.
JOHNNY sits at the foot of the stairs. TOM leans on the railing.
TOM
Hey, I went down to Northern Electric. I figured I’ve been breathing in their smoke all my life, so the least they could do is give me a job. Didn’t get one … They’re automating.
MURIEL comes out of her house.
JOHNNY
Hi, Muriel.
MURIEL
(to TOM) What are you doing?
TOM
Standing up.
JOHNNY
Wanna brew, Muriel?
MURIEL
I told you to keep your goddamn beer to yourself. Tom, come here.
TOM
What?
MURIEL
Never mind what. Just come here. (TOM moves toward her.) So, did you go to that job interview?
TOM
Yeah.
MURIEL
So?
TOM
So the guy didn’t like me.
MURIEL
He didn’t like you? How come?
TOM
I dunno.
MURIEL
What do you mean, you dunno?
TOM
He wanted to send me to some stupid joe job way out in Park Extension. Minimum wage.
MURIEL
Since when can you afford to be fussy?
TOM
I’d have to get up at five in the morning.
MURIEL
There’s a lot of things I don’t like either, but I do them.
TOM
Well, I don’t.
MURIEL
Anyhow, your father phoned. He’s not coming home.
TOM
I don’t blame him.
MURIEL
What’s that?
TOM
Forget it.
MURIEL
Don’t you get into one of your moods, mister, ’cause I’ll give it to you right back.
MURIEL goes into her house.
TOM
Fuckin’ bitch!
JOHNNY
Hey, don’t worry about it.
TOM
Just ’cause she’s frustrated, don’t mean she’s gotta take it out on me.
JOHNNY
Let them scream, that’s what I do.
JOHNNY leaves TOM and starts up the stairs for his balcony. TOM goes into his house to get his guitar. CÉCILE comes out on her balcony with a handful of bread crumbs. She starts to feed the birds.
CÉCILE
Hi, Johnny.
JOHNNY
Hi, Cécile.
CÉCILE
Nice day, eh?
JOHNNY
Yeah, but it’s too hot.
CÉCILE
Oh yes, too hot.
She continues to feed the birds.
JOHNNY
Feeding your Air Force?
CÉCILE
My what?
JOHNNY
Your Air Force … Cécile’s Air Force.
CÉCILE
Ah oui. Air Force.
JOHNNY
Just kidding ya, Cécile.
He sits on his balcony with his beer.
CÉCILE
You just kidding me, eh, Johnny?
She throws some more bread crumbs over the railing. They fall on MURIEL as she comes out of her house carrying a basket of washing.
MURIEL
Jesus Murphy!
CÉCILE
Oh, excuse me, madame. Excuse me. Hello!
MURIEL
Yeah, hello …
CÉCILE
Aw, it’s so nice, eh?
MURIEL
What?
CÉCILE
The sun. It’s so nice.
MURIEL
Yeah, I guess it is.
CÉCILE
It’s so good for my plants.
JOHNNY
How are your tomatoes?
CÉCILE
My tomatoes? Very good. This year, I think I get some big ones. Last year, I don’t know what happened to them.
JOHNNY
The cat pissed on them.
CÉCILE
The what?
JOHNNY
The big tomcat that’s always hanging around with Muriel. He pissed on them.
CÉCILE
You think so?
JOHNNY
Sure.
CÉCILE sits on her balcony. TOM comes out of the house again and sits practising his guitar.
JOHNNY
(to TOM) Too heavy on the strings …
PAQUETTE enters carrying his lunch bucket. He is coming home from work.
JOHNNY
Hey, the working man!
PAQUETTE
Somebody has to work, eh?
He starts to climb the stairs. JOHNNY stops him.
JOHNNY
Have a brew here.
PAQUETTE
Okay.
He takes a pint from JOHNNY and sits down on JOHNNY’s balcony.
PAQUETTE
Hey, my car, it’s not working again. That goddamn carburetor … (to CÉCILE, on her balcony) Cécile … Hey, Cécile.
CÉCILE
Oui.
PAQUETTE
J’vas manger plus tard.
CÉCILE
Quoi?
PAQUETTE
(shouting at her) J’vas manger plus tard.
CÉCILE
Tu vas manger plus tard?
PAQUETTE
Oui, tabarnac!
CÉCILE
T’as pas besoin de sacrer, Claude.
PAQUETTE
C’est correct. As-tu appelé Chez Momo pour faire venir de la bière?
CÉCILE
Oui, Claude.
JOHNNY
Hot, eh? Can’t breathe in the fuckin’ house … Can’t sleep.
PAQUETTE
Hey, don’t talk about it. Today in work one guy, he faints.
JOHNNY
Oh yeah?
PAQUETTE
No, the bosses say there’s some energy crisis or something, so they stop the air conditioning in the factory, eh? Not in the office, of course.
JOHNNY
Tell the union.
PAQUETTE
Hey, the union. It’s too hot to laugh, câlice.
JOHNNY
Another fire last night, eh?
PAQUETTE
Ah oui. What street?
JOHNNY
On Liverpool.
PAQUETTE
Liverpool encore. Tabarnac.
JOHNNY
Fuckin’ firebugs, man. This block is gonna go up for sure.
PAQUETTE
Oui, that’s for sure.
JOHNNY
Soon as I get my cheque, I’m gonna pull off a midnight move. Fuck this shit!
PAQUETTE
Oui, midnight move, for sure. Hey, just like the Arsenaults en bas. Fuck the landlords! It’s the best way.
JOHNNY
Yeah … Whew, hot. Going anywhere this summer?
PAQUETTE
Moi? Balconville.
JOHNNY
Yeah. Miami Bench.
THIBAULT wheels in on his Chez Momo’s delivery bike.
THIBAULT
Chez Momo’s is here.
JOHNNY
Hey, Thibault T-bone.
TOM
Hey, ya fixed the flat?
THIBAULT gets off his bike. He takes a case of beer from the bike.
THIBAULT
Oui. Hey me, I know the bike, eh? I know what to do.
JOHNNY
Hey, T-bone.
THIBAULT
Chez Momo’s is here.
Coming up the stairs, he trips on the broken step.
JOHNNY
Watch the step!
PAQUETTE
Watch the beer!
JOHNNY
You okay?
THIBAULT
Me? I’m okay. But my leg, I don’t know.
PAQUETTE
Why don’t you read the sign?
THIBAULT
Eh?
PAQUETTE
The sign …
THIBAULT reads the sign on the balcony. It reads, “Prenez garde.”
THIBAULT
Prenez garde. Okay, prenez garde. So what? Tiens, ta bière.
He puts the case of beer down next to PAQUETTE, who gives him some money for the beer.
PAQUETTE
As-tu fini pour à soir?
THIBAULT
Oui, fini. C’est mon dernier voyage. (shaking the change in his pocket) Hey, des tips.
JOHNNY
Had a good day, eh?
THIBAULT
Hey, Johnny. Johnny B. Good. Long time no see, like they say.
JOHNNY
Yeah.
THIBAULT
Bye-bye, Johnny B. Good. You remember that?
JOHNNY
Remember what?
THIBAULT
Hey, there in the park, when they used to have the dances. You used to sing all the time like Elvis. (He does an imitation of Elvis.) Tutti-frutti, bop-bop-aloo, bop-a-bop, bam-boom. Like that, in the park.
JOHNNY
Yeah, yeah.
THIBAULT
C’était le fun. Me, I like that, but the girls grew up. They got old. You, too. Paquette, too. He’s so fat now. Very fat.
PAQUETTE
Hey, hey.
JOHNNY
You remember all that shit?
THIBAULT
Me? Sure. I remember everything. Everything. Everybody forgets but me. I don’t. It’s funny, that, eh?
JOHNNY
Yeah.
THIBAULT
But you, you don’t sing no more.
JOHNNY
No, I don’t sing no more.
THIBAULT
Well, everybody gets old. It’s funny, I watch it all change, but it’s still the same thing … I don’t know. So what, eh?
PAQUETTE takes THIBAULT’s nude magazine out of his back pocket and flips through it.
PAQUETTE
Hey, Thibault. You have a girlfriend?
THIBAULT
Me? Sure. I got two of them. Deux.
PAQUETTE
Deux?
THIBAULT
(taking back his magazine) Sure. I got one on Coleraine and the other one, she lives on Hibernia. Two girls. It’s tough. (He comes down the stairs.) English, too. That surprise me. English, they do it, too.
THIBAULT exits on his bike. PAQUETTE takes his beer and moves over to his balcony.
JOHNNY
(pointing to his head, referring to THIBAULT) The lights are on, but nobody’s home.
PAQUETTE
He might as well be crazy, eh? It helps.
JOHNNY
Thinking’s no good, man. I wish I could have half my brain removed. Boom! No more troubles. Just like Thibault.
CÉCILE
Pauvre homme. He was such a good boy when he was young. Remember?
PAQUETTE
It’s easy to be good when you’re young.
CÉCILE
He should have become a priest.
PAQUETTE
Cécile, nobody becomes a priest anymore.
He bumps into one of CÉCILE’s plants.
CÉCILE
Claude, fais attention à mes plantes!
PAQUETTE
Toi, pis tes câlices de plantes. Y’en a partout sur le balcon.
IRENE enters. She is wearing her waitress uniform, coming home from work. She stops at MURIEL’s house.
