Читать книгу A Line in the Sand - Guillermo Verdecchia - Страница 8
ОглавлениеAct One
Scene One
MERCER is alone in the sand. His gun is out of reach. He splashes water from a canteen onto his face. SADIQ enters.
SADIQ:
Hey.
Mister. Man.
Hey. Military man.
MERCER stops.
MERCER:
Paul James Mercer. Private. 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. I am serving with the multinational coalition—
SADIQ:
It is OK. I have no gun.
MERCER:
Who are you?
SADIQ:
No one. I come in peace.
SADIQ sets his large nylon bag down and MERCER grabs his gun.
MERCER:
Get your fucking hands in the air!
SADIQ:
Please, please, it is OK—
MERCER:
I said, get ’em in the air!
SADIQ:
Don’t shoot!
MERCER:
Shut up! Who the fuck are you?
SADIQ:
Mohammed Sadiq Hamid. Not soldier—Palestinian. Look, look, nice, nice, no gun, no gun …
MERCER:
You’re trespassing. This is a militarized zone under the jurisdiction of the United Nations.
SADIQ:
No soldiers here. Only water and sand.
MERCER:
It’s close enough.
SADIQ:
As you say.
MERCER:
So fuck off.
SADIQ:
Please, just small moment … It’s OK, I got what you want.
MERCER:
Why’s your English so good?
SADIQ:
I study extra in school.
MERCER:
What for?
SADIQ:
My uncle in City of Kansas. Owns many homes. Soon I will go. To America.
MERCER:
You Palestinians are the guys we’re supposed to watch out for. Might try to car bomb our air base.
SADIQ:
Not me, Military Man. I don’t care about that.
MERCER:
You part of the uprising, that—uh—in-ti-faggot thing?
SADIQ:
Intifada.
MERCER:
Whatever the hell it’s called.
SADIQ:
That is West Bank, Israel. Is one thousand kilometre from here.
MERCER:
Saddam is going to get his ass kicked, you know.
SADIQ:
You are right. Big tough American soldier like you—must win for sure—
MERCER:
I’m not American, kid, I’m Canadian.
SADIQ:
Oh. Canadian. Yes! The peacekeepers. Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques. Dormez-vous … They teach us this song in school …
MERCER:
Oh, yeah.
SADIQ:
Oui. It is big part of your culture, yes? You speak French, yes?
MERCER:
No, I’m from Vancouver.
SADIQ:
I could not live like that, all the snow … I like sun—get dark in the Canada for eight months in year, yes?
MERCER:
No.
SADIQ:
You lying. I know, we learn all about the Canada. Special textbook donated from your government. We look in book and laugh at clothes you people wear. You cut big bear open and climb inside.
Your skin is like snow, Canada. Maybe you going to melt.
So tell me, what would you like. I got much for sell to Canadian soldier.
MERCER:
Like what?
SADIQ:
(cautiously pulls photographs from his bag) Pictures, photograph, look at this.
MERCER:
(Relaxes, finally puts gun down) Holy shit.
SADIQ:
Good hey? Very popular with American soldier. Good for Canadian, too huh. And this.
MERCER:
Fuck—where do you get this?
SADIQ:
My boss, Salim. He is big merchant, buy from Americans in Cairo. They sell to US Army. For men on base. Is good for Canada too, hey. You like?
MERCER:
Fuck, this heat.
SADIQ:
It’s OK, Vancouver?
MERCER:
Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.
SADIQ:
(Hands MERCER water bottle) Here.
MERCER:
Fucking desert. Fucking sun.
SADIQ:
Very good price.
MERCER:
How much you want?
SADIQ:
How many?
MERCER:
Just the ones I saw—
SADIQ:
Twenty dollars.
MERCER:
All right.
Here.
They exchange.
SADIQ:
What is this? This purple, with bird eating fish. Is no good.
MERCER:
It’s two ten dollar bills. Twenty bucks.
SADIQ:
Ha. You can’t fool me, Vancouver. I must go to City of Kansas. Need hard money to get there.
MERCER:
That’s as hard as you’re going to get. Canadian dollars.
SADIQ:
Is no good to me.
MERCER:
Why the fuck not?
SADIQ:
Salim, my boss, he say everything must be American dollars. When I start, I sell cigar to skinny black soldier for Bangladeshi dollar, Salim just laugh. Make me pay.
MERCER:
Well, Canada’s not fucking Bangladesh, pal.
SADIQ:
Very big price—from Cuba.
MERCER:
I’ll give you forty. It’s worth like thirty-five US.
SADIQ:
Now we talk turkey.
MERCER:
Right on, brother.
SADIQ:
You want more? Different? I have cigar, cigarettes. Marlboro. American Camel.
MERCER:
Don’t smoke.
SADIQ:
Radio? I have radio.
MERCER:
Got one.
SADIQ:
CD. Michael Jackson.
MERCER:
No.
SADIQ:
Tape for video—Madonna. “Like a Virgin”. Nice shirt, blue jean from Guess, what you want, I can get.
MERCER:
I got everything I need on the base.
SADIQ:
Canada Dry One.
MERCER:
How’d you know that?
SADIQ:
I know many things.
MERCER:
Right. You staying here?
SADIQ:
No, I go to Kansas.
MERCER:
I mean here, the beach. You staying?
SADIQ:
You want I should stay?
MERCER:
No, I want you should go.
SADIQ:
This beach private of GI Vancouver?
MERCER:
Look, nothing personal. I’m just getting a little bored. This is my time off.
SADIQ:
Is OK, I have work to do. You want more picture you know where to find.
Scene Two
SADIQ:
Welcome back, Canada Dry One.
MERCER:
How’s it going?
SADIQ:
Special today—(holds up perfume bottle) Obsession. Very nice for send to girlfriend.
MERCER:
No, thanks …
SADIQ:
Yes, you very smart. Not real Obsession, is only from Cairo.
Pause.
You want more picture? Very expensive. More than before.
MERCER:
Right.
SADIQ:
For you, I get real good. Best price.
MERCER:
Yeah? Let’s see.
SADIQ pulls out photographs. MERCER studies them intently as SADIQ shows him each one.
No. No. No. Yes. No. No. Yes. (Beat)
This woman—she looks dead.
SADIQ:
Pretend. Acting.
MERCER:
How do you know?
SADIQ:
Salim, my boss, he say no one gets hurt.
MERCER:
Better than the real thing, eh?
SADIQ:
I do not understand.
MERCER:
Just a joke, kid. How much for the three?
SADIQ:
One hundred US dollars.
MERCER:
Forget it, man.
SADIQ:
What you say, boss. (he begins to put photographs away)
MERCER:
I’ll give you fifty. Canadian.
SADIQ:
Purple fish? For beg and steal from Salim? Then I never go to Kansas.
MERCER:
Seventy-five.
SADIQ:
Ho, for you, OK. Seven five.
MERCER:
Special offer, huh?
SADIQ:
What?
MERCER:
You’re giving me a deal, eh?
SADIQ:
What is your name?
MERCER:
Mercer.
SADIQ:
Mercer. I am Sadiq.
MERCER:
Sadiq?
SADIQ:
Sadiq. Yes, we make deal. Seven five purple fish.
MERCER:
Here, Sadiq.
Hands SADIQ money.
SADIQ:
Look, I have nice envelope for picture. Customer is always right.
MERCER:
Yeah.
Pause.
MERCER:
What are you doing?
SADIQ:
Look at water. Beautiful.
My brother is over there (he points). In West Bank. I not see since I am twelve. You have brother?
MERCER:
How old are you?
SADIQ:
Sixteen.
MERCER:
Sixteen, huh?
SADIQ:
And you?
MERCER:
I’m twenty.
SADIQ:
I am seventeen very soon. One—two month. You skinny to be soldier.
MERCER:
What?
SADIQ:
You very skinny. Americans soldier much more, you know, with beef. Canadian soldier is much less beef, yes?
MERCER:
Well, I don’t know if skinny is the word I’d use but—we’re not all the same, you know.
SADIQ:
You—different. How you different?
MERCER:
I don’t know.
I went to university.
SADIQ:
I do not understand.
MERCER:
Most of these guys, they join up ’cause they got nothing else. Or they want a free education. Not me.
SADIQ:
Why you join?
MERCER:
I wanted to get my shit together. I was at Queen’s University. What a fucking waste of time.
SADIQ:
School. Puh. School is no good.
MERCER:
You’re telling me.
SADIQ:
My brother real good in school. Always top. Now he is in prison.
MERCER:
Oh yeah?
SADIQ:
Here I learn real life. But my father, he know I not go to school, he would break my throat.
MERCER:
Fuck. When I quit school and joined up, my father freaked.
SADIQ:
Freak?
MERCER:
He got really angry.
SADIQ:
For why?
MERCER:
He’s a government big-shot. Makes him look bad, his son’s a stupid soldier.
SADIQ:
Yes. You like me.
MERCER:
What?
SADIQ:
You … like … me.
MERCER:
No I don’t.
SADIQ:
No, I say, “You like me.”
MERCER:
I don’t even know you.
SADIQ:
No, no. Like me. For angry father you join army—come to Qatar. Me also. Work for Salim and go to Kansas.
MERCER:
No. I didn’t join because of him.
SADIQ:
Then why you join?
MERCER:
I told you. I wanted discipline.
A few months ago there was this thing that happened in Canada with our Indians, they blockaded this town—I watched it on TV at our base in Germany. This soldier—some stupid private—standing at the barricade while this Indian’s calling him the worst kind of shit. Guy’s spit landing right in his face—soldier didn’t move a muscle, not even a twitch. Two inches away, injun’s screaming, calling him goof, fuck-wad, cocksucker—
But nothing could touch that guy. That’s why I joined.
SADIQ:
Why Indian so for angry?
MERCER:
Oh, fuck, I don’t know. It was some fucking golf course they wanted or something.
SADIQ:
And mother? She afraid you go to war—be shoot and killed?
MERCER:
Fuck off.
SADIQ:
Why you anger Vancouver? The heat not good to you. You should go slow. Rest. Stay in base.
MERCER:
You should fuck off.
SADIQ:
I go. You want more picture. I come back three days.
MERCER:
I won’t be here so don’t fucking bother.
Scene Three
SADIQ:
You say you will not come back.
MERCER:
Changed my mind. OK?
SADIQ:
OK.
MERCER:
Look, I’m sorry I weirded out on you last time.
SADIQ:
I have pictures. I have made selection.
MERCER:
Oh yeah?
SADIQ:
Yes. (shows MERCER pictures)
MERCER:
Fuck.
SADIQ:
You soldiers stay here a while, I make it to Kansas City no time. Flash. 6 months.
MERCER:
Must be your personal stash.
SADIQ:
I do not understand.
MERCER:
Ah, c’mon, don’t tell me you don’t sneak a quick pull over these in the back of your boss’ tent.
SADIQ:
I not look at picture. They are not for me.
MERCER:
I can’t get ’em out of my head. During exercises, on watch—I get up in the middle of the night, sneak ’em out of my tent in my shirt. I go to the fucking latrine for Christ’s sake.
I haven’t seen my girlfriend in a long fucking time. Based in Germany. But these pictures, they’re something else.
SADIQ:
Top quality.
MERCER:
How much for these?
SADIQ:
Today, for you—fifty purple fish.
MERCER:
Deal.
SADIQ:
Deal.
MERCER:
Listen, these are way better than what we can get on the base. It’s all Playboy and lacy shit. I’ll meet you here once a week and buy the hardest stuff you can get your hands on.
SADIQ:
You buy every week?
MERCER:
Yeah.
SADIQ:
Yes, this is good, Mercer.
MERCER:
Good. It’s a deal then.
SADIQ:
Deal.
MERCER:
Great.
SADIQ:
Very good.
You are not so white today. Gold, like the sun. Look. I am so brown. Your nose straight. And your hair. Harrison Ford.
One time I go to the hair cutter in my neighborhood, in Doha. Stupid ass. Say I want him to make my hair straight. Like movie star I tell him. I have money. I will pay you to do it. I know it is possible. I read about it in magazines. But he laugh at me, says, Sadiq, you always want to be somebody else. You should know, he says, all the other boys, they laugh at you, so worried about how you look, talking about America and movie stars. I do that to your hair, your father, he would kill me. He will say I am traitor to the Arabs, to Palestine, make people not go to my store.
MERCER:
Here.
Hands SADIQ money.
SADIQ:
More purple fish?
MERCER:
Don’t tell anyone. Other soldiers.
SADIQ:
What?
MERCER:
About this. What I told you before. Everything.
SADIQ:
Yes. (he pockets money) We have secret.
Scene Four
SADIQ:
My Uncle and his wife, when they get to America, right away, they change their names. Here, they Souad and Maher Moussa, but there, no, they Sue and Mike Marshall. He play baseball. In big league.
MERCER:
Your uncle plays pro ball?
SADIQ:
Yes?
MERCER:
Your uncle—he plays professional baseball?
SADIQ:
Oh, no. Mike Marshall play baseball. Pitcher for twins of Min-e-soda. My uncle, Maher, he name himself for Mike Marshall. And Souad, she wanted to name Talullah, like Tallulah Bankhead, star from movie. But Maher is big guy, say to Souad—Mike Marshall wife name Sue Marshall, good for her, good for you, too.
Many years Uncle Mike work very hard for rich American serving dinner in hotel restaurant. Souad clean room. They save all their money, buy house in bad part of city. Then they rent to black people. Make more money and buy more house. Keep going until Maher, he is Mike, rich guy in Kansas. Salim, he promise I make enough selling to soldiers during the war, he will send me to Uncle in America. He will make sure.
MERCER:
Sadiq.
SADIQ’s turns to face MERCER. MERCER takes photograph.
SADIQ:
You have camera.
MERCER:
I do.
SADIQ:
Why?
MERCER:
To take pictures. You know.
SADIQ:
Of?
MERCER:
Everything. The desert.
SADIQ:
You have flash build in?
MERCER:
No.
SADIQ:
Is no good. Salim, my boss—
MERCER:
I know he’s your boss, you say that every time you say his fucking name.
SADIQ:
Salim, he have small camera, like this. Excellent picture. Flash build in. Motor for film. All automatic.
MERCER:
Those are just for snap shots. They’re toys.
SADIQ:
Take good picture. I see them. Good colours bright. Flash for inside.
MERCER:
This camera lets me control everything. Shutter speed, aperture. Those little ones—say you’re backlit right? You’re in front of a window and there’s a lot of light streaming in. Well, with those little ones the camera gets confused and underexposes your face. It comes out in shadow.
SADIQ:
No, he have flash build in.
MERCER:
Right.
SADIQ:
Is good camera. Take good pictures.
MERCER:
Well, this one takes better pictures. Trust me.
SADIQ:
OK. I trust you.
Here. Take picture of me.
SADIQ begins to pose; MERCER takes photographs. SADIQ’s poses are based on magazine images, impersonating models, movie stars etc. He takes off his shirt for the last pose or two.
MERCER:
I should get going.
SADIQ:
You go back to base?
MERCER:
Yeah. So …
SADIQ:
Here. (gives MERCER envelope)
MERCER:
Great. And this for you. (pays him) All right, I’m outta here. See you in a week.
SADIQ:
Wait, Mercer.
You must go back now?
MERCER:
Yeah, I got work to do. I’m not on holiday, you know.
SADIQ:
For you. (offers MERCER another envelope)
MERCER:
What? What’s this?
SADIQ:
For you. Extra.
MERCER:
I haven’t got any more money.
SADIQ:
No. Just for you. Free. A gift. Today, I do very good, sell much. I make you a gift.
MERCER:
You sure?
SADIQ:
Yes.
MERCER:
What’s the catch?
SADIQ:
I do not understand.
MERCER:
What do you want in return? What’s the catch?
SADIQ:
No. Gift. To you. From Sadiq.
MERCER:
Why?
SADIQ:
What why? You understand gift Vancouver?
MERCER:
Yes. I know what a gift is.
SADIQ:
OK.
MERCER:
Why?
SADIQ:
Why not?
MERCER:
(accepts second envelope) All right.
SADIQ:
Stay a little.
MERCER:
And do what?
SADIQ:
Tell me of America.
MERCER:
I gotta go. I’ll see you in a week.
Scene Five
SADIQ:
(sings) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Had a very tiny nose. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.
We see on TV with Salim.
Merry Christmas, Mercer.
MERCER:
It’s not ’til next week.
Pause.
SADIQ:
Tell me about base. Canada Dry One.
MERCER:
What about it?
SADIQ:
What you do.
MERCER:
Sweet dick.
SADIQ:
Sweet?
MERCER:
Nothing. It’s totally boring.
SADIQ:
You lying. Top secret. I see jeeps, many soldiers run, planes. You practice?
MERCER:
Yeah, we practice, neutralize fucking sand dunes. Broman’s always cooking up some stupid little exercise to keep us busy. Now that everything’s all set up there’s nothing to do.
SADIQ:
Nothing?
A pause, MERCER watches the waves.
SADIQ:
On base you have telephone?
MERCER:
Yeah, of course. We have lots of phones.
SADIQ:
In America, everyone have two telephones in house. In cars too. My family, never a telephone.
MERCER:
Oh well.
SADIQ:
Tell me about America.
MERCER:
Shit, Sadiq. Just shut up for a minute.
SADIQ:
Tell only a little.
MERCER:
I’m not American.
SADIQ:
But still you know. Tell me.
MERCER:
OK. First, it’s not what you think. It ain’t like TV.
SADIQ:
Salim, my boss, he have CNN. We see all sides about America.
MERCER:
Yeah, well, don’t believe everything you see. This place you think you’re going, it’s not real, it’s in your head. Your uncle Mike, I don’t know what he told you.
SADIQ:
Uncle Mike say any person work hard in America they can be rich. Like him.
MERCER:
Fuck that shit. The guys in my regiment, most of their families got nothing. On welfare or farmers working their asses off. Everybody’s got guns in the States, they’re fucking maniacs. In Canada we got health care. In the States, you’re poor and you have a heart attack, they don’t fucking care, they’ll turn you away from the hospital.
SADIQ:
My Uncle Mike, he say only lazy people are poor in America. If you work you can be rich.
MERCER:
What’s this thing with being rich? Money doesn’t help, you know. You think that having two TVs is going to do anything for you? Having a car, two cars, big cars, a big house, lots of telephones, you think that’s gonna solve your problems? No way Jose. Let me tell you.
SADIQ:
I want to be rich.
Beat.
Everybody want to be rich.
MERCER:
Not everybody.
SADIQ:
You know hungry. Yes? You know hungry? No. Look at my shoes, Vancouver. Two years, same shoes. My father, he always moving, work different country, dream of his homeland. Little money he make he give away. To PLO. Stupid poor man work for rich fat man. All I remember, poor, hungry, the same the same the same. I want more. There is more to live.
MERCER:
OK, OK, whatever.
SADIQ:
I work make dream come true. I quit school. I will go. You rich, Vancouver. You not know work. You know nothing. You are a child.
MERCER:
Hey, I work, asshole. You don’t know shit about me or what I’ve done. You’re the child around here.
SADIQ:
Is true. Little baby.
Silence.
SADIQ:
Mercer—I get angry, no reason. Sorry.
MERCER:
Stop fucking touching me. You’re always touching me.
SADIQ:
I apologize. I do not want anger to you.
A pause.
My father this morning, he find hashish I have for to sell. He learn I not go to school. He shout and shout at me. I say nothing. He is a fool. I am angry to him not to you.
MERCER:
That’s a total sob story. My heart bleeds.
SADIQ:
You forgive?
MERCER:
Massage my feet.
SADIQ:
Rub feet? Yes? I know how to good. I do for my sister. Her, how you say, blood … too close?
MERCER:
Don’t talk.
A silence.
SADIQ:
I apologize?
Is good rub?
MERCER:
Give me the pictures.
SADIQ gives MERCER envelope with pictures. Continues rubbing his foot. MERCER looks at pictures.
SADIQ:
Is good rub?
You should see my father, Mercer. His hands are black from oil. And the smell.
There are four hundred thousand people here in Qatar. Three hundred thousand like my father—idiot foreigner work to make oil men rich. Before they find oil here, these rich men, you know what they do? Dive for pearls. Yes. Jump off old boats, swim and dig and hold their breath until they go blue. Every day, up and down, up and down, dig, swim, dig, swim. But now they are rich.
