Better Places to Go (2 page)

RICARDO. I’m serious. I think we should go home.

ROSIE. There
ain’t nothing to go home to, except a complaining old woman and her tired bones that creak whenever she opens her big mouth and talks a bunch of nonsense about aliens. I’d rather stay here and wait.

RICARDO. What are you waiting for?

ROSIE. For the second coming of Christ, asshole. I told you, I have plans tonight. God, don’t you ever listen to me?
(She starts to paint her nails again.)

RICARDO. But if the weather gets bad, they could close the roads. We could get stuck here –

ROSIE. What difference does it make? We’re already stuck.

JUDY. I can’t leave. What if he comes back to get me and I’m not here?

RICARDO. You could leave him a note.

ROSIE: The fucker probably can’t even read.
(Beat.)
Was he a Mexican, Judy?

JUDY.
(Thinks about it, then:)
No. It’s too risky. I’ll stay.

RICARDO. Rosie, come help me tape up the windows out back.

ROSIE. What do I look like, a janitor? You tape ‘em. I’m doing my nails.

RICARDO. I’m not doing all this work by myself.
(He exits.
)

ROSIE.
Fine.
(She follows him.)

JUDY.
(She stands up, goes to the radio and turns up the volume. She begins to sing along with the song and begins to dance slowly and softly, swaying with her imagined lover.)
  You’re a wonderful dancer. Very smooth and graceful.
(She closes her eyes, lost in her fantasy.)

DEREK.
(He enters somewhat quietly, carrying a backpack. He is young, slightly effeminate. His presence is enigmatic and he is unintentionally charming. Judy is unaware of his presence. He stands and watches her dance, almost transfixed by her movements. Suddenly, he goes to her, grabbing both of her arms and startling her. He tries to dance with her but for Judy, the moment is ruined. She shoves Derek away and goes and stands near a corner of the diner, her back turned to him.)
  What’s the matter, Judy? You looked like you needed a partner.

JUDY. I don’t need anything from you. Just leave me be.

DEREK. Still waiting for your truck driver man?

JUDY. My relations are of no concern to you.

DEREK.
(He goes to each table, stealing packets of sugar. He shoves most of them into his pockets. Some, he rips open and swallows the sugar from. Derek is manic and suffers from a constant state of restlessness. His movements are quick and nervous and his body seems agitated from its constant use.)
  Suit yourself. I thought we were friends.

JUDY.  No offense, but I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. People will say things about me if I associate with you. I hope you can understand that, Derek.

DEREK. I’ve never done you wrong.
(He empties and swallows another sugar packet. Rosie enters, eating a doughnut. Immediately, she is angry. To Rosie:)
Don’t start with me.

ROSIE. Give those back to me.

DEREK. They’re only sugar packets, Rosie. Geez.

ROSIE. I want ‘
em back.  

DEREK. I haven’t eaten all day.

JUDY. Have some sympathy, Rosie. His sister threw him out.

ROSIE. Because Britney’s embarrassed to be related to a freak. 
(She smacks Derek in the head. A chase begins.)

DEREK. Where’s Ricardo?

ROSIE. Give me the sugar packets and I’ll tell you.

DEREK. I don’t have to do what you say.

ROSIE. Oh, the hell you don’t.

DEREK. I won’t give ‘
em to you. The only reason why I took ‘em was because I was hungry.

ROSIE. You lie. You do it every time you come in here and then I have to put more sugar packets out because you eat them all. 

DEREK. I’m not the only liar here. Ricardo says you lie all the time. He says every time you open your big, fat, lazy mouth – you lie.

RICARDO.
(He enters.)
  Derek?

DEREK. Make her stop! I didn’t do anything!

ROSIE. He’s eating up all the sugar packets in this place and I am not restocking them.

RICARDO. I’ll handle it.

ROSIE. You’re always sticking up for him. Protecting him like he’s some kind of retard.

RICARDO. I said I’ll handle it. Go in the kitchen and wash up the dishes. We need to get out of here soon.

ROSIE. I am sick and tired of going in to the kitchen.
(She exits.)

JUDY.
(She turns the radio back on and a beautiful song can be heard, faintly. She turns and looks out the front door.)
Sweet Jesus, I think he’s here. Ricardo, there’s a truck. Is it his? Is it his? I told you he’d come back for me.

RICARDO. Judy, wait. The storm is –

(Judy rushes out the front door. Derek takes a sugar packet out of his pocket, opens it and eats the sugar.)

DEREK. Rosie hates me.

RICARDO. Rosie hates everyone.

DEREK. I only took the sugar packets because I was hungry.

RICARDO. Derek, did you take your sister’s gun?

DEREK. I don’t wanna talk about that.

RICARDO. She called me. Britney said it was missing. Did you take it?

DEREK. No. It doesn’t matter.

RICARDO. Did you get rid of it?

DEREK. I put her gun away, someplace safe. That way it can’t hurt anyone.

RICARDO. You shouldn’t be here.

DEREK. I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, I promised you –

RICARDO. I know what you promised me. I just didn’t think you were serious.

DEREK. Of course I was serious. Look, look.
(He goes to his backpack and opens it carefully. He pulls out two bus tickets.)
  I bought them just like I told you I would. Two bus tickets to San Diego. The bus leaves at ten-thirty. We can finally go. Just like we talked about. And see – 
(He pulls out a road map and unfolds it.)
  I even got a map so we can see all of the places that were gonna go. Isn’t it nice? All these cities and places and rivers and lakes and just imagine what the people will be like. God, it’s hard to breathe just thinking about it. I’ve waited so long for this –

RICARDO. You bought tickets?

DEREK. Two of them. One for you and one for –

RICARDO. Where did you get the money for bus tickets?

DEREK. It doesn’t matter. We needed it and I got it. You’re my best friend and we want to leave together and you said all that we needed was money and I got it and I bought the tickets and I’m ready to go now. Tonight at ten-thirty.

RICARDO. Did you sell your mother’s ring?

DEREK.
(Beat.)
I had to.

RICARDO. Damn it, why? Why did you do that?

DEREK. Because I want to go –

RICARDO. No. Derek, we can’t.

DEREK. I sold it and I bought the tickets and I packed a few things. Britney said it was a good thing I had enough sense to leave because she wanted me out. She said the sight of me made her sick. She said I was a filthy, disgusting person and that you and I deserve what we get because we’re in love with each other.

RICARDO.
(Panics.)
You told your sister?!

DEREK.
(Afraid:)
No, no. You told me to never tell anyone and I haven’t. I swear to God, I haven’t told a soul.

RICARDO. There’s nothing to tell. Remember that, Derek.

DEREK. They all think we’re best friends, just like you wanted.

RICARDO. We are friends.

DEREK. But what about the other stuff?

RICARDO.
(Beat.)
I didn’t mean for it to go that far.

DEREK. But we liked it.

RICARDO. I know. That’s my problem.

DEREK. It wasn’t your fault. I kissed you first.

RICARDO.
(Beat.)
Everything was easier when stuff was simpler between us.
(Beat.)
I’ve never done this sort of thing, Derek.

DEREK. Yeah, neither have I.

RICARDO.
(Awkward:)
I don’t know if I’m the way you want me to be.

DEREK. Maybe you aren’t that way with other people, only with me.

RICARDO. Yeah, maybe.

DEREK. Is it true what my sister said?

RICARDO. What do you mean?

DEREK. Are we in love with each other?

RICARDO. Yeah…sure…I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Derek. Do you understand that?

DEREK. But I thought –

RICARDO. Rosie thinks you and I are...together.

DEREK. Then maybe she’s the one who told my sister.

RICARDO. Do you think someone saw us, Derek? At the lake that night?

DEREK. I don’t care if they did.

RICARDO. Well, I do. If my family thinks me and you are -

DEREK. Ricardo, I’m hungry. Can you make me something? I spent all my money and I haven’t eaten since yesterday.

RICARDO. I wish you wouldn’t have bought bus tickets. Maybe it’s not too late –

DEREK.
For what?

RICARDO. To get your mother’s ring back.

DEREK. But she wanted me to go. She told me so. She said I was special and that I was gonna meet someone else who was just as special and someday I would leave this place. And then, after she died, I met you. And I finally had someone else to talk to. That’s probably why I like you, because you’re nice and you listen to me and I know that’s a tough thing to do because sometimes I don’t make much sense –

RICARDO.
(Softens:)
You make perfect sense to me.

DEREK. When you started working here, everyone was being mean to me and you made them stop. You stuck up for me, Ricardo.

RICARDO. I didn’t do anything special.

DEREK. You did, you did. No one has ever looked out for me like you.

RICARDO. It wasn’t fair…what they were saying and doing to you.

DEREK. Sometimes, it hurts me – all the stuff in my head. I can’t turn it off. I want it to stop. All the thoughts and the words and the little bits and pieces that keep going over and over – it makes me crazy. I really thought I was crazy until I met you. I was very, very lonely and I don’t feel embarrassed about telling you that, because I know you understand me.
(Beat.)
This song on the radio is very beautiful. Don’t you think?

RICARDO. It’s one of my favorites.

DEREK. It makes me want to kiss you.

RICARDO. Don’t do that.

DEREK. Why not?

RICARDO. Not here.  Not now.

DEREK. Are you mad? About the ring and the gun?

RICARDO. I didn’t know you were going to buy bus tickets.

DEREK. Yesterday, some boys threw rocks at me and I hid underneath a car so that they couldn’t get me.

RICARDO. Derek, I’m scared. I’ve screwed things up for you.

DEREK. No, you didn’t.

RICARDO. Listen, when you and I first met, I felt sorry for you. I knew you needed a friend.

DEREK. I have to go. I’ll go to the bus depot and I’ll sit there and I’ll wait. You can bring me some food in a little while and then at ten-thirty we can – 
(He grabs his backpack, as if to leave. Ricardo suddenly reaches for him, to calm him down.)
You’re mad at me because of the tickets.

RICARDO. I’m not mad.

DEREK. You didn’t want to kiss me.

RICARDO.
(Frustrated:)
Derek, I don’t know what I want. Can’t you understand that?

DEREK. I only did what you said. It was a beautiful ring.
(Beat.)
Maybe it will lead us to heaven.

RICARDO. What if it doesn’t? None of this is easy.

DEREK. It’s killing me. Not being able to be with you. I’d rather let them shoot me dead and murder me than to go another day of my life without being with you.
(Beat.)
I know you wanted us to wait a little bit before we finally left. But I can’t wait anymore. I swear to God, I’ll die. I’ll go crazy.
(Beat.)
Maybe I already have. You’re the only person in this entire world who cares about me. We can do this. We can get on that bus tonight at ten-thirty and we can leave Grand Island and we don’t ever have to come back. And in a couple of days, we’ll be in San Diego. We can walk on the beach and we can put our feet in the water and we can laugh in the sun and we can be together. I want that more than anything.
(Beat.)
I hate this place. I hate everyone here because they all hate me. And I don’t ever want them to hate you. So if we leave tonight, we can get away from here before they turn on you like they’ve turned against me. And I’ll be good there. I promise. I’ll take the medication and I’ll try to stop the noise in my head, once and for all. And I’ll work really hard and I’ll do whatever I have to. But if we stay here…My heart can’t take it no more, Ricardo. I lay awake at night and I listen to Britney and Nathan beat the hell out of each other and I close my eyes and I pretend you’re there with me and you’re holding me and I feel safe. I feel loved. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
(Beat.)
Please. Let’s go. Tonight. If we do, I know I’ll still be alive when dawn breaks.