November Playwrighting Nov 7: Night and Day scene

 

                Setting text: Night a man and a woman talking on walkie-talkies outside a house.

                                                (SOPHINA is coming around the corner and looking for someone when her toy radio squeals with someone repeating over and over, “Blackbird to bluebird, come in bluebird, over”. “Bluebird, are you there, over.” “Tweet little bird, something, over”. “Hee, hee, tweet little bluebird, shimmer shimmer.”)

                                SOPHINA

Not now! Oh, I hate these things. Why can’t he just be normal and use a phone?

                                        (SOPHINA stumbles around trying to get the radio working)

                                SOPHINA

Shhhhh! You are going to blow our cover.

                                TONY

You forgot to say “over” and “roger”.

                                SOPHINA

Tony, this is ridiculous! Where are you?

                                        (TONY doesn’t answer)

                                SOPHINA

Over?

                                TONY

Bluebird, please address me in this operation as Blackbird, over.

                                SOPHINA

Ok, Black, I mean roger that and where are you? Um…over.

                                TONY

I’m on the south side of the house in the old tree house. Please join me, over.

                                SOPHINA

Roger, that and are you staying the night? Shouldn’t we tell your sister to let her know you are in the tree house? Over.

                                TONY

No, just bring the supplies and I’ll meet you back in the office at 0 hours, over.

(Enter JOY)

                                JOY

Boo!

(SOPHINA reacts)

Whatcha, doing out here?

                                SOPHINA

Nothin’. Just getting some air and looking at the stars.

                                JOY

What stars? You mean that little pinpoint of light.

                                SOPHINA

Yeah, maybe.

                                JOY

Is that what you were looking at? I think that’s a drone or a plane.

                                SOPHINA

Too small for a plane.

                                JOY

A drone, then. Why they fly them things around here at night is beyond me.

                                TONY

Bluebird, what’s your twenty?

                                JOY

What was that?

                                SOPHINA

Nothin’.

                                        (SOPHINA turns off walkie-talkie and tries to hide it. JOY looks at stars)

                                JOY

It sounded like Tony. Couldn’t be.

                                SOPHINA

Yeah, couldn’t be. You must miss him, so you’re thinking of him.

                                JOY

(laughs) Not really. Well, sort of… It’s.. He just makes me so mad every time we see each other; he has to do something stupid. Like last time, he took Mom’s bedspread that she crocheted. What’s he going to do with it? His whole apartment is one big man cave. You should have seen it was an intricate, beautiful white on cream with this pattern, you should have seen it. I remember as a kid, she was working and working on this thing, and it fit their king-sized bed. I only saw her put it on that bed to measure it, and when she finally finished it, she wrapped it up in tissue paper and put it in a box. She’s let me look at it every once in a while and then put it away again. When she passed, I had almost forgotten about it until we were cleaning out her stuff. I was keeping it for Josey when or if she got married and he up and stole it! It was one of the last things of hers I still had, and he didn’t even ask. Ack! Tony is so selfish, you know. Why’s he got to be that way?

                                SOPHINA

I don’t know.

                                JOY

It’s been a minute. Don’t stay out here too long. It’s cold. Do you want me to bring you a blanket?

                                SOPHINA

Nope. I’m fine.

                                JOY

It’s supposed to start raining sometime tonight. I can feel it coming on.

                                SOPHINA

I’ll come in in a bit.

                                        JOY EXITS and SOPHINA turns the walkie on)

                                SOPHINA

Tony, get down here and act like a decent human being!

                                TONY

Bluebird, what’s your twenty? Over.

                                SOPHINA

I got twenty reasons to come up there and clobber you or to tell Joy right now that you’re in her back yard pretending you’re ten again. Get down here and talk to your sister!

                                TONY

Bluebird, you’ll address me as Blackbird during this operation and no. Over.

                                SOPHINA

Blackbird, you are a right bastard. If you don’t face her, I’ll let her know what this whole “operation” is about. Over.

                                TONY

Hold on! Over. I mean where you are Bluebird! I’ll be there in five. Over.

                                SOPHINA

You better make it three. Over.