Darlene's Daydream Café
ACT ONE - Part
Two |
WILLIE: I told you. As soon as we get Mama to sell this diner. PATTY: Why do we have to wait? Why don't we just get in the car and go? WILLIE: We don't have a car. PATTY: What about your Thunderbird? WILLIE: What about her? I've got work to do on her, and I won't drive her a long distance. PATTY: Benson's not a long distance. You just don't want to marry me. WILLIE: I said I would as soon as we had enough money. Just make sure you back me up when I try to convince Mama that she needs to sell this house.
(BILLY enters)
BILLY: If you're talkin about what I think you're talkin about, Mama isn't gonna sell it. WILLIE: I thought I told you to get me a biggie drink. BILLY: Here's your biggie drink. WILLIE: One part coke? BILLY: One part coke. WILLIE: One part Pibb? BILLY: One part Pibb. WILLIE: One part orangeade? BILLY: One part orangeade, and one part 7 Up. WILLIE: Thanks, little bro. PATTY: Here comes that drifter.
(DRIFTER enters.)
DRIFTER: Billy Joe Stupendous. You wouldn't happen to know where the nearest bus station is, would you? BILLY: I'll find out. We've got the schedules somewhere. WILLIE: Say, Mister... DRIFTER: Yeah? WILLIE: While you were outside, did you happen to notice a 1968 sunshine yellow Ford Thunderbird with a 429 Thunderjet, V-8, aligator roof and break-away steering? DRIFTER: She a real beauty. PATTY: All you ever talk about is that damn car. Seems like you love that car more than you love me, Willie, and it ain't right.
(PATTY exits.)
WILLIE: She just don't understand, fellas. Any 1968 Ford Thunderbird's worth everything that any man has to give.
SHE'S BUILT FOR COMFORT AND MADE TO LAST GIVE HER SOME OIL AND A LITTLE BIT OF GAS THE SMOOTHEST RIDE YOU'LL EVER KNOW OO THAT GIRL CAN GO SHE GETS ME THERE IN THE MORNING AND IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR CUSTOM WHEELS AND A V-8 CAM FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE AND EIGHT HORSE POWER
WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER IT FEELS GOOD I LIKE TO MESS AROUND UNDER HER HOOD SHE REVS HER ENGINE AND I COME ALIVE SHE'S BUILT FOR COMFORT AND MADE TO DRIVE POWER BRAKES AND BREAKAWAY STEERING FULLY LOADED FOUR-ON-THE-FLOOR SHE JUST DRIVES ME CRAZY WHEN SHE PURRS FOR MORE
I TAKE HER FOR A SPIN EVERY NIGHT SHE GOES AND GOES I ALWAYS TREAT HER RIGHT SHE'S BORN TO RUN AND SHE LOVES TO GO FAST SHE'S BUILT FOR COMFORT AND MADE TO LAST
SHE ALWAYS KNOWS WHAT KINDA MOOD I'M IN RESPONDS COMPLETELY TO MY EVERY WHIM IF I GET DOWN SHE CAN GET ME HIGH OO THAT BIRD CAN FLY BODY IN MINT CONDITION BIG BODACIOUS FOUR TWENTY-NINE LUCIOUS REAR SUSPENSION SEXY SLEEK DESIGN
I TAKE HER FOR A SPIN EVERY NIGHT SHE GOES AND GOES I ALWAYS TREAT HER RIGHT SHE'S BORN TO RUN AND SHE LOVES TO GO FAST SHE'S BUILT FOR COMFORT AND MADE TO LAST
(PATTY and DARLENE enter. BILLY exits to the kitchen.)
DARLENE: Its getting very dark out there. We're in for a bad one. PATTY: Can I get you a drink?... Mister - what did you say your name was? DRIFTER: I didn't. PATTY: Well stranger - what should we call you? WILLIE: Patty, he's not required to tell us his name or anything else. PATTY: I was just trying to be mannerable. WILLIE: Go put some clothes on, Miss Manners.
(WILLIE exits.)
DARLENE: Can I interest you in a piece of that strawberry pie? Its on the house? DRIFTER: Well, maybe just -- DARLENE: Thats what I thought! And I'll get us all a cold glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade. PATTY: Make mine a double.
(DARLENE exits to the kitchen.)
PATTY: Oh my God, it's hotter'n a goat's butt in a pepper patch. DRIFTER: Where's the closest bus station? PATTY: Closest bus station's in Jordan. Is that where you're headed? DRIFTER: If that's closest. PATTY: How'd you get here in the first place? DRIFTER: Hopped on a train in El Paso. Jumped off a while back and just started walking. PATTY: Hopping trains is dangerous. You're liable to run into thieves and jack rollers on them trains. I saw a TV show about this man who used to ride the rails and go from town to town killing different people. They could never catch him cause he'd hop on a train and skip town real quick. They called him the Boxcar Killer. You know anything about that? DRIFTER: You're not thinkin I'm the Boxcar Killer, are you? PATTY: Of course not. Besides he was a short man, and you're what...Six foot? DRIFTER: Six foot a hundred and sixty-two pounds unshucked. PATTY: Really. Well, how long you plan on staying around here? DRIFTER: No plans. I'm just not sure how I'm gonna get out. PATTY: I might be able to steal Willie's car and drive you to the station. Maybe I'll even run away with you, and we can drive all the way to the ocean.
(Distant thunder. The Radio blares out.)
RADIO ANN: An accident on 191, northbound at Pearce where a car was blown into some poles, also a truck on its side. Here's the latest on the FBI's manhunt. Federal authorities say they're looking for a man who killed a police officer up in Vermont. PATTY: Oh, I want to hear about that FBI manhunt. RADIO ANN: He may be going by the name Robert Alan Tracy. He is probably armed and should be considered very dangerous. Finance the home of your dreams with El Camino Mortgage. They make it so easy to get a home loan.
(DRIFTER crosses to change the radio station.)
PATTY: Why'd you turn that off? DRIFTER: Just trying to find some music. PATTY: Hey! That's my song! Turn that up! Come on, let's dance! DRIFTER: Its too hot to dance. PATTY: Dance with me, baby.
(THEY dance. The dance becomes seductive. PATTY attempts to kiss the DRIFTER, who backs away.)
DRIFTER: Whoa, slow down. PATTY: You don't like me? What's wrong? DRIFTER: Nothing's wrong. PATTY: I'm sorry. I don't know why I just threw myself at you like that. I'm not desperate. Just a little lonely, you know? Sorry.
(PATTY crosses to change the radio station.)
RADIO ANN: With this big storm comin on - I just can't resist reaching back to my old stack of wax and pullin out this blast from the past - "It looks Like Rain." PATTY: Darlene, they're playing your song! RADIO ANN: Sung by our very own little darling ... Darlene Staylee. Of course you all know she runs the Daydream Cafe over in Highlonesome, but some of you may not remember she recorded this song many years ago, and it went right to the top of the charts.
(DARLENE enters. BILLY enters from kitchen.)
DARLENE: And my life went right into the toilet. RADIO ANN: Miss Darlene if you're listening - this is for you. It Looks Like Rain. DARLENE: Turn that off Billy.
(BILLY turns off the radio. Piano music.)
DRIFTER: So you're a big singing star yourself? DARLENE: No I was never a singing star and I never wanted to be. That was my husband's dream. William Sr., was determined that I was gonna be the next Loretta Lynn, so he got a band together with a couple of his drinking buddies and booked us in every lousy saloon he could find. Clifford I'm gonna chop off your fingers if you don't stop playing that. DRIFTER: Did you make any money? DARLENE: We actually got pretty good. Cut a small record deal and made a bit of money - most of which William and them drank up or snorted away. PATTY: Sing it Darlene. DARLENE:
ITS RAINING ITS POURING THE OLD MAN IS SNORING OUT ON THE WESTERN PLAIN CLOSE THE SHUTTERS AND GET INSIDE BETTER RUN BETTER HIDE CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN IS COMIN IN
DARLENE: We rented a bus and took to the road. Those were some long hard days and long hard nights, but I did it for William. I loved him, and I wanted to make him happy. We spent two years traveling up and down the highways - singing and fighting and drinking. And that's when I got pregnant with Willie. We got married on the road, and kept right on touring.
DARLENE, BILLY and PATTY:
AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE SUNSHINE HAS ENDED IT LOOKS LIKE CLOUDY DAYS AHEAD YES IT LOOKS LIKE TROUBLE ROUND THE BEND AND IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN IS COMIN IN
DARLENE: Then suddenly one horrible night in a Motel 6 in Ogden Utah, it all came to an awful end, and William was gone.
(WILLIE enters.)
DARLENE, BILLY and PATTY:
CLOUDS ARE ROLLING ON CROSS THE WESTERN SKY SOMETHIN'S COMIN FOR SURE A CHILL IS IN THE AIR AND THE WIND IS RIDIN HIGH YOU KNOW - THAT IF IT'LL RAIN IT'LL SURELY POUR
AND IT LOOKS LIKE DARK CLOUDS ARE COMIN IT LOOKS LIKE GRAY SKIES AGAIN OH IT LOOKS LIKE THE PAIN WILL NEVER END YES IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN IS COMIN IN
DARLENE: I found him shot dead on the floor. A robber had apparently broken in and my husband fought with him and died in the struggle. WILLIE: Or so you say. DARLENE: Those were the darkest days of my life. But then my whole world changed when a few months later I found out I was pregnant with you, Billy Joe Stupendous! You came along and brought back the sunshine!: They never did find that robber did they? DARLENE: No, Willie. They never did. WILLIE: Strange. DARLENE: Not at all. The police said there had been several robberies in that area. WILLIE: The police never investigated the crime. DARLENE: How would you know? You weren't even five years old. PATTY: Listen! Listen! RADIO ANN: He may be using the name Robert Alan Duke Tracy. He's wanted for gunning down a policeman up in Vermont. WILLIE: I remember, and the police never investigated. They never even asked any questions - and neither did you cause you were glad he was dead. RADIO ANN: The FBI is offering a ten thousand dollar reward for any information that leads to his capture and arrest. This man is considered armed and very dangerous.
(WILLIE turns off the radio.)
WILLIE: Okay, now. We need to have a family meeting. DARLENE: Not now. Can't you see we've got a guest? WILLIE: Yeah, I see him. How could I miss him? He's the first customer we've had all month. DARLENE: The wheel's still turning, but the hamster's dead. WILLIE: Mommy, why can't you never listen to me? DARLENE: I know what you're gonna say, and the answer is no. WILLIE: No what? DARLENE: No, I won't sell my diner. This is my home. And this is my hometown. WILLIE: We need to think about selling now, while we can still get a little money out of it. DARLENE: I won't sell my diner. WILLIE: Wake up! The wolf's at the door, mommy. We're flat broke. It's time to face reality. DARLENE: This greasy spoon has been my American dream come true and I see no reason to sell it. WILLIE: Billy where do you stand? ...Patty, say something. Okay - well they agree with me, but they're too afraid to say it. DARLENE: If you all want to leave, then leave, but I'm not selling my dream. WILLIE: Then what are we gonna do? DRIFTER: Turn it into a bed and breakfast. DARLENE: A bed and breakfast? DRIFTER: They're all over the place. Invite vacationers to spend the night at a historical landmark in the great southwest, and charge them an arm and a leg for a glass of juice in the morning. DARLENE: There's the American spirit! PATTY: Darlene's Daydream Cafe - WILLIE: And auto body repair - BILLY: And bed and breakfast? DARLENE: Delightful! And Willie, we can use your room, now that you're leaving! That's it! I'll redecorate and put a fancy sign out in front. And then I'll have to advertise. Darlene's bed and Breakfast. I getting so many ideas! Thank you, stranger.
(DARLENE exits.)
WILLIE: Yes, thank you, stranger. And you too, Patty. You we're a big help. PATTY: Willie, wait! I want to talk to you about something.
(WILLIE and PATTY exit. Sound of a soft rain. DRIFTER lights a pipe.)
BILLY: I found that bus schedule. DRIFTER: Hey do you smoke? I got some tumble weed. BILLY: Hell yeah. We better stand over here by the door though. Looky, there's a midnight bus headed to Tucson that stops in Foolsbasin. It isn't far. About twenty-five miles up one-oh-one. DRIFTER: Thank you, Billy Joe Stupendous. BILLY: Oh don't call me that. DRIFTER: What should I call you? BILLY: Just Billy. What should I call you? DRIFTER: How'd you get that name Billy Joe Stupendous? BILLY: From when I was little. I could never say the word suspenders. I'd get toungue-tied and say stupendous. So Mama started callin me Billy Joe Stupendous. DRIFTER: I thought she called you stupendous because you are. BILLY: Yeah, well I'm not stupendous, or spectacular or even special, but I do have psychic visions sometimes. Rain smells good don't it? Mister, you on the run? DRIFTER: No, I'm just driftin, taking it all in. Going from east to west hitching a ride or stealing onto a train - learning old songs and meeting new people. BILLY: You don't got a job or nothin? DRIFTER: I can't take a job, I got too much work to do. Guess I'm what you'd call homeless. BILLY: But that means you got freedom. I'm so tired of being stuck out here in the desert. DRIFTER: Then why don't you and I cut outta here. Hit the road and ride off into the sunset. You CAN ride can't you? BILLY: Sure I can ride but I don't have no horse. DRIFTER: We can get us a pair of horses. Two white horses. The good guys always have white horses. We'll just take off ropin and ridin from town to town like the cowboys did in the old days. BILLY: I know all about them cowboys from the olden days cause I'm an old soul. I was a lonesome cowboy in a previous life. DRIFTER: Cowboys don't have to be lonesome you know.
NO ONE TO TELL US WHERE TO BE, OR WHAT TO DO OR WHO TO SEE NO ONE TO TELL US WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO WEAR OR WHO TO KNOW NO ONE TO STOP US RUNNING FREE
BILLY and DRIFTER:
TWO COUNTRY BOYS OUT RUNNIN WILD, CONTENT AND HAPPY AS CAN BE UP ON THEIR HORSES HAVING FUN, AND RIDING OFF INTO THE SUN NO ONE TO STOP US RUNNING FREE
WE'LL SADDLE UP AND ROAM THE DESERT LIKE BROTHERS FRANK AND JESSE JAMES I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO SAY OUR GOOD-BYES AND START ANEW SOMEWHERE WHERE NO ONE KNOWS OUR NAMES
YOU CANNOT KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW YOU CANNOT SEE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE BUT I'VE GOT A FEELING IN MY SOUL, THE TIME HAS COME FOR ME TO ROLL THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE JUST FOR ME
BILLY: Let's do it! Let's ride outta here like two buckaroos! Driftin from ranch to ranch, seeing if there's any work, rustlin up some grub, and then saddling up our horses and heading out again. WooHoo!
BILLY and DRIFTER:
JUST A PAIR OF COUNTRIFIED, BONA FIDE, BOWLEGGED OLD TIME COWBOYS ROAMING IN ROAMING OUT OF A TOWN TURN AROUND FOR THE TROUBLE STARTS
WE'LL BE SITTING TALL IN THE SADDLE, PREPARING TO DO BATTLE GOT A STRAIGHT SIX-SHOOTER AND A LASSO AND A ROPE AND A HOPE DEEP IN OUR HEARTS
NO ONE TO TELL US WHERE TO BE, WHAT TO DO OR WHO TO SEE NO ONE TO TELL US WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO WEAR OR WHO TO KNOW NO ONE TO STOP US RUNNING FREE
WE'LL RIDE THE RAILS HOP ON A FREIGHT TRAIN WE'LL GO FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA AND LATE AT NIGHT WE'LL BUILD A FIRE AND DO WHATEVER WE DESIRE ... TWO COUNTRY COWBOYS BEING FREE
(THEY laugh and dance. The dance becomes seductive. DARLENE enters and stands near the door. BILLY and DRIFTER kiss. DARLENE moves into the room.)
DARLENE: Well... This one's a real toad-strangler. Billy go find a bucket. We got a leaky roof.
(WILLIE enters followed by PATTY.)
DRIFTER: Its time for me to go. WILLIE: Why don't you sit the storm out with us? DRIFTER: I got a bus to catch. WILLIE: What's your hurry, Duke Tracy? Robert Alan Duke Tracy. That IS your name, isn't it? Or maybe Todd Duffy. DARLENE: Willie, I don't want no trouble. WILLIE: This man is wanted by the FBI. BILLY: What are you talking about? WILLIE: The Federal Bureau of Investigation. PATTY: It's true Billy. It was on TV. WILLIE: There's a ten-thousand dollar reward on his head. PATTY: He shot a policeman up in Vermont. BILLY: What makes you think he's the man they're looking for? PATTY: Cause this cowboy fits the exact description. DRIFTER: Thank you for your kindness, Darlene. WILLIE: Patty, call the sheriff. BILLY: Wait. I'm going with you. DARLENE: What do you mean you're going with him? BILLY: Up to Foolsbasin. Show him to the bus stop. DARLENE: Bus stop? You're not going anywhere, at least not in this rain. WILLIE: And neither are you mister, cause I'm turning you in. PATTY: Phone's dead. Can't get a dial tone. WILLIE: The phone's dead? DARLENE: You better get on outta here now. BILLY: Let me just grab a coat. DRIFTER: You stay here, Billy Joe. Darlene? There's something I wanted to pass on before I go. PATTY: Do something. BILLY: You can't leave without me.
(WILLIE produces a gun and aims it at DRIFTER.)
DARLENE: William, put down that gun! WILLIE: No one's going anywhere till this storm clears and I can call the sheriff.
(A flash of lightning. No motion. The stage is frozen in a tableau. Fading sounds of the rain and the radio.)
RADIO ANN: There's plenty of damage this afternoon due mainly to the rain and the strong winds. We're getting reports of downed trees, power lines, also power outages all across Cochise County. Its really coming down now. But neighbors, I think it's good for us. We need the rain.
|
Darlene's Daydream Cafe
- Act Two
|
