Shirt, Theater, Eye of the Beholder
DAVID 301
(ACT ONE OF "EYE OF THE BEHOLDER" IS IN THE MAIN GALLERY DATED FEBRUARY 9TH, 2007)
SCENE 2
RECEPTION AREA. GINA IS SORTING THROUGH SOME FOLDERS IN A FILE CABINET. THERE IS NOW A VERY LARGE POSTER HANGING BEHIND THE RECEPTION DESK. IT IS PROMOTING A BLACK TIE EVENT AT ONE OF THE FINEST HOTELS IN LOS ANGELES. DAVID IS MAKING HIS WAY TOWARDS THE RECEPTION AREA WHEN MRS. GONZALEZ ENTERS IN HER WHEELCHAIR FROM STAGE LEFT)
MRS. GONZALEZ: David!
DAVID: Oh. There you are.
MRS. GONZALEZ: (Whispering) David! (Holds up bag of cookies)
DAVID: And? Did she eat one?
MRS. GONZALEZ: (Pauses, and then with a flourish, holds up two fingers)
DAVID: Serious?
MRS. GONZALEZ: Serious!
DAVID: Oh, that's great! You didn't say anything did you? You didn't make a fuss.
MRS. GONZALEZ: I was as cool as a cucumber. But I do worry about her. She's nothing but skin and bones. How can she think she's fat?
DAVID: It's complicated. She thinks she has to be perfect and that when she is, she'll finally be loved. Being thin is the only thing she can control to an extreme that, to her, might approach perfection, but she can't see how she really looks anymore. Her eyes lie to her brain. What she sees in the mirror and what you and I see when we look at her are two very different things. But it's even more complicated than that.
MRS. GONZALEZ: How could anyone not love her?
DAVID: (Smiles) I know. I have high hopes for her though. She used to come here and spend hours on the treadmill. Why they allowed it, I don't know.
MRS. GONZALEZ: I remember you telling me.
DAVID: Now she comes here to goof off with you and Josh. That's a good sign. Two cookies is an excellent sign.
MRS. GONZALEZ: Well, consider me an endless font of home made cookies.
DAVID: Excellent. Thank you so much. What would I do without you?
MRS. GONZALEZ: (Laughs) Oh you'd get by. I'm good with children. You'll see when you meet my son and daughter. But oh I'd better go if I'm going to catch my ride.
DAVID: See you tomorrow.
MRS. GONZALEZ: Bye bye.
(MRS. GONZALEZ EXITS STAGE RIGHT)
(ANGELA ENTERS FROM STAGE LEFT)
DAVID: (To Angela, with mock anger) Hey!
ANGELA: (Turns)
DAVID: Git over here!
ANGELA: (Runs to David, smiling)
DAVID: Have you been practicin' your Texan like I told you to?
ANGELA: Yeah.
DAVID: Lemme hear.
ANGELA: (Clears throat) Who. Doggy.
DAVID: (Closes eyes and hangs head in exasperation)
ANGELA: (Laughs)
DAVID: No. It's Hooooooo dawgie!
ANGELA: Whooooooo. Doggy.
DAVID: Hoooooo, dawgie!
ANGELA: Whooooo doggy.
DAVID: Remember we talked about pitch and inflection? You start off real high and then come down. And then you give the dawgie part a little ooomph! HOOoooooo dawgie!
ANGELA: Hoooooo doggy!
DAVID: Dawg.
ANGELA: Dog..
DAVID:: Dawg.
ANGELA: Dog.
DAVID: Dawg.
ANGELA: Dog.
DAVID: Dawg.
ANGELA: Dog.
DAVID: Daaaawwwwg.
ANGELA: Dahhhhhhhhg.
DAVID: Well now that wasn't too bad at all. (Turns to Gina) Did you hear that?
GINA: (Smiles and nods)
ANGELA: Guess what? I ate two cookies!
DAVID: That's great! (Whispering) And you still have them in your tummy?
ANGELA: Yep!
DAVID: Good for you! All right, munchkin. What looks like fun today?
ANGELA: (Motions for David to come closer. Whispers) I saw Gina eat a cookie.
DAVID: (Bends down to Angela's level) She ate half a cookie.
ANGELA: But she's so fat.
DAVID: Well, that's why she ate half a cookie. It's okay to eat a cookie, you know. You don't have to be...or look...perfect.
ANGELA: (Stops to think) You're perfect.
DAVID: (Stands up) Am not!
ANGELA: Uh huh!
DAVID: Uh uh! See this lock of hair on my forehead?
ANGELA: Yeah?
DAVID: When I was little, this lock of hair drove the barber so crazy, he almost committed an actual crime. He said he was gonna shoot it off with a gun.
ANGELA: (Amazed) Honest?
DAVID: I swear. You can ask my mama.
ANGELA: How come it's still there?
DAVID: Cuz my mama said that if he did, she was gonna shoot something off of him. So there it is.
ANGELA: You could try super glue.
DAVID: Didn't work.
ANGELA: Hammer and nail.
DAVID: Broke the hammer.
ANGELA: Cut it off!
DAVID: Broke five good pairs of scissors. Five. Now I like it. Gives me "personality".
ANGELA: (Laughs) Maybe I'll make my hair look goofy too!
DAVID: Uh...that's a...you could do that I suppose. What else sounds like fun today?
ANGELA: I want to run on the treadmill like Josh!
DAVID: (Looking dubious) Are you sure that would be fun?
ANGELA: (Stops to think) Hmm.
DAVID: Fun.
ANGELA: I want to bounce on the trampoline!
DAVID: That sounds good to me.
ANGELA: Maybe that'll help me ride a buckin' bronco and get to be a famous rodeo star like Brad!
DAVID: Excuse me?
ANGELA: Brad was a genuine cowboy! He was a rodeo star in Montana. He even hurt his knee in a contest.
DAVID: Brad? Brad Hoffmeyer? Our Brad? (Points to the squat rack) The blond Brad?
ANGELA: That's what he told me.
DAVID: Brad doesn't know where Montana is! Oops. Forget I said that.
ANGELA: Okay.
DAVID: Meet me at the trampoline. You get five minutes.
ANGELA: Ten!
DAVID: Five.
ANGELA: (With hands on hips, jutting chin out defiantly, but with a big smile) Ten! And just who's gonna stop me?
DAVID: Okay. We'll arm wrestle for it.
ANGELA: (Huffs, and stomps to exit stage left) Five it is!
(DAVID CROSSES TO STAGE RIGHT: RECEPTION DESK)
GINA: You're so good with her.
DAVID: The name suits her. What an angel.
GINA: I met her mom the other day.
DAVID: You did?
GINA: (Nods) You were right. Perfect teeth. Perfect makeup. Perfect clothes, Perfect hair. Perfect nails. Perfect shoes. And just like you said, I heard the "Oh the things I could do if I didn't have her" speech.
DAVID: (Nods and sighs) Funny, isn't it? The ones who think they're perfect, are often the most broken.
GINA: That's true.
(DAVID STOPS TO WATCH THE ACTIVITY IN THE GYM)
DAVID: Do ya ever just stand here and watch it all?
GINA: Sometimes.
DAVID: Do you ever wonder what they're after? What they're really after?
GINA: I suppose it depends on each person.
DAVID: Yeah. But it's always some kind of transformation, you know? Bigger, skinnier, stronger, healthier...better. Sometimes transformations take such a long time, I sometimes wonder if they know when they've arrived.
GINA: Or if it will ever be enough.
DAVID: Exactly. (Looking at poster behind Gina) Well now. What's this?
(DAVID AND GINA GAZE UP AT THE POSTER)
GINA: Oh! The dance studio that I work for gives a big ball every year. It's for charity. Earl said I could put that up since it's for a good cause.
DAVID: You work for a dance studio?
GINA: Yeah. You didn't know that? It's my other job. I play the piano for the classes.
DAVID: I didn't know that. You play the piano? Like for ballet classes?
GINA: A few ballet classes, but they specialize in ballroom dancing.
DAVID: Wow. That sure is something to see. Well, if you're watching those classes so much, I bet you know a lot of the moves, don't you?
GINA: (Smiling) Well...I do. I kind of can't help it.
DAVID: I bet. (Looking at poster) It looks awfully fancy.
GINA: It's held at the Hotel Riviera in Beverly Hills. It's supposed to be spectacular.
DAVID: Wow. You've never gone?
GINA: (Looks uncomfortable) Well...
DAVID: Wouldn't they let an employee go?
GINA: Well...they would. I...uh...I just have never had anybody to go with.
DAVID: Nobody's ever asked you?
GINA: Well now David c'mon. Most guys wouldn't...most guys would rather go with...most guys would be afraid of me stepping on their toes. I'd cripple them.
DAVID: Aw, now that's not--
GINA: Oh besides, I see them dancing all week. Why would I want to see them dancing for a few more hours?
DAVID: So you wouldn't have to watch them dancing? So you could dance yourself?
GINA: Well...I don't know. I mean, it's just dancing, and...I don't know. It might be nice. Who knows? Maybe someday one of the students might need a partner. I have a dress. Just in case.
DAVID: (Steps forward towards the phone. Smiles broadly) Well! What would somebody have to do to get tickets?
GINA: (Shrugs) Just call the studio.
DAVID: At that phone number on the poster?
GINA: Yeah. But...they're very expensive.
DAVID: (Freezes, and then hangs head) Oh. (Sighs)
(LONG PAUSE)
GINA: You should take someone. She'd be so very lucky. She'd be the belle of the ball...to be with you.
DAVID: Well...I wish I could afford to but...I guess it'll have to wait.
GINA: Problems?
DAVID: Yeah.
GINA: The ranch?
DAVID: Yeah.
GINA: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy.
DAVID: Oh, no no! You're not being nosy. It's just that...well...it's not the end of the world I guess.
GINA: But it was home.
DAVID: Yeah. But it was more than that. It was my daddy's dream. It was an adventure, you know? It wasn't just like moving from one state to another. It was like moving from one world to another. It took a long time to feel like it was home. Maybe that's why it's so hard...maybe that's why it would be so hard to leave. I'd miss going back there. I think that's what made it so easy to move to San Francisco and then move here. I always knew I could go back.
GINA: You could move to someplace smaller, maybe.
DAVID: Yeah, but...well...it's hard to explain. It's more than the ranch. It's the memories. The little town. The quiet. The solitude. I grew up there. That's the only place where people are used to me. That's the only place in the whole world where I can walk down the street and people will just smile and wave their hands and think, "Oh, it's just Dave." Oh but I'm sorry. I don't mean to dump on you.
GINA: I'm honored. Any time.
DAVID: Well, I better go see what the munchkin is doing. She might try to sneak in a few extra minutes.
GINA: See you later.
(DAVID PEEKS IN ON ANGELA AND THEN RETURNS TO THE GYM FLOOR. BRAD WATCHES AS DAVID RETURNS VARIOUS PIECES OF EXERCISE EQUIPMENT TO THEIR PROPER PLACES.)
BRAD: (Looks at Gina's poster and shakes head) What. Are we gonna give dance lessons now?
DAVID: Now don't go gettin' yourself into a hissy fit. It's just a poster for the dance studio that Gina works at. They give a big charity event every year and Earl said she could put that up because it was for a good cause.
BRAD: Now, you can NOT be telling me that the fat chick can dance!
DAVID: (Sighs) She plays the piano, and she has a name, and it's not "fat chick".
BRAD: Oh now don't you get yourself into a hissy fit! I didn't mean any harm. In fact, I'm glad for her.
DAVID: You are?
BRAD: Yeah. I mean, let's face it. She'll never get to go to a dance like that. Least she gets to play the piano for them.
DAVID: You don't know.
BRAD: Know what? C'mon.
DAVID: Is it that hard for you to believe that someone, somewhere might see her as a nice enough person to take out to a dance?
BRAD: Well, they'd have to be blind not to see her!
DAVID: Hey!
BRAD: Oh c'mon Davey! What guy would go out with her? Some guy who knows how to dance like that, that's who, and I guarantee you, no beautiful babe is gonna go out with a skinny geek who prances around the ballroom.
DAVID: So...are you telling me that (smiles) you can't dance?
BRAD: 'Course I can dance!
DAVID: No, no. I mean something you could do in public without getting arrested. Something classic.
BRAD: You mean, like disco?
DAVID: Something you could do with your grandmother.
BRAD: Oh my god. That's disgusting.
DAVID: You never danced with your grand-mama or your mom at weddings or a graduation?
BRAD: Are you kidding? Did you?
DAVID: Hell, yeah. I was just this tall when my mama taught me how to waltz.
(PRETTY GIRL WALKS BY)
BRAD: (To Pretty Girl) Hey, honey. If I told you that you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?
PRETTY GIRL: If I told you to take a hike, would you do it?
(PRETTY GIRL EXITS STAGE RIGHT)
BRAD: (To David) She wants me.
DAVID: Could you pay attention for just one minute?
BRAD: I was payin' attention! You said you were this tall when your mama tossed you against the walls.
DAVID: I....(sighs)...never mind.
BRAD: Hey, man. I feel for people like that. But the sooner they realize things, the better off they'll be.
DAVID: Realize what things?
BRAD: You know. That it's a lost cause. I mean look, the fat chick works where? At a--
DAVID: Her name is Gina!
BRAD: Right. The ffffff-Gina works in a gym for god's sake, but do you think she'd do anything about it? And don't look, okay? But check out the skinny guy in back of me doing curls. What's up with that?
DAVID: What do you mean?
BRAD: The dude must weigh 140 pounds sopping wet! He doesn't have the bone structure. He doesn't have the testosteronic potential.
DAVID: The what?
BRAD: He's skinny! And he's always gonna be skinny. Seriously dude, I feel for him. He should just give it up now and go play chess or something.
DAVID: Why don't you go help him do what he can?
BRAD: (Sighs) Don't you understand? Because that would be a waste of my time! Look, I used to help out the little guys and smile at the ugly girls, but think about it. What's it gonna do? I don't do charity work anymore....in here. Now, on the other hand, I am pretty darned proud of the charity work I did last month and last Christmas.
DAVID: What charity work?
BRAD: Didn't you see the spread in the local paper? I did a fitness class for the Boy Scouts. And I volunteered for that Marching Dimes thing. Got the certificate to prove it.
DAVID: Oh. Do you now?
BRAD: And I enjoyed every minute. Especially since I volunteered right next to "Roscoe".
DAVID: Who's Roscoe?
BRAD: You know, the guy that owns all those magazines? Notice I didn't do full frontal nudity in my spread. Adds to my mystique.
DAVID: Sorry I missed that one.
BRAD: I got extra copies in my car.
DAVID: No, no! I...uh...you need those. For your fans.
BRAD: You got that right. Hey! What'd your dad teach you?
DAVID: My dad?
BRAD: Yeah. Ballet? (laughs)
DAVID: (Rolls eyes) No. Let's see. My dad taught me about horses. He taught me how to ride.
BRAD: You ride horses?
DAVID: Yep.
BRAD: You have your own?
DAVID: My own horse? I sure do. He's a big, black Friesian.
BRAD: What's that?
DAVID: It's a kind of extra large horse. Sort of like a Clydesdale. He's just beautiful to look at. In fact, his name is Beauregard, but I call him Bo. I got him when I graduated from high school. I spent all summer riding him. The wide open spaces around our ranch are so beautiful...perfect for riding. You should see him. Friesians hold their heads and their necks real high, and their manes and tails get really long...so long they can almost touch the ground. And they're big, but gentle as can be. And when he runs, you can feel it in the ground, and he looks like black fire racin' by you.
(PAUSE)
(Sigh) I'm gonna have to board him somewhere...if we don't have a ranch anymore.
BRAD: (Watches David)
DAVID: Maybe even....
CUE: PHONE RINGS
(GINA WAVES TO BRAD, AND THEN POINTS TO PHONE)
BRAD: Woops! That's for me. Be back in a sec. (BRAD CROSSES TO RECEPTION DESK AND TALKS ON THE PHONE. GINA LEAVES THE DESK CROSSES OVER TO DAVID)
GINA: You look like you need a cookie.
DAVID: Huh?
GINA: I've never seen such a long face on you. Anything I can do?
DAVID: Aw, no. But thanks.
GINA: I didn't see Josh this morning.
DAVID: Oh. Uh, no. He didn't come.
GINA: Did he call you? Because I don't remember talking to him on the phone.
DAVID: Oh. No. Uh, his father called me.
GINA: Everything ok?
DAVID: Well...everything is status quo.
GINA: He's still making progress though, right? He just glows when you cheer him on.
DAVID: I know. I mean, yeah, he's still making progress.
GINA: You still have high hopes for him?
DAVID: (PAUSES) For his physical condition...couldn't be higher. Josh could walk in...two weeks...if he really wanted to.
GINA: Why wouldn't he want to?
DAVID: Because then he'd have to be everything his father wants him to be. Josh has five brothers, all of them star quarterbacks, wrestlers, pitchers...you name it. His father doesn't even like the idea of him coming here. Thinks I'm too soft on him. So he puts the pressure on Josh. And the more he pushes Josh, the safer Josh feels in his crutches. And as hard as it is to be on crutches, it would be ten times worse to be off them. It's not Josh's legs that need to be strong. It's this. (taps chest). Right now, Josh is terrified of being lame, but he's terrified of being well too. On the day that Josh's heart is strong enough to hold his father at bay, then his legs will be strong enough to do anything. I don't know when that fine day will be. But it's coming. I can feel it. So don't say anything.
GINA: I promise.
DAVID: You know. It's one of those things...like finding Easter eggs.
GINA: What?
DAVID: Sometimes you have to find something by yourself, you know? Because "it" isn't really the goal. It's finding it. My mama used to say it's like if somebody told you where all the Easter eggs are hidden. It's not having the eggs that makes you happy. It's finding the eggs that makes you happy. So, uh...Josh is getting stronger, in more ways than he knows. He's almost there. But we have to let him find it himself, otherwise it might be useless.
GINA: I understand.
DAVID: Well, uh...listen. I'm gonna take that bench back into the shop and see if I can't unstick that pin. That's been driving me up the wall watching people tug on that.
GINA: Okay.
DAVID: Would you come get me when Mrs. Gonazalez comes in? She takes the bus or gets a ride, so I never know exactly when she's gonna get here. Should be around five.
GINA: No problem.
DAVID: Thanks.
(DAVID EXITS STAGE LEFT)
(CUE ORCHESTRA: WHEN HE SMILES AT ME)
(GINA WATCHES DAVID LEAVE AND EVEN AFTER HE'S LEFT, STILL WATCHES THE DOORWAY WISTFULLY)
WHEN HE SMILES AT ME
GINA
I love it when he smiles at me
or when he says hello.
He's not aware
There's so much there,
the heartfelt care
I long to know.
He'll never know of loneliness
or glances cold and cruel.
Even though people stare,
they feel with him it's fair,
and quite fair to think I'm a fool.
Is he in truth aware
how much is really there
when he smiles or says hello to me?
He acts as though I cannot be
the girl that others view.
So is he blind,
or does he find
sight more refined
than others do?
If only just to dance with him
and see his smiling face
and know that he could see
the beauty inside me
would be worth a night in his embrace.
Ask where distortion lies.
In me, or shallow eyes?
For he smiles and says hello to me.
(END: WHEN HE SMILES AT ME)
(APPLAUSE)
END: SCENE TWO
2007