CHARACTERS

Danny: A young man of 23 who has led a life of crime but has succeeded in keeping a low profile. He is in love with LUCY, dresses nicely, and keeps his black hair well-groomed.

Lucy: A young, attractive woman of 22 who is a recent college graduate and in love with DANNY.

Lieutenant Clark: The father of LUCY who was murdered about eight years ago. He was a respectable officer, and his murderer has never been discovered.

Scene 1

(An old 60’s diner with a quiet jukebox repeatedly playing Bee Gees,” I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You.” Lucy sits on the table by the jukebox [C]. Her side profile is facing the audience. She waves at Danny to come over with a warm smile as he enters the diner [CR], and he sits on the chair opposite of her, his legs crossed, as he faces the audience on his chair)

DANNY

Hey, Luce. How’s it going? You look awfully pretty today.

LUCY

(waving him off)

I’m good. Better now. Have seat. I already ordered the waffles you like with some black coffee. No sugar.

(DANNY pulls a chair in front of her. He then reaches into his right breast pocket and takes out a Pall Mall cigarette and sticks in it his mouth. Just as he is about to light it, LUCY stops him)

LUCY

(quietly)

Danny! Not in here! C’mon, I already told you how I feel when you light ‘em in public!

DANNY

(smiling)

Alright, alright. Calm down. You sound just like my teacher…what was her name? Oh, yeah. Mrs. Durham. Oh, how I hated her! She kicked me outta algebra class in sophomore year ‘cause I was a “bad influence” for passing cigarettes around!

LUCY

Yeah, yeah. OK. You’re tough or whatever. You don’t have that tough look, though, you know? Especially not with that baby face.

DANNY

Sure, I don’t look like it, but looks can be deceiving. I don’t think you wanna know how deceiving they can be.

LUCY

Oh yeah? Why? What’d you do? Stay up past your bedtime or not eat your vegetables?

DANNY

(his smile fading away)

Nah. I’ve done much worse than that.

(Shoving his cigarette back in his breast pocket)

Huh? Yeah…I’m good. Look, food’s here.

(As they eat, the jukebox’s music gets louder, and the Bee Gee’s song commences [CL]):

I've just got to get a message to you
Hold on, hold on
One more hour and my life will be through
Hold on, hold on

DANNY

Can you lower the music? It’s so annoying.

LUCY

Why? I love this song.

(LUCY sways her softly to show that she is enjoying the music. Meanwhile, DANNY stops chewing his food suddenly and stares at the jukebox with wide eyes. The apparition of LIEUTENANT CLARK emerges from the left side of the stage, and he messes with the jukebox behind LUCY. DANNY looks at LIEUTENANT CLARK behind LUCY, turning his side profile to the audience)

DANNY

Oh, my god…is that…

LUCY

Huh? What? What’re you-

(turning around to look at the jukebox)

Who are you lookin’ at? We’re…the only ones here.

DANNY

Nobody. I don’t see anybody. I just feel lightheaded. Maybe it’s the food. I-I-

(placing a hand on the side of his head and closing his eyes)

 don’t know why you even got this much food. You want it?

LUCY

But… that’s what you always get when we come here, Danny. You sure you don’t wanna finish that, though?

(looking at his plate)

You barely touched it!

DANNY

(his eyes still fixated on the jukebox)

Yeah. I’ll eat later.

LUCY

(pausing for a moment)

You know what? Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? We’re having pork ribs—plus, I totally think it’s time you meet Mom.

DANNY

Sure, I guess, but what do you mean “Mom”? What about your dad? Does he not wanna see me?

LUCY

Oh no…he…uhm…he. He passed away. A few years ago.

DANNY

Oh, Luce. I’m so sorry. May I ask, how did he…

LUCY

Murder. He was murdered.

DANNY

Murdered? How?

LUCY

He was working late shift with some of his other cop friends in this really bad bad neighborhood. You know, the one down south next to Glendale? Well, uhm… he just was around the wrong type of people at the wrong time.

(LUCY starts tearing up)

DANNY

Don’t you cry now, Luce. Say, uhh… what was your father’s name? I remember reading about this somewhere in the papers back in ‘54.

LUCY

Lieutenant Clark. His name was James Clark.

DANNY

(sweating profusely, eyes still fixated)

Lieutenant Clark… Yeah. I remember him

LUCY

And they never found his killer…

DANNY

Damn. Eight years and still no sign?

LUCY

Yeah. That devil shot him in the stomach three times. Three times!

DANNY

I’m really sorry, Lucy. How old were you when he..uh..

LUCY

(covering her face)

Thirteen, I think. I had just finished middle school. I remember coming back to school one day and seeing a beautiful, sparkly white dress waiting for me in my room with a little note from Dad. I was gonna wear it for graduation but he then…you know. I loved him, Danny. He was the best father you could ever ask for; never a gloomy day with a father like him. After he died, I couldn’t sleep or leave the house for months. Do you understand how much that hurt?

(LIEUTENANT CLARK’s apparition now increases the music’s volume and goes to sit on a table behind LUCY [L], staring and smiling at DANNY.)

But if I broke her heart

Then won't you tell her I'm sorry

And for once in my life I'm alone

And I've got to let her know just in time before I go

(DANNY places his right hand, now visibly shaking, on his stomach. The color leaves his face and coughs.)

LUCY

(lifts her face up)

Danny? What’s wrong? Why, you look as white as a sheet!

DANNY

Yeah? Well…I….I…better go to the restroom, then. Maybe it’s the food or somethin’ I dunno know. But, I..I have to go.

(DANNY gets up quickly, and jogs to the restroom’s [DC] , facing the audience, hand still on his stomach.)

Scene 2

DANNY

Steady, now… Breath in, Danny. C’mon…get yourself together, damn it! You’re just imagining things he’s not really he-

(DANNY lifts his face and stares into the audience as if staring into a mirror. LIEUTENANT CLARK follows him from behind. DANNY sees the LIEUTENANT CLARK’s reflection in the mirror)

C-C-Clark? Is that you in there? What the hell are you doing in here? Trying to scare me…or…whatever? Just leave me alone! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?

(coughing)

 Hey! Stop smiling at me! What’re you doin’ in there, yo-yo-you fool? Get out! GET OUT!

LIEUTENANT CLARK

(smiling) 

Danny, she’s gonna know.

DANNY

NO! SHE WON’T KNOW! SHUT UP! What’re you lookin’ at, you lousy cop! Who do you think you are? You think you can kill my friend and get away with it? Why? ‘Cause he stole a stupid car? Julian deserved to live, not you! You deserve everything you got!

(DANNY squares his fist and swings it at the mirror, shattering it)

LIEUTENANT CLARK

Now, now, Danny. We don’t wanna fight, do we? No, we don’t. After all, why would I waste my time fighting such a lowlife criminal like you? Your friend Julian, I got rid of him easily. Now, I wanna get rid of you. Shooting you would be too easy, though.

DANNY

(scoffing)

You still think you’re-you’re a scary cop or whatever, but you’re just my imagination. Hell. What’re you gonna do? Scare me off with a “boo!” or-or-

LIEUTENANT CLARK

No. In fact, I’m not gonna do anything. You will, Danny.

DANNY

NO! Stop looking at me!

(DANNY punches the mirror again. A large shard of glass falls on the floor next to his foot.)

LIEUTENANT CLARK

You wanna fix this, right? You know you’re guilty. It’s written all over your face. And you know that she’s gonna know, and you feel bad that you killed her Dad. You think you can marry my daughter, my only child, and ruin her, deceive her, and not even tell her you killed her father. She loved me more than she loves you anyway! Oh, she will know eventually!

DANNY

Why? Who cares about you now?!

(crying)

Just leave me alone! Even if I do feel guilty, what the hell is that supposed to change, huh? I love her more than anything, and I want to be with her. Forever. She can’t know. No no no no. she can’t because then, she’ll hate me. She’ll never ev-

(A knock is heard at the door [C])

LUCY

Danny! What’s wrong! Should I come in?

(DANNY looks at LIEUTENANT CLARK into the mirror, one more time and pauses. He buries his head in his hands, crying, then he finally picks up the shard of glass. He takes slow, steady steps to the door, and swings it open.)

LUCY

Oh my god! Danny!

(She turns around)

HELP HIM! HELP! HE’s bleeding! Call the ambulance!

(turning around again to face him)

Who did this Danny? Did…did you do it to yourself? Oh Go oh God oh God.

DANNY

(placing a bloody hand on her shoulder)

Lucy…quiet down, will ya? Lucy. I…I…gotta tell ya something…

LUCY

Oh, just wait there, they’re calling the ambulance. Have you lost much blood? Oh my God Oh God.

DANNY

(mumbling, while facing LUCY with his back turned to the audience)

Lucy, do you love me?

LUCY

Oh, God! What? Yes. Yes, I do, Danny! But this is not the time. Tell me, no-

DANNY

Lucy, I-I

(crying)

I killed your father!

(DANNY swings his arm towards his stomach three times, and falls to the floor.)

LUCY

NO!

(LUCY falls to her knees next to him, shaking his body vigorously until his cigarettes fly out of his pocket, spreading out across the bathroom’s floor amongst the glass and blood. LIEUTENANT CLARK takes one of the cigarettes, lights it, and saunters downstage from the left)

(The jukebox gets even louder):

And it's only her love that keeps me wearing this dirt
Now I'm crying but deep down inside
Well I did it to him
Now it's my turn to die