Our
Beloved Park
By BEN
This
work has been published for free and open dissemination, although all
intellectual property rights are reserved. The public use of this work requires
the author's permission and in order to obtain the corresponding authorization
contact bengavarre@gmail.com or gavarreunam@gmail.com (Reg. Prop. Int. Expte. Inbox)
Characters:
- DYLAN:
A 17-year-old high schooler, a bit awkward, insecure, and nervous. Nothing serious, just a typical teen.
- VICTORIA:
Dylan's mom, a philosophy teacher with an eccentric sense of humor.
- MARTY:
An 18-year-old with a free spirit and a passion for dance.
- BRUNO:
Marty's dad, eccentric with a love for comedy.
- PETRA:
Marty's mom, devoutly religious, but with a touch of inner liberation.
- THE DUDE:
His name is Orestes, but that's revealed at the end. A mysterious, scary
character who turns out to be a "clochard"—someone who has
chosen to abandon the structured world.
- DELIVERY GUY/THIEF:
Likes easy money and isn't totally dumb, but doesn't handle the unexpected
very well.
Setting:
A neighborhood park in Los Angeles.
SCENE
1: The First Move
Place:
Two chess tables in a park.
(On
the right side of the stage, Dylan and Victoria are at a chess table, moving
pieces. On the other side, Bruno is stretching exaggeratedly on the ground,
making groaning sounds, while Marty watches him, visibly bored. Petra reads a
huge, well-worn Bible.)
DYLAN
(Moves one of his pawns.) Mom, if you had to make a first move… an
opening move in a relationship… what would you do?
VICTORIA
(Looks at the board with concentration.) Me?... A slow and strategic
game? Or an aggressive one. Either one works.
DYLAN
(Moves pieces aimlessly.) No, Mom. It's not a game. It’s a person.
Dammit, you're not paying attention to me.
VICTORIA
(Sighs, not looking at him.) Don't worry, honey. There's a strategy for
everything. You just have to think two or three moves ahead. I'm gonna take
your Queen.
DYLAN
I’m not talking about that! I don’t want a
strategy. I don't know how… how to make the first move.
(The
conversation is interrupted when a man arrives, wearing a once-nice but now old
and dirty cashmere suit, a hat, and a stern look. He is pale as a corpse, and
his appearance is captivating because it's authentic. He sits down and pulls
some chess pieces from his pocket. The silence is heavy.)
DYLAN
(Speaks to his mom in an audible whisper.) Look at that dude. He’s got a
face… I think he’s a killer. (He does a comic muahahaha voice.) The
permanence of evil… like you say.
VICTORIA
(Whispers back.) Dylan, he's just a guy.
(The
Dude, without lifting his head, slams a piece on the board, as if killing a
cockroach. He stays motionless.)
DYLAN
No, Mom. It’s something else; he's watching us… He wants to kill us!
VICTORIA
(Smiles at the man.) Shut up, will you?
(The
Dude slowly stands up, without taking his eyes off the board. His movements are
robotic, sometimes spastic and sometimes very calm, almost motionless. He walks
toward the table of the terrified Dylan and Victoria, but halfway there, he
stops abruptly. He lets out a deep, guttural laugh. The two look at each other
in a panic. The man changes direction and leaves, abandoning his chess pieces
on the table.)
SCENE
2: Everything's Unexpected
Place:
A typical park bench.
(Bruno
is struggling to touch his toes, with a look of intense pain on his face. He's
on the ground, near where Marty and Petra are sitting. Petra suddenly looks at
him with disapproval but prefers to read her Bible.)
BRUNO
Come on, MARTY, get into it! Just some sit-ups. Gotta get a strong body… Like
an oak tree!
MARTY
(Making it clear he doesn't believe a word his "sturdy" dad says.)
Dad… I’m not gonna hurt my back. I’d rather do something more rhythmic… move my
body with joy… Just letting the music take over.
BRUNO
(Stands up with difficulty.) Nonsense! I’m already getting in shape…
Listen… If it doesn’t hurt… (He bends over a little in pain.) … it’s not
working.
MARTY
(Stands up and does a few choreographed steps.) I’d rather dance… move
my hips. Dance! If it doesn’t hurt… you’re gonna love it, ha ha…
PETRA
(Finally expresses her disapproval.) Did you say hips?... BRUNO, leave
your son alone with those devilish exercises. Look what he’s saying. The true
path is with my father… with my daddy God. He protects me from the devil and
his temptations… Moving your hips leads straight to one of the gravest capital
sins… Lust.
(The
Dude approaches with a limping, spastic gait. He sits on the bench and everyone
stays seated for a few moments, but then they get up, clearly uncomfortable.
Petra takes a deep breath and greets him with an exaggerated gesture. The man
doesn't respond; he simply picks up one of the pamphlets Petra had dropped. He
examines the pamphlet with his spastic movements, turning it, crumpling it,
uncrumpling it, with a stony expression. Petra watches him, terrified but
convinced she has a mission, feeling this is her golden opportunity, and breaks
the silence.)
PETRA
…You have to put your trust in God. God is the cure. You have to live under His
shelter. The creation of the cosmos is His work. There's no doubt that when we
look at the sky in all its marvelous light, we realize the miracle it is to be
alive and… and you have to put your trust in God, you know?
(The
man ignores her. Petra insists, convinced she's about to save a soul. Bruno and
Marty are behind Petra, trying to get her to slowly leave with them, as if they
were facing a wild animal.)
PETRA
In these days of temptation, we have to get closer to our father… to our
father, daddy God… the father of us all…
(The
man looks at her sideways. His face is a mask. The silence is tense. The man
squeezes the pamphlet he was looking at, compressing it into a ball. And
finally, he throws it behind him.)
PETRA
(Trembles, but continues.) I don't care if you ignore me. I know that
somewhere in your soul, there’s the light of God. There's a reckoning coming,
judgment day is near… You have to be careful because…
(Just
then, a food delivery guy on a bike arrives, with a huge helmet and a thermal
box on his back. He approaches them, confused.)
DELIVERY
GUY Excuse me… did one of you order a PFK?
(They
all look at each other. Bruno and Marty gesture that "no one" ordered
it. The Dude, in an unexpected move, growls. The delivery guy is startled.)
DELIVERY
GUY Oh… I think it’s for… you, sir? (He
points to the Dude. The Dude growls again, and the delivery guy gets scared.)
Hey! I’m just a delivery guy, don't hurt me, please.
MARTY
(To the delivery guy.) Chill. Just leave it and run.
(The
delivery guy leaves the box on the ground and takes off at full speed. It's
understood the order is already paid for. The Dude confirms something on his
phone, then grabs the box, holds a piece of crispy chicken in his dirty hands
and, with unexpected delicacy, enjoys it. He sits down to eat, but not without
looking at the "intruders" with disgust. It looks like he's going to
offer them a bit of "the secret recipe," but he changes his mind and
eats another piece, comically, now like a hungry beast. Petra covers her mouth
with her hands. She’s terrified, but with a "What a hopeless case, this
guy" expression.)
PETRA
This man is a lost cause… He's the very expression of all sins!
(Finally,
Petra agrees to be led away by Marty and Bruno… They stumble away, but not
before Petra yells with all her might.)
PETRA
He's the devil! The devil himself is among us!
(Once
Petra and the boys have left the stage, the man picks up another pamphlet. He
scrutinizes it and smiles, and then growls. He gets up and slowly walks in the
same direction as the family.)
SCENE
3: Bruno and The Dude
(Bruno
arrives at the park bench. He starts to exercise, comically raising his legs,
then pulling them in and stretching them out… He gets up… and finally lies down
on the bench. The Dude arrives and just stares at him.)
BRUNO
Don’t get mad, man. I took your spot, didn’t I? Your spot is really the whole
park… That’s a beautiful thing… I don’t know why… you just have a good time…
You wake up whenever you want and say… This is all mine… this is my park. It's
my freedom. Hey, can you talk or not really… What’s your name?... (It looks
like THE DUDE is about to say something, but he just makes a strange, long,
guttural sound.) You’re mad now. (THE DUDE raises an arm and it looks
like he’s going to do something to the scared Bruno who prepares to leave.)
Alright, alright, I get it… And I’m leaving. (In slow motion, Bruno walks
backward and THE DUDE walks toward him, comically raising his arms in a parody
of a threat. Finally, BRUNO exits the stage and THE DUDE exits after him,
making strange but comical sounds.)
(Blackout.)
SCENE
4: Dylan, Marty, and Their Liberated Moms
Place:
The same park.
(The
stage lights up. Dylan and Marty mark a makeshift field with their backpacks
and sweaters. Then they start playing with a ball, something like soccer. They
look comfortable, their friendship already established. They laugh at their
failed passes.)
DYLAN
No, no! That’s not how you do it, you gotta hit it with the instep, not the tip
of your foot. Don’t be a meathead, Marty.
MARTY
(Laughs.) Sorry, Maradona. I just want the ball to do what I want, I
don’t care how.
DYLAN
That’s life, right? Sometimes you just want things to go where you want them
to, no matter how. And no, no. Life doesn’t obey you. Like my mom says… You
gotta live day by day… and each day brings its new surprises.
MARTY
(He stares at him. He stops.) You okay?
DYLAN
(Stares back, but jokes.) I’m perfectly fine. It’s just a philosopher's
thought. Runs in the family.
MARTY
Oh, check it out… I gotta say I like philosophy, and I also like to dance… They
don’t clash, do they?
DYLAN
Of course not. But not if you mix everything together, not if you mix them at
the same time. You know what I mean?
MARTY
No, I really don't. Hahaha.
(They
keep passing the ball. Then they sit and talk in silence. Victoria and Petra
are seen walking down the path. The focus of the action is now on them. They
are laughing loudly. Petra isn't carrying her Bible, but a handbag. They both
stop near a bench.)
VICTORIA
I swear to you, Petra! He was one of those toxic guys, you know… I don’t know
how we managed to have such a wonderful son. Can you believe it, he told me not
to talk about philosophy! That philosophy was useless. That I looked down on
him for being a pathetic taxi driver, that he felt I was humiliating him even
though he made more than me… Me, so educated… with my master's and a
half-doctorate… I felt so distant from him. I don’t know how at one point I
even loved him, and I have to admit, I liked him a lot… Dylan is very much like
him… But… I won’t stop talking, will I, and I shouldn’t tell you all my
troubles. You have your own problems, but you have your Bible, that's for sure.
PETRA
(Smiles, serene and composed for the first time.) The Bible is a weight
I’ve been carrying through life… literally… ha ha… But today I left it on my
nightstand. No Bible or magic book can help me put up with my husband.
VICTORIA
(With a smile.) No one should have to put up with anything.
PETRA
Yeah, no… It doesn’t make sense for us to be together anymore. And you know… we
don’t do anything anymore… I mean… (VICTORIA nods empathetically.) You
can imagine, of course. We don’t even talk anymore. And I have to put up with
his manias and his neurotic habits… You know what I’m talking about, right?
VICTORIA
No. Not really, but I’m intrigued, tell me all the details…
(Victoria
and Petra stand up and walk, feeling liberated, until they get closer to Dylan
and Marty, who are still sitting and talking. They all sit on the same bench,
as if they were a family gathered together.)
SCENE
5: The Soup Without Salt
Place:
The same park.
(Bruno
arrives and sits on the bench. He's wearing a long, worn-out, dirty coat, as
well as ripped jeans and big, clunky black boots. He's unrecognizable or could
be mistaken for the Dude. He spends a moment alone. He turns to where his
family is, but they don't recognize him, and he smiles about it. The Dude
arrives and stands in a visible spot for Bruno and the audience. He takes light
turns in a circle and has his cell phone in his hand. Suddenly, he also tries
to squash something with his foot or compulsively checks his cell phone. Bruno
gets up and approaches him, cautiously. The Dude opens his eyes wide but
doesn't turn to look at his new clone.)
BRUNO
(Speaks in a low voice, with admiration in his tone.) Sir! I’ve been
watching you. You… you are an example of freedom. You don't need anything. You
live every day in this park with the rain, the cold, the sun… You’ve known how
to find peace. Not like me.
(The
Dude looks at him sideways. Bruno keeps talking.)
BRUNO
I’m a loser… I don't mean I’m a bad guy, but my life is a disaster. My life is
so predictable… My wife doesn’t pay attention to me… I’m not a role model for
my son. My life… is a soup without salt. It would be a total change if I just
freed myself from everything and lived like you, free as a bird.
(The
Dude makes a motion and a face of immense annoyance… He growls, but doesn't say
a word, and tries to slowly leave, but Bruno follows him with admiration.
Suddenly, a masked man approaches the spot where the two mothers and two boys
are. It’s the same delivery guy, but this time with a knife and a desperate
expression. He demands all their money.)
THIEF
Give me everything! All your money, your cell phones, everything!
(The
two boys, Dylan and Marty, are stunned. Victoria and Petra look at each other,
scared. The Dude and Bruno react to defend them.)
BRUNO
(Puts himself in front of the others, with his arms outstretched, and looks
at the thief.) Stop right there, man! That guy and I are at peace! You’re
not gonna take what we don't have!
THIEF
(Looks at Bruno, then at the Dude, then at the others, confused. It's clear
he doesn’t understand a thing.) What the hell are you talking about? What
guy?
BRUNO
That guy. By the way, what’s your name…?
THE
DUDE (In a voice that seems to come from
beyond the grave.) My name is Orestes, but no one says it anymore.
BRUNO
Oh, how nice, how poetic… I want to be like you…
THE
THIEF Hey! You know this is a robbery, right?
BRUNO
That's an attack. It's like war and I want to talk about peace. I want to find
peace! The redemption that peace gives! The peace you find in a park! This man,
whom no one names and who is called Orestes… and me, who will change my name
and be called… Theodosius… we are free! We have nothing! Not a wallet! Not a
cell phone! Not a… a… a…!
(Orestes
grabs the thief by the neck with unexpected force and drags him away. The thief
is being dragged and uselessly threatens everyone with his eyes. The two
mothers, Victoria and Petra, and the two boys, Dylan and Marty, are amazed and
relieved. Bruno approaches them, with a huge smile on his face.)
BRUNO
(In a solemn voice.) Hey… (He raises his hands.) I am Theodosius.
And I am Orestes’s friend. I have decided, officially, to come live in the
park. (He laughs.)
(Victoria
looks at him with tenderness. Petra looks at him, relieved. Dylan and Marty
smile and nod in approval. The Dude, Orestes, arrives and stands beside Bruno
without saying a word, but puts a hand on his shoulder.)
BRUNO
(With a smile, he raises his hand and says goodbye.) Well, family! You
know where I live now. You can come visit me!
(Bruno
and the Dude walk away, very friendly. Victoria and Petra hug each other. They
look happy.)
VICTORIA
A big change. And without the help of the Bible.
PETRA
(Laughs heartily and holds up her handbag.) The Bible, it’s going to
stay put in a drawer. I still have a lot to learn.
VICTORIA
(Looking at the boys)
They look happy... (with a strange sense of humor) You wouldn’t want to
live outdoors, wouldn’t you… there are a lot more parks, you know?
(Both
women say goodbye to their children with a knowing smile. Now alone, Dylan and
Marty look at each other as if they could talk telepathically. Marty takes out
his cell phone and orders some food for delivery.)
MARTY
I’d like to go party. Dance until we drop. I feel like a new man. And I have a
feeling someone’s gonna bring us sushi.
DYLAN
(Smiles) I’m confused. Those are two different things, aren’t they?
MARTY
For sure. Let’s go party, you down?
DYLAN
I’m down. But on one condition.
MARTY
What’s that?
DYLAN
That you walk me home.
MARTY
You don't say “Will you walk me home?”
DYLAN
(Answers with a doubtful look and a simultaneous smile, he no longer
understands anything.) Right. I don’t get it anymore, but I never do. Let’s
go… (He stops.) Hey, and the sushi that was a surprise…? Is that
happening? Or not so much.
(Marty
laughs with a "you'll see" gesture. The two walk away together,
playing with the ball. The scene
goes dark.)
