Blinky's Jubilee: a play in two acts
LIGHTS UP on 1977: A large, outdated kitchen, grungy. There are dirty pots, empty cereal boxes, and snack wrappers cover the rest of the counter space.
LYN, 17, walks in from the living room. She unzips her pants, hops up onto the sink, and urinates into it.
SHELLEY, 15, enters holding a basket of laundry.
SHELLEY
Wow. What are you doing?
LYN
The toilet’s still broken.
SHELLEY
Dammit. Blinky said she got that fixed.
LYN (hopping down)
Blinky says a lot of things.
SHELLEY
I hope you moved the dishes first.
LYN
What kind of lady do you think I am?
Lyn opens a drawer and pulls out a marijuana bowl and a lighter. She leans against the refrigerator and takes a hit from the bowl.
SHELLEY
A classy lady. Are you gonna help with the laundry?
LYN
Yeah. We’ve got time.
SHELLEY
I need help with algebra.
LYN
Who cares about algebra?
SHELLEY
Me. It’s due tomorrow.
LYN
Relax (hitting the bowl). It’s only 3:30.
SHELLEY
Seriously? In the kitchen?
LYN
Why not?
Shelley puts the basket down and reaches for an ironing board from behind the refrigerator.
Lyn pulls a short, blonde wig out of the basket and puts it on.
SHELLEY (giggling)
Hey, Blinky. When did you get home?
LYN (mocking)
Now don’t you sass me, Lyn. I mean Shelley. I mean, you know who you are.
SHELLEY
It’s so bad, it’s good.
LYN (pulling off the wig)
Why was this in the laundry?
SHELLEY
Blinky left it on the floor.
LYN
I guess she got tired of the Carol Brady look.
SHELLEY (tossing the wig on the counter)
How tragic.
LYN
Maybe she’ll move on to Mrs. Partridge next.
Shelley laughs and sets up the ironing board.
Lyn adjusts the marijuana in her bowl and takes another hit.
SHELLEY
You’re gonna get the munchies.
LYN
I have the munchies.
SHELLEY
Can you help me before you start eating ketchup?
LYN
I go for the honey mustard, thank you. (Beat.) What do you want?
SHELLEY
Algebra. Mr. Depew’s class.
LYN
Oh, he’s just pissed off because he just found out what a tool he is.
SHELLEY
I still need to define x.
LYN
Relax, Shel.
SHELLEY
You keep saying that.
LYN
You haven’t relaxed.
LYN, 17, walks in from the living room. She unzips her pants, hops up onto the sink, and urinates into it.
SHELLEY, 15, enters holding a basket of laundry.
SHELLEY
Wow. What are you doing?
LYN
The toilet’s still broken.
SHELLEY
Dammit. Blinky said she got that fixed.
LYN (hopping down)
Blinky says a lot of things.
SHELLEY
I hope you moved the dishes first.
LYN
What kind of lady do you think I am?
Lyn opens a drawer and pulls out a marijuana bowl and a lighter. She leans against the refrigerator and takes a hit from the bowl.
SHELLEY
A classy lady. Are you gonna help with the laundry?
LYN
Yeah. We’ve got time.
SHELLEY
I need help with algebra.
LYN
Who cares about algebra?
SHELLEY
Me. It’s due tomorrow.
LYN
Relax (hitting the bowl). It’s only 3:30.
SHELLEY
Seriously? In the kitchen?
LYN
Why not?
Shelley puts the basket down and reaches for an ironing board from behind the refrigerator.
Lyn pulls a short, blonde wig out of the basket and puts it on.
SHELLEY (giggling)
Hey, Blinky. When did you get home?
LYN (mocking)
Now don’t you sass me, Lyn. I mean Shelley. I mean, you know who you are.
SHELLEY
It’s so bad, it’s good.
LYN (pulling off the wig)
Why was this in the laundry?
SHELLEY
Blinky left it on the floor.
LYN
I guess she got tired of the Carol Brady look.
SHELLEY (tossing the wig on the counter)
How tragic.
LYN
Maybe she’ll move on to Mrs. Partridge next.
Shelley laughs and sets up the ironing board.
Lyn adjusts the marijuana in her bowl and takes another hit.
SHELLEY
You’re gonna get the munchies.
LYN
I have the munchies.
SHELLEY
Can you help me before you start eating ketchup?
LYN
I go for the honey mustard, thank you. (Beat.) What do you want?
SHELLEY
Algebra. Mr. Depew’s class.
LYN
Oh, he’s just pissed off because he just found out what a tool he is.
SHELLEY
I still need to define x.
LYN
Relax, Shel.
SHELLEY
You keep saying that.
LYN
You haven’t relaxed.
Vivie Can Fly
LIGHTS UP
Vivie, alone, lies in the middle of the floor. She is noticeably intoxicated and has clearly been crying
There is a bottle of alcohol near her.
She counts pills in her hand.
VIVIE
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Magic beans.
...
How many magic beans on the floor?
She sits up. She stares at the pills in her hand.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
I love beans.
Magic beans to take me to the sky.
Beans to make me tall enough to see the clouds and the sun and feel the wind.
I can do it. I can be tall and live in the sky.
I can, I...the magic beans can.
She pops the pills into her mouth and chases them with a gulp from the liquor bottle.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
Brenna loves beans.
She has to find her own way to the sky.
And then she can be tall. And we can be tall together.
After she finds her own.
There is a KNOCK.
Vivie looks offstage.
She produces more pills from her pocket.
She plays with the pills in her hand, the way a child would play with candy.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Six more little baby beans.
And I love my babies.
She swallows this second handful of pills and chases these with alcohol as well.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
But do my babies love me?
Beat.
A KNOCK.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
No.
No babies love me.
But they can.
Once I’m tall and the babies are a part of me.
The magic baby beans will love me then.
She takes a few more big, long gulps from the bottle.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
Baby beans to love.
I can love the magic baby beans.
And they can love me.
Love baby beans.
Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love...
...
Love lovely lover love love...
A KNOCK.
Vivie lays herself back down on the floor.
She closes her eyes.
The EAGLE enters slowly. She examines Vivie laying on the ground.
EAGLE
Perhaps it is not the best idea to lie on your back.
VIVIE
Wha..? Who are you?
EAGLE
Let us roll a bit.
The Eagle rolls Vivie onto her side.
EAGLE (CONT’D)
There you are.
Safer by far, Vivie.
VIVIE
You’re a bird.
EAGLE
I am. I am an Eagle.
VIVIE
I wanna fly.
EAGLE
I am aware.
VIVIE
Can I fly?
EAGLE
Perhaps breathe first.
Lay down your head and breathe.
Close your eyes and breathe.
Vivie curls herself up on her side and seems to sleep.
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Momma?
Momma!
Wake up, momma.
Please.
Please wake up.
Momma!
Vivie, alone, lies in the middle of the floor. She is noticeably intoxicated and has clearly been crying
There is a bottle of alcohol near her.
She counts pills in her hand.
VIVIE
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Magic beans.
...
How many magic beans on the floor?
She sits up. She stares at the pills in her hand.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
I love beans.
Magic beans to take me to the sky.
Beans to make me tall enough to see the clouds and the sun and feel the wind.
I can do it. I can be tall and live in the sky.
I can, I...the magic beans can.
She pops the pills into her mouth and chases them with a gulp from the liquor bottle.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
Brenna loves beans.
She has to find her own way to the sky.
And then she can be tall. And we can be tall together.
After she finds her own.
There is a KNOCK.
Vivie looks offstage.
She produces more pills from her pocket.
She plays with the pills in her hand, the way a child would play with candy.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Six more little baby beans.
And I love my babies.
She swallows this second handful of pills and chases these with alcohol as well.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
But do my babies love me?
Beat.
A KNOCK.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
No.
No babies love me.
But they can.
Once I’m tall and the babies are a part of me.
The magic baby beans will love me then.
She takes a few more big, long gulps from the bottle.
VIVIE (CONT’D)
Baby beans to love.
I can love the magic baby beans.
And they can love me.
Love baby beans.
Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love...
...
Love lovely lover love love...
A KNOCK.
Vivie lays herself back down on the floor.
She closes her eyes.
The EAGLE enters slowly. She examines Vivie laying on the ground.
EAGLE
Perhaps it is not the best idea to lie on your back.
VIVIE
Wha..? Who are you?
EAGLE
Let us roll a bit.
The Eagle rolls Vivie onto her side.
EAGLE (CONT’D)
There you are.
Safer by far, Vivie.
VIVIE
You’re a bird.
EAGLE
I am. I am an Eagle.
VIVIE
I wanna fly.
EAGLE
I am aware.
VIVIE
Can I fly?
EAGLE
Perhaps breathe first.
Lay down your head and breathe.
Close your eyes and breathe.
Vivie curls herself up on her side and seems to sleep.
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Momma?
Momma!
Wake up, momma.
Please.
Please wake up.
Momma!
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