Left Long

Feelin' It (Scene I)

(The stage is the courtyard of the public housing complex. There is a park bench and a sign that reads Porter Graham Houses in orange lettering on a blue background. The bench has concrete supports. There are penned and markered tags covering the wooden slats. Hints of the green paint underneath poke through.

Stage right and stage left there are building fronts either projected or painted onto the back wall.

GERARD and FRANKIE (“Stut”) are sitting on the bench. GERARD is sitting on the seat back of the bench; FRANKIE is resting on the seat, working on a pad.

GERARD is a black man in his early-to-mid 20s. HE is dressed in a matching denim jacket and jeans combo. There is a plain white shirt underneath, with a gaudy platinum necklace hanging from his neck. His feet are clad in Wallabees. A white plastic afro-pick is sticking upright in the back of his well-kept mini-fro. HE is a talker, and given enough time could sell water to a well (whale?)

FRANKIE, also black and the same age as GERARD, is wearing a baggy logo hoodie and shiny jeans. HE wears Timbs, and a headband cocked at an angle. HE is GERARD's best friend, and his words come sparingly, partly because of his stutter, partly because of his quiet nature, and partly to balance out GERARD's ever-present vocals.

GERARD shifts up and motions at FRANKIE's pad.)

GERARD

The fuck you working on, Stut? Still stuck on that bullshit rhyme?

(FRANKIE takes a second to process before looking up dazedly.)

FRANKIE

Huh? Oh… y… yeah. It's not… It's not bullshit, though. I got this.

GERARD

You been sayin' that for a long minute, kid.

FRANKIE

But I'm… I'm for… I'm for real this time.

GERARD

No doubt.

(GERARD takes a sip of Yoo-Hoo and makes a slow scan up and down the block, taking it all in.)

GERARD
( to himself )

(continuing)

Same old sheit. (a beat) Just another fucking day.

(GERARD leans back on his elbows and lazily swirls the bottle in his hand. HE sweeps his head back in the other direction and the setting sun forces him to squint. His eyes adjust and a vision materializes in the haze.

HE shifts up to get a better view and attempts to tap FRANKIE without looking away, but misses. GERARD's arm falls limp to his side.)

GERARD

(continuing)

Son.

(FRANKIE doesn't respond. GERARD raps on FRANKIE's knee with the back of two fingers.)

GERARD

(continuing)

Yo, son.

(The pen stops scribbling. FRANKIE slips the right headphone above his ear. HE keeps his focus on the pad, jabbing his right hand to the beat of the words on the page. GERARD knows this means go ahead.)

GERARD

(continuing)

Yo, Frankie, check this. You can see some shit, right?

(Frankie looks up with a squinty-eyed gaze.)

FRANKIE

Just some girl, G. Get at me when it's important.

(HE goes back to the pad.)

FRANKIE
( unimpressed, to himself )

(continuing)

Trippin'.

(GERARD is so intent that he doesn't hear FRANKIE. FRANKIE slips the headphone back into place and resumes scribbling.

GERARD takes a long sip of Yoo-Hoo, allowing him to fully absorb the fine female form heading in his direction.

VANESSA ENTERS.

SHE is five foot seven, with skin the color of the darkest chocolate in the box. SHE radiates royalty and is curved like a calculus graph.

VANESSA wears light-colored, tight lo-rider jeans that are cuffed mid-shin, a thin navy zip-up hoodie over a Carolina blue belly tee and black indoor soccer sneakers with white striping. A red-and-white bandana covers a spiked, nappy fro.

Gerard slouches back languidly and focuses on a faraway point ahead of him. HE keeps taking quick peeks back at the approaching figure. FRANKIE is scratching entire lines out and rewriting them.

When VANESSA reaches them, FRANKIE doesn't look up. VANESSA gives GERARD the once over, and waits to be addressed. GERARD decides he has waited long enough to appear on top of his game.)

GERARD
( casually )

Whutup?

(VANESSA smiles to herself as GERARD suavely sips at his milk and looks away.)

VANESSA

You must be Gerard.

(GERARD brings his fist up to his mouth to mask a surprised cough and swallows hard. HE composes himself and turns toward HER.)

GERARD
( suavely )

I must be good for us to be that far already.

(VANESSA breaks into laughter, and GERARD's face drops as a result. VANESSA sees his reaction and clears her throat into her hand to control the laughing fit. SHE smiles demurely as SHE looks at GERARD from behind her fist.)

VANESSA

Sorry.

(SHE laughs close-mouthed one last time before straightening up and smoothing her shirt.)

VANESSA

(continuing)

Okay. ( a beat ) I'm Vanessa - Frankie's cousin. I've heard a lot about you.

GERARD

( absorbing the information )

Aight.

(HE sips his Yoo-Hoo, caps the bottle and rolls it between his palms.)

GERARD

(continuing)

Where ya from?

VANESSA

The Island. I'm visiting this one for the weekend.

(As VANESSA says this, SHE palms the back of FRANKIE's head and gives it a shake, smoothly pulling the headphones down around his neck. HE looks up and turns fully upon recognizing her.)

FRANKIE

Hey, V.

(VANESSA bends over slightly to give him a hug. FRANKIE reciprocates and then goes back to his pad. The headphones stay around his neck. VANESSA turns to GERARD, who is coolly looking away.)

VANESSA

Well. ( a beat ) It seems that Frankie doesn't mind if you're the one to show me around.

(GERARD looks down at the ground and then up at VANESSA's eyes.)

GERARD

Guess not ( a beat ) Where you wanna go?

VANESSA
( coyly )

Anywhere.

GERARD
( eyebrow raised )

That's a dangerous proposition. You like playing with fire?

VANESSA
( returning fire )

Haven't gotten burned yet.

(GERARD smirks to himself, finishes off his Yoo-Hoo and sends it into a nearby garbage can with a basketball release. HE holds his follow-through and winks at VANESSA.)

GERARD

I'm good. What can I say?

(She rolls her eyes and grabs the elbow of his jacket.)

VANESSA
( exasperated )

Let's go.

(GERARD allows himself to be dragged over to her, feet skipping across the cracked cement. HE taps FRANKIE on the shoulder as SHE pulls HIM.)

GERARD

C'mon, Stut. Let's head.

(FRANKIE looks up annoyed.)

FRANKIE

J… Just le… Just lemme finish.

GERARD

Aight, dawg. Make it quick.

(FRANKIE pops his headphones back into place and goes back down to his pad.

GERARD elbows VANESSA in the side and nods his chin toward FRANKIE.)

.

GERARD

So how well you know my boy here?

VANESSA

Frankie? Please… for a looong while. His parents would always drag him out to our house every summer.

GERARD

Yea? That's odd. He never said nothing bout no girl cousins.

VANESSA

You just don't pay close enough attention. ( a beat ) I'm sure you know about Veezy, right?

(GERARD recoils in surprise and gives VANESSA a fresh once over.)

GERARD

Oh, hell nah! No fucking way. I mean – nah…

(VANESSA nods slowly.)

VANESSA

Oh yeah. Every story you've heard – that was me.

GERARD
( doubtful, but realizing the truth )

Even the time y'all were digging for worms and dude got stuck in the mud?

VANESSA
( smugly )

Even then. ( a beat ) Shoo… I was the one that pulled him out.

GERARD

Aight.

(GERARD nods to himself, mouth contentedly downturned.)

GERARD
( approvingly )

(continuing)

Aight. ( to FRANKIE ) Whutup, dun? You ready to kick it?

(FRANKIE holds up the forefinger of his right hand as his left holds a pen cocked against the paper. Eyes closed, HE bobs his head to the tinny beat blaring from the displaced headphones. After a few seconds, HE writes the last line.)

FRANKIE

Done.

GERARD

Phat. Let's get the fuck up outta here.

(A beat as GERARD realizes he may have just committed a faux pas. VANESSA catches the pause and smirks.)

VANESSA

Ain't no thang. ( a beat, smirking ) This bitch is boring anyway.

(VANESSA turns on her heel and walks away. GERARD is left standing there with his jaw hanging half-open. HE jerks a thumb in her direction.)

GERARD
( to FRANKIE, stunned )

She's crazy.

FRANKIE
( shrugs )

‘S Veezy.

(FRANKIE hops up and catches up with VANESSA. GERARD remains in place, swivels his head to watch them. HE smiles to himself.)

GERARD
( under his breath )

Damn. ( a beat ) Got damn.

(GERARD shakes clear the cobwebs and takes a few half-running steps to close the distance. HE is careful to keep his pants up by hooking a finger through a belt loop. HE makes sure to slow down a few steps before reaching them to keep his breathing in check. HE comes up between FRANKIE and VANESSA and slings his arms across their shoulders.)

GERARD

(continuing)

So what's say we run this over towards Prime Time?

VANESSA

Where?

GERARD
( reassuringly )

'S this pool hall. Good times.

(VANESSA looks to FRANKIE. HE shrugs.)

GERARD

(continuing)

Left here.

(HE redirects them with a slight shift in weight.)

GERARD

(continuing)

Let's get this poppin'.

(They EXIT stage left.)