Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Writing Challenge – Different Strokes For Different Folks


Challenge: People don't all speak the same. They don't all have the same education level or world view. Different strokes for different folks.  Let two characters talk that are from wildly different spectrums on the scales of intelligence, decorum, birth location, and morality.  Put them in a life or death situation where they need to communicate and solve something together.  Have fun!

GREEN EYES

The theater is dark.

Suddenly someone breaks in through the doors from the lobby.

GRAHAM, 40s, and JUSTIN, 20s, enter.

Neither acknowledges the audience.  They are in a theater space, but as far as they’re concerned, they are alone – for the moment.

                          JUSTIN
Any chance of some light, or are we going to have to feel our way in the dark?  I don’t want to leave this door propped open like a big neon sign: “Here!  They ran in here!”

                          GRAHAM
Just leave it open a crack for a second while my eyes adjust.  I know where the light controls are in this theater.

GRAHAM runs up on stage, backstage, throws a switch for some work light.  Too much light.

                          JUSTIN
Speaking of big neon signs.

GRAHAM makes an adjustment that either takes out some of the lights, or brings all the lights down in intensity.

JUSTIN lets the door shut.

                          JUSTIN
Nice.

                          GRAHAM
Lock the door.

                          JUSTIN
Done.

                          GRAHAM
OK.  Quick breath.

                          JUSTIN
Winded already, old man?

                          GRAHAM
Fuck you.

                          JUSTIN
Did that already.

                          GRAHAM
Yes. You did.

                          JUSTIN
You kept up just fine last night.

                          GRAHAM
Different kind of adrenalin rush.

                          JUSTIN
Seriously, you OK?

                          GRAHAM
Kiss me.

                          JUSTIN kisses GRAHAM.

                          JUSTIN
Done.

                          GRAHAM
Really kiss me.

                          JUSTIN does.

                          JUSTIN
Nobody’s dying tonight.

                          GRAHAM
Did I say anything about dying?

                          JUSTIN
You’re kind of obsessed with my lips right now, like you’ve given up, and we have to stay focused.  Trust me, when I’m kissing you for the last time, you’ll know it.

                          GRAHAM
Is your life always like this?

                          JUSTIN
Why do you think I’m into older dudes?  Less drama.

                          GRAHAM
Depends on the older dude.

                          JUSTIN
You keep the crazy between the sheets.

                          GRAHAM
We didn’t always make it to the bed.

                          JUSTIN
Metaphysical sheets.

                          GRAHAM
Metaphorical.

                          JUSTIN
Here come the word police again.

                          GRAHAM
No, actually, I like metaphysical sheets, I take it back.

                          JUSTIN
Focus, please.

                          GRAHAM
Yes.  Running.  Men with guns, focus.

                          JUSTIN
So you know this theater space.

                          GRAHAM
Absolutely.

                          JUSTIN
Multiple exits, ways to booby trap it.

                          GRAHAM
I’m your guy.

                          JUSTIN
How many other buildings around town do you know this well?

                          GRAHAM
Theaters?

                          JUSTIN
Yeah.

                          GRAHAM
Pretty much all of them.

                          JUSTIN
Fantastic.

                          GRAHAM
It’s not like I have keys or anything.

                          JUSTIN
Not gonna be a problem.

                          GRAHAM
Do you always bring your drama with you?

                          JUSTIN
We got lucky the first view visits.

                          GRAHAM
What exactly do these guys - ?

JUSTIN pulls out a gun and hands it to GRAHAM.

                          JUSTIN
Here.

GRAHAM doesn’t take it.

                          GRAHAM
What the - ?

                          JUSTIN
I need you to take this.  Temporarily.

                          GRAHAM
You brought that with you on the plane?

                          JUSTIN
No.

                          GRAHAM
You have a connection for guns here.  In my city.

                          JUSTIN
It’s not that hard to find.

                          GRAHAM
Is there a secret handshake or something?

JUSTIN puts the gun in GRAHAM’s hand so he’s stuck with it.

                          JUSTIN
I need you to get comfortable with the gun.

                          GRAHAM
Comfortable how, exactly?

                          JUSTIN
Lifting, pointing, aiming, shooting.

                          GRAHAM
I don’t think we have enough time for me to get comfortable with any one of those things, much less all four.

                          JUSTIN
I’m faster, I’m stronger, you’re gonna tell me what to do and I’m gonna run around and set the traps.  I don’t think they’re gonna catch up to us yet, but I can’t be sure.  And if they do, and I’m otherwise occupied, I need to know you can defend yourself.

                          GRAHAM
I don’t think I could kill anyone.

                          JUSTIN
Your feelings on that may change as the night wears on.

                          GRAHAM
Seriously, Justin –

JUSTIN pulls out another gun.

                          JUSTIN
It’s OK, if things go sideways, I’ll do the hardcore stuff.

                          GRAHAM
You have TWO?!

                          JUSTIN
One for each hand.

                          GRAHAM
I grew up in the suburbs on the East Coast.  I never even saw a gun, much less touched one, held one, shot one.

                          JUSTIN
And when I’m not visiting you, I live in Texas, so all that seems really weird to me.

JUSTIN quickly moves to stand behind GRAHAM and guide his hands in the holding of the gun.  It’s efficient but strangely intimate at the same time.

                          JUSTIN (cont’d)
Use your free hand to steady your gun arm.

                          GRAHAM
Because of the recoil on the gun?

                          JUSTIN
Because your hand is shaking.

                          GRAHAM
Is it wrong that I’m a little turned on right now?

                          JUSTIN
I’d be disappointed if you weren’t.  I am.

                          GRAHAM
I can feel that.

                          JUSTIN
OK, back to work.

                          GRAHAM
So what’s the plan, really?

                          JUSTIN
We lead them on a chase across town, slowing them down just enough, preferably trapping them long enough in one spot, that we can call in the police.

                          GRAHAM
You’re going to call the police.

                          JUSTIN
Anonymous tip.

                          GRAHAM
Right.

                          JUSTIN
They pick ‘em up, they check their priors, they ship ‘em right back to Texas to face the music.

                          GRAHAM
But not directly to jail.

                          JUSTIN
Probably not.

                          GRAHAM
So what does that get you?

                          JUSTIN
A head start.

                          GRAHAM
So there is gonna be a “kissing me for the last time” moment in our immediate future.

                          JUSTIN
Probably.  Yeah.  After we get through this.  And we will get through this.

                          GRAHAM
What exactly did you do to these guys?

                          JUSTIN
These are old scores people are trying to settle.

                          GRAHAM
What kind of old score?

                          JUSTIN
The less you know.

                          GRAHAM
Bullshit.  I’m in the middle of this now.  Tell me what I’m running from, what you’re running from.

                          JUSTIN
I told you about my problems getting into the military, right?

                          GRAHAM
Yeah, I find it hard to believe that no matter how many times you try, no branch of the military will take you on.

                          JUSTIN
I’m gonna keep trying, though.

                          GRAHAM
What could possibly be in your history that would keep the military from enlisting you?  I mean, they’re desperate these days.  They’ll take –

                          GRAHAM stops himself.

                          JUSTIN
They’ll take anyone.

                          GRAHAM
That came out sounding worse than I –

                          JUSTIN
It’s OK.  It’s really frustrating for me.  I think it’s ridiculous, too.

                          GRAHAM
And it’s not the gay thing?

                          JUSTIN
I’ve been trying to serve for years, since I turned 18.  The gay thing’s a lot more recent.  Well, doing something about it is anyway.

                          GRAHAM
You can trust me, you know.

                          JUSTIN
I know.

                          GRAHAM
We’ve been –

                          JUSTIN
Yeah.

                          GRAHAM
For a while now.

                          JUSTIN
Yeah.

                          GRAHAM
Nothing’s going to turn me against you.

                          JUSTIN
People say that.

                          GRAHAM
I’m not people.  We’ve seen each other naked and done something about it.

                          JUSTIN
Part of me keeps thinking I’ve told you already.

                          GRAHAM
You don’t remember who you’ve told what, do you?

                          JUSTIN
I don’t trust a lot of people, for obvious reasons.

                          GRAHAM
Obvious, yet still unspoken.

                          JUSTIN
I don’t want to drag people into the middle of this.

                          GRAHAM
Yet here we are.

                          JUSTIN
Yeah, well, for better or worse, I can’t stay away from you, now can I?  And you don’t exactly say no.

                          GRAHAM
But you still don’t trust me.

                          JUSTIN
If I didn’t trust you, after the emails and the phone calls and buying the plane ticket to come up here that first time, why would I let you be my –

JUSTIN stops, not finishing the sentence.

                          GRAHAM
Your - ?

                          JUSTIN
First.

                          GRAHAM
Excuse me?

                          JUSTIN
I told you I was nervous because I didn’t have a lot of experience.

                          GRAHAM
I thought that meant you had some.

                          JUSTIN
I had none, which, to be fair, also counts as not having a lot of experience.

                          GRAHAM
At all?

                          JUSTIN
Nope.

                          GRAHAM
Wow.  Uh, I’m flattered.

                          JUSTIN
You should be.

                          GRAHAM
You didn’t seem particularly virginal.

                          JUSTIN
I’d had experience putting my cock inside other human beings.  Just not guys.

                          GRAHAM
Well, we fixed that.

                          JUSTIN
That and a whole lot of other things.

                          GRAHAM
For a novice you certainly weren’t shy.

                          JUSTIN
Just ‘cause I was nervous doesn’t mean I’m not enthusiastic.

                          GRAHAM
I’ll say.

JUSTIN grabs GRAHAM and kisses him.

                          JUSTIN
Focus.

                          GRAHAM
You make that challenging.

                          JUSTIN
I am not letting anything happen to you.
We are getting out of this.
Then I’m taking you home and we are gonna take turns plowing each other until our eyes roll back in our heads and the neighbors call the cops because of the noise.
Right now I need you to practice aiming that gun.  Don’t shoot.  Save the ammo.  But get used to pointing that thing like you mean it.

                          GRAHAM
You have a really effective incentive program.

                          JUSTIN
While you do that, tell me how to rig this place.

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