Buddy and Grace still squaring off.
Grace
The Book of Grace, Chapter 51: The Luxury of Perspective.
Grace’s notepad is visible from where she dropped it earlier.
She picks it up, tucking it in her pocket.
She turns on some music. Something upbeat.
She dances around.
Grace
Dance with me.
Buddy
I don’t dance.
Grace
Your dad doesn’t either.
Buddy
Whatever.
Grace
I touched a nerve.
Buddy
Buddy
Grace
I touched a nerve. I can tell. When I said “you’re back to celebrate your dad!” I touched a nerve.
Buddy
It’s all good.
Buddy
Buddy
Grace
How about some eggs? It’s no trouble for me to burn some eggs.
She starts cooking eggs.
Grace
I wanted to have a party. Happy Homecoming! But when you didn’t show yesterday Vet squashed it.
Buddy
Whatever.
Grace
The last time you were here. God. You were 10 years old. It was a horrible horrible day. Vet and your mom in here yelling. Yelling like they were trying to yell the house down. Both of them saying awful things. And you and me sat on the porch outside. And your shoelaces dragging.
(Rest)
You were 10. I was twice that. Twice that plus some.
Buddy
Yep.
Grace
(Rest)
I’m sorry your mom died. And about your house too.
(Rest)
You and me on the porch. Me and Vet were newly married. You were 10. I was worried about you. And you didn’t want to tie your shoes. You didn’t want to tie your shoes and you didn’t want me to tie them for you. You just wanted them to drag around in the dirt.
Buddy
That’s right.
Grace
You want some cake? It’s not the first time somebody got cake and eggs. Most people get steak and eggs though. What do you say?
(Rest)
Buddy?
Buddy
It’s hard being here. He hates me, I hate him.
Grace
He doesn’t hate you. And you don’t hate him. Not deep down. Not deep deep deep deep deep deep deep deep down you don’t.
(Rest)
Deep deep
| Grace | Buddy |
| Deep deep deep deep. | Deep deep deep deep. |
A moment of levity.
Grace
When I saw you sleeping there, the first thing that came into my head was Camp David. You know, the place where the leaders of the world go to sort out their problems. I saw you sleeping there and I said to myself, I said, “Grace, Camp David begins at home.”
(Rest)
“That’s a stupid-dumb” idea, right? That’s what Vet would say to that. You shoulda visited us over the years. We shoulda invited you. Better now than never, though. And whatever he says, he’s giving it a go so I gotta hand it to him and here you are so I gotta hand it to you too.
She hands him the eggs. He just holds the plate.
Grace
You should eat.
Buddy
I’m not hungry.
Buddy
Grace
Grace
“Camp David begins at home,” I said to myself. And then I touched a nerve. But we can let that go, right? Put it behind us. Of course we can. Pretend like it never happened. Start fresh. Right? What do you say?
He steals a kiss. A quick peck on the cheek.
Buddy
We made a baby just now.
Grace
You used to say that when you were small.
Buddy
Maybe it’s true.
Grace
You’re silly.
Buddy
Maybe we just did.
He reaches for her. She moves out of his range.
Grace
You’re really silly.
Buddy
Sorry.
Grace
Don’t be sorry, just—don’t—
Buddy
I touched a nerve.
Grace
—Not at all.
(Rest)
He starts eating.
Grace
You know what I think, Mr. Silly? I think you and Vet ought to work together. Both of you, father and son, side by side, working Border Patrol.
Buddy
It’s not like I’ve got a job lined up anywhere else, so—
Grace
So you’ll stay. And work with Vet. Now we just gotta mention it to him. After he gets his medal he’s going to be in a great mood. I say we bring it up then.
Buddy
I already brought it up.
Grace
Oh. Ok. So, what’d he say?
Buddy
He said something about showing me around tonight.
Grace
He’s taking you on a tour?
Buddy
I might not go.
Grace
You gotta go, Buddy. He took me on a tour. On our first date. You gotta go. He’s opening the door for you. And you’ll do your part and walk through it. If you two are going to make up you can’t expect him to do all the work.
Buddy
Kiss and make up.
Grace
You don’t got to kiss him, silly. Shake his hand. Look him in the eye. Stand up straight. Shoulders back. Show him that you’re—that you’re wonderful.
Buddy
I’m not wonderful.
Grace
Sure you are.
Buddy
He wants me to get a haircut.
Grace
So get a haircut.
Buddy
We’ll see.
Grace
You two are just alike.
Buddy
Is that a good thing?
Grace
Buddy
Grace
You’ll get the job and before you know it, you’ll be walking around in the uniform. And then you’ll get your own place. You’ll meet a nice girl. You two will have a couple of kids and you’ll be living in your own house right down the street.
Buddy
And you won’t send me any more letters.
Grace
Sure I will.
Buddy
Not if I’m right down the street.
Grace
Neighbors send letters all the time. Happy Birthday! Merry Christmas! Get Well Soon! And if you need it, I’ll tuck some money inside like I used to.
(Rest)
I guess that little bit of money I was sending you and your mom didn’t amount to squat. We would of sent more but things are tight.
Buddy
Those stories you sent were better than the money.
Grace
They were just newspaper clippings.
Buddy
They were nice.
Grace
At the diner, when I bus the tables I save the paper. Most people just leave it behind. At first I was trying to be, you know, “green.” You know, thinking I’d recycle it. I had a whole big stack of newspapers from saving them. Then I had some—some time on my hands. And I started reading them. Clipping out things.
Buddy
I liked the story about the dog.
Grace
I thought you would.
Buddy
A dog named Trouble. And the Disney World one.
Grace
Disneyland. I get them mixed up too. I haven’t been to either one of them. Disneyland’s the one with the original Magic Castle. The second one’s like, a copy.
Buddy
Right. I like how it said when she saw that castle as a kid and it looked so big and then, how she went back when she was all grown up, and how it looked so small. How she could feel the whole passage of time right in that very moment. What’d she call it?
Grace
The “luxury of perspective.”
Buddy
Right. I used to think this house was huge.
Grace
Maybe cause of all the land around it. All the land we’ve got around it. And you were little. When you’re little even a small house looks big.
Buddy
Some things don’t get smaller, though. Some things get bigger. Worse.
Grace
And some things get better. “Look on the bright side for crying out loud it don’t cost hardly nothing.” That’s what I tell Vet. More cake?
Buddy
No thanks. Mom was sick. She got sicker. Bills for the house got bigger. And I was just—lost. Then I saw him on the tv. Out of the fucking blue. And as mad as I was at him, all I wanted was to get here, and sit with you on the porch. Cause as bad as it was, last time I was here, somehow you made it ok. You made it—nice.
Grace
Thanks.
Buddy
Too hot to sit outside now.
Grace
Yeah.
Buddy
You were sitting near me when I was sleeping. Doing what? Watching me?
Grace
Just sitting.
Buddy
You were writing.
Grace
Grocery list.
Buddy
Right.
(Rest)
“We the people . . . in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution.”
(Rest)
I got it all memorized, pretty much.
Grace
Let’s hear the rest.
Buddy
Point is, we’re establishing our Constitution. We’re going to be friends, right?
Grace
Better than friends. We’re family. By law anyway.
Buddy
So tell me something about you. A secret. I feel like you know a lot about me and I don’t know anything about you. Go on. I won’t tell.
Grace
You first. Go.
Buddy
I used to be scared of Vet. When I was a kid. Maybe I still am. Secret.
Grace
I took a class once. I kept it secret from Vet. Algebra.
Buddy
Algebra. Whoa. Algebra! So you can solve for X and stuff?
Grace
Yes.
Buddy
You pass?
Grace
A couple of As on a couple of tests. Then Vet found out. He didn’t like me going.
(Rest)
The teacher, he really liked me. Not in that way, but still, I had to quit.
(Rest)
Secret.
Buddy
I don’t have anymore.
Grace
Yeah you do. Go.
Buddy
You go.
Grace
You go. Secret.
Buddy
That hole in the yard. He dug it for you, right?
Grace
He says it’s a “deterrent.”
Buddy
He dug one for my mom.
Grace
But he never used it.
Buddy
No, he never used it. It just sat there. Where she could see it. Every day.
(Rest)
He used to hit my mom. He hit you?
Grace
Buddy
Buddy
Yes, right?
Grace
Grace
Buddy holds up two fingers. It’s Strike Two.
Grace
Peace?
Buddy
We’ll see. Maybe. “Peace out.” Maybe.
Grace
Here’s one you’ll never guess. I’m writing a book.
Buddy
That’s what you were doing.
Grace
Collecting my thoughts, yeah.
Buddy
And then writing them down.
Grace
And then rounding them up.
Buddy
Show me.
She goes to the rug, pushing it aside. She removes a few pieces of loose flooring, pulling out several scribbled-on waitress pads, a few stray newspaper articles and, then, her red-marbled composition book, her Book of Grace.
Buddy
What’s it called?
Grace
The Book of Grace.
Buddy
Named her after yourself. What’s it about?
Grace
Kind of like—I dunno—the evidence of good things.
Buddy
The evidence of good things.
Grace
Yeah.
(Rest)
When I see a newspaper story that’s nice, I cut it out and paste it in. The clippings I sent to you I copied down in here so we could both have them. I got a picture of the president in here somewhere. But it’s not just clippings, sometimes, at the diner, someone’ll tell me a story and I’ll write it down, or sometimes I see something interesting and write it down. Some stuff I just make up. My thoughts. About—about things. I started it after I had to quit that math class. It’s kind of like a self-help book.
Buddy
I bet it’ll be a bestseller.
Grace
I dunno about all that, but, sometimes I pretend it’s published. Dumb, right?
Buddy
No
Grace
Sometimes, you know, when those writers read, like at the library? Sometimes, when I read it out loud to myself, I set up chairs in here and pretend.
(Rest)
Stupid, right?
Buddy
No.
Playfully, Buddy snatches her Book, leafing through it.
Grace
Hey—
Buddy
It’s beautiful. You can draw too.
Grace
Yeah. Gimmie.
Buddy, reading from her Book:
Buddy
“I like snakes. All kinds. Something deep within my nature, I guess . . . Most people don’t like snakes, and so, I guess, me liking snakes sets me apart from most people.”
Grace
Give it back.
Instead of handing it over, he holds the Book close to his chest.
Buddy
“The evidence of good things.” How’s it end?
Grace
I’m not there yet.
(Rest)
“Stupid-dumb!” That’s what Vet would say if he knew I was writing a book.
(Rest)
Gimmie.
But he continues to hold the Book close.
Buddy
Buddy
Buddy
Snake
Snake
Buddy
Snake
Snake
(Rest)
Snake
I just changed my name. Just right now. To Snake.
Grace
Snake.
Snake
Yeah. It suits me better than “Buddy.” It’s cool, right?
Grace
It might be.
Snake
You like snakes. And it suits me. “Evidence of good things!” You’ll see.
Grace
Footnote #3:
We see Vet on the job. He pauses from his patrol work.
Vet
My nickname used to be “Snake.” Back in the day. But I’m on the good foot now.
Snake
Pop, he used to go by Snake.
Grace
Yeah, I know.
Snake
You think I’m following in his footsteps?
Grace
For you to know and for me to find out. Good thing I like snakes.
Snake
Yeah. It’s a good thing. Secret.
Grace
Your dad’s really glad you’re here.
Snake
That’s a secret even from him.
Grace
He’s glad. You’ll see.
(Rest)
Secret.
Snake
What if I’m on the bad foot?
Grace
What if that’s just your mad-self talking?
Snake
If I was bad, could you turn me into something good?
Grace
Footnote #4:
Again, Vet pauses from work.
Vet
And did I ever tell you about the time he put a firecracker in my car? That thing went bang and I just about wet myself. I’m laughing but it wasn’t funny. That kid is bad news. Bad through and through.
Grace
When you were little, sitting on the porch, you kept saying “I’m a bad boy. I’m a bad boy.” I can see why you’d think that. But you were never really bad.
Snake
What if I was? What if I am?
Grace
You’re still that ten-year-old kid with his untied shoes trying to impress me.
Snake
And you’re still good gracious Grace trying to make everything turn out all right.
Grace
Snake
Snake
I’ll go get that haircut.
Using his phone, he takes their selfie.
Grace
And you’ll let Vet show you around?
Snake
Looking on the bright side don’t cost nothing.
Grace
There you go.
He starts to leave.
Grace
Snake. My Book.
Snake hands her back her Book. He goes on his way, leaving Grace to her work.