BY JACK LIVINGSTON
Copyright © by Jack Livingston. All rights reserved. Published with permission from the author. Inquiries concerning rights should be addressed to Jack Livingston at jackhlivingston@gmail.com.
Presented October 3, 2014 | Swain Hall, Studio 6 Theatre, UNC Department of Communication | Directed by Carnessa Ottelin
Original cast members are in brackets.
CALVIN BOZEMAN 48, male. A former pro-football lineman with an imposing frame and voice [Michael Goolsby].
TEDY MCNEILL 46, male. A former pro-football defensive back, on the short side [Mark Jantzen].
Present. Arlington, Virginia.
On CALVIN BOZEMAN’S house. A display case with various football trophies is visible. Beside it hangs a framed Pro Bowl jersey. CALVIN sits in a chair, holding a hammer. He is wearing shorts and a worn T-shirt. At the foot of his chair is a drawer from a bedroom dresser. It’s broken, with the wood on the sides chipped and ripped off. Next to Calvin is an open toolbox. He inspects the drawer before DRIVING A NAIL into the frame. TEDY MCNEILL ENTERS through the open front door. He is wearing a polo shirt and khakis. Calvin looks up from his project, is startled by Tedy’s presence.
CALVIN [spooked] Oh. Tedy, you got me.
TEDY Sorry. The door was open. I didn’t mean to scare you.
CALVIN [regaining his composure, joking] Hey, I didn’t say, “You scared me.” Pssh. You scaring me, string bean? I’ve dropped change that weighs more than you.
[Calvin stands and lays the hammer on top of the wooden frame.]
TEDY [amused] Why was the door open?
CALVIN I was just out, picking up groceries, running errands, you know. I probably just left it like that. How are you doing? It’s great to see you.
TEDY I’m doing really well. It’s great to see you too.
CALVIN [beat] So, what’s the occasion?
TEDY I don’t live far. Why not pop in?
CALVIN [beat] Well. Come on, make yourself comfortable.
[Tedy takes a seat. Calvin picks up his hammer and returns to his work. The two are vis-à-vis. Calvin effortlessly sends ANOTHER NAIL INTO THE DRAWER with one quick motion.]
CALVIN You know what I was just thinking abou. . . .
TEDY [re: the drawer] So, what’s that? [realizing he’s cut him off] Sorry. What were you saying?
CALVIN Nah, it’s fine. I come into the bedroom one day, and this drawer looked like this. So, I decided I’d make a project out of it.
TEDY How did it happen?
CALVIN I guess the cleaning lady? I’m still confused how she’d even go about doing it. It’s pretty beat up.
TEDY Jesus, man. You think it’s her?
CALVIN I don’t know who else it would be. She was doing me a favor, though. It was old, and when you’d try to open it, you would have to wiggle it out. Now, I can fix it and I have something to keep me busy, so. . . . a win-win.
TEDY Well, you should probably still ask her about it.
CALVIN [offhandedly] Yeah, sure.
[Calvin inspects the drawer.]
TEDY So, how close are you to being done?
[Calvin views the piece.]
CALVIN I guess I just need to reattach the runners.
[Calvin turns the drawer over in his hands a few times.]
TEDY I mean if it’s old, you might want to get a professional to work on it. So it won’t break. [beat] But whatever, it’s great to see you in such good spirits.
CALVIN Yeah, I mean. . . .
[Calvin stops hammering and gazes at Tedy.]
CALVIN Wait, good spirits?
TEDY Nothing. Don’t worry about it.
CALVIN No, good spirits. What do you mean?
TEDY It’s. . . . last time we hung out, you kind of flew off the handle. It’s really nothing. What were you going to say?
CALVIN Flew off the handle? When was that?
TEDY God, Calvin. It’s nothing to get worked up over.
CALVIN [playfully] Nah. What was it? Was it about Millie?
TEDY No. Let’s just forget I said. . . .
CALVIN Was it about the new coach? I told everyone he was garbage from day one. You go from Coach Cozza to this guy. Straight garbage.
TEDY Really, Cal, it’s not a big deal. What were you going to say before I cut you off?
[Calvin inspects the drawer again.]
TEDY Calvin?
[Calvin looks up.]
CALVIN Wait, go back. What was the question?
TEDY What were you going to say to me before?
CALVIN When?
TEDY When I first got here.
CALVIN [long beat] I don’t remember anymore. [RISING] I’m getting a beer. Want one?
TEDY I think I’m. . . .
[Calvin EXITS stage right. Tedy waits patiently. Calvin returns with two cans of soda. He hands one to Tedy, picks up his hammer, and sits back in his seat.]
CALVIN This is all I had. I forgot I was running low on supplies.
TEDY You didn’t pick any up when you were out earlier?
CALVIN We can run out and get some beer right now if you want.
[Calvin takes a seat. Tedy puts his can by his feet.]
TEDY No, it’s fine. Any luck remembering what you were saying before? [beat] You said you were thinking about something. Was it about. . . . ?
[Calvin flips the hammer, so that the bottom half is pointed at Tedy.]
CALVIN I’ve got it! It was the 2003 Super Bowl.
[Tedy’s smile fades.]
TEDY Oh. What about it?
CALVIN You know! Diego Mitjanis kept getting up in my face, trying to talk trash, and he was wearing a visor so you kept. . . . [chuckling] and you kept saying to him, “Roll your windows down. [letting out a hearty laugh] Roll your windows down. I can’t hear you.”
[Calvin mimes manually rolling down a car window.]
[Tedy lets out a FORCED LAUGH.]
TEDY Ha, right.
[Calvin, still chuckling, begins to work on his drawer again, mapping where to place the trim. He places a nail on the trim and holds it in place.]
CALVIN Two plays later you jump that screen, up from behind him and just suplex him backwards.
[Calvin reels his hand back and brings it down hard on the nail. BOOM!]
TEDY [flat] Yeah. I remember.
[Tedy shifts uncomfortably in his seat. Calvin notices.]
CALVIN What?
TEDY That was the only Super Bowl he was in. He barely played a set of downs.
CALVIN Yeah. You got him out of the game. You did what you were supposed to do. You set the tone.
TEDY All I’m saying is I wouldn’t have hit someone that way if I knew it would do that to them.
CALVIN So, wait. If you could go back in time you would have kept their best player in the game? What if we lost?
TEDY Cal, I shouldn’t have done that.
CALVIN [incredulous] What are you talking about? That’s how you play the game.
[Calvin points the hammer at Tedy.]
CALVIN [gruff] You were the most vicious guy on that field. . . .
TEDY Nothing’s different. Relax, and don’t point that at me.
CALVIN “Nothing’s different”? You’re soft.
TEDY I used to play with a chip on my shoulder. My whole life I was told that I was too small to play in the NFL. Back then I thought I had to prove them wrong, but it’s not about toughness anymore.
CALVIN It’s always been about toughness. How do you think I got here? I came from nothing. It was just me and my dad in the Virginia Beach projects. When I was twelve, this high school bully took my basketball at the park, and I came back crying. So my dad brings me back to the park, and we go over and the kid’s playing with my ball. My dad tells me to get it. . . .
TEDY Calvin. . . .
[Calvin’s voice grows LOUDER.]
CALVIN So I try to take the ball and run, but my dad won’t let me. He pushes me back in. I’m fighting this kid six years older than me. I got trashed, but every time I tried to quit, my dad would be there pushing me back into the fight. How do you think I got this far? First-round pick, three-time All-Pro? You think that just happens?
TEDY Let’s talk about this. Put the hammer down.
CALVIN [belligerent] You’re not my therapist! Since that day nobody pushes me around. Why do you think CJ is playing at Tech this fall? He inherited his dad’s tough genes. He was raised tough like his old man.
TEDY Well, maybe that’s why he’s afraid of you. CJ was at my camp. You know. . . .
CALVIN Why are you here, Tedy?
TEDY I asked CJ about you. He’s a good kid.
CALVIN Tell me why you’re here.
TEDY I know you love him. I know you weren’t always like this. You talk about being tough, but you would never hurt anyone when we played. I told him that.
CALVIN My son sent you?
TEDY No.
CALVIN Then why? You’re here to tell me my son’s afraid of me?
TEDY Cal. . . .
CALVIN I’ll say it one more time. If you won’t tell me why you came, then get out.
TEDY I can’t do it when you’re like this.
CALVIN [trying to relax] Tell me why you’re here or leave.
TEDY Cal, Flip’s dead. [beat] He couldn’t create new memories, and he was just getting angry every day. I’d seen him a few days before. It was his head. He couldn’t even find his way home.
CALVIN No, that’s not true.
TEDY I wouldn’t lie to you. Here. . . . [Tedy reaches into his front pants pocket and produces a slip of paper.]
CALVIN Then how did he do it?
[Tedy offers the slip of paper to Calvin.]
TEDY That really doesn’t matter. This has the info for where the service is. It’s Friday. Take it.
[Calvin takes the paper, puts it in his pocket.]
CALVIN No, no. You’re playing with my head. I want to know how he did it.
TEDY He shot himself in the chest. [long beat] He was hurting his family. He got kicked out of the house. You know how much he cared about them. He would just lose it. You know he wouldn’t have done that. Cal, your family cares about you, too. [beat] I’m here because CJ’s worried.
CALVIN Stop, that’s not me. [shaking his head] Nah. Flip didn’t do that. I mean, in the chest?
TEDY He did.
CALVIN Someone shot him, right? Made it look like a suicide. You shoot yourself in the head.
TEDY He wanted his brain to be used for research.
[Calvin RISES with the hammer in his hand.]
CALVIN [bitterly] No. Just no. Get out!
TEDY Calvin, put that down. I want you to come with me to see someone.
CALVIN I’m not seeing shit.
TEDY This is how we ended last week.
CALVIN [beat] You were here last week?
TEDY I’ve been here every week, Cal.
CALVIN [defeated] I said. . . . I said leave!
[Calvin gestures to the door and looks away from Tedy. After a beat, Tedy RISES and CROSSES to the door. Stopping at the frame, he turns back.]
TEDY I’m going to see you Friday at the service. A bunch of us are going to get you help.
CALVIN Well, then I’m not going.
[Tedy pauses for a moment, then EXITS. Calvin sinks into his seat, despondent. He runs his hands through his hair. A beat later, he feels the paper in his pocket and takes it out. He reads it, inspects it curiously. He picks up the phone, dials a number using the paper as a consult, and puts the phone to his ear.]
CALVIN Hello. . . . I have this paper. Is there a service at two on Friday? Who is that for? [long beat as he listens] Oh.
[As Calvin attempts to piece together the information, the LIGHTS. . . . ]
FADE TO BLACK
END OF PLAY