The same again, TV trays still out. Dishes on them. TV blasting with a rerun of Walker: Texas Ranger.
DARRELL stands in the kitchen archway, eating a banana. He looks down at RICH, who lies on the couch, eyes closed. RICH is still wearing his workpants but without a shirt.
DARRELL
—fucking bed, huh?
RICH
Yeah.
DARRELL
You sleep in the thing, like, twice, and she’s gotta strip it down, bleach the shit outta it.
RICH
Uh-huh. Works hard, though.
DARRELL
She does, yeah, you’re right—
RICH (looking up at this)
Cammie back yet?
DARRELL
Nah. Getting us some KFC . . . ’s always packed in there.
RICH
Oh. (BEAT) Anyway, don’t mind resting out here, better’n a bare mattress.
DARRELL
Yeah. (BEAT) . . . so, fuck, sorry about the tickets, Rich.
RICH
No big deal, We’re seeing ’em tonight, anyway. Go with one ’a the guys from work tomorrow, sell ’em if not . . . worry about it. (BEAT) Tim still wanna go?
DARRELL
Ahh, I think he’s gonna do the birthday thing with us.
RICH
Figured. Thought I’d ask.
DARRELL
I ’ppreciate it. Would’ve been cool—
RICH
Yep. Should be some good heats, sounds like. (BEAT) Your mom says I should take Shari, get ’er away from the kid for a couple hours . . . I dunno.
DARRELL
She gonna do with ’em, though? Dump ’em here, I s’pppose, fucking Friday night?!
RICH
Cammie don’t mind .’Nother night of toddlers, fuck’s the difference, right?
DARRELL
I guess. Still sucks—
RICH
Yep, but I got the tickets, now.
DARRELL
Sorry. Fuck! I am sorry—
RICH
She wanna come with us? Her birthday, do a little cake some restaurant if you wanna—
DARRELL
Umm, well, you know . . . doesn’t know you.
RICH
Forget it. An idea.
DARRELL
Shit.
RICH
Work it out. Got ’em for thirty bucks, not like I’m out a bundle . . .
(RICH lays his head back on the armrest, rubbing his eyes.)
I gonna relax now. Fucking headache, like the Concorde taking off ’side my skull—
DARRELL
’Kay.
DARRELL doesn’t move. After a moment, RICH looks up.
RICH
Darrell, I’m laying down, alright? Nice chatting with ya—
DARRELL
Listen, Rich, you got any . . . ummmm, oh, fuck. (BEAT) Hey, you have a little money I could borrow?
RICH
Huh?
DARRELL
Need to get a present. Just a tiny sort ’a something—
RICH
You come in here for this?
DARRELL
No, I just—
RICH
’Cause that’s shitty, engage in some conversation, you just need to bilk me, my paycheck. Scam like that—
DARRELL
I remembered, just now, swear to God! I was gonna—
RICH
Forget it.
DARRELL
I don’t need it if it’s—
RICH
Just yanking you around. I’m kidding . . . Check my wallet, over by the keys there.
RICH sits up as DARRELL moves to a counter and looks through the billfold. As he does, DARRELL secretly pockets a set of car keys; RICH misses this.
DARRELL
—nothing.
RICH
Shit. Sorry.
DARRELL stands for a long minute, staring into the empty pockets. Finally, he closes it and tosses it to RICH.
DARRELL
’S no prob’. Really.
RICH
Gotta check with your mom.
DARRELL nods and starts to leave; he stops short, looking at the edge of RICH’s hip that is exposed.
DARRELL
The fuck’s that?
RICH
What?
DARRELL
That! Side ’a your hip there—
RICH
This? (looks for a moment) Body count.
DARRELL
Huh?
RICH
Fucking Saddam & Co. I never showed you this?
DARRELL
No! Cool—
RICH
Yep. (BEAT) We’d get a mark—drink a little something, ever the fuck we had on hand—one ’a your buddies’d make a quick cut, edge ’a your ass for the day’s kill. Lot ’a guys had ’em.
DARRELL
That is, like, fucking neat! Can I see?
(RICH rolls over slightly, exposing his side as he pulls his pants down a touch.)
No way . . . thirteen?!
RICH
Right.
DARRELL
Holy shit—
RICH
And that’s not villagers, any mistakes we made. All those are confirmed kills. Bona fide sandniggers.
DARRELL
Man, my dad doesn’t have any stuff like that! Maybe he was in another part of the desert or something—
RICH
Not all the guys got these. And he was not in Airborne. Lot ’a shit went down, you’re in fucking Airborne—
(DARRELL marvels at this, sitting on the sofa for a moment.)
Touch ’em if ya wanna—
DARRELL (running a finger along)
Fuck . . . ’s totally badass. Serious.
RICH
Yep.
DARRELL
You like it over there?
RICH
Like?
DARRELL
You know—
RICH
I dunno “like.” What’s to fucking like, guys shooting rockets at your ass.
DARRELL
Right, but . . . they give you a fucking gun. That’s pretty hot.
RICH
It was nice. Yeah, the gun was nice.
DARRELL
Thirteen. That’s incredible—
RICH
Got two, my last day.
DARRELL
Wwoooahh!
RICH
—you know what I did like, though? I mean this, I liked one thing.
DARRELL
What?
RICH
The toys. (BEAT) I really got into the kinds ’a toys they make in that place—
DARRELL
Yeah?
RICH
I’m serious . . . crazy war, I know, but they really had some great gifts and shit, all over that country. (BEAT) R&R, I’m in Riyadh, two, a couple weeks before we’re outta there, standing outside this store, little sorta mud-type joint, I’m talking to a girl. Maybe ten, eleven years old. Trying to get me in bed, her and her mother, imagine what I’m telling you! The pair for, maybe, six bucks. Everybody thinks they’re, like, so religious and all that nonsense, but believe me, they pull some pretty incredible shit over there. Did with us anyhow . . . (BEAT) So, like I say, I’m heading off with her, right, this kid, heading out but I just stop in front of this place I’m talking about, I mean literally come to a dead halt the colors are, like, so fucking overwhelming! I give the girl a buck or so—more money she’s seen, her entire life—say I’ll be along in a minute, and I stand there and just gotta squint to take it all in. Really. (BEAT) Gadgets, novelties, these whirly things buzzing all over hell . . . handmade shit like you’ve never seen! I’m inside, haggling with some guy, a hundred years old or whatnot—crazy fucker, spoke not a word ’a English—but he takes me out in the street, gets me to put one of his newest kites up in the air . . . it was this beautiful birdlike thing, I never known anything like it. Huge white wings just all out, must’ve had a span of, maybe, twenty feet or so, I shit you not . . . long graceful neck and this head, if you could’ve seen the head! This is what I’m talking about, this ingenious little fuck had made, I don’t know how, but the head was like almost a separate kite that opened up when you got the thing high enough . . . Christ, it was just stunning! I’m telling you, the likes of it I don’t imagine to see again, I don’t care I live forever, nothing will be as miraculous as that fucking kite.
DARRELL
Wow—
RICH
Yeah. I must’ve had it up there, oh, at least a good couple hundred feet . . . the ol’ guy ran inside, screaming his ass off, chattering away and just beaming with pride. He got a huge spool ’a string and we tied it on near the end and we just kept going with it . . . up over the old part a’ the city, you know, where they got all the mosques and shit, we were way above that! Me and that bastard, trading off, circle ’a people around . . . Goddamn. It was something, I gotta tell you . . . (BEAT) Anyway, bought a couple things to send to my brother—he was twelve then, he used to get into all that exotic shit—and that was a hell of a good time for an R&R. (BEAT) Never did find that girl and her mom, though—
They share a long silence.
DARRELL
’S pretty trippy. Really—
RICH
Yep.
DARRELL
Six bucks, huh? Both of ’em?
RICH
Something like that.
DARRELL
That’s wild. (BEAT) I gotta go, but I’ll see ya—
RICH
Yep. Sorry ’bout the cash.
DARRELL
Uh-huh. So long, Rich.
DARRELL exits. Once he is gone, RICH reaches deep into a pant pocket, producing a wad of cash. He reaches for his wallet, slowly stuffing the bills into a side flap.
RICH (to himself)
—fucking kite must’ve been up half a mile, I’ll bet.