by Jeffrey Lo
Stageplay
A middle school parking lot.
School ended half an hour ago.
FRANK sits holding his backpack close to his chest.
FRANK waits.
FRANK straightens up at the sound of a car pulling up but sees another kid enter the car.
FRANK waits…
… and waits…
Silence.
MARCUS enters.
MARCUS looks around the parking lot then takes a seat.
FRANK and MARCUS wait.
Beat.
MARCUS
Hey.
FRANK
Hi.
Silence.
MARCUS
Waiting?
FRANK
What?
MARCUS
You waiting?
… for your parents?
FRANK
…
YeahIguess…
MARCUS
…
Me too.
(Pause)
You guess?
FRANK
What?
MARCUS
You said, “I guess.”
I asked, “You waiting… for your parents?”
And you said, “YeahIguess…”
FRANK
Oh. Yeah.
Pause.
MARCUS
So, like, what does that mean?
No answer.
MARCUS (CON’T)
What does I guess mean?
That’s what I’m, like, asking.
You.
(Suddenly frustrated:)
WhatdoesIguessmean? That’sallIwannaknowgosh!
FRANK
LOOK. It means…
…
Nevermind.
MARCUS moves closer to FRANK.
MARCUS
(Softer:)
What is it?
FRANK
I don’t know…
I just…
I guess what I meant was I don’t know if I’m actually going to be picked up.
MARCUS
Why not?
FRANK
Because.
MARCUS
Because?
FRANK
BECAUSE!
MARCUS
(Matching Frank:)
BECAUSE?
FRANK
(Giving up and letting it all out:)
Gosh! Because my dad forgets me…
A lot…
…
Like, all the time.
Like, most days I just sit here waiting for him to pick me up and he never comes. And I sit here and I wait and I wait and I wait until my mom comes home from work and realizes that I’m not home again and she comes here and sees me sitting here waiting again and she takes me home and when I see my dad he just smiles and says, “Oh hey Frank I forgot about you kiddo!” AGAIN.
Silence.
Beat.
Pause.
MARCUS
That sucks.
FRANK
Yeah.
MARCUS
I’m sorry.
FRANK
For what?
MARCUS
For that.
FRANK
Why? I just met you.
MARCUS
I know. But still. I’m sorry.
Silence.
MARCUS (CON’T)
Grown-ups suck.
…
Well, like, not all the time. I mean. My mom’s pretty cool. She makes good food.
FRANK
Mine too.
MARCUS
Cool.
FRANK
Yeah.
MARCUS
My mom said that when I’m a teenager she’ll teach me to make good food myself. That’s next year.
FRANK
That’s cool.
MARCUS
Yeah.
Have you thought about just walking?
FRANK
It’s too far.
MARCUS
Oh. Yeah, that sucks.
Beat.
MARCUS (CON’T)
You said your name was Frank?
FRANK
Yeah.
MARCUS
I’m Marcus.
FRANK
Hi Marcus.
MARCUS
(Extending his arm for a handshake:)
Hi Frank.
FRANK just looks at MARCUS’ hand.
MARCUS (CON’T)
I want a handshake. Come on! Don’t leave me hanging! I see the grown-ups do it when they meet someone for the first time.
FRANK shakes MARCUS’ hand.
FRANK
That was weird.
FRANK and MARCUS shake off the weirdness of the handshake.
MARCUS
That was weird.
…
Grown-ups are stupid.
(Pause)
I get stuck here a lot too. Waiting by the parking lot.
FRANK
Do they forget you too?
MARCUS
No. They just can’t get me till later. Work.
I hate waiting for them.
I complained to my dad about it—waiting—and he just says to me,
(Impersonating a grown-up:)
WE PUT CLOTHES ON YOUR BACK, A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD, AND FOOD ON THE TABLE.
(Back to his normal voice:)
So I guess that means he gets to leave me here for as long as he wants.
Or whatever…
It sucks though…
FRANK
Grown-ups.
MARCUS
The worst.
…
I can’t wait till I’m a grown-up.
FRANK
Seriously.
MARCUS
Everything will be simple when we’re grown-ups.
We can drive a car so we don’t have to wait for anyone.
We can eat whatever we want.
We can do whatever we want.
It must be so easy to be a grown-up.
FRANK
(Softly:)
To be able to count on yourself…
MARCUS
What was that?
FRANK
Oh. Uh. Nothing.
(Beat)
What time do they come to get you?
MARCUS
(Checking his digital watch:)
Pretty soon…
FRANK
Cool…
MARCUS
Yeah…
Beat.
Pause.
MARCUS (CON’T)
So, what are you?
FRANK
What?
MARCUS
Where are you from?
FRANK
I’m from here.
MARCUS
But like where were you from before here.
FRANK
I’ve always been here.
MARCUS
No you haven’t.
FRANK
Yes I have.
Awkward silence.
MARCUS
Are you sure?
FRANK
YESIHAVE! IWASBORNHERE/GOSH!
MARCUS
You were born he/re?
FRANK
YES!
MARCUS
Really?
FRANK
YES!
MARCUS
In America?
FRANK
What else do you call this place?
…Dumbass…
MARCUS
Whoa, you don’t have to call me names. That’s mean.
FRANK
Whatever.
MARCUS
You just don’t look like you were born in America…
FRANK
I WAS BORN IN AMERICA!
MARCUS
I believe you. I just… I was born in America too and my whole family was born in America and you don’t look like me you look like you weren’t born in…
I don’t know…
Another awkward silence.
FRANK
(Almost mumbling:)
… my parents are fromthePhilippines.
MARCUS
What?
FRANK
The Philippines. My parents are… Filipino. They came here from the Philippines and then I was born. In America.
MARCUS
Ooohhh…
…
That makes sense.
…
I never thought of that before.
Pause.
MARCUS (CON’T)
Sorry… I didn’t mean to –
Sorry.
FRANK
Yeah.
MARCUS
So, like, what do you guys eat?
FRANK
Food.
MARCUS
Yeah, but…
I heard…
…
Do you guys eat dogs?
FRANK
WHAT!? NOWEDON’TEATDOGS!
MARCUS
Ok!
FRANK
WHYWOULDYOUTHINKWEEATDOGS!?
MARCUS
I don’t know!
FRANK
WE. DON’T. EAT. DOGS! GOD!
MARCUS
Ok! Ok! I just heard once that…
FRANK
WE DON’T!
MARCUS
Cool! I’m, um, sorry.
Again…
…
I think I should stop talking about where you’re from because I’ll say things that get me in trouble…
A shorter silence.
FRANK notices MARCUS feels bad.
FRANK
Hey.
MARCUS doesn’t quite respond. He’s down on himself.
FRANK (CON’T)
Marcus.
MARCUS
Yeah?
FRANK
You know what we do eat?
MARCUS
I don’t think I should talk about it…
FRANK
We eat…
We eat pig’s blood.
MARCUS
WHAT!?
FRANK
Yeah.
MARCUS
SERIOUSLY!?
FRANK
Yeah.
MARCUS
Is it gross?
FRANK
Not really. It’s sort of just… goopy.
MARCUS
Is it bright red? Do you just drink it?
FRANK
Nah, we cook it with pork… and it ends up just black.
MARCUS
Crazy!
Wow…
…
I gotta try that.
Beat.
FRANK
Hey Marcus.
Thanks for making the wait suck less…
MARCUS
Yeah. You too.
FRANK extends his arm for a handshake.
They shake hands and again shake off the weirdness of the handshake.
FRANK and MARCUS laugh together.
MARCUS (CON’T)
So weird.
FRANK
Yeah.
Beat.
MARCUS
Hey Frank.
FRANK
Yeah?
MARCUS
Let’s make a handshake.
FRANK likes this idea.
FRANK
Ok!
MARCUS
How about this –
MARCUS starts the handshake.
They laugh.
FRANK
Ok… And then…
FRANK makes the second half of the handshake. They smile.
MARCUS
Yeah.
FRANK
Yeah.
FRANK and MARCUS perform the complete handshake. It’s odd, a little awkward but fun. It feels right.
MARCUS
Nice.
A car pulls up.
MARCUS (CON’T)
That’s my mom!
FRANK
Oh. Cool.
MARCUS grabs his bag.
MARCUS
See ya later!
FRANK
See ya.
MARCUS exits.
FRANK holds his backpack close to his chest.
FRANK waits.
A brief silence.
MARCUS runs back in.
MARCUS
Hey Frank.
FRANK
Yeah?
MARCUS
Do you want a ride?
Jeffrey Lo is a Filipino-American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the 2014 Leigh Weimers Emerging Arist Award, the 2012 Emerging Artist Laureate by Arts Council Silicon Valley and Theatre Bay Area Director’s TITAN Award. His plays have been produced and workshopped at The BindleStiff Studio, City Lights Theatre Company, Custom Made Theatre Company and the Orange County Playwrights Alliance. Recent directing credits include Eurydice at Palo Alto Players, Dead Man’s Cell Phone at Los Altos Stage Company, Some Girl(s) at Dragon Productions and The Drunken City at Renegade Theatre Experiment. Jeffrey has also worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWorks & San Jose Repertory Theatre. He is the Casting Associate and Company Manager at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, a graduate of the Multicultural Arts Leadership Institue and a proud alumnus of the UC Irvine Drama Department. For more about his work: www.JeffreyWritesAPlay.Com