Road 4
- TRUCK STOP PARKING LOT
A corner of the parking
lot at a truck stop in Southern California. A car
engine is mounted on
cinder blocks. Various nut, bolts, rags, etc are
scattered around it.
ANN, late 20's, sits on a bushel basket, reading.
LAWTON, 30's, a tall,
muscular young man enters with a 20 pound sack of
potatoes over his
shoulder. He sets it down.
LAWTON
I thought you might like these.
Ann doesn't look up
from her book.
ANN
No blow jobs.
LAWTON
(beat)
Ma'am?
ANN
Not for a sack of potatoes.
LAWTON
Tubby, the cook, he
told me your story.
ANN
He don't know my story.
LAWTON
Well,
just about your van
breaking down.
ANN
And you felt sorry for me?
LAWTON
Not
"sorry", but...
ANN
I would. It's about the most pitiful
thing I ever heard of.
LAWTON
Anyway, I have
another twelve tons
in the truck. Didn't figure they'd
miss it.
ANN
Thanks.
Ann goes back to
reading. Lawton doesn't leave.
ANN
See? You're waiting, cause you think
I'm going to give you one.
LAWTON
No, ma'am.
ANN
I have a sixth sense about these things.
I ain't over being sick from the
one last night, so you're
out of luck.... I want to finish
this chapter, thank you.
LAWTON
(beat)
Well, so long.
ANN
You can take your potatoes, if you want.
LAWTON
Not worth the effort. The potatoes.
ANN
It's not 'cause you gross me out,
if that makes you feel any better.
LAWTON
No.
Lawton starts to go.
ANN
Wait... Shoot... Would you give
me fifty bucks?
LAWTON
I don't have fifty bucks to give.
ANN
I'm trying to buy a plane ticket to
Hawaii. I am. It sounds frivolous,
but it ain't.
LAWTON
Hawaii?
ANN
I want to live there. You ever been?
LAWTON
I ain't been anywhere you can't
get to in a truck. Then again, there's
no place you can get to in a truck
I ain't been.
ANN
If it weren't so dang hot... you know?
It would make me queasy.
LAWTON
Ma'am? Oh, you're talking about the
other thing.
ANN
I figure the quicker I can get that
ticket...
LAWTON
You have a husband, don't you?
The
cook said there were two of you.
ANN
Chuck's off trying to steal
parts.
(re: engine on blocks)
He thinks he
can rebuild
that thing. We've been living in
this parking lot for two months.
LAWTON
I heard. Tubby says he'll let you
stay as long as you need.
ANN
Well, we should make him a saint.
LAWTON
You are an eyesore, to say the least.
ANN
St. Tubby. Patron Saint of Truck Stops.
LAWTON
He doesn't have to let you squat
here.
ANN
There's hardly a choice.
LAWTON
He could call the police.
ANN
He could... Why would you call me
an eye sore? That's mean.
LAWTON
I give what I get.
ANN
This isn't me. You understand? I'm
not this person.
LAWTON
I believe that.
ANN
Do you?
LAWTON
Just down on your luck.
ANN
It's like that old movie, "Lifeboat"?
This
truck stop parking lot is my
Atlantic Ocean, and this van is my
leaky boat.
LAWTON
What's the cafe?
ANN
That's the ship on the horizon that
don't see me waving.... It's survival,
is all. Would you give me twenty
dollars for a hand job?
LAWTON
Stop that now.
ANN
Look at you turn red.
LAWTON
Well, I'm not used to a woman....
ANN
What?
LAWTON
I just wanted a spot a' talk.
Trucking's
a lonely business.
ANN
It's a man's wet dream.
Rrmm-rmm! His "big rig",
in control, no one telling him...
Stop just long enough to eat
and fuck a waitress. Boom, on the road,
get paid, get drunk. See the
kids, fuck the wife, leave
her behind
again til next time.
LAWTON
You make it sound romantic.
Ann laughs a little.
ANN
You married?
LAWTON
Hell, no.... You have a low opinion
of men, don't you?
ANN
I'm narily disappointed.... I saw the ring mark
on
your finger.
LAWTON
Oh.
Yeah. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to fool you.
ANN
Who
were you trying to fool?
LAWTON
Me.
I thought it would be--...
I
don’t know, I just did it.
(puts
ring back on)
You
know, she and I ain’t going too good now,
but...
she’s still my wife.
ANN
We
all do strange things when we’re off
alone.
You don’t need to tell me.
(beat)
Would you like something to eat?
LAWTON
Potatoes?
ANN
No, we got T-bones in the van.
LAWTON
T-bones?
ANN
They're going bad.
LAWTON
T-bone steaks?
ANN
You know the "Hungry Lion"
down the way? Chuck and I got
jobs there last week as night
janitors. Got fired on Sunday,
so we stole the steaks.
LAWTON
What'd you get fired for?
ANN
Stealing. Chuck's an ex-con.
LAWTON
An
ex-con?
ANN
A present-con. He's so low, he takes it out
anyway he can.
Lawton notices Ann
rubbing her wrist.
LAWTON
What's that book? "Ga-- Gaw-wan--"?
ANN
"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."
LAWTON
Is that
new?
ANN
It's Arthurian.
LAWTON
(beat)
Is that my answer?
ANN
Old. Camelot. Knights of the Round
Table.
LAWTON
Sure.
ANN
High melodrama, but...
LAWTON
It's good?
ANN
Gets my head out of the parking
lot.
Ann rubs her wrist
again.
LAWTON
I imagine you'd want to get away.
(Ann scouffs)
Your wrist hurt?
Ann nods, stops
rubbing.
ANN
I've always read a lot.
It surprises people. It
always bugs me, how surprised
they
are.
LAWTON
Looks swollen.
ANN
(pause)
We get on one 'nother's nerves.
I tell him he's a dumb hick,
he cracks me up 'side the head.
I say he's a rat dick, low life,
he breaks my wrist. Listen to me.
"Up 'side the
haid", like I'm
not a hick, right?
(Lawton smiles)
What's your name?
LAWTON
Lawton.
ANN
Lawton. Hallelujah for a pretty name.
LAWTON
I'll kick his ass for ya--
Lawton looks to her for
her name.
ANN
Ann.
LAWTON
Ann. No reason to treat a woman like
that.
ANN
Chuck's not someone you...
LAWTON
I'm not scared of him.
ANN
Thanks, but... It would
just leave it worse... You'd
go on to wherever...
LAWTON
You wanna stay with him?
ANN
Through thick and thin....
Lord, but this is thin, though.
He laid it on thick, is more like it.
Then I married him.
LAWTON
You gotta sweet way of talking.
Where you from?
ANN
Guess... Can't look at the license
plate!
LAWTON
Oklahoma?
ANN
Texas. You're from the Old South.
Charleston, maybe?
LAWTON
Louisiana.
ANN
What part?
LAWTON
(hesitates)
Northern part.
ANN
I should, you know.
LAWTON
Hm?
ANN
Have you kick his ass. But you'd
leave and I'd...
LAWTON
Well...
ANN
(she
waits)
Well?
LAWTON
Well... Would you want to go?
ANN
Go?
LAWTON
With me. You're welcome....
Ann reacts, amused and
flattered.
ANN
What are you doing?
Are you serious? That's funny.
LAWTON
You seem nice. More than that...
I'll just take you as far as San Diego,
if that's....
ANN
What would I do in San Diego?
LAWTON
Fly to Hawaii.
ANN
I don't have
the money.
Lawton frowns, nods.
ANN
I got part of the money.
LAWTON
I could pay for it. What's it cost?
ANN
'Nother two, three hundred.
LAWTON
I got that in cash.
ANN
You
said you didn't have fifty.
LAWTON
"Fifty to give".
ANN
But if I fuck you for it?
LAWTON
Don't keep saying--
ANN
No, I'll fuck you for that.
You kidding?.... Would you go? To Hawaii?
LAWTON
After San Diego, I gotta turn
right back around. Oranges.
ANN
What if I rode with you?
(Lawton reacts)
Did I read you wrong?
LAWTON
You want to go--...? You mean Louisiana?
ANN
Heck, I'm jumping up on the
back of your horse. It's wherever
you're going.
LAWTON
You were so keen on Hawaii.
ANN
I'm keen on adventure, Lawton.
We would have a ball, I guarentee
you that.
LAWTON
I
told you, I’m married--
ANN
Is
that where you wanna be? I know this
ain’t
where I wanna be. Think of it,
man,
the two of us.
LAWTON
I don't--... This is a little out
of my league.
Ann's devil-may-care
attitude cannot hide the tremendous desperation
behind it all.
ANN
If it gets fettid and gnarly,
I hitch another ride
while you're pumping gas.
You tear off while I'm in the
motel shower. Lawton, I'm
tellin' you, it'll be--
Ann impetuously kisses
him deeply, rubs his back and butt.
ANN
I think you are heaven sent,
Lawton, I really do.
LAWTON
(pause)
Alright then.... We'd better get along.
ANN
Can we wait a spell?
LAWTON
Why?
ANN
I don't want Chuck to think someone's
gone off and murdered me.
LAWTON
Don't you think Chuck'll be
a little perturbed?
ANN
(beat)
I would love to see you kick his ass.
If you knew--.... You're much bigger
than him, it wouldn't be no contest.
But to see that ratfuck asshole laid
out in this parking lot...
If he tries anything, I'll jump in
there,
bite his goddamned ear off.
Would you, Lawton? For me?
LAWTON
(pause)
Yes, ma'am.
Ann hugs him. After a
moment, they break. As they start to wait, the
uncomfortable silence
builds. The wind in the sails begins to die.
ANN
So hot.
Lawton nods. Ann can
feel the triumphant energy fading. She wants
to stop it from dying
out.
ANN
We should have a T-bone. Celebrate.
We'll ask St. Tubby. If you give him
one, he'll broil 'em
up--...
It's all negotiation out here.
Ann grabs the potatoes,
suggesting through a gesture that they will take
the sack with them. The
silence grows more smothering. After a long
while.
LAWTON
You know what?
(pause)
I'm just going to go.
ANN
(she
knows)
What do you mean?
LAWTON
I'm just going to go. I--...
(pause)
I feel very badly.
I think you're a fine person....
Ann looks at him with
desperate, plaintive, angry eyes.
LAWTON (cont'd)
You give me that look like-- I
don't know what--
betrayed
or whatever...
but this whole thing is about
a truck stop parking lot.
I'm not gonna pretend any different.
Lawton exits, leaving
Ann there with the bag of potatoes. She puts down
the potatoes, sits on
the bushel basket, opens her book, and returns to
reading. A tear runs
down her face. End of play.
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