KINGDOM COME (excerpt) by Jerrod Jordahl

KINGDOM COME By Jerrod Jordahl

455 Van Buren ST, APT1 Brooklyn, NY 11221 (515) 297-2864 jordahl1@gmail.com

CHARACTERS Abisai. 35. Male.

Amelia. 33. Female.

Bruce. 30. Male.

Gerald. 60s. Male.

SETTING/TIME Iowa. Present and future.

CONTEXT The following excerpt comes near the beginning of scene two. Bruce has been fired. An epic winter storm has rolled in, forcing the four to shelter together. Tensions are mounting as Bruce plots to reclaim some status and Amelia and Abisai navigate unspoken romantic feelings under the watchful, possessive eye of Gerald.

ABISAI Fix your own problems.

Abisai swings open the door, snow blows in.

He has to dig his way out. It’s slow going and the exact opposite of storming out.

Bruce returns to the couch. Takes out his frustration on a pillow.

Amelia appears at left.

AMELIA Hi. BRUCE (startled) Ahh— Jesus, you have to stop doing that.

AMELIA Is, um… You’re alone?

Bruce gives a sardonic scan of the room.

BRUCE Uh… Seems that way.

AMELIA Oh. Slight awkward pause. Bruce waits for her to continue. She doesn’t, so…

BRUCE Can… I help you with anything?

AMELIA No. No. Another slightly awkward pause.

BRUCE Are you looking for your dad, maybe?

AMELIA He’s in his bedroom, which I’m not allowed in.

2 BRUCE Right, well… Are you…?

AMELIA Hmm? BRUCE Looking for Abisai?

AMELIA (nervous laugh) What? No. Have you seen him?

BRUCE He just left to do chores.

AMELIA Oh. Amelia starts to back away.

AMELIA Okay…

BRUCE Wait, wait, wait.

She stops, part way out the door.

BRUCE We…never talk…just me and you.

She looks back through door – making sure the coast is clear. She returns.

AMELIA You want to talk to me?

BRUCE Yeah, of—of course.

She sneaks another quick glance back through the door.

AMELIA What do you want to talk about?

3 BRUCE Anything you’d like.

AMELIA Well, actually, there was something sort of strange I saw just now.

BRUCE (regretting this already) Uh-huh…

AMELIA And it was through the snow so I’m not exactly sure what it is I saw, but it looked like a wolf… Well, two wolves, which is strange because we don’t have wolves down here.

Coyotes, yeah, dogs, but not wolves. And they / were after something— BRUCE I’m sorry, I just remembered something. I want to hear this, I do, but I just remembered your dad is looking for me.

Amelia’s shoulders sink. Subtle sigh.

Beat.

AMELIA Yeah. He wants you to fold his laundry.

BRUCE Yes, that… Think maybe I should find him?

AMELIA He’s coming to you… With the laundry. (looks over shoulder) I shouldn’t be in here anyway.

Amelia takes a step back, to the door.

Bruce stands.

BRUCE But wait.

She stops.

BRUCE May—Maybe you could talk to him? Your dad.

4 AMELIA About what?

BRUCE Did you hear about what happened with me? Did your dad tell you?

AMELIA He doesn’t tell me anything.

BRUCE (relieved) Oh, well… It’s nothing, really. I’m sort of a dog without a job at the moment.

AMELIA The laundry’s on its way.

BRUCE No, I know, but… I like working with my hands, see, and if I could get my job back… I just think it’d be better for everyone… Given the circumstances.

AMELIA Circumstances?

BRUCE Circumstances.

AMELIA Folding laundry requires working with your hands.

BRUCE I know that, but… Maybe you could just talk to your dad and ask… Maybe…? Put in a good word for me? Could you do that?

AMELIA I’m not supposed to talk to you.

She makes to go.

BRUCE But Abisai…

She stops. Her back to Bruce.

AMELIA (a bit melodramatic) What about him?

5 BRUCE Maybe you could talk to him and he could talk to your dad?

She faces Bruce.

AMELIA I’m not supposed to talk to him either.

BRUCE But you do.

AMELIA What? No I don’t. Not really. I mean I have, but…

BRUCE But you want to.

Generator hums. Wind howls. House creaks.

BRUCE You could use this as an excuse… If you wanted.

AMELIA (wary) Okay…

BRUCE I know he’d like it.

AMELIA I don’t know.

BRUCE Will you think about it?

AMELIA He really said he’d like it?

BRUCE Sure.

AMELIA Well…

BRUCE I mean, if you don’t want to…

6

AMELIA No! I mean. I didn’t say that. It’s just daddy. My dad. I should probably ask him.

BRUCE To ask him if… You can talk to Abisai… To ask him if… He’ll talk to your dad?

AMELIA It’s just easier that way. Better. When he’s happy. Or… Not mad… At me. You really think Abisai would like it?

BRUCE Yeah. Why not. (beat) And you don’t have to mention this to your dad. He loves Abisai. He gave him a promotion. It’ll be fine, trust me. If anything your dad will be proud you took initiative.

AMELIA Initiative?

BRUCE That you didn’t wait around for his permission. He loves that sort of shit.

AMELIA I’ve… Never known that to be true… Can I think about it? I mean. I’ll think about it.

Though… I guess I don’t know why you don’t just ask him yourself, that seems easier.

Bruce nods. A feigned agreement.

BRUCE Yeah, yeah, I could, I could, but…

AMELIA What?

BRUCE Well… With your dad, you know how he can be, and if… You know he likes his rules to be followed, so if, I don’t know, he asks if you’ve come around, I’m just worried…

AMELIA (worried) Worried.

BRUCE Worried he’ll ask if you’ve been talking to Abisai, and, I mean, you said so yourself, you told me you two have talked, and if your dad asks me…

7 Bruce meets Amelia’s eyes.

BRUCE It’s against my nature to lie.

Amelia’s a deer in the headlights. Gone pale. Eyes wet. Lip tucked. Fists clenched.

She opens her mouth to speak, but…

Gerald enters. Amelia slips out unseen.

Gerald carries a basket of laundry and a plate of Christmas cookies. He hums Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

GERALD I have a task for you.

BRUCE So I’ve heard.

GERALD (with a flourish) Laundry.

He stops at the coffee table. A single cereal bowl apparently too much to overcome.

GERALD What is this mess?

BRUCE The… Bowl?

GERALD You have to keep a tidy house. Clear this off. It’s disgusting.

Bruce picks up the bowl.

BRUCE Right, sorry, of course, um… Abisai must have left it this morning, but…

GERALD What’s this have to do with Abisai. He’s not even here. Don’t make excuses.

8 Gerald sets the basket and cookies on the table. Bruce has no idea what to do with the bowl. He drink/eats what’s left of the cereal.

GERALD Excuses are worse than just fucking up. It shows you knew better but didn’t do anything about it.

Gerald tends to the laundry. Bruce searches for a place to put the bowl. He settles for under his pillow.

BRUCE Right. Couldn’t agree more. Say so all the time.

GERALD Sit. Bruce does. Gerald sits, cracks his knuckles.

GERALD Best way to do it is to sort through everything first. A pile of shirts, socks, underwear, etcetera. Like so…

BRUCE Sir… GERALD Pull out the socks. Then get them matched up. But don’t fold. I’ll show you how.

BRUCE I appreciate the tutorial, but I know how to fold laundry, I mean, you don’t have to waste your time showing me.

GERALD Everyone folds laundry a different way, and I happen to like the way I do it, I happen to like the way that I do it, so I want to make sure you do it right.

BRUCE Right, of course.

Bruce starts with the socks. Reluctantly.

GERALD And if you do it right this will be your new job. Not washing. I do that. Just folding.

9 BRUCE Happy to, sir, really… But… I am happy to, but maybe there’s something else I could do, on the farm, you know? Amelia could fold, for example, and that’d free me up to do work that helps the enterprise.

GERALD Amelia doesn’t fold my laundry. I don’t like her touching my things.

BRUCE Of course, of course, yes, umm…

GERALD And you were fired from the enterprise.

BRUCE Right, I know, and I respect that decision, but Abisai is all alone, he may benefit from another set of hands. Given the circumstances.

GERALD Circumstances?

BRUCE Circumstances.

GERALD Do you have the socks separated and matched up?

He doesn’t.

BRUCE Umm… GERALD Show me how you fold socks.

Bruce is gun shy.

BRUCE Oh, uh… Yeah… Okay… So, I’ll just… Show you how…

GERALD Go, I just want to see.

BRUCE Okay.

10 Reluctantly, Bruce folds a pair of socks, folding the cuff/leg over the other, bundled together inside out.

Gerald scoffs. Snatches the socks away from Bruce. Unfolds them to start over.

GERALD No, no, no, see, that’s what I’m talking about. You stretch out the elastic that way. That’s a lazy way. The lazy way is not the proper way.

Bruce bites his lip. Sucks his teeth.

Gerald folds the socks – one on top of the other, folded at the ankle.

GERALD See… Do you see? Like this. One fold. At the gusset.

He points out the “gusset.”

GERALD That’s this bit of the sock. See? Can you do this?

BRUCE (forced civility) I can.

GERALD You don’t have a problem doing it the proper way?

BRUCE No, sir. Thank you for showing me.

GERALD I don’t mind showing you once. Don’t make me do it again.

BRUCE That’s my goal, too.

GERALD You’ll be accountable to fix your own mistakes. Is that too much to ask?

BRUCE (swallows hard – breath) No, sir.