THERE'S ALWAYS THE HUDSON (excerpt) By Paola Lázaro

Page 1

(Marzo 17 2020) 36.

- Cuatro 4 Knock, knock, motherfucking knock. T knocks on M adeline’s door. M adeline opens the door. She looks like complete shit. M adeline’s usually got mad makeup on and looks very different. Her energy is different, plus it stinks in the apartment. The smell is coming out through the crack of the door. M ADELINE Hi T. T is taken back. T Hey M adeline. M ADELINE Hi T. Do you need help? Are you going through something? Do you feel unsafe? Are you feeling triggered?

*

T No, I’m okay, butHe points to the side. T (cont’d) I’m with Lola. Lola steps in. Lola gets in M adeline’s face. LOLA THAT’S RIGHT BITCH! THAT’S RIGHT!YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT M E? YOU WANNA TALK SHIT ABOUT M E? YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT M E? Lola sees the inside if the apartment. LOLA (cont’d) Oh shit! What the fuck? Lola looks around and notices the mess of old KFC buckets and food and shit on the floor, old pizza boxes, bunch of shit. Like months and months of takeout and boxes. The TV in the other room is mad LOUD.

*


(Marzo 17 2020) 37.

M ADELINE Yes, we were gonna clean this week. T We? You mean, you and the mice? LOLA YO! Why you talk SHIT M adeline? M ADELINE What did I say? LOLA You said some shit about me liking being in fucked up situations. Like you fucking saying that I’m asking for it all the time. M ADELINE I said that? LOLA Yeah, fuckin M adeline! You said that! T You did. LOLA Why you say stupid shit like that, bitch? M ADELINE You guys want to come in? It’s so nice to have you here. T and Lola look at each other. They slowly walk in. They didn’t wanna come in, but they had to come in. You can’t miss a shit show like this one. What a fucking mess. They step over the takeout containers and look at the hallway filled with old magazines and newspapers on the floor. The fat cat is peeing on three of the magazines: one with Gloria Estefan on the cover and the two other covers that you can’t really see cause of the glare of the cat’s piss. LOLA Sheeiiiiit.


(Marzo 17 2020) 38.

T Yooooooooo. M ADELINE Y’all wanna meet my mom? She’s in that other room. She’s sick. She’s watching TV. Lola looks around. LOLA Yo, M adeline, you into QVC? M ADELINE No, but my mom is. She’s dying. I can’t wait for her to be dead. T I’m sorry. LOLA She really does like QVC. I KNEW THAT LOUIE VUITTON WAS FAKE! I KNEW THEM JEWELRYYYYYS WAS FAKE! THAT SHIT SHINE TOO M UCH IN THE M EETINGS. M ADELINE Yes. She keeps ordering things because she wants to experience having everything before she’s dead. Silence. T and Lola look at each other. M ADELINE You guys want chicken? The guy at the KFC makes it fresh for me. He knows me. It’s crispy. It’s kind of like we have a secret language together. He’s autistic, he’s special, he’s Puerto Rican like you and he is the most innocent person I have ever met. His name’s Orlando and he is so handsome and I think he might like me because he always finds a way to give me like a little discount, but most of all, I know he likes me because of the chicken he gives me and how crispy and fresh it is. He especially picks it for me. Some day, when my mom’s dead, I will walk into the KFC and as he’s giving me the bag of chicken I’ll grab his hand and I’ll have the courage to tell him that I love him and I will invite him to live with me and play with all the things my mom left behind. Quick silence. M ADELINE Do you all want chicken? I swear it is the best that you will ever have.


(Marzo 17 2020) 39.

LOLA Nice.

No, I think we good. Lola looks at T.

LOLA (cont’d) We just had some avocado. We got some avocado. M ADELINE Oh, I don’t like avocado. LOLA Well, yeahM ADELINE It’s like soggy soap. The texture. You know when you leave soap in the shower in water and it gets all gooey. I hate it. Pause. LOLA M adeline, I’ma need you to stop talking shit though. M ADELINE Hm? LOLA You feel me? That shit about you saying shit about me liking being in those situations and shit, that shit has GOT to STOP. Cause we both know that when you get raped you get fucked in the head and you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing with yourself most of the time.

*

M ADELINE I’m sorry I always talk bad things about you. LOLA ALWAYS?! Jesus fucking christ, lucky me. What the fuck have I ever done to you? M ADELINE Nothing. I haven't even been raped. T BITCH SAID WHAT????????!!!!!!??

*


(Marzo 17 2020) 40.

LOLA WHAT???????? WHAT????????? T BITCH NO!!! LOLA DID SHE JUST SAY THAT, T? DID SHE JUST SAY THAT? DID SHE JUST SAY THAT??? SHE JUST SAID THAT?? T SHE DIIIIIID!!! SHE DID!!!!! OH SHIT!!! OH LORD!!!! LORD HAVE M ERCY!!! LORD!!! LORD COM E DOWN!!! COM E DOWN!!! WE NEED YOU!!! LORD HAVE M ERCY!!! (Starts singing “come down lord, dwell among us today ...) M ADELINE Yeah I haven't even been raped. T BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!!!!!!! LOLA THEN WHY THE FUCK YOU IN THE SUPPORT GROUP YOU FUCKING CREEP?!??!?! M ADELINE I needed people to talk to in person. LOLA NO!!!! NO!!!! NO!!! T OH SHIT!!! M ADELINE I’m lonely. I don't have friends in person. Only through the internet. T OH LORDDDDDDDDD!!! LATTAM ERCY!!! LATTAM ERCY!!! LATTAM ERCY!!! LOLA No..... No....no...... You're fucking nuts M adeline you know that right? You know that right? M adeline?


(Marzo 17 2020) 41.

M ADELINE I know. I'm sorry I said stupid things about you. Sometimes I get bored. I get bored a lot. LOLA M e too. But I don't go fucking joining support groups that I don't need. T I’M STILL IN SHOCK! I’M STILL IN SHOCK! THIS BITCH AIN’T EVEN BEEN RAPED!?!?!?!?! LOLA YEAH, WHAT THE FUCK???? WHAT ABOUT THE WHOLE STORY ABOUT THE FUCKING FIREM AN WHO SUPPOSEDLY FUCKED YOU IN THE ASS WHEN YOU BEGGED HIM NOT TO???? T OH SHIT! THAT’S RIGHT! THAT’S RIGHT! WHAT ABOUT THAT??!! M ADELINE That was a sexual fantasy. Of mine. Since I was a child. T M OTHERFUCKING M ADELINE! THIS BITCH! LOLA *

I CAN’T EVEN! T

*

I CAN’T EVEN! LOLA WOWIE!!! / WOWIE!!! T SHIIIIIIIIIEEEET!! M OTHERFUCKER. M ADELINE I’m sorLOLA

*

M adeline! Shut the fuck up! M ADELINE Okay.


(Marzo 17 2020) 42.

T I’m still processing. I’m still processing. HOLY SHIT! LOLA What a fucking lunatic! Silence.

*

M ADELINE Are you sure you guys don’t want chicken? T No M adeline we don’t want chicken. M adeline, you’re a fucking G. M ADELINE Is being a G good? Is that a good thing? T In your case, I don’t know. LOLA I can’t even. I can’t even. What’s that shit? What’s that shit that you caucasians say when you’re really shocked and angry? M ADELINE Floored? LOLA YES! I AM FLOORED!!!!! M ADELINE Dumbfounded. LOLA I AM DUM BFOUNDED!!!!! T What a fucking mindfuck. You are a fucking genius M adeline.

* *


(Marzo 17 2020) 43.

M ADELINE I knew they wouldn't kick me out of the group. They don't do that. Plus, I’ve never had sex so I like hearing all the sex stories. It makes me feel better about the fact that I haven’t had sex because from your stories it doesn’t seem like it’s that great. Plus, I got a bunch of people’s numbers now and I get texts all the time. People asking how I'm doing. I have friends now. T M y mind is fucking blown. LOLA I am floored. I am dumbfounded. At a loss, at a complete loss for words. M ADELINE I’m gonna eat some more chicken now. I really would like it if you guys had some with me. I haven’t been able to share my feelings about this chicken with anyone.

* *

M adeline grabs one of the KFC bucket brings it over next to them, sits on the floor, opens the bucket and starts eating a thigh. T and Lola look at her eating with her hands on that dirty ass floor, it’s fucking disgusting. Lola and T look at each other. T AND LOLA What the fuck?

*


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.