Ravenhill Plays: 1: Shopping and F***ing; Faust is Dead; Handbag; Some Explicit Polaroids (Contemporary Dramatists) (33 page)

Victor
feeds
Tim
another pill.

Nick
     You’ve been cured?

Tim
     I can spin it out for years and years.

Victor
     Maybe for ever.

Nick
     That’s good, isn’t it?

Tim
     It’s fucking marvellous.

Victor
     Chooo-ooo.

Another pill.

Tim
     The story’s got a happy ending. That’s something you’ve got to get used to. We’ve reached ‘They all lived happily ever after’ and we’ve gone past it and we’re still carrying on. Nobody’s ever written that bit before but we’re doing it. This is the happy world.

Victor
     Yes, happy world.

Tim
     And you’re part of it now.

Victor
     Welcome to happy world.

Nick
     Maybe I don’t see it like that.

Tim
     You’ll get used to it.

Nick
     Maybe it’s not like that. Maybe there’s terrible things. Maybe there’s injustices that make you angry, that make you want to protest . . . make you want to . . .

Tim
     Murder?

Nick
     No.

Tim
     Stuff that makes you want to kill?

Nick
     I’m not saying that.

Tim
     Nadia told me about you.

Victor
     I want to dance now.

Tim
     When Daddy’s finished. (
To
Nick
.) So what are you saying? You’re saying things out there make you want to kill and you’ve got no responsibility?

Nick
     I’ve never said that.

Tim
     We’re all responsible for our own actions, okay? We don’t blame other people. That’s very nineteen eighty-four.

Nick
     Alright.

Tim
     Because it’s not out there any more, alright? You can’t look out there and blame, blame, blame. And I can imagine what it was like for you. Everything blocked, everything weighing you down. Communists, apartheid, finger on the nuclear button. It was frightening and you were frightened.

Nick
     Don’t tell me, don’t you tell me . . .

Tim
     I’m not telling you . . .

Nick
     You child, you boy / don’t you fucking tell me . . .

Tim
     What do you think I’m telling you?

Nick
     . . . what you don’t understand. Just you keep your mouth / shut if you don’t understand.

Tim
     Just trying to make you see.

Nick
     Keep your fucking mouth shut.

Victor
     Socialist?

Tim
     You going to kill me?

Nick
     No.

Victor
     Socialist.

Tim
     Because if you want to, I think you should go / right ahead.

Nick
     No.

Tim
     Just let me know when you’re going to / kill me, alright?

Nick
     Leave it.

Tim
     And I’ll let you know when I’m ready to be killed.

Nick
     Leave it / now. I don’t want to hear this.

Tim
     Because one day I might get bored with being in happy land / and then we could get together.

Nick
     SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Pause.

Victor
     You are socialist?

Nick
     Yeah.

Victor
     I hate socialist.

Nick
     Right.

Victor
     Everything falling to pieces. The buildings ugly and falling down. The shops ugly, empty. The ugly people following the rules and then mocking and complaining when they think that no one is listening. All the time you know it is rotting, but all the time ‘Everything is getting better. Everything is for the best. The people are marching forward to the beat of history.’ This lie. This deception. This progress. Big fucking lie.

Nick
     Maybe in some countries but the / principle of socialism.

Victor
     Don’t tell me about my country. You know nothing.

Tim
     I look at people who were around in nineteen eighty-four. And I see bitter people. I think you must have spent so much time being angry that it’s left you all hard and bitter, and now there’s no way for you to deal with today.

Nick
     I’m coping.

Tim
     Yes?

Nick
     Yes. Nadia’s helping me and I’m coping. I want to look after her. I didn’t think I’d ever want that again. Prison, you’ve got to look after yourself. But now I really want to look after Nadia.

Enter
Nadia
. Her face is bruised.

Nadia
     Hello, hello. Hey, I’m sorry. I’m sorry to keep everyone waiting. What are you up to? How about going out? I think we should go out.

Victor
     Dance. / Dance.

Nadia
     Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s go out.

Tim
     Are you alright?

Nadia
     I’m okay.

Victor
     Part-eee.

Nick
     What happened to your face?

Nadia
     I’m fine now. Everything’s fine.

Nick
     You’re not, your face.

Nadia
     Let’s not talk about that.

Nick
     Is this Simon? Has Simon been / waiting for you outside the club?

Nadia
     I’m not going to talk about it.

Nick
     Come on, come on, tell me.

Tim
     Look. If she doesn’t want to talk about it –

Nick
     She’s got to talk about it.

Tim
     When she’s ready. When she’s got the right space, she’ll . . .

Nadia
     Yeah. When I’m ready.

Nick
     Come on, come on, this is stupid. This is . . . if he’s beating you up. If the bastard is doing that, then we’ve got to . . .

Tim
     Kill him?

Nick
     Do something about it.

Tim
     Get round with the axe and chop, chop, chop?

Nick
     Please. Tell me what he did to you.

Nadia
     No. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to latch on to some negative. I’m not going to do that.

Tim
     Come to me. Come to me and we’ll kiss it better.

Nadia
     Yes.

Tim
(
to
Victor
)     Sweeties. Sweeties for my little girl.

He kisses
Nadia
’s face.

How’s that?

Nadia
     Hurts a bit.

Nick
     Well of course it hurts a bit.

Nadia
     But it’s feeling better.

Victor
feeds
Nadia
sweets.

Victor
     Chug, chug, chug.

Nick
     I look at you. You look at me and you see bitter and ugly, alright then, but I look at you and I see . . . what is this? What are you? Nothing’s connected, you’re not connected with anything and you’re not fighting anything.

Tim
     But we’re happy.

Nick
     Are you?

Victor
     Oh yes, happy.

Nick
     And what does that mean?

Tim
     It means we’re content with what we’ve got.

Nadia
     And we’re at peace with ourselves.

Tim
     And we take responsibility for ourselves.

Nadia
     And we’re our own people.

Tim
     And we’re not letting the world get to us.

Nick
     But she’s bruised, bleeding . . .

Nadia
     On the outside.

Tim
     Yeah, you can’t just look on the outside.

Nick
     And what about you?

Tim
     What about me?

Nick
     What about you? Inside you there’s chemicals fighting virus fighting your body fighting . . .

Tim
     And if I stay calm . . .

Nick
     You can’t stay calm all the time.

Tim
     It’s an addiction stress, you know?

Nadia
doubles up in pain.

Nadia
     Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Stomach hurts. Shit.

Nick
     Here . . . show me. Where?

Nadia
     Here.

Nick
     Did he kick you?

Nadia
     I can’t remember.

Nick
     Did he kick you in the stomach?

Nadia
     Yes, I think he probably did.

Nick
     Oh sweetheart, sweetheart.

Nick
kisses
Nadia
.
Nadia
pulls away.

Nadia
     Thank you. There, better now. Let’s go out. Come on, everybody, let’s go out. Is Victor working tonight?

Victor
     Oh yes.

Nadia
     Victor’s working in a club. He gyrates around in a cage and he’s totally wild. Aren’t you, Victor?

Victor
     Yes, totally wild.

Nadia
     And sometimes Victor takes his shorts off and everyone goes crazy.

Victor
     I’ve got a fantastic cock.

Tim
     Victor’s got a fabulous dick, baby’s arm.

Nadia
     It’s great, Nick, you’ll love it.

Nick
     No thanks.

Nadia
     Oh come on, Nick. Come on. You’ll love it.

Nick
     I’m not coming.

Nadia
     Oh Nick.

Tim
     If it’s not Nick’s thing . . .

Nadia
     Nick doesn’t know if it’s his thing until he’s tried it. He’s got to give it a go. Not too many go-go dancers in prison, were there, Nick?

Tim
     You don’t know what they get up to in there.

Nadia
     Give it a go, Nick.

Nick
     Please. I can’t handle this.

Nadia
     Handle what?

Nick
     This happy stuff.

Nadia
     Nick, everyone’s got a right to be happy.

Nick
     Well of course.

Tim
     Even you’ve got a right to be happy. We’re giving you permission.

Victor
     Yes. Happy.

Nick
     But I can’t do it. I can’t look at you. I can’t look at the bruises while he gyrates.

Nadia
     Well of course you won’t be looking at the bruises. That’s what make-up was invented for.

Tim
     Make-up, Victor.

Exit
Victor
.

Nadia
     Cover up the nasty stuff. And there’ll be plenty of make-up on.

Nick
     But it won’t make them go away.

Nadia
     Out of sight.

Nick
     But I’ll be thinking about them. I’ll be worrying about you.

Enter
Victor
.

Nadia
     I don’t want you to think about me. I don’t want you to worry about me.

Nick
     But I can’t help it.

Nadia
     I think Nick needs an E.

Victor
     Yes. Much better than socialism.

Victor
fetches an E from his bag
.

Tim
     That’s a thing that’ll be new to Nick. E. Very post eighty-four.

Victor
     Everyone is the same when you take this. Everybody loves everybody. Take it.

Nick
     No. I’m going.

Nadia
     Going where?

Nick
     I don’t know. I’m leaving.

Nadia
     Then we’ll see you later.

Nick
     No, not later. I mean I’m leaving, I’m taking my stuff and I’m going.

Nadia
     You don’t have to do that.

Nick
     I’m leaving because I can’t handle this.

Nadia
     But I’m handling it.

Nick
     But I love you. I’ve fallen in love with you but I can’t see you . . . all this happening to you . . . and you’re not doing anything about it . . . and me being angry all the time and you . . .

Nadia
     Well, alright then.

Nick
     I’ve got to get out. I’m sorry.

Exit
Nick
.

Victor
     Weak man. Socialist. He took it seriously.