Color Me Blind Read online

COLOR

  How'd you guess? [half-beat] Just kidding. I have no idea if you're insane or not. No, I got the key to you moving on to your next point. Your life history. We'll have to quickly summarize your whole life before you can continue on your path towards eventual self-realization.

  NAOMI

  So?

  COLOR

  Soooo, that's what we have to do in order to proceed.

  NAOMI

  Proceed to where?

  COLOR

  Your next destination.

  NAOMI

  Which is?

  COLOR

  Where you're going next.

  NAOMI makes a move towards COLOR, but COLOR raises HIS hands.

  COLOR

  Don't make me clap again!

  NAOMI rests.

  COLOR

  Okay. Now we know where we are. You ready?

  NAOMI

  Sure. Tell me my life, Mr. Sandman.

  COLOR

  Good. My name’s Color. Remember? Here we go.

  COLOR stands in front of the audience, and a man dressed as a bunny enters holding a giant pad on a tripod stand. The bunny sets the tripod. COLOR's voice is quick and informative, like the voice of a 1940's news video narrator.

  COLOR

  On February 29th, 1990, you were born to a Mr. and Mrs. Boyd in the middle of the night on a full moon, and they promptly named you Naomi Boyd, their first and only child.

  The man flips over the pad to reveal a picture of a happy couple holding a newborn.

  COLOR

  A month later, Mr. Boyd left your mother to join a secretive cult based in the woodlands of Wisconsin and was never heard from again. Mrs. Boyd relied upon welfare checks and high paying dancing gigs in gentlemen's clubs to support you and her.

  The man flips over the pad to reveal a picture of the woman from the previous picture dressed provocatively and swinging on a pole.

  COLOR

  Two years later, Mrs. Boyd is arrested for prostitution and possession of illegal substances, and the court gave your custody over to your grandmother Milley.

  Flips over to reveal a picture of a grandmother.

  COLOR

  Milley was an avid member of the Catholic Church until her untimely death by heart attack at age 57. At that time, you were five years old and were adopted by a loving couple, a Mr. and Mrs. Beatty.

  Flips over to reveal a picture of a loving couple in their 50's.

  COLOR

  The Beatty's were a middle-class couple in their 50's, and they loved you very, very much. At the age of ten, your teachers noticed your excellence in test grades and your tendency to never study. After an aptitude test, you were considered to be a genius in the making, and the Beatty's were convinced that it was in your best interest to send you to a private school.

  Flips over to reveal a picture of a young girl being snatched away by an older woman who is obviously a drug user.

  COLOR

  Within one day of being enrolled, your Aunt Sheila kidnapped you and kept you with her as she travelled the country in order to escape her warrant for drug trafficking. You never attended public school after that and practically educated yourself. However, your proximity to illegal activities had its impression upon you, and you took up your Aunt's business after she was hospitalized for permanent brain damage from an overdose.

  Flips over to reveal a picture of a young NAOMI organizing a table full of narcotics.

  COLOR

  You were seventeen at the time. Three years later, you fell in love with your drug source "Jerry", and aided him in his bookkeeping until the DEA confiscated all of his contraband. For the next few years, he and you burglarized small businesses in an attempt to reestablish his connections and reform his business. That was until a few minutes ago when he left you for dead after a failed and badly planned bank robbery. [voice ends] And now you know the rest of the story.

  The man takes the pad and the tripod with him, bows, and then exits.

  COLOR

  No applause or "Good work"? I think I said all that very clearly and succinctly. Don't you?

  NAOMI

  So? You know me. What of it?

  COLOR

  Now you get to move on.

  NAOMI

  Outta here?

  COLOR

  How should I know? It's your trip. I'm just your guardian.

  SFX: Clock Tower bell ding's once.

  COLOR checks HIS oversized pocketwatch.

  COLOR

  Would you look at the time. I have to be going. Good luck on wherever you find yourself.

  NAOMI

  You're leaving me here?!

  COLOR

  Yes.

  NAOMI

  Why?

  COLOR

  I'm only your guardian when you're here. Here. Elsewhere, I don't know who your guardian is. You might not have one.

  NAOMI

  Where the hell am I going?

  COLOR

  Either heaven...or hell. Good luck.

  NAOMI puts HERSELF in the way of COLOR leaving.

  NAOMI

  Listen here, you stupid, crazy fuck!

  COLOR

  The name's Color. We practiced this earlier, remember?

  NAOMI

  I don't care! You're not leaving me here, and I'm not going anywhere. You can clap your hands all you want, but you're not--

  NAOMI

  You mean like this?

  COLOR claps HIS hands.

  SFX: Heart beat.

  RED lights flash with the heart beat. Again, NAOMI’s pain returns.

  COLOR

  You need to calm down, Naomi. If I had to guess, I'd say you're in for a long trip. The faster you move, the faster you'll get to the end. No point in making a fuss about the inevitable.

  COLOR gets close to NAOMI and looks for something in HER eyes. HE is satisfied.

  COLOR

  I'll be seeing you soon.

  The man, wearing a cabbie's hat, walks out pulling a red wagon behind him. COLOR sits on the wagon and pulls out a horn.

  COLOR

  Onward!

  SFX: the horn is honked twice.

  The man pulls the wagon of the stage.

  SFX: The heart beat stops a moment after COLOR exits.

  The lights return to normal, and so does NAOMI. SHE is genuinely freaked out by now.

  NAOMI

  Fuck this.

  NAOMI runs offstage, only to return to the stage from the opposite side. SHE runs the opposite way, only return to the same spot.

  NAOMI

  Where the hell am I? What's going on? Help! Help! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!

  Beat.

  NAOMI

  Please. Someone.

  The light's go out.

  END ACT I, SCENE II

  ACT I, SCENE III

  SFX: The sound of birds and all the other types of fauna heard in a forest in Springtime.

  The light's return, giving the impression of light filtering through the healthy green leaves of a flourishing woodland. It's all very peaceful.

  NAOMI

  What the hell is next?

  BOBBY enters. BOBBY is an icon of a peaceful age filled with love and beauty. HIS eyes are heavy with experience, but at the same time they shine with the hope of a new generation. It's best to think of John Lennon for this character.

  BOBBY enters with a guitar hanging on its strap over HIS shoulder. HE walks in casually, not signaling that HE knows NAOMI is nearby. The man from before has the letter "P" repeated all over his body, and he carries in a small wooden chair for BOBBY to sit on. The man exits, and BOBBY starts tuning HIS guitar.

  NAOMI

  Who the hell are you?

  BOBBY

  People call me Bobby. You can call me that. I don't mind.

  NAOMI

  What are you doing here?

  BOBBY

  You asked for someone to help. Don
't be surprised when someone comes around to help you when you ask for it.

  NAOMI

  You tell me what's going on here.

  BOBBY

  I'm tuning my guitar. I'm also here to help you calm down.

  NAOMI

  I can't calm down! Last thing I remember is getting shot, 'cause that stupid ass Jerry couldn't keep his trigger finger cool.

  BOBBY

  I've known a few Jerrys before. They're not a bad people.

  NAOMI

  And then that fuck leaves me to bleed to death on the street. Now, I’m on some acid trip with a guy named Color and a dirty hippy.

  BOBBY

  I need to correct you on a few things you've said. First of all, you're not on acid. If you were on acid, you'd be a lot more pleasant to talk to. And second, you shouldn't judge people on what they wear and what they do. People are different from what you see. I see a lost woman with a hole in her stomach. But I'm betting you soul doesn't look the same way. You need to open your eyes a bit more.

  BOBBY practices playing a few random chords.

  NAOMI

  Fine. Whatever. So...I'm just gonna play this out like I am dead. Hell, it's no surprise.

  BOBBY

  Hearing your life's story, I should say not.

  NAOMI

  You heard all that?

  BOBBY

  I wouldn't let you in here without first knowing who you were. This is my home, and only friends are allowed here.

  NAOMI

  Okay. I'm dead. I'm dead on the streets, my guts spilling out, and alley cats are eating my fingers for dinner. Great.

  BOBBY

  That doesn't sound great. You should probably change who you are.

  NAOMI

  Yeah, right. I'll jump back in my body and start my new life as a zombie.

  BOBBY snaps HIS fingers, and the man with "P"s enters with a joint in hand.

  BOBBY

  Thanks. Hey, you need to change your "P"s around. They don't look right. I said you need a change of "P"s. Give your "P"s a change.

  The man shrugs his shoulders and exits.

  BOBBY

  Try to give someone good advice, and nobody listens.

  NAOMI

  Could be cool being a zombie. Never die or feel pain. It'd be great.

  BOBBY

  You think so, do you? You'd feel the pain, but not in your skin. It'd be in your spirit. No matter what you do to the body, you can't kill your spirit.

  BOBBY gets out a lighter and lights the joint.

  NAOMI

  I don't care.

  BOBBY

  Care about what, love?

  NAOMI

  My spirit. God, that sounds retarded.

  BOBBY hands the joint over to NAOMI.

  BOBBY

  Take a hit of this.

  NAOMI

  Is it laced?

  BOBBY

  Only things in this is nature. Mother Earth belongs in our bodies, and nothing else.

  NAOMI

  Heroine's natural.

  NAOMI puffs on the joint.

  BOBBY

  No, it's not. You're thinking of Opium, and that's not even a great drug then.

  NAOMI coughs.

  BOBBY

  I'm not saying Opium is the greatest thing in the world, but it's not near as bad as what we make of it. The world knows how to take care of us, and we don't know how to take care of ourselves.

  NAOMI

  You're driving me crazy with all this "Earth-love" crap, but [coughs] you know where to get the good shit. What the hell's in this?

  BOBBY

  A bit of sunshine. A spark or two from an Irish rainbow. Children's laughter. And a drop of mother's milk.

  NAOMI

  No, I mean...what strain. This...is...awesome.

  NAOMI is feeling the effects of the joint. HER body starts to lose control of itself, moving as if the ground were gradually shifting its center of gravity.

  NAOMI

  I've never felt like this after one puff.

  BOBBY

  You like it, do you?

  NAOMI

  Hell yeah.

  The effects increase, and NAOMI can no longer stand. SHE is filled with incredible joy, and finds HERSELF laughing for no reason. The lights start to shift colors like in a lava lamp.

  SFX: The nature background noises start to slow down.

  BOBBY

  I told you what was in it. I traded a bag of good opinions for it with a space dolphin. It seemed he was in need of a good laugh.

  NAOMI

  I...feel...like...

  BOBBY

  Dancing?

  NAOMI

  Yeah.

  BOBBY

  No one's stopping you.

  NAOMI stands and (slowly at first) dances like SHE's in the crowd at Woodstock 1969.

  BOBBY

  Having fun, yet?

  NAOMI

  Yeah.

  BOBBY

  Mind if I play some tunes?

  NAOMI

  No, man. Play on.

  BOBBY

  Righteous.

  BOBBY begins to play the guitar and sing. As HE does, four other people dressed as hippies/radicals enter and dance with NAOMI. The man from before also enters wearing a headdress made of flowers, and he dances as well.

  BOBBY

  This one song I call "It's All A Game". It's a story about what you've been going through. Here it is.

  Cocaine, Heroine, Ecstacy, Novicane

  up, down, turn around, they all make you feel the same

  Bloodshot, dry mouth, heart racing, passing out

  Dying alone is what it's all about

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame, blame, blame

  When you stop taking from the hand of Mother Earth

  And ask the Man exactly what you're worth

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame, blame, blame

  Absinthe, Alcohol, Marijuana, LSD

  Overjoyed, satisfied, gratified, it's all for me

  Sunlight, Brown Dirt, Rainwater, and Manure

  Is the everlasting, ever-loving, wonder making cure

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame, blame, blame

  You want to get a real high and stay that way

  You better leave the poison and don't delay

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame, blame, blame

  Love your brother, love your sister, love your cousin, and your daughter

  Love your mother, love your father, and the stranger 'cause you oughta

  Love your teacher, love your student, love your youngers, and your olders

  Love everyone or you'll get the cold shoulder

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame, blame, blame

  If you never feel the love and the pain stays the same

  Then you never really tried and you're to blame

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame, blame, blame

  It's all a game, game, game

  And you're to blame

  The song ends. The hippies/radicals and the man dance out of the stage. NAOMI is exhausted and falls on the ground laughing. BOBBY puts the guitar down on the chair and walks over to HER. The man reenters and exits with chair and guitar in hand.

  SFX: The nature sounds return to normal speed. [The lights are still warped]

  BOBBY

  So, Naomi, did you learn anything from that little tune I played you?

  NAOMI

  Huh? Oh. Yeah. I learned a lot. I love how I feel now. This is the greatest weed ever.

  BOBBY

  That feeling you’re getting right now, it's not the drug.

  NAOMI

  What?

  BOBBY

  It's love. Love for your fellow mankind. I thought you could u
se a taste, because you haven't had any since your Aunt kidnapped you from that private school.

  NAOMI

  How do you...oh. Right. You heard. So, this is what it feels like when you give a shit.

  BOBBY

  And when people give a shit about you.

  NAOMI

  Seems like a cruel joke.

  BOBBY

  Tell me something. Why'd you ever get caught up in stuff like heroine or meth? Doesn't seem like a smart thing to do, now does it?

  NAOMI

  I don't know. Comes a time in your life when nothing seems smart. Everyone tries to tell you what to do, but they're lost and scared too. Nothing seems right. But when I felt the heat go out of the needle and in my arm, it helped me not to care. Hey. Hey! Why aren't I freaking out right now? I haven't shot up in forever.

  BOBBY

  You're assuming you know how long you've been here.

  NAOMI

  And that I'm not dead.

  BOBBY

  Right. That too.

  NAOMI

  Is this heaven?

  BOBBY

  This is my heaven, love. What I make of it, anyway. You only get one of these when you know who you are and what you need. I was happy to let you visit me. Help you on your way and such.

  NAOMI

  I wanna stay here. Just for a few hours, you know?

  BOBBY

  I'm happy to let you, but you don't really want to, now do you?

  SFX: The nature sounds dim down.

  The shades of green switch to shades of gray.

  NAOMI

  I just said I do.

  BOBBY

  And I'm telling you, you don't.

  SFX: The sounds of war rise in the distance: machine gun bursts, shouts from soldiers, and artillery fire.

  BOBBY

  You see. You're changing your way of living already. This is not my doing.

  NAOMI

  I don't feel the same. The love's gone.

  BOBBY

  The love's never gone. Only forgotten.

  The man enters and is now dressed as a revolutionist with gun in hand. HE motions for BOBBY to leave with him.

  BOBBY

  Our time together is up. I must be going now.

  NAOMI

  No! Bobby, don't leave me!

  BOBBY

  I'm not leaving you. You're leaving me. I wonder why you feel the need to hate so much. Anyway, good luck to you, and I hope you find your way back someday.

  NAOMI

  No! Don't--

  SFX: Heat beats.

  Red lights flash with the heart beats. NAOMI falls to the floor and folds up in the fetal position. The man urgently pulls on BOBBY's sleeve.

  BOBBY

  Remember, all you'll ever need is love. Love can get you through anything. Remember that.

  NAOMI

  Bobby! Come and help me!

  BOBBY puts on a revolutionary's hat that the man gives to HIM and HE exits.

  SFX: The battleground sounds become louder.

  NAOMI

  Bobby! Great. Another man to leave me. [coughs violently]

  The gray light dims, but the red light continues.

  NAOMI

  What's happening to me?

  Beat.

  SFX: Heart beats stop, but the battlefield sounds continue.

  The red light stops.

  END ACT I, SCENE II

  ACT I, SCENE III

  SFX: The battlefield sounds end. Military drumming begins.

  The lights rise. There are four vicious-looking soldiers each positioned at a corner of the stage. NAOMI is center and unconscious. The four soldiers very methodically stomp their feet and march towards the center. They form a horizontal line just downstage of NAOMI. They give a final 1-2 stomp.

  SFX: Military drumming ends.

  NAOMI wakes up.

  NAOMI

  This place keeps freaking me out every turn I take.

  The man from before enters marching. He is wearing a similarly fashioned coat and hat to the other soldiers. He stomps in place and halts.

  NAOMI

  Okay.

  The man stomps again.

  NAOMI

  What?

  The man drops the stern facade and helpfully guides NAOMI to stand at one end of the line. He then exits quickly.

  NAOMI

  I'm a soldier now. Okay. Guess they don't do background checks here.

  SFX: A horn sounds. Military drums begin.

  The soldiers stomp their feet. NAOMI mimics them. The man pushes out a podium on wheels, and then he quickly stands in line opposite from NAOMI.

  SFX: A horn sounds. Military drums end.

  The soldiers stomp their feet. NAOMI does the same.

  Spotlights positioned at the podium turn on.

  NAOMI

  Damn. That's bright.

  The soldiers stomp. NAOMI does the same.

  GENERAL DEED enters. DEED is a tyrant dressed in military medals. HE thrives on war and cannot abide peacetime. Even if HIS hands must be stained by evil, HE will keep the rivers of blood from drying.

  HE stands behind the podium. HE stares at HIS soldiers. HE takes an extra long stare at NAOMI. NAOMI stomps HER feet, and the other soldiers’ follower HER. DEED nods in approval.

  DEED

  I, the greatest warrior ever, General Deed, am now your god. And I am a cruel god. Just like Ole’ Lucifer in the Bible, I do not care if you live fruitful lives. I do not care if you keep your ability to laugh and be happy. I do not care if you live through the war only to hold your lover in your arms once again. And I do not care if you have little ones dreaming of their mommies and daddies coming back to them alive and well. You are mine now, and I am a jealous god.

  DEED walks down from the podium and walks back and forth behind the line of soldiers.

  DEED

  I've seen men do funny things in the name of honor. I've seen one man cut the throat of his friend who was turnning traitor. I've seen one man burn down a hospital full of civilians to end one enemy’s life. I've seen one man eat the flesh of another man when they found themselves lost and starving in the middle of the ocean. These are what I call "good soldiers". If you hope to survive my army, gentlemen, then you best start getting in touch with your animal instincts. A man is a man, but a feral man is a well trained machine. ARE YOU WELL TRAINED MACHINES, SOLDIERS?

  The men stomp their feet.

  NAOMI

  Yes, sir…I mean, shit--

  NAOMI stomps HER feet. DEED stares down NAOMI, and then HE walks back up to the podium.

  DEED

  Now, today is a day like no other. Today is the day that you men experience hell. My hell. This is my world, and you are the souls of the damned. You duty is to follow my every order, wish, and pleasure. And if you do not follow my every order, wish, and pleasure, then it will by my order, wish, and pleasure to strip you of your flesh and wear you like a rain slicker in the middle of Saigon during typhoon season. IS THAT CLEAR, SOLDIERS?

  The men stomp their feet. NAOMI follows one step behind.

  DEED

  Good. Good. Now, march out onto the battlefield and bring me a head. Each one of you brings me one head. I don't care whose head it is, but if you march back here without one, I'll cut your neck like it was a Thanksgiving turkey and drink your blood right in front of you. IS THAT CLEAR, SOLDIERS?

  The men stomp.

  NAOMI

  Eww. Oh--

  NAOMI stomps.

  Beat.

  DEED

  DISMISSED!

  The men march offstage, and NAOMI follows until DEED comes down and holds HER back.

  DEED

  Not you, soldier. Not you. No, you're a different one. Aren't you?

  NAOMI

  Sir, no I am not, sir. Sir, I am just another guy ready to kill some enemies, Sir, yes, Sir. [half-beat] Sir.
/>
  Beat.

  DEED laughs. HIS laughter goes on for so long that NAOMI feels compelled to laugh as well.

  DEED

  You're funny. Funny, funny, funny. Funny-looking that is!

  NAOMI stops laughing.

  SFX: Battlefield sounds rise and continue.

  DEED

  Who are you? What are you doing on my battlefield? What's your name?!

  NAOMI

  Shit, man! I’m Naomi. Naomi Boyd. Get a fucking grip on yourself.

  DEED

  Naomi. Naomi Boyd. [to offstage] PRIVATE!

  The man returns with a bloody bandage around his head. He holds a notepad up for DEED to read. DEED holds the man's hand up with so much strength that the man is in pain.

  DEED

  Yes...Yesss. I see. You're my new recruit.

  DEED lets go of the man, who exits.

  NAOMI

  I am?

  DEED

  Yes, a special case. You're the junkie who got shot trying to rob a bank.

  NAOMI

  Does everyone know about that?!

  DEED

  I know it. You know it. No point in pretending like we don't. Here, take a seat.

  NAOMI

  On the floor?

  DEED

  PRIVATE!

  The man enters with his arm in a bloody sling. He is awkwardly holding two stools, and he places them down on the ground. He stomps on the ground and salutes DEED, and as he exits, DEED trips him. DEED laughs, and the man has no option but to smile, nod, and exit.

  NAOMI and DEED sit.

  DEED

  Now, what do I do with you?

  NAOMI

  I don't know. Let me go?

  DEED

  What the hell would I do that for? You're a soldier waiting to happen.

  NAOMI

  Really? Any of your soldiers learned to cook meth when they were thirteen?

  DEED

  Not many, and that's why we need you here.

  NAOMI

  I...I don't get it.

  DEED walks around.

  DEED

  I get lots of young men and women in this world, and all of them think they can pick up a gun, start firing, and become an all-American hero. Thing is, when they have an enemy to shoot down, they wet their panties and start crying like little babies. Now, a woman whose seen blood, seen men turn into animals right before her very eyes, and she can still walk around like it's a normal day for her, that's the kind of soldier I want.

  NAOMI

  I'm not a soldier.

  DEED

  Not yet. But you have a warrior's heart. I can smell it on you. Mrs. Boyd, I can offer you things you have only seen in your nightmares.

  NAOMI

  I don't want that.

  DEED

  Are you so sure? All that anger in your belly right now, that hot bowl of led resting in the bottom of your bowls, wouldn't it feel great to puke that up on someone else's face right about now? Your whole life, people, weak people, have been pushing you around and telling you what to do. Teachers, Police, Judges, Lawyers...milksops, they chain you down with their rules because they're scared of you, Mrs. Boyd. You've got some evil in you, and they hate you for it.

  NAOMI

  Maybe I do.

  DEED

  Now, picture this in that tiny head of yours. Think of all those people standing in line, bags over their heads and their hands behind their backs. Now picture you standing in front of all those people, and there's an AK-47 in your hands. Are you telling me that you wouldn't take the shot?

  NAOMI

  I would.

  DEED

  Say what, soldier?

  NAOMI

  I would.

  DEED

  I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

  NAOMI

  I would!

  DEED

  I'm going to have to get a flyswatter, because all I can hear is a mosquito buzzing in my ear. SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT, SOLDIER!

  NAOMI

  I'D KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE MOTHER FUCKERS!

  Beat.

  DEED

  Good. I like you. If you stop hanging around long-hairs and smoking dope, you might become someone respectable. [to man] PRIVATE!

  The man walks out with bandage around his leg. He walks on a crutch now.

  DEED

  Stand up and walk with me, Mrs. Boyd.

  NAOMI stands up and the man awkwardly picks up both stools. Before he exits...

  DEED

  PRIVATE!

  The man stomps his feet.

  DEED

  That too.

  DEED is pointing to the podium. The man nervously kicks the stools out of sight and pushes the podium offstage ever so slowly and with much difficulty.

  DEED

  [to NAOMI] I have a little gift prepared for you, Mrs. Boyd, and I think you're going to like it. [to offstage] LINE OUT TARGETS!

  The soldiers from before enter, but one is dressed like NAOMI's mother, another like a teacher, and two more like NAOMI's foster parents. They walk out in single file and stomp their feet when they line up vertically to the stage across from NAOMI.

  NAOMI

  Who are they supposed to be?

  DEED

  Target practice. Each one of these maggots represents someone to you. This pretty woman right here is your mother. The one next to her is your old teacher from elementary school. The last two are Mr. and Mrs. Beatty. Each one of these people pushed you, tortured you, hated you. Don't you think it's time to hurt them back?

  NAOMI

  You’re insane.

  DEED

  There is nothing sane about hatred, except for how simple it is. These people did you wrong. This is your chance to do it back to them.

  NAOMI

  But...they aren't the real thing--

  SOLDIER 1 (MOTHER)

  You know, I tried hard. I tried really, really hard. But you just can't understand how hard it is to feed a crying little baby whose daddy left town on me. She cries, and she cries, and she won't stop crying! I hate the dancing, and I hate the hooking, but when I do those things, I'm not home to hear that little bitch cry and cry and cry.

  NAOMI

  What the fuck did you say?

  SOLDIER 2 (TEACHER)

  She never tries. That's her problem. She's smart. She knows she's smart. Someone who doesn't try, never succeeds in life. They grow up to be failures. If she doesn't stand straight and do her homework like every other little boy and girl here, she'll be a failure like her mother. I have no doubt about it.

  NAOMI

  Why should I try, when everyone’s expecting me to fail?

  SOLDIER 3 (MR. BEATTY)

  My wife and I can't have children. We thought adopting would be for the best. But you can't imagine the evil that spills from that girl's mouth. Even when I'm beating her with the belt, she still speaks evil.

  SOLDIER 4 (MRS. BEATTY)

  It doesn't stop there, neither. Why I saw her one time putting on makeup and wearing skirts she cut off so short that they showed her bloomers when she bent over. Guess her mother stained her soul forever. Yes, she did.

  NAOMI

  Shut up! Shut up! Shut the fuck up, shut up!!!

  NAOMI falls to HER knees in the middle of the stage, and the four soldiers circle around HER as they stomp.

  SOLDIER 1 (MOTHER),

  You know, I tried hard. I tried really, really hard. But you just can't understand how hard it is to feed a crying little baby whose daddy left town on me. She cries, and she cries, and she won't stop crying! I hate the dancing, and I hate the hooking, but when I do those things, I'm not home to hear that little bitch cry and cry and cry.

  SOLDIER 2 (TEACHER)

  She never tries. That's her problem. She's smart. She knows she's smart. Someone who doesn't try, never succeeds in life. They grow up to be failures. If she doesn't stand straight and do he
r homework like every other little boy and girl here, she'll be a failure like her mother. I have no doubt about it.