Balconville. David Fennario
She starts to feed the birds.
CÉCILE
Hi, Johnny.
JOHNNY
Hi, Cécile.
CÉCILE
Nice day, eh?
JOHNNY
Yeah, but it’s too hot.
CÉCILE
Oh yes, too hot.
She continues to feed the birds.
JOHNNY
Feeding your Air Force?
CÉCILE
My what?
JOHNNY
Your Air Force … Cécile’s Air Force.
CÉCILE
Ah oui. Air Force.
JOHNNY
Just kidding ya, Cécile.
He sits on his balcony with his beer.
CÉCILE
You just kidding me, eh, Johnny?
She throws some more bread crumbs over the railing. They fall on MURIEL as she comes out of her house carrying a basket of washing.
MURIEL
Jesus Murphy!
CÉCILE
Oh, excuse me, madame. Excuse me. Hello!
MURIEL
Yeah, hello …
CÉCILE
Aw, it’s so nice, eh?
MURIEL
What?
CÉCILE
The sun. It’s so nice.
MURIEL
Yeah, I guess it is.
CÉCILE
It’s so good for my plants.
JOHNNY
How are your tomatoes?
CÉCILE
My tomatoes? Very good. This year, I think I get some big ones. Last year, I don’t know what happened to them.
JOHNNY
The cat pissed on them.
CÉCILE
The what?
JOHNNY
The big tomcat that’s always hanging around with Muriel. He pissed on them.
CÉCILE
You think so?
JOHNNY
Sure.
CÉCILE sits on her balcony. TOM comes out of the house again and sits practising his guitar.
JOHNNY
(to TOM) Too heavy on the strings …
PAQUETTE enters carrying his lunch bucket. He is coming home from work.
JOHNNY
Hey, the working man!
PAQUETTE
Somebody has to work, eh?
He starts to climb the stairs. JOHNNY stops him.
JOHNNY
Have a brew here.
PAQUETTE
Okay.
He takes a pint from JOHNNY and sits down on JOHNNY’s balcony.
PAQUETTE
Hey, my car, it’s not working again. That goddamn carburetor … (to CÉCILE, on her balcony) Cécile … Hey, Cécile.
CÉCILE
Oui.
PAQUETTE
J’vas manger plus tard.
CÉCILE
Quoi?
PAQUETTE
(shouting at her) J’vas manger plus tard.
CÉCILE
Tu vas manger plus tard?
PAQUETTE
Oui, tabarnac!
CÉCILE
T’as pas besoin de sacrer, Claude.
PAQUETTE
C’est correct. As-tu appelé Chez Momo pour faire venir de la bière?
CÉCILE
Oui, Claude.
JOHNNY
Hot, eh? Can’t breathe in the fuckin’ house … Can’t sleep.
PAQUETTE
Hey, don’t talk about it. Today in work one guy, he faints.
JOHNNY
Oh yeah?
PAQUETTE
No, the bosses say there’s some energy crisis or something, so they stop the air conditioning in the factory, eh? Not in the office, of course.
JOHNNY
Tell the union.
PAQUETTE
Hey, the union. It’s too hot to laugh, câlice.
JOHNNY
Another fire last night, eh?
PAQUETTE
Ah oui. What street?
JOHNNY
On Liverpool.
PAQUETTE
Liverpool encore. Tabarnac.
JOHNNY
Fuckin’ firebugs, man. This block is gonna go up for sure.
PAQUETTE
Oui, that’s for sure.
JOHNNY
Soon as I get my cheque, I’m gonna pull off a midnight move. Fuck this shit!
PAQUETTE
Oui, midnight move, for sure. Hey, just like the Arsenaults en bas. Fuck the landlords! It’s the best way.
JOHNNY
Yeah … Whew, hot. Going anywhere this summer?
PAQUETTE
Moi? Balconville.
JOHNNY
Yeah. Miami Bench.
THIBAULT wheels in on his Chez Momo’s delivery bike.
THIBAULT
Chez Momo’s is here.
JOHNNY
Hey, Thibault T-bone.
TOM
Hey, ya fixed the flat?
THIBAULT gets off his bike. He takes a case of beer from the bike.
THIBAULT
Oui. Hey me, I know the bike, eh? I know what to do.
JOHNNY
Hey, T-bone.
THIBAULT
Chez Momo’s is here.
Coming up the stairs, he trips on the broken step.
JOHNNY
Watch the step!