Five Plays. Samuel D. Hunter
DORIS: GAH this place. I’ll just have water.
(Isabelle looks at Nick. Pause.)
NICK: Just the food, please.
ISABELLE: Okay! I’ll be right back with that.
(Isabelle exits. Tammy finishes her glass of wine, pours another.)
COLE: Lydia, enough.
TAMMY: That is not my name.
(Eddie reenters, having changed out of his tie and name tag and into a casual shirt. He joins Nick, Kelly, and Doris at the table.)
EDDIE: Hey, everybody’s here! That’s great.
KELLY: Oh—you’re joining us?
EDDIE: Yeah, it’s a slow day anyway.
(Troy enters, goes to Tammy.)
NICK: Eddie, we really don’t have time for this, we were just dropping in to say bye. I told you that.
DORIS: / What?
KELLY: Nick.
TROY (Soft): / Tammy, c’mon. I’m calling you a cab and you can—. You can just go home, okay?
(Becky enters, setting up tables.)
EDDIE: I just—we haven’t all been together in four years, I just thought we could spend a little time together before you head out.
TAMMY (Soft): / I’m doing just fine, Troy. I’m staying right here and finishing my rosé.
DORIS: Eddie I can’t stay for very long, I have all these errands before five.
TROY: Tammy.
COLE: Okay.
(Becky watches Troy and Tammy. Cole leaves the table, takes a seat away from Troy and Tammy.)
TROY (Leaning into Tammy): / You wanna do this in front of Becky, in front of my dad? You really wanna do that?
NICK: Maybe we should forget this then?
EDDIE: It’ll be quick, I promise.
KELLY: Nick is cranky because he’s been driving all day, it’s / fine—
TAMMY: / Fuck off, Troy.
NICK: I’m not cranky.
(Troy sits down where Cole had been sitting, staring at Tammy. Tammy continues to drink wine. Becky exits.)
EDDIE: I promise you’ll make your flight Nicky, this / won’t—
NICK: Call me Nick, okay?
(Pause.)
EDDIE: What?
NICK: My name’s Nick. No one calls me Nicky anymore, just call me Nick.
DORIS: Oh please let’s not / start something.
EDDIE: Oh, I—I didn’t mean to—. I’ve always called you Nicky.
NICK: Well things fucking change, / I guess.
KELLY: Nick—
DORIS: All right, I’m not sitting here if this is the tone this conversation is going to have, I’m not—.
(Tense silence. Max enters, setting up tables.)
EDDIE: Nick—I just want to be your brother. That’s it.
(Pause. Doris gets up.)
DORIS: I really just don’t have time to eat, I have too much to do—
EDDIE: Mom, please. Please, just—stay?
(Doris considers, then sits down. A silence.
Tammy finishes her glass of wine, pours another. Troy stares at her. Isabelle reenters with a large casserole dish. She puts it on the table in front of Nick.)
ISABELLE: Okay, here you go. Let me know if you guys need anything else, okay?
(Kelly looks at the food. Isabelle exits.)
KELLY: Oh, this is— . . . What is this?
(Nick looks at the plate.)
EDDIE (To Nick and Doris): You guys remember?
(Nick looks at the food. Doris looks away. Becky enters with a tub for dirty dishes, passes by Troy and Tammy.)
NICK: Yeah. I do.
EDDIE (To Kelly): Dad used to make this all the time, served it at the diner too.
KELLY: Sorry, what is it?
EDDIE: Oh, it’s—Cheese Whiz casserole? It’s just broccoli, rice, and a whole bunch of Cheese Whiz, I know that sounds a / little—
NICK: I’m not eating this.
(Pause. Isabelle reenters, goes to the ordering station and types on the computer.)
DORIS: Eddie, this—. This was a foolish thing to do.
(A tense pause.)
EDDIE: Okay, I—. Look, I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean to—. We don’t need to talk about the bad stuff, we can just talk about nothing, anything, we can— . . . Look, we used to work, you know? I just don’t know why we can’t do this anymore, why we can’t—
(Nick suddenly barrels down on Eddie, exploding. Doris and Kelly let out a small scream, the entire restaurant shifts their focus to Nick.)
NICK: What this fuck is this, Eddie?! What the fuck are you— . . .?!
(Nick finally stops himself, having chased Eddie to the center of the restaurant. Everyone stares at him. Pause.
Nick exits to the restroom.
A silence.
Finally, Doris grabs her purse.)
DORIS: This is ridiculous, I just have too much to do today.
(Doris starts to exit. Eddie follows after her.)
EDDIE: Mom, I’m sorry—
DORIS (Impulsively): Eddie, enough. What is wrong with you?! (Going to him, softly) Please, Eddie, you have to stop doing this to me, you have to stop calling me, just leave me alone! It’s not normal for you to be so— . . .
EDDIE: What?
(Pause. Doris looks at him, about to say something. She stops herself, looking up. The entire restaurant is watching her.)
DORIS: This is so embarrassing, people can hear every word we’re saying. Go calm down your brother.
(Doris exits. Eddie watches her go.
Nick reenters, taking deep breaths.
Eddie looks at Troy, Isabelle, and Max.)
EDDIE: Could you guys— . . .?
(Troy, Isabelle, and Max exit. Troy takes Tammy’s wine bottle as he leaves. Eddie tentatively goes to Nick.)
I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying / to—
NICK: What did you think was gonna happen? Why would you— . . .? (Pause, calming) I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry. But I don’t know what you’re doing here, I don’t— . . .
(Pause.)
Eddie, you’re smart enough to realize that you have a choice here. Get out of town, make your own life! Leaving all this shit behind was the best decision I ever made, believe me.
EDDIE: I don’t want to leave, Nicky, that’s what I’m / trying to say—
NICK: