Reunion – Part 2

This play was performed in Harlem (NY) in 2012. 

Characters:

Laura/Claudie

Derek

Setting:

The living room of an expensive Manhattan condo.

Derek: There was …nothing.

Laura: (Condescendingly) Okay, backdoor man?  

Derek: You really want me to hurt you. 

Laura: Sure, Derek. And what would that prove? Suddenly you’d have a big dick and satisfy your wife.

Derek: (In a rage) Ahhhhhhhhhh! (He gets in her face) 

Laura: Careful. This may not be Huntsville, but you’re still Black.

Derek: So are you?

Laura: Who’re they going to believe? (He settles down, pause) Take the offer.

Derek: (With uncertainty) I want what’s right.
Laura: Like I owe you something.

Derek: You do, and Mama.

Laura: Leave that old woman out of this. I don’t care about her or you.

Derek: Claudie!

Laura: I said no! Can’t you understand? Take your ass out of here.

Derek: You’ll regret this. God will …

Laura: Spare me the plantation morality. 

Derek: It might be all you have left.

Laura: (Sarcastically) Think so? 

Derek: Go to hell.

Laura: Remember Derek, you’re a nigger and that’s all you’ll ever be. 

Derek: And you’re sick.

Laura: Obviously not. You came to me.

Derek: I just want a chance, like everyone else. 

Laura: Good for you.

Derek: You don’t understand.

Laura: I don’t want to.

Derek: Why can’t you open your mind, just for a minute?

Laura: Because how you live isn’t any of my business.

Derek: Maybe …

Laura: Not. Leave it this way. Take what I’m giving.

Derek: I told you it wasn’t about that.

Laura: I don’t have any more time to waste.

Derek: That’s what this is?

Laura: Absolutely.

Derek: (Pause) Fifty grand and the truth.

Laura: Go straight to hell. I’m not giving you that much. (Pause) Admit what?

Derek: The truth about you.

Laura: I’m not who you think I am?

Derek: (Laughs) At least not in broad daylight.

Laura: (She becomes seductive) Look, maybe we can reach an agreement?

Derek: (Skeptical) How’s that?

Laura: Well, you want something, right?

Derek: Go on. 

Laura: We both want to be free of our past.

Derek: (He admires the opulence of the room) Yes.

Laura: This is nothing, just the beginning. 

Derek: So you’re willing to share?

Laura: There’s more than enough.

Derek: Your old man? 

Laura: What’s he going to say? This’ll be between us. 

Derek: Yeah, but if he ever finds out …

Laura: Let me worry about that.

Derek: But … 

Laura: Shhhhh. (She kisses him) 

Derek: This doesn’t solve anything.

Laura: It’s a start.

Derek: You’re still going to marry him?

Laura: Of course. Our arrangement has nothing to do with that.

Derek: Maybe I want you all to myself.

Laura: (Playful) God, you are greedy.

Derek: Two of a kind.

Laura: We certainly are.  

Derek: Deal.

Laura: Almost. I need you to do something for me.

Derek: What’s that?

Laura: Promise to be one hundred percent honest?

Derek: Okay.

Laura: Who sent you?

Derek: Huh?

Laura: Told you?

Derek: What?

Laura: About me?

Derek: No one.

Laura: You found me on your own.

Derek: That’s right. You’re surprised? 

Laura: A little. I mean, after all this time.

Derek: I’m not stupid.

Laura: I never said that.

Derek: In a way you did. 

Laura: So no one sent you?

Derek: I told you no. Why?

Laura: Forget it.

Derek: No. Let’s finish this.

Laura: Drop it.

Derek: You don’t tell me what to do.

Laura: (Laughs) You’re all the same. 

Derek: Huh?

Laura: Men in charge, trying to run everything. It never really works out, does it? Here you are begging for a handout from a woman. 

Derek: Not just any woman.

Laura: Any woman! I could be anyone.

Derek: But you’re not. I know for a fact who you are. 

Laura: (Mocking) That’s right, if all else fails get rational. This is when I’m supposed to curl up in a ball of emotion and cry? You can forget that.  

Derek: I don’t understand you?

Laura: Surprise, surprise.

Derek: One minute you’re all over me then you just snap. Let’s just stick to the plan.

Laura: Is that what we have?

Derek: Call it what you want.

Laura: We’re in business together?

Derek: Fuck off.

Laura: Where’s the southern gentleman?

Derek: He’s gone for the day.

Laura: Call him. He’s the only one that can score here.

Derek: Really?

Laura: Take the money Derek.

Derek: So that’s it?

Laura: Nothing more.

Derek: You bitch!

Laura: Show me some brotherly love.

Derek: (Confused) Who are you?

Laura: Pick a number.

Derek: Claudie?

Laura: Of course not. What’d you think I’ve been telling you?

Derek: Then …

Laura: Your sister is dead.

Derek: But I found you?

Laura: Mere coincidence. 

Derek: I’m not that lucky.

Laura: To be honest, I’m not surprised. It was bound to happen. The excitement is not knowing when or where.

Derek: Claudie went to school in New York, stayed, started a new life. I traced her every step to this very apartment. You’re Claudie Baker.

Laura: I told you she’s dead. She died years ago, in college. It was terrible.

Derek: You’re lying.

Laura: Some sicko pushed her in front of a train.

Derek: But we kept getting letters from her. Besides, if something had happened the school would have told us.

Laura: I wrote the letters. She died during Christmas break. So I dropped out of school and returned as her. It’s amazing, they always say everyone has a twin. Well, Claudie was my mine and people never questioned it, not even her ex-boyfriend. 

Derek: This isn’t true!

Laura: Check it out.

Derek: Where’s her body?

Laura: In Maple Grove Cemetery, Queens. Look under the name Vanessa Robbins.

Derek: Who is that? (She smiles knowingly)  This is too much. You became Claudie? And killed yourself? 

Laura: Something like that.

Derek: That dog don’t hunt. 

Laura: It’s all true.

Derek: Why? 

Laura: She had certain social advantages that I didn’t have. 

Derek: Are you white?

Laura: To the core.

Derek: She wasn’t.

Laura: I know. It didn’t matter, Claudie was unique. I loved her very much.

Derek: So you took her identity?

Laura: I gave my life for hers, paid the ultimate tribute. 

Derek: That didn’t make it right. She had a life. 

Laura: I didn’t kill her.

Derek: What about her memory? Mama and me didn’t deserve that. She should have come home to us. (Pause) This is all bullshit. 

Laura: Check her body. She had a half-inch scar on her hip, said she got it as a child when you guys were climbing a fence.

Derek: What if I check you?

Laura: You’d be wasting your time.

Derek: Think so?

Laura: Go ahead.

Derek: That stuff before? (She looks at him curiously) What you said, kissing?

Laura: Yes? 

Derek: Are you my sister?

Laura: It didn’t stop you, did it?

Derek: (Adoringly) You’re …

Laura: What?

Derek: Beautiful, so much like her.

Laura: Now you know my secret. It was wrong, I know that. But I came from nothing and Claudie was so bright, everyone worshiped her. She was going to the top and I … I wanted that, couldn’t help myself. It was all I ever dreamed about. Can you forgive me?

Derek: This isn’t right.

Laura: You came here for the truth and you’ve found it. I need to know you’re on my side. (Pause) Tell me?

Derek: Then this doesn’t matter (He rubs her arms).

Laura: Are you with me? (They kiss. She abruptly pushes him away. Punishing) You fucking animal, you’d sleep with your own sister.

Derek: Now you admit it? 

Laura: Hell, it’s what you’ve been saying. 

Derek: Are you?

Laura: I told you the truth, so get your dirty hands off me.

Derek: Damn you! (He grabs her)

Laura: Go ahead Derek, kill the princess, that’s what you’ve always wanted. Just take it, the closest you’ll ever come to having a white one. 

Derek: (He lets her go and he slumps on the sofa. He speaks in a whisper.) How could you? 

Laura: (She laughs) Nigger, you can’t even save yourself. (She walks to the door) Now get out! (He walks sheepishly to the door) Aren’t you forgetting something?

Derek: What?

Laura: My Phone? (He takes it out of his pocket and hands it to her.) Don’t come back, ever! Or I will call the police. And what’ll you think will happen when I report you for stalking?

Derek: Stalking?

Laura: That’s right. A Black man stalking a White woman. 

Derek: You hate me that much?

Laura: You’re not important enough to hate. 

Derek: You fucking whore (He runs up behind her, she screams, struggles with him). You think I’m trash that you can dump? I’m not a piece of shit. I’m gonna show you just how much I’m worth (He bends her over the table, she’s facing the audience, and he pulls up her dress and takes her from behind) Shut up, just shut up. That’s right, I’ll show you. I’m a fix this. Now, that’s right. Yes, ah yes. Ahhhhhhhhhh! (He zips up his pants and is in a fog. He stumbles DSL. Falls on his knees praying to God) God, no! Ahhhhhhhhhh! No! (He puts his head in his hands, cries.)

Laura: (She rouses and collects herself.) You bastard! This is rape, you’ll get life! (She touches between her legs) look what you put inside me, you fucking savage, your dirty hands touching me. I’m ruined. You did this. (Speaking to herself) So dirty. (To him) I’m a finish you off. (She picks up her phone. He grabs her and she drops it. He starts choking her) Derek stop, I won’t tell, no one has to know … please … stop … no … 

Derek: (She slumps to the floor dead. He stumbles to the sofa and sits trying to collect himself. He waits a few seconds then goes back to the body and checks her hip for a scar. He’s in shock.) NO! Claudie! Lord no, no. I’m sorry. (He cries and cradles her body. There are three knocks at the door. Startled, he looks up. Three more knocks. He looks at the audience with a stunned expression. The lights fade.)

End of part 2/2