What life is for

A single Act in nine scenes

By Ignazio Salvatore Basile

Dramatis Personae

Max Sailor:  A young man looking for his own way

Brenda Parnell: Max’s  girlfriend

 George Tender: Good friend of Max’s and Brenda’s

Jonathan Close: A good  Jewish  boy from England

Elvira Giusti: Former Jon ’s girlfriend

Hamed Farsiwill : Iranian student refugee-Escaped from Iranian Revolution

Rocìo Peròn-Mendoza: Colombian student

Francesco Soggiu: Italian Theologian  Student

Inspector Green: Head of local police

Jim Cope: Inspector’s Green first man

Roy Elther: Inspector ‘s Green Second man

Vincent and Norman: pushers from Jamaica (do not appear)

 (The drama is laid in London  at any week-end between 1979 and 1980 in the Hampstead Max ’s parents  house)

Scene I

(Max, Brenda, George in a large bedroom)

Max (lying on the bed, in a dreaming voice)

-Tonight I would like to fly!!

Brenda (getting closer to hold the smoking pipe Max is handing to her, in a very sensual voice through the smoke she will take from the pipe)

-Why waiting tonight, my dear?

Max (getting up and giving the pipe Brenda is handing to George)

-Not  in that sense, Brenda!!! George have you got me???

George

-Of course I have! You would like to be some kind of flying bird, wouldn’t you?

Brenda (after passing the pipe George is handing to Max, miming a bird with open arms)

-Oh, yes! Let’s be a crow! Or even better, as we say with the Irish word, let’s be a

Préachàn (draws a crow’s sound from  her tongue)

George (also laughing  )

-I would prefer to be a dog sail!

Max (putting down the pipe on a bedside table)

-Great! I would also like it! A dog sail following the wake of a ship! For ever!

(The phone bell breaks on afterwards)

Max (picking up the phone)

-Hello!?

(pause)

Max

-Sure! It’s right today!

(pause again)

Max

-Any time you like in the afternoon!!

(another pause)

Max

-I’ll see you later, then! By, by!!

Brenda

-Who was it?

Max

-He was Francesco, ‘you know? The italian guy who is following our philosophy term at College….

Brenda

-Ah, the Jesuit priest? What did he want?

George

-He’s not a priest yet!

Max

-I had formerly invited him to the party…and he just wanted a confirmation….

Brenda

-He’s not a priest yet then?! That’s why he ‘s joining the party!! He has told me anyway he is graduated in theological sciences or something like that…..

Max

-Actually is doing a sort of  sabbatical time before taking the final votes!

George

-That’s the way Jesuits are  unlisted…..…..

Max

-They are supposed to experience in all things  of the life before becoming a priest….

Brenda (laughing maliciously)

-Even going with  women?

George

-I think they are! The things of   life also include screwing, don’t they?

Max(taking again the pipe in his hands)

-And also smoking I might suppose……

Brenda

-I expect a priest would not copulate neither smoke…

Max

-‘ you catholic! You’re always living among prohibitions!!! Is not the same for the orthodox, is it George?

George

-I think is not at all! As far as I know they can even get married!!!

Brenda

-As matter of fact: they have to get marry before any carnal relation!!

Max

-But Francesco is still a laic man!!

Brenda

-And laity are not supposed to go with any woman before they get marry with them!!

George

-All this matter looks like a dog trying to catch  its own tail, doesn’t it?

Max

-Quiet a difficult matter to face on my birthday!!!

Brenda

-Oh, by the way, did you enjoy my birthday’s present?

Max (watching up the pipe’s bowl and searching somewhere around)

-Where is the rest of the grass?

Brenda (handing him a small silver wrapping paper )

-Here you are!

Max (filling up the   bowl and   passing to George the lighting pipe)

-Of course I did! What about you George?

George (tasting a long blow and passing the pipe to Brenda)

-That’s really a special stuff! I’m stoned as hell!

Brenda (taking a blow)

-Why do we say ‘ stoned as hell’? I actually feel stoned as heaven!!!

Max

-Do we have anymore to share with our guests?

Brenda

-Don’t worry about. We’ll have plenty of it!!  Vincent, my pusher, has promised to come along with a large pound of the same stuff, this afternoon; this was only a free sample (shows the empty tinfoil)

(A heavy sound hits the time)

George

-Goodness! It’s one o’clock!?!

Brenda (laughing and mocking a famous song)

-And time for lunch! Onky-tonky!!!!

Max (laughing too)

            -And we still have to set the catering on the tables for the guests! They might be coming soon!

Brenda

-Let’s go upstairs then!

EXEUNT

... to be continued...