The blog of a North Country Swede!

Monday, November 29, 2004

Biological basis for humanity, 1

We are life-forms with several interactive histories.

"We" are human beings as in "Homo sapiens (Latin for knowing man), a primate species of mammal with a highly developed brain. (Note: homo sapiens is singular.)"

We have our individual history, and our family history, and our community/nation/civilization history ... and we have our biological history.

I believe we can learn a great deal from our biological history. Some species of vertebrates form flocks and head north for the summer, returning south for the winter. Some species of mammals form herds. Some species of monkeys come to the boundary of their territory and scream at intruders in an offensive defense against threats from other monkeys from other groups of the same species. Chimpanzees commit murder. It's all VERY interesting and sheds light on ourselves ... and our fascination with the iconic fetish we call "God".

I would like to start my discussion of the biological basis for humanity by inquiring about the roots of community in our biological history. That will be the focus of this series for the near future.

I will interweave the several series:

The Sacred Elders

Whose God Is It?
Biological Basis for Humanity

as I complete the posting of:

Hunting the Road Kill Moose


Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Hunting the Road Kill Moose, Act I

HUNTING THE ROAD KILL MOOSE

A play in three acts

By Hilding Lindquist

Copyright 2003, 2004 by Hilding Lindquist



Note: If you want to use this play in a public presentation, please contact me. –NC Swede

CAST


Jake Celsius: Male, late fifties, attractive older man, Facilities Supervisor at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission.

Dick Harding: Male, early fifties, weathered, worn, and wrinkled, head cook at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission.

Debbie Jenkins: Female, mid-thirties, average, a nurse at the Fairbanks Hospital.

Ann Reilly: Female, late forties, attractive, Social Worker at Fairbanks Hospital, Jake’s significant other.

Sarah Reilly: Female, early twenties, attractive, six months pregnant, Ann’s daughter.

Ralph Stokes: Male, mid-thirties, average, Chaplain at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission.

Peter Strand: Male, early twenties, attractive, resident client at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission.

ACT I

SCENE 1

JAKE CELSIUS' bedroom on the second floor of the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, Fairbanks, Alaska. It's night and the room is dark. The bedroom is small and sparsely furnished. JAKE is sleeping on his side in a twin-sized bed facing the near wall. A nightstand with a lamp, telephone, and small digital clock-radio sits at the head of the bed on the right. There is a door at the foot-end. A simple straight-backed chair with JAKE's robe draped over the back is against the rear wall between the bed and the door.
There's a knock at the door. JAKE turns over in bed. He reaches out and turns on the lamp on the nightstand, raises himself slightly resting on his elbow. He looks at the clock, shakes his head, and looks at the door.
JAKE
Who is it?

PETER
(Calls out O.S.)
Peter Strand, Mr. Celsius.

JAKE gets out of bed, puts on his robe, and goes to the door. His hair is tousled from sleeping. He is obviously tired as he finishes tying his robe and rubs his eyes. He opens the door for PETER STRAND.

JAKE
What is it, Peter?

PETER
You have to get a road kill moose. Chaplain Stokes just called.

A pause

PETER
(Continues)
He said you don't have to hurry because the troopers still have to clear the accident off the highway.

JAKE stretches and yawns.
JAKE
O.K.

PETER
Two people were killed, an old couple.

JAKE
That's too bad.

JAKE looks over at the clock beside his bed, then stretches and yawns again.
JAKE
(Continues)
Two A.M.

PETER shines his flashlight on his wristwatch.
PETER
Five after two, to be exact

JAKE
Whatever.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
I'll need someone to go with me.

JAKE Stretches and yawns again and then gestures for PETER to enter the room. PETER enters. JAKE leaves the door open behind him.
JAKE
Who got to bed early? Of the men in the New Life Program.

PETER
I'll go.

JAKE
Aren't you on the front desk?

PETER
At two in the morning it will be easier to get someone to man the desk than go hunting road kill. I'm already dressed. Well, mostly.

JAKE
You're probably right, but you're not officially on the program yet.

PETER
I've been thinking about it. Dick Harding is down there now until I get back. I could ask him to watch the desk for me.

JAKE
What's Dick doing up?

PETER
He was starting to get breakfast ready. Said he couldn't sleep.

A pause

PETER
(Continues)
Is it all right if I call Chaplain Stokes and ask him?

JAKE
Yah, sure, but I don't think he'll O.K. it. I'll be down in a couple of minutes to check.

JAKE Moves back to the open door, takes the door knob and stands there, indicating for PETER to leave. JAKE starts to close the door as PETER leaves, then JAKE stops and speaks to PETER.


JAKE
Would you send Dick up?

PETER
Sure.

JAKE closes the door, then busies himself getting dressed. There's a knock on the door.


JAKE
(Calls out)
Come on in, the door's unlocked.

DICK HARDING enters.

JAKE
Peter told you about the moose?

DICK
Yup.

JAKE
Can you help load up the pickup?

DICK
Yup.

JAKE's phone rings.
JAKE
I bet this is Stokes or Peter calling me about going to get the moose.

JAKE walks over to the nightstand and presses the button to put it on speakerphone.
JAKE
This is Jake.

RALPH STOKES answers over the speakerphone.

RALPH
(Off stage: O.S.)
Peter called me back just now. He wants to go and help pick up the moose. It's all right with me. What do you think?

JAKE
I told him if it's all right with you, it's all right with me.

RALPH
(O.S.)
Terrific. I think he's going to fit into our program really well. He's the future of what we're trying to do here.

JAKE
Sure thing. See you at the road kill. Bye.

RALPH
(O.S.)
Right on, bye.

JAKE presses the speakerphone button again, turning it off. He turns back to DICK.
JAKE
Well that's a new one. Both Stokes and the Director told me that I was only to use men on the New Life Program for this. But Peter shouldn't be on the desk either when he isn't on the program, and they had me do that too. Something's going on.

DICK
Yah, well, they're the bosses, and you know what the Bible says about that.

JAKE
Enlighten me.

DICK laughs.
DICK
What the Bible says, my friend, is that leaders are placed in authority by God Himself, and the rest of us are to obey them, no questions asked. Well, not so it causes any trouble. At least that is what the dear Chaplain points out when I stir things up a mite that he or the Director don't like. And now that you've become the houseman, it looks like you're another one of 'em that I have to obey. Ain't that a hoot? Hell, I was here when you came in like a half-drowned alley cat creeping over the doorstep, looking for a place to dry out and hide.

JAKE
I won't hold my breath.


SCENE 2

JAKE and PETER are seated in the front seat of pickup cab facing forward. They are dressed warmly in Alaska-style outdoor gear with gloves and baseball caps.
JAKE
So tell me, why did you want to come along?

PETER
I thought it would be something different. One of those Alaska experiences, hunting road kill.

JAKE laughs.
JAKE
Well, you it’s not really a hunt. For one thing, we’re basically guaranteed the moose. It ain’t going nowhere, most likely. It’s like the way God works in our lives. He knows what we need and has it waiting for us, if we follow his will.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
God provides for the mission in many ways.

PETER
When do we cut up the moose?

JAKE looks quickly at PETER and frowns.


JAKE
We drain the blood and cut it into quarters at the road site, then take it back to the walk-in cooler and hang it for a couple of days. After it has cured a bit, we cut it up for stew meat. With any luck we’ll get a few hundred pounds out of it. Moose stew is great if cooked right, and Dick cooks it right.

PETER
God will provide a moose.

JAKE
That’s good, like in the Bible when Abraham said to Isaac, “God will provide himself a lamb.” That’s very good. You’re learning the Bible.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
How long have you been at the mission, a couple of weeks?

PETER
Yes sir.

PETER looks at his wristwatch.
PETER
(Continues)
Two weeks exactly at nine A.M.

A pause

JAKE
Yah, I talked to Stokes about his putting you on the desk overnight so soon. You got it after a few days, right?

PETER
Yes sir.
JAKE
Jake is fine. You don’t have to call me sir.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
Do you go by Pete or Peter?

PETER
Lately I’ve been answering to “Hey you!”

JAKE laughs.


PETER
I prefer Peter.

A pause

JAKE
Where are you from?

PETER
Most recently or originally?

JAKE
Either or both, if you don’t mind.

PETER
Originally from Southern California. Most recently from API.

JAKE
Alaska Psychiatric Institute?

PETER
Yup, I asked for a ticket to Fairbanks when I was released.

JAKE
Versus?

PETER
Huh?

JAKE
What were your choices, where could you go?

PETER
Anywhere in the good ol’ USA, I guess.

JAKE
And you chose Fairbanks, Alaska?

PETER
I think you Alaskans call it going to the end-of-the-road.

JAKE laughs.

JAKE
I’m not that Alaskan, but I think I have a dose of that end-of-the-road stuff myself.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
I just came up here last year in September. Drove a friend’s car up from Seattle. Was only going to stay a month. I’m still here.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
Fairbanks is not quite the end-of-the-road and I’m pretty much still a chechako.

PETER
That means newcomer, right?

JAKE
Uh huh. And I am a newcomer. I still go around with my wide-eyed glassy tourist stare. Alaska is some kind of place.

PETER
Fairbanks may not be the end-of-the-road, but I’m definitely getting closer.

JAKE laughs.
JAKE
That is true.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
So why the mission?

PETER
It’s a halfway house for me. The State of Alaska pays for me to be here. That’s why I don’t have to be in the New Life Program. I can join if I want to, but I don’t have to because it’s religious.

JAKE
That explains a lot.

A pause

PETER
You’re the Mission houseman?

JAKE
Uh huh, formal title is Facility Supervisor.

PETER
Dick told me you just got the job.

JAKE
Three weeks ago.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
Dick and I go back a ways.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
I like Dick. He’s a good man.

PETER
You were on the Mission’s New Life program?

JAKE
Uh huh, for six months.

PETER
Really, why?

A pause

PETER
(Continues)
You don’t mind me asking, do you?

JAKE
No, it’s OK.

JAKE laughs.
JAKE
(Continues)
I don’t have any secrets at the Mission. I’m a recovering alcoholic, been in AA fro two-and-a-half years.

PETER nods his head.


PETER
Yeah, I’m VERY familiar with twelve-step programs. I take Prozac.

JAKE looks at PETER then turns back to the road ahead.

A pause

JAKE
Here at the Mission I’ve reached back to the faith of my childhood. I had a strong faith then. I wanted to get it back.

PETER
Did you?

JAKE
Yes.

PETER
At the Mission?

JAKE
In part. It began with AA. Then coming to the Mission and going through the New Life program sort of cemented it in place.

A pause

PETER
What about Chaplain Stokes? Did he, does he help you?

JAKE
Ralph’s OK. He seems to understand us old farts. I’m fifty-eight, six years older than Dick. Stokes is thirty-five or thereabouts.

PETER
You don’t look older than Dick.

JAKE laughs.
JAKE
Don’t tell him that.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
I’m a product of good, clean living.

A pause

PETER
Can I help cut up the moose?

JAKE
Sure, that’s what you’re here for, to help.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
Are you born again, Peter?

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
If you don’t mind my asking.

PETER
No, I don’t mind. I don’t think so. I've been talking with Chaplain Stokes about it.

JAKE
You'd know if your were. Stokes ought to be pretty good at talking about it. He had quite a conversion when he got saved, the way he tells it. His life really turned around.

PETER
He told me he was eating out of dumpsters, sleeping under the Chena River bridges.

JAKE
His Higher Power got him off alcohol and the rest is history. This God stuff works, Peter.

PETER
That what he says.

A pause

PETER
(Continues)
What do you know about him?

JAKE
Like I said, he’s younger than me, but he’s been through a lot. He understands the effects of alcohol firsthand. He’s and ordained minister through a local Baptist Church though he never went to college for it. Ralph makes and excellent Mission Chaplain, I think. He’s learned from reality.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
You know, if I would’ve met a man like him when I was your age, I might not have had to go through thirty odd years of reality therapy, pure misery, getting here. And he really knows the Bible. He’s who I need right now in my life, spiritually, to teach me what the Bible says.

A light comes on showing a bloated moose carcass on the side of the road with pieces of wreckage around it.
JAKE
(Continues)
That’s the moose. See how faith works.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
Looks like there was quite an accident.

JAKE stops the pickup and looks intently at PETER.
JAKE
(Continues)
If you ever want to talk about finding a Higher Power, becoming a born-again Christian, my door is always open. So is Ralph’s.

PETER
Thanks.

A pause

JAKE
God has provided a moose. It’s a big cow.

PETER
How do you know it’s a cow from here?

JAKE
No rack. It doesn’t have moose antlers.


SCENE 3

JAKE and PETER have gotten out of the pickup and are standing by the moose. JAKE pulls a large Bowie knife out of its scabbard on his belt.
JAKE
This one’s been dead long enough to start bloating. I’ll Let off the pressure.

JAKE starts to lean over the moose then stands up and looks at PETER, offering PETER the knife.

JAKE
You wanna do it?

PETER
(Eagerly)
Sure, what do I do?

JAKE looks at PETER with a brief frown.


JAKE
Just stick it in the top of its belly and let the gas out.

JAKE hands PETER the knife. PETER sticks the knife into the moose’s gut. Gas escapes with a woosh and the belly deflates slightly. PETER looks at JAKE and laughs. JAKE nods his approval with another brief frown. They go back to the pickup truck and lean back against it, side by side, waiting for CHAPLAIN RALPH STOKES to arrive.
JAKE
Now we wait for Stokes.

PETER
(Eagerly)
Can’t we cut it up? I can help. We have all the tools, right?

JAKE
I don’t know how to do it. Do you?

PETER
Nope, but I thought you did it before?

JAKE
I only helped once before. I watched while Stokes cut it into quarters. That does not make me an expert at carving up dead moose.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
Besides, Stokes will be here soon enough. You can offer to help him.

PETER walks over to the rear end of the female moose and looks at it.

PETER
Did you ever fuck an animal?

JAKE coughs and turns to look at PETER.

JAKE
What do you mean?

PETER
Did you ever fuck an animal?

JAKE gives a short, nervous laugh and a half cough.
JAKE
Not that I recall.

PETER
Ever want to?

JAKE clears his throat and puts a gloved fist to his mouth as if to suppress another cough.

JAKE
Not that I recall.

PETER
Did you ever get a hard-on watching animals fuck?

JAKE
I’d get embarrassed if someone caught me watching, so I didn’t watch much.

Two headlights come on behind them and their pickup. JAKE and PETER turn toward the lights.
JAKE
Ah good, Chaplain Stokes is here.

JAKE and PETER walk toward the lights. The lights are shining on the moose. RALPH comes out of the darkness behind the lights meets up with JAKE and PETER. PETER speaks first.


PETER
(Eagerly)
Can I help cut up the moose, Chaplain Stokes?

RALPH looks at JAKE. JAKE shrugs his shoulders. RALPH turns back to PETER.
RALPH
That’s what you’re here for, to help.

PETER still has JAKE’s bowie knife in his hand. He quickly turns and heads toward the moose. RALPH calls after him.
RALPH
Wait!

PETER stops and looks back at RALPH. RALPH turns to JAKE.
RALPH
Does he know what to do?

JAKE
I don’t think so.

RALPH walks toward PETER while pulling his own bowie knife out of its scabbard on his belt.


RALPH
Here, let me show you what to do.

RALPH and PETER walk over to the moose together.

SCENE 4

PETER and RALPH are riding back to the Mission together in RALPH’s pickup.
RALPH
You did pretty good back there, cutting up the moose.

PETER
Thank you.

RALPH
I’m glad you’re riding back with me.

PETER
Oh?

RALPH
I’ve been wanting to talk with you.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
You’re doing a good job at the Mission. I’d like you to think about coming into our New Life Program. You don’t have to join, but I’d like you to at least think about it.

PETER
O.K. I know a little bit about it.

RALPH
It’s a six month program of Bible study, prayer, and service in the Mission. You live at the Mission and are subject to all the Mission rules, curfew, no drinking or drugging, regular daily attendance at the religious services, plus having personal hygiene inspections. You have to stay clean, well groomed and suitably dressed.

PETER
I’m already doing that now.

RALPH
I know. That’s why I think you are ready to make the commitment. You’ve come up to speed in a hurry. I’ve already talked with the Director. We’d like to have you aboard.

PETER
O.K. I can give it a try.

RALPH
You have to be willing to give it more than a try, Peter. We ask you to commit to at three months at a time, which means if you don’t complete the three months satisfactorily it goes on your record, unless you have an emergency or something, of course. I don’t want to mislead you. You may be better off not making the commitment, but if the first three months work out for you, you can commit to another three months.

PETER
Can I think about it?

RALPH
Sure, we want you to be sure about this. It’s a big commitment for a young man.

PETER
Do I have to be saved?

RALPH
Hopefully we’ll get to that. I won’t fool you. That’s what this is all about. The only thing that matters in an individual’s life is accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Everything else is secondary. But you don’t have to be born again to start. On the other hand you most likely will be if you successfully complete the six months. We haven’t missed yet. Everyone has either dropped out or been saved.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Being born again got me off alcohol I believe it can do the same for you and Prozac.

PETER
We’ll see. I’ll let you know after I sleep on it.

RALPH
Fine.

A pause

PETER
That was a big moose.

RALPH
Medium. We’ll get maybe five, six hundred pounds of stew-meat out of her.

A pause

PETER
What do you think about the couple that was killed.

RALPH
God works in mysterious ways. I don’t try to understand everything He does. I just know that everything works together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. The Bible promises that.


SCENE 5

It is CHAPLAIN STOKES office. There is a desk and with a chair behind it and a side chair. RALPH is sitting behind his desk going over some papers. It is Tuesday afternoon of the week following their picking up the road-kill moose. There is a knock on the door. RALPH looks up.
RALPH
Come in.

JAKE enters. RALPH stands up and reaches across the desk as JAKE comes forward. They shake hands.
RALPH
Good to see you. Sit down.

JAKE and RALPH sit down. RALPH looks at his wristwatch.
RALPH
You are right on the button. What’s on your mind today?

A pause

JAKE
I’m thinking about asking Ann Reilly to marry me.

A pause

RALPH
How long have you been thinking about it?

JAKE
Not too long, maybe a couple weeks now that I have a steady job. We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months.

RALPH
When you say “seeing each other,” what do you mean?

JAKE
We get together a few times a week. Go to AA meetings together. I met her here at the Mission’s Tuesday night meeting, the one we have tonight. She’ll be here.

RALPH
Anything else?

JAKE
I go over to her place usually a couple of times a week in the evening for a couple of hours. At least I try to.

RALPH
This sounds fairly serious. Is she born-again?

JAKE
I don’t think so.

RALPH
Hmmm, this relationship might not be so wise for you. The Bible teaches us that we shouldn’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Second Corinthians 6:14. We should separate ourselves from the ungodly. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” Second Corinthians 5:17.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
How do you plan to fit a marriage in with your being the Facility Supervisor?

JAKE
You’re married. The director is married. I figured it would work out.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
I’m hoping to be a witness to her for Christ, leading her to salvation. One thing I do know is that I love her very much. I’m going on God’s promise the all things work together for good for those who love the Lord, and I do love the Lord.

RALPH
And are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Do you mind if I ask you something personal?

JAKE
No, go ahead.

RALPH
Have you been having sexual intercourse with Ann?

JAKE is obviously uncomfortable with the questions and shifts around in his chair. He looks down intently at his hands, turning them over and flexing his fingers before answering.

JAKE
Yes.

RALPH
The Bible is clear, very clear about that. Sex outside the sanctity of marriage is sin.

JAKE
But I love her. I’ going to ask her to marry me.

RALPH
That’s beside the point, Jake. You are letting Jesus down. You’re not honoring your commitment to Him. Here, let me read you what the Bible says.

RALPH picks up his Bible and turns to the passge he is going to read. As he reads he follows the words with his pointed index finger.
RALPH
(Continues)
Here, First Thessalonians 4:3. “For this is the will of God, even in your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication.”

RALPH punctuates the end of verse by stabbing at it with his index finger. JAKE shrinks. slouching down into his chair. RALPH continues to turn in his Bible to other passages and reading them as he explains them.
RALPH
(Continues)
Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, “I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after hath committed adultery with her already in her heart.” Listen to this, “And if they right EYE offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cas into hell.”

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
That is heavy-duty. Sex outside of marriage is a sin, even sexual lust outside of marriage. Just thinking about it is sin.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
The Bible is very clear on that, Jake. Sex outside the sanctity of marriage--when it’s not between husband and wife--is sin. It’s fornication and God has told us not to fornicate. If one of the persons fornicating is married to someone else, then it’s adultery.

RALPH turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.
RALPH
(Continues)
The Bible says, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.” First Thessalonians 4:3.

RALPH turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.

RALPH
(Continues)
The Bible also says in First Corinthians 6: 9 to 10, “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Fornication is first on the list, Jake.

JAKE is hesitant as he speaks up, trying to find a defense in the face of the overwhelming condemnation of his behavior.
JAKE
Uh, are you sure? It seems like we’ve changed our views on this.

RALPH
The Bible is clear about sex outside of marriage. Having sex with Ann outside of marriage is sin. There are no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. If we are born-again Christians we will want to follow God’s Word. It’s that simple.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Let’s assess where you are in this relationship. OK?

JAKE
OK.

RALPH
Have you asked Ann to marry you?

JAKE
Not formally, but she knows I want to.

RALPH
You told her that?

JAKE
Not in so many words.

RALPH sighs deeply.
JAKE
(Continues)
She knows I love her. I’ve told her that. And I’ve told her that I want her in my life forever. I’m sure she knows I want to marry her.

RALPH
I don’t want to disappoint you, but from my experience, a man saying he loves a woman and wants her in his life forever does not necessarily mean he is asking her to marry him.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
I counsel a lot of women here at the mission, pregnant, heartbroken, and crying, telling me, “But he said he loved me. He said he wanted me in his life forever.” I ask them, “Did he ever ask you to marry him, specifically?” For these women there answer is usually, “No, he didn’t, but he said he loved me. He made love to me. Did I do something wrong?” I have to tell them that yes, they have sinned, and now that the man has gotten what he wanted, he’s probably gone on to someone new.

JAKE
But I do love her and I do want to marry her.

RALPH
Of course you think you do. For now. The point is, what kind of commitment are you will to make to Ann because you love God?

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
You’re the man in this relationship. You are the one who is responsible to God for what goes on between you and Ann. She’s the woman, you’re the man. You re responsible to God for leadership in the relationship.

RALPH turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.
RALPH
(Continues)
“Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” Ephesians 5:22 to 24.

JAKE
The Bible says that?

RALPH
Yes.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
You know you are doing the right thing in God’s eyes by coming to me and talking with me about this.

RALPH turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.


RALPH
(Continues)
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16.

RALPH turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.
RALPH
(Continues)
Listen to this, First John, chapter one, verses four through nine, I love this passage of scripture, “And these things I write unto you, that your joy may be full.
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Isn’t that wonderful? “And these things I write unto you, that your joy may be full.” And then, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

JAKE
I hope this works. I don’t feel very joyful right now. I feel like I’ve been letting everyone down, God, Ann, you.

RALPH
That’s good! You’re repenting. God wants you to confess your sins and repent, so He can forgive you and bring you back in to a full relationship with Him.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
You have to be strong. As the husband you are the head of the family. You have to set the example.

JAKE
What about Ann?

RALPH
If she loves you and comes to love the Lord, she’ll agree. I’m assuming from your saying that you’re hoping to be a witness to her for Christ that’s Ann is not born-again. But all that is her spiritual responsibility. Your responsibility to God is to be firm in the example you set.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Born-again women know that the man is the head of the family. The Holy Spirit guides them in this.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
The Bible teaches all of us to be obedient to the spiritual authority that God has placed over us. Think about Daniel in the Old Testament and Peter in the New. Following God’s word is not for weaklings, Jake. We are in a battle with Satan’s forces.

RALPH turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.
RALPH
(Continues)
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10 to 13.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Satan is not going to give you up easily. There’s a battle going on. Satan will use your sexual desire to pull you away from God. Right now God is winning in your life. You’ve turned to God’s ordained authority for help and guidance. God wants you to win. I want you to win. God will help you win. I will help you win.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
You know, you are doing a great job for God at the Mission. The example you are setting for the young men in the program is inspirational to all of us. Peter accepted Jesus as his personal savior at the Mission service Sunday evening.

JAKE
Yes, Yes, he did. I was impressed with him, taking that step.

RALPH
I think you had a direct role in his decision for Christ.

JAKE
I’ve invited him to the AA meeting tonight. He says he’s not an alcoholic, just curious. It’s an open meeting.

RALPH gets up and walks around his desk to stand beside JAKE. RALPH puts his hand on JAKES’s shoulder as he speaks.
RALPH
See, you are a wonderful mentor for the men. Many have never had a strong, loving father, or older male in their lives, someone to look up to who believes in the tough love of Jesus Christ.

RALPH starts roaming the stage as if he's a television evangelist giving an oration.
RALPH
(Continues)
You know, doing what God wants us to do is not easy. The Bible tells us that God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham was willing to do what God asked. Only at the last moment did God intervene and provide a lamb for the sacrifice.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
God made the ultimate personal sacrifice in sending his Son Jesus to die on Calvary’s cross fro our sins, to save us from eternal damnation and separation from His holy love.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Follow God’s word, Jake, and he will reward you. President Bush and Condoleeza Ricea are born-again Christians. Look what God has done for them.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
There’s tremendous joy and personal satisfaction in being a Godly leader, setting the example for others. Following God’s path has made this nation great and we are now truly blessed by Him for acknowledging His leadership and the leadership of the authorities He has placed over us.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Abraham became the father of God’s chosen people, the Jews. You can win young men to Jesus, changing their lives forever.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
We are once again seeing the rise of the nation of Israel as God prepares the world for the triumphant return of His Son. Think of it, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ could happen in our lifetime. I believe it will. God promised my father in a vision that his children would witness the Second Coming of CHirist.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
It’s an exciting time to be in God’s hands. You’re there, in His hands, spreading the gospel of Jesus love to downtrodden in our midst. This is God’s highest calling.

RALPH goes back behind his desk and sits down. He turns to another passage in his Bible and reads.

RALPH
(Continues)
Matthew 25:34 to 40. Jesus taught, “The King shall say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
“For I was an hungered, and ye gave meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
Does Ann attend church?

JAKE
I don’t think so.

RALPH
Hmmm. I think I heard somewhere that she has a grown daughter.

JAKE
Yes, Sarah. She’s from Ann’s first marriage.

RALPH
And you are divorced?

JAKE
Yes.

RALPH
You had two marriages, each ending in divorce? Ann has had one?

JAKE
Yes.

RALPH
And I think I heard something about her daughter being pregnant?

JAKE
Yes, she is.

RALPH
And unmarried?

JAKE
Yes.

A pause

RALPH
There are many reasons why you as a born-again Christian should go slow in the relationship. There’s the potential for a whole slew of problems here down the road.

A pause

RALPH
(Continues)
You are making something of yourself here at the Mission which could lead to a lot of good things in your life. God has real rewards for those who follow the path He’s laid out for us in the Bible.

JAKE
I’m beginning to understand. I’ve been following Ann’s lead instead of being the leader.

RALPH
Wome will do that if you let them. Remember the Garden of Eden. Eve led Adam to disobey God. And the Bible later tells us that Delilah got Samson to cut off his hair and lose the strength that God had blessed him with. There is real danger when Godly men become entangled with ungodly women, letting them take the lead.

JAKE
Not that I but up much resistance.

RALPH leans forward across his desk heightening the intimacy of the moment in his body language and tone of voice.
RALPH
Jake, if you are going to marry this woman who has a unwed pregnant daughter then you are going to have to bring strength and stability to your relationship with her. Ann needs that from you. Good requires it from you. If you truly love Ann, that’s the kind of man you will be for her.

JAKE
I will. I’ll start right now. I’ll talk to her tonight. I can do this.


SCENE 6

Meeting room at the Mission. It is Tuesday evening. An AA meeting has just broken up. JAKE, ANN REILLY, and SARAH REILLY are standing at center stage talking. There are folding chairs arranged in front of a folding card table with another folding chair behind it. A large white sign saying “REBOS AA GROUP” in large black letters is hanging on the back wall. PETER is folding and then stacking the chairs off to one side.

JAKE
That was a good meeting.

ANN
It was. I’ve always liked these Tuesday evening First Step meetings with newcomers. They remind me what it was like when I got here.

SARAH
Oh Mother, you sound like a broken record whenever we talk about alcohol. BORE-ing! Do you always have to drag me along to these AA meetings?

ANN
That’s exactly what I want to sound like, young lady, a broken record, repeating over and over again, I am an alcoholic, I am an alcoholic. I don’t ever want to forget and you ever forget it either. I am and alcoholic, and there is some heredity at work in this disease.

SARAH
I’m not the alcoholic here, mommy dearest, and in my condition.
SARAH rubs her obviously pregnant belly.

SARAH
(Continues)
I won’t be drinking anyway.

JAKE catches PETER’s eye and motions him over to where he, ANN, and SARAH are standing talking.
JAKE
Peter, come over here. I want you to meet these two lovely women.

PETER walks over to them.
JAKE
(Continues)
Ann, Sarah, I’d like you to meet Peter Strand. Ann and Sarah Reilly, mother and daughter. Peter.

ANN reaches out and shakes PETER’s hand.
ANN
Hello, Peter.

PETER
Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Reilly.

ANN
I prefer Ms. Reilly, Peter. And this is my daughter.

SARAH reaches out and shakes PETER’s hand.
SARAH
I’m Ms. Reilly, too, but call me Sarah, please.

PETER grins broadly as he speaks.

PETER
Sure, Sarah.

JAKE turns to ANN.
JAKE
Is it OK if Peter entertains Sarah for a few minutes so we can talk?

ANN
That’s up to Sarah.

JAKE turns to SARAH.
JAKE
Would you help Peter with the chairs for a couple of minutes?

SARAH
Sure, if Peter will let me. I wouldn’t want to slow him down.

PETER
You won’t slow me down. You can sit over there.

PETER points to a chair not to far from where he was working.
PETER
(Continues)
I’ll work around you.

SARAH
I’m not an invalid. I’ll help.

PETER and SARAH go over to the chairs and start folding and stacking them from where PETER left off.
ANN
So what’s up, lover?

JAKE
Shh, don’t call me that here.

ANN laughs.
ANN
Nobody heard me.

JAKE
You never know.

ANN smiles and speaks teasingly.
ANN
Ashamed of me?

A pause

JAKE
You know that’s not true.

A pause

JAKE
(Continues)
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, soul-searching lately. Reading the Bible and praying.

ANN
And?

ANN looks at her wristwatch.
ANN
(Continues)
We’re wasting valuable time if you have to back here by ten.

JAKE
That’s what I wand to talk to you about. I’m not coming over tonight because we can’t make love anymore, and if I come over now that’s what we’ll do.

ANN looks at JAKE in amazement and studies his face for a moment.
ANN
You’re serious, aren’t you?

JAKE
Yes.

ANN
Then there’s no way you’re not coming home with me tonight. I need an explanation.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
Don’t I have a say in this?

JAKE
Of course you do.

ANN
You are so right, this is NOT the place to talk about this.

JAKE
OK, OK, I’ll come over, but only to talk.

ANN and JAKE walk over to PETER and SARAH. ANN speaks to SARAH.
ANN
If you’re coming with me, we’re leaving.

SARAH looks at ANN then at PETER.
PETER
I can drive you home. If that’s all right, that is.

PETER looks at JAKE.
PETER
(Continues)
Dick let me borrow his car. I was going to run to the store before curfew. I have time to drive her home.

SARAH
It’s fine with me.

ANN
Well, I don’t know.

ANN turns to JAKE.
ANN
(Continues)
What do you think?

JAKE
It’s all right with me.

JAKE turns to PETER.
JAKE
(Continues)
Do you mind if I let them know about Sunday evening?

PETER
It’s OK with me.

JAKE
Peter came forward and accepted Jesus as his personal Savior at the Mission service Sunday evening. He’s born-again.

ANN
That’s nice. I’m sure he’s a fine young man, Jake.

ANN turns to SARAH.
ANN
(Continues)
Just remember, Sarah, Peter has to be back at the Mission by ten.

SARAH grimaces at her mother's back as ANN turns back to JAKE.
ANN
(Continues)
That’s right isn’t it?

JAKE
That’s right, we both do.

JAKE and ANN exit. SARAH watches them leave.
SARAH
That’s a bummer.

SARAH turns back to PETER.
SARAH
What does being born-again mean?

PETER
I’m a Christian, I’ve given my life to Jesus, and I follow the teachings in the Bible which is the Word of God.

SARAH
Well, at least it seemed to give you a seal of approval with my mother, thank god.

SARAH points to her pregnant stomach.
SARAH
It’s pretty obvious what I’ve been up to. I hope I don’t scare you away before we even get to know each other.


SCENE 7

ANN’s apartment. There is a stuffed couch with a matching chair to one side. ANN and JAKE enter, take off their shoes and coats and leave them in the entry alcove, then JAKE follows ANN over to the couch.
ANN
Sit down.

ANN points to the couch. JAKE sits down on it at one end. ANN heads to the kitchen door.
ANN
(Continues)
I’ll turn on the coffee. It’s ready to go.

JAKE
Great.

ANN exits and then after a brief pause, returns. She walks over to the couch and sits at the other end, away from JAKE.
ANN
There, that’ll only take a couple minutes.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
Now just what is it you have to tell me?

JAKE nervously sits forward on the couch and examines his hands before he begins. This is obviously not going to be easy for him.

JAKE
I’ve been taking to Chaplain Stokes about us?

ANN
And what does Chaplain Stokes have to say about “us”?

JAKE
He pointed out to me that the Bible teaches that sex outside of marriage is sin.

ANN
It’s too soon to talk about marriage. We don’t know each other that well yet.

JAKE
That’s what Ralph said too.

ANN
Ralph?

JAKE
Chaplain Stokes.

ANN
And what did you say?

JAKE
That you turn me on.

ANN laughs.
JAKE
(Continues)
I didn’t really tell him that.

ANN
You didn’t? I take it as a compliment.

JAKE
That’s not the point. I shouldn’t have said that.

ANN
Oh, I don’t turn you on?

JAKE
Of course you turn me on, but I’m trying to have a serious discussion here.

ANN
Turning you on isn’t serious? OK, discuss away. I’m not stopping you, but you’re going to run out of time at this rate.

JAKE
It’s not that you’re some kind of evil person.

ANN
Gee, thanks for letting me know how you think.

JAKE
That didn’t come out right. It’s that the Bible teaches that sex outside of marriage is sin.

ANN
You’ve already covered that. But let’s take a closer look at where that leaves us. Am I the temptress leading the man of God astray?

JAKE
No, no. If I have sex with you then I am the one who makes us sinners because I am the one who is supposed to set the example. The Bible is clear about my responsibilities as the man in our relationship. I am the one responsible to God. I must set the example as a born-again Christian.

ANN
But I like to have sex with you. If I persist and lead you quote-unquote astray, does that make me the evil woman? Eve in the Garden of Eden?

JAKE
This is getting all mixed up. I want you to be my wife. I want to be a Christian husband for you.

ANN
Listen to me, Jake. I know what I want, too. I know exactly what I am doing. I HAVE been finding out whether I want to marry you or not, if it ever gets to that point. Right now, I’m not at all sure about anything other than we have great sex together. We really do turn each other on. I feel it.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
I want to find out if we can be friends besides being lovers. Up to right about now I had high hopes.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
Ain’t life a bitch? There are so many uncertainties, so many choices that we have to make. We can’t give up our right to choose without giving up our right to freedom. But that’s what I love about my life, here and now, as a liberated woman. I can my own choices about my own life, and watch the consequences unfold, working my way through the maze.

JAKE
The Bible teaches that it works out best if I show my commitment by marrying you first and having sex with you afterward.

ANN
The Bible has been teaching a lot of wrong things for a long time, like putting witches to death. You want to talk about the Fundamentalist Christian religion, Jake?

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
Do you?

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
Those people still believe what the Bible teaches about sexual lust being the result of the Devil working his will in their minds and bodies. A real live being named Satan. How long have the Kinsey reports been around? All your so-called sacred elders masturbating behind closed doors pretending nothing was going on. Give me a break.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
For a long time sex outside of some legal or binding commitment, quote-unquote, marriage, used to be one helluva problem for a woman, especially if she was some young, naïve, trusting young thing hopelessly romantically in love with that man of hers. Then if she surrendered to his promises of loving her which were meant to overcome her objections to him fucking her and she fucked him, well, too often he would consider it proof that she was a whore. Heaven help her if she acted like she enjoyed it! She was no longer fit to be his wife, unless of course her daddy had a shot gun. If in the process she became pregnant and her father didn’t have a big enough shotgun or for whatever reason couldn’t or wouldn’t help her, she could kiss the rest of her life goodbye.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
I don’t have to worry about that shit anymore. I can get an abortion if I want to, which I might not, but the choice is mine. I’m not at the mercy of some hypocritical self-righteous bastard. The thing about the Bible was that if a woman kept her legs together, the man had to make a commitment to get any nooky. It worked for that reason.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
We had the Church to protect us from abandonment. In turn women had to be subject to the authority of fathers and husbands. Talk about a recipe for abuse. But it had its positive side sometimes, I’m sure. Real love and caring is hard to suppress entirely. Anyway, I don’t need religion to protect me anymore. I have birth control. I’m free to enjoy sex. Do you know men used to question whether a woman could have an orgasm? I don’t have to buy into the male-dominance bullshit that I need to be “owned” by a man in order to have sex with him.

A pause

ANN
(Continues)
You made love to me just two days ago, Sunday after church. In between the morning and evening services. Don’t you remember?

JAKE
Of course I do.

ANN
Are you changing your mind on how good it was? Do you want to take it back?

JAKE
Yes ... no ... I don’t know. All I know is that I love you and we can’t have any more sex before we get married because I am a born-again Christian and I want God to rule my life.

JAKE takes a deep breath.
JAKE
(Continues)
I choose to follow God and the Bible.


ACT II


***UNDER CONSTRUCTION***


ACT III


***UNDER CONSTRUCTION***