The Piano Has Been Drinking

The Piano Has Been Drinking

A Stage Play by Toni O
"

Inspired by Tom Waits and a bottle of Jack Daniels. All lyrical references are copyright of Tom Waits.

"
Characters:
Tom: 45 year old musician, husband to Ronnie
Ronnie: 32 year old wife to Tom
Little Boy: 11 years old

Setting: Modern New York City

    (A park bench at midnight. The ground is brown with dead grass and sticks.     Clearly it’s a cold night. Tom sits slouched in a black suit jacket, wrinkled slacks, and black button up. A fedora sits crooked on his head. He has a bottle of Hennessy in his right hand and a burnt out cigarette in his left. Little Boy cautiously approaches Tom.)

                    Little Boy
    (tugs on Tom’s jacket)
Hey. Wake up.

                    Tom
    (coughs, hacks)
Eh? What time is it?

                    Little Boy
About midnight.

                    Tom
Oh. (pauses) Then what the hell are you doing in the park this late, kid?

                    Little Boy
Nobody was home and my door was locked.

                    Tom
So you come to the park?

                    Little Boy
Yeah. Nowhere else to go.

                    
    (Tom sits upright and attempts to drag on his cigarette. He pulls nothing and     tosses it at the boy’s feet. He pulls a cigarette from a crushed box of Benson and     Hedges and pats his pockets looking for a lighter. The boy strikes a quick match and holds it out to Tom.)

                    Tom
Thanks, kid. But why do you have matches?

                    Little Boy
Just in case.

                    Tom
    (drags his cigarette)
Can’t argue that.
    
                    Little Boy
Why are you here?

                    Tom
Well, I had a show at that bar over there.

    (Tom points in a general direction, clearly not aware of where he is)

                    Little Boy
    (points opposite way)
The Tinsel Cup.

                    Tom
Yeah. I was with my band.

                    Little Boy
You sing.

                    Tom
That’s right. You know my songs?

                    Little Boy
Some of them.

    (Tom shakes the bottle, hears no splash, and rests it at his feet. The boy stares at     it.)

                    Tom
(smirks)
Guess I'm getting famous, huh?

                    Little Boy
I guess.

                    Tom
(Grimaces)
I guess so, too.


                    Little Boy
You still didn’t tell me why you came to the park.

                    Tom
Ah, right you are. I finished the set and I ran into a woman who broke my heart. One bottle later I’m here talking to some random kid.

                    Little Boy
She broke your heart?

                    Tom
Yeah. Well, she tried to but I don’t care.

                    Little Boy
If you don’t care why are you drinking in a park.

                    Tom
A woman of her caliber will leave you on a bench, caring or not.

    (There is a long silence between them. The boy sits down beside Tom and stares.     Tom stares at his shoes and shifts uncomfortably.)

                    Tom
Kid, don’t sit next to me like that. A cop will think I’m a pervert or some s**t.

                    Little Boy
But you’re not.

                    Tom
Course I’m not!

                    Little Boy
You could pretend I’m your son and you’re my father.

                    Tom
A good father would have already made sure his son was sleeping and safe though.

                    Little Boy
Didn’t say you’d have to be a good one.

                    Tom
You’re a strange one, kid. Got to tell you.

    (Tom smokes his cigarette and tries to gather his clouded thoughts)

                    Little Boy
Why did the lady break your heart?

                    Tom
Ah, s**t. Let’s just say you don’t defrost the ice box with a ball point pen.

                    Little Boy
What does that mean?

                    Tom
Okay. Her name is Ronnie. Veronica, but nobody calls her that. She was beautiful, kid. A knockout. Used to come to all my shows and dace in front of me in glittery red dresses. I started bringing her everywhere. Really felt it. But she was a bit of an easy one. Do you know what easy women are?

                    Little Boy
Sort of.

                    Tom
Well, watch out for women like Ronnie. They’re no good.

                    Little Boy
What did she do to you?

                    Tom
Let me get there. I had a feeling she was sleeping around, but everyone said I was just being paranoid. A beauty with an old mug like mine is unreal. But I start noticing she isn’t fitting into those pretty red dresses anymore. I think it’s just all the drinking. Suddenly, she stops coming to my shows. I don’t know what to think of it. I think she’s run off for another a*****e musician like me. You got another match?

    (The boy lights another cigarette for Tom)

                    Tom
I get a letter. It says she’s pregnant. She knows it’s mine. She can just feel it. She says the baby has a rhythm that reminds her of me. I don’t know what the hell that means. She says that she doesn’t want to ruin my career by burdening me with a kid. So, she left.

                    Little Boy
You saw her tonight?

                    Tom
That’s right. I did see her tonight. She came up to me after the set and I was speechless. Didn’t know what the f**k to say to her. I can sing blues all night and talk about the women I loved and left, but I don’t have a word in my body when I see her in person. She tells me she lost the baby. Miscarriage.

                    Little Boy
Miscarriage?

                    Tom
Yeah. The baby died.

                    Little Boy
Why did she tell you that?

                    Tom
She tells me that its better that way because she didn’t want it. I was looking at her face. Her nose was white and her eyes like slits. She was so high.    

                    Little Boy
Why did she tell you the baby died?

                    Tom
I don’t know. To hurt me and make me feel like I should have chased her. I always wanted a son, but it wasn’t the right time to think about that. I don’t know, kid. I don’t know.

                    Little Boy
She said the baby died.

                    Tom
Look, kid. I got to get back to my band and find out what’s going on. Thanks, uh…thanks for listening I guess. Let me give you some cab fare home.

    (Tom stretches his hand out to give the boy money, but the boy just stares. Tom     takes his hand and gently presses the money into his palm.)

                    Little Boy
Thank you.

                    Tom
Don’t mention it. Get home safe. Someone will open the door for you.

    (Tom stumbles off and the boy kicks his feet sadly on the bench)

                    Little Boy
She said the baby died.
(Boy continues to sit and stare. Fade out.)
                           

© 2010 Toni O


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Lou
Oh, I love this...this is going to sound dumb, but my heart, like...twinged when I got to the last line. I have nothing helpful to offer, I just had to tell you how much I liked this.

Posted 14 Years Ago



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Added on September 13, 2010
Last Updated on September 13, 2010

Author

Toni O
Toni O

Poughkeepsie, NY



Writing
Kiss Goodnight Kiss Goodnight

A Stage Play by Toni O


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A Story by Toni O