Chronicles of J.P.

A character in my book/screenplay. This is just a small excerpt.

 

While downstairs listening to Led Zepplin’s IV, J.P. packed his ceramic multi-colored pipe with green hash. He circles up his friends from high school and they coordinately sit in a circle, anxious for a hit. J.P. sparks the Zippo lighter and takes the first drag, as he inhales, holds it for a beat and then slowly exhales a large cloud of smoke.

 

He is a short stout man. His eyebrows are overgrown, and they combine into one. His thick curly dark hair is perfectly formed and neat on his large head. It is clear that he is a little strange and awkward but somewhat profound and intellectual. His voice, bellows deep with his dialect and is similar to that of Orson Wells. Very loud and clear he exclaims as his accents seems to be on the wrong words : “I got this from… A colored MAN! AND,… He says, ‘IT IS the FINEST marijuana out there today’. I will smoke some AND THEN! offer it to you… MY friends!”

 

He begins to pass it to his left as the boys here a knock echoing from the upstairs door. The boys frantically try to cover up the smoke with useless, swift waves of the hand as J.P. does not seem to care.

 

“YES MOTHER?!”

His mother answers, her voice muffled by the closed door “mades.. ends… switchess” -nearly unintelligible.

“MOTHER, I CAN- NOT HEAR YOU!” His friends desperately try and prohibit him from continuing by pulling on his shirt and trying to cover his mouth.

The door opens with a squeak- “I made you and your friends sandwiches!” She says pleasantly.

“OH MOTHER. PLEASE JUST LEAVE THE FINGER SANDWICHES ON THE STAIRS. WE WILL GET THEM LATER.”

“Ok John…What’s that smell?”

“MOTHER!! I AM SPENDING TIME. BONDING WITH MY FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL.”

“Sorry honey. Have a good time.”

 

The door closes as J.P. looks at the puzzled faces of his friends. His eyes and head dart as he leans to look for the whereabouts of the pipe.

 

As if presenting a speech J.P. states, “WHAT you boys need to do is smoke until you learn to calm down. THERE IS no need to get excited!”

 

The pipe continues around the circle as the effects start to show in the eyes of the teenage boys.

 

J.P., in deep thought, “WOULDN’T it be nice boys, to never have to go to school again. THEN, we could just smoke weed… ALL DAY!”

Author's Note

The incomplete/run-on sentences are there on purpose to magnify the characters quirky speech

Reviews

[Kasey]

I enjoyed it. The mother screaming down the stairs, and the misunderstood words were all great details, very realistic. But I did come away feeling that it was slightly incomplete. Perhaps if the mom's interruption were more of a debacle... or more of a climax then it would balance the excitement of him having the weed. But still... it was good. :-)