Eldridge Plays by David Eldridge

Author:David Eldridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781408177129
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Scene Twenty

The Boy walks back to the stall. He slows. A New Boy is there. New Boy Have you got a job? Have you got a job?

The Trader sees the Boy approach.

Trader Have we got a job?

Boy Have we got a job?

Trader Have we bollocks.

New Boy What’s the wages?

Boy Twelve quid, packing out, packing in.

New Boy Is that all?

Boy Is that all? Cheeky little shit. What experience have you got?

New Boy Done a paper round.

Boy Ah – done a paper round.

Trader Ah.

Boy Ah.

Trader How old are you?

New Boy Thirteen.

Boy Ah.

Trader Have you got any hair?

New Boy Course I’ve got hair!

Boy Have you got any pubes?

Trader Have you got any stubble?

New Boy I’ve got more pubes than you could shake a stick at and I’ve been shagging since I was nine. What’s with all the personal questions?

Boy Do you know anything about shoes?

Trader Do you know anything about women?

New Boy Loads.

Trader What do you know about shoes?

New Boy My mum’s got hundreds of shoes.

Boy What do you know about women?

New Boy Look at me, I’m a Don!

The Boy and the Trader laugh.

New Boy Listen mate have you got a job or what?

Trader No –

Boy Yeah we’ve got a job.

Trader We’ve got a job?

The Trader is taken aback. The Trader and the Boy look at each other. The wind blows and rubbish drifts through the market. Some of the shoes begin to float up into the air.

Trader Go on then.

The New Boy chases after the shoes trying to catch as many of them as he can as more and more begin to float freely from the stall. He ends up perched on the top of the frame.

Trader You going then?

Boy Yeah –

Trader Where you going?

Boy Going to see if I can give something else a go.

Trader What’s that boy?

Boy I’m going to college and then I’m going up town – The Trader laughs.

Trader What you doing that for?

Boy Because I want to –

Trader Ah you don’t love me no more –

Silence.

Boy No I don’t need you no more.–

Silence.

Trader Don’t be like that –

Boy Like what? I’m going mate.

Trader You’ll never get there –

Boy No, I will.

Trader What’s wrong?

Boy I know –

Trader What?

Silence.

Boy I know you had my girl. It’s all right. I’m already over it.

Trader What you going to do up town?

Boy The City mate.

Trader The City –

Boy The bust’s cleared out all the dead wood – I heard that carpet fitters, actors and market traders make the best stockbrokers –

Trader Do they?

Boy Yeah they do.

Silence.

See you then?

Trader Goodbye then – Be lucky son –

Boy Goodbye –

Trader Go on –

Boy I am.

The Boy offers his hand. The Trader pulls him into an embrace.

The Boy pulls away. It’s awkward – a bit horrible. The Boy goes.

Trader Boy –

Boy What?

Trader Boy!

Boy What?

Trader When you get your first bonus I want half!

Boy What for?

Trader I taught you everything you know!

The Boy laughs.

Boy In your dreams mate.

‘Relax’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood fills the market. The Trader turns to the New Boy.

Trader Have you ever been kissed by a black man?

Vans drive on and the market takes shape.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.