Frozen Dreams

4 men and 2 women. Set on the streets of Toronto downtown ally. 

Present day.

Sam, Harry and Rainman are living on the streets of a major 
city. It's Christmas and Rainman, a nineteen year old but
with the mental age of seven, has been given a frozen turkey 
for Christmas by a group of good Samaritans. Because it is 
so important to Rainman to have a 'real Christmas' pondering 
what to do with this turkey becomes the focal point of the 
play. In this scene they are discussing Christmas'past.

        RAINMAN
It’s Christmas tomorrow SAM.

	SAM
I know that kid.

	RAINMAN
Do you like Christmas SAM?

	SAM
No, not anymore.

	RAINMAN
I do. . . .I like Christmas. . . . Why don’t you like it anymore 
SAM?

	SAM
Because. . . 

        RAINMAN
I like all the presents and the food and the Christmas tree. . .
don’t you SAM?

        SAM
No I don’t!

        RAINMAN
Why not?

        SAM
You do go on don’t ya! I don’t like Christmas because when I 
think of it. . . I get a feeling. 

	RAINMAN
What feeling?

	SAM
That feeling I used to get in the slammer. The feeling of 
being alone when you’re not supposed to be alone. Whenever I 
think of Christmas, I think of loneliness

	HARRY
 Socks and underwear!

	SAM
What are you on about now?

	HARRY
That’s what Christmas reminds me of. Every year the old lady 
gave me the Same gift, two pairs of socks and a pair of 
underwear. 

	SAM
You know what I think?

	HARRY
What’s that?

	SAM
I think you and her should get back together.

	HARRY
Why do you think that?

	SAM
Because I’ve seen your socks and I’ve smelt your underwear and 
you’re due!

(They all laugh)


        HARRY
Hey . ..  I ain’t got no underwear! 
(HARRY AND RAINMAN laugh again)

SAM
That’s too much information for me this morning!

	RAINMAN
I got a baseball glove once and some building blocks. But 
what I remember the bestest was the turkey dinner. My 
mom’s boyfriend . . . . not Carl, he was the one who broke 
my. . . my. . .what did he break SAM?

        SAM
		(He has heard the story before)
Your collarbone.

        RAINMAN
YEAH, collarbone. . . 

	HARRY
Your mom’s boyfriend broke your collar bone?

	RAINMAN
Yeah! When I was nine. 

	HARRY
Stupid bastard! 

	RAINMAN
He said I had to tell the hospital I fell over but I think 
they didn’t believe me. He left after that anyway. Then she 
met Wayne. . .he was the nice one. He had a job driving one 
of those trucks that lifts things with the two things in 
the front.

	SAM
Forklift driver.

 	RAINMAN
		(Excited)
Forklift driver, yeah!  I went to work with him once and he 
let me drive it. . . it was so cool. On Christmas Eve me mom 
and me stayed over at his ‘partment. Then on Christmas morning 
I woke up all excited about Santa coming. I sat up in bed and 
then it hit me. . . .
(He pauses with his eyes closed)

PAUSE.

	HARRY
What?

	RAINMAN
Eh?

	HARRY
You said it hit you. . . What hit you?

	SAM
I’ll hit you in a minute if you don’t Shut up!

	HARRY
He said it hit him. . . .I hate it when people tell stories 
and then stop halfway through the telling. 

	SAM
Carry on kid.

	RAINMAN
It was the turkey.

        HARRY
The turkey hit you?

        RAINMAN
No, . . .Wayne and me mom had put it in the oven to cook all 
night. I’d never smelt anything like that turkey cooking. I 
got out of bed and looked outside and it was snowing . . . I 
didn’t get up and rush out to see what Santa had give me, . . 
. . I just lay back down and pulled the covers over me. There 
I was, all warm in my own bed, in my own room and that 
cooking turkey smell all around me. That was the bestest
day ever.. . .the bestest feeling I ever had. 

PAUSE
(HARRY picks up the box and sniffs it)

	SAM
What the hell are you doing?

	HARRY
Just seeing if it smells.

	SAM
And you call him stupid! 

        HARRY
(To RAINMAN)
Your mom, she didn’t stay long with this Wayne then?

	RAINMAN
 No, when she got sick he went away. But Mom said not to be 
mad at him cuz some people get scared when they’re around 
sick people. . . . . She died a few months later.

	SAM
That’s when you were sent to the foster homes eh?
 
	RAINMAN
Yeah! Lot’s of ‘em. Some were okay but some were really bad, 
so I kept running away. I went to friends houses first of 
all, but their parents didn’t like me hanging out, so I’d 
have to leave. Been here in T.O ever since.

	SAM
You’d better get yourself over to the market to help Mrs. 
Jenkins take her stall down, you need the ten bucks.

	RAINMAN
Right SAM.
(He gets up and prepares to leave)

	SAM
And if she’s gonna throw any rotten potatoes out bring ‘em 
home.

	RAINMAN
Okay SAM.
(He exits)

        HARRY
		(Sarcastically) 
Yeah, we’ll stick em around the roast!

        SAM
Shut up!