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!