Red raspberries and white lips

Red raspberries and white lips
By Andy Brown

Raspberries.”

lay crushed and splattered on the floor,
as we knocked over the bowl,
stumbling to the bedroom.
The splatters looked like drops of Crimson

blood was pumping through my veins,
and I was breathing hard when she first said,
“I love you”
with her thin White

lips, bright blue eyes, and short blonde hair looked so amazing.
She was afraid to smile and show her teeth.
“Gee, I hope she doesn’t get tired of me,
And I hope my jokes don’t get

Old and tired we had become.
Where did the youthful years go?
Time might have passed,but our love never

“Left turn and we’ll finally be there,”
She said as we pulled into our new home.
The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.
“Here’s to the rest of our

Lives were ahead of us, and we were still young.
She spent her days working, and I to my paint.
“What do you think?” I would ask,
and she would say, “I never liked red

On Women and Sex and things

On Women and Sex and things
By Andy Brown

(The stage is dark, a man stands before the closed curtains and is pacing back and forth. The spotlight is set on him. He is in his mid thirties. He is dressed in business-type work clothes, slacks and a buttoned down shirt, unbuttoned and revealing a white, sweat stained undershirt. There is the sound of a sweet voice off-stage.)

[Voice] (Whispered)
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray.

(The man paces and takes a long drag from his cigarette before speaking.)

[Narrator]
Act five, exterior, night, a cold city alley. Warm city air whistles past the buildings. There is the sound of a couple arguing a few blocks down and the sound of a crying baby. A car skids somewhere in the distance. Steam billows out from a manhole cover in the street. There is a woman, no, an angel. She is bent over a bloodied corpse.

(Curtains are withdrawn and reveal a woman crying and a dead body. Exactly as the narrator described. Audience cant see the body so well.)

[Girl] (Whispered)
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away. (Cries)

[Narrator]
If you really just look at a Shakespeare play, you realize that they start to follow a format. Five acts, always the same. Act one and two: back-story and introduction; act three: introduction to conflict; act four: struggle!; act five: the falling action. (Takes long drag and exhales.)

(Curtains close, narrator continues to pace, curtains open revealing a different set: a small apartment in the city. A man is bent over a table scribbling on a paper, feverously. The man stops, only for a second, just to crumple up the paper and throw it on the ground. He growls in anger. He pulls over another piece of paper and begins scribbling. He stops, tears off the paper, and throws it on the ground. There is a sound off-stage and a woman enters the scene. She is petite and skinny. She walks over to the table and places her bags on the table. She is dressed in a suit and looks very nice. She walks over to the man, who is totally oblivious of her presence, and kisses him on the forehead.)

[Girl]
How’s the new story coming along?

(He looks at her, then looks at the paper and crumples it up.)

[Girl]
That bad?

(She walks to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water. The refrigerator is bare and empty.)

[Girl]
Looks like we need to go shopping sometime…

[Man]
How was work?

[Woman]
Well, there was this man who came in today, wanting to take out a loan so that he could buy himself a new boat for him and his family. I had no choice but to turn him down, he has trouble keeping up with his house payments, plus his credit is awful.

(The man looks up from his work and smiles at her. She walks over to the window above the sink and stares outside.)

[Woman]
Looks like another beautiful day is going away. I really should go out running sometime. I miss it so much. I’ve just been so overworked, I don’t have any energy left, anymore.

(The man grins and walks over to her. He places his hands around her waist and tucks his chin on her shoulder. He kisses her on the cheek. They begin kissing. His hands move across her chest and remove her jacket. Her hands are on his face and his are on her hips. She pulls away from him and looks him deeply in the eyes.)

[Woman]
Make love to me, Robert.

(The scene darkens as the two go off-stage. The narrator, who has been standing off to the side the whole scene, paces over to the center as the curtains draw shut.)

[Narrator]
So, welcome to act one, ladies and gentlemen. This is my beautiful wife. We have been married for ten years, now, and we couldn’t be happier. Here’s the back story for you: she worked with a local bank and I was a freelance writer. We pulled in just enough to survive. I was living on the dream that I would hit it big and land a hotshot position in Hollywood; she on the same belief. She was my love…my life…my biggest fan and biggest supporter. We were young, we had our whole lives before us, and we were madly in love. Did I mention that, already? Things couldn’t be better.

(The curtains withdraw and the narrator slowly paces over to the other side and watches the scene. Lights brighten to reveal the two in bed together. They are laying naked, covered by a blanket. The light shines in through the window and the lazy sun illuminates the bed. The man is laying with one arm behind his head and one on his wife’s shoulder. She is curled up with her head nestled on his chest. She begins singing.)

[Girl]
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.

(There is a period of silence and the sound of birds chirping off-stage.)

[Man]
That…that was beautiful. You have such a beautiful voice.

(He kisses her on the head and there is another brief period of silence.)

[Man]
The bills are due soon. We’re getting pressed for money, sweetheart. I’m really hoping this new story is going to break through. Hopefully, I’ll get a call from the magazine with a job offer. Soon I’ll be able to get out of the house and get on with my career. It’s taking way too lo--

(The girl cuts him off by placing a finger over his mouth.)

[Woman]
Why can’t we just enjoy a little bit of calm, for once? You’re always worried about what comes next. Just relax. Who knows how much more time we’ll have together before something comes up; before your phone rings, or before it’s time to feed the cat? The bills will get paid, don’t you worry. I love you and shut your mouth. (Giggles). Know what’s coming up soon?

[Man]
What?

[Woman]
Our ten year anniversary, silly! Aren’t you excited?

[Man] (Jokingly)
Anniversary…? Shit, I guess I forgot about it.

(She playfully hits him.)

[Man]
(Laughs) Be ready for anything, sweetheart.

[Woman]
I thought you were taking me out for Mexican…

[Man]
I am! I’m just saying…

(The lights dim in the background and the narrator comes out into the center again. Curtains close.)

[Narrator]
So here’s act two for you, what do you think? She’s amazing, isn’t she? God, I love her so much. I just always felt bad about our job situation. She was working her ass off to support us and I wasn’t doing anything to help. I sat around at home, scribbling away at my stories, or the beginnings of them, anyway. Sure, we were young, and sure, we had our whole lives ahead of us, but I was worried. I really was. Fresh talent comes up everyday, giving this old guy a run for his money. I still had a classic feel, though. Well, I thought so, anyway. Maybe that’s what held me back from the papers; I wasn’t hip enough.

(The narrator walks off casually and the curtains open once more. The scene is divided in two: one half is the interior of the apartment, the other is the restaurant next to an alley.)

[Man] (constantly checking watch)
C’mon, babe, we have six o’clock reservations. We’re going to be late.

[Girl] (off-stage)
Just a minute! I’m almost ready!

(She walks out and is dressed up in a red dress that billows out at her knees. She is carrying a little black bag. Her hair is curled and drapes down her head. She is beautiful.)

[Man]
My…God…You look…just absolutely amazing!

[Girl]
You like it?

[Man]
I love it! But we really should get going before we just have take-out instead.

(The lights dim on that half of the stage and illuminate the other half, the restaurant alleyway.)

[Girl]
Wow! I guess it lived up to the hype, didn’t it?

[Man]
I guess so.

(They walk into the alleyway, holding hands.)

[Girl]
What…where are we going?

[Man]
Just…here. Here.

[Girl]
Here? What are you doing?

(Man gets on one knee.)

[Man]
April…we’ve been together for over fifteen years, now, and today is our ten year anniversary.

[Girl]
Yeah…

(He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small black box and opens it.)

[Man]
I’d like you to come with me to Brazil to renew our vows, what do you say?

[Girl]
I…I…Yes!

(She jumps and hugs him around the neck. There are people crowded around the entrance to the restaurant, but they don’t see the couple because they are hidden in the alleyway. Two men walk out of the crowd and see the two hugging and kissing. They point and laugh. Suddenly, they speed up and run up to the two.)

[Thug 1]
Hey buddy, having fun?

[Man]
We don’t want any trouble, guys.

[Thug 2]
Trouble? We were just a little lonely tonight and we saw you two having a little party. So we decided we wanted to party too.

[Man]
Hey, why don’t you guys just look to party somewhere else, alright?

[Girl]
Honey, I’m scared.

[Man]
April, just…just stay behind me.

[Thug 1]
Yeah, buddy, she’s scared. Looks like she’s shaking.

(Thug 2 approaches her and puts his arm around her. She lets out a yelp.)

[Man]
Hey!

[Thug 1]
Hey, yourself. Why don’t you just give us your wallet and we’ll have ourselves a little party?

[Man]
Hey man, why don’t you get your fucking arm off of my wife before someone gets hurt?

[Thug 1]
Oh? Is that a threat? Why don’t we just take your little girly and see how big you are then?

(The man runs up and punches Thug 1 in the face.)

[Thug 1]
Oh you little bitch, you’re going to pay for that.

(Thug 1 approaches the man, but the man punches him again. He hits the thug twice in the stomach and then hits him once in the face, again.)

[Thug 1] (cringing)
Take her fucking purse and his wallet.

(Thug 2 approaches but gets beaten as well. Thug 1 comes up behind him with a pipe he found in the alley and strikes the man in the back. He falls to the ground.)

[Thug 1]
Not so hot, now, are ya?

(Man gets up and begins wailing on Thug 1. Thug 2 panics and pulls a gun from his pants pocket and fires two rounds in the man’s back. He falls to the ground.)

[Thug 1]
You fucking idiot! What are we going to do now? We need to get the fuck out of here! [Exit]

(The girl runs to him and turns him over so that she can see his face. His mouth is dripping with blood. He tries to speak but just coughs up blood onto her.)

[Girl]
Shh…don’t say anything. Save your strength. Help! Someone! Someone call 9-1-1!

(He looks at her and coughs again.)

[Man]
I’m…I’m sorry. I’m…

[Girl]
Sorry? You saved us! You’re my hero.

[Man]
April…I’m dying….

[Girl]
Hang on, Robert! Help will be here soon. Save your breath.

[Man]
Sing…sing to me…sing me that song…

(She holds his head in her hands, weeping, she tries to sing.)

[Girl] (Crying)
You are my sunshine…my only sunshine….

(He turns to see her face.)

[Girl]
You make me happy…when skies are…gray…you’ll never know, dear…how much I love you…please don’t take…my sunshine away…(cries)

(His head rolls in her hands.)

[Girl]
Robert? Robert!

(The lights dim and the two are only visible by flashing red and blue lights. The curtains close and the narrator takes the stage again.)

[Narrator] (takes long drag from cigarette and exhales)
Welcome to act three and four, ladies and gentlemen. You’ve seen love! You’ve seen passion! You’ve seen conflict, battle, and death! Oh, but it’s not over yet. Oh, no…oh, no…

(The curtains open up and reveal the apartment once again. The girl is packing up all of the man’s things. She stores them away in the closet. She walks over to the dresser and picks up a picture and begins crying. She places the picture in a box, face down. She walks over to his desk and begins rummaging through his papers. She finds the crumpled papers and begins unfolding and reading them. She covers her mouth and sits on the edge of the bed.)

[Girl] (reads from paper)
Act five, exterior, night, a cold city alley. Warm city air whistles past the buildings. There is the sound of a couple arguing a few blocks down and the sound of a crying baby. A car skids somewhere in the distance. Steam billows out from a manhole cover in the street. There is a woman, no, an angel. She is bent over a bloodied corpse.

(She rummages through more papers and brings up another one, unfolds it, reads from it.)

[Girl]
Act two, interior, midday, apartment. A man is seated at a table, scribbling feverously.
(She picks up another one.)

[Girl]
Hey, why don’t you go party somewhere else, man?

(She sits down on the bed and weeps. She takes off her ring and throws it against the wall. She sobs for a minute more before getting up and getting the ring. She kisses it as though it were him. She looks at the inscription and begins reading aloud.)

[Girl]
I love you…forever, your sunshine.

(The curtains close and the narrator comes back out on the stage. He sits on the edge of the stage and finally finishes his cigarette.)

[Narrator]
What do you think of act five? Crazy, huh? Yes, I wrote the whole story, even though I had died. I left the pages around the apartment for her to find. She published the story. It became an instant hit and took to the movie screens. Can you believe they chose Tom Cruise to play me, of all people? I wanted her to know that no matter what happened, I would still be there for her. I guess you can say love conquers all; or that love knows no bounds. Me? I’d say it’s safe to assume every time the sun shines on her, it’s her reminder that I’m still here, watching over her, loving her.
[End]