A Play by Augusto

CHARACTERS:


SETTING:

CHAVEZ the Eagle, 14 years old. LEO the lion cub, 2 lion years old.

You see green and brown wild grassy fields.  You see a wildfire up ahead.  You hear and see thunder as far as the eye can see.

 
TIME:

2:00 in the afternoon

   
AT RISE:

 LEO and CHAVEZ are walking around the plains like every other day…..


 CHAVEZ
Whatsup with it?

LEO
 Not much just chilling.  Trying not to get my paws dirty.  You?

CHAVEZ
 Just  enjoying the summer heat.  It was burning last night I couldn’t think or sleep at all.

LEO
 I know huh.  Why couldn’t you think right?

CHAVEZ
 Had a lot on my mind.

LEO
 Such as?

CHAVEZ
 Don’t trip,  foo.  You hella nosy.

LEO
 Come on just tell me.  I won’t say nothing.

CHAVEZ
 That’s the point.

LEO
 What you mean?

CHAVEZ
 It’s…promise you won’t get mad at me?

LEO
 Depends what it is?

CHAVEZ
 See I can’t tell you

LEO
 Naw, I’m just playing

CHAVEZ
 All right promise me though

LEO
 Ok, Promise.  Geez Louise.  You happy now?

CHAVEZ
 You know we been friends for a long time and…

LEO
 (Cuts him off) Yeah, yeah I know.

CHAVEZ
 Well, remember that day I said I had to go home?

LEO
 Yeah, why?
CHAVEZ
 Well let’s just say I didn’t go home.

LEO
 Well where did you go?

CHAVEZ
 Your house.

LEO
 Oh I ain’t tripping.  What you go there for?

CHAVEZ
 Because umm ummm….(under his breath) to see your sister.

LEO
 Oh hell na for what?

CHAVEZ
 Well you know I’ve had a crush for her for a long time and we just talked.

LEO
 About?

CHAVEZ
 Well….your gonna be an uncle soon.

LEO
 You better quit playing like that.  That stuff ain’t funny.

CHAVEZ
 I know that’s why I’m dead serious.

LEO
 You better quit playing I’ll choke you with my paw.

CHAVEZ
 See….that’s why I didn’t wanna say nothing to you.

LEO
 That’s my twin sister fool.  How would you react if someone told you that?

CHAVEZ
 I wouldn’t know.  I don’t have no family.

LEO
 Well its gonna stay that way because you ain’t having this kid with her.

CHAVEZ
Says who?

LEO
 Trust me you aint gonna be with her.

CHAVEZ
 That’s not what she said.

LEO
 Ha ha.  You funny.  We gonna see about that.

CHAVEZ
 You think that’s bad news I got something better for you?

LEO
 Spit it out you might as well.

CHAVEZ
 Yea…well we are engaged and are gonna wed tonight.

LEO
 (Pounces towards CHAVEZ) How you gonna do me like that fool?

CHAVEZ
 Love is a crazy thing man.

LEO
 Not as crazy as me though. (pounces towards him again, Chavez dodges him)

CHAVEZ
 Quit playing Quit playing let me explain.

LEO
 About what how you laid with my sister?

CHAVEZ
 Naw.  Its …you know I wanna marry her and all that, right?

LEO
 (Pounces again) Wrong answer

CHAVEZ
 Hold on, hold on….well remember how I made that promise that if I didn’t’ get married by a certain day I would let the poachers shoot me.

LEO
 Yea but what does that have to do with my sister?

CHAVEZ
Well I wanna marry her.  I think she is the one.  I know I ain’t a lion like her but I think this is gonna work.  I mean sometimes different is better.  I’m really in love with her.  Besides, if we do get married this could bring you and I closer.  Maybe you should think about it.

LEO
 There is nothing to think about.

CHAVEZ
 Hear me out man.  You know I grew up without a family and I always had a vision of myself with a wife and children and I think this could be my opportunity.

LEO
 I understand.  But we got a bunch of problems going on at the house.  You know my dad is almost gonna pass away and with my sister being pregnant now its like everything is coming down bad at me.

CHAVEZ
 What makes you say that?

LEO
 Because look obviously my sister isn’t mature enough to have this kid and obviously you aint either if you weren’t man enough to tell me you were seeing her since the beginning.

CHAVEZ
 Hold on, Hold on it takes two to tango.  Besides, she didn’t want you to find out anyways.

LEO
 Why not?

CHAVEZ
 Because she know how you were gonna react.   Look at you reacting like a total Jerk instead of being glad you’re gonna be a uncle.

LEO
 Why should I be glad, you aren’t even a lion or know how to raise a family.

CHAVEZ
 Man that really hurt right there.  Besides the things I do know from raising a family I learned from watching you take care of yours.  I mean it can’t be really hard.  As long as we have love for one another we could make it out.

LEO
 I don’t believe in all that love stuff.  All I know is in our family, lionesses marry lions.  And if she really wants to marry you she has a choice to make and it won’t be nice.

CHAVEZ
 And what would that be?

LEO
 Either stay with the pack and marry a lion or marry you and get kicked out the pack.

CHAVEZ
 Why are you so harsh Leo?

LEO
 Like you said Love is a crazy thing.

CHAVEZ
 Well let me tell you this Leo.  Look I really love your sister and want to keep the child but I really want you to be there for us.  To support us.  To help us out on our good and bad times.  You should be glad you are gonna be an uncle.  Just picture your nephew running around with you.  Please don’t say you’ll kick her out.  What happened to unity as a family?

LEO
 How is that unity?  She is not marrying one of our kind.  That will make the pack look weak.

CHAVEZ
 Then why did you decide to be my best friend?

LEO
 Because you were different.  You could do a lot of things differently from the rest of the pack.  For example, you could see far away and warn me when trouble is coming my way.

CHAVEZ
 So…I’m just a friend for benefits?

LEO
 No not at all.  I really liked you till a couple of minutes ago, when you told me about my sis.

CHAVEZ
 But why can’t you treat me like family now that we will be getting married?

LEO
 Look man.  I can only see you as a friend because you cool and everything.  But when it comes to being a family man you don’t got what it takes.  Like the other day when we ran those 10 miles I saw the way you were staring at all the zebras.  I heard you whistling and everything so I can’t really picture you as a faithful man, especially to my sister.

CHAVEZ
 Man that was a mistake.  I was hungry.

LEO
See now you lying.  I saw how you were staring at them, and now you wanna say you gonna be faithful.  That ain’t gonna happen.

CHAVEZ
 Allright.  I ain’t gonna lie.  I was looking at them but I really want to be with your sister.  I will be faithful till death do us part.

LEO
 Well I’ma go with my instinct and give you a chance.  But I gotta go home and think about this so I’ll meet you here in 2 hours so I can give you the answer.

CHAVEZ
 Please Leo, think and choose wisely.

LEO
 Don’t worry I will.

(LEO goes home and finds out his father Passed away.   2 hours pass and LEO returns but he is not alone.  He is with 4 of his loyal cubs and waits for CHAVEZ to come to the place.)

CHAVEZ
 So watz going on brother-in-law?

LEO
 Well you know I went home and found out some really terrible news.  My father passed away due to the Lionshiemer’s Disease.  So that officially makes me leader of the pack.

CHAVEZ
 Geez I’m really sorry.   He was a good man but he is in a better place now.  It happens to the best of us.

LEO
 Best of us?  Maybe you would love to go with him?

CHAVEZ
 No that’s not what I meant…

(LEO is upset that his father has passed away so he unleashes his anger on CHAVEZ.  Poor CHAVEZ never saw it coming.  LEO stranglesCHAVEZ to death.)

LEO
Man, I did what I had to do.  I know it’s messed up but I was mad that my father passed away so someone else had to go too.  Besides he did betray me by sleeping with my sister.  RIP Daddy,  I love you.

(LEO feels no remorse for what he did.  He graduated to a stone-cold killer.  Ever since his dad passed away his feelings died there too.)

 THE END



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