A Play by Richard
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CHARACTERS:
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Skindo the baby gorilla, age 14 Ock, father gorilla, age 43
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TIME:
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9.30 in the morning on a Friday
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SETTING:
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In the jungle, the air smell’s like elephant dung. The ground is very hard and has thorns on it. In the jungle you can hear roaring tigers and yelling gorillas.
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AT RISE:
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Skindo is playing with his friends. Ock grabs Skindo and gets on his line.
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OCK
Skindo, what the hell are you doing out here without me?
SKINDO
Dad you were sleep and I didn’t want to wake you, you know how you get when I wake you out your sleep.
OCK
Boy, I don’t give a damn about all that. Didn’t I tell you if you didn’t show me you could be good that the circus would be here to pick you up in the morning?
SKINDO
Dad, you didn’t really call them
OCK
The hell I didn’t
SKINDO
Dad your over—–
(OCK starts roaring and beating his chest. Skindo tries to run. Ock grabs him before he can get away.)
OCK
Boy, I am fin to whup yo ass. What did I tell you about running from me.
SKINDO
Dad, no no don’t whup me. Let me explain. Only reason I was going to run was because I was scared and though I could get away from going to the circus.
OCK
You can explain son, but that doesn’t mean you ain’t going to the circus because you keep breaking into people’s trees and stealin their bananas and bein out all night like you’re grown and you’re the dad and I’m the son. I give you chance after chance but you just ignore it.
SKINDO
Dad it’s not that I ignore you. It’s that I keep tryin to fit in with my friends cause they’re doing it and I’m addicted to bananas. And I know if I ask you to give me some you’re going to start yelling and threaten to wup me and with you wuppin me. It makes me feel sad and angry and it makes me cry a lot.
OCK
Boy, what does you and your friends have to do with breaking into gorillas trees and stealing bananas? I understand that you might be addicted but you could find another habit to break that one. I wouldn’t have wupped you if you hadn’t been acting out.
SKINDO
Dad, all I like to do is to smoke bananas and stay out all night and party. Why can’t you understand that?
OCK
Because if I let you stay out all night and party and smoke, that’ll be going against everything I taught you and everything my father taught me. And I love you and I don’t want to see you turn into a banana-head gorilla.
SKINDO
But if you could just trust me dad and let me show you that I can smoke and do good at the same time, I’m sure you’ll be proud of me and learn to trust me.
OCK
Boy, I could never let you smoke while you’re living in my house and be proud of you because that would be me letting you do what you want to do instead of what you should do.
SKINDO
But dad, how come you won’t allow me to do those things even though you know that the three most important things in my life are you, smokin and being respected and feared.
OCK
Skindo, if smoking and being feared and respected is as important to you as I am. Boy are you STUPID. I put food in your mouth, I keep a tree over your heard and you put me in the same category as smokin. Boy, I should smack you.
SKINDO
Dad, I am not saying that smoking and being respected are as or more important to me as you because it’s not. I am saying that smoking and being respected is two of my most important goals.
OCK
Why do you feel gorillas don’t respect you Skindo? Gorillas respect you because of me. I don’t know why you smoke. Me or your mother have never smoked in our lives.
SKINDO
That’s it dad. They respect me because of you, ever since I can remember gorillas have been telling their children, stop beatin up Skindo, he might tell his dad Ock. I want them to say, don’t beat him up because Skindo will kill you. And I started smoking to be accepted and it worked. They stopped beating me up until they got mad.
OCK
(Yelling) Boy you were getting beat up and you didn’t tell me?
SKINDO
Dad, calm down the reason I didn’t tell you was because I knew you would take me over to the gorillas parents and tell them to let their son fight me and if I didn’t win you would beat there parents up and be disappointed in me. And I knew I wouldn’t win because I couldn’t fight back then. I had a broke arm.
OCK
(chuckle) Why would you say that Skindo? I would never make you do something you didn’t want or could not do.
SKINDO
Dad, what could I do to not make you send me to the circus because I don’t really want to go, but I know with me breaking into trees and smoking – you’re going to send me.
OCK
Son, nothing in this world hurts me more than for me to call the circus on you but with you doin’ those things and I don’t know if you’ll be dead this week. Or tomorrow. Pretty sure though, if you can come up with a plan that can convince me that you will not break into another tree then you can stay until the next time I call them.
SKINDO
Well, how bout this dad. You let me invite my friends over to the tree, go to my branch and smoke like 50 bananas for the last time before I quit. By me doing this, this will cut out from me breakin’ into gorillas trees because that’s why I break into them. For bananas.
OCK
Skindo, I don’t know about this. Letting you smoke in my tree-hole cause what if these baby gorillas parents find out what I let them do?
SKINDO
Dad, this is a guaranteed way fro me to break my habit and I’m sure it’ll help me stop breakin’ into gorillas trees.
OCK
Skindo. This idea with you smoking doesn’t fly with me so might as well forget about that now. Now I might consider letting you go to a few more parties if you can break your habit and stop breaking into trees.
SKINDO
But dad without me getting that last high it will forever be in my mind and I will also think I missed out on something.
OCK
Son me letting you smoke would be me contradicting all the goals I set for you and your life.
SKINDO
Dad you can you set some goals for my life. I am my own gorilla. Whatever I want to do I am going to do.
OCK
Skindo if you were to smoke and I not say nothing to you it would put you at risk of turning into a banana head. Because I hear gorillas saying you smoke more bananas in the two years you’ve been smoking than they have in five years.
SKINDO
But dad—
OCK
Shut up Skindo let me talk. Now if I let you turn into a banana head it would hurt me very much for several reasons. One is because I feel I let you down as a father. The other is I would have to see you die a painful death.
SKINDO
Dad I didn’t know you felt that way about me. This makes me feel much happier and I am more relaxed. Dad I love you too. But I have something to say too and it is that if you do let me smoke and party I will be happy, but at the same time I will always feel that you are weak and not a man because you didn’t stand your ground. But if you send me to the circus I will be incarcerated and I will think that you really never did care or love me.
OCK
Skindo you stupid mothagorilla. I just poured my heart out to you and that is all you have to say? I should put my foot in yo butt. I think you need counseling. I should call Dr. Phil to see if I can get you an appointment.
SKINDO
Well dad I have a suggestion that can help the both of us. And it is this. I move you on my own so that I can do what I want to. And you don’t have to worry about me breaking into trees or send me to the circus.
OCK
Skindo. I love you and if you want to pick smokin’ bananas, your friends and the jungle over my love. Go ahead a leave.
[Skindo packs, leaves and goes to break into another tree where he is caught and killed.] THE END
