I’m a Survivor

A Play by Carneil

Wassup bra’.

(They do the secret handshake, and then walk in the house)

Hostile

Where the food at bra’?

Spiteful

Where you think it’s at, man?

Hostile

Shut up, man!
(While Hostile is eating)

So bra’, what’s this I hear about you playin’ somebody, bra’?

Spiteful

Watchu mean?

Hostile

Word is, man. Somebody’s lookin’ for you ‘cause you played ‘em out of some dough.

Spiteful

Oh, I know what you talkin’ about bra’!  He ain’t nobody to me!  It’s just one of them days when you get somethin’ took from you, you just gotta chalk it up, take it as a loss, and move on witch your life. They gotta move on with they life, man, know what I mean?

Hostile

People sayin’ you did it to the wrong person, my man.

Spiteful

Bra’, quit trippin’ off that. We got money to make, bra’. We ain’t got time to waste on these chumps, man!

Hostile

You right, bra’, you right.

(Hostile goes home, gets dressed and meet up 2 hours later, on the corner)

Spiteful

Come on, bra’, we gotta go pick this thang up.

Hostile

Alright.

(They’re walkin’. They hear someone shout Spiteful’s name from behind them.)

Spiteful

Hey bra’, that’s that dude Vengeful I played the other day, bra’.

Hostile

Bra’, what he want, revenge or somethin’, bra’?

Spiteful

I don’t know.

(Vengeful starts bussin’shots off, they run to a safe spot.)

Hostile

Man, you done played the wrong person, bra’.  Now we can’t pick up that thing, ‘cause it’s back there, and that’s jeopardizing our money, bra’.

Spiteful

Well, man, it’s gonna be taken care of. If he don’t take it as a loss, then he’s gonna lose somethin’ more valuable than money.

Hostile

Man, that’s about to get in the way of our money, ‘cause we focus all our energy on Vengeful.

Spiteful

Man, quit trippin’ off him.

Hostile

Man, you start this stuff , bra’.  It’s all your fault you always get into hella beef and stuff. So basically, you bein’ Spiteful is getting’ in the way of us makin’ a living.

Spiteful

Well, man, that’s me, love it or hate it, that’s gonna be me,  ‘Cause I don’t care how nobody else feel, and I don’t care if somebody get their feelings hurt. It’s all on them, it’s they fault.

Hostile

Man, you talkin’  ‘bout all that big boy stuff, but if I left you out here on the street by yourself, bra’, you’d be stuck between two rocks.  And goes for me too, ‘cause you now we all we got out here, B.

Spiteful

Well, I know bra’, I feel where you comin’ from.  But I’m just tryin’ to get this money for us, so our pockets won’t be hungry while other people stack cash and riding around in sick cars, while we gettin’ mad.

Hostile

Man, we ain’t tryin’ to be rich, bra’, we just tryin’ to be happy!  And I feel where you comin’ from, but you just gotta be cool out here before you get caught up on this beef stuff.  There’s people dyin’ left and right out here in the Fillmoe.

Spiteful

Man, just like I said before, man, I ain’t trippin’ off him. We about to get this dough regardless, so let’s go pick that up. If we see him along the way, he’s gonna get what’s comin’.

(They hop in their car, go pick up their stuff, They drivin’.)

Hostile

Man, whatchu do to this chump to get him so mad?

Spiteful

Man, I told you before, I played him out some dough.

Hostile

Whatchu mean?  Whatchu do to play him out his dough?

Spiteful

Man, I robbed him , bra’.

Hostile

Hold on, hold on, hold on, bra’.  Look, bra’, look!

Spiteful

What?  Whatchu talkin’ about bra’?

Hostile

Man, Vengeful must got some type of heart, ‘cause he’s standin’ right where he shoot us at, thinkin’ it’s sweet.  Get the wolly out, man, buss.

That is him.

(He starts bussin’.  Vengeful dies. They drive off hella fast.)

So now we ain’t gotta worry about that chump no more, bra’.

Hostile
You right about that, bra’. So let’s go pick up this thing.

(They drive in front of a house, and get out the car, and walk up the stairs, and knock on the door. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.)

Hostile

A, bra’, where you think she at?

Spiteful

I don’t know bra’.

Hostile
Faget it bra’ we can get it tomorrow.

Spiteful
For real bra’, its are night off.

Hostile
We back ta my house bra’ so I can kill you in Madden ’06, Bra’.

Spiteful
Never that.

Hostile
Oh yeah, bra’. Don’t get mad when I whoop you in Madden, ‘cause my mom, Appreciated, gotta sleep, she gotta get her beauty sleep.

(As they’re driving home.)

Hostile
Do you remember before we got caught up in the street life? When we used to have water fights, play sports at the park, in the parking lot, and ride our bikes and scooters down all the big hills.

Spiteful
Yeah, bra’, I remember all that. That was in the good days, when there wasn’t so much killin’ and beef and stuff, and everyone was alive. But now it’s just war zone, and a bad place to be, that’s changed a lot over time.  I wish that we’d just go back to the old times, ‘cause things aren’t cool for black males in this community.

Hostile
Man, bra’, I never heard you say anything like that before.  I’m startin’ to think you hate livin’ over here, because before you was just actin’ like this was a place you gonna live your whole life.

Spiteful
I don’t hate it over here, it’s just that I don’t feel comfortable over here sometimes in this community.  But part of the time I love it, because of the money I’m making.

Hostile
Well, I sort of feel the same way you do, but I gotta get out of this community, this environment, because my mom isn’t happy where she’s livin’.  And so I’m goin’ try and buy a house for her when I get enough money, and we’re gonna move out,  because I want her to be satisfied with her life, and where she’s livin’ her life.

Spiteful
So, bra’, you wanna leave me, leave me out here on these streets by myself, bra’?

Hostile
Nah, it’s not like that.

Spiteful
Then how is it then, bra’?

Hostile
Man, I just want my mom to be happy, ‘cause I love her, and she’s been through a lot in her days.

Spiteful
Well, I know she’s been through a lot in her days, but she’s been living in this environment for so long, shouldn’t she be used to it?

Hostile 
How could you be used to seein’  your own kind kill one another. How could you get used to seein’ drugs dealt to your friends, people that you grew up with? And plus, my Appreciated mom deserve it. She deserves everything happiness and rest has to offer. So I’m goin’, regardless, bra’.
Spiteful
How you gonna survive without me? We’re like Ying and Yang. We need each other out here, we’re all we got, remember?

 Hostile
Yeah, I remember. But don’t you think them days should be over pretty soon now? I mean, we can’t be doin’ all this for the rest of our life. You gotta settle down some day. You gamblin’ with your life, and if you want somethin’ really bad, you don’t gamble with your life. ‘Cause without your life you can’t get what you want the most. I mean, we almost got shot today! And basically, we lose our lives, we lose everything we work hard for.

Spiteful
I know we almost got killed today. That’s the last thing I want to happen to me. But, I’ma get this money or get nothin’. That’s how I was raised, so that’s how I’m gonna die. So hate it or love it, that’s just me. I don’t want you to go, bra’, but since you’re like a brother to me, I guess I want what makes you happy. So go ahead and do what you do, and I’ma do what I do.

Hostile
What makes me happy is to see you out of the street life with me.
And if it’s money you worried about, then we can get that legitimately.

Spiteful
I love you and all bra’, but gettin’ money this way is all I know, so I’m just gonna get it how I live, and I wish the best for you, bra’.

Hostile
I hate to hear it, but we’re both basically grown men, so we’re just gonna have to take it for what it’s worth.
Spiteful
Alright, bra’. I’ma miss you, bra’. You know where to find me.

Hostile
If you’re still alive.

Spiteful
Man, don’t worry about me, I’m a survivor.

(Hostile gets out the car and walks away, looking at the ground.)

THE END