Scene 1 if I ever pursue a script for Showboat

Note: Bruce has a Boston Accent, and Val is generally foreign; not a natural English speaker. This also takes place around the time they first formed the band.

Scene. Bus. JACK is looking out the window, VAL is looking out her window and is sitting next to BRUCE, who is flipping through a magazine. JACK turns around in his seat to face them, his chin resting in his arms at the top of the seat.

JACK
Whatcha readin’, Bruce?
BRUCE
An ah’icle ‘bout Bah’bie...
VAL
Barbie?
BRUCE
Yeah.
JACK
You know, the doll?

VAL just stares at them. JACK repositions himself in his seat, clutching the arm rest, and sticking out his jaw with a concerned, disbelieving glance.

JACK
You don’t know what a Barbie doll is?
VAL
No, I have never see one.
JACK
What?
BRUCE
It’s not too hah’d to believe, Jack. She used to live in anotha pah’t of the wo’ld. I guess they just didn’t have them theh.
JACK
But they have them everywhere!
BRUCE
Not wh’eh she’s from.
JACK
Then what did you play with, Carnivalle?
VAL
Play with?
JACK
Yeah. When you were little, what did you play with?
VAL
I do not play with much when I was young.
JACK
Well, anything? Like a stuffed animal or anything? Jump rope? Anything?
VAL
My childhood was not...

She takes a moment to think of the word.
VAL
...fun.

JACK frowns, looking tempted to ask, but doesn’t. He turns to BRUCE.
JACK
Bruce, what did you used to play with as a kid?
BRUCE
(flipping through pages)
Don’t rememba.
JACK
Come on, really?
BRUCE
I woke up in a hospital on my 16th be’thday, I have no clue what I did when I was 8 or 9 or howeva the fuck old.

BRUCE licks his finger and flips the next page of the paper. JACK rests his head in his arms on the top of his seat. VAL and JACK look across the aisle at BRUCE.
JACK
What happened?
VAL
Yes, why do not you remember?
BRUCE
(shrugs)
I still don’t know. The ne’ses refused to tell me what happened.
JACK
So you don’t remember your childhood?
BRUCE
How many times do I have to say it? No.
JACK
I feel like you’re lying to me...
VAL
I do not.
BRUCE
I’m not lying about anything. I don’t rememba anything... well, I rememba my ma and my sista, but I don’t rememba what ma even looks like. I rememba what Sarah looks like though...
VAL
Sarah? This is your sister?
BRUCE
Yeah.
JACK
What did she looks like?
BRUCE
She was shaw’t, and had shaw’t blonde ha’ah, and big eyes.She was my twin.
JACK
Yeah, I don’t believe you, man.
VAL
Why not? (gaze turns from JACK to BRUCE) I believe you, Bruce.
JACK
He’s clearly messing with us, Val.
BRUCE
No, I sweah, that’s the truth. I don’t rememba eva spending time with heh. A ne’se showed me heh pi’cha, they thought I oughta rememba heh. I don’t rememba seeing heh in pe’son though...
VAL
(frowns)
That is so sad.
BRUCE
Yeah... I wish they told me what happened to heh... or to me. That would’ve been nice.

BRUCE looks at Jack and cocks his chin up.

What about you, huh? What’s ya story?
JACK
My story?
BRUCE
You heh’d me damn right, your story.

The three of them all smile at that, VAL and BRUCE’s attention focusing on JACK.
JACK
Adopted.
BRUCE
And you tell me I’m lying...
JACK
No, I’m serious! I was dropped off with a man named Gillington! My mom didn’t want me, so he took care of me. Old man Gilly just told me a little about her. She sounded like she got around a lot.
BRUCE
Ah ya tellin’ us ya ma was a who’ah?
JACK
There’s a chance.
VAL
There is nothing wrong with that. Women have sex sometimes their only way of going.
JACK
What?
VAL
As job, yes?
JACK
Oh, no, I don’t think she was that type of whore, Valle...

VAL blinks her eyes, confused. BRUCE tries not to laugh.
VAL
Go around without get paid?
BRUCE
Welcome to Ameh’ca, Val.

JACK turns to VAL again.
JACK
You still didn’t tell us about your past.
VAL
My past is not good.
JACK
What do you mean? Like, childhood trauma? Parent death? Did you have a disease?

BRUCE glares at JACK.
BRUCE
Knock it off, or I’ll come over there and punch you.
VAL
My mother died. She was sick.
BRUCE
See? This is what happens when ya nosy, you jackass.
JACK
I’m sorry, Val.
VAL
It is fine.
JACK
… did you have any... siblings?
BRUCE
Jack.
VAL
A brother who is born of my father and a lady, who is not my mother.
JACK
A stepmom?
VAL
No. Separate woman. I did not get to know her. When I came to stay with my father, she left. He did not tell her I was his child.
JACK
Wait, are you saying your dad had two families?

VAL nods with a slight smile. JACK’s eyes widen.
VAL
He does.
JACK
Oh my goodness... why are our pasts so dramatic?
VAL
(shrugging with a smile)
I do not know.
BRUCE
Who cah’s?
JACK
I wonder what Clive’s past is like... do you think anything like ours?

BRUCE & VAL
No.
JACK
Val, do you know anything about it?
VAL
Little, yes.

BRUCE puts down his paper and both boys look toward VAL.

Not interesting.
JACK
Really? Nothing?
VAL
We know most of it. His mother tell us at arrival.
BRUCE
Oh, yeah... his dad.
VAL
I know he and his father have ‘falling out’. That is how he put it.
JACK
And he never got to try and fix it before the car crash?

VAL shakes her head. JACK frowns and his chin is left on the seat. CLIVE comes through the backdoor of the bus that leads to the beds, combing out his short red hair. BRUCE resumes reading his article, and JACK slumps back into his seat sadly.

CLIVE
Are we almost in Trodingston?
VAL
Some miles away.
CLIVE
Well, at least we’re on schedule... what are you reading, Bruce?
BRUCE
An ah’icle on Bah’bie.

SCENE END.