Carmen (8 page)

FRASQUITA

(at the door)

Carmen?

CARMEN looks away for a moment, then forces a smile and follows her friends out.

JOSÉ has been sitting in the corner, facing away from the stage. TERESA walks over to him and touches his shoulder. JOSÉ brushes her hand roughly away and turns again toward the wall, lost in his own thoughts.

MICAELA enters from a side door. She looks around nervously and is clearly upset by the sinister look of the room. She spots JOSÉ in a corner, takes a tentative step toward him, then stops. She crosses herself and begins to pray aloud.

MICAELA

I pray that one day he will see me. I pray, O Lord, I have so much to give but nothing that pleases him. I have this heart he doesn’t want, these arms so ready for him. I’m so in need, and all he wants is her! O God, please give me this moment. Let him see me at last, O Lord.

MICAELA hears a commotion from the front of the club and steps into a darkened corner.

JOSÉ stands quickly and points his gun at the door as ESCAMILLO enters.

ESCAMILLO

Relax, cowboy! It’s only me. Drinks for everybody!

JOSÉ

They don’t serve drinks here. This is a social club. Only coffee and sodas. They don’t want the police raiding them on some phony liquor charge.

ESCAMILLO

Good thinking. You have to be focused. Give me an iced tea.

(gesturing to the gun)

You need to be careful with that thing.

JOSÉ

I don’t expect a big name like Escamillo to come rushing in here every day.

ESCAMILLO

You’re right. Usually, I’m in my corporate offices, taking care of serious business. If I pull off this concert this weekend—and I will—it’ll be the start of the greatest tour you’ve seen. Bigger than Lil Wayne, Shakira, and Beyoncé combined.

JOSÉ

So what are you doing here?

ESCAMILLO

I’m looking for a certain girl. I’ve only met her once, but somehow she stays in my head.

JOSÉ

With all the girls following you around the world, you actually remember one of them? She must be beautiful.

ESCAMILLO

Beautiful, but not available. That’s what I’ve been told. They say she leaves men lying in her wake the way a ship leaves dead fish in the water, gasping and confused.

JOSÉ

So why would you be interested in her?

ESCAMILLO

I don’t know. Maybe because I’ve always wanted what other men have said is not available. When I lived in the projects, I wanted to be rich. I used to look up into the sky and envy people flying high above me. Now when I look down from my private jet, I wonder if there’s some small boy looking up in envy of me as I soar overhead.

JOSÉ

Do you have her address?

ESCAMILLO

No, but I’ll give a reward to the one who leads me to her. She’s beautiful, as you said, and she used to be in love with a cop.

JOSÉ

A police officer?

ESCAMILLO

I say cop; you say police officer. Interesting. Yes, some poor fool who thought he could hold her because he’s had some experience with crackheads.

JOSÉ

I think you’d better watch your mouth, maricón.

ESCAMILLO

¿Maricón? Ah, I get it. You have a personal interest in this adventure, eh?

JOSÉ

Do I? Tell me, what’s this girl called?

ESCAMILLO

Carmen. Let me say the name slowly for you so you can enjoy the sound of it coming from my mouth. Caaarmen. Or shall I say, “Officer, her name is Carmen.”

JOSÉ

Yes, you’re right. I am the policeman she loves.

ESCAMILLO

Loved. Past tense. Once upon a time in a galaxy far away!

The two men cross the stage toward each other.

JOSÉ

As a policeman, I’ve handled plenty of fools like you.

ESCAMILLO

Don’t let the thousand-dollar suit fool you, Tex, or whatever your name is. Under these fancy threads is a ghetto heart direct from the projects, and you have never dealt with someone like me before.

JOSÉ rushes across the stage and attempts to hit ESCAMILLO with his gun butt. ESCAMILLO sidesteps the blow and hits JOSÉ in the small of his back. The two men start tussling. Soon ESCAMILLO is on the ground. JOSÉ aims his gun at ESCAMILLO.

DANCAIRO, RAIMONDO, and CARMEN enter. CARMEN kneels over ESCAMILLO, shielding him from JOSÉ.

RAIMONDO

What’s going on?

DANCAIRO

They must be fighting over Carmen.

RAIMONDO

Look, we don’t want any fighting in here. We don’t need any weight on this place. We’ve got a good thing going, and we can’t mess it up because you guys are chasing the same skirt.

DANCAIRO

Have a drink. Relax.

RAIMONDO

Relax.

CARMEN, suddenly confident again, strides, with hands on hips, to center stage.

CARMEN

Men have to fight. It’s their nature. But Raimondo is trying to run a business here. You understand that, don’t you, Escamillo?

ESCAMILLO

Yes, yes, of course. But I’m glad it was you, Carmen, who saved me from this madman. I owe you.

JOSÉ

We have unsettled business!

ESCAMILLO

I’ll find a way to accommodate you, my friend. You won’t be hard to find. I have a dog trained to sniff out gutter rats.

DANCAIRO barely restrains JOSÉ, who lunges forward.

ESCAMILLO

But before I go, I want to invite you all to my big concert this weekend. Madison Square Garden. Just tell the ticket men that you are from

(looks around)

Lillas’s place. And a special invitation to you, Carmen.

He kisses her hand, then exits.

RAIMONDO

(relieved)

Everybody take it easy! Somebody go down to the pizza shop and bring back some pies. Put on some music. I need some noise up in here! Some noise!

We hear “El Ritmo del Barrio,”
the bright, cheerful music heard earlier in the play. There is a general relaxation, but we also see CARMEN and JOSÉ looking at each other from across the stage. Slowly CARMEN starts toward JOSÉ. At first he turns away, but slowly, ever so slowly, he turns toward her.

JOSÉ

Carmen! I’ve… I’ve been a fool.…

He reaches out to her.

MICAELA suddenly runs toward them.

MICAELA

José!

JOSÉ turns and sees MICAELA, but then, love in his eyes, turns back to CARMEN.

JOSÉ

Carmen!

MICAELA

Your mother sent me. She needs to see you!

JOSÉ

What? Oh, tell her that I’ll be by this weekend.

MICAELA

She was coughing, and at first

(glances toward CARMEN)

they thought it was nothing.

JOSÉ

But now…?

MICAELA

I’ve always been brave, José. Throughout my life and no matter what I’ve faced. But seeing you here like this…

JOSÉ

Micaela, don’t worry about it. Tell my mother I’ll drop by Sunday, maybe Saturday night.

MICAELA

She might not live that long.

JOSÉ

What?

MICAELA

Your mother’s dying. She might not make it to the weekend.

JOSÉ

(to CARMEN)

I should go.

CARMEN

(dismissively)

Yes, yes, of course. You should go.

MICAELA

Please hurry.

JOSÉ

Carmen, I have to go.

CARMEN

I’m not stopping you, José. Go!

JOSÉ

I’ll be back, and then we’ll settle things!

JOSÉ leaves with MICAELA.

CARMEN stares down DANCAIRO and brushes off a friendly gesture from RAIMONDO. She is about to leave when the radio begins to play ESCAMILLO’s theme song, “The Toreador Song.”
CARMEN, by herself and defiantly, dances across the stage. She stops and looks at herself in a mirror.

CARMEN

Oh, chicky, look at you. Your makeup is ruined. Your mascara runs down your face like black tears. Escamillo wants us to fight against being invisible. I welcome it. I don’t want to see this sad face anymore. Oh, chicky, how did you let your heart get broken again?

(she sings “Love Has Flown Away”)

Love came to me, but it

Just wasn’t for me.

It touched my heart and left it

Lying on the shore, and

Love smiled at me, but it

Just wasn’t for me.

It glanced my way with pity, but

I soon knew it had other plans.

Once again my heart was broken;

I was all alone to

Mourn.

Scene 2

We are outside Madison Square Garden. It is night, and the street is alive with young fans. A crowd is forming, and OFFICERS SHEA and LANE are putting barriers in place to hold people back.