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"Nothing But Time"
(All characters speak clearly with an Italian, New York accent and in a clear solemn voice unless marked otherwise)
Act 1
(Curtain opens)
Scene: 9:09 AM, August 9th, 1934, Sing Sing Prison, Cell Block B, Cell 2, Solitary Confinement.
Guard: (Knocking on the cell door and speaking firmly) 3313, your lawyer is here to see you.
Luca: Okay, let him in.
(Vincent De Lula enters the cell.)
Vincent: Morning, Luca. How are you holding up?
Luca: Okay, I guess.
Vincent: Good to hear. I'm sure you know why I'm here.
Luca: Yeah, denied again.
Vincent: Afraid so. As your lawyer, the only thing I can do is try again for another appeal.
Luca: It'll be the final one, won't it?
Vincent: I'm afraid so. And after that...
Luca: I wait for the chair.
Vincent: I try not to think about that.
Luca: You know, I remember being a small boy, maybe four or five, and my old man coming home tired and cranky. My dear sweet mother would greet him at the door, and as my old man entered, my mother would always ask how his day went. He would just reply, "la solita vecchia merda,nessuna gratitudine,stupido
No matter what his mood, she always smiled. It was so long ago, but it feels like yesterday.
(A guard can be heard walking in the hallway. Luca continues to speak.)
Luca: I can't believe how much time has passed. I remember playing in the backyard in Brooklyn. Not a care in the world, just my trucks and a pile of dirt—that was my whole world. Nothing bad existed outside that old white picket fence. Just me, my parents, and the backyard, I guess.
Vincent: I think we all long for those simpler times.
Luca: It went bad so fast and sudden. I remember when my old man started drinking. He always told my mother about the occasional wise guy asking for favors, on top of the job too. He was being pressured to do more and more, and the wise guys wanted my old man to join their ranks. He never did, but they wanted him to; he was a big man and strong.
Vincent: Was that the reason they wanted him?
Luca: Partially, but he had the gift of gab. He was a real smooth talker, and the other guys liked him. He could talk anybody into doing things they wouldn't do for anyone else, and the wise guys noticed. So they used my old man to sometimes bargain with some of the bosses, so they could move their stolen goods or drugs or whatever.
(The conversation fades into inaudible murmurs as the stage lights fade and the curtain closes )
End of Act 1, Part 1
Act 1, Part 2
Scene: 10:03 AM, August 9th, 1934, Sing Sing Prison, Cell Block B, Cell 2, Solitary Confinement.
(Luca and Vincent are still talking, and Luca starts to remember about hanging out with a couple of wise guys in the back alley behind a speakeasy everyone called The Velvet Room.)
Luca: I remember when I was 15, I met these two wise guys; they were at the docks pretty regularly.
Vincent: What were their names?
Luca: Well, one was Vinny "Slick" Popinzolli and the other was Eddie "The Hat" Morello. They hadn't been made yet, but they were on their way. They invited me to a place called "The Velvet Room." All the mob guys hung out there. I went with them, and we liked to hang out in the alley behind the joint. We would bullshit and smoke back there; it became a regular hang-out for me. They would tell me about guys they roughed up or whacked. I learned a lot about the life by just listening to them.
Vincent: When did you do your first hit?
Luca: I want to say I was 18, maybe. Vinny "Slick" asked me to do it.
Vincent: Why didn't Vinny just do it?
Luca: I think he wanted to see if I would do it. To test my loyalty, I guess.
Vincent: Who did you have to whack?
Luca: Some guy named Jimmy Devalo owed Vinny like $1000 or something. Vinny tried to collect it; he was never home. Vinny would stop by the garage where the bum worked, and Jimmy would run out the back door. So Vinny planned to have me whack him since he'd never seen me before. Vinny gave me a Smith & Wesson Model 10. He told me where Jimmy lived, and I waited for him. He lived pretty close to my house in Brooklyn, so waiting for him was pretty easy.
Guard: (Speaking sternly in a rough voice) Time'sup!
Vincent: (Speaking clearly) Well, Luca, I gotta go.
Luca: Okay.
Vincent: I wish I could've brought better news.
Luca: Me too.
(The guard unlocks the cell door, and Vincent leaves. The guard locks the door once Vincent steps out.)
End of Act 1, Part 2
(Stage lights fade and curtain closes)
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