Bone Cage (7 page)

Scene 14

Late Saturday evening. CHICKY arrives by the river in her bridesmaid dress. She looks around, then sits on the ground. She wipes slow tears from her face. There is the distant sound of police sirens racing through the village. There is some movement in the bushes.

KEVIN

Chicky?

CHICKY

Kevin? I didn't see your car.

KEVIN

I put it down the field a ways.

CHICKY

What are you doing, taking a leak or hiding?

The sound of second police car, the sirens much closer, tearing up the road.

KEVIN

She did it!

CHICKY

Kev, get out here.

He comes out.

KEVIN

She called the cops on me.

CHICKY

What's going on?

KEVIN

Merv's wife called the cops.

CHICKY

Why would she do that?

KEVIN

It was his fault, right? Merv. He knew I was after him. He's been

lugging his kids with him everywheres 'cause he'd heard I was after him.

CHICKY

Didn't Jamie tell you it was Clarence who dug up Trav's grave?

Clarence and his sick cloning idea.

KEVIN

That don't matter anyway.

I was hurting that bastard for what he done to me.

CHICKY

Oh, Kev, what did you do?

KEVIN

I saw him leave the firehall, and that bitch wife of his wasn't with him so I knew I had my chance to get him. I chased him up the road to Reggie's. Merv was flying too. He went off. Hit that big dead elm in the sod field.

CHICKY

Is he all right?

KEVIN

Yeah. He had a kid with him, Chicky, the boy.

Merv must have made him stay in the car while he was at the dance.

I saw him, Chicky, before I rammed the car I saw him looking at me out the back window.

CHICKY

Was the boy hurt?

KEVIN

No, he's okay.

CHICKY

You're sure?

KEVIN

Yes – yes. But everywhere I look I see him dead. He's dead when my eyes are open, he's bleeding and dead when my eyes are closed.

CHICKY

No wonder she called the cops.

You'll be charged…

KEVIN

I know. Merv's got people in there, too, a cousin and some friends in the county. They'll kill me.

CHICKY

Kev.

ROBBY arrives abruptly. He looks sullen.

Hey, Robby. Pretty late for you isn't it?

ROBBY

No. Bye, Chicky, bye.

CHICKY

Are you okay?

ROBBY

Goodbye, Chicky, bye! You leave, okay.

KEVIN

She ain't leaving so why are you saying goo—

All hell breaks lose. ROBBY comes flying down to the beach, bearing down on KEVIN.

ROBBY emits loud, angry grunts.

ROBBY knocks KEVIN over, sits on him and puts his hands around KEVIN's neck.

CHICKY

Robby.

Let go of Kevin!

Christ, Robby, you're hurting him.

ROBBY continues to hold KEVIN down.

You're killing him! Let him go.

ROBBY

Nooooo!
Nooooo!

CHICKY

Let go of him, now.

Now!

CHICKY takes the hunting knife out of her dainty evening clutch bag.

If you don't let go of him right now, Robby. Robby.

I'm going to cut my hand.

Let go.

I'll cut my hand to the bone.

Look.

ROBBY takes his hands away. KEVIN is coughing, holding onto his neck.

Get off him, Robby.

What's wrong with you?

ROBBY

Make him sorry.

CHICKY

Sorry for what?

Kevin?

KEVIN

Nothing. I didn't do nothing to him. He's frigging crazy.

ROBBY

“Keving kissed me.”

KEVIN

Oh, shit.

ROBBY moves in to attack again.

CHICKY

What – Kev what?

KEVIN

One time, on the hand, I kissed her.

CHICKY

Lissa!?

KEVIN

It was a game. She was playing, making the hurts go away.

CHICKY

You hurt her.

KEVIN

No. Chicky. No. She was kissing me better, my bruises.

ROBBY

“Keving my boyfriend.”

“Keving my boyfriend.”

Lissa said. “Sex is loud.”

KEVIN

No way. Chicky, I swear.

CHICKY

She's fourteen.

She is fourteen.

KEVIN

No. Robby?
No!
I kissed her one time on the hand, that's it!

ROBBY hands CHICKY the porcupine.

ROBBY

He give her this present for a kiss.

CHICKY

Jesus.

KEVIN

No. I mean, yes, I gave it to her.
But she kissed me
and I told her you don't kiss a guy if he gives you something.

CHICKY

Did Lissa say he he… had sex with her, Robby?

KEVIN

Oh
come on. No!

ROBBY

Lissa said, “Keving kissed me.”

KEVIN

Nothing, nothing happened.

ROBBY

(clearly angry)
He kissed Lissa.

CHICKY

He shouldn't have done that, Robby. God, Kevin.

KEVIN

I'm sorry. Okay, Jesus, I'm sorry.

CHICKY

You did the right thing, Robby. Any guy comes near Lissa, you make him sorry. But don't kill him, because Lissa and Mom need you at home. Right?

ROBBY

Right.

CHICKY

But you can beat him up. You've got my permission to beat the shit out of him.

Okay, Robby?

ROBBY

Okay, Chicky.

CHICKY

You go home, tell Dolores that Kevin kissed her, but that's all.

You tell Mom that he will never ever ever do that again.

You tell him, Kevin.

KEVIN.

Chicky, I'm not gonna…

CHICKY

Tell Robby.

KEVIN

I won't ever kiss Lissa.

CHICKY

You okay?

ROBBY

You okay?

CHICKY

I'm okay. You go home, Mom will be worried about you out so late.

ROBBY

Bye, Chicky.

ROBBY walks with dignity past KEVIN.

CHICKY

Don't talk to me.

KEVIN

They fucked me up, Chicky.

At the camp.

They fucked me up.

CHICKY

We're all fucked up, Kevin. Every last one of us. What happened to you
happened.
None of it gives you the right to mess with Lissa.

KEVIN

I knew kissing
her
was messed up.

CHICKY

'Cause she's slow, Kev? Kissing
any
girl that young is messed up, it screws her up for life. Look at me, I'm twenty-five years old and I got not one person in my life who gives a shit about me 'cause of what

I
did with Reg—
(no, that fuck!)
–
(slowly)
I got no one who cares about me now because of the way Reg looked at me when I was fourteen.

KEVIN

I care about you. I do. I do, a lot.

CHICKY

Listen, Kevin. Mom named me Donald-a for a reason. I figured that much out.
Which
Donald
is it
? I asked her. She wouldn't ever say, only one time—something she hinted—maybe hinted.

Your father was on my list of possible Donalds.

KEVIN

No way.

CHICKY

Before he died, if I was at the store or somewhere he was and your mother wasn't, he'd speak to me every time.

KEVIN

You're not my sister.

CHICKY

(lightly)
Krista and I fight like sisters.

KEVIN

No. With you I know I… with you, Chicky, I could…
(do it)
.

CHICKY

Give yourself a chance. Don't let the pricks around here take you down.

She kisses his cheek lightly. Chicky hands him the carving. Kevin hands it back to her.

KEVIN

I carved it for you. Prickly on the outside, soft on the inside,
(pause)
like you, Donalda. (speaking with a bravado he doesn't really feel)

I hope Dad was a cheating bastard.

CHICKY

You are a good guy, Kev.

Sound of a cop car in the distance.

KEVIN

Shit. (pleading with sound) I'm sorry, okay. I'm sorry.

CHICKY

Go, go tell them you're sorry.

KEVIN

Before they find me?
(pause)
Will they go easier on me?

CHICKY

If you tell them what Merv did.

KEVIN

No way. I'll go find them, tell them I am sorry what I done tonight, but I'm never telling the cops what happened at the camp.

CHICKY

You going to stay out of his way now?

KEVIN

Merv won't be able to find me, I'll be at the Curl Hole getting that pine out.

CHICKY

Good.

KEVIN

Okay.
Okay.
Take you back to the dance, or are you waiting for…
(Reg)
?

CHICKY

No.
(pause)
I'm waiting for the right
(pause)
time.

KEVIN

To go back? You and Krista will get over it, you two always do.

CHICKY

Good luck, Kevin.

CHICKY moves in and hugs him. He clings to her, then slowly breaks away and goes up the bank. CHICKY takes off her shoes.

A car arrives. As she moves to the river to dip her toes in one last time, JAMIE comes down the bank.

JAMIE

How's it hanging, sis?

CHICKY

What are you doing here?

JAMIE

Down here in the dark is where I fit.

CHICKY

Did you see Kev on the road? He's got himself into a pile of trouble.

JAMIE

A man's got to do what a man's got to do.

CHICKY

That is so stupid.

JAMIE opens the beer he is carrying. He indicates that he is right in this matter.

Where's Krista?

JAMIE

Waiting in the car. She don't want to ruin that white thing she's wearing.

CHICKY

Nice, you guys are fighting. Wow, nine hours of wedded bliss.

JAMIE

(shrugs)
Hey what can I say?

What are you doing down here?

CHICKY

I'm waiting 'til I'm sure Clarence will be asleep then I'm getting my clothes and getting out of there. I won't live in that house, not after what he did.

JAMIE

Where are you going to?

CHICKY

I have no idea – far, far away.

JAMIE

Taking Reg with ya?

CHICKY

I'm a lay to him.

I'm what makes him a big man at the firehall.

I use to think it was love when we'd sneak out of the dance for a quick screw in the back seat of his car. I'd walk into that hall after and think they was all seeing that I had won something.

Tonight I wanted to hurt him like I've been hurting for…
(ten years)
.

When he came out to the car I was gonna stick your hunting knife into him, not kill him, but stick it somewhere that I could be the only explanation. “Chicky did it. Did you hear? Chicky did it.”

JAMIE

Why didn't ya?

CHICKY

He never came out. Promised he would but he didn't.

JAMIE

Hey. Say the word and I'll lay the beating on him he deserves.

CHICKY

He isn't worth it. Reg is the worst kind of a shit.
(at the moon) You fucking shit!
That's what I'm saying tonight, but I'm scared if I'm here tomorrow and he comes around smiling, I'll fall back down the Reg well.

So I'm going.

JAMIE

Good, sis. Good on you.

CHICKY

What about you?

JAMIE

What about me?

CHICKY

What if I go out to where the heli-logging training is? Get set up in a place. You and Krista can come stay with me while you're doing your training.