Read Buried Child for Free Online

town. I never do well in town, (SHELLY
crosses to
TILDEN, TILDEN
stares at her.)
    SHELLY: (
To
TILDEN.) Are you Vince's father?
    TILDEN: (
To
SHELLY.) Vince?
    SHELLY:
(Pointing to
VINCE.) This is supposed to be your son! Is he your son? Do you recognize him? I'm just along for the ride here. I thought everybody knew each other! (TILDEN
stares at
VINCE. DODGE
wraps himself up in the blanket and sits on the sofa staring at the floor.)
    TILDEN: I had a son once but we buried him. (DODGE
quickly
    looks at
TILDEN. SHELLY
looks to
VINCE.)
    DODGE : You shut up about that! You don't know anything about that!
    VINCE: Dad, I thought you were in Bernalillo. We were going to drive down there and see you.
    TILDEN: Long way to drive. Terrible distance.
    VINCE: What's happened, Dad? Has something happened? I thought everything was all right. What's happened to Halie? What're you doing back here?
    TILDEN: She left. Church or something. It's always church. God or Jesus. Or both.
    SHELLY: (
To
TILDEN.) Do you want me to take those carrots for you?
    VINCE: Shelly— (TILDEN
stares at her. She moves in close to him. Holds out her arms,
TILDEN
stares at her arms, then slowly dumps the carrots into her arms,
SHELLY
stands there holding the carrots.)
    TILDEN: (
To
SHELLY.) YOU like carrots?
    SHELLY: Sure. I like all kinds of vegetables. I'm a vegetarian.
    DODGE: (
To
TILDEN.) Hitler was a vegetarian. You gotta get me a bottle before Halie comes back! (DODGE
hits the sofa with his fist,
VINCE
crosses up to
DODGE
and tries to console him.
SHELLY
and
TILDEN
stay facing each other.)
    TILDEN: (
To
SHELLY.) Backyard's full of carrots. Corn. Potatoes.
    SHELLY: You're Vince's father, right? His real father. I'm just asking.
    TILDEN: All kinds of vegetables. You like vegetables?
    SHELLY:
(Laughs.)
Yeah. I love vegetables.
    TILDEN: We could cook these carrots, ya know. You could cut ‘em up and we could cook ‘em. You and me.
    SHELLY: All right. Sure. Whatever works.
    VINCE: Shelly, what're you doing?
    TILDEN: I'll get you a pail and a knife.
    SHELLY: Okay.
    VINCE: Shelly!
    TILDEN: I'll be right back. Don't go.
    VINCE: Dad, wait a second, (TILDEN
exits off left.)
What the hell is going on here? What's happened to everybody? (SHELLY
stands center, arms full of carrots,
VINCE
stands next to
DODGE, SHELLY
looks toward
VINCE
then down at the carrots.)
    DODGE:
(To
VINCE.) You could get me a bottle.
(Pointing off left.)
There's money on the table.
    VINCE: Grandpa, why don't you lay down for a while?
    DODGE: I don't wanna lay down for a while! Every time I lay down something happens!
(Whips off his cap, points at his head.)
Look what happens! That's what happens!
(Pulls his cap back on.)
You go lay down and see what happens to you! See how you like it! They'll steal your bottle! They'll cut your hair! They'll murder your children! That's what'll happen. They'll eat you alive.
    VINCE: Just relax for a while. Maybe things will come back to you.
(Pause.)
    DODGE : You could get me a bottle, ya know. There's nothing stopping you from getting me a bottle.
    SHELLY: Why don't you get him a bottle, Vince? Maybe it would help everybody identify each other.
    DODGE:
(Pointing to
SHELLY.) There, see? She thinks you should get me a bottle. She's a smart cookie. Suddenly, she got smart, (VINCE
crosses to
SHELLY.)
    VINCE: Shelly, what're you doing with those carrots?
    SHELLY: I'm waiting for your father.
    DODGE: She thinks you should get me a bottle!
    VINCE: Shelly, put the carrots down, will ya! We gotta deal with the situation here! I'm gonna need your help. I don't know what's going on here but I need some help to try to figure this out.
    SHELLY: I'm helping.
    VINCE: You're only adding to the problem! You're making things worse! Put the carrots down! (VINCE
tries to knock the carrots out of her arms. She turns away from him, protecting the carrots.)
    SHELLY: Get away from me! Stop it! (VINCE
stands back from her. She turns to him still holding the