TITLE: DAWN OF THE BOOMERANG

CHARACTERS:

LOT
SHY (SHYMAN)
WAITER (CASEY)
GIRL AT COUNTER
GREEK WOMAN
YOUNG CALYPSO
OLD AUSSIE MAN
POPSICLE GIRL
FAT OLD KIWI
SLIMMER KIWI
POLICE
MANAGER
WAITERS
YOUTH CROWD
-SPIKE HAIR KID
-TALL BOY

SETTING: SET in a café. Tables are numbered. People are eating, and are moving below. The centre table is occupied by two African American men. Chatting away as they await their food order. It is a bright day outside. The café is on the middle floor of the airport. It is called DAWN IS BREAKING. At the rear of the café downstairs below is the noise of police walkie-talkies all over the place. And the radio of the café is playing soft Australian Folk Music.

The men are occupying table number four.

OPENING ACT

LOT: Shimmey? Shymah? (SHY doesn’t respond) Shy! (SHY turns briefly) what on earth are you looking at? What do you see?(feeling ignored) Come on, eat something, we’ve got to go soon.

Shy continues to look, can see an old man below walking restlessly.

LOT: (concerned) Don’t lean back on the chairs like that man, they look like their going to break anyhow.

SHY: (resumes to the table) You are right, like an accident waiting to happen. I was just looking to see whose whistling this time.

LOT: Never mind that. (A waiter comes to them, he stands in the middle and hands one meal to each)

BOTH OF THEM: Thank you…Mr… (LOT squints to read his name)

SHY: (quickly) Mr CASEY…

LOT: Hey, isn’t that a girls name? That is a girl’s name, like CASEY MALONE

SHY: Nope not over here I guess…

WAITER: No problem! (spins the plastic tray on his index finger, turns round extends his left hand from his back to SHY at his right)

LOT: (Looking to SHY) what are the rules here, we pay before we eat?

SHY slaps the waiters palm, giving him - five

LOT: Oh! (the waiter then stretches his right hand to LOT, who then gives him five. The waiter spins, stretches his left hand again to SHY, and rubs his fingers together)

LOT: Hey man, don’t try so hard!

WAITER: It’s for a cause… National Sorry Day! It is today, for the Aboriginals.

Ya know?

LOT: National sorry day?

SHY (relaxing his face, to LOT) Yeah must be that day when the descendants of the explorers to this part of the earth apologise for stealing this land Australia from the natives.

(The waiter turns around and straightens himself)

WAITER: So you’ve heard of it then (SHY doesn’t answer) Anyway, any dosh? Any doe? Any gold? A gold nugget would do? Or maybe 5O CENTS? (He picks up a plastic cup from the table, rattles it)

SHY: (looks around, and notices the cup on all tables) Here! (puts some notes into cup)

WAITER: (To SHY) Aww, thank you brother…(raises left fist to chest). Thank you!

LOT: (looking to them both) Are you brothers? (Mockingly curious) You can’t be twins I know that for sure.

WAITER: (he looks at LOT expectantly. Short silence follows). You know… I hate racists.

LOT: (looks on his briefly) I am sure your mother is proud…

Don’t try so hard, and besides…(he signals that he and SHY are in conversation, the WAITER looks to SHY who nods to him. Smiles at them both spins the tray on his index finger, leaves brusquely to counter)

LOT: (to SHY) Aight! Now, what were you saying again?

SHY: (Puzzled) About National Sorry Day? You mean to the Waiter?

LOT: No! Before he came, what were you saying?

SHY: (still puzzled, reflects)

LOT: (assisting) No can do then? Ah, forget it! Eat something. (sighs, rests both arms behind head, looks behind SHY and rests eyes on the Waiter) National sorry day eh…(he smirks, SHY shrugs indifferently) how condescending.

SHY: Don’t diss it man… (now smiling, picking up a red table cloth with stars cut in it and puts it over his right breast of his blue top) do we have the same in America? The home of the Brave?

LOT: (debating) We do have MLK day…

SHY: True…But is it national?

LOT: It sure is, (some thought)…em actually

SHY: Yes, so you remember that state of Arizona then? Doesn’t seem like a sorry state to me…(they both laugh)

SHY: Didn’t Public Enemy make a song about that once… they won’t hang me in Arizona?

LOT( rubbing his hands over his head) Oh, my goodies, brotha, brotha, brotha

It was called: BY THE TIME I GET TO ARIZONA.

SHY: oops! (he shifts back almost falls over) oops again! (they both laugh)

Two Greek looking women, one old, one young arrives. They sit two tables to LOT’S back. LOT cannot see them, SHY can only see the parting of the younger one’s hair behind LOT. The waiter arranges their plates, while getting a telling off by the older woman.

GREEK WOMAN: (to WAITER) What do you mean by chance?

…there is no chance about it, Greece made the finals not because of Olympics but because when you get a Greek going there’s no stopping us…

WAITER: (looks long at the older woman), but…

GREEK WOMAN: we lost yes, but its all internal politics (waving her hand) Olympics were coming, too much pressure, everyone was saying we couldn’t do it, and look the best show we put on…

WAITER: (not listening to the older woman, but with his eyes on the younger Greek), Well I never let sports, or politics or anything get in the way of my job or relationships, I am for everyone…(wink, wink).

GREEK WOMAN: Huh? (looks at her friend, then looks at the waiter) Hey! We would like to eat now… (Young Greek Girl giggles – waiter smiles)

GREEK WOMAN: (to her younger partner) Say Calypso, what does your father order for you when he goes on his flights? (Before the young Calypso could answer, the Older Greek turns to the Waiter whispering to him) Her dad works for the Greek government, you know, you should see how he talks about what he would do about Greek’s shitlist… We had a feud with Turkey once didn’t we?

(silence from all three) ah your not old enough young man…We are hungry, now (flapping her hands) please shew…

WAITER: Yes that is true I am a Jew…well half Jew

GREEK WOMAN: huh, No, I said now SHEW!..

WAITER: Oh! (The waiter goes on, suddenly locks eyes with SHY who is talking to Lot, stands behind them)

The music playing is traditional Australian Folk. LOT’S FRIEND SHY appears to start, and stop easting between songs, and often manages to look over his shoulder to downstairs.

LOT: (cutting the silence) SO…how many times do you think that rapper 50 CENT will use the n-word tonight?

SHY: (almost spitting his drink): Oh come on, he knows where he is, (looks around) he won’t say it here. (pointing to Lot and himself) Neither should we…

LOT: I hear ya! But its part of his music, of course he will…(takes a bite of his bagel)

You think he’s going to bleep himself live just because he is in Sydney?

SHY: (nodding, rubbing his trimmed stubble) Its self-depreciating if you ask me.

Do you know what they said to MAXIMUM REALITY the Dark Prince, of Prodigy when he came here?

LOT: (waggling his choc-doughnut with one arm on table and the other drawn back) Tell me what they said to him?

SHY: Believe me, you don’t want to know.

LOT: I don’t even know whom you are talking about…(draws both arms, chuckling)

You know something? I don’t even care how polite –young Einstein over there- is to us, this is enemy territory as far as I know (pointing to the counter, the Waiter is behind him)

SHY: no doubt, about it. (music stops, he stops, thinks)

LOT: (looks at ahead of himself fiercely, then resumes smile) Ah, but we are here for a good time aren’t we? (looks at SHY, who was still thinking)

SHY: (barely smirks) enemy territory…(he repeats) you know even if we get nice treatment it is because we are seen as a novelty or something that won’t bite…(sees concert tickets) Can I have another look at them? (LOT hands them over, he investigates them while LOT watches)

LOT: (looks fascinated) how do you figure…(SHY smiles) Say, didn’t you live here once?

SHY: (surprised) Huh?

LOT: Didn’t you once live here, Australia, you know?

SHY: (confused) How do you figure?

LOT: WHAT? (SHY shrugs)

Ok, look I, I’ve had enough of this drink, so as my gall bladder, I’m going to make some arrangements for us downstairs. Do you want a paper? Ill get some. Ill be back….Do you want another drink or something? Ill get the waiter…(turns around) oh…

WAITER: (to LOT) Can I be of any service?

LOT: Yeah, speak to my friend. (leaves)

The waiter sits in LOT’S seat, and takes SHY’S order.

WAITER: (to SHY) I know, I know it… we’ve got all the same drinks as Americans you know…you are American right, well I mean Afro-American.

Well like I was saying there’s isn’t really that much of a difference with us… do you know that next to SEINFELD, FRESH PRINCE of BEL AIR was my favourite show… (SHY listens indifferently) Anyway, if you want this drink, then ill see what I can do…(He rises),

SHY: (takes a breath, wipes his face with paper towel, continues to hear whistles, and giggles, and murmurs and flight rush).

A girl runs along with an OZ Popsicle in her mouth… comes down the cafes stairs – humming.

POPSICLE GIRL: Hey you, its your birthday. (looks at SHY, SHY bows head, smirks at her guardian, looks up, and sees hanging posters with all kinds of Popstars who had eaten there, he pauses on the Rapper Coolio, Coolio’s FANTASTIC VOYAGE IT TAKES A THEIF TOUR ’95 poster. Singed by; Coolio. Coolio rapped and ate here – 1996 it says)

SHY: Shit! (takes drink from waiter, without thought)

Thanks Casey!

WAITER: Sure… (starts to talk to SHY)You know Will smith ordered that same drink once.

Shy not hearing, sipping juice, reflecting. Waiter pauses for a second, light as the afternoon descending on SHY’s table. WAITER moves a little to his left, young Calypso is in SHY’s view. She is in contemplative mode. The light partially descends on SHY blinding his gaze.

CURTAINS