Pedro's Great Adventure

Characters:

Pedro- a Cuban man wishing to head to New Orleans, Louisiana to help the family of his murdered brother

Stitch- an ex Neo-Nazi gang member who was responsible for the murder of Pedro's brother

Vladimir- a Russian mobster

Officer Green- a racist, hardnosed police officer of the Mobile Police Department

Officer Miller and Officer Brooks- police officers of the Mobile Police Department

Ralph- the owner of Ralph's Doughnut Shop

Diego- Pedro's deceased brother who makes an appearance in one of the flashbacks. He does not have any lines.

Scene 1- The Escape

Setting: A jail in Mobile, Alabama

(Officer Miller is about to put Vladimir in the cell with Stitch, but is stopped by Officer Green)

Officer Green: Hold up. We're going to put this one (referring to Pedro) in with the Skinhead.

(Officer Miller walks Vladimir to a different cell, and then she exits. Officer Green roughly throws Pedro in the cell with Stitch and closes the door, and then he exists.)

Pedro: Hello. How are you? I'm Pedro. (Extends his hand to Stitch)

Stitch (Stares at Pedro, trying to make him uncomfortable before shaking his hand): Stitch.

Pedro: Nice to meet you, Stitch.

Stitch: You aren't from around here, are you?

Pedro: Oh, no sir.

Stitch: Ever been to a place like this before?
Pedro: Oh, no sir. How long have you been here?

Stitch: 7 months and I served 10 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Pedro: Why?

Stitch: Homicide. So how'd a fella like you get in here?

Pedro: Well, it all started…

(Blackout)

Scene 2- Pedro's Journey

Setting: The Gulf of Mexico

Pedro (floating on a raft made out of a door, carrying nothing but cigars and oranges; telling the story): I was floating on my raft, heading to America, and in the distance I saw somebody fishing.

(Pedro's door starts to sink)

Vladimir: My friend, your door is sinking.

Pedro: Oh no!

Vladimir: Hop on my boat! (Extends his hand to Pedro and helps him on his boat)

Pedro: Oh no, save the oranges!

(Vladimir grabs the oranges before the door sinks)

Pedro: Oh, thank you.

Vladimir: Here, fish with me. (Hands Pedro a fishing rod)

(Pedro tries to cast the rod but loses it)

Vladimir: My rod!

Pedro: I'm so sorry! Here, take this. (Hands Vladimir a cigar that he had in his pocket)

Vladimir: Thank you, my friend. (Lights the cigar and smokes it)

(Stitch steps into the flashback and Vladimir is frozen. Pedro is not.)

Stitch: Wait a minute, Pedro. What the hell was a Russian doin' in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico?

Pedro: Work with me, work with me.

(Stitch exits the flashback)

(Blackout)

Scene 3- Ralph's Doughnut Shop

Setting: A jail in Mobile, Alabama

(Repeat of Pedro getting thrown in the jail cell with Stitch)

Pedro: And that's how I got in here.

Stitch: Why the hell did you want to come to America in the first place?

Pedro: My brother was murdered seven months ago. I needed to help his family.

(Stitch chuckles)

Pedro: Why are you laughing? My brother's dead!

Stitch: Death, Pedro…Jesus Christ, Pedro. Death is all around us. I got four brothers. Two of them are dead and the other two are in prison for life.

Stitch (Raises his voice): One time, when I was in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, I was headin' to the mess hall and three guys snatched me up and put me in a damn closet. They started talkin' about how I got a cute mouth. Can you guess what they wanted to do to me in that closet, Pedro?

(Pedro trembles due to the fact that Stitch is yelling aggressively)

Stitch: They wanted to rape me, Pedro! So I poked 'em, with my damn toothbrush. Killed two of them and sent the other one runnin' for the hills. So Pedro, if death is somethin' that gets you all scared inside, you're in the wrong damn place.

(Stitch and Pedro calm down after a while)

Stitch: So what happened next?

Pedro: We landed on shore.

Stitch: Where?

Pedro: I don't know. Where are we?
Stitch: Mobile, Alabama.

Pedro: Oh no. Wrong place.

Stitch: Where were you headed?

Pedro: New Orleans.

Stitch: New Orleans, Louisiana? That's where I'm from. What was your business there?

Pedro: Family issues.

Stitch: Ah. Continue.

Pedro: Well, we needed money and food. So we found Ralph's Doughnut Shop.

(Blackout, then the setting changes to Ralph's Doughnut Shop. Officer Green and Officer Miller are sitting in a booth eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. Ralph is behind the counter.)

(Pedro walks up to the counter. Vladimir paces around the shop)

Pedro: Hello. I need job. You have job for me?

Ralph: No.

Pedro: I could sweep the floor.

Ralph: Someone's already doing that for me.

Pedro: I could clean the toilets.

Ralph: Someone's already doing that for me too. I don't need any more employees.

Pedro: But I really, really need job.

Ralph: You see that sign out front? (Points to the sign at the front of the shop.) That says Ralph's Doughnut Shop. I'm Ralph…(he is about to say more but is cut off by Pedro)

Pedro: Oh, nice to meet you Ralph.

Ralph: Look, this is my shop. Now either buy something or get out!

(Vladimir comes up to the counter)

Vladimir: All right, there's an easier way to do this. Put the money in the bag! (Points his gun at Ralph's head)

Officer Green and Officer Miller (turn around): Freeze! Police! (Hold up their police badges)

Pedro: Oh no! Policia! Policia!

Officer Miller (chases Vladimir and points her gun at him): Drop the weapon and put your hands in the air!

Officer Green (puts his arm around Pedro's neck and points a gun at his head): Release or the Cuban gets it!

(Stitch steps into the flashback and the police officers, Ralph, and Vladimir are frozen. Pedro is not)

Stitch: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Pedro, I've been arrested a time or two but I have never had a cop point a gun at me. Why was he pointin' a gun at you?

Pedro: Policia do that all the time in Cuba.

Stitch (in a mock Cuban accent): Not in America.

Stitch (referring to Vladimir and Ralph): And uh, what's the deal with these two?

Pedro: Vladimir is a Russian mobster. Ralph owes Vladimir lots of money. Vladimir come to collect.

(Stitch exists and the scene continues)

Officer Miller: If you don't drop the weapon, I'll have to taze you!

Officer Green: Just taze him!

(Officer Miller tazes Vladimir and he falls to the floor)

(Blackout)

Scene 4- The Realization

Setting: A jail in Mobile, Alabama

Officer Green (opens the door of Pedro and Stitch's cell): Hey, Pablo, come with me.

(Officer Green takes Pedro to do fingerprints)

(Officer Green undoes Pedro's handcuffs when they get to Central Booking)

Officer Miller: Okay, I have to take your fingerprints. (Takes Pedro's hand to do fingerprints. Pedro does not know what is going on, so he freaks out and pulls his hand away)

Officer Green: Hey! (Points his gun at Pedro's head) Do as the nice lady asks.

(Officer Miller takes Pedro's fingerprints and then he and Officer Green leave to take Pedro's mug shot)

(Officer Green is about to take Pedro's mug shot. Pedro smiles)

Officer Green: Don't smile, you idiot.

(Officer Green takes the mug shot and he and Pedro return to the cell, where they find Stitch getting beat up by Officer Brooks)

Stitch (as he is getting beat up by Officer Brooks): Ow! What the hell?

Officer Green: Hey! Stop!

(Officer Brooks stops beating up Stitch and Stitch and Officer Green leave the jail cell to get Stitch cleaned up)

Pedro: What did you do that for?

Officer Brooks: He deserved it! He killed a man. He killed a Cuban, just like you seven months ago! He killed someone just because of the color of their skin.

(Officer Brooks leaves the jail cell)

Pedro: Seven months ago…my brother died seven months ago….Cuban…my brother Cuban…Louisiana…my brother live in Louisiana…it was Stitch! I can't believe it! He killed my brother! But Stitch…he was my friend.

Scene 5- Flashback to when Diego was murdered

Setting: An alleyway in New Orleans, Louisiana

Crack addict (walks up to Diego): You got the stuff?

(Diego gives the crack addict a bag of crack. The crack addict exits)

Stitch (sneaks up behind Diego and stabs him. To make sure he is dead, he shoots him and then leaves the scene of the crime)

Scene 6- The end

Setting: A jail in Mobile, Alabama

(Stitch is let back in the jail cell)

Stitch: Jesus Christ, Pedro…

Pedro: Tell me you didn't do it.

Stitch: What the hell are you talkin' about?

Pedro: Tell me it wasn't you.

Stitch: I don't understand.

Pedro: Tell me it wasn't you that killed my brother! The Cuban! Seven months ago!

Stitch: Do you have any idea what he was involved in?

Pedro: He was a father!

Stitch: He was a crack dealer!

Pedro: He had two kids!

Stitch: I got five!

Pedro: He was my brother!

Stitch: He's not anymore.

(Pedro gets angry and tries to punch Stitch. Stitch dodges the punch and knocks Pedro's head on the cell bench. Stitch goes to punch Pedro but stops himself)

Stitch: Pedro, I know talk is cheap. But I'm sorry. All my life I thought it was all about color. But your brother showed me it wasn't. He changed my life, Pedro. I am truly sorry for all the pain I caused you and your family.

(Stitch hangs his head in regret and Pedro puts his arm around Stitch's shoulder, trying to comfort him)

THE END