plays

                            UNTITLED

JOSÉ  - 25 - Chicano, sharp, should think "what's he doing here" pretty quickly, his Mexican-Bronx accent is carefully hidden until he becomes comfortable with someone and is certain no tenants will enter and hear it.

RICHARD - 25 - Caucasian, moderate in everything and pretty uninteresting, ED's son.

SAM - 40 - Black, a mainstay of the neighborhood, genuinely kind and generous, underneath is keenly aware of where he fits in and enjoys his work immensely.

ED - Ageless, could be anywhere from 55-80 - Caucasian, never seen to move, ED is RICHARD's father and RICHARD treats him like anybody else, kind of like a mummy.

COSTUMES AND SETTING - We are in the lobby of an apartment building in New York City's East 70's.  The men all wear standard doorman uniforms, with perhaps a distinction between José at the side-desk (where the luggage is handled from and where the doorman must remain standing at all times) and that of those at the main-desk (where the security camera console and main telephone are, as well as a chair). The lobby can be rendered to any detail, or it can include only the bare minimum of the main-desk and the side-desk.  All of the doormen avoid accents, although some local flavor may creep in when they are deep into conversation.

1 INT. LOBBY -NIGHT

(José is stationed at the side desk, Richard is at the main desk.  Richard stays at his post unless he is about some specific business, José wanders.  When the lights come up they are at their stations as somebody has just passed through the lobby and exited.)

RICHARD

There goes that kid.  What's he do, anyway?  Comin' and goin' at all hours.

JOSÉ

Sam said he's an actor.

RICHARD

Oh, an artist, huh?

JOSÉ

You call an actor an artist?

RICHARD

Sure, ain't they?

JOSÉ

'f you say so.

RICHARD

Hey, I've seen you come in here after a show, you look like a kid, wide eyed.

JOSÉ

Sure but that don't make them an artist.

RICHARD

What does?  Painter's an artist.

JOSÉ

Not today, man.

RICHARD

Oh, I get it, there aren't artists anymore, just used to be.

JOSÉ

That's kind of right, man, used to be.  I'm not even talking those dead white guys, man, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Diego Rivera, Pablo Neruda, man, that was art.  You know anybody can do that shit today?

RICHARD

Gimme a minute...uhh...

JOSÉ

Yeah, who?

RICHARD

Hold on, all right? (pause) Okay.  I can't think of anyone who writes music like they used to but we got some guys that play it that good.

JOSÉ

Alright?

RICHARD

Yo-Yo Ma.

JOSÉ

Okay.  Fine, he's great, he plays great, but think about it, Richard, there were famous composers back in the day by they didn't have people that were famous just for playing other people's stuff.  Not that we remember, anyway.  The people played their own stuff.  It wasn't Bach with some dope playing it, you had Bach playing it!

RICHARD

People can still interpret the stuff.

JOSÉ

They're mostly just playing it.

RICHARD

So nothing's as good as it was?

JOSÉ

Not really, no.

RICHARD

Well that's a great way to look at things.

JOSÉ

You want me to lie?  Say things are better now?  Would that help?

RICHARD

Makes things nicer.

JOSÉ

And what actual good does that do anything?

RICHARD

It makes them nicer.

JOSÉ

Why do things gotta be nice?

RICHARD

Because they're nicer that way.

2 INT. LOBBY - NIGHT

(another night at 4a.m., Sam is stationed behind the desk)

Sam

I hate working the night shifts.

JOSÉ

Why?  I love it.  Don't gotta deal with these people.

SAM

Just the real weird ones, up all night.

JOSÉ

They're all weird.

SAM

It messes with my schedule. I got kids. I get off my sleep time, too, so when I am home they're up I'm a zombie.

JOSÉ

Got kids?  How many?

SAM

Three, two boys and a girl.  Lookit you just beggin' to be shown some pictures! (pulls wallet)  That's Maggie, she's the oldest, then Sam, Junior, then the little one is George.

JOSÉ

Like Foreman?

SAM

Just like Foreman, and Washington and Washington Carver.  Maggie's smart, she beats up on Sam a little.  He asks me to make her stop but I just tell him he might as well get used to it now as when he gets married! (laughs at his joke)

JOSÉ

He's Sam and you're Sam, doesn't that get confusing?

SAM

Not yet.  I don't want him to be Sammy.  I'm Sam, so he's Sam, he's Sam, Junior.

JOSÉ

Samuel?

SAM

Nope.  Sam Jones and Sam Jones, Junior.  It gives you a feeling of pride to pass on a name.

JOSÉ

Sounds confusing.

SAM

Doesn't have to be, Richard is names after his father.

JOSÉ

Ed's his father, isn't he?

SAM

That's right, Richard Edward Smith.  When you have children aren't you going to even consider naming your son José?  José...? 

JOSÉ

Martinez.

SAM

José Martinez, Junior.  Has a nice ring about it.

JOSÉ

Yeah, it does. (pause) Too bad my name's not José. 

SAM

Whuh?  You're not José?

JOSÉ

I guess I wasn't sure your name was Sam.

SAM

Why wouldn't my name be Sam?  People call me Sam.  It says it right here on my chest: Sam.

JOSÉ

You know, pinche doormen.  I mean, how many poeple named Mike can there be in the world?

SAM

Plenty.

JOSÉ

And they're all doormen?  José Martinez Junior.  That sounds good.  Too bad my name's not José.  Pinche doormen.  How many people named Mike can there be in the world?  Plenty, and they're all doormen.  So Miguel becomes Mike, Pedro becomes Pete and Jesús becomes José.  The tenants like it that way.  I bet they do it to all kinds of people: Nikos becomes Nick, Giovanni becomes Joey, it's like Ellis Island, at least they let me stay Chicano.  In my case can you blame them?  Jesús is like Jesus and if you didn't notice on every doorframe they got those…whatarethey...

SAM

Mezuzahs.

JESÚS

Some of them already call me "joez" or "jozie", should I show up to work with a nametag that says "Jesus"?  Hey Mrs. Goldberg, I'm Jesus.  No, you know me, I was here before and now I'm back.  You know when I'll be able to use my real name?  When there's a guy named Jesús or José living in this building.  When I'm manager of this building.  Here's your new manager Jesús Martinez.  They'll all say, "What happened to Jozie?"  And I'll say, "He got eaten by the Chupacabra!"

SAM

That's what this is all about?  You want to be manager?

JESÚS

That's why I'm here, wearing this toy soldier suit, saying "man" instead of "homes".  Isn't that why you work here?  Don't worry, it doesn't have to be in this building, I'm not here to crowd you.

SAM

I wouldn't worry about that.  Are you planning on killing Mike and taking over?

JESÚS

Hey, I got nothin' but time.

SAM

You seem a little impatient to me, youngblood.

JESÚS

Yeah, I'm workin' on that.  It's just, you move so fast for more than twenty years, then all of a sudden you've got to get in on the ground floor of something and it can take forever to move up.  Some people never do.

SAM

I know that.

JESÚS

Sorry, I didn't mean you.

SAM

No harm done.  You went to college, didn't you?

JESÚS

(evasively)Well, community college.  Couldn't afford anything else.

SAM

Community college?  A smart boy like you?  And Hispanic-

JESÚS

No, I'm not Hispanic because I'm not from Spain.  Chicano. 

SAM

(unfazed)A smart Chicano boy like you?  You're a scholarship waiting to happen.  What happened?

JESÚS

Mi familia happened.  They didn't want me going away anywhere.

SAM

You're away now.

JESÚS

To make money for all of them!  Anyway, (evasive again) my grades weren't so good.

SAM

How is that?

JESÚS

I got in some trouble.  Those teachers were fullo shit.  All worried about the school like it's some kind of foundation, but they didn't care nothing for the students.

SAM

And you told them were to stick it, huh?  See now, I didn't go to college.  Mike didn't either, or Frank before him.  Richard didn't, as you can guess.  Ed neither.

JESÚS

Ed doesn't talk.

SAM

Far as I know Ed's spoken twice in his life: when he proposed to his wife, and when he named Richard.  Now my point isn't that you don't belong here, though I'm not certain you do; not that we don't like you, we like you fine, you're...colorful.  Anyway, what I'm saying is that I've worked here for seventeen years.  Mike's been here for that long.  Ed's been here for...well, not one knows for sure, but I'd guess a long time.  The present owners bought the building when Mike and I came on, they got rid of everyone else but Ed.

JESÚS

Why is Mike the manager and not you?

SAM

Frank was out of town and there was a crisis, so Mike handled it.  They liked the way Mike handled it so Frank stayed out of town.  That's all it takes.  You want to know what it takes to keep that job, watch Mike.

JESÚS

Mike's a dick.

SAM

Mike never slips, never slows down.  Mike lives his job.

JESÚS

And he gets half the third floor to himself and everyone in the neighborhood knows his name and he makes more than most of the people that live here.

SAM

You're not listening to me, youngblood.  Always did like that phrase, youngblood.  Anyway, youngblood, you look at me and what do you see?  You see someone that didn't get ahead, didn't cut it, works as a servant his whole life, gotta stay up[ all night one week a month with you to talk to while his kids are home sleeping.  My boy, you're not seeing it.  What did you father do?

JESÚS

He loaded trucks.

SAM

And his father before him?

JESÚS

Came over from being a farmer in Mexico.  Place got destroyed by weather so he sold the land for pennies and came to live with familia in the Bronx.  He lives illegal until he died.  My father was born in Mexico, he was illegal too, but he met my mother here and she was a citizen so he got his card, and they had me.

SAM

How long was your father a laborer?

JESÚS

Still would be if he could move; his back's a wreck.

SAM

And you think your father settled?

JESÚS

Sam, don't analyze me. (pause) Yes.  I think he was too scared.

SAM

You've obviously turned out fine anyway, you went to college!

JESÚS

That's because I'm me.  My father probably wishes I'd never seen a book.

SAM

We're getting off topic here.  What I'm talking 'bout is: your father had the same job all his life and never ran the place and I do too.  Same job, hopefully my whole life.  I'm not going to pretend they're the same thing, because they're not, but you, you walk into a place and you want to run it.  You probably could, too.  You look at me, and you see I have no ambition.

JESÚS

I didn't say that.

SAM

I'm not offended, I'm making a point, eventually.  Now, I do have ambition.  I have ambition to have a good life.  Life is short, sure, but it's long too.  I didn't want to spend it worrying.  I didn't want to worry about feeding my family, or seeing my family.  Life's hard enough.  Now, look at me, do I look like I worry? (smiles)

JESÚS

(smiles too) No.

SAM

Damn right I don't worry.  About this.  I worry about my George's cold and my Maggie's grades, I worry about my father's health, I worry about the Mets.  There's plenty to worry about.  But George and my father are on my health plan from working here, and Maggie's going to have a tutor if she needs one, and all three kids are going to college.

JESÚS

And the Mets?

SAM

Sam'll play for 'em. (laughs) José, Jesús, my life goes by in years.  Not days and minutes, years.  There's plenty of surprises go on across the years, plenty of ordinary surprised, having kids and living your life, that's almost too much excitement for me already. (pause) Perhaps you can see what I mean. (laughing, then serious) One more cough of fever in my house and I'll die of fright anyway.  Nothing's scarier than when your child is sick. (pause)

JESÚS

Is he alright?  George?

SAM

(startled out of his reverie a bit) Oh?  George?  He'll be fine.  It's just a cold.  Thank you for your concern.  Now.  May I intrude and give you a little advice?

JESÚS

Please.

SAM

You love the night shift and you seem to, well, resent the people that live here a bit.  I know you don't mean any harm by it, and I understand it because I do too sometimes.  It's just natural.  You've got somebody's eighty-five year old grandmother in an apartment she doesn't need, costing her children four thousand dollars a month.  Four thousand dollars a month.  Was your college four thousand dollars a year?  Her bathroom is the size of my bedroom.  I'm not gonna justify it, that's just the way it is.  Despite that, or because of that these people here have worries too, and that's why we're here.  More than to get luggage and stand guard against thieves and bandits in the night (chuckles).  We're here to keep them from worrying.  And if you really want to manage a building like this, you're gonna have to get your feet wet and your hands dirty.  You'll make a lot more money that way too.  These are good people that live here.  I help them with their worries and they help me with mine. 

JESÚS

Mike doesn't seem to talk to them much.  He's not nice to them, really.

SAM

He was.  He doesn't have time to be anymore.  Anyway, a lot of that is an act.  Being manager isn't about specific tenant complaints, you know that.  He's curt with tenants, says he's busy; they walk away thinking how efficient he is and put their problem through the proper channels, and Mike goes outside and has a smoke.

JESÚS

Really?

SAM

It's about making them feel reassured.  That they feel reassured is what's important, that they're being taken care of.  That's why we've all worked here so long and why they hired Ed's son.  He's been hanging around here since he was ten anyway.  These people live in the same city we do, eight million and more people, but every day for seventeen years they see the same faces when they come home.  That, to me, is worthwhile. (pause)  Now, this is just my opinion, having been here seventeen years, but this job doesn't advance overnight.  Mike was a doorman for ten years.

JESÚS

Mike worked as a doorman?

SAM

Yeah, you'd never know now but he was as friendly as anyone; and he never talked about moving up, but Frank wasn't here that one time and bang! There he was, and he handled it as if he'd always had the job, which was just what they wanted, no one even noticed Frank didn't come back.

JESÚS

Will they remember you, here?

SAM

When I retire, which might be never, they'll throw me a huge party and people will come back that haven't lived here for years, people that live here now and their grandchildren.  We'll have cake and they may even sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."  We'll say, "We're sorry to see you go," to each other and it will be absolutely true.  Then they'll forget me and I'll forget them mostly, but what's important is that my family will remember me, because I was there. (pause) Now what I was saying is that you, I got off track, is that you got to be here for the people that are here.  The manager, he's here for the building.  Long as the building runs smooth he can treat the tenants any way he wants, he just has to rent it to capacity and keep it from falling down or blowing up, but if you don't want to be that assuring face these people see when they come home, this may not be the job you're looking for.  Now, if you'll excuse me, Jesús Martinez, there is one thing I dearly love about the night shift, and I'm going to go outside and watch it.(Sam goes outside, leaving Jesús looking after him.)

3 INT. LOBBY - NIGHT

(another night at 4a.m. Ed is behind the main-desk.  He is as still as a block of wood.  Jesús tries to sit as still as Ed, but can't hold the pose.  He gets up and walks back and forth stretching and swinging his arms.  Ed does not move, he looks mummified.  Footsteps and Jesús sprints back to his post at the side-desk, Richard enters with 2 packages)

RICHARD

Hi Pop, hi José, (to Ed) Mom sent your breakfast. (puts one package in front of Ed, who does not move) She made one for you too, José. (hands him the other package)

JESÚS

(surprised) Wow, thanks Richard, I mean, tell your mother thank her very much.

RICHARD

Sure thing.  Anything going on tonight?

JESÚS

That lady on seven got locked out again.

RICHARD

Just remember, she keeps a key in the mezuzah, but she never remembers it's there.

JESÚS

Can she do that?

RICHARD

She says that nobody else would think to desecrate it by checking there.

JESÚS

There was a roach on fourteen.

RICHARD

New York City, and they're surprised?

JESÚS

That's it.

RICHARD

Been a good night, you always get the good nights, Pop.  Welp, (to Jesús) see you in a few nights.  See ya in a few, Pop (slaps Ed on the shoulder, Ed doesn't move).

(Jesús picks up his breakfast and is about to open it when he looks at Ed, who has not moved, his breakfast in the bag in front of him.  Jesús pauses, waiting to see if he would be impolite to being eating first.  He politely watches Ed, who does not move.  Finally, he shrugs and begins to unpackage the food, then stops.)

JESÚS

I'm gonna eat this in the office, Ed.  Okay? (no reply) I'll take a break now, be back in ten/fifteen minutes. (pause, waits, no reply, exits.  We hold on Ed, sitting there motionless for at least 10 seconds as we slow fade out.)

FADE OUT

END ACT I