HENRY

Where you going?

 

MONA opens her bedroom door and stands in front of HENRY with her hands on her hips, annoyed.  She’s wearing a tight skirt and a tight blouse and a lot of make-up.

 

HENRY

You’re going out looking like

that?

 

MONA

Who the hell you think you are? 

My mother?

 

She walks to the living room, HENRY following.

 

HENRY

I thought you weren’t feeling good.

 

MONA

Who said that?

 

HENRY

You said you had a condition, that

you need an operation or

something.

 

In the living room, MONA twirls in front of DOG.

 

MONA

(to DOG)

How you like?

 

The phone starts ringing again.  Everybody ignores it.

 

DOG

(reaching

for her)

Let me show you, baby.

 

MONA

(pushing

him away)

The kid.

 

HENRY

What was that all about you

needing money?

 

MONA

I do need money.  That’s why I’m dressed this way.  I have a job interview.

 

HENRY

What kind of job interview?

 

MONA

Red Dog Tavern.

 

The phone stops ringing.

 

HENRY

The Red Dog?  But, Mom, Dad always

said that’s a big hang out for drug dealers.  The cops raid the place

every weekend.  Some guy got knifed

to death there about a month ago.

 

DOG

Yeap.  Messin’ with another guy’s

old lady.  What I tell ya, kid?

 

MONA

I know how to take care of myself.

 

HENRY

No, you don’t.

 

MONA

Don’t start with the lip shit,

Henry.

 

HENRY

You’ve had four jobs since Dad left, and you quit them all.

 

MONA

Doing what you hate is what being

an adult is all about.

 

DOG

Got that right, baby.

 

HENRY

Then why did you quit them all?

 

MONA

I’ll quit this one too, if I get it,

as soon as I make enough money.

 

HENRY

I’ll get you the money.

 

MONA

Gonna rob a bank?

 

HENRY

Why the Red Dog?

 

MONA

I can make good tips.

 

HENRY

How about going back to that insurance office?  It was a nice place.  All you had to do was answer the phone and

type some.  You liked it at first. 

You really liked it.  That guy you worked for called here and said you could have your job back any time.

 

MONA

You don’t know anything about it,

kid.

 

HENRY

I do.  I do too.  That guy was nice.  Mr. Anderson.  He was nice.  I could tell.   He always wore a suit, and he had that car--

 

MONA

Guess what, Henry?

 

HENRY

What?

 

MONA

I’m the adult.  I know that’s a surprise to you to learn.  But I’m

the adult.

 

HENRY

That doesn’t make you smart.

 

MONA slaps HENRY.

 

DOG

Gotta know when to shut it off,

kid.

 

MONA

(to DOG)

Will you turn the freakin’ TV

off.

 

DOG

Sure, babe.

 

DOG turns off the TV with the remote.

 

DOG

(to MONA)

Isn’t Anderson the guy that

wanted you to blow him in

his office.

 

MONA

(looking at

HENRY)

Yeah.  That was the guy.  At least

at the Red Dog there won’t be any disguises.

 

HENRY

I’ll get a job.  I can get a paper route.

 

MONA

That would only take you about a

decade to make some money.

 

HENRY

If you work at the Red Dog everybody will think you’re a--

 

HENRY stops himself.

 

MONA

Will think what?  What will they think I am?

 

HENRY

I don’t know.

 

MONA

You don’t like it, then go live with your father and Jenny the Ninny.

 

HENRY

I don’t want to live with them.

 

MONA

Why the hell not?  Jenny the Ninny would probably bake you cookies

before you got home from school

every day.  They could call you

Beaver.  And maybe you can grow up

to be a cop like him!  To protect and serve.  Get your damn head blown off.  I’d rather be a whore than the wife

of a cop.

 

Everybody is frozen in place for a moment and silent.

 

Then the doorbell rings.

 

MONA

(to DOG)

You think it’s the repo man come

for your Harley?

 

DOG

Repo man don’t ring no doorbells.

He just steals your stuff and runs.

 

The doorbell rings again.

 

MONA

(to HENRY)

You get it.

 

HENRY goes to the door and opens it.  HENRY SENIOR and JENNY are standing there.  HENRY SENIOR is dressed in civilian clothes.  JENNY has on a maternity dress and her hair pulled back.  She smiles at HENRY, a little stiffly.

 

HENRY SENIOR

Hi, Henry.

 

JENNY

Hi, Henry.

 

MONA

(coming to

the door)

What’s going on?

 

HENRY SENIOR

I called and left messages, and

I’ve been trying to call to let

you know we were coming over. 

Can we come in?

 

JENNY

Hi, Mona.

 

MONA

(ignoring JENNY)

What for?

 

HENRY SENIOR

We need to have a family meeting.

 

MONA

A family meeting?  We’re not a

family.  And if we ever were, she

(nodding at JENNY)

was sure as hell

never part of it.

 

HENRY SENIOR

We’re all part of Henry’s life.

HENRY

You here to arrest me or

something?

 

HENRY SENIOR

I’m just here as your dad, Henry. 

This time.

 

HENRY

Why not save yourself another trip,

and do it now.

 

MONA

What kind of trouble?  I got a

job interview.

 

HENRY

She’s going to work at the Red

Dog.