Owen Sheers - The Two Worlds of Charlie F

CharlieNo, honestly, you’re all right, mate.

AliShut up, Charlie. Jack and Coke please, mate, cheers!

Businessman 2Waitress! Waitress! A round for these lads, please. On us.

Businessman 1So, have you been overseas?

CharlieYeah.

ChrisYeah.

Businessman 2Iraq, was it?

ChrisNo, Afghan.

Businessman 1Wow. Really? Did you see any action?

Charlie looks at their missing legs.

CharlieEr, yeah? A bit.

ChrisSome.

Businessman 2Did you kill any?

CharlieSorry?

Businessman 1I think what he’s asking is whether you killed anyone over there?

Beat.

Did you?

CharlieEr, I don’t really want to –

Businessman 2How many? Do you know?

ChrisLook –

Ali( to the Waitress ) Hey, love! Is there a mirror in your knickers? Cos I can see myself in them later!

Businessman 1I imagine it’d be hard to tell? From what I hear you don’t often see them, do you?

Roger joins the group.

RogerLook, mate, thanks for the drinks and everything, but do you mind not asking those kind of questions?

Businessman 2Oh. Oh, I’m sorry.

Businessman 1We didn’t mean to cause offence. Sorry.

Businessman 2Are you with them too?

Roger‘Them’? Who the fuck is ‘them’?

Businessman 2The soldiers.

RogerYeah. I am.

Businessman 2So … I mean, sorry, but what’s wrong with you?

RogerI don’t know, I broke my back in two places, had discs at C4 and C5 replaced, I’m addicted to meds and sometimes the pain is so bad I collapse and piss myself in public. What’s wrong with you?

Richard and Frank come over.

RichardAll right, Rog, take it easy.

The Businessmen back off.

Businessman 2Right. OK. Fine.

RogerPrick.

Dancer 2 approaches Charlie. She wears a nurse’s outfit.

Dancer 2Hello, it’s Charlie, isn’t it?

CharlieOh God, you know my name. Have I really been here that much?

Dancer 2Once or twice. Look, would you like a private dance?

CharlieEr, thanks, but I’m fine. Thanks.

Dancer 2Really? Even if I say please?

CharlieWell, no. Honestly, that’s sweet, but …

Businessman 1Take the dance. It’s on us. Please.

AliIf you don’t want it, Charlie, I’ll have it!

Dancer 2Please?

CharlieOK, OK, I’ll have the dance.

The screens are moved to isolate Charlie and Dancer 2.

Look, I’ll be honest, I’m not really in the mood for this.

Dancer 2It’s all right. I didn’t really want to give you a dance.

CharlieOh. Then why —?

Dancer 2Because I wanted to give you something else.

CharlieOh, right. Well, Jesus. That’s really kind of you. I mean, I know everyone’s getting into this ‘help for heroes’ stuff, but –

Dancer 2Who’s Lauren?

Beat.

CharlieSorry?

Dancer 2Lauren? Who is she?

Charlie How do you know —?

Dancer 2When you’ve been in before. When you get drunk. You start talking about her. A lot.

CharlieI do? Yeah, I guess that happens.

Dancer 2And that tat on your arm. I’m guessing it used to say her name?

CharlieYeah. Yeah, it did. Before the frag and the scars fucked it up. Guess I should have known then, eh?

Dancer 2Known what?

CharlieShe’s my fiancée … She was my fiancée.

Dancer 2Oh. Bollocks. I’m sorry.

CharlieNot your fault. Not hers either. All mine.

Dancer 2I guess you might not want this now then.

CharlieWant what?

Dancer 2This.

She hands him a folded piece of paper.

CharlieWhat is it?

Dancer 2Well, I’ve seen you’ve all got tattoos. You all seem to like tats.

CharlieYeah, everyone likes a bit of ink.

Dancer 2So I designed a new one for you. I’ve gone back to college. It’s meant to be, well, I thought you might like a new one.

Charlie‘Lauren’.

Dancer 2Yeah, but I understand if –

CharlieIt’s beautiful.

Dancer 2You can change the words underneath if you want. And the name now I guess!

Charlie‘But love survives the venom of the snake.’

Dancer 2It’s from this poem we’re studying. It’s by a soldier, but, like I said –

CharlieIt’s perfect. Thank you.

Beat.

Dancer 2Is it really over?

CharlieI don’t know.

Dancer 2Cos the way you talk about her. When –

CharlieI know. I know.

Dancer 2Look, I’m going to have to go. The manager gets in a right strop if we’re in here too long. But, well, like I said. I wanted to give you something. Sorry if it’s –

CharlieI meant what I said. It’s perfect. Thank you.

She leans in and gives him a peck on the cheek, then exits.

The lights stay up on Charlie.

SCENE EIGHT — LEAVING

Charlie‘But love survives the venom of the snake.’ When you’re discharged from the services one of the last things you do is hand over your ID. Your identity. It’s a death, of sorts. At least, it certainly feels like a kind of grief, afterwards. A mourning. For the loss of that bond. For the family you’d joined, lived with, fought with, but are now being asked to leave.

It feels sudden. One day you’re in. The next you’re out. But it isn’t. It’s a slow process. A process of departure. And that’s one of the problems. It takes seconds to hand over that ID. But it can take years to remove the uniform.

We do have to take it off though, one day. The stories of our injuries all began with an engagement of some kind. A contact. And they’re only going to be brought to an end with another kind of contact. Another kind of engagement –

He looks at the tattoo design.

— or re-engagement. But you can’t do that if you’re still wearing your uniform.

It’s OK though. Because it isn’t just about leaving, is it? It’s about joining too, right? I mean all of us here, yeah, we’re leaving the services, but we’re also joining the oldest regiment there is. The regiment of the wounded. It’s a regiment with an illustrious history that goes back to the earliest days of mankind. You might not be familiar with all of its victories, but believe me it has thousands to its name. Millions. And it’s winning them every day. In hospitals, on the streets, in bedrooms and living rooms.

He taps his head.

In here.

The rest of the cast enter from upstage and begin walking downstage to join Charlie.