Walter Myers - Carmen

And when I do, beware of me.

You ignore me-at least you’ll try,

But I’ll love you,

And if I love you, if I love you,

Beware of me!

FRASQUITA

Carmen is right! Love is not for us!

CARMEN

(looking at JOSÉ)

I bet he doesn’t even remember me. I think I was ten when he moved.

MERCEDES

Ten? Carmen, you were never ten! Anyway, boys don’t remember anything.

CARMEN

You’re right. I’ll say hello, anyway.

CARMEN goes over to JOSÉ, who is looking at some papers. She puts her hand over the papers, and he looks up.

CARMEN

José Ibarra. You know I remember you from the old neighborhood, when I lived on Manhattan Avenue. You lived in the only building on the block with an elevator.

JOSÉ

That was a long time ago.

CARMEN

You used to buy potato chips from Ferrara’s and eat them on the corner. Once I was standing in the doorway of my building and when I saw you passing, I lifted my skirt a little so you could see my legs. You didn’t even look in my direction.

JOSÉ

We were both young. You’re very pretty now.

CARMEN

You went to church with your mother every Sunday. The early Mass.

JOSÉ

You were really watching me.

CARMEN

De pe a pa. We were poor, and you looked rich. We were nothing much, and you looked pretty special to me.

JOSÉ

You know, I remember you now. Someone said you were a gypsy.

CARMEN

You don’t remember me.

JOSÉ

Didn’t you go to Saint Dominic’s? But you were just a kid.

CARMEN

(smiling as she twirls)

Am I a kid now?

CARMEN dances playfully around JOSÉ. The other cops motion for him to go after her, but he tries to ignore her. Finally, he takes a step toward her, but she moves quickly away. She stops, takes the flower from her hair, and tosses it to him. He catches the flower and looks down at it as she crosses toward him.

JOSÉ

For me?

CARMEN

For you, baby. I didn’t know you would still be so handsome. Your wife must be proud of you.

?

JOSÉ

I don’t have a wife.

CARMEN

Then your woman must be happy with you.

JOSÉ

I don’t… What do you care?

CARMEN

I care about a lot of things. You’d be surprised.

CARMEN moves closer to JOSÉ. The other cops gesture for him to go after her, but he is shy. When he takes another step toward her, she runs away and into Delgado’s as the other officers laugh.

ZUNIGA

Okay, okay, let’s get back to the station. We’ve got work to do.

TÍA SOFIA

And don’t come back without a warrant!

ZUNIGA

In this neighborhood, nobody has an education and everybody is a lawyer!

MERCEDES

In this neighborhood, you don’t need an education because they don’t hire us anyway. You need to be a lawyer because one way or another-you will get arrested.

ZUNIGA

Yeah, yeah. Look, mami, we don’t need your lectures today. When we come back, we’ll arrest you first.

MERCEDES

Oooooh, Officer, I’m sooo scared!

MERCEDES follows the other factory girls from Delgado’s back to work.

The POLICE OFFICERS begin to pack it in, gathering their gear and leaving in twos and threes. MICAELA comes from around a corner.

ZUNIGA

José, what are you now? The village stud? First Carmen gives you the eye, and now this girl comes to look for you again. She was here before.

JOSÉ

What girl?

He sees MICAELA and smiles broadly, putting the flower that CARMEN gave him into his pocket.

MICAELA

I was looking for you.

JOSÉ

And here I am. How are you?

ZUNIGA and other officers are off to one side, leaving JOSÉ and MICAELA center stage.

MICAELA

I’m good. I like working at the school. The hours are good, and the pay’s all right. I’m taking classes in the summer. Maybe I can get a degree and teach.

JOSÉ

Sounds good to me. What are you doing in this neighborhood?

MICAELA

I told your mother I was coming over here today to the new Lowe’s to buy a picture frame. She gave me a message for you.

JOSÉ

How is she?

MICAELA

She misses you. But José, she’s so happy. She’s finally been accepted into the senior citizen housing. One bedroom and one and a half baths. The building is beautiful, overlooking the park. She gave me this letter for you. She asked me to…

MICAELA blushes as she looks away.

JOSÉ

To what?

MICAELA

She kissed me and asked me to pass it on to you.

JOSÉ

Well, if she asked you to pass it on, you can’t keep it for yourself…

MICAELA shyly kisses JOSÉ.

MICAELA

And here’s the letter. She was hoping you would call more often. I can understand that.

JOSÉ

I’m glad she’s moving, but I have so many good memories of that small apartment we lived in. We would sit in the kitchen, with the sun beaming through the fragile white curtains. All of life was before us then. There was nothing but hope and the promise of good things to come.

MICAELA

You think of your mother, your home… You are so sweet, José. Maybe one day…

JOSÉ

What does she say in the letter?

MICAELA

(anxious to leave before he reads it)

I have to go. You can read it later.

JOSÉ

Stay a minute. I haven’t seen you in weeks.

MICAELA

I have to go. Really. I would… I would like to see more of you.

She starts to leave, pauses for a moment to take a last look at JOSÉ, then exits.

JOSÉ

(reading the letter)

“Dear Son, I hope this letter finds you well. I have sent it by Micaela, who has been so helpful to me. José, if you want, you can move into my old apartment, the one you loved so much as a child. It has two bedrooms, as you remember, big enough to start a family. I will be so glad when you marry. I know that once you marry, you will be more careful, even if you remain a policeman. I hope you find someone who will love you. Someone like Micaela. You know she loves you almost as much as I do. Your loving mother.”

I want to make my mother happy, to make her a grandmother and see the smile on her face as she plays with the children. And she’s right: Micaela does care a lot for me, and she’s a solid girl. Nothing flighty about her. Her working at the school is good, too.

There is the sound of fighting offstage, and a glass vase comes flying out of one of the factory’s windows.

ZUNIGA

What the-? Shea, Lane, go into that building to see what’s going on!

SHEA and LANE enter Delgado’s, guns drawn.

ZUNIGA

This place is a hellhole. Useless people doing useless things. Wasting their time.

TÍA SOFIA

All they have to spend is their time. So they do it freely.

ZUNIGA

What? You haven’t died yet? What are you waiting for?

TÍA SOFIA

For you to die first so I can pee on your grave!

ZUNIGA

If I ever get the chance to arrest you, you old hag, I’ll handcuff you to a fire hydrant and leave you there!

TÍA SOFIA

Hey, how did you get to be so ugly? You take pills for that, or what?

ZUNIGA

Shut up!

TÍA SOFIA

Just tell me one thing and I’ll shut up. Did your father have a tail?

ZUNIGA reaches for his gun as TÍA SOFIA slams her door shut.

OFFICERS SHEA and LANE come out of Delgado’s with half of the factory workers, including FRASQUITA, all shouting about who started the fight. In the middle, held by SHEA and LANE, is a very angry CARMEN.

ZUNIGA

What happened?

OFFICER SHEA

A fight broke out between this one and another girl.

FRASQUITA

The other girl started it! She said that Carmen had a big mouth!