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How Can I Be Good, Baby, When the World's So Bad?
How Can I Be Good, Baby, When the World's So Bad?
By Dan Friedman
Based on material generated by a Youth Onstage! Workshop, August 2011
Inspired by Bertolt Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan
(In Order of Appearance)
Shaun Thigpen
First Angel
Second Angel
Third Angel
Uncle Tony
Shawntee Stevens/Stewie Towzer (same person)
Mrs. Leticia Padilla Rodriguez
Mrs. Davis
Mr. Davis
Derrick Davis
Apparently Homeless Man
The Contractor
The Policeman, Officer Bobby Batista
Wayne Shine (aka Rise and Shine)
Winnie Hawkins
George Hawkins
Reverend Ralph Russell
Scene 1
(On the corner of Kickerbocker Avenue and Snydam Street, on the edge of Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick, Brooklyn.)
I sell CDs and DVDs here in Bushwick. Most people around here can't afford to buy them in the stores, so I give them a discount here on the sidewalk. Of course, they're not perfect, but you get what you pay for, right? People around here are poor, so they don't expect much.
You hear a lot these days about these being hard times—a great recession and all. Nothing new about that in Bushwick—or in East New York, for that matter, or Bed-Stuy, or Brownsville. As long as I or my mama or her mama can remember there's always been a great recession around here.
But things have gotten even worse lately. Nobody I know can find a job. That's why I sell these CDs. Some of my friends sell other kinds of recreation. You know what I'm talking about. In fact, things have gotten so bad lately that a lot of people are saying that only God can save the situation. Word on the street is that God's sent down three Angels from Heaven to see if the world is still worth saving. I hope it is; after all, this is the only world we've got. But I have to admit it's a good question.
So I've been keeping my eyes open. If the Angels come to Bushwick, I'd like to be the first to greet them. I've never met an Angel before so I'm not sure what to look for.
What about those guys over there? No, they have grease on their hands, they must work in the auto shop. They can't be the Angels; Angels don't work.
What about those three hanging on the corner? No, another story there—they look like they'd beat the shit out of you for looking at them cross-eyed. They can't be Angels ether.
(Enter the three Angels. The First Angel is dressed like a Baptist minister with a collar, the Second Angel is dressed like an orthodox rabbi and the Third Angel is dressed like a Muslim Iman.)
Ah, but those guys! They're wearing weird clothes and they look lost and scared. They must be the Angels sent by God!
(He throws himself at their feet.)
Holy ones! Welcome to Bushwick. Can I be of service, oh illustrious messengers from God?
First Angel
So we're expected?
Oh yes. I knew you would come.
(scrambling to his feet)
We've tried everything. We elected Obama president and even he couldn't help. We need Heavenly intervention.
Second Angel
Yes, well, we're here to find out if the world is worth saving.
Third Angel
God instructed us to find a good person. If we can find just one good human being on this entire planet, He'll save it. If not, He wants to scrap the whole project.
I'm sure we can find a good person.
First Angel
Do you know any?
Well, er, I must….
Second Angel
It's not as easy as you might think.
Third Angel
We've just spent two weeks in Las Vegas and we couldn't find a single good person.
First Angel
Then we realized that people come to Las Vegas to be bad…
Second Angel
So we figured New York was the best place to continue our search. After all, you've got all sorts of people here; you must have some good ones.
We must. … I think.
Third Angel
The first thing we need is place to spend the night. It'll be dark soon and it's getting chilly.
First Angel
Yes, do you know any place we can stay?
In Bushwick?
Second Angel
That's where we are, right?
Yes, but we don't have any hotels or anything….
Third Angel
Surely there's a good person here in Central Brooklyn who will put us up for the night?
No doubt. Wait here. I'll find you a place.
First Angel
Wait here? Those guys on the corner look pretty mean.
Just don't stare at them and you'll be okay. Watch my stuff. If the cops come, wrap every thing up in the blanket and walk away. Stay cool. I'll be back in two clicks of a mouse.
(Shaun exits.)
Second Angel
He seems nice. Do you think he could be a good person?
Third Angel
Are you kidding? Do you know what these are? Bootleg DVDs. That's illegal.
First Angel
Don't worry, all we need is to find one. This is his neighborhood. He'll knows lots of people.
(Lights down on the Angels.)
(Lights up on Shaun is talking to his boy N'quan.)
Say what? Three Angels looking for a place to stay? You must be tripping!
No, really, they're here to save the world.
Save the world? Now I know you've lost it. Shaun, you been standing out in the sun too long.
(Lights down, up on Shaun talking to his Uncle Tony.)
Uncle Tony
I talked to your Aunt Maybell about these friends of yours…
Angels. They're Angels Uncle Tony, Angels.
Uncle Tony
I'm sure they're great guys, Shaun, but your aunt, well, you know, she's funny about these things.
Yeah, she's funny. Now you funny too.
(Lights down, lights up on Shaun talking to his friend Jose.)
For free? You want me to put these dudes up for free?
Yeah, they've come down from Heaven. There's no money in Heaven. … I think.
Well, there sure as hell is money in Bushwick, but not enough of it. That's why I need it.
It's just for the night.
I don't do nothing for free, especially let three homeless guys sleep in my living room.
(Lights up on the three Angels.)
Third Angel
He's talking an awful long time. My feet hurt.
Second Angel
Stop complaining. We're on a mission from God.
First Angel
I'm sure he'll show up any minute.
(Lights down on Angels, up on Shaun)
Damn. This is not looking good. Nobody seems to understand the importance of this moment except me.
Now, I know you're asking why I don't take the Angels of the Lord to my place. I would if I could. At least I think I would. But the fact is—this isn't easy to say—I don't have a place. I store my stuff at Wycoff Self-Storage every night and I sleep wherever I can. On the L Train a lot. And there's some abandoned breweries around here that are pretty safe and not too cold in the winter. So when you come down to it, I guess I'm too poor to be good.
But I'm mad worried. I don't want them to give up on the human race. How many times do you get a chance to save the world?
(Enter Shawntee.)
Ah, there's Shawntee getting off her shift at Tina's Dinner. She's a waitress there but doesn't make enough to pay her bills; you know what waitresses get paid and nobody around here has enough to tip well. So she supplements her income by, well, you know, she has clients, male clients. Don't be so judgmental. We all have to sell something, don't we? And she's a very nice girl, not a mean bone in her body.
Shawntee, they're here. The Angels of the Lord have come to Bushwick, just like the church ladies said would happen. They need a place to stay the night and nobody wants them. Will you take them?
Oh no, I'm expecting a client tonight.
Can't you call him and cancel it?
If I don't have the rent by Friday, I'll lose the apartment.
This is no time to worry about trivial things, Shawntee.
Paying my rent is not trivial!
I give up! What's the point in trying? Bushwick is one big sewer.
Okay! I'll cancel my appointment.
Thank you Shawntee, this is so good of you! Just one thing.
Don't tell them about turning tricks. They're Angels, after all.
(Lights down, up on the Angels. Enter Shaun and Shawntee.)
Illustrious ones. I have found someone! This is Shawntee; she's a waitress at Tina's.
What's up? I would be honored if you would share my crib tonight. It's small but it's clean.
Third Angel
Clean is good.
First Angel
The honor is ours.
(Lights down, up gradually, indicating morning, in Shawntee's apartment.)
First Angel
Thank you, dear Shawntee, for your wonderful hospitality.
Second Angel
Yes, and thank you for letting us use your bed and sleeping on the couch.
Third Angel
And for the scrambled eggs and hash browns. They were delicious!
First Angel
And please convey our thanks to the street vendor. Even though he sells bootlegged DVDs, he showed us a good human being.
I'm not really good, your honors. When Shaun asked me to put you up, I hesitated.
Second Angel
It's okay to hesitate, as long as you wind up doing the right thing. In giving us a place to sleep, you've done much more than you know. You've proved that good people do exist, a point that has been much disputed lately in Heaven.
I'm not sure you're right. I'd like to be good, that's true. But there's groceries to buy and rent to pay and clothes to buy. I want to be honest with you, dear Angels; I sell myself to make ends meet.
Third Angel
Sell yourself?
You know, to men. I'd like to stay true to one man and to not covet my neighbor's apartment and always tell the truth and all that. But how? How is it done? Even by breaking just a few of the Commandments, I hardly manage.
First Angel
These are just the misgivings of an unusually good woman.
Second Angel
Yes, farewell good woman of Bushwick!
Third Angel
Maybe you should stop the whoring thing. That really isn't so good.
But everything is so expensive. I don't know if I can do it.
First Angel
That's not our sphere of influence. We never meddle in economics. We leave it to the invisible hand of the market.
The what?
Second Angel
Wait a minute. I think she may have a point. Isn't it true that she might do better if she had more money?
Third Angel
How could we ever account for it upstairs?
First Angel
Oh, there are ways.
(The Angels confer for a moment.)
Since your income is limited and since we, well, since we have, uh, resources, we insist on paying for our room.
(He thrusts a wad of cash into her hands.)
But don't tell anyone where you got it; this incident is open to misinterpretation.
Third Angel
It certainly is.
Second Angel
But there's no law against it. Were is it written that Angels shouldn't play hotel bills?
(The Angels leave. Lights down on Shawntee.)
Scene 2
(Shawntee is in a bodega with half empty shelves.)
(to the audience)
It's been three months now since the Angels left. When they said they said they wanted to pay for the room, I looked down at my hand and I was holding a wad of bills. They gave me twenty thousand dollars! I quit my job waitressing at Tina's—and my other job too. I was able to take over the lease on this bodega. It comes with a little apartment upstairs. So I'm going to live and work here in Bushwick and sell groceries to my friends and neighbors. Now that I have a little something, maybe I can be as good as the Angels think I am.
Of course, there are challenges. Mrs. Rodriguez, who had the shop before me, wasn't able to keep the store fully stocked, which isn't what she told me when I signed the lease. I've had to invest a lot more than I expected to restock the shelves. But what can I say? She was desperate after her husband went back to the Dominican with a younger wife. He left her with three kids. Yesterday she came by and helped herself to groceries. Here she comes again.
How you doing, Mrs. Rodriguez?
Mrs. Rodriguez
The best I can, Shawntee, the best I can. How you like your new home?
I like it a lot.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Yeah, it's nice. Small but nice. Not like the shit hole we've had to move into. Excuse my language.
How are the kids doing?
Mrs. Rodriguez
Not so good. There's no heat in my apartment and the youngest one's coughing already. LIsten Shawntee, the food stamps still haven't come through, so I need to pick up some more food for dinner tonight, and some eggs for breakfast in the morning.
Mrs. Rodriquez, today I'm officially opening for business. I really need you to pay.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Shawntee, don't be doing that. You wouldn't have this store if it weren't for me and now you want my children to go hungry.
(Enter Mrs. Davis and Mr. Davis and their teenage son Derrick Davis.)
Mrs. Davis
Shawntee, dear, I hear you've come into some money. Which is very lucky for us. You know our house on Jefferson Street? Of course you do, you lived there for two and a half years. Well, the fact of the matter is that Mr. Davis lost his job…
Mr. Davis
Cut backs from the state. They just decided they can do without janitors at the state office building…
Mrs. Davis
And Derrick, well Derrick never finished high school, so he can't find no work…
(Derrick shrugs)
So the long and the short of it is, Shawntee dear, we couldn't pay the mortgage and the bank foreclosed on the house.
We're out on the street. Chase chased us out of own home.
Mrs. Davis
You wouldn't want us to have to go to a shelter, not when you have such a nice apartment with this beautiful bodega right under it, not after all we've done for you.
Mrs. Rodriguez
(to Shawntee)
What did they do for you?
(to Mrs. Rodriguez)
I was in foster care, after my mother was sent upstate. They were my foster family for a couple of years. But as soon as I aged out of the system and the checks stopped coming from the Administration for Children's Services, they put me out on the street.
Mrs. Davis
Where would you be without us?
But there's only two small bedrooms.
Mrs. Davis
That's fine. Mr. Davies and I will take one, and Derrick can sleep in the living room, can't you Derrick?
DerrickI can sleep anywhere, especially if I've had enough ganja.
Mrs. Davis
You can't be toking all that smoke up in Shawntee's place.
Mr. Davis
Besides we can't afford that shit no more.
(Enter an Apparently Homeless Man.)
Wait. Here comes my first customer.
(to the Apparently Homeless Man)
Can I help you?
Apparently Homeless Man
Do you have any damaged cigarettes? I saw you unpacking a lot of stuff and I thought maybe some of the cigarettes got damaged.
I could sell you a loosey.
Apparently Homeless Man
I don't even have enough for that. I thought maybe…
Mrs. Davis
You got a lot of nerve coming in here and begging for a cigarette. If you're going to beg, why not ask for bread?
Apparently Homeless Man
Bread is expensive. One cigarette and I'll be a new man.
That's important. To be a new man.
(handing him a cigarette)
Here you go. You're my first customer and I think giving you this cigarette will bring me good luck.
(The Apparently Homeless Man takes the cigarette, quickly lights up and goes off coughing.)
Mrs. Rodriquez
(Her arms holding two bags of groceries)
If this is the opening of the bodega, you'll be holding the closing by the end of the week.
(Mrs. Rodriquez exits.)
I bet that crack head had money on him.
He said he didn't.
How do you know he wasn't lying?
How do you know he was?
Mrs. Davis
You're too good, Shawntee dear. You always were. That's why people, particularly men, take advantage of you. You have to learn to say no if you want to keep this store.
Mr. Davis
She's right, Shawntee. If you want to make money, you can't be a softie
Yeah, it's fuck or be fucked.
Mrs. Davis
Derrick, I won't tolerate that kind of language.
You know what I mean.
Mr. Davis
Why don't you tell people the shop isn't really yours, that you have some relative who put up the money and insists that you run a tight ship.
(The Contractor enters.)
The Contractor
Is Mrs. Rodriquez here?
The Contractor
Where is she?
What do you want with her?
The Contractor
I have business with her.
She's not the owner of the store anymore. I took over the lease.
The Contractor
Then I have business with you. You owe me twenty-five hundred dollars.
The Contractor
I see you're filling up the shelves. They're not yours to fill. I built them and they're not paid for. Mrs. Rodriquez still owes me twenty-five hundred dollars for the work. Now that you've assumed her debt…
The lease says "furnishings included."
The Contractor
I demand what's owed me!
I don't have twenty-five hundred dollars. I had to pay a security deposit and six months rent up front. And then the store was under stocked. I don't have any money left.
Mrs. Davis
That's bad news.
(taking a 40 ounce Malt out of the freezer, opening it and taking a swig)
Very bad. But at least you stocked up on the 40s.
If you could give me a month, until I start making some money from the store.
Mrs. Davis
Sir, you have to be patient.
The Contractor
Who's patient with me? I have expenses. I have to pay my bills. And you, Miss…
Shawntee Stevens.
The Contractor
And you, Miss Shawntee Stevens, have to pay yours.
Mrs. Davis
Shawntee, why don't you let your cousin take care of this?
(to The Contractor)
Put your claim in writing and Miss Stevens' cousin will make sure you get paid.
The Contractor
What cousin?
Mrs. Davis
He's her business advisor. Miss Stevens is new to all this.
The Contractor
Cousin? What kind of moron do you think I am?
No, man, seriously. Her cousin's a lawyer and a solider. He just got back from Iraq. I know him, we grew up together. This dude is mad legit.
Mr. Davis
Yes. He's a very formidable young man.
The Contractor
Alright, I'll put my claim in writing. I've got lawyers too, you know.
Mrs. Davis
Of course you do, you're a business person, just like Miss Stevens.
The Contractor
You'll get my bill in the mail.
(The Contractor exits.)
Mrs. Davis
Shawntee, dear, never acknowledge a debt.
Word! You really need to toughen up.
He did a job. He wants to get paid for it. I'm embarrassed that I can't pay him.
Mr. Davis
You paid your debt when you let us live here. Don't let these parasites take advantage of you.
(Enter Tamra with a baby)
Here you are!
Don't get you panties in a knot. I was going to text you.
Mrs. Davis
Shawntee, this is Tamara, Derrick's girl friend, and their baby Shameka. Of course, they have to stay with us too.
My mother threw me out when Shameka came along. She's a crazy church lady.
But there's no room.
The baby doesn't cry — much.
Yo, Shawntee, I hope you don't mind but I invited some of my boys over. You got all this beer in the place and I thought we could party. You know, celebrate your good luck and all.
(to audience)
My good luck?
Scene 3
(Shaun is sleeping in an empty car on the L Train. The three Angels appear.)
Angel 1
You're a hard man to find, Shaun.
(Shaun wakes up.)
(straightening himself up) Sorry to be such a mess. I must have fallen asleep.
Angel 2
We've come for a report on Shawntee.
Angel 3
She's still the only good person we've found and we want to know how she's doing.
You haven't found anyone else?
Angel 1
Not yet.
Angel 2
We went out to Los Angeles; we thought since the city was named after us…
Angel 3
The City of Angels you know. ...
Angel 2
… that there might be good people there.
Angel 3
No such luck.
Angel 1
How is Shawntee doing? Is she still good?
She came into a little money.
Angel 2
(smiling at the others)
You don't say!
Yeah, and she opened a bodega and she's letting a family live upstairs rent free and if customers can't pay for the food, she let's them have it anyhow.
Angel 1
That's very good of her.
People are calling her The Good Woman of Bushwick.
Angel 3
The Good Woman of Bushwick, I like that.
The problem is, she'll be out of business soon. Dear Angels, do you think she might be too good?
Angel 1
Too good? Of course not, you can't be too good.
But people are taking advantage of her.
Angel 2
It is written: "The way of goodness is at the outset a thicket of thorns, but after a little distance it emerges into an open plain."
Angel 1
Shaun, you have to show appreciation for her goodness. No one can do good for long if they're not appreciated. That's your job.
Angel 3
We're off to Salt Lake City. We hear they're very religious there.
Angel 2
They don't even drink coffee. So they must be good, no?
Angel 1
We'll find out.
(The Angels vanish.)
Scene 4
(Dressed in sharp business suit Stewart "Stewie" Towzer is at the cash register counting the till. The Davis family enters from the upstairs apartment. They don't notice Towzer.)
Mrs. Davis
Shawntee, do you have those bagels ready yet?
Yeah, remember I like mine with cream cheese and peanut butter.
Mr. Davis
Hard to get the day started without that delicious cafe con leche of yours.
Mrs. Davis
Where is she?
(Noticing Stewart Towzer)
Who are you?
I'm Shawntee's cousin.
Say what?
My name is Stewart Towzer, Esquire. You can call me Stewie.
Mr. Davis
Esquire? You mean you're a lawyer?
Yes, St. John's University School of Law and Retired Master Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corp.
Mrs. Davis
Just wait one minute, young man. Shawntee doesn't have a cousin. That was a joke.
You say you're a lawyer and a solider? Man, this is whack. I made you up!
Well, here I am.
Mr. Davis
Where's Shawntee?
She won't be coming in today. As her business partner, I'll be putting things in order.
Mrs. Davis
Business partner? She never told us about a business partner.
Shawntee is not obligated to discuss her business arrangements with you, Mrs. Davis.
Mrs. Davis
I think of her as a daughter...
My cousin wanted me to tell you this is a bodega, not a gold mine. It's time for you to bounce.
Mrs. Davis
I don't believe you. She would never say that. We're like family.
Not a very nice family; you threw her out when the government money stopped.
Mrs. Davis
Did she say that? She's lying, sir. We were her haven in a heartless world!
Wait a minute. I don't believe you're her cousin. This is some kind of hustle, isn't it?
Mr. Davis
Where is our poor beloved girl?
Mrs. Davis
(Aside, to Derrick)
I think it might be time to bring in some of your boys to take care of this "cousin."
Got it.
(Derrick exits.)
Mr. Davis
Can I have my cafe con leche?
When you pay for it.
(Enter Mrs. Rodriquez. She starts gathering food.)
Mr. Davis
(to Stewie)
This one never pays for anything.
Mrs. Rodriquez your line of credit has been cut off.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Excuse me! Do I know you, chico?
I'm Stewie, Shawntee's cousin.
Mr. Davis
He's her business partner and a lawyer.
Mrs. Davis
So he says.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Well, Stewie, your cousin and me have an agreement. I used to own this store, so she let's me shop here for free.
Is this agreement written?
Mrs. Rodriquez
Ah, gordito, your cousin and me are amigas de por vida. We don't need no contract.
(Pulling out an envelope from his jacket's inside pocket.)
You do have a written lease. I have it right here and it says that that store comes "fully furnished" and "fully stocked." Neither is the case and Shawntee can sue you for breech of contract.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Sue me? Are you crazy? I don't have any money, that's why I have to do this.
Mr. Davis
Mr. Towzer has a law degree from St. John's University.
Mrs. Davis
So he says. Do you have your degree in the other pocket?
I'm serious, Mrs. Rodriquez.
Mrs. Rodriquez
But my children…
I wish them well. However, they are your responsibility, not mine.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Not even a bag of cheese doodles?
Nothing is free anymore.
Mrs. Rodriquez
(Aside, to Mr. and Mrs. Davis)
What a hard ass.
Mr. Davis
He was a Master Sergeant in the Marines.
Mrs. Davis
So he says. I haven't seen the discharge papers.
(Mrs. Rodriquez exits.)
Mrs. Davis
Good work, Stewie. Shawntee will be grateful that you got rid of that parasite.
Philanthropy is for those who can afford it, Mrs. Davis. My cousin cannot.
Mrs. Davis
I couldn't have put it better myself.
(Enter The Contractor)
The Contractor
Is Ms Stevens here?
No, she's not in today. I'm Stewie Towzer, her business partner.
The Contractor
You're the cousin who's the lawyer?
Mr. Davis
And former Marine. He served in Iraq, if I'm not mistaken.
The Contractor
I sent her my bill for the shelves.
(Taking an envelope from the other inside pocket of his suit jacket) Yes, I have it right here. Twenty-five hundred dollars is entirely too much.
The Contractor
I don't barter. That's my bill.
I can give you a thousand.
The Contractor
A thousand? Is this a joke? That doesn't even cover my expenses.
Okay. Take them away.
The Contractor
Take the shelves down?
And be quick about it. I have a business to run.
The Contractor
You can't sell your groceries from the floor.
I can if I have to.
The Contractor
Okay. I'll go out to my van and get my tools.
Please do.
Mrs. Davis
Do you think Mr. Towzer is made of money?
(The Contractor starts to exit. He hesitates, stops, turns around to face Stewie.)
The Contractor
These shelves were made to measure. They're no use anywhere else.
The Contractor
You bastard. Take the shelves. Pay what you want.
(Writing him a check)
Good doing business with you.
(The Contractor exits.)
Mr. Davis
Where'd you learn to be that tough, in Iraq?
No, Nostrand Avenue.
Mr. Davis
Of course.
And now it's your turn to leave.
Mrs. Davis
Excuse me! We're not going anywhere unless Shawntee herself asks us to leave.
Mr. Davis
And she won't because she's good. Everyone knows she's the Good Woman of Bushwick.
Mrs. Davis
With good reason.
Okay, if you want to be stubborn...
(Stewie goes to the door, waves. A Policeman enters.)
Good morning, Officer. I want to introduce myself. Stewie Towzer, Esquire and Retired Master Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corp, co-owner with my cousin Shawntee Stevens of this bodega.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Towzer. Where did you serve?
Two deployments to Iraq, one in Afghanistan.
(indicating himself)
Operation Dessert Storm.
(They bump fists.)
The name's Batista, Bobby Batista.
It's a pleasure, Officer Batista. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know that my cousin and I appreciate all that you and your fellow officers do for the community.
Mrs. Davis
(Aside to Mr. Davis)
If he keeps this up much longer Derrick and his crew will get back and they'll be trouble.
(indicating the Davises.)
These are some visitors, officer. They know my cousin. They were just leaving.
(Derrick and two of his crew burst through the door. They don't notice the Policeman.)
We're not going anywhere until Shawntee asks us to. Mr. Stewie Towzer, you jive ass lawyer and chicken shit ex-Marine, your hustle is over. You're the one who's leaving.
(Pulls out gun.)
Don't make me use this.
(gun drawn)
Drop your weapon!
Oh shit!
(Derrick drops his gun.)
All of you, up against the wall. I'm very sorry this happened at your store, Mr. Towzer.
I'm just grateful you were here, Officer Batista.
Ma, what just happened?
Mrs. Davis
Take care of yourself at Rikers, son.
(The Policeman leads Derrick and his boys out at gunpoint.)
Mrs. Davis
Where are we supposed to go?
Out the door.
(The Davises exit. Shaun enters.)
Is Shawntee around?
No, I'm her cousin Stewie.
(shaking hands)
What's happening, Stewie? I'm her friend Shaun. I just came by to tell her how much I appreciate her being good.
I just saved her store.
I appreciate that too.
Scene 5
(Shawntee on the Brooklyn Bridge. Behind her a young man, Wayne Shine, is standing on the rail, looking down at the river contemplating suicide. His back is to the audience. Shawntee doesn't notice him.)
Now that my cousin Stewie stops by to help me out now and then, I've been able to stabilize the business. It's not making money yet, but at least he's stopped the hemorrhaging. I've been able to hire Shaun part time. So I don't have to stay behind the counter twenty-four seven. Now, sometimes, I can take Sunday off and think about something other than where the next dollar's coming from. I found that I like to walk. I've been walking all over Brooklyn. Today I'm crossing the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. I've never walked across the bridge before. Isn't it beautiful? The blue sky, the green river, the silver buildings gleaming in the Sunday sun?
How corny can you get?
(Noticing him for the first time)
You heard me, who do you think you are, some brainiack poet or something?
No, I was just admiring the view. It's beautiful.
Is it?
Well, just look.
What good is beauty for people like us? Can you eat beauty? When the landlord wants his rent can you say, just look at this beautiful view and you'll have all the payment you need. When the cops stop and frisk me, can I say, "Officer, why stop me? Why not stop and take in the beauty of the night instead?" When my moms throws me out because her new boyfriend don't want me around, can I take solace in admiring the beauty of the flowers in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden? No, I cannot. First and foremost because it costs money to get into the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and I don't have any. Not a cent.
Is that why you're standing on the rail?
Why do you think? You know I'm not admiring the view.
Because your moms threw you out?
That and a lot of other shit.
Who's being corny now? Killing yourself is the corniest thing you can do. You should man-up.
(jumping down from the rail)
Who you telling to man-up, shortie? You don't know nothing about me. I was this far
(holds his thumb and forefinger very close)
this far from making it big time, but my dog stabbed me in the back. Took my rhymes, put them to a different beat and got him a fancy ass record deal. You know the song, "Red Hook Hell Raiser"? That's my lyrics.
You wrote that?
Damn straight.
I love that song.
You and everyone else on the planet. That fool be spiting my rhymes all over the radio, but I ain't seen a penny from that hit. That punk now drinking Crystal and I'm drinking the bitter dregs of disappointment.
"Bitter dregs of disappointment," now you sounding like a poet.
Well, I am a rapper. I just told you I wrote "Red Hook Hell Raiser."
Yes, you did. If you got all that talent, why you want to throw it into the East River?
Oh shit, girl, is that what you think I was doing? Naw, dog, I just wanted to see if I could fly.
(They both smile, maybe chuckle.)
What's your name?
Thanks, Shawntee. For stopping and talking.
Sure. No problem. You okay now?
I'm Wayne. Wayne Shine.
(He offers his hand. They shake hands.)
My hip-hop name's Rise and Shine. Pretty cool, huh?
Yeah, it's poetic.
Yeah, it is. But, yo, I'm sorry about being all up in your face. Why don't we stop talking about me, and change the subject to something less depressing—like you, for instance? What do you do, when you ain't walking across the Brooklyn Bridge on a Sunday afternoon saving crazy brothers from jumping?
I own a shop.
Say what?
A bodega in Bushwick.
How you own a bodega in Bushwick? Did some Angels come down from Heaven and give you a wad of money?
That's just how it happened.
You playing with me, girl? But that's okay, I deserve it. You really own a store?
Yeah, I do.
That's dope! Maybe those Angels gave you all that money so you could be my Angel.
I'm no Angel; believe me.
What you mean, you just saved my life didn't you? You're a good sister.
A good sister who has a store—and a beautiful smile.
Oh, so now beauty matters?
Now I'm not jumping off the bridge; I'm looking into your eyes.
Wayne, you're sweet. But I got to go…
Shawntee, I got this other song, even better than "Red Hook Hell Raiser." It's a fusion thing. With this one, I be bringing funk and hip-hop together. Boom! It' a hot combination. It's combustible, you know what I'm saying? It's called "East New York Boogaloo."
Sounds like a fun song.
Yeah, it is. The only problem is that I need studio time to lay down the tracks. And as you now know, I don't have any money. I'm beyond broke. Then, well, I'm going to be straight with you, Shawntee, the studio time is the least of it. I got this friend whose cousin knows Diddy's nephew. No joke. He can put my demo right in Diddy's hands. But he wants money upfront to get it to Diddy. All and all, I need five grand.
That's a lot of money.
Yeah, you can see why I was so bummed out. But if I could find someone to front me, once "East New York Boogaloo" takes off we'd both be rolling in the dough.
I don't have that kind of money, besides we just met.
I know Shawntee, I'm sorry. I know what that must have sounded like. It's just that I've been so hungry for so long.
I got to go now.
Sure, of course, I understand. Where you going? Can I walk with you?
I thought I'd walk over to Occupy Wall Street and see what that's like.
Aren't they just a bunch of crazy white dudes?
Yeah, maybe, but I like what they've saying. I mean we're part of the ninety-nine percent aren't we?
Word. But if I could get my demo to Diddy, I could be part of the one percent.
Wayne, you're even crazier than I thought.
Scene 6
(Shaun and Mrs. Rodriquez are in the bodega.)
Mrs. Rodriquez
Where is she?
She's not here.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Was she out all night again?
Mrs. Rodriquez, that's none of your business. I wouldn't tell you, even if I knew.
Mrs. Rodriquez
No sooner did we get rid of that loco cousin of hers, than she goes and falls for that gangster.
He's not a gangster; he's a rapper.
Mrs. Rodriquez
What's the difference?
Okay, Mrs. Rodriquez, can I get you something?
Mrs. Rodriquez
Do you think I just came in here to gossip? I've come to stock up.
You got the food stamps yet?
Mrs. Rodgriguez
No, but you know Shawntee lets me take formula for the Emily, because he's just a baby and needs to be fed, food stamps or not.
(As Mrs. Rodriquez asks for each item, Shaun gives it to her.)
Mrs. Rodriquez
And orange soda for Teresa, she's four and loves her orange soda.
I like orange soda too.
Mrs. Rodriquez
I can see that some of Shawntee's goodness is rubbing off on you. And all the kids want their cheese doodles. It's hard to enjoy Sponge Bob Square Pants without cheese doodles.
Of course, and would they like some Hostess cup cakes too?
Mrs. Rodriquez
Twinkies. They like the Twinkies, not the cup cakes.
Oh, I forgot.
Mrs. Rodriquez
It's you who like the cup cakes.
Right, I do. I love the surprise filling
(Enter Shawntee.)
(to the audience)
How wonderful to see Brooklyn in the early morning. I never used to wake up early; I never wanted to face the day, and when I had to, when the alarm clock ripped into my dreams, it was to work in the dinner or the shop. I never walked the streets just as the sun tip-toes the around the corners and dances off the window panes. This morning I saw the garbage men picking up the trash and watched as with graceful arches they threw the heavy, black bags into their noisy, hungry trucks. The arms of the men are so strong and the jaws of their trucks swallowed it all so gratefully. Then, as the sun grew brighter and lit up the concrete and the asphalt and splashed on the windshields of the cars, I saw the street cleaning machines with their giant brushes scrubbing the face of the city. When I turned off Broadway onto Myrtle Avenue, the shopkeepers began rolling up their gates, turning on the water and hosing down the sidewalk. I passed sleepy workers stumbling toward the bus stops, while others walked wearily down from the elevated, worn out after a long night of cleaning the big office towers or working the night shift at a hospital or unloading freight at the airport. The sound of an ambulance siren in the distance married the squeal of the L Train as it rounded a curve. How wonderful to feel part of such a big nosy city!
Mrs. Rodriquez
(to Shaun)
Boy, does she have it bad!
Good morning, Mrs. Rodriquez, how are the kids?
Mrs. Rodriquez
They're okay. But you, chica, you have me worried.
I'm feeling great.
Mrs. Rodriquez
I can see that, Shawntee, and that's why I'm worried. In this world it's not so great to feel great. I know men. They're all cariñosa until the get what they want. And usually they only want two things—sex and money.
(to Shaun)
No offence, Shaun
Wayne's not like that. He's an artist, and he has big plans.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Plans for what?
We're going to Los Angeles and he's going to become a big rap star.
Say what?
Yes, I gave him five thousand dollars to make a demo and get it to Diddy. And he did it and Diddy digs it and played it for Suge and Suge likes it, so he wants Wayne to come out and do an album.
He's a Brooklyn boy and he's going to L.A.?
Oh Shaun, that's so nineties.
Mrs. Rodriguez
You gave that mocosa five thousand dollars?
The rent on the store is due next Thursday.
I forgot about that.
How could you forget? We're could lose the store.
Soon I'll be going with Wayne to the Hollywood Hills. In the meantime, we'll figure it out. Mrs. Rodriguez, take a Sprite too. Doesn't Francisco like Sprite?
Mrs. Rodriquez
Yes, he does.
(Shaun hands her a bottle of Sprite.)
Thanks. Now let me give you something, Shawntee, the painful wisdom of experience: For a woman love is a curse.
(Mrs. Rodriquez exits with her bags of food. The Apparently Homeless Man enters.)
Apparently Homeless Man
Shawntee, it's great that you're here. I'm desperate for a smoke.
Here, have a carton. On a day like today with the sun shining and the trees blooming, you should smoke as much as you want.
Apparently Homeless Man
Thank you. I will.
(Apparently Homeless Man puts carton of cigarettes under his arm and exits.)
When you give him a carton, he sells it on the street.
Everyone has to make a living.
Shawntee, I appreciate your goodness. I really do. But think you should text your cousin. We need him now.
Scene 7
(Shawntee is sitting alone on a bench in Maria Hernandez Park. An elderly couple, George and Winnie Hawkins, enter hand in hand.)
Mrs. Hawkins
Why, hello Shawntee, what are you doing here all by yourself?
Mr. Hawkins
I didn't recognize you, I'm so used to seeing you in the bodega.
Mrs. Hawkins
We take a walk through the park every morning. We've never seen you here before.
I've never been here before, not in the morning anyway.
Mrs. Hawkins
Who's watching the store?
Shaun's there, Mrs. Hawkins.
Mr. Hawkins
You look down, girl. What's up?
I'm afraid I've gotten myself into a situation.
Mrs. Hawkins
Does it have to do with that young man of yours?
Sort of, I gave him all the money I had saved so that he could make a demo and get it to Diddy. Now the rent is due and I can't pay it.
Mr. Hawkins
Who's Diddy?
Mrs. Hawkins
He's a big rap producer. He used to be called Puffed Up Daddy. Isn't that right dear?
Puff Daddy. His real name's Sean Combs.
Mrs, Hawkins
I used to teach school with his mother Janice before they moved up to Mount Vernon.
Mr. Hawkins
Why so many names?
I don't know, but I can understand it. We all have more than one person inside us, don't you think? Sometimes you just got to be someone else.
Mr. Hawkins
Not me. I've always been George Leonard Alonso Hawkins III. Worked as a conductor for the MTA since I was twenty. Same name, same job.
Mrs. Hawkins
You've been my Mr. Sure and Steady, George.
(She squeezes his hand.)
You were lucky to have the same job, with benefits and all, all your life.
Mr. Hawkins
I sure was. I owe it all to the union.
I don't know what I'm gonna do if I lose the store. I don't want to go back to my old line of work.
Mrs. Hawkins
Don't talk like that, child. You will not go back to your old line of work.
We were going to fly out to L.A. together so he could record his CD. But now I can't buy us no plane tickets. Without the store, I won't be able to afford even a Metrocard!
Mrs. Hawkins
Shawntee dear, Mr. Hawkins and I have been talking. We think it's wonderful that you've found such a nice young man and that you're in love.
Mr. Hawkins
We've been in love for forty years, and I don't think I could have made it without Winnie.
Mrs. Hawkins
We've been able to build a good life together, and we want you to have a chance at a good life too.
Mr. Hawkins
As I said to Winnie just yesterday, "Winnie," I said. "Given all the good things Shawntee does for the people of this community, she deserves to be happy. I hope nothing goes wrong for her." And now it has.
Mrs. Hawkins
What is the rent on the store?
Twenty-five hundred dollars.
(Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins look at each other. He nods.)
Mrs. Hawkins
We've got a little savings. We can lend you the $2,500 to cover the rent. As soon as the store starts making money again, you can pay us back.
You're willing to lend money to a person like me?
Mrs. Hawkins
It's people like you who need it.
Mr. Hawkins
I wouldn't lend it to that cousin of yours, but you're a good kid.
(Mr. Hawkins takes out a checkbook, writes a check, and hands it to Shawntee.)
Thank you, I'll pay you back as soon as I can.
Mrs. Hawkins
Now we have to get home and drink some of that great Bustelo coffee we buy at your place.
(Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins exit.)
(to the audience)
I wish the Angels were here. Those are two good people—really!
Scene 8
(The bodega. Stewie Towzer is behind the counter, reading a paper. Mrs. Rodriguez is talking. Stewie takes little notice of her.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
There are rumors, Mr. Towzer, rumors about your cousin and this rapper, Rise and Shine. They say he's taking advantage of her, using her money to do God knows what. I mean he's from Red Hook Houses; a real cholo, if you know what I mean. You don't want people talking trash about Shawntee do you? After all, she's the Good Woman of Bushwick.
Mrs. Rodriguez, I really don't care what people say, as long as they continue to buy their groceries here.
Mrs. Rodriguez
I can understand that, Mr. Towzer, I really can. You're a businessman, after all. So let me speak from the heart. I'm worried about her. She's in love. Do you know what happens to a woman when she falls in love? She loses her head; she lives in her dreams. It's a sickness; enamorado we call it in Spanish. Believe me, I know. I'm telling you all this because I care for Shawntee. She's been good to me and my kids.
Thank you for you concern, Mrs. Rodriguez. I'm sure Shawntee can take care of herself.
Mrs. Rodriguez
I don't know why you think so. There's no evidence that she can. Look what's happened to this store. She couldn't take care of it, now could she? Her goodness, or as I think of it, her naiveté, gets in her way. If it wasn't for you, she'd have lost this store months ago and be back on the street. So that's why I'm coming to you. You need to help her again. Here's the deal: a certain interest has been expressed in Shawntee by Reverend Russell.
The Reverend Russell?
Mrs. Rodgriquez
Yes, the Reverend Russell, pastor of one of the largest churches in all of central Brooklyn. He's recently widowed and…
Isn't he old enough to be her grandfather?
Mrs. Rodriguez
So what? He's still a handsome man—and a rich one I might add. She'd be set for life as the second wife of the Right Reverend Ralph Russell.
What about her being in love with Wayne Shine?
Mrs. Rodriguez
That's just my point, Mr. Towzer. She'd be much better off with some money in her purse than with all that love in her heart. It's safer in the long run; believe me.
And why would Reverend Russell he be interested in my cousin, given her former profession…
Mrs. Rodriguez
As I understand it, and I understand it on very good authority, he's impressed with how Shawntee has pulled herself up by her bootstraps, how she has transformed herself from a fallen woman to a businesswoman. And then there's her goodness. Everyone knows how kind and charitable she's been. It wouldn't hurt him to be married to the Good Woman of Bushwick. It might help his business, so to speak.
(Enter Wayne Shine.)
Is this Shawntee's bodega?
Mrs. Rodriguez
Yes, it is, and who are you chico?
I'm Wayne Shine.
Mrs. Rodriguez
You're Rise and Shine?
You've heard of me?
Mrs. Rodriguez
Plenty, from Shawntee.
All good, no doubt.
Can I help you?
I've come to see Shawntee.
She's not here. I'm her cousin and business partner, Stewie Towzer.
What's happenin' Stew? She told me about you. You're the lawyer. I guess you about know about us, huh?
(Checking out the store.)
Nice place she has here. I thought maybe she was just frontin'
Mrs. Rodriguez
She's an honest girl; it's one of her faults.
It was decent of her to give me the money for my demo and stuff.
Yes, it was. Did you come to thank her?
Yeah, sure, and I need more.
More what?
Money, man.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Of course you do.
No, seriously. It costs money to get to L.A. Plane tickets don't grow on trees. And then, once I'm there, there's hotel rooms, there's new clothes, there's parties. Shawntee is down with helping me with my career.
She has already helped you quite a bit.
True, but she promised to do whatever she could to help me with my career.
Perhaps my cousin was overhasty in making you promises.
Shawntee's not a girl to keep a man waiting, for one thing or another if you catch my drift.
I catch your drift. What I mean, Mr. Shine, is that she may be making promises she can't keep. Her resources are limited. She is barely paying the rent each month.
It looks like a healthy business to me.
Mrs. Rodriguez
What do you know about business? Shawntee gives all the profits away to bums like you. If it weren't for Mr. Towzer there'd be no store.
Excuse me, lady, I don't want to be rude like you, but I'm not just any bum; I'm her man.
Mrs. Rodriquez
¡Ay! Caramba!
What do you need to get to Los Angeles, Mr. Shine?
Two thousand dollars should be a good start.
Mrs. Rodriguez
That's a month's rent on the store.
You take me for a sucker? A plane ticket can't be more than $300.
Like I explained, son, there's a life style to maintain when I get there.
That's more than she can afford right now. Would you consider staying here and working with Shawntee at the shop? It's just her and Shaun. She could use the help.
What? Me? Spending my life behind the counter? Do I look like some bodega clerk selling loosies and beer all night? Shit, I'm an artist.
Mrs. Rodriguez
You're a thug from Red Hook Houses.
Do I know you, lady? Why you talking trash like that?
You could still work on your rhymes. Plenty of great rappers come out of Brooklyn. Isn't your hoped for hit called "East New York Bogaloo"?
No doubt, but I got a contract with Suge's Black Kapital Records. I wouldn't want to mess with Suge, would you?
My cousin wishes to follow the dictates of her heart. She has authorized me to give you what you need.
(He writes a check, hands it to Wayne.)
Two thousand dollars.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Are you crazy in your brain cells?
Now you and Shawntee can get your tickets and reservations at a good hotel.
Mrs. Rodriguez
What about the rent?
Me and Shawntee?
She assumes you're going together.
Hey, I like Shawntee and all, don't get me wrong, but I can't have her tagging along. She'll cramp my style; you know what I'm talking about.
Mr. Shine, my cousin may cancel that check when she finds out you're leaving her behind.
Man, you don't know shorties, do you? She'll want me to go, even without her.
She's not stupid.
Maybe not, but all I have to do is put my hand on her shoulder and she hears bells.
Mr. Shine, my cousin is devoted to you … because …
Because I have my hands on her breasts.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Sucio cochino.
Okay, I get it. No problem. I'll take Shawntee with me. Just make sure this check clears. Tell Shawntee to call me.
(Wayne exits.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
You lost the store.
It's what she wants.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Well, she's a fool. And now so are you. You can't trust Shawntee with that little hustler. Just remember what I said about Reverend Russell.
(Mrs. Rodriguez exits.)
(Stewie takes off his mask. He is Shawntee.)
(to the audience)
I've lost the bodega. And he doesn't love me. I've caught some bad breaks in life, but falling in love is the worst.
Scene 9
(Shawntee is sitting on the same bench in Maria Hernandez Park where she met Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins. Enter Shaun.)
There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. The landlord came by this afternoon. He says we're a month behind on the rent.
I know.
Where you been? You're not answering your phone. I had to shut the store and search all over Bushwick. That's not good for business.
Shaun, something terrible has happened. You know Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins?
Sure, the nice old couple who buy a can of Bustelo every week.
They lent me the money to pay the rent last month …
Wow, that's cool, finally someone being good to the Good Woman of Bushwick.
The terrible thing is Mr. Hawkins just had a stroke. Mrs. Hawkins came by today. She was very sorry, but they need me to pay them back. Her husband has to learn to walk again, and his insurance has such a big co-pay on the physical therapy, it's gonna take months and months and they can't afford it.
Yeah, that's pretty bad.
And I don't have the money. I gave it to Wayne yesterday so he can go to Los Angeles.
That's even worse.
What can I do?
You can cancel the check to Wayne.
He wants this so bad, Shaun. He's had so many disappointments. His best friend was shot dead. His other best friend stole his song. His moms threw him out. He's wanted to be a rap star since he was a little kid. Signing this contract with Suge and going out to Los Angeles means so much to him. If this falls through I just don't know what he'll do. Everyone should have a chance at happiness.
Mr. Hawkins can't walk.
Wayne can't rap.
He can rap all he wants; he just won't get rich from it.
You're right. I can't stiff Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins. It really is their money and they really need it. Aside from you, they're the only people who have ever been nice to me.
You'll still loose the store …
Maybe not. Mrs. Rodriguez says that Reverend Russell has shown a certain interest in … helping … me.
The Reverend Ralph Russell?
Yes, the Reverend Russell.
What kind of interest?
The kind of interest that will keep the store open.
Scene 10
(Wayne is standing in the bodega alone. There is a carton of soda in front of the counter.)
(to the audience)
The bitch. I can't believe she did this to me! I go to deposit the check and they tell me it's no good. She cancelled payment. Those tight-ass niggers in the bank look at me like I'm some kind of scam artist. It's not her; it's that cousin of hers. She would never do this to the man she loves. If I can only get her alone.
(Shawntee enters from the back of the store.)
Why'd you do it?
Because the money wasn't mine, I owed it to Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins.
Who the hell are they?
Wayne, I couldn't give you what's not mine.
That cousin of yours wants to break us up.
And you've agreed to it.
They've told you I'm bad.
(Shawntee is silent.)
And I suppose I am. Does that mean I love you any less? I have no money, that's no secret. When you don't have enough, you don't always do the right thing. I've been desperate. You know that. But at least I don't give up. I keep fighting. And so do you. That's what we have in common.
(He is close to her now.)
Have you no eyes? Look at me. Have you forgotten already?
"The blue sky, the green river, the silver buildings gleaming in the Sunday sun."
Wayne, what do you want?
I want you to come with me. We'll fly across the country to Los Angeles. We'll start a new life in the Hollywood Hills.
That costs money, lots of money. I don't have any.
Don't lie to me, Shawntee.
I'm not. If I don't find some soon, I'm losing the store.
(Enter Mrs. Rodriguez with Reverend Russell.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
And this, Reverend Russell, is the shop …
(She stops when she sees Wayne. To Shawntee.)
What's he doing here?
(Looking back and forth between Reverend Russell and Shawntee.)
I see what's going on. Once a ho, always a ho.
(Wayne exits.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
I'm sorry Reverend …
Reverend Russell
No need to apologize. Our community is full of low lifes.
Mrs. Rodriguez
This, of course, is Ms Shawntee Stevens.
Reverend Russell
I know, Mrs. Rodriguez, I know. I have seen Ms Shawntee Stevens at block parties and community events ever since she was a young girl. She sometimes waited on me at Tina's dinner.
Yes, you like the buttermilk pancakes with blueberry syrup.
Reverend Russell
How sweet that you remember. And I must say, Shawntee, if I may call you Shawntee …
You may.
Reverend Russell
… yes, I must say that you have grown lovelier with each year. You have blossomed into a beautiful young woman.
Thank you.
Reverend Russell
However, it is not your physical beauty that drew me here, Shawntee, but your spiritual beauty. After all, what is beauty of the flesh? It struts briefly on the runway of life, a transient distraction, disappearing into the shadows all too soon. Dust to dust. Ashes to ashes. No, it is your good deeds, not your good looks, which have brought me to your bodega.
I'm honored.
Reverend Russell
It is I who is honored, for I know what you have been through and I know what you have done. I know all. You have sacrificed you own love and happiness so that you would not hurt the sweet elderly couple that put their trust in you. That young man from Red Hook couldn't rise to your level, so you left him behind. And now, now that I learn from Mrs. Rodriguez that you are about to lose your little shop, this haven for the hungry, this resting place for the weary, well, I cannot let it happen. Morning after morning, I had my driver cruise by your shop in my Lincoln Continental watching, tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat, as you handed out rice and beans, bagels and cream cheese, Wonder Bread and Hostess cupcakes to all who were in need. And so it is that you, the Good Woman of Bushwick, now find yourself in need. Is the Good Woman to disappear? Not if I have anything to do with it. Say nothing. Allow me to help.
(He takes out a check from his jacket pocket.)
Here! A blank check. Just my signature. Fill it out as you will. I ask nothing in return other than you continue your good work. You are a flower blooming amidst the garbage. I now take my leave, lovely ladies. I hope to see you in church.
(Reverend Russell exits.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
Well, you're saved. Don't thank me; just fill in the check.
I don't know if I can.
Mrs. Rodriguez
Of course you can. This is the best deal you're ever going to get. Don't blow it.
Maybe we can find some other way to raise the money.
Mrs. Rodriguez
After all the work I did to arrange this? Believe me, you could do worse with your life, I did.
I appreciate it, Mrs. Rodriguez, I really do…
Mrs. Rodriguez
You're not still thinking about that rapper are you?
When I heard the sneer in his voice, I was afraid. But when I saw the fear in his eyes, I loved him dearly.
Mrs. Rodriguez
¡Ay, Dios mio!
(Goes to pick up a carton of soda.)
Let me put that in the back.
(As she bends over to pick up the carton, she gets faint.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
You feel dizzy when you bend over? There couldn't be a little visitor on the way, could there? If that's it, you can forget Reverend Russell's check; it wasn't meant to pay for a baby shower, at least not a shower for Rise and Shine's kid. Now you're trapped, like me. Yo renuncio.
(Mrs. Rodriguez exits. Shawntee stares after her for moment. Then she looks down at her body, feels her stomach.)
Wow. A new life is coming into the world. I don't know whether to dance or cry. I'm scared. I don't know if I can take care of you; I can hardly take care of myself. I'm happy. It feels like early in the morning when I walk through Brooklyn and everything seems possible.
(She imagines a little boy to be present and introduces him to the audience.)
Take a look at the world, my son. That's a truck. It brings food to stores like ours from farms out in the country, New Jersey, I think. That's the elevated train; it brings people into work in the city. Over there is Maria Hernandez Park. You see those pretty green things? Those are trees. And that's the Brooklyn Museum. It's got all kinds of wonderful things in it. At least that's what Mrs. Hawkins told me. I've walked past it but I've never gone in. Now that you're here, we'll go together. And wait until you see Manhattan, son. It's totally awesome. All of this has been build by people like you, little one. That's easy to forget or to never think about. But you coming into the world makes me think about it. Who knows what you will be able to do once you're here?
Take a look at the world, my son. You see that man eating food out of the dumpster? That's because he can't find a job and has no money to buy food. You see that kid on the corner? He has a gun in his jacket. He needs it for protection. He's trying to make some money to help his mother and little sister. I hope you never have to do that; he'll get shot by some other kids or by the cops. You see Mrs. Hawkins coming down the street with such a sad face? She going to the drug store to get medicine for Mr. Hawkins, but their money is running out. What are they going to do then? All of this has been created by people like you, little one. That's easy to forget or to never think about. We created this mess and we don't know how to get out of it. But you coming into the world makes me think about it. Who knows what you'll be able to do once you're here?
But I know what I have to do once you're here. I'll have to defend you and I'll have to teach you. To be good to you, my son, I'll be a wolf to others, if I have to. And I will have to. One more time then, I have to find my cousin.
Scene 11
(Shaun in the bodega alone.)
(to the audience)
Shawntee's gone missing again. This job of being good doesn't pay and it's really stressing her out. It's stressing me out, and I'm not even trying to be good. All I'm trying to do is save enough money for a month's rent and a security deposit so I can get an apartment and not have to sleep on the L Train anymore. But it's not looking good. I'm really glad I kept my space at Wycoff Self-Storage. When Shawntee loses the store, I can go back to selling stuff on the street, although I may have to move my operation to another neighborhood. That guy who used come in all the time bumming cigarettes is now selling DVDs at the corner of Knickerbocker and Snydam, where I used to work.
(Enter Stewie Towzer.)
Shaun, Shawntee will be away for a while. She's gone to visit family down south. I'll be running things while she gone.
I didn't know she had family down south.
Of course she does. South Carolina. Her aunts—my mother and my mother's sister.
Okay. When's she coming back?
When she's ready. Listen, Shaun, if we're going to get this store in the black, and we are, I'm going to need your help. Even without Shawntee around giving everything away, a little bodega like this is never go to make big bucks, and that's what we want—big bucks. We need a competitive edge, a market advantage, a way, in short, to accumulate more capital than the other bodegas in Bushwick. That's where you come in.
Where? I don't know how to make money.
Ah, but you do. Shawntee tells me that when you were a street vendor you didn't just sell DVDs, that you sometimes supplemented your earnings by selling cigarettes, cigarettes smuggled across state lines and therefore cigarettes for which you didn't have to pay taxes, cigarettes which you could therefore sell cheaper than we could in the store.
What if I did?
It shows you have the instincts of a businessman. What I need you to do, Shaun, is go to your contacts and get us those cigarettes—lots of them, truck loads. If we can buy them much cheaper than the competition, we can sell them just a little cheaper and still make more money.
And where are you going to get the money to buy truckloads of cigarettes?
Reverend Russell very kindly made a generous contribution toward my cousin's good works.
This is not your cousin's good works.
You never know; money works in mysterious ways.
It's against the law, Mr. Towzer.
I know.
You're a lawyer, aren't you supposed to uphold the law?
Lawyers make the best crooks. Since we know the rules, we naturally know our way around them as well.
I'm not sure Shawntee would like this.
May I remind you, Shaun, that Shawntee at one time sold her body to men. That is also against the law.
She was just doing what she had to pay the bills.
And, we too, are just doing what we have to do to pay the bills.
I don't like breaking the law; it makes me nervous.
You broke the law every day you were on the street. You're supposed to have a vendor's license from the city. Did you?
No, a license costs money.
Exactly. My experience has been that most laws are written by rich people for poor people to obey. We no longer want to be poor, do we?
Truckloads of contraband cigarettes?
Truckloads. We're going to have to do some bad shit to help the Good Woman of Bushwick stay good.
Scene 12
(Shaun sleeping on the L Train. The three Angels appear. Third Angel has his arm in a sling.)
Wow! What happened to you?
Third Angel
Let's just say, you humans can be pretty hostile …
Second Angel
… and violent.
I guess this means you haven't found any other good people.
First Angel
Third Angel
How's Shawntee doing?
I wish I knew. Her cousin says she's down South visiting family, but it's been months already. She's not answering her phone and her cousin won't give me any other number. He says she wants a real vacation, no calls.
Second Angel
Visiting family is good.
I guess. But I'm worried. Stewie, that's her cousin, he's running the store now and business is booming.
Second Angel
Booming is good, no?
No, well, yes, I guess. It's going so well that he's opened another store five blocks away. But he's selling bootleg cigarettes and, well, paying his workers below minimum wage. That's why it's booming.
First Angel
That makes him a job creator. Job creators are good. We learned that from Fox News.
Illustrious ones, what if Stewie has done something bad to Shawntee? Couldn't you use your Angel power to find her and make sure she's okay? Maybe bring her back to Bushwick?
First Angel
Oh no. We're not supposed to intervene in human affairs. That's how my colleague got his arm broken.
Second Angel
We just have to find good people; we've found one …
And maybe lost her …
Third Angel
You humans always think the worst.
Can you blame us?
First Angel
No, Shaun, based on our time in your world, I can't blame you, but our mission here is limited. We're not detectives, we're Angels.
Second Angel
Yes, but if the one good person in the world is gone, then haven't we've failed in our mission?
Third Angel
She's not gone; she's visiting family down South.
Second Angel
What if Shaun's worries are justified? After all, humans do lie a lot. And this cousin appears to be making a lot of money from her store.
First Angel
(To Shaun)
We're going to have to discuss this. We'll get back to you.
Scene 13
(Stewie Towzer and Wayne Shine in the bodega.)
You've been doing a good job, Shine.
Thank you, sir. I appreciate the opportunity you've given me.
I knew you needed a job after that Los Angles deal fell through and I had a feeling you had the ruthlessness I needed for this roll-out.
It's been quite a ride, sir. Six stores opened in seven months.
The Good Woman Bodega chain is now firmly established throughout central Brooklyn.
Our cheap cigarettes draw customers like flies.
Yeah, we've done well, with our "competitive edge."
(They chuckle.)
But listen, Shine, I want that store on New Lots Avenue. What's holding things up? That location will give us access to the Linden Houses. Do you realize there's 19 buildings in that project?
The landlady's being stubborn, sir. She's asking Brooklyn Heights rent in East New York. But I think I can get her price down. She's taken a shine to me. You know what I'm saying?
Not exactly.
If I nibble on her neck, she'll come down.
Naw, dog, I don't want to use you like that.
Shit, man, it's just business.
(Enter Shaun.)
What're you doing here, Shaun? Who's watching the store on Fulton Avenue?
You remember Mr. Davis? He works there with me now.
Yeah, yeah, and you remember to watch him like I told you. I don't want that old freeloader robbing me blind.
You can trust him, Stewie.
I don't trust anyone; trust's not helpful in business.
Well, he's grateful for the job, and with Derrick upstate for five years, I think he's learned his lesson.
So what's up, Shaun? Wayne and I were talking business…
What about her?
It's been seven months now. People are talking.
People are always talking. They haven't got anything better to do.
A good person isn't easily forgotten.
I've told you and everyone else a million times; she's down south. Maybe she wants to stay there. She likes the weather.
People are worried that something bad's happened to her.
What could be bad? I turned her failing little store into the first bodega chain in Brooklyn.
Yeah, and gotten fat in the process.
Sure, I've put on some pounds, well, a lot of pounds, but what's wrong with that? Shawntee wants me to get my share.
Are you accusing Mr. Towzer of foul play? Because if you are …
(Enter Reverend Russell and Mrs. Rodriguez.)
Reverend Russell
I am! Seven months ago I donated a large sum, a very large sum, to further the good deeds of Ms Shawntee Stevens, the Good Woman of Bushwick. My donation was not used to feed the hungry or shelter the homeless. No, indeed not, bank records show it was used to roll out the Good Woman Bodega chain across Brooklyn. And in the process, the good deeds come to an end and the Good Woman herself disappeared.
She didn't disappear, Reverend. I was just explaining to Shaun. She's safe and sound with her aunts in South Carolina. She has left the business in my hands and I have done well by her.
Reverend Russell
What you have done well, Mr. Towzer, is commit fraud. You had no right to cash that check.
Ah, but I did. I'm her business partner. Would you like to see the partnership papers?
You old hypocrite, you didn't donate money for Shawntee's good deeds. You donated the money because you wanted to get into her pants.
Reverend Russell
Young man, do you know who you're talking to?
Damn straight I do.
Mrs. Rodgriquez
I have something very important to tell you all. Before she disappeared, Shawntee was pregnant.
Say what?
She's lying.
Shawntee pregnant?
(to Stewie)
So that's why you sent her away, so I wouldn't know. There's a little Rise and Shine on the way, and his moms disappears? That's not cool, man.
What do you care? Didn't you walk out on her?
Mrs. Rodriguez
Su verdad, when she wouldn't give you the money to go to L.A., you left.
Naw, naw. It's ain't like that.
(to Stewie)
I didn't know she was pregnant. You should tell me how to reach her, man.
Why're you so concerned, all of a sudden? All this time and you haven't mentioned her once.
Let's just say, I haven't altogether lost interest in her. Besides, she's pregnant and needs a friend.
She's not pregnant.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Then where is she?
Reverend Russell
Mr. Towzer, the community is concerned about the welfare of Shawntee Stevens and I've asked the police to investigate. Officer Batista, will you come in please?
(Enter Policeman.)
I'm sorry, Mr. Towzer, there've been a number missing persons reports filed at the station and a lot of people on the street think that you're depriving Ms Stevens of her freedom, or worse. Not that I believe everything I hear, but Reverend Russell is concerned.
Reverend Russell and the rest of Bushwick.
Feel free to search the store and the apartment; I have nothing to hide.
(Policeman and Shaun exit to search.)
Mrs. Rodriguez
(to Wayne)
Now that the Good Woman Bodegas are a big chain, you're suddenly interested in her again.
Chill, lady, you never did like me.
Mrs. Rodriguez
With good reason.
(Policeman re-enters.)
Well, she's not here. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Towzer.
(Shaun rushes on.)
Look! I found a bag with her clothes under the bed. He's killed her.
Are those her clothes?
Mrs. Rodriguez
They are.
Mr. Towzer, I can't tell you how sorry I am to have to do this to a fellow vet, but unless you can tell me where she is, you're under arrest for the murder of Shawntee Stevens.
(Policeman handcuffs Stewie.)
This is ridiculous. Thank goodness we still have justice in America. This'll be cleared up in no time.
Scene 14
(The Brooklyn County Court House. All the major characters are in attendance except Derrick, who is in jail, and Mr. Hawkins, who has died. On stage are: Stewie, Wayne, Mrs. Rodriguez, Reverend Russell, Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis, the Contractor, the Apparently Homeless Man, Mrs. Hawkins, and the Policeman. Stewie looks confident and poised. The rest are in various states of agitation, anger and worry.)
Mrs. Rodriquez
(to Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Hawkins)
The judge is a friend of Mr. Towzer.
Mrs. Hawkins
That's not fair.
Mrs. Davis
What's fair in this world, Mrs. Hawkins?
Mrs. Hawkins
But it's a conflict of interest; he should recuse himself.
It's even worse than that, Mrs. Hawkins. Last night Stewie, who's out on bail, paid a visit to the judge's house. I followed him to Brooklyn Heights. I'm pretty sure they had a few drinks and Stewie left the judge with a big check.
Mrs. Davis
Money talks.
Mrs. Rodriguez
And Mr. Towzer walks.
All rise, the honorable Judge Thomas …
(The three Angels, in judge's robes enter.)
First Angel
The honorable Judge Thomas Clarence has taken ill with a sudden stomach flu. He sends his regrets. But have no fear, a special judicial panel …
Second Angel
… consisting of us …
First Angel
… has been empaneled to hear evidence in the case of the People verses Stewart Towzer, esquire and former Marine Master Sargent …
Third Angel
… on charges stemming from the disappearance of Ms. Shawntee Stevens, aka, the Good Woman of Bushwick.
First Angel
Please be seated.
(Stewie almost faints. The Policeman holds him up.)
What happened to your friend the judge?
(Stewie shrugs and shakes his head.)
Mr. Davis
New judges? That's probably good, isn't it?
(He has recognized the Angels.)
In this case, very good.
I never heard of three judges for one case.
Apparently Unemployed Man
This is a special case.
You don't know how special.
First Angel
We call our first witness, Officer Bobby Batista.
(Policeman goes to witness stand.)
Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
I do.
Second Angel
We understand that on the occasion of Stewie Towzer's arrest you searched the original Good Woman Bodega and found in the upstairs apartment these clothes
(He takes the clothes out of the bag)
belonging to the missing Shawntee Stevens.
Yes, we found those clothes, but I have no proof that they belong to Shawntee.
Third Angel
Thank you, you may step down.
Your honors, I would like to make a statement about the character of Mr. Stewie Towzer.
First Angel
You were not called to the stand as a character witness.
I realize that your honor, but Mr. Stewie Towzer is a pillar of the Bushwick community and with all due respect I think you need to take that into account. He has transformed a bodega that was about to close into a six-store chain that's still growing. He's a successful small businessman. Our country needs more successful small businessmen. They are the bedrock of our economy. It's entrepreneurs like Stewie Towzer that make America great. Need I say more?
Second Angel
It wouldn't hurt.
He's also a crime fighter, your honors. He has stood up to the forces of lawlessness and chaos in our community. With his help, I apprehended an armed gang that as about to rob his cousin's store, a gang led by a young hood who prior to his arrest was an uninvited guest in his cousin's apartment, who laid around the store drinking 40s and smoking dope all day.
Third Angel
Thank you, you Officer Batista.
You're welcome. And in conclusion, let me add that Stewie Towzer is both an attorney sworn to uphold the law and a veteran of the U.S. Marines, a former Master Sergeant, who spent two deployments in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. It seems to me, as a proud fifteen-year veteran of the New York Police Department, that that Mr. Stewie Towzer is not capable of committing the crime of which he is accused.
First Angel
Mr. Towzer, we thank you for your service. Officer Batista, you may step down.
(Policeman steps down.)
Second Angel
We call to the stand, Mrs. Leticia Padilla Rodriguez.
(Mrs. Rodriquez comes to the stand.)
Third Angel
Mrs. Rodriguez, do you swear to tell the truth …
First Angel
(interrupting him)
To save time, does everyone here promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
We do!
First Angel
Good. Proceed.
Second Angel
(holding up the clothes)
Mrs. Rodriquez, do you recognize these clothes?
Mrs. Rodriquez
I do. They belonged to Shawntee Stevens.
Objection. Where's the proof? Those clothes could belong to hundreds of girls in Bushwick.
Apparently Homeless Man
She wore that outfit a lot. We all saw her.
(There's general agreement from the crowd.)
Third Angel
We understand, Mrs. Rodriquez, that you have important information about the state of Ms Stevens before she went missing.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Yes, your honor, she was pregnant.
Objection! Relevancy?
Second Angel
I'm not sure it's relevant, but it's interesting.
Your honors, this is mere speculation. Was a pregnancy test administered and if it was, where is it?
Mrs. Rodriquez
I have five children. I know pregnant when I see it.
First Angel
That makes sense. Thank you, Mrs. Rodriquez. You may step down.
(Mrs. Rodriquez steps down.)
The evidence has now been presented.
Second Angel
Admittedly not much—no blood, no body, no weapon.
Precisely. The charges should be dropped.
Third Angel
Which brings us to the question of motive.
What motive? I love my cousin.
Third Angel
The court calls Shaun Thigpen to the stand.
(Shaun comes to the stand.)
First Angel
Mr. Thigpen, who would want to harm Shawntee?
No one but her cousin. She was kind to everyone. She gave the homeless shelter.
Mr. Davis
She let our family stay with her, rent free, when we lost our home.
Mrs. Davis
Then Stewie Towzer came along and threw us into the street again.
Mr. Davis
If I might add, your honors, contrary to Officer Batista's testimony, Stewie Towzer set-up our son, who was only trying to protect his family.
And when people didn't have money to buy food or drink or smoke, she gave them what they needed.
Apparently Homeless Man
She gave me cigarettes when I was totally broke. Now the Good Woman bodega chain charges almost as much as everywhere else for a pack.
(He coughs.)
When she owed people money, she paid them back.
Mrs. Hawkins
When Shawntee, who was a very sweet girl, your honors, was about to lose her store, my husband, may he rest in peace, and I lent her money to pay her rent. When he had a stroke and we needed the money back, she didn't hesitate, even though it put her store in danger and, I learned later, cost her relationship with her boyfriend.
Second Angel
On what grounds?
I still love her.
Mrs. Rodriquez
Ha! You never loved her. You loved the income from her store.
I'm just as worried about her as everyone else in Bushwick.
Once she was out of the way, you went to work for her cousin, swindling people out of their stores and paying his workers below minimum wage.
Minimum wage is government interference with the free market. When will we learn to trust the market in this country?
Mrs. Hawkins
The point is, she paid us back right away. It allowed my husband the medicine he needed in his last months.
Third Angel
All this shows why people loved Shawntee, the Good Woman of Bushwick, but it really doesn't speak to why Stewie Towzer wanted her out of the way.
I didn't. I just wanted her business to succeed.
Reverend Russell
Your honors, I can speak to that.
First Angel
Alright. Speak.
Reverend Russell
Shawntee's shop was a fountain of goodness. Towzer needed her out of the way to make it an infernal machine of profit.
What's wrong with profit? There would have been no shop at all if I hadn't intervened.
You intervened and cheated me of payment for my work.
It's the law of supply and demand. There was no demand for your work, so the price came down.
Reverend Russell
What about the law, "love thy neighbor"?
That and $29 will get you a seven-day unlimited metro card.
Reverend Russell
Such cynicism.
Let's talk about cynicism, Reverend Russell. Did you not come by offering my cousin kind words and big checks with the implied understanding that she would eventually marry you?
Reverend Russell
Of course not. I wanted to get to know her because she was a saint and I gave a blank check to continue her good work. A check, I must add, that you hijacked and used for the expansion of the chain of stores.
Was that not a good deed? Was I not helping her? Putting food in the refrigerator, where is the crime in that? Keeping her off the streets, where the sin? Saving her from the pain and humiliation of the streetwalker's life? It's not simple, your honors. What is wrong and what is right in a world of getting? If we don't get, we get screwed. If, indeed, she is pregnant, am I not putting money in the bank for her son so that he can have a decent life? It's not good to be poor, your honors. It's painful and crazy-making and dehumanizing.
(to the people in the courtroom)
You are all hypocrites. You all wanted something from her: cigarettes or food or money or sex. I was her only friend!
Where is she then? Where is your good friend Shawntee?
Yeah, where is she? Where's Shawntee?
I can't tell you.
Why not?
Yeah, why not?
Shawntee had to go.
Why? Why did she have to go?
Why? Why?
Because you'd all have torn her to pieces! That's why. Your honors, I have a request. Please clear the court. I only want you and Shaun here and then I will make a confession.
Various Voices In The Crowd
So he's guilty.
I told you so.
He's confessing.
First Angel
(Using the gravel)
Clear the court!
You heard the judges; clear the court!
(The court is cleared. Only the Angels, Stewie and Shaun remain on stage.)
Illustrious ones!
(The Angels look at each other incredulously.)
Yes, I recognize you.
First Angel
What have you done with the Good Woman of Bushwick?
Here is my confession: I am her.
(She takes off her mask and tears off her men's clothing and stands there as Shawntee, very pregnant.)
Shawntee Stevens, yes. Stewie Towzer, yes. I am both.
Holy shit!
I had to. Your assumption, dear Angels, that I could be good and live in this world was like getting hit by a train. It tore me in two. I don't know why, but to be good to others and to myself at the same time, I couldn't do it. When I extended my hand to those in need, they tore off my hand. When I tried to help the lost, I got lost myself.
I appreciated your goodness, Shawntee.
I know you did, Shaun, and I love you for it, but your appreciation couldn't pay the rent and keep the store stocked. Illegal cigarettes and forged checks and low wages to the workers did. I really wanted to be the Good Woman of Bushwick, but goodness quickly became a nail in my foot. And then kind words curdled in my mouth and sourness took over. I became a wolf. Find me guilty, Illustrious Ones; I did kill Shawntee. But know this, everything bad I did, I did to help my neighbor, to love my lover, and to keep my little one from poverty.
But you didn't kill Shawntee, here you are!
First Angel
Yes, don't go on torturing yourself. We're overjoyed we found you.
Second Angel
Yes, there is still a good person in the world.
For how long? I now have six stores to keep going.
Third Angel
I think we can now return home to Heaven. Our work is done. The good woman lives.
How can I make this clear to you, Illustrious Ones? I'm the bad man who did all those terrible things. Everything they accused Stewie Towzer of in court is true.
First Angel
Perhaps, but you are also the good woman Shawntee Stevens.
Yes, that's the problem; haven't you heard anything I said?
Second Angel
She has a point, you know. The world, as it's set up, doesn't seem to reward goodness.
Third Angel
Yes, but we can't change the world; we're only Angels.
Well, then who will?
First Angel
It's your world and I'm afraid you have to figure that out. We must be going.
Third Angel
Yes, I'm afraid that we've come to the point where we just have to cut our loses.
Second Angel
It really doesn't seem right to leave this mess.
First Angel
We've done what we can do.
Second Angel
Which, apparently, isn't much.
First Angel
This world is too much for us. Let's go. Back to the Heavenly heights!
No, you can't leave.
Second Angel
We have faith in you, Shawntee.
But they'll be a child and he'll have to be fed.
Third Angel
Stay good, Good Woman of Bushwick.
I need my bad cousin.
Second Angel
Rules sometimes need to bend, but not too often.
Once a week at least.
Third Angel
Once a month is quite enough.
No! Help!
(The Angels exit.)
Shaun, what are we going to do?
(Shaun and Shawtee look at each other in silence.)


text:
This first edition of the Journal of Biblical Apologetics will examine the origin, nature, and defects of natural theology and issue a clarion call to return to our biblical roots and Evangelical heritage.
With Logos Bible Software, this volume is completely searchable, with Scripture passages appearing on mouseover and linking to your favorite Bible translation in your library. This makes this text more powerful and easier to access than ever before for scholarly work or personal Bible study. With the advanced search features of Logos Bible Software, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference.
Robert A. Morey is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of comparative religions, the cults, and the occult as well as on Islam. He is the author of over 40 books, some of which have been translated into Spanish, Swedish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Turkish and Farsi. He is scholar in residence with the Research and Education Foundation and the Executive Director of Faith Defenders.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About Me
- Terri Winske
- Hi, my name is Terri. I started crafting at an early age when my grandmothers taught me how to crochet and embroider on dish towels. Over the years I've tried many other crafting mediums, and have found my favorite in rubber stamping. My wonderful guy (Craig) supports me in everything I do........I'm very blessed!! I love learning new things and hopefully will inspire others to step out of their comfort zone and try a few new things. Thanks so much for stopping by....have a wonderful day!
Saturday, November 1, 2014
MFP Sketch With A Twist #118
MFP Sketch With A Twist Challenge - #118. Autumn
I love Autumn cards but I always end up using the same colors, so this time I forced myself to go outside my comfort zone. The greeting is from Mark's Finest Papers Autumn Splender set.
5 comments:
Beautiful autumn card; love the papers you used for the banners. Thank you for sharing with us at MFP Sketch With a Twist Challenge.ReplyDelete
Excellent card with rich colors and nice focal point. Thanks for competing at MFP SWAT!ReplyDelete
I really love this card. The edging was just the right finish! Thanks for joining us at MFP Sketch With A Twist!ReplyDelete
Love the colouring on craft - makes the pumpkin just pop. Thanks so much for sharing with us on MFP's Sketch with a Twist.ReplyDelete
Terri, I love the colors on your card. Great job following the sketch. Thanks for joining us for MFP's Sketch with a Twist.ReplyDelete
Emily T.
DT Member
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text:
LOS ANGELES — On a set so authentically dressed to resemble a boxing gym that you could almost smell the mildewed towels, a man on the floor was howling in pain as two burly-looking goons dragged him by the ankles. Anyone familiar with the work of Ann Biderman, the creator of the series being shot, "Ray Donovan," would instantly recognize that the scene incorporated three of her favorite subjects: violence, Los Angeles and thugs.
"I seem to love writing about crime and tortured men," said Ms. Biderman, whose "Southland," a recently canceled drama about Los Angeles patrol officers and detectives, was beloved by critics and those in law enforcement for its unwavering realism.
But if "Southland" existed primarily in the bedraggled streets of Los Angeles's east side, "Ray Donovan" which begins June 30 on Showtime, unfolds in neighborhoods of crazy excess like Malibu and Beverly Hills. The brusque title character (Liev Schreiber) specializes in cleaning up after celebrities — a dead girl found in an athlete's bed, a closeted actor being blackmailed. Whether whispering orders into his cellphone or speeding across the city in his Mercedes, Donovan is constantly distracted by the needs of his wife and children, his two befuddled thug brothers and the looming threat of his dad (Jon Voight), a murderous ex-con trying to slither back into his old spot as family patriarch.
Ms. Biderman said she'd been thinking about placing a fixer at the center of a television series for years. But "Ray Donovan" was born when she decided to embed the character in an unruly working-class family shadowed by the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church. When asked why Los Angeles appealed to her as a setting, she wrinkled her brow. "Where else would it be?" she asked. "It's a town I know."
Judging from the familiar faces on the set last month, she knows a lot of people, too. They included the respected British character actor Eddie Marsan, who plays Ray's brother, Terry, a retired pugilist fluttering with early onset Parkinson's. The bespectacled gentleman peering closely at one of the camera monitors was the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia"), a writer and co-executive producer on "Ray Donovan." Even the actor being hauled across the grimy floor of the boxing club has a pedigree: He's the actor and playwright Michael Cristofer, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his play, "The Shadow Box."
As for the star of the series, Mr. Schreiber's brutish intensity has served him well on Broadway (he won a Tony for "Glengarry Glen Ross"), in indie films and as third leads in big-budget Hollywood movies like "Salt" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Starring on a television series was never part of the plan, he said, until he read the pilot script for "Ray Donovan" and then met with the persuasive Ms. Biderman.
"There's something about the male subconscious that she gets really well," Mr. Schreiber explained. "Every other group in the world has kind of progressed psychologically, spiritually and politically. The average man is still playing off a 19th-century sense of honor, duty and that hunter-gatherer thing. And Ann gets that. She gets how displaced a lot of men feel, and the psychology of violence and sexuality and that we are desperate for an upgrade."
Asked why she's so good at writing about emotionally complicated men, Ms. Biderman said, "Other kids watched 'Gigi,' and I watched 'The Detective.' " (It's a 1968 Frank Sinatra movie.)
But maybe she's also seen more than her fair share of such men. She was born in Miami, but when she was 8 her businessman father and free-spirit mother divorced and she moved with her mother to Manhattan and the legendary Chelsea Hotel. "Wildly bohemian," is how Ms. Biderman described her mother, Peggy Biderman, who introduced her daughter to the world of film and avant-garde theater and a life swirling with musicians, artists and gifted wordsmiths like her mother's longtime lover, the Beat poet Gregory Corso, whom she refers to as her "spiritual stepfather."
Stability, financial or otherwise, was in short supply, however. When money was tight, they'd return to Miami. "We'd move into these little mafia hotels," she said. "Lots of rough men, who worked on boats, lived there."
At 15 she left for the Stockbridge School, a discipline-free boarding school in Massachusetts. Once, during vacation, she brought a friend to the Chelsea to meet her mom. On their way inside they passed a man being carried out on a stretcher. He'd just been shot.
"Embarrassing," said Ms. Biderman, wincing at the memory. "In many ways, I just wanted a normal family. But I wasn't shocked by much."
Learning to be unflappable, of course, is great preparation for working in Hollywood. After attending the University of Southern California's film school, she analyzed mountains of screenplays as a reader at United Artists in the mid-1970s and inadvertently got a crash course in story structure. Though she'd distinguish herself as the screenwriter of "Primal Fear," "Public Enemies," and "Copycat," her first crack at television should have told her something: In the mid-'90s a brief stint at "NYPD Blue" won her an Emmy for best writing in a drama.
It was back in 2008 that Ms. Biderman was hired to create a series about police in Los Angeles. She devoted more than a half a year to riding along with a police gang unit. On her first night, the detectives left her alone with the body of a murder victim. "He was so young and had this huge tattoo across his chest that said 'MARIA'S CHILD,' " said Ms. Biderman. That searing image made its way into the "Southland" pilot, which aired the next year.
No one can say that Ms. Biderman doesn't believe in preparation. To sell David Nevins, Showtime's president of entertainment, on "Ray Donovan" she brought in seven huge charts that mapped out the series, including a dense family tree to show how characters connected and overlapped.
Once she got the green light, Ms. Biderman assembled a writing staff on which she is the only woman. Has she ever been corrected by any of them on her male psychology?
"Never," she said, laughing, before admitting whom she has occasionally gotten wrong, in her writers' estimation — Ray's wife: "They've said, 'Abby won't say that.' "


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Cloudinary has teamed up with Inviqa, a selected partner of Cloudinary, on creating a module to help Magento 2 users benefit from everything Cloudinary has to offer. Here Rick Peacock, with the help of Paal Soberg, a senior software engineer at Inviqa, takes a closer look at the new plugin.
As the number of channels and devices continues to grow, it is becoming much more challenging to deliver an optimal visual experience. On an eCommerce site, engagement and conversions are critical. Factors such as page load time strongly influence search engine rankings, shopping experiences, conversion rates and, ultimately, your revenue. An optimized visual experience positively affects conversion rates. But it also can introduce resource bottlenecks, as every image and video needs to be delivered in the most efficient format, quality and resolution, based on the viewing device.
Over the past few months Inviqa have been working to build an official plugin to simplify the process of adding Cloudinary to the 100,000s of Magento sites around the world. Inviqa is one of Magento's largest partners in Europe and has been working with customers to integrate Cloudinary and ensure that the plugin can cater to a Magento store's needs.


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Ascendant Sun
Unabridged Audiobook
Written By: Catherine Asaro
Narrated By: Anna Fields
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Date: June 2005
Duration: 11 hours 58 minutes
Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find his worst nightmare realized. He is auctioned as a slave "provider" to the cruel Aristos, who subject slaves to torture and sex to provide their ultimate telepathic emotional drug.
"Anna Fields creates clear pictures of a variety of characters with a range of motives, including 'bionic' humans and computers whose artificial intelligence gives them more personality than some of the people. Once again, Fields brings her formidable narration skills to a story of adventure and political intrigue."-AudioFile


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The Seventh Annual OC Brew Ha Ha Craft Beer Festival
What could make a better day in Southern California than unlimited sampling of some of the best beers in the world, live music, games, and the boisterous comradery of thousands of fellow beer aficionados?
If you can't think of anything that fits the bill, The Seventh Annual Orange County Brew Ha Ha Craft Beer Festival is the place for you. This year's festival is September 24th, 2016 (rain or shine) in Silverado, CA. So clear your calendars.
What to Drink, Eat, and Do!
This year there will be more than 90 breweries represented at the Brew Ha Ha. They'll be showcasing over 250 craft and imported beers—all of which you can sample until you're heart's content (FREE with paid admission)!
Some of the standouts include:
- Anchor Brewing
- Ballast Point
- Bottle Logic Brewing
- Noble Ale Works
- Stone Brewing Company
But it's not just the big boys. There will also be a large selection of Homebrew Exhibitors sampling/selling a wide variety of unique beers you simply can't get anywhere else.
What goes better with a nice frosty beer than a little something to munch on? This year the Brew Ha Ha will host more "Beer Friendly" Food Trucks than ever before. Find your new favorite pub fair, street food, and small plates to pair with whatever brew happens to be in your complimentary Commemorative Glass.
There are plenty of shaded places to sit and sip but those who just can't sit still can enjoy larger-than-life games to play with new friends and live music from The Spazmatics and The Aggrolites. True beer lovers can learn more about their passion with presentations by World Class Beer Experts all day long (including talks by Greg Koch—CEO and Co-Founder of Stone Brewing Co.).
Admission and VIP Details
General Admission tickets costs $55 at the door ($45 pre-sale) and gates are open from 1 PM to 4 PM. Each admission comes with a Commemorative Festival Glass (which gets you UNLIMITED beer tastings).
VIP Admission (12 PM to 4 PM) costs $70 at the door ($60 pre-sale). VIP guests are also invited to an Exclusive Beer Appreciation Seminar and samples of a specially selected beer not available elsewhere.
Ultimate Experience Packages is limited to 200 $150 tickets and allows guests access to:
- A private air-conditioned lounge and "Executive Restroom"
- Exclusive beer and wine selections
- Complimentary "small plate" foods
- A Unique VIP Commemorative Glass
Getting to (and From) the Brew Hahah Craft Beer Festival
The Brew Ha Ha Beer Festival is hosted at the Oak Canyon Park in Silverado, California. (Get directions, contact info, etc. at the official website).
When your ride with us you don't need a designated driver. A White Rose Limo rental in Orange County is your ticket to your own VIP experience. Gather some friends, split the cost, and enjoy all the benefits including air-conditioned luxury, a complimentary cocktail bar, and curbside service to your door. Professional drivers get you to the Brew Ha Ha Beer Festival and back home safely.
(Have a lot of friends? Our luxury party bus rentals can hold up to 40 of them!)
Don't wait! Our limo rentals will book fast so get in touch soon to reserve yours. Call 714-288-0066 today.


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People ask me all the time, "What's the secret?! How did you achieve success at such a high level?!" The answer….? There is no secret!
The secret isn't what to do. Most people watching a sporting event can see what the athlete needs to do. For example, in skating if you want to win races you have to know how to pass, lead, and defend. That's obvious.
Think of the last time you watched your favorite football team. Maybe your team was having a bad day and you screamed angrily at the tv, "You have to catch the ball!!!" Then the person you're watching with chimes in and says, "the quarterback needs to learn how to throw!" These things are painfully obvious which is why they're not the secret.
The secret isn't how to do it. Coaches dedicate their lives to helping people understand the skills and develop the strength necessary to carry-out a specific task. The world's best coaches can even modify their coaching language to teach based on each individual athlete's learning style.
Think of the unbelievable amount of information available to us at school, online, and from others. Think of the words of wisdom spoken to you by the greater influencers in your life. If the secret was knowledge we'd be knee deep in success by now.
The secret is simple, but not easy… it's actually DOING IT. It's developing the mental skills to bring focus, resilience, confidence, and purpose to your work. It's remembering what changes to make, how to make them, and taking action even when you're overwhelmed, stressed, or tired. All of these skills can be developed through Mindset Training.
Of course, there's a genetic factor that can hurt or help an individual in their quest. Luck, preparation, and resources also make a heavy impact. But think of the last time you saw an athlete, teammate, or friend put their heart on their sleeve and give their absolute, all out effort in an attempt to DO something. At that point you don't have to come in first in order to win the race. You've won simply by having the courage to do what most people don't.
I'll close with one of my favorite quotes… The Man in the Arena by Theodore Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt