The following is a short excerpt from the new play by Capt. Ryan Kelly, which will be given a staged reading by Stories on Stage May 6. Cost $5-$15; call 303-494-0523:
“Rendition”
By Ryan Kelly
Characters:
Ron Bullbill, 20s. White. A muscular US soldier from Nebraska.
Lemonjello (Jello) Johnson, early 20s. Black. A skinny U.S. soldier from the projects.
Steven Craig, 20s. White. A US Soldier. Squad Leader of Ron, Jello and Dobbs.
Oriane, 20s. Beautiful. US Soldier. Girlfriend of Steve.
Dobbs, 30s. US Soldier. Member of Steve’s squad.
Fahd Al Salam (Ali), 40s. An Arab man.
Ishan, 30s. An Arab Mujahedeen warrior — can be double cast.
Arab Mujahedeen warrior — can be double cast.
The following scene takes place in Act III: We pick up the action in an abandoned house in an Iraqi village. Night.
STEVE
(To himself) Ok, ok, ok…here we go.
Steve enters adjacent room. Ali is bound to a chair and gagged. Bullbill offers him water, then withdraws it.
BULLBILL
(Taunting) Oh, this water is so good. Cool and sweet, wash the sweat of the day down. Hmm-mmm. Good. You want some? No? Oh, right, you don’t speaky-speak. More for me then.
STEVE
Cut the crap, Bull. Take the gag off him.
Bullbill obliges. Steve slides him a canteen, Ali downs it.
BULLBILL
Hey —
ALI
Thank you.
Steve offers Ali a cigarette. Ali takes it, Steve lights it. Ali takes a long, slow drag.
ALI
Again —
STEVE
My pleasure.
ALI
I’m sure that’s not true. But, as it is, thank you anyway. Is your friend going to shoot me?
STEVE
Put down the gun.
Beat. Bull obliges.
STEVE
(To Ali) You’re not going to run anywhere, are you?
ALI
Where am I going to go? If I run or yell, you will kill me, no?
BULLBILL
(Expletive) right, pal.
STEVE
No one’s going to shoot anybody here.
ALI
You mean, not anymore.
STEVE
You speak good English. Where did you learn?
ALI
Brooklyn —
BULLBILL
(Expletive.)
ALI
My father worked as a diplomat at the United Nations beforethe war. I spent seventeen years in your country before we came home. I was educated at Princeton.
BULLBILL
Great! Great! That’s just great!
ALI
Why are you Americans always surprised to find out that we live among you? I don’t understand this. You say you are the ‘melting pot’, but then act as if you hate us. Why not just admit who you really want to be: a country of one race, one religion and one voice. A racist, xenophobic, ignorant and lazy people.
BULLBILL
What’s it like to rape a woman, Ali?
ALI
What?
BULLBILL
Rape. You know, your kind of justice. I mean, say your neighbor was downtown at one of those clubs that you guys say you don’t have. You know, the ones where they don’t slip some whiskey in your tea for an extra ten bucks. And say, you neighbor notices a guy wink at his daughter. You know, sees her (expletive) up the family honor. So for punishment, he beats her, then rapes her. Justice served. Honor saved. Right? That what the Koran says? What’d that cleric say?… (remembering) …’if you take out uncovered meat and place it outside…and the cats come and eat it, whose fault is it, the cats’, or the uncovered meat?…But ‘if she stayed in her room, in her home, wearing her head scarf, no problem would have occured.’ That about right, Ali? So tell me: you for the cats or the meat, Ali? Huh, Princeton boy? Tell me. What do you stand for: cats or meat?
Pause.
ALI
We are not the ones dropping bombs on the innocent in your cities.
STEVE
No, just towers.
Pause.
ALI
There is only one goal in war: victory. It is so, no? All strategy and battle is designed for this. It is so. All else is how do you say…irrelevant? No?
STEVE
No.
ALI
See…’no’ is why you will lose.
BULLBILL
We won’t lose. We have the guns. And you’re in the chair.
ALI
…You already have, you just don’t know it yet. But that is not the question. The question is, what have you lost already, and what are you willing to sacrifice in the future for your…victory?
BULLBILL
Shut up.
STEVE
You don’t know anything about us.
ALI
I know how you define victory. I know your president talks on T.V. of my country as stable. Of cheap oil, oil that you can control. I know we scare you. I know you want to get out of here. Alive. I know you want to go home, to forget this place. I know you want your woman back. It is true, no?
BULLBILL
I want you to try and run away. That’s what I want —
ALI
But what is victory to me?
STEVE
Tell me.
ALI
You will find out soon. And when you do you will have lost.
