Airport train

AIRPORT TRAIN
by Chimpy (James Overton)

In a train. It is late at night but the interior is brightly lit. A big spacious modern European train,
several people with luggage are boarding from the airport on their way
to the city centre. Some muted talking between the passengers as they
struggle to their places with luggage. Oliver, a single traveller, is
in the foreground and is idly looking around at the other passengers.
As it's only a 30 minute train ride, he has kept his travelling jacket
on, he picks up a Flemish language newspaper which is lying on the seat
opposite and looks at it briefly but it's of little interest to him.
Sitting near him, on the other side of the corridor are two men,
Moroccans, they are airport workers who have just finished their shift
as cleaners and are going home for the night. They are having a
desultory conversation in French or Arabic (ad lib.) As the train is
about to move off, two men board the train and take seats opposite each
other near Oliver. They have been in a hurry to catch the train and are
somewhat out of breath. They are (1) British businessman, middle aged,
wearing crumpled suit and raincoat. He has a small overnight case. (2)
swarthy young roguish looking man in casual clothes with a mass of
curly black hair and ear rings, no luggage. The rogue, who comes from
the Netherlands, speaks English well but with a Dutch/American accent,
he is confident and charming. At the beginning of the conversation the
businessman is rather naively trying to be helpful: gradually as the
dialogue progresses it dawns on him that the rogue is up to no good.
ROGUE
It costs 2 euros, 40. But sometimes I take the risiko, how do you
say? Maybe there is no controller because if you don't have a ticket
you have to pay Straf twenty euros.
BUSINESSMAN
No but it's alright now. You can get the ticket on the train.
ROGUE
If you have no ticket you have to pay the Straf.
BUSINESSMAN
Not if the ticket office is closed. Here, take 3 euros for the train.
ROGUE
Oh thank you. Hey man,where do you come from? Why have you come to Brussels?
BUSINESSMAN
From the UK. I'm here for an early appointment tomorrow.
ROGUE
Oh UK... I have been to London. I spent four weeks there. I stayed near Kings
Cross station.
BUSINESSMAN
Uh huh. It's a very bad area.
ROGUE
You know this place, Kings Cross station?
BUSINESSMAN
Yes it's a very bad area
ROGUE
Oh a bad area?
BUSINESSMAN
Lots of ladies looking for your money...
ROGUE
Oh I know what you are saying man.... London is a very
big city. I have been to Madrid - very beautiful city. You been there?
BUSINESSMAN
Oh yes a fine city. It's very like Buenos Aires....
ROGUE
(slow to understand, he has little idea of geography) Ah? ... so you
come from England?
BUSINESSMAN
Yes I've already said that. Where are you from?
ROGUE
Me? oh well, I was born in Brasil but when I was four
years old my mother took me to the Netherlands. So Amsterdam,
Rotterdam, I know well...
BUSINESSMAN (wanting to show off his
knowledge of Latin America) Oh I don't know Brasil but I do know
Argentina. I had the good fortune to live there for three and a half
years. Where in Brasil did you come from?
ROGUE
Rio de Janeiro. You know, Brasil is a very big land, almost same size as United States. And Rio de Janeiro is very big city, I think like Belgium! There is
thirteen million people in Rio de Janeiro, and in Belgium, the whole
country, -only ten million...
BUSINESSMAN
If you come from Brasil you must be good at football?
ROGUE
Uh?
BUSINESSMAN
Brasil, the land of football...
ROGUE
Ah. Well, er, my brothers are good players but me,
not so much.
BUSINESSMAN
Oh I see. How many brothers do you have?
ROGUE
We are eight brothers. I came in the middle...
BUSINESSMAN
A big family! (sensing that the other is reluctant to talk about it, he
changes the subject)... Yes Buenos Aires is a very fine city. And
Argentine women are extraordinarily beautiful. There's a great deal of
Italian influence there, in the customs, in the way people talk, in the
way they dress...
ROGUE
Yeah. Hey man, what are you doing in Brussels?
How long are you staying?
BUSINESSMAN
Well like I said, I've got anearly appointment, so I'd rather get here the night before and have anight in the hotel than get up in the middle of the night to catch an
early flight from London. So now I am just going to get to the hotel
and get some rest. It's just for one night. What about you?
ROGUE
(evasive and shifty) Oh yeah, I'm staying in ....Antwerp. But maybe
tonight I'll stay in Brussels.
BUSINESSMAN
But what do you do for aliving? What's your job?
ROGUE
Oh I er.... Hey, you know what, when we
get to the station, let's have a beer together...I know a good bar.
BUSINESSMAN
No beers, sorry. I'm just going to check into the hotel and
go to bed. I have got to get up very early in the morning.
ROGUE
You know I've been in London. That's a big city. How many people are in
London?
BUSINESSMAN
Yes it's huge, about twelve million I think, It
depends if you include all the suburbs.
ROGUE
Twelve million, that's like Belgium. In the whole country, there's twelve million people. I
think Madrid is not so big as London
BUSINESSMAN
No I shouldn't think so.
ROGUE
Rio de Janeiro, that's bigger than London. New York is maybe
bigger that Rio de Janeiro.
BUSINESSMAN
Yes maybe
ROGUE
You been to New York? Man, I get you a beer, we spend some time together. BUSINESSMAN
We are not having any beer and we are not going anywhere together. I'm
just going to the hotel.
ROGUE
Oh. Where's the hotel man? Is it at Central or the South station? Hey, let's go in the bar
BUSINESSMAN
Excuse me, we're almost there, I must get my things ready
ROGUE
(starting to get aggressive) Hey man, I need to get the train to
Antwerp and my money has been stolen in the airport. Could you lend me
20 euros?
BUSINESSMAN
(getting newspaper from his bag) No I'm sorry.
ROGUE
But these guys in the airport, they have taken all my money, I
need some help, man.
BUSINESSMAN
(burying himself in newspaper) No.
ROGUE
Hey where you from man. Let's go for a beer!
BUSINESSMAN
I am tired and I am going straight to the hotel.
ROGUE
Hey I come to your hotel man, we can have a drink at the hotel...
BUSINESSMAN
No, we are not having a drink anywhere. Now if you don't mind, I'm busy.(Gets
ready to leave as the train is slowing down as it approaches Central
Station)
ROGUE
Are you from London? I like to go back there man. London
is a very big city. Hey I need some money, man.....

Suddenly the businessman grabs his bag and leaping quickly into the corridor, he
escapes down the end of the carriage, getting off at the station. As he
passes Oliver he rolls his eyes in reference to the madman he has been
talking to. Meanwhile the rogue has been taken off balance by the
unexpected disappearance of his prey. Getting up from his seat, he
glances around for other possible victims. Oliver studies the newspaper
intensely. The Moroccan airport workers stare out of the window. The
rogue approaches the airport workers.
ROGUE
I lost all my money in the airport.
MOROCCAN
Comprends pas
ROGUE
U praat Nederlands?
MOROCCAN
Non
ROGUE
Ah francais? Ah je te vois, tu travailles dans l'a?roport. Dans
l'a?roport, mon argent parti.. Une fille n?gre voler mon argent!
MOROCCAN
Oui?
ROGUE
Oui. Vous avez vu? Femme noire, prenait l'argent de
moi.
MOROCCAN
Je ne sais pas.
ROGUE
Je te vois, Tu travailles dans l'aeroport!
MOROCCAN
Non.

The rogue is getting no response from the
Moroccan airport workers, he looks instead at Oliver who tries to make
out he doesn't understand any of this...
ROGUE
U praat Nederlands? Do you speak english? My money has been stolen in the airport..
OLIVER (in bad Russian) Nie ponemayo.... pa Russky.

The rogue looks uncertainly at the other passengers. He decides to chase after the businessman and
dashes off.
MOROCCAN (to Oliver)
Il est pas bien ce type
OLIVER
Non. Vous l'avez d?ja vu, ce mec?
MOROCCAN
Ah oui, il a ete arret? par la police de l'aeroport pour essayer de voler aux passagers. Mais on l'a mis dehors.
OLIVER
Ah c'est un type connu
MOROCCAN
Oui, nous travaillons a l'aeroport, service de nettoyage. On l'a deja vu. je
pense que c'est un drogue?.
OLIVER
C'est vrai qu'il avait l'air bizarre.
MOROCCAN
Il est fou. La nuit, la police le met dehors.
OLIVER
J'allais passer la nuit a l'aeroport, mais j'ai regarde comment c'etait et j'ai
change d'avis. Je vais trouver une chambre pres de la gare.
MOROCCAN
Ah mais vous savez, c'est vachement s?curisant a l'aeroport pendant la
nuit.
OLIVER
Vous pensez?
MOROCCAN
Ah oui c'est sur. C'est securisant. Pendant la nuit, les fous, on les met dehors....