Lefty's Final Song

Scene 1
Lefty is in a hotel room. There is one bed, the wallpaper is faded and peeling. In the back is a mirror above a sink, the rest of the bathroom is off stage. The back of the room is built smaller, so a character standing in the back appears too large for the room. There is generic artwork on the walls. The floor is a carpet with a big stain on the floor. There is a matching one on the ceiling above with something dripping from it. Lefty is sitting on the bed. There is a ghostly figure sitting in the background looking rather large, he is dressed in washed out clothes, he looks like he is dusty, like he has a layer of powder on him. Lefty is drinking from a liquor bottle, there are empty ones scattered about the room.

Lefty: I know I can never atone for what I did. (Lefty drinks) I’m not asking for forgiveness.

The figure picks up a guitar leaning against the wall and smashes it on the ground. Lefty drinks.

Lefty: My life is my own personal Hell. Ever since that day. Ever since I betrayed you. Since I ran. Since I abandoned my home. I could never face anyone there again.

Lefty drinks

The figure takes a picture off the wall and throws it against the opposite wall

Lefty: All I can do is spend the rest of my life hiding...running from my past. But you (pause) you always find me. You followed me all the way to Ohio. You’ll follow me until I die.

Lefty takes a big drink

Lefty: I’m sorry. But I didn’t know it was gonna happen like that. They told me it would be okay. They told me they...wouldn’t hurt you. Bastards. Lying sons-of-bitches. Why couldn’t we have stayed at home. (quietly) It killed mom when we left. She quit eating and just wasted away. I found that out after. (pause) You were always her favorite. I could never...god damn it, I looked up to you. I was scared for you, cause I knew you weren’t. You were never scared..

He produces a revolver from the nightstand drawer. The figure steps towards Lefty.

Lefty: This is the only way. The same way you died. The same way we lived. I’m scared though. You were never scared.

The figure and Lefty move to the mirror, Lefty raises the gun to the mirror and aims it at himself. The gun is shaking noticeably. The figure takes
Lefty’s hand and steadies it as he aims at his reflection.

Lefty: I’m sorry, brother.

Lefty pulls the and the hammer strikes an empty chamber.

Lefty: (speaking directly to the figure now) How many times will I do this. How many nights will you haunt me before I go through with it. It’s been years. I have grown older. Older than I deserve. I don’t know what I deserve, actually. Should I just die, or should I live on with what I did?

They take aim again and the gun clicks again.

Lefty: Always one more night. Always the same. Wherever I go, we end up here every night. Then, in my dreams I see you again. I see us. That day we left home. We rode away with mom crying. She fell to her knees crying and we never looked back. In my dreams I watch her. In my dreams she never moves from that spot. She weeps until there is nothing left but a skeleton. Then the ranch is demolished and she is run over by some bulldozer. Like she was never even a person, just a part of the earth.

The gun clicks again

Lefty: Nothing could punish me as much as one more night here with you. Is this my punishment? Is this justice? There was no justice for our family when they bought our place. There was nothing we could do. We didn’t have anywhere to go. And that’s why we did what we did. I thought they might understand, in the end. I thought there might be a shred of sympathy left in the world.

The gun clicks again.

Lefty: (again speaking to the figure) How many more nights. Every night given to me not out of kindness, but out of cruelty. I want to die. I want to end this all. To stop all the memories. To stop all the pain. I can only sleep if I drink myself half to death each night. And every morning I wake myself up screaming. I haven’t talked to another person in years, it seems. I don’t remember what a friendly face looks like. Let me end this, Pancho. (breaking down) Let me just end this. Don’t do this to me anymore. Let me pay for what I have done with the only thing I have, let me die and be through with this. (he puts the gun to his head) Pull the trigger, brother. End my life. Send me to hell like I sent you. Maybe we can finally be at peace. Pull the trigger, Pancho. I’m begging you

Pancho takes his hand, aims the gun back into the mirror, and fires. It goes off this time. The scene ends.

Scene 2

Lefty is sitting on the bed again. Pancho is right behind him.

Lefty: It wasn’t what you think, Pancho. I didn’t sell you out. They told me they were gonna go easy on you. I believed them, Pancho, I really did. They knew what we were going through with the ranch. They knew we weren’t just criminals. I thought they understood. We were getting in over our heads. (Lefty drinks) You know we were, too. We had enough money, but you got greedy (pause) we got greedy. Just one more, you told me, and then we would be set for life. I wasn’t sure we should, but I believed in you. One more bank. (trailing off) One more night. One more drink. One more dream.

(pause)
(snaps out of it)

Lefty: I wanted it to stop, Pancho. I wanted to go home. I wanted US to go home. You were changing. We could have saved mom, you know. The police were supposed to help us. I told them where it was going to be. I was supposed to meet you there. I never showed up, though. When I heard what happened I took our stash and ran. I knew I was next. I should have died with you, but I ran away. I was scared. (pause) You were never scared.

Lefty takes a second

Lefty: All of that seems like another life, now. It seems more like a story I read than a real thing. I just wanted to help. Now all I want to do is die.

(exploding)

Lefty: WHY WON’T YOU LET ME DIE?

Lefty lunges at Pancho, who moves out of the way. Lefty slams into the wall. Screaming as he goes for Pancho again. They move like this all over the room. At one point Lefty throws a drawer from the dresser. The TV gets knocked off its stand, the room is a total mess. Pancho is unharmed. Lefty ends up on his knees by the nightstand, exhausted.

Scene 3

Lefty is back on the bed, bottle in hand. Pancho is standing on the bed, looming over him

Lefty: Maybe I’m this is hell. Every night is an eternity.

Lefty gets up and crosses to the end of the bed, leaving the bottle behind.

Lefty; I don’t sleep unless I pass out. I don’t eat. I don’t remember going out of the room at all.

Pancho moves to the end of the bed, staying close to Lefty.

Lefty: There is always a bottle, though. There is always you, and this room. There is always the gun. The gun you gave me when we left home. This was Dad’s gun. We both had one of Dad’s guns. (pause) What would he think of us now.

Pancho begins to climb onto Lefty’s back.

Lefty: I don’t remember the sun, except from my dreams. It’s always raining now. I stopped looking outside, but I know it’s raining.

Pancho is now on Lefty’s back

Lefty: (struggling) How much time has passed. How many more nights will I have to suffer. How many more nights will you keep my alive. I’m so tired. I just want to die already.

Lefty falls to his knees.

Lefty: One more night. One more dream. I will watch you die again, I will watch mom waste away again. I will wake up again and go through all of this tomorrow.

Lefty lays down. Pancho gets up.

Lefty: I’m sorry, Brother.

Lefty passes out.
Pancho retrieves a bottle from the nightstand and empties its contents onto Lefty then places the bottle in his hand.