SCENE ZERO

[The audience sees Mitch and Stanley in dark brown shirts and tan, khaki pants. Mitch has his shirt tucked in and Stanley’s is not. They have brown and black shoes that are slightly torn. There are other people at the engineering plant working and building. It is noticeable that there are very few women working. The women wear white flowing dresses. Mitch and Stanley look ten years younger. Stanley is in the middle of drawing a bridge for war and Mitch is beside him talking. They are in a high-ceiling factory with huge fans on the ceiling. It smells musty and sweaty. There are traces of cigarette smoke in certain areas. It is very loud and the men have to raise their voices to hear each other.]

STANLEY:

How’s your Mother doing Mitch?

MITCH: 

She’s doing well, but you know she started to cry when I was drafted. It seemed that she wouldn’t ever stop. She worries that I won’t come back home. My dad died in the first war so she’s really scared.

STANLEY: 

Did you tell her that you’re not on the battlefield? And that you're using your college education to build new machinery and weapons.

MITCH: 

No. [Mitch slowly looks down at the ground.] I haven’t talked to her since we got here. [Mitch soundsFrustrated.] She barely let me get out of the house. She counted the clothes that I brought, even though I told her that they would give me a uniform. She never left me alone. It was like she decided once I left she wouldn’t see me again. So, I left with annoyance at her. But I regret our last interaction.

[A man with a mustache wearing a white outfit that is noticeably cleaner than Stanley’s or Mitch’s walks behind them. Mitch and Stanley do not notice his presence and continue talking.]

MAN: [He yells with slight anger. His voice is scratchy because he yells a lot at his workers. He is one of the watchers.] 

Stop talking! [Mitch and Stanley look behind them with surprise.] Less conversing and More Building! 

[The man leaves. Mitch and Stanley wait till he is out of sight and continue talking.]

STANLEY: [Stanley turns his head to check if the man is near. He looks at Mitch and starts to speak again.] 

I know what you mean, when we got the draft note my mother started to laugh hysterically. [Stanley’s voice gets high and he mocks what his mother said to him.] “You were never the strong one. I mean what are you going to do when the enemy soldiers get shot? Help them?”. My mom was scared I was too soft for the army. She laughed in my face. I told her that I would be in the engineering sector and she was so relieved. I felt so offended. [Stanley starts to raise his voice.] I mean at least your mom immediately thought you were going to war. 

[The Man looks over at Stanley and Mitch with a stern face. He puts one finger to his lips to motion that they need to be quieter.]

MITCH: [Mitch is silent and purposely looks away from Stanley.]

STANLEY: [Stanley lowers his voice to where only Mitch can hear.] Oh, so you agree with her? [Stanley is visibly turning red with anger.] 

MITCH:

I’ve heard from the other men here that you care too much about animals and you cry too easily. Some say you don’t know a man’s place in life. I’m not saying I believe them, but that's what I’ve heard.

STANLEY: 

Wow. [Stanley grabs Mitch by the collar and then lets go.] Just because I care about the lives of what we eat for dinner does not mean that I couldn’t shoot the enemy if my life depended on it. [Stanley’s voice starts to rise but as the Man looks over he lowers it again.] I’m building weapons to kill them, aren’t I? 

MITCH: [Mitch looks Stanley in the eye.]

I didn’t say I believed them. It’s just what I heard.

STANLEY: [Stanley talks very quietly in a whisper.]

But you didn’t say that you did not either. I’ll show them that I can kill a man. I’ll show them and then they’ll believe that I’m a man. 

[The Man walks around all of the tables that people are working on inspecting the progress that was made. He picks up some of the objects from the men's building and points to some of the drawings. He then stops where the double doors of the building are and faces all the people working. The doors are as high as the ceiling.]

MAN: 

Another great day of work. Tomorrow let's be even greater.

[The sun starts to set and all of the men walk towards the tall opened double doors. The audience sees Mitch and Stanley walking together and speaking.]

MITCH:

What are you going to do when the war is over?

STANLEY:

Well, I’m going to find a wife and then have some kids and start a family. [Stanley starts to smile as he imagines what his life could be like.] What about you Mitch?

MITCH:

I had to take care of my mom, and she told me to find a wife to marry. So I’ll do that. [He turns his head toward Stanley and smiles.]

STANLEY:

Won’t it be nice when this war is over? I mean we’re blessed to not be in active combat, but there’s still a lot of destruction and losses. We work from sun up to sun down and have bad food but at least they need us to work. They need educated people to work in this place. But if one of the military fighters dies, they’ll get replaced by somebody else. [Stanley appears as if he is about to cry and looks straight ahead towards where the people are walking. He avoids Mitch’s gaze.] I guess it just feels weird that we [Stanley pauses for a moment.] or I was chosen not to die in combat.

MITCH: 

Like you said, we’re educated, but that doesn’t mean that the government didn’t think you could fight in a battle. They just wanted you in a different area. All of our work matters in war, whether it’s fighting, building, or farming. Our job is not on a superiority scale.

[Stanley looks towards Mitch and has tear streaks on his cheeks.]

STANLEY:

I guess you're right.

MITCH:[Mitch hits him on the back like a friend.]

Stop crying Stanley, you don’t want the boys to see you.

[Stanley wipes his face and sniffles. He looks deep in thought. When he starts to speak his face seems vacant. He continues to avoid Mitch’s gaze.] 

STANLEY: 

Did your father hurt your mom?

MITCH:[Mitch turns to Stanley.]

He died when I was young so I do not remember him. But, [Mitch turns away to look forward.] I doubt he would do anything like that. My mother always speaks highly of him. 

STANLEY: 

Oh. [Stanley looks surprised and shifts his gaze downwards.] My parents rarely speak calmly to each other unless they are talking directly to me. When they fight they tell me to fetch an errand outside, but I just sit on the porch and listen. They think I can’t hear them but our walls are as thin as paper. My father throws dishware at my mom and then forces her to clean it up. He’ll yell at her like the Man here does to us just to intimidate her. If she ever confronts him, he’ll tell her that he knows her parents would disown her if she got divorced. And I know they love each other or at least I think they do. When my mom talks to me she acts like everything is okay. [Stanley’s voice becomes shaky as if he is about to cry again.] She always has sleeves on, as well as long skirts! [Stanley starts to cry. His sniffling is audible. Some of the men in front of him turn to face Stanley.]

MITCH: 

I’m sure he had a reason for it. Men like us have to show our power. We have to make sure that our wives know who is in control. 

STANLEY: [Stanley wipes his face again. He stops crying but some of the men still look back to see him sniffling.] 

I just feel like it’s wrong.

MITCH: [Mitch pats Stanley’s back again and starts to chuckle.] This is why people are saying you’re soft. How could you fight in a war when you’re worried about your parents' marriage? [Mitch stops laughing.] Don’t you know that most men hurt their wives, you probably will too. It’s to keep them in their place when they step out of bounds.

STANLEY:[Stanley looks up at Mitch with anger in his eyes. His voice becomes very loud as he almost grabs Mitch. He stops himself.] 

Don’t. Ever. Compare. Me. too. My. Father! Never!

[Stanley and Mitch have slowly separated from the group of people walking to sleeping areas. The Man starts to walk towards them.]

MAN: [The Man yells at Mitch and Stanley.]

Why are you so behind? Almost everyone else has gotten to their sleeping areas. Hurry up. Walk faster. Let’s go!

[The Man, Stanley, and Mitch start to briskly walk towards the wings of the stage. The lights turn off and the stage is black.]