Scene -Café con Leche

The set consists of three round tables, each covered with a red and white checkered table cloth. On each table is a napkin holder and salt and pepper shakers. Seated at the first table is a family: Mother, Father and Daughter. Seated at the second table is a couple: Sam and Andy. Seated at the third are three friends: Meg, Christine and Tara. There is a sign above that reads: Café con Leche.

Mother: How was everyone’s day?

Daughter: Fine.

Father: Fine.

Mother: How was work, honey?

Father: It was fine.

Daughter: School sucked.

..

Tara: And these new boots I found online are gorgeous. I actually want the weather to get cold so I can wear them.

Christine: I got this great necklace at the mall. Real Polish amber.

Meg: When were you at the mall?

Christine: Saturday… or Sunday? I can’t remember.

Tara: I thought you said you were at a wedding Saturday.

Christine: Right. So it was Sunday.

Meg: Wow, Polish amber.

Tara: I didn’t even know they had amber in Poland.

Christine: Apparently they do.

..

Sam: This place is awful.

Andy: Tell me about it.

Sam: Why did we want to come here?

Andy: Something about “the touch of local flavor”?

Sam: Well I think the local flavor touched me enough when he showed us to our table.

..

Meg: Cute bracelet!

Tara: Thanks. Ebay.

Christine: Ebay? Is it a good idea to shop there?

Tara: Oh, yeah. I’ve gotten plenty of stuff there. Haven’t had any problems yet.

Meg: Yet…

..

Mother: How are your grades this semester?

Daughter: Eh.

Father: What courses are you taking?

Daughter: I really don’t want to talk about school.

Mother: How’s Josh?

Daughter: He’s fine.

Father: You two aren’t sleeping together, are you?

Daughter: Dad!

Father: What?

Mother: Honey, let’s try to not be so forward.

Father: I’m just trying to be up front with my daughter.

Mother: Well. Are you?

Daughter: Mom!

..

Andy: Is our waiter ever coming back?

Sam: He’ll come back when he comes back. When’s your new commission going to be finished?

Andy: Oh I don’t know. It’s a pretty big project. It should pay a lot, though.

Sam: You haven’t fixed a price?

Andy: They said that it would “depend on the quality of my work.” Considering what a large corporation it is, I doubt that they’ll be overly judgmental.

Sam: Don’t you just love it when those people try so hard to “contribute to the arts” when-

Andy: -When they don’t know the first thing about art?

Sam: Exactly.

..

Tara: I think we ordered at least an hour ago.

Meg: We haven’t even gotten our drinks yet.

Christine: (Searching her purse) Hey, I picked these up outside our hotel. There were these people handing them out talking about genocide in Africa. All you have to do is sign them and send them to the president demanding change in our foreign policy.

Tara: (Takes one) Sure, why not.

Meg: (Refuses) Those things never accomplish anything.

Christine: What do you mean?

Meg: I’d be willing to bet that they’ve got people at the white house whose only job is to shred these sort of things every day.

Tara: Don’t you support the cause?

Meg: Well, sure. But protests, rallies, letter-writing campaigns? No one up there pays attention. And nothing gets done. There's no point.

Christine: No point? What about the possibility that you could be wrong? That people do read these. That people notice. Why not at least give it a try?

Meg: I’m a realist.

Andy: Oh my God. A realist?

Sam: Andy, leave it.

Andy: Please, “realism” is just what cynics hide themselves behind when they don't want to be held accountable for their inaction.

Meg: Yeah, I’m leaving. I’ll see you Tuesday, Tara. Bye, Christine.

Christine: Bye.

Meg exits.

..

Sam: What was that?

Andy: I just hate to hear that crap. I think most of the world is just slowly dying, but is too afraid to find the cure.

Sam: And what exactly is the cure?

Andy: A smack in the face.

..

Father: Starting to get loud in here, isn’t it?

Mother: The lunch crowd is coming in.

Father: You'd think so but I haven't seen a single person walk in since we got here.

(A loud thump is heard from the window).

..

Sam: What the hell was that?

..

(A second thump).

Daughter: What’s going on?

..

(A Third thump).

Christine: Did you hear that?

Tara: Yeah.

..

Sam: Let’s go check it out. (Stands and goes to the window)

Andy: (Follows Sam) It looks like there’s a riot going on.

..

Daughter: (Moves to window). Look at those signs, something about genocide in Africa.

(By this point, all of the characters are standing at the window).

Christine: It's a protest.

Andy: It looks a little more violent than a protest.

Father: Looks like there might be trouble.

Mother: Trouble?

Tara: Is that Meg? What’s she doing out there?

Daughter: I’m going out there.

(Mother and Father try to stop her, but fail)

Father: I’ll go.

Christine: What do we do now?

Andy: Watch and wait, I suppose.

Tara: Alex isn’t moving!

Andy: (Stopping Tara from running out) Don’t.

Sam: Andy, that’s their friend.

Andy: So? We don’t know what’s going on out there.

Christine: There’s that girl.

Mother: Chealsea! Where?!

Christine: Right there!

Mother: Chelsea! (She pounds on the glass) Watch out! Behind you, Chelsea!

Tara: There’s your husband. He’s going to help her!

Mother: I have to go out there.

Christine: You’ll be in the same situation as them!

Andy: Don’t look.

Mother: (To Andy) What?

Andy: Just don’t.

(She turns away. Tara, Christine, and Sam watch. They gasp. Andy moves to Mother, trying his best to comfort her. The lights go out [They are dimmed, but light enough that the characters can still be made out]).

Sam: Andy!

Andy: I’m here.

(A loud banging noise is heard.)

Tara: There’s someone at the back door.

Christine: There’s a back door?

Sam: Don’t open it!

Mother: What do we do?

Andy: Under the tables!

(Tara and Christine move under the center table. Sam, Andy and Mother under another.)

Christine: It was supposed to be a peaceful protest!

(The banging is louder and there is a crash).

Blackout.