' Døvid Chørles IIorn Foowd'øtion

The Yale Drama Series is funded by the generous support

of the David Charles Horn Foundation, established in zoo3 by
Bottle Fly
Francine Horn to honor the memory of her husband, David' In
keeping with David lIorn's lifetime commitment to the written
word, the David Charles lIorn Foundation commemorates his
aspirations and achievements by supporting new initiatives in the
literary and dramatic arts.

JACQUELINE GOLDFINGER
Foreword. by Nicholøs Wrþht

Yale uxrvnRsrry pREss NEw HAVEN & LoNDoN

 Bottle Fly

Accent
Florida is a bizarre state with many variations on the South-
ern accent. Do not worry about the accent. Just go with the
rhythm and flow of the words. These folks talk as they live:
hard, fast, with heat.

Music
This is a play with music. You can license short-term, acappella
Special Thanks: Francine Fforn, Playwright Nicholas Wright, live performance rights. Licensing information is available at
Dramaturg AIix Rosenfeld, the PlayPenn New Play Confer- the back of the scrþt. If you do not want to license the music,
ence, the Yale Drama Prize, and The National Theatre in a list of replacement songs in the public domain that are less
London recognizable but work well within the play is available from
the playwright.
Time/Place: Present day. An old barn reconstituted into a bar
near the Everglades in rural Florida. Elements of Style
A slash (/word/) indicates overlapping speech.
People: 4 Females, r Male Brackets [word] indicate an unspoken word. A sound and/or
movement should express the word's meaning.
K zos, Woman, open ethnicity, odrerworldly in a Dots after a character's name . . . means that something un-
hard-packed red-clay way; cannor speak, sings spoken yet meaningful is going on between the characters.
instead

ROSIE 4os, White woman, owns and runs the bar; Cal's
wife

CAL 4os, Man of color, Rosie's husband; oil rig worker

RUTH 5o, Woman, open ethnicity, looking for answers

later in life; Penny's lover

PENNY zos, Woman, open ethnicity but fust preference is

Seminole or Hispanic; tough, bee keeper-tradition
keeper

Florida is an incredibly ethnically diverse srare and the Ever-

glades region is reflective of that diversity.
 Act One
r. Earþ That Morning

As lþhts rise, we see ø'n old. rørnshøchle børn. TItø børn is two
stnries high ønd. wid.e enoøgb t0 strre twelue-foot stølhs of
st/tga.r cø,ne. The wølls cøn be wood' plønhs or ølwm.inørn
sheets. Regørd.Iess, there øre holes in the wølls øfter d'ecød'es
of wse. Pøper ønd. newsprint bøve been pøstød.01)er the holas.

Tho f.rst floor of the børn høs been repwrposed. It is nlw ø.

sm.øll rurøl bør with ø few m.iswløtched' tøbles ønd' chøirs.
Therets øn old' ø,t m1 cot in tbe corner. There øre three exits:
zne t0 ñ.n offstøge f.rst-floor bed'roowr, zne to the porch
leød.ing oøtsid.e, ønd. ø lød.d.er leød.ing u'It t0 ñ. srnøll loft.

The second.floor is the srnøll loft. We cø,nnlt seø into the loft
bwt cøn see the lød.d.er wsed' for entrø,nce ønd' exit.

x (fernøle, zos, eørtliy, ø linle slow) sits on the ø.rwry clt lvt
the f.rst floor.

r sings beøatifully; fløwed. ønd, røw but with øn ønd'erlying

grø.ce.

K þings Dream a Litde Dream of Me) Stars shining

bright above you,
Night breezes whisper I love you,
Bees buzzing in the sycamore tree,
Dream a litde dream of me.
 6 Bottle Fly Act 1, Scene 1 7

Frorn the socond.-flzzr loft, we begin to heør the low bwzzing of xosrc (fernøle, 4os, white, toøgh) enter$ we.ø.rs a, bøthrobe
bees.
ønd. bold.s ø fly swøtter. Sbe swøts the bees øwøy frorn r lihe ø
wTwvvt.0l beø.r.
K (sings) "night-ie-nighr" and kiss me.
Say
]ust hold me tight and . . . ROSIE /Goddamned motherfuckers/
(tries to pøsh øcross the chøswt berween. her rnoøth ønd. her
brøin) K /aaaaaalittnttttllllllllleeee . . . ggggg.achhhhh
ghhhhh.../
And. , .
And...youcan) ROSIE (cølls to the loft) /IesusH1/
Dream a little dream of me.
K /eammmmmmmmm. . . . offffffffrneeeeeeeeee . . . /
The bøzzingfrorn the Ioftgets loød.er.

ROSIE /Føching!/
x sings loød,er to push thern øwøy.
K /ahhhhguuhhhhguhhhhh/
K (sings) SWEET DREAMS TILL SUN-BEAMS FIND
YOU, ROSIE /Chrístl/
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you,
But in your dreams whatever they be, K /Meeeeeeeeeeeeee./
Whatever they be .
Whatever they beee. buzzing retreø.ts. Tl'te bøch øþ to the loft.
TI'te bees fly
The bøzzing is rnons*oøsly lowd. The bees øre flying d.owru. niostn com.fortsr.
from. the loft ønd. d.escend.ing ,tpzn K.
ROSIE It's okay. He¡ girl, I( girl,
K trtes to get ø,wø.y.

K Ackhggggghhh
K (sings) Beee. Beeeee. Beeeeeeeeeee
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF- ROSIE Shhhh, just, shhhhh noq
Where is itf Where is itf
K screø.ynt løps øt the bees
nosß feels øroønd. iøx's pochets.
K BeeeeeeeBeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeDreeeee-
aaaaammmmmmmm ., . gggg.aghhhh . . . Dreeeeeeeem K (sings inføør øwd. pøin)
Dreamalitdedreamofmedream
alittledreamofmedreamalittledreamofmedreamalittledream
ofme.
 Bottle Fly Act l, Scene I 9

ROSIE It's gonna be, RUTH'S VOICE (frow loft, off*øge) I am so, so sorry
Okay. about that.
It's gonna be,
I'm gonna evict those snatch-eating bitches PlosrB screñ.wrs up to P.UTIj
You'll see, you'll see, okay, okay, here girl.
ROSIE Pack your bags!
xour pølls øn øntiqøe crystøl d.oorhnob oøt ofr's ¡tochet. And your damn beesl
Gives it to her. And get out!

ROSIE Here. RUTH'S VOICE (frorn loft, offstøge) It will not happen
again. I swear-
K ø,cce|ts it lihe com.rnwnion. She rabs it. She cølrns d.own..
ROSIE K got, she got,
K (sings) DDDDDDD . . Stings.
Dream a litde dream of me. She's got damn, what look like she walk through nettles,
Spanish bayonets, palm stickers, and shit.
ROSIE I know, honey I know. All up on her arms.
It's o- All over her,
It's gonna be, okay Good thing she dressed.
I got you. Otherwise, she'd be all eaten up) even in her private places
I got you. You got to take them and go.

K xurn (5o, fernøle, øncornfortøble in her own shin) ø.ppeø.rs

ø.t the top of the loft lød.d.er.
ROSIE lt's gonna be okay.
Miss Rosie got you. RUTH /Iwasjustchecking/
You're my dream girl,
My perfect dream. ROSIE /Like I tucking carel

K [Yes,I am. I am.] RUTH /Asit got colder.

Just checking/
[And I am safe.]
ROSIE /Do you not hear me, girll /

RUrH t yoice is heørd.

frorn the offstøge loft. RUTH /M:aktng sure the bees feed./
F

IO Botde Fly Act I, Scene I II

ROSIE /Youdeaf,dumb, and-/ PENNY You didn't not ask for-

RUTH /Pleaseletme-/ ROSIE Nobody asked for I( to get all bit up by your
damn bees neither.
lnuTil descend.s the lød.d.er øwhwørd.ly. She is not wsed. to this
Thøt shuts pnNNY Øp.
,4s nurn pENNy (zos,
d,escend.s, fem.øle, rnøscled,, førrn-hønd,
beøhhy) enters from owtside, weørs worh glotes, pønts, boots, PENNY That's truth
ønd. lwgs ø.n evnpty beehipe.
pENNylrr¿r øp the lød.d.er, toses the hile into thø loft. Høngs
xostp, d.oes not see pENNy enter. on the lød.d.er. Tøhes off her worhgloues ønd. boots, tosses thern
uþ ø.fter the hbe.
ROSIE (to xutø) /You deaf, dumb, and a pussy lickerl
That's three strikes, RUTH I am really so sorry about that
An'you out, bitch. I would never-

PENNY Hey! ROSIE Well you did

ROSIE Jø¿J PENNY RUTH

-Intentionally-
RUTH (ro nnrvNv) Ir's okay, hon ROSIE Road to hell-
pENNy igruoresxvtu ønd, ød,d,resses Rosrn. RUTH It was an accident.
It won't happen agàin.
PENNY nosrn) We paid through the monrh.
(ro
And we fixed the rooÊ- ROSIE smooth with 'em.
-Paved
F..:OSIE (lia) Not much fixin'to be done. RUTH Just an accide-

PENNY The big hole. ROSIE K got a place here.

In the south corner. No questions asked. I( got one.
Ripped off in that last blow K can do what she wants.
You gonna tell mel But you just money guests.
You know what money guests is)
ROSIE Listen, I didn't ask for-
PENNY We kno-
tz Bottle Fly Act l, Scene I t3

ROSIE Not you, K (forgiveness)

She. (reløøse) ,

(to xurtt)
You know what money guests is, Ruthì
K pu.ts the crystøl d'oorhnob bøch into her pochet.
RUTH I,I,I, I don't but
I get the sense, the feeling that your, RUTH Okay.
Connotation is that- See, we're all fine.

PENNY d.escend.s the l.ød.d.er. ROSIE

ROSIE Money guests means I got to house you. PENNY

Got to feed you. Because I need your money.
But you not a real guest. RUTH
You don't got no real place here.
& ROSIE
She's, got a
Real place here. PENNY

PENNY Yeah, but \Me pay all the same, RUTH

So we some kind of guests.
The kinda ones you need. ROSIE... Shit.Fine
(re: xurø)
So back offa'her. But you only paid through the rest of the month.
And we gonna be big-money guests soon. Then I want this shit out of here. You and your beasts'
So you best be nice, or we'll take our big-money guest
selves off somewhere else. RUTFI She can't harvest until the summer'

kuTHgoes toK. PENNY (qaietly to nurH) Let it lie.

RUTH I'm so sorry, K. RUTH But Rosie needs to understand-

K (conføsion) PENNI Irt me do it!

rust, sorry, just
RUTH Okayf Let me do it. My way.
It won't happen ever again. Please.
The bees, I won't drop their hive, ever again.
 f.4 Bottle Fly Act I, Scene I r5

ROSIE (ro lnNNr) You think you a man now, girl, you ROSIE [That] Don't make up for it.
think, you a husband or somethin'f Think 'bout where you're gonna go to ât the end of the
Get on out right norff, you thinkin' that, goin' 'gainst God, month.
Nature, an' Good Sense. Sure as shit ain't gonna be here.

RUTH (ro rosra) Look, lesbians have been around since, xvrr disøltpeørs into the ffi.
The Isle of Iæsbos, in Ancient Greece,
K [I got to go soon, too.]
ROSIE I'm gonna throw up.

pENNy silences rur:e- with ø hønd. on her ørrn. Moves her

towørd. the lød.d.er. ROSIE No, you ain't got to go nowhere,lady bug.
Not ever, ever.
PENNY Nothin'much you can get out of anger. Don't you worry about that.
Let her cool.
(eo nosrn) K lI got to.l
Dawn cracked.
Might as well get up and our for the day.

pENNy ønd.xur:ø climb øp the lød,d,er to the l.oft. ROSIE They'll clear out.
It'll just be us again.
ROSIE Might as well. And Daddy Cal.
Cal'll be home soon, we'll have a little party.
xostr, chechs onx. just the three of us, once they're gone.
Just us, love.
ROSIE You okay, Lady Kl
K [I'm sorry.]
r nods
IIIIL . . ghhgh
xostø fo ld.s x\ b lønhet.
Ssssssss
PENNY d.isøppeørs into the loft.
ROSrE Shhhhhhh. . .

RUrH's ã.t tha toq, of the lødd.er. No, no, no. Don't you worry. Flere.
(pøts her hønd. on the d,oor hnob inx\ pochet)
RUTH sorr¡ again.
So Hold on to that and let me get my day things on
I'm reall¡ I'm just clumsy I guess.
 t6 Act I, Scene I r7
Botde Fly

K (sings In the Still of the Night) ghhhh ø pisible connøction of the seen ønd. ønseen woild's, ø pøst ønd'
fnnnn. . . . føtøre perfeû rhø't contøin her reølity'
IIIIIIn the still of the night
r stønd; tøll ønd. strøight for the f'rst tirne, her innel self
ROSIE Oh,I like this one freed.frorn ïhe constrøints ofher ou.ter shell.

K (sings) As I gaze from my window, She tøhes thø crystøl d.oorhnob oøt ofher pochet' tosses it in the
At the moon in its flight, øir, cøtcbas it, pøts it bøch.
My thoughts all stray ro you.
She ød,d.resses tbe øud'isnce.
In the still of the night
While the world is in slumber, K She touched my fault-line and I awoke'
Oh, the times without number, The first time, on the side of a knotted dirt road, run red
Darling when I say to you with streaks of clay and white with streaks of sand, lapping
up my unknowingness, she woke me'
ROSIE I love you, my girl. I had slept in that field since . . . like discarded lumber'
fl'lll Be right back. Since . . . being laid fallow, by the death of love'
Since being made gone, by a family' government issued at
K þings) "Do you love me, as I do youl birth, that never transformed water into wine, paperwork
Are you my life to be, My dream come truel" into blood.

FIOSIE Ðcx.ts It was too much.

K (sings) "Or will this dream of mine fade out of sight. I don't blame them,-
Like the moon) growing dim, They finally had their own baby didn't need a pretend
On the rim of the hill one, and grandma had been left to the ground. So they set
In the chill, me free. To be found.
Still, (loohs to xoxn's roorn)
Of the nightl" She stroked my forehead.
She brought down the fever.
Wørrn lþht
s*eørns tbrowgh tbe pøper thøt copers the wølls of She fed me.
the børn; the trønscend.ent connøction between K)s seen ønd. She gave me a blanket.
,tnseen world.s. (For ø yiswøl referemce, see Frøser's
/ohn She called me I(
"Colløge Worhs t 9 9 4-zoo 2. " ) And when I came back around,
I woke to a life inside my life.
Løtery when r speøhs to the øød.ience, wø.wn lþht shines To this, screaming echo layered like paper on paper'
throøgh the pøpery bøthing her world. in ø trønscend.ent glow, decade on decade.
I8 Bottle Fly Act l, Scene ì. r9

The doctor says the talking part of the brain is different Not in a way that she will understand.
from the singing part. Goodbye.
F{e says, it's a blessing from God that she can do anything (sings)
really, Like the moon, growing dim,
After that delivery. No air. She could be full stupid, not On the rim of the hill,
just half. In the chill,
Srill,
I learned the songs my government-issued grandmother Of the night.
had played on the record player across long humid K retnrrrs to her slørnped' forru'.
afternoons.
Her sounds squeezing through walls of water thicker than Lights retu.rn to norm'øL.
school paste a heavy drip drop drip drop drop drop drop
down into my ears. hwwrning of bees fr,oru rhe loft, ønd'
Tl,tere's ø soft sorue ølm'ost
I spent hours there, listening, afraid moving would break irnperceptible løøghing ønd chøtting.
the sound, afraid to sweat) to stink, to make myself dirty
and unacceptable within the beautiful noise. rlosrl zvlters in d.øy clothes, cørries ø bøg ofpeønøts, ø cookie
The music pushed away the stink and rot of my days. sheet, ønd. ø svnøll bwchet.
Pushed away the unlucþ in life and love.
The music my companion. She sits øcross from. r.
My drunk translator.
(loohs to RosIE'.r roorn) They shell peønøts. The n'ats g0 071t0 ø, coohie sheet for tnø'sting'
The bees ktrow, that I don't make her h"ppy any more. the shølls go into ø bwcket to be thrown owt.
That she's sick of me,like my first family got, after grand-
mother's death. The nøts rnøhe ø soft vhythrnic "plinh" when they hit the
The bees, they sing themselves so they understand. coohio sheet.
They hear.
They know. Plink. Plink. Plinh. Plinh. Plink. Plinh.
And they punished me.
I should go, Tbere's ø thun+p frorn the loft. And' then ønother. A stifled
So Cal will stay home, "Oops!"
So life will be easier,
So she will be h"ppy. ¡losrl thrlws the nrrts hørd.er onto the sheet.
I can't tell her: I love you. I am grateful for you. I know
I make everything wrong, and that's why the bees, they P linh Plin k. P li,nþ.PlinhP linkPlinhPlinh
weren't stinging me. They were just singing me away.
I can't say Another thørnp ønd' ø loød' shushing.
20 Bottle Fly Act l, Scene I 2T

rtosra thrlws tern hørd.er ø,nd. fø.ster. Theywill.

Can't be doin' all that in front of a man.
PLINI(PLINKPLINKPLINI{PLINI(PLINIQLINK-
P LI NI{P LI NKP LI NI( P LIN KPLIN KP LIN IG K lUm, they probablywill keep onf l
PLINKPLINI(
Thø thørnps ønd. shøshes ønd. occøs'ionøl rnøffied. løwghter pENNy cornes d.own the lød.d'er with ø swøllgløss iør of honey
continue øntilyostv is throwing the nøts so hørd, onto the still on the cornb.
coohie shaet thøt they soønd. lihe høil on ø tin roof.
PENNY Thought you could use this for the peanut
The nats boønce off the coohie sheet ønd. onto the floor. x bend.s butter.
down to pich thern wp, but thø følling nøts hit her on the Drop it into the blender, instead of the oil,
beød. They hwrt! Make it cream and smooth,
And Sweet.
P LI NKP LI N KP LI NIQ LIN KPLINI( P LI NKPLI NK - Orange Blossom Honey s\Meet.
P L I NIQ L I NK P LIN I( P LI NI(P L I N KP L I NIç For Cal.
PLINI(PLINK (teiling)
There's ø continwoøs series of bøngs ø,nd a, loud, woøn ønd. I hear he likes your peanut butter and honey.
thøt\ f.nølly too rnucb for Rosrr..
ROSIE (blwshes,'cøøsø he d'oes) Don't be gross.
ROSIE Swear to God, Good Lord.
You don't get those hands outta those cooters and get
down here for lunch, I'm gonna snatch 'em out myself. r løøghs.

The bønging ønd. rnoøning xop. ROSIE (good nøtured') (tor) Enough outta you.
(ro rENNv)
RUTH (off*øgefrowt llft) Well, that would be quite End of the month.
rude.
PENNY Come now.
PENNY (frorn offstøge loft) (to RUrH) Shhhh.
(cølk d.own støirs) nurr coril.es down tbe lød'd'er.
Sorry, Sorry Miss Rosie.
We didn't think you could hear. RUTH Sorry. Again. So sorry.
Didn't mean to-
ROSIE (ra r) You just wait.
When Cal gets home, ROSIE What cha'll mean don't matter.
When he gets back, they'll stop. What you do matters.
22. Bottle Fly Act I, Scene I z3

RUTH So I just can't do anything rightl K fHeck, yeah]

ROSIE No, not particularly.

F{ow 'bout y'all do something useful for oncef ROSIE You ain't takin'her out on no boat.
|ust sittin' up there, watchin' those bees do their business, You don't got no boat to take her out in.
How about you do some business)
How about you find something useful to dol PENNY I got a friend who's got one.
Ain't gonna find no lazy-ass repararions builshit around We'll make it a great day for K.
here. (ro x)
Money don't fall off trees. We'll ride down some side stream
Waitin' for bees to do a job for you) so you can reap what Ain't no one else seen before.
they sow, Undisturbed, the way it first was laid out,
What kinda business is thatf Like God's own image over the dark earth.
They say He spread out his hand) stretched his fingers
RUTH It's the kind that will save the world. wide,
Re-pollination. Pressed his pahn hard down into the mud,
Colony collapse is a significant concern in the broader An' that dent in all his creation is the Everglades.
environmental spectrum of- It's the only piece of this earth that's shaped just like him,
Like his outstretched hand,
ROSIE Shut the fuck up. And so He filled it with all the best things.
Bees right here. We right here. ft's fine. Alligators, turtles, great blue herons, egrets, maybe even a
All I want to know is what you gonna dof For yourself, panther or two.
For my girl you got srung up so bad.
How you gonna say sorry) r is excited,.

PENNY (ro r) Hey K. ROSIE You can really take her on a boat ridel
Hey girl.
How about we go out on a boat todayl PENNY I can.
You like thatl I know a guy.
I've been drivin' since I was knee high to a honey bee
K fYou're talking to mel] Let us gol
Let us be use-ful, for a day.
Let us make amends.
PENNY Yeah, you wanna go.
Out, on the water, feel the wind in your hair, ROSIE
cool water spray up your arms)
On your face.
24 Bottle Fly

K IPlease!] z. That Night

pENNy ønd' cx- (4os, m'øle, full of regret) sit øt the bør
d.rinhing beer.
ROSIE Okay.
But be careful. PENNY Daddy and Momma always pretended it wasn't
An' take her raincoat, for the wind and water. real.
It's out dryin' on the porch. Like it was just girls being friends'
An' make sure her hair stays tied back so that the salt don't
get too far down into it. Salt on the scalp'll make her itch CAL Instead a' girlfriends.
for weeks. And-
PENIIY Yeah.
r< ålss¿s noslr on the cheøh. But then they walked in on me with the neighbor girl.

ROSIE Okay. CAL Can't come back from that.

Stay safe.
And listen to 'em. You hear me, Kl PENNY Nope.
You listen good. Lickin' your girlfriend's asshole
In your parents' marriage bed
r mods. Pretty much says it all.

Lights shift. cx- nod's.

They d.rinh.

CAL

PENNY

CAL I got a family to think about. And other folks threw

y'all out.

pr'NNv øods.

z5
L6 Bottle Fly Act l; Scene 2

CAL Well, they knowyour daddy. CAL I don't see what ¡þ¿¡'s-
And your daddy's daddy.
And he ain't shy about,advertising The Exile. PENNY Like out on the rig.
You got moments when everything feels, strong anil right.
PENNY Yeah, well, he can go fuck himself
CAL
cnr løwghs.
PENNY Yeah, you do. I see it.
CAL Yeah, you sure his Daddy always wanted things to be right, be good,
But then when that right comes along,
PENNY I ain't none of that man. That gift from,
What he put up in people's faces, I don't believe in God no more,
Like he got, But that gift from the natural wodd that makes us, almost-
Walkin'around like Jesus gave him grazing rights on the angels, helps you taste a bit of what's sweet' so you can live
fields of morality never plowed. Like he's fuckin', this life a little easier)
Like he never- I{e says ttno." FIe says-

CAL ]ust like him. CAL Get out my house

PENNY (ø threøt) Hey! PENNY Yeah.

(more control) loft)
(loohs u.p to
I'm sayin', But we got to stay, stay put until harvest season)
It comes up on you like a a a a a a a Because I got all the bees I raised,
A blade of light in the shade. By myself, my lot, since I was little .
Like you under an old oak tree in the afternoon I got'em all up there, and I can't afford to move 'em,
Laid out underneath on a blanket, To move us, to get,
Eyes closed, drowsing. I got to get my feet under me.
And all a sudden the breeze shifts, I need somewhere that blade of light
The branches shading you move) just a millimeter and just And my clay feet
for a second, Can live togetlrer in peace,
And for one frightening and glorious momenr But that takes money and time.
A little blade of light cuts right through your eyelid, a
burst of reds and oranges explode and you almost feel that CAL And Rosie don't want to give you that.
you can see something beyond sense. That you can see,
through, things to the heart of the matter. In blindness PENNY No shit
there is the only real sight and for a split second you feel,
Glorious. Transcendent. Special. Rightwith the world.
z8 Bottle Fly Act l, Scene 2 z9

(come on) you know) I don't know.

But I know you ain't hateful.
You seein' what you is, not what you told.
I know you fixed Rosie's roof so the rain don't blow in
CAL I got this ex-Marine on the oil rig. White boy. when I'm away.
A ginzel, a rookie, on the rig at least. I know that you'd protect Il when it comes to it,
He in the bunk right under me . That you jumped in alligator water for her today.
I come off a twenty-four-hour shift. Rough one. I don't think it'd hurt too much if y'all stay until the
llurricane storm tipped us, harvest.
Ride like a roller coaster that keeps you drownin'.
You feel.like, I'm gonna drown on a dry boat, PENNY Your wife don't see it that way
You feel like, you touch that forever in a quick moment.
CAL I'll let her know my mind.
You up in the rig, tryin' to keep it all together, She takes that into account. Sometimes.
While you tossed around harder than bowling pins.
This substitute, boy, he says that he looked at me out PENNY løøghs.
there,
On that riggin', keepin' the whole bit together with my CAL Don't laugh now.
bare hands, (re: telling nostu)
An' I come back in, ]ust got to find the right time.
An' he laughs an' says, you looked like the devil out there.
That's how I always thought the devil looked. PENNY xops løaghing.
A big dark strong thing, pullin' everythin'apart.
They d.rinh.
I holdin' it together, I says.
was
I's holdin' the world together for twelve hours while you PENNY
slept.
An' he just laughed again and said,
"Sure Mr. Devil Man, sure. Don't get my bunk wet." CAL
He walks off.
He thinks he's sleepin' right below the Devil hisself out in
a rig in the Gulf. K, RUTH, ønd,vostn enter.
'Cause a' what he's been told to see,
Not what he actually seen. r høs ø bønd.øge øroønd. her foot, lirnps

I don't know ifwhat you two get up to in that loft is cAL gnes to r<. Helps her sits d.own, hisses her on the toþ of tbe
heød..
3o Botde Fly Act I, Sccne 2 3r

¡losrB is pissed off ROSIE Well, she's in pain most the afternoon 'cause a'
you.
CN, (to RosIE) Hello, my love.
CAl, (to nosle) Come on, Rosie. I missed you.
ROSIE I hope you put that beer on her tab.
xutø settles r øt her tøble.
CAL She jumped in after-
F(oslB goes to cAL.
ROSIE Oh, after,
Well, after does a whole lot of good, Rosrr, cl'r ønd pENNy settle ñ't the bør.
When you fall in the water before.
I mean it's that deep- ROSIE And that man ât the hospital-

cl.r hisses her, which sbt¿ts her u.p, for ø m,inwte. PENNY The doctorì

ROSIE the rains an'all and- ROSIE No, the other one
-after
ctt- hisses ber øgøin. RUTH The orderly,

ROSIE not like she can swim. ROSIE NO! That man who carries-
-it's
c¡^t hisses PENNY/CAL The orderþ

ROSIE I mean, it's not that deep, ROSIE Well, you don't have to gang up on me.
But it's slippery. So this other man, this orderly,
FIe comes up to us)
CAL (to leNNv) Y'all just gonna have to let her finish. Like we.'re trash in the bucket,
I{e comes up and he says, she can walk to her room.
ROSIE (to ctr) This is not funn¡ Cal. And I says, no sir, no she cannot walk. Look at her foot.
(ro ruNNv) He says, she's a strong one. She's a buck. She be fine.
You shoulda called sooner. Right when it happened. You swamp people, you can take it.
I coulda been there sooner. And he wheels away.
Motherfucker pushes the wheelchair the other direction.
PENNY @ulls ø phone oat of bør pochet) No service out Solgoonuptohim...
there.
RUTH She did. She really did.
3z Bottle Fly Act l, Sccne 2 tt

ROSIE . . . I go on up and I stand right in front of that RUTH In silence.

chair,
And I stop him, PENNY She's fixed now though.
I says, what that mean, what you say, what that mean
'{nd
exactlyf ROSIE She be okay.
And he looks at me all like . . . (to r)
Right,IÇ babyf You be okayl
xostn m.øhes ø cond.escending føce.
x nod,s.
RUTH He did. He then-
ROSIE Good girl
ROSIE I sa¡ you mean it's okay she be in pain,
She hurts, because, whg because we don't live in town. CAL Well,I'm glad of that.
We live hard and you gotta make it harderl
Then he gets this flush all over him. RUTH We all are
And he says, it was a compliment.
And I says, ain't no compliment, if my girl hurting, ROSIE (toxutu) You just out to annoy me today,
You take care ofher.
You supposed to ease suffering, motherfucker, RUTH What nowl
Not keep it on. Not some folks meant to suffer
More than others ROSIE (to ctr) I tol' them, they got to leave
On your say so. They stung up K.
'Cause they walk across fields to work. Battered her foot to pieces.
There's no glory in suffering that can be eased.
So you gonna wheel your skinny ass around right now PENNI We got her right out.
And you gonna pick up my girl She leaned over to look for fish and-
And you gonna roll her over to her room as gentle as a
mother hen warming a newborn chick. Otherwise, you ROSIE And got a sprained ankle
gonna see who's gonna suffer today.
PENNY Yeah, well . . . happens.

ROSIE (d.isd.øin) Happens.

CAL And¡
Rosrn prpr tpen ø. beer for cx-, hønds it to hirø.
ROSIE I never did see a black boy go white as a bed
sheet. PENNY sþnøIs "My beerts d.one, too.'
K got her ride to her room
34 Bottle Fly Act 1, Scene 2 t5

PENNY PENNY (overd.oes it) Been gone eight weeks on an oil rig,
Only get two days off.
That's some ridiculousness right there.
ROSIE That's some spiteful, hurtful, unnecessary)
I mean, it is. It is just-

PENNY ROSIE I ain't gonnâ let you stay just 'cause

You agree
r:ostL relents, pops one for her. With me about it.

ROSIE This one's goin'on the tab. PENNY shrøgs. Did.n't burt to try.
(to cllt-)
How long you got'fore you go backf RUTH I'm sure she didn't mean it like th-
CAL Two days PENNY øndvosts looh to RUTH.'

ROSIE Two! RUTH Oh, never mind.

CAL Two before my next hitch. ROSIE (ra nnNNv) You need to shut that girl up
They got a new rig startin' up. Ever'time she opens her mouth-
An intelligent well. With litde robots that'll look after it,
After we set it up. Get it in running order. ROSIE/PENNY Flies come out
Get it ready for electronic Toolhands to come in.
They'll be monitoring the wells from all the way up in ROSIE (slowly, lihe pr:ur:r''s sttt'pid) That-means-that-
New York, nothin'-good-comes-out.
Out in California. Where ever those electric eyes go. Okay.
Get it, girl.
ROSIE Itn't that what they pay management for¡
RUTH Hey! I have a Ph.D.!
CAL No, they pay rnanagement to tell me
To get everythin'up and in runnin' order. PENNY Just ignore her, sweet-

PENNY That's some bullshit right there. ROSIE What good's a P.H.-

ROSIE Yeah, it is. RUTH That means that I have been through many years
of education. I have written papers and a Master's disserta-
tion. I have defended a doctoral thesis.
36 Bottle Fly Act 1, Scene 2 t7

PENNY F{on, it's okay. lust ignore- RUTH

RUTH I have sat on panels and reviewed grant applica-

tions and been awarded scholarships and residencies and ROSIE
fellowships. I have citations. On paper. With with with
with gold seals. I have a bio longer than my arm, longer
than your arm, longer than both our arms. I have awards. RUTH That's not what I meant.
Awards given by people that matrer to people rhat mater. I just mean, I mean . . .

I have publications. And I lecture and and and and and I

know things! I do. I am a biochemical all-star. And you! ROSIE I know what you mean
You can't treat me like-
RUTH I just,
ROSIE That don't mean you're better than me Everything I do here is wrong'
But everything I did out there was right.
RUTH Maybe it does!
Maybe! ROSIE Then why are you heref
It...just...does.
xutu hold's oøt her hønd' to PBNNY
cAL wto'res øwøy frorn RUTH. He thinhs, oOh, shit, girL Toa
hnow not whøt yoø d.o!' PENNY tøhes it.

K'ruoyes t0g^t the crystøl d.oorhnob oi,tt 0f her p\chet bøt her RUTH Because, she could see me '
hønd. cornes u,þ eynpty. I am seen.
In my old life,I was,'they could,
PENNY Touch, the outside,
They could, acknowledge the work,
But never pierce the shell. But she sees me
ROSIE

CAL PENNI| [I do see you.]

K (loohs øt børren hønd.s in sorrow)

RUTH (to ctr) It was the most shocking thing
Literally.
38 Bottle Fly Act l, Scene 2 39

When she turned and looked at me that first time, And I say, "Six hives. Six full harvests. Best honey you ever
I dropped, tasted."
I was putting gas in my damn car, He turns back to the house, motions Momma to stay
And I dropped the hose. Right there. inside.
Cost me two dollars in gas, f say, "Try some) Daddy."
All over the concrete. And I reach out to him with a full spoonful, golden
Puddles. Seeping through cracks. Draining my old life threads drip
away with it. Off the sides,
And I was empty. I was just, me. Reaching out to him,
Not the many things I'd put inside myself all those years- So happy. He should be satisfied.
The bits I'd stocked on the shelves of my rib cage- Gold I mined myself, over â year, no help.
Polite Smiles, Straight A report cards, Genteel Nodding, "Go aheadr" I sa¡ "Taste it. See if it's not just as good as
Diplomas- yours. See if it's not better. Come on. You say I hâve to
I was emptied out. I was purified. I longed to be filled, raise my own, prove I can do it, I done it. It's here. You
by her. too 'fraid to taste it, 'cause you know, you know, it just as
good as yours. Almost time to retire, old man. Retire and
PENNY I was so angry. hand it over. I told you, I could do it."
Then Momma comes back to the porch, a full-up garbage
RUTH I didn't know that then. bag in her hand, knotted at the top.
She holds on to that top knot and swings it once, twice,
PENNY I was so, bursting. three times. It sails over the grass, lands without a sound.
I saw you, I shot you a look-
The first time The knot has come lose. My clothes spill out.
Daddy opens his hand, tosses the truck keys at me'
RUTH Electric. The golden threads slide coyly off the side of the spoon)
dribble down on to the keys, until they are covered in
ROSIE I don't want to hear- slickness. Later, when I go to start the truck, I have to
suck the honey off them so they'll fit right in the ignition.
CAL Hush for a minute. When I pulled into that gas station, I was so angry, I
thought I could ignite the fuel you spilled, just by looking
PENNY That look could have shot you down dead. at it.
I wanted to shoot everyone down dead.
(to clir) RUTH You did. You burned up everything I was.
I had raised six hives. Six. By myself. Got my own firsr And I am grateful.
crop.
Then he comes out and he says, (aor.osrn)
"Your mother and I have decided." I'm sorry.
 4o Bottle Fly Act l, Scenc 2 4f

I am not better than you. r.losÍE ønes t0 cAL) tøhes bis hønd., they exit to the bed'roowt'.
I am not, at all,
I, there's still some dust on my shelves, xurl: ønd pÊNN\
f,nish their beers.
Inside, some residue from my old life,
From when f was a Whar, rather than a Who. RUTH
And sometimes that old dust-
PENNT
ROSIE Sucks.
RUTH I'd forgotten-
RUTH Yes. Monumentally sucks.
PENNY Whatl
cAL nt|yes towørd, bed,roorn d.oor.
RUTH I'd forgotten that you were so angry when we
CAI- (softly to nosrr) Baby met.
That we,
ROSIE That that look, wasn't really meant for me.
It was, about you.
Rosrr ?opJ op,en, ø, beer Giyes it to xur:r..
PENNI Sure, it was meant for You.
ROSIE On the house. Sure it was.
I just didn't know it at the time.
RUTH Thankyou.
RUTH
I/'.osÍE g06s ovsr t0 K.

PENNY Come on, Ruth

K settles 0n ø, snrphts ø,rrny cnt in thø corner xosw, wrøþs her
in ø blønhet. xurl¡ d.røins ber beer

ROSIE Good night, my girl. RUTH "For whither thou goest' I will go; and where
thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people,
x børrows d.own into the blønhet. and thy God my God."

K [I love you.] PENNY Iæt's go to bed.

Ggghhh.
RUTH But that's not the end of the story'
ROSIE f love you, too. The end of the story is, Ruth doesn't get to stay with
Naomi.
42 Bottle Fly Act l, Scene 2 43

Ruth is forced to marry Boaz, K (singsHoneysuckle Rose) Every honeybee fills with
Leave her one true love, jealousy when they see you out wit¡ me:
So that her son Obed can inherit so that David can inherit I don't blame them goodness knows, Honeysuckle Rose
and become King.
xuru øqí,PENNY d,ønce.
PENNY lt's still a beautiful story.
K (sings) When you're passin' by flowers droop and sigh,
RUTH But that is how Ruth ends And I know the reason why;
Alone. You're much sweeter goodness knows, lloneysuckle Rose.
Don't buy sugar, you just have to touch my cup.
PENNÍ You are not Ruth. You're my sugar; much sweeter when you stir it up.
You are not, thât Ruth.
You are this Ruth, our Ruth. vutø ønd.pBNNy swing; intirnøte løøghter.
Come up to bed.
They øre closer to the lødd'er to the loft.
I:ur}J d,oes not rnoye.
K (sings) When I'm takin' sips from your tasty lips,
PENNY You are the Ruth that I picked up in a gas Seems the honey fairþ drips;
station parking lot, You're confection goodness knows, Honeysuckle Rose
And we are not ashamed of that. Honeysuckle Rose.
You are the Ruth that laughed so hard the first time we
kissed that you spit Slushee into my mouth. l:urn ønd. pENNy hiss ønd' clirnb the lødd'er, exit to the loft.
You are the Ruth that memorized every book at the library
on bees and then forgot to put on gloves when you r is left ølone.
opened the hive.
You are not lost. Wørm. l'þbt streøm.s throøgh tbe weørn ønd. white pø'Per thñ't
You are not wrong. clrers the bøch wøll of the børn: the ttønscend'ent connection
You do not have to go back. between K)s seøn ønd. øøsøen world,s.

Come to bed with me. I( hønd.s) My doorknob.

(loohs øt her ernpty
A reminder of another world.
pENNy reøches out lter hønd. to pturtt An escape hatch,
To Grandma's bedroom,
x begins to Ítøru. When they came to get me,
After she died. Her sunset glory.
ts
r.:urø, tøhes tsNvy hønd.
 Botde Fly Act I, Scene 2 45
44

When they came, I couldn't stuff my pockets with her Fit between grains of sand so small, they sang to one
records, another,
Or her lace tablecloth or the picture of her son long dead But it was gone.
in Iraq. That's when I tripped, in the seeking of it.
I ran to her bedroom, slamming against each corner,
Something somewhere, Bnd of Act I
A rabbit hole.
A black hole.
Nothing.
Fuck you, Lewis Carroll and Dr. Who.
So when they dragged me out by my feet,
Screaming,
Like when I was born, to a new life,
A failed Apgar score,
When they dragged me out,
I grabbed the bedroom doorknob and they pulled me so
hard,
Popping my shoulder, leaving st¡etch marks on my waist,
That the crystal knob came off in my hand.
I shoved it into my pocket before they saw and asked and
wanted to sell it to pay the hospital bills.

Toda¡
When I fell out the boat.
lVater breaking over me,
Heralding.
I reached for ihe doorknob in my pocket
To conjure her, her place, her smell, her time,
The safety of her,
And it was gone.
I reached further into the water, down beneath the sand
and the soil.
I forced my fingers down through roots of the cypress
trees and scared a\^/ay the egrets.
I reached beneath the beneath,
 Act Two
r. Early the Next,Morning

Døybraøh lþbt rolk in løzy.

r orc Íter cot, sleeps.

cAL ønters. No shirt. Shøhing off tlup.Cltecks onr,føthør-

lihe, tøchs in søfe. Then reøches behind' bør. Crøchs ø beer.

ROSIB (offstøgø, sleepily) fCome] Back to bed, baby.

CAL Shhh, K's'sleep.

Off-støgø, in the d,istønce, set bøch d.eøp in clr:.:s rnørnory, the

soand. of wøte* Wøter hisses lønd' the echoing cløng of bøoy
belk, tbe softgrind. ofgeørs throøgh wø,ter The wøvel

cllr looþs longingly 0t t ù't the søø in his rnind.. Finishes his beer.
Loohs to his rooø øith xostn. And then bøch oøt ã't the seø'.

K stirs øwøhe, she slid.es oøt of the blønhet, goes to cnt, leøns
øgøinx him.

CAL You hear'em toof

omo."
r sleepily shøhes lter beød'

CAL No.
'Course not.
It follows me.

47
48
Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene L 49

A shørp cløng The soønd.s of the oil rig reced.es.

CAL (tor) Early in the morning, the water shifts with CN- (tonoslr) Hey baby.
the new dawn,
For a few minutes, the sun's rays hit just right, and light xosrc hisses hirn.
reflects off the pipes below the rig like a sea of stars'
A night sþ under your feet' ROSIE (ro r) Morning bathroom, love.
And between the night sþ below and the morning sþ
above,' CI¡,I- (tox) Come on, Miss K op *'at'em.
It's like you're sat at the first moment of creation with the
Maker Himself when there's only light. No land. No cx, helpsr to the bøthroorn on her iniøred' ønhle.
water. None of us. ]ust Peace.
(pointing to x) vulrt climbs d.own fvow the loft. She looþs lihø hell wørwød.
The sea isn't haunted, little one. Not like the land. Not 0ver.

like this place.

ROSIE (re:xuru)
K Ghhspppt. . . Shit.
(strøgles to sþeøh)
IIIIII... RUTH Don't say anything
(gfues øP, siøgs) Please, just don't--
Nearer my God to Thee, Nearer to Thee.
vostn bønd.svu't:r^ her cffie cøP.

CAL you,little K.
Yeah, that's
Nearer than Rosie and I, anyways. RUTH Thankyou
You take good care of our Rosie when I'm gone.
ROSIE Got to give somebody His due,
K Dddddghhht Never thought I'd see you up before Penny.
fDon't go.]
RUTH f haven't slept yet, not really.
CAL Shhh,shhh,now.
ROSIE Well, join the club.
l.(osr| enters, d'ressed'for the d'øy, cørries ø cffie rnøg. Though, mine's pro'lly for better reasons than yours,
By the look of ya.
CAL (tooþs ro noslr) We just all pulled through life like
an invisible pipe to the sea, tryin' to avoid a blow out. RUTH It's good to have him homel
5o Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene I 5r

ROSIE Always. ROSIE

RUTH I'm sorry to hear that he has to return so soon RUTH

It doesn't seem fair that-

ROSIE He volunteered for it. I was just thinking-

FIe don't think I know, but . . .
The things we know are usually standing right next to the ROSIE (øs in "why ñ,re yoø tølhing") Oh my god,
things we don't. All we got to do is reach over and tap 'em seriously.
on the shoulder.
RUTH It's me you don't like, reallY-
RUTH Oh,
I'm...sorryf ROSIE I really don't like either of you.
I don't hate you particularly but-
ROSIE It is what it is
RUTH For the most part' I've been the one making
RUTH Have you ever gone to therapy about it or- üouble,
Out of step, with-
ROSIE Listen,I'm not sick in the head! We're not-
ROSIE Seems like you always felt that way
RUTH Sorry, forget I asked. That's how you ended uP here'

xostn tøhesxuruts cffie rnøg øwøy, exits. PENNY (from offstøge loft) Honl

RUTH (cølk to her offstøge) I really, ROSIE [øs in, "I ø'rn nevergunnø, bø øllowed to f'nish wy
I've just got a talent for putting my foot in things here coffee."l Oh, crackers.
I never used to take a wrong step but now,
I feel like I'm dancing with two left feet to music I've RUTH (cølh øp) Down here
never heard.
PBNNY com,es down tbe lød.d'er'
r.:osru retbrns with two rnøgs of cffie. Gipes xul:r' zne.
xostn swipesRuTH's coffie cøp øgøin ønd' tøhos the m'øgs into
ROSIE Don't talk. Just drink. the hitcben.

RUTH PENNY (to rluru.) I came up with a slogan.

5z Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene I 5i

RUTH Foryourhoneyl Get twice the lloneys for your honey today.
Available online! Ships all over the country!
PENNY For our honey. (to xurn)
I went to bed with you on my mind, We'll make more money than Daddy ever did'
And this in the works Drive right up to the door of his Church in a big BMW
(bolds øp srnøIlgløs jør ofglistening honey) one Sunday.
I got up, tasted it, and just knew, it just came to me . . Roll down the window.
(envision this:) Look out at folks as they walk in, turnin' their heads,
New Sweet Potato Honey. whisper behind hands, "Who's that, who that bef Don't
Two Southern favorites in one jar. she look like she's doin' good for herself."
Get twice the Honeys for your honey today. And when Momma and Daddy come through, I'll make
sure they see, what I got. A big car, beautifirl woman on
RUTH my arm, smilin'so wide, my happiness a sword and them
without a shield and I will wait'til they get close and I
PENNY Get it! will lean out the window, and I will spit on them. I will
(points to self) spit right on them. In front of everyone. In front of the
Honey. church. I will show them how good I am and how happy
(points toxurn) I can be and how wrong they all were, because I'm sitting
Honey. there in that car, with this womân, smilin', in front of their
Twice the Honeys for your honey. own church, and even God don't dare strike me down.

RUTH Yes, wow, that's- car øndK enter, sit. They're both d'ressed. in new døy clothes

PENNY You hate it ROSIE Well,I don'thave an internet connection and I

don't know about-
RUTH No! No. I just. I was thinking. Last night made
me- PENNY The library does.
And we can sell it, here, too.
PENNY You haven't slept. Iæt's talk after you sleep. Come on out to the Palmetto Bar, come meet-

¡|OSIE re-enters. ROSIE lÌVaitwait wait wait wait wut./

PBNNY Hey, Rosie! PENNI Æhe Sweet Potato Honey ladiest./

(envision)
New Sweet Potato Honey. pENNy hold.s ou.t the jør t0 cAL ønd.r.
Two Southern favorites in one jar.
 54 Botde Fly Act 2, Scene I 5J

PENNY (to cr'r ønd.r) Go 'head and try it. ROSIE I don't like having You here
You're not good for K.
ROSIE No no no no no no-
RUTH Opening the hives too far, that was my fault.
clt ønd,K tø.ste it. They exchønge glønces thøt rneø,n, ,rItts
good.!o PENNY (to xvru) Stop apologizing.

CAL It can't hurr RUTH And the boat thing was an accident'
It coulda happened to anyone.
ROSIE (to ci.t , re: contrød.icting her) Oh, woq was rhar
a bad idea- ROSIE Her apology don't balance out the pain

CAL I like the idea of someone, someones, being here. RUTH Maybe I should go-
Iust in case, when I'm gone.
If something were ro happen- PENNY Quit!

ROSIE Then stay. RUTH Maybe this was, a fool's errand-

Don't be gone.
PENNY Stop it now!
CAL I can't
RUTH (ro Maybe you should think about
leNNv)
ROSIE coming up to live with me in Tallahassee.

CAL ROSIE (ro reNNv) You should listen to your woman'

PENNY We could. PENNY (ro nosrn) You need us here

We could stay. Harvest in the summer. Make jars. Market.
Send them out. ROSIE It's not need. It's what havin'you here means.
]ust think, we could pay you double, triple what you,re It means that we're all right with what you do'
asking for the loft. It means that we're throwing dirt in the face of your
And folks'll come here for the hone¡ stay for a drink or family,
two or six. Who's been here as long as us, and never did us wrong.
It means puttin' ourselves out for you, in the community
ROSIE rwo or six- Itmeans...
-or
PENNY leave with some honey, xostn looks to cAL
-and
56 Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene I 57

ROSIE It means, . RUTH

When he's read¡ he's still not gonna come back,
'Cause he thinks we don't need him. CAL
'Cause there won't be any room.
RUTH
CAL [Not again. Not now.]
CAL

xosts exits. rf,nishøs the honøy.

cAL gets ønotlter beer.

RUTH (ro nrNNr) Hon, maybe we should just go-

PENNÏ This is my home! Mine, you get ir,

You fuckin',
You run away every chance you get because you're weak.
Always apologizing an' f gofta stand up for you 'cause you
can't do it yourself.

RUTH I'm sorry that you feel-

PENNÏ There you go again!

Stop apologizing. Stop being sorry for your damn
existence.
f am not ashamed. I am who I am and this is my home
and they can all go fuck themselves if they think I'm ever
leaving. You are worthless to me. You run on back up
north. You run on back and put on your Halloween
costume of a life and publish your papers and write your
books and be nothing outside your picture on rhe cover.
You go on. I've had enough ofyou.

pENNr cbørges the lød.d.er ønd røces Øp intr the loft.

Disøppeørs.
 Act 2, Scene 2 59

z. Later That Day ROSIE That's silly.

You got a clean bed here.
ctr's work.geør ønd. øn oyersized. ørm.y swrplus d.ffie bøg A bed with me in it.
ø,ye on tbe bør. And you got, I can make you, I gotta run out) but that
stew you like to take with you.
Rosl¡ slts øt{s tøble. x òs not there.

ROSIE (cølls offxøge to bed.roorn) Your socks are srill CAL

damp.
They won't dry bunched up in your bag.
ROSIE
You need more talcum powder.
I have it on the grocery list for tomorrow morning. She loves you
If you could just wait-
(it stichs in her throøt) CAL
Get the truck looked at. The brakes sound close to dead I don't know I deserve-
An' K's out learnin' more 'bout those bees. She 's gonna
wanna show you, when she gets back. ROSIE I love you.
An'you still need to look to- She would like to have you home
I would.
cLL enters with clothes, pøchs steød.ily.
xostv reøcbes owtfor birn.
ROSIE You don't have to be back'ril romorrow night.
CAL Rosie!
CAL Someone should stop in the office. Before. ,Aurd It's your choice.
Tommy's not going to remember to do it. We'll be in the You pushed me out.
water) halfway out [to] the rig, and he'll realize he left the
paperwork on dry ground. Ifwe have to turn back, it'll eat ROSIE I never
up half a day.
CAL Once you took in K.
ROSIE Where'll you sleepl And once you-
You gotta sleep. You can't bed down in the office.
ROSIE What I supposed to dol
CAL In the truck That foster family woulda let her rot after the grandmother
died.

58
6o Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene 2 6t

Woulda let her, lettin' her spend all day in the field, lookin' CAL I don't see that table.
up at the sun, burnt to a crisp) not eatin' right- I see your sister
I(ate laughing, too hard like always, so
hard, her mouth open and inviting, that I have to kiss her
CAL It wadn't as bad as-
ROSIE She's gone, Cal.
ROSIE You didn't see her! I hear up North somewhere
An'what she ever asked of you anywaysl
CAI- I don't see that chair,
CAL I out on the beach. Your sister sneaking
see a picnic spread
a smoke and a soak in the sun with her bikini top flung off.
ROSIE Huhf Over there, I see mother's disapproval.
There .

cAL thrlws geør into the bøg with ø cløfter. Your and I(ate's father, shaking his head, sayin' it's a good
thing my father is dead because who'd wanna see this and
ROSIE Nothin'. Almost norhin'. this is what happens when a boy ain't raised right and
A little tuck in now an' 'gain. what's wrong with me and he knows what's wrong and
To listen to a song. you can't let the big head tell the little head what to do
To show you she ain't 'fraid of the bees no more) that she and ]esus H. Fucking Christ, what the hell boy, I thought
can work'em a li'l bit. you'd be a better man than this.
She just wants to love you, Cal, just let her. Let us.
FiOSIE (low) Please stop
CAL
It's not enough. CAL And there.
Right there-
ROSIE Not enough for- (r's cot)
I see a little ball of flesh, tucked down in the NICU.
CAL Every day I walk through rhar door, And the nurses shaking their heads and looking to the
(looks to bed.room. d.oor) side ,
I see failure. Can't even look me in the eye,
(loohs to t<I tøble) Looking like, maybe it's best, maybe it's God's work,
This unimagined thing.
ROSIE (this is news t0 nosrt) Calvin I-Inwanted children have it hardest of all.
You are not a failure. Maybe God gonna take her home . Give her the good life
No one would ever call you that. she'd never have down here.
And you're there , the only one not afraid to go right up to
her,
6z Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene 2 63

To gently stroke) whatever this thing is, I(ate and L Being stupid and too young and unprotected
No matter where you stand-inside this place or out) in and,
this time or another-I always see you there. She's paying, been payrng, gonna keep paying.
Too young to be an Auntie. There's nothing I can do about that.
Great big moon eyes. It's a failure already found its end point.
Begging your sister and I to do somethin' different.
And you, closing those eyes, ROSIB You match the water, you rip oPen the ocean
Not speaking as we signed the papers to give her up. floor, you bring up the blood of the earth. If you're strong
As we said to the adoption lady, "No, just leave her name enough for all that, then you're strong enough to face
K, leave it an initial, so her real family can give her the your child every day.
name they want to call her." lVe can make her, as happy as she can be.
Silent as you help your sister pack, and watched her away You're strong enough to sit still in one place for her, give
from here. up the waves to the ocean, and be h"ppy sitting on the
Nothin' from you 'cept those big eyes for the baby who beach. Looking over creation and holding her little hand
weren't never supposed to be. in yours.
And she lived. That's what makes a man.
Klived.
cn f,nisbes pøching,
ROSIE She's tough. She got that from her Daddy.
ROSIE
CAL Some days I wish she didn't.

ROSIE You don't mean that CAL Not in the eyes of the world, Rosie.

C/J- (rø: øroand. hirn) It's all failure to me. ROSIE Aren't mine the only ones that count¡
But out in the water.
Rig it, pull, water down the deck. CAL (hisses hør) No,
Tie up the big bear. (d.eep sorrow, n0 wreø,nnes\ jøst bis lwn trurth)
Keep an eye, don't let it blow out. They don't count at all.
The CSG is too high, bring it round.
Tighten the drill string before you go on.. crr exits witb bø9.
Out there, I'm free and righteous and strong. I am a man
that knows things, that does right, and has even saved a ROSIE
few lives.
But here,
I did that to her.
64 Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene 2 65

r:osrl nntices he\ left ø' shirt. She ølrnost tø.hes it to hirn, bat ROSIE She'll simmer down
then heeps it, breøthøs in his scent.
RUTH Maybe but I, I don't, maybe this isn't who I am.
xosrc reføses to cry. She cleøns insteød'.
ROSIE Oh, it's who you are.

ROSIE
RUTH But maybe, I mean,let's look at this rationally,
I was tenured. I was researching and teaching.
But I was bored. I was feeling stifled,
t< ønd xuru enter in bøsic bee heeper geør. Doing the same things,
Talking to the same people,
xwølks l'per t0 RosIE, shets so proød'. Mired in the same academic red tape,
Then I turned fifi:y and I start having panic attacks.
r hønd,s xosrc ø jør of honey, rnotions for her to tøste it. First at home, then in the lab, and then in class-
Which is the worst because the others, no one knows
xostn does. It's good. about-
I'm encouraged to take time off. And then forced to.
ROSIE lt's so good,I( Because I can't, walk into a classroom,
Talk about future evolutionary theory and how they're
RUTH She is turning into a great bee keeper going to pioneer the new world,
After I'm dead.
ROSIE All the hives make it in the move backl Dead. And alone. Alone until I am dead.
Because we live in a youth culture
RUTH Yes. And who wants a fifty-year-old bag of bones
Penny should be able to keep them outside as long as it's Who isn't even brave enough to admit to herself that . .
warm out. So I treat myself to a trip down the coast.
And I rent a car and I drive out to the beach.
ROSIE Just Pennyl And then to the casinos.
And then to a spa.
RUTH r)
How about you go upstairs and show
(r¿ And then to another beach.
Penny what you madel I'm sure she'll want to see it. And then I buy the car because I've rented it so long, I
almost own it anyway.
x exits to the loft. And nothing feels right. No matter where I go . . .
I'm going broke trying to find me.
RUTH I think I should go How fuckin'ridiculous is . . .
But then. Then.
66 Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene 2 67

On a dirt road off the interstate. Float out into the ocean.
In a gas station parhng lot, Get swept up, dispersed by the waves, 'til there's nothin'
I see her. You're clean and good.
I her angry and covered in sweat and righteous indig-
see You can start again.
nation and kicking the absolute shit out of whatever is in
her way. RUTH Well,let's say I did.
And a spike of heat shoots up my spine and I'm wetter Let's say, at fifty, after years ofrepression this is me
than I ever have been before. I still don't think that I love her.
And I finally admit to myself that I am, Not in an Ever After way.
That dreaded thing,
That mother always said not to be, x clirnbs d.own frow. the loft.
Because it will mean you will always be alone.
But I'm alone anyway. ROSIB There you âre, my girl
And I'm fifty years old!
And I'm in a gas station parking lot. xostn rries to be cheerv.
And these things do not happen.
ROSIE F{ow's Penny like that honeyf She said you did
ROSIE How much do you like fucking menf good, rightf You did so good.
And all that comes with it.
K
RUTH . . . It's better than being hit by a truck.
ROSIE You wanna sing, baby.
ROSIE A swarm of flies come straight outta your mouth Go ahead.
sometime . We could use a lift.

RUTH Iknoqlknow. rtosre retrtrns to cleøning

Things come out of my mouth and it's meaningless.
It's just flies. K (singsMood Indigo) You ain't been blue,
No no, no) no.
ROSIE Yeah, it is. You ain't been blue,
And they sa¡ 'Til you've had that mood indigo.
You take those flies,
Put'em in a bottle, pENNy ø.P4eø.rs 0n the tTp of the loft.
Name'em,
Throw 'em out into the Gulf. K (sings) That feeling goes stealin',
They float away. All the lies and bullshit, Down to my shoes,
68 Bottle Fly Act 2, Scenc 2 69

While I sit and sigh; r pichs aþ cll/s shirt thøt he's øccid.entølly bft behind'. The
"Go 'long blues." sø.rne one vostn held eørlier.
Always get that mood indigo, since my baby said goodbye.
In the evenin'when lights are low, K (sings low ønd. rowgh) Always get that mood indigo,
I'm so lonesome I could cry. since my baby said goodbye.
'Cause there's nobody who cares about me, In the evenin'when lights are low,
I'm just a soul who's bluer than blue can be, I'm so lonesome I could cry.

PENNY's on the lød,d,er. ROSIE Oh, hone¡ it's not your fault.
He just, can't, is all.
r øndwNNx f.nish tbe song together. Come on, let's get you some lunch.

K/ PENNY (sings) When I get that mood indigo, xostn ønd,r exit.
I could lay me down and die.
PENNY øndrurø øre left ølone.
PENNY
PENNY /I probably should/

RUTH RUTH /Iprobablyshould/

They gestwre to eøch other: no, yoø go f'r*; n0) ylr't' cø'n g0

ROSIE That's beautiful, K. f.rst.

r evnbrøces xosrg ø,s hørd, øs she cøn. PENNY /Apologize./

ás pBNNy ønd. xurs. continue their silent exchønge, who is RUTH /Apologize./
going to tølh f,rst, ønd. jøst whøt tbe hell d,o yow søy?
PENNY This isn't what I thought it would be
x:osrl sepø,rø.tes slþhtly frorn r:
RUTH I tried to not think about what I thought it
ROSIE (ro r) What's wrong, girlì would be.
So you're ahead of me, is the point.
K
PENNY I'm sorry that I said,
ROSIE Come on) now. I'm not really sick of you.
It can't be as bad as all that
 Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene 2 7r
7o

RUTH But you are. I'm sick of me Tbe lþht fød.es on the wolnen.

PENNY Baby, we'll just, {

They rest in stillness
Just let's get through this season.
We'll set up the website and harvest the- Trønscend.ent l'þbt streøws throøgh tbe Pø'Per on the bøch
wøll of the børn.
RUTH I cannot thank you enough for,
Being that mirror, K After they drank, Ruth left.
That fearless, Penny and Rosie went to bed.
That truth that, I picked up Rosie's bottle and walked all night.
For all intents and purposes- Down the gravel road,
Along the field where Rosie found me'
PENNY For all intents and purposes, whatf To the interstate,
Just stay the night.
fuound to exit 4 to the beach,
Along the edge of the sand to the oil office.
RUTH No, this ist-t't my life. This isn't my- Cal's truck parked outside .
The field of new poured asphalt seemed to shift under me
PENNY But it is your life. You are- As I made my way to the truck and knocked on the
window.
RUTH This is myself, He jumped when he saw me.
And I will always thank you for giving it to me ' Got out.
But it's not my life.
I've got to go put myself back in my life and make it work. cAL ø.ppeø,rs
I would never work here .
K Says,

PENNY
fue you surel CAL What you doin' here girlf

RUTH No, but K And,

PENNY ernbrøces *urll CAL You shorrld be home in bed.

PENNY You are the best middle-age pussy I ever had' K He took me into the office to call Rosie but I cut off
the phone before he could dial.
xvru løøgbs. I handed him the botde.
I caught a fly.
72 Bottle Fly Act 2, Scene 2 71

I took a piece of paper and I wrote "K" on it. Days may be cloudy or sunny. We're in or we're out of the
But when I tried to put it in the bottle with the flg money,
He stopped me. But I'm with you always, I'm with you rain or shine,

CAL No, not K. I'm not throwin'you out Lightsføde.

K He told me ro wair tJrere, End of Play

And he turned away.
And he wrote a list of things, thar I couldn't see but,
It was a really long list.
When he was done, he looked it over, rolled it up, and put
his sins in the bottle with the fly.
Then we walked down to the beach; it was almost dawn.
And he told me how my mother walked here,
Sunbathed here
Laughed here.
Cried here after I was born.
Then when the story was done,
He took the bottle, and threw it into the ocean, past the
break,
So the waves carried it away.
And we walked home hand-in-hand.

c¿.r ønd.x tøhe eøch other's hønd..

K (sings Come Rain or Come Shine) I'm gonna love you

like nobody's loved you, come rain or come shine.
High as a mountain and deep as a river, come rain or come
shine.
I guess when you met me it was just one of those things,
But don't ever bet me 'cause I'm gonna be true if you let
me love you.
You're gonna love me like nobody's loved me, come rain
or come shine.
H"ppy together, unhappy togerher, and won't it be fine.
Masic

The song rights for public perficrmance (live, acapella, no record-

ing) are held by warnerr/Chappell Music Inc' as of March zotT for

these four songs:

"Iloneysuckle Rose" (1929) by Andy Razaf and Thomas Waller

https:/ /www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/search/worklD / 3 8oo68 z7 5

"Dream a Little Dream of Me" (r93 r) by Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt,

and Fabian Andree
https:/ /www.ascap.com/repertoryf ace/search/worklD / 3 4oo7 5' $ z

"In the Still of the Night'" (tnZ) by Cole Porter

https:/ /www.ascap,com/repertory#ace/search/worklD / 39 ox 3 o3 1 9

"Come Rain or Come Shine" (t946)by Iohn Mercer and

Harold Arlen
https: / /www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/search/worklD / 7 3 oo7 7 8 4o

Contact: þ rc) 4 4 t - I 6oo, Jeremy.blietz@warnerchappell'com

c/o'NB Music Corp, Warner Chappell Music, ro585 Santa Monica
Blvd, Los Angeles, California 9ooz5

7t
76 Music

The song rights for public perfcrmance (live, acapella, no

recording) are held by Sony AIV as of March zotT fot this song:

"Mood Indigo" (r93r) by Edward Kennedy Ellington, Irving Mills,

and Barney Bigard
hnps: / /www.ascap.com/repertory#ace^earch/worklD / 4oo$8o 4

Contact: (61 5) 7 z6-$oo, Iivestageinquiries@sonyanrcom

424 Church Street, Suite rzoo, Nashville, Tennessee 372o9

A list of replacement public domain songs is available from the

playwright.