It is summer of the present time in Spanish Harlem. We hear the opening music as people go about their daily lives. To stage right, flags from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico fly from a lamppost near a bench in a small square.
At center stage, stairs lead to a well-worn factory building bearing a sign reading DELGADO’S WIGS. Next to the factory, stage left, is a walk-up apartment house. Next to that is a restaurant, Gallina’s.
A brown-skinned woman is sitting in one of the apartment-house windows. Two men are playing dominoes on an overturned box, a street vendor is selling multicolored ices, and several young men are simply standing around, almost as if they are part of the scenery, when they aren’t eyeing some pretty women in short skirts and tight pants.
GERALDO, the owner of Gallina’s, steps outside. Two neighborhood women, ELENA and MARIA, have been chatting out front.
GERALDO
Hey, chicas, I’m looking for a young man to help out around my shop. He’s got to be honest. No thieves!
ELENA
(to MARIA)
He wants somebody to mind the store while he goes looking for young girls!
GERALDO
I don’t look for young girls. I just put myself where they can find me!
MARIA
Geraldo, you don’t need a young man; you need an old dog. That way you can be the boss and the dog can eat the terrible food you make.
GERALDO
Be serious, woman. A businessman on the way up needs an assistant. Somebody with energy, not like these boys around here.
ELENA
If you paid them a decent wage, they would have energy. You rob people without a gun, diablo viejo!
GERALDO
So what’s better, a little money or no money? You tell me that. If I pay one dollar an hour, it’s better than no dollars an hour. I’m a poor man trying to feed the good people in this neighborhood.
MARIA
In the restaurant, you’re a poor man, Geraldo. But you do all right with the poker games in the back room.
SEVERAL OF THE RESIDENTS
ALL RIGHT!
GERALDO laughs.
ELENA
What’s the boy got to do?
GERALDO
(suddenly serious)
He has to make enchiladas, corn dogs, hot dogs, chicken wings, and whatever else I say. And it all has to be gourmet.
ELENA
Geraldo, you are loco. Totally crazy.
ANGEL, a young man who’s been hanging out nearby, sidles up to them.
ANGEL
(opening his jacket to reveal a row of watches)
Hey, anybody want to buy a good watch? Cheap, man. Twenty-four-karat gold, real diamonds. Fifteen dollars.
GERALDO
I already have two watches. Both are five minutes fast.
ANGEL
These are five minutes slow, papi. That’s a sign. You can’t pass up one of these.
JUAN, an older man, has been sitting on a bench nearby.
JUAN
What do you need two watches for? Around here nobody is in a hurry. If you got nothing to do, you only need one watch.
JIMENEZ and CARLOS, the domino players, both stand up at once.
JIMENEZ
You can’t take a move back! Once your finger comes off the piece, you can’t take it back!
CARLOS
I didn’t take my finger off the piece. I had my finger on it, and you moved it to see what I was doing!
JIMENEZ
We’re playing for fifty cents! You can’t cover up your moves. You think I just fell off the cart and I’m going to let you cover up your moves?
ELENA
(to JIMENEZ)
He can’t hear you. You have to holler into his good ear.
JIMENEZ
I said you can’t be covering up your moves!
Suddenly, sirens and flashing lights signal the arrival of the police. No one seems alarmed, though they know enough to stay in place. CARLOS takes something from his pocket and tosses it into a nearby trash can.
A team of street-duty POLICE OFFICERS, including OFFICERS SHEA and LANE, assembles quickly from either side of the stage. ZUNIGA, the police sergeant, directs his men around the stage, all facing the rear. Then, satisfied that the men are in place, he approaches the door of the apartment building next to Delgado’s and knocks boldly as the other officers aim their guns menacingly. TÍA SOFIA, a remarkably attractive older woman dressed in a housecoat and curlers, answers the door.
ZUNIGA
Police! Stand aside.
TÍA SOFIA
(defiantly)
Do you have a search warrant? Let me see it!
ZUNIGA
(turning slightly)
The warrant!
The other officers look around to see who has brought the warrant, but, to their embarrassment, it is not found.
ZUNIGA
What the hell is wrong with you people? Keep your guns ready. I’ll call headquarters!
ZUNIGA goes to one side and radios headquarters.
The other officers relax.
TÍA SOFIA
(to the crowd)
They come to search our place, but they don’t have a warrant! No warrant, no searching! Who do they think they are? This is America!
There are cries of approval and general laughter from the street residents.
JIMENEZ
They watch too much television. That’s why they’re taking time out for a commercial.
ZUNIGA
Put your teeth in when you talk to me, lover boy.
OFFICER SHEA
(to ELENA)
Why don’t you come home with me? You would look good on my sofa.
ELENA
(touching SHEA’s ears)
Ah, still wet. I thought so. Come back when you’ve grown up, papi.
The other OFFICERS laugh.
MICAELA enters from stage right. She is wearing a blue plaid jumper, which is significantly less flamboyant than the outfits worn by the other women of the block. She looks at the women wearing tight pants and short skirts. Then she begins looking at the POLICE OFFICERS, obviously searching for someone.
MICAELA
(to SHEA)
Do you know José? He’s on the force. Is he with you? Sometimes they call him DJ.
ZUNIGA
(who has overheard MICAELA)
I know him. Sure. He’s not here yet. But he’ll be here soon. He’s bringing the warrant. You want to sit in the car with me? Get out of the hot sun?
He tries to put his arm around MICAELA, who slips easily away.
MICAELA
No, it’s all right.
ZUNIGA
Hey, don’t fly away so soon, little bird.
MICAELA
I’ll come back after a while. You sure he’s coming here?
ZUNIGA
Any minute. This is a rough neighborhood. Come with me, and I’ll protect you. What’s your name?
MICAELA
Micaela. I’m a friend of José’s. Tell him his friend-the teacher’s aide-was looking for him. He’ll know who I am.
She leaves, looking cautiously around the neighborhood as she does.
ZUNIGA watches MICAELA go and then turns back toward the old lady in the doorway.
ZUNIGA
(to the OFFICERS, pointing to TÍA SOFIA)
Keep an eye on that one!
TÍA SOFIA
(tossing the front of her dress up)
And don’t forget to read me my rights!
OFFICER LANE
Look-here’s José now.
ZUNIGA
Men! Fall in! Get ready!
The men get ready to enter the building as JOSÉ approaches. JOSÉ goes directly to ZUNIGA and whispers something in his ear that clearly disturbs the sergeant.
ZUNIGA
What do you mean, we have to go to the judge again? What happened to the warrant we had before? By the time we go through the whole process, they’ll have moved their operation to another building!
JOSÉ
What can I tell you?
ZUNIGA
I’ll call the captain. By the way, there was a girl looking for you. Okay-looking, not from around here, I think.
JOSÉ
Dark hair? Pretty?
ZUNIGA
Aren’t they all?
TÍA SOFIA
(calling from the doorway)
Who’s the captain? Tell him Sofia says hello.
ZUNIGA, on the side, gesticulates as he talks into the radio. We can’t hear his conversation but see that he is upset.
ZUNIGA
(angrily)
The operation is off! Get the men out of here! How are we going to shut down anything with this stupid paperwork?
A loud buzzing noise comes from the factory. Instantly the younger men in the area jump to their feet. One, MANNY, begins to brush off his jacket. Another, GATO, first pulls up his pants, then lowers them to just the right height to be cool.
ZUNIGA
What’s that? Their all-clear signal?
OFFICER LANE
Lunchtime at the factory!
The door of Delgado’s opens, and the factory girls come out, strutting and chatting. Many are on cell phones, and most are speaking a combination of English and Spanish. Among the girls is FRASQUITA, who has a fair complexion and light brown eyes. She is wearing a tight blouse and even tighter jeans.
As the girls strut, the boys hover around. Music begins and slowly the posturing changes into a formal dance. We see the boys, who were nondescript at first, slowly change into gentlemen, proud of their heritage and respectful of the women. Then we hear the music of “El Ritmo del Barrio.”
The cops watch, putting away their guns as the lights transform the dingy buildings into glowing neighborhood edifices. ZUNIGA leans against a pole, eyeing the girls.
As the dance ends…
ZUNIGA
Why don’t you young ladies come to the precinct with us? The afternoon is young, and we can dance. I have a few moves I can show you.
OFFICER SHEA
(to FRASQUITA)
Hey, beautiful, you married, or you waiting for me?
FRASQUITA
Married? You need two things to get married. Do you know what they are?
OFFICER SHEA
(proudly)
A wedding ring and a license!
FRASQUITA
No, white boy. A passport and a job. No passport and you can’t stay here. No job, and there’s no love. Not from this girl!
OFFICER LANE
(to SHEA)
These girls are nice, but I heard they’ve got somebody special here. They call her Carmen. I don’t know what she looks like, but they say she’s hot.
OFFICER SHEA
Ya seen one, ya seen them all.
Suddenly the door to Delgado’s opens again, and a stunning young woman commands the space of the doorway. It is CARMEN. She is dressed in a white blouse, a short bolero jacket, and a black skirt. Her mirrored sunglasses reflect the afternoon heat. A flower sticks out from under the jaunty cap she wears, but the most amazing thing about her is the smile she flashes ever so briefly.
OFFICER LANE
Wait-there she is! Oh, my God! Is she fine or what?
CARMEN descends the factory’s three front steps like the diva she is. The boys form an open circle in front of her, and she takes her rightful place in its center. Among the boys are MANNY, GATO, and ANGEL.
MANNY
Carmen, I’m yours forever!
GATO
Carmen, it’s me who is in love with you. I’ve always been in love with you.
ANGEL
(sinking to his knees)
You finally found me. Now tell these fools who you really love so they can die in peace.
CARMEN
Get off your knees, handsome. People will think you’re serious.
GATO
Serious enough to marry you this very moment, Carmen.
FRASQUITA
All they know is push-push, Carmen. They don’t know about real love.
CARMEN
They know about love, Frasquita. But they still think it’s for us, that love is going to come flying down this street. Love isn’t coming to this neighborhood.
FRASQUITA
Unless it finds its way to flicker across the television screens or in the movies.
CARMEN
What are all of these cops here for?
ANGEL
They were going to raid Tía Sofia’s place, but they forgot the warrant. She ain’t letting nobody in without a warrant.
CARMEN
(looking at JOSÉ)
Frasquita, I know that guy over there. The one with his hat off. We used to live on the same block when I was a kid.
FRASQUITA
He’s tall.
One of the factory girls, MERCEDES, thin and chesty and working her high heels, comes over.
MERCEDES
What’s going down?
FRASQUITA
There was supposed to be a raid, but the cops blew it. Now they’re standing around, trying to figure out what to do. Carmen used to date the guy leaning against the car.
MERCEDES
You dated a cop?
CARMEN
I didn’t say I dated him. I said we used to live on the same block. He’s about four years older than me. I had a crush on him.
FRASQUITA
I was in love with an older guy once. I would have married him but his wife was my cousin, so…
MERCEDES
Anyway, you can’t be in love with a cop. Cops don’t have hearts. They got little tin badges inside where their hearts should be.
CARMEN
I was in love with him once. A little.
FRASQUITA
And what did he say when you told him?
CARMEN
I never told him. Maybe I should now.
MERCEDES
Hey, wait a minute. Do you know who that guy is? I saw his picture in the paper. He’s the one who shot that kid in the park. He could be weird. You don’t want to fall for a guy like that.
CARMEN
Girlfriend, I don’t “fall” for nobody. I’m not into love games anymore. I know what love is all about, and this girl is staying on the sidelines with her heart under lock and key.
FRASQUITA
Lock and key!
CARMEN
(sings “La Habanera”)
Love is a bird that sweetly dreams,
Soaring high in a clear blue sky.
He wants to rest, to settle down,
But summer comes and he has to fly.
You call to me; I turn away,
But I listen as sweet love sings.
I want to go, I want to stay,
While within me, my heart has wings.
L’amour, L’amour, L’amour, L’amour…
Latino boys have love so true,
But in my heart I must always be free.
You ignore me, then I’ll love you,
And when I do, beware of me.
You ignore me-at least you’ll try,
But I’ll love you,
And if I love you, if I love you,
Beware of me!
FRASQUITA
Carmen is right! Love is not for us!
CARMEN
(looking at JOSÉ)
I bet he doesn’t even remember me. I think I was ten when he moved.
MERCEDES
Ten? Carmen, you were never ten! Anyway, boys don’t remember anything.
CARMEN
You’re right. I’ll say hello, anyway.
CARMEN goes over to JOSÉ, who is looking at some papers. She puts her hand over the papers, and he looks up.
CARMEN
José Ibarra. You know I remember you from the old neighborhood, when I lived on Manhattan Avenue. You lived in the only building on the block with an elevator.
JOSÉ
That was a long time ago.
CARMEN
You used to buy potato chips from Ferrara’s and eat them on the corner. Once I was standing in the doorway of my building and when I saw you passing, I lifted my skirt a little so you could see my legs. You didn’t even look in my direction.
JOSÉ
We were both young. You’re very pretty now.
CARMEN
You went to church with your mother every Sunday. The early Mass.
JOSÉ
You were really watching me.
CARMEN
De pe a pa. We were poor, and you looked rich. We were nothing much, and you looked pretty special to me.
JOSÉ
You know, I remember you now. Someone said you were a gypsy.
CARMEN
You don’t remember me.
JOSÉ
Didn’t you go to Saint Dominic’s? But you were just a kid.
CARMEN
(smiling as she twirls)
Am I a kid now?
CARMEN dances playfully around JOSÉ. The other cops motion for him to go after her, but he tries to ignore her. Finally, he takes a step toward her, but she moves quickly away. She stops, takes the flower from her hair, and tosses it to him. He catches the flower and looks down at it as she crosses toward him.
JOSÉ
For me?
CARMEN
For you, baby. I didn’t know you would still be so handsome. Your wife must be proud of you.
?
JOSÉ
I don’t have a wife.
CARMEN
Then your woman must be happy with you.
JOSÉ
I don’t… What do you care?
CARMEN
I care about a lot of things. You’d be surprised.
CARMEN moves closer to JOSÉ. The other cops gesture for him to go after her, but he is shy. When he takes another step toward her, she runs away and into Delgado’s as the other officers laugh.
ZUNIGA
Okay, okay, let’s get back to the station. We’ve got work to do.
TÍA SOFIA
And don’t come back without a warrant!
ZUNIGA
In this neighborhood, nobody has an education and everybody is a lawyer!
MERCEDES
In this neighborhood, you don’t need an education because they don’t hire us anyway. You need to be a lawyer because one way or another-you will get arrested.
ZUNIGA
Yeah, yeah. Look, mami, we don’t need your lectures today. When we come back, we’ll arrest you first.
MERCEDES
Oooooh, Officer, I’m sooo scared!
MERCEDES follows the other factory girls from Delgado’s back to work.
The POLICE OFFICERS begin to pack it in, gathering their gear and leaving in twos and threes. MICAELA comes from around a corner.
ZUNIGA
José, what are you now? The village stud? First Carmen gives you the eye, and now this girl comes to look for you again. She was here before.
JOSÉ
What girl?
He sees MICAELA and smiles broadly, putting the flower that CARMEN gave him into his pocket.
MICAELA
I was looking for you.
JOSÉ
And here I am. How are you?
ZUNIGA and other officers are off to one side, leaving JOSÉ and MICAELA center stage.
MICAELA
I’m good. I like working at the school. The hours are good, and the pay’s all right. I’m taking classes in the summer. Maybe I can get a degree and teach.
JOSÉ
Sounds good to me. What are you doing in this neighborhood?
MICAELA
I told your mother I was coming over here today to the new Lowe’s to buy a picture frame. She gave me a message for you.
JOSÉ
How is she?
MICAELA
She misses you. But José, she’s so happy. She’s finally been accepted into the senior citizen housing. One bedroom and one and a half baths. The building is beautiful, overlooking the park. She gave me this letter for you. She asked me to…
MICAELA blushes as she looks away.
JOSÉ
To what?
MICAELA
She kissed me and asked me to pass it on to you.
JOSÉ
Well, if she asked you to pass it on, you can’t keep it for yourself…
MICAELA shyly kisses JOSÉ.
MICAELA
And here’s the letter. She was hoping you would call more often. I can understand that.
JOSÉ
I’m glad she’s moving, but I have so many good memories of that small apartment we lived in. We would sit in the kitchen, with the sun beaming through the fragile white curtains. All of life was before us then. There was nothing but hope and the promise of good things to come.
MICAELA
You think of your mother, your home… You are so sweet, José. Maybe one day…
JOSÉ
What does she say in the letter?
MICAELA
(anxious to leave before he reads it)
I have to go. You can read it later.
JOSÉ
Stay a minute. I haven’t seen you in weeks.
MICAELA
I have to go. Really. I would… I would like to see more of you.
She starts to leave, pauses for a moment to take a last look at JOSÉ, then exits.
JOSÉ
(reading the letter)
“Dear Son, I hope this letter finds you well. I have sent it by Micaela, who has been so helpful to me. José, if you want, you can move into my old apartment, the one you loved so much as a child. It has two bedrooms, as you remember, big enough to start a family. I will be so glad when you marry. I know that once you marry, you will be more careful, even if you remain a policeman. I hope you find someone who will love you. Someone like Micaela. You know she loves you almost as much as I do. Your loving mother.”
I want to make my mother happy, to make her a grandmother and see the smile on her face as she plays with the children. And she’s right: Micaela does care a lot for me, and she’s a solid girl. Nothing flighty about her. Her working at the school is good, too.
There is the sound of fighting offstage, and a glass vase comes flying out of one of the factory’s windows.
ZUNIGA
What the-? Shea, Lane, go into that building to see what’s going on!
SHEA and LANE enter Delgado’s, guns drawn.
ZUNIGA
This place is a hellhole. Useless people doing useless things. Wasting their time.
TÍA SOFIA
All they have to spend is their time. So they do it freely.
ZUNIGA
What? You haven’t died yet? What are you waiting for?
TÍA SOFIA
For you to die first so I can pee on your grave!
ZUNIGA
If I ever get the chance to arrest you, you old hag, I’ll handcuff you to a fire hydrant and leave you there!
TÍA SOFIA
Hey, how did you get to be so ugly? You take pills for that, or what?
ZUNIGA
Shut up!
TÍA SOFIA
Just tell me one thing and I’ll shut up. Did your father have a tail?
ZUNIGA reaches for his gun as TÍA SOFIA slams her door shut.
OFFICERS SHEA and LANE come out of Delgado’s with half of the factory workers, including FRASQUITA, all shouting about who started the fight. In the middle, held by SHEA and LANE, is a very angry CARMEN.
ZUNIGA
What happened?
OFFICER SHEA
A fight broke out between this one and another girl.
FRASQUITA
The other girl started it! She said that Carmen had a big mouth!
CARMEN
And all I said was that the flies like her mouth because her breath smells like-
ZUNIGA
I don’t want to hear this nonsense!
CARMEN
Neither do I! Let’s send out for pizza!
ZUNIGA
You keep your mouth shut. Shea, is this serious?
OFFICER SHEA
The other girl has a cut across her face. And this one had a knife.
ZUNIGA
(to CARMEN)
What did you do? Cut her?
CARMEN
(singing flightily)
Did I? Could I? I’m not talking!
Hands behind her back, CARMEN dances around ZUNIGA.
ZUNIGA
Don’t play with me, Carmen. Now tell me what happened in there.
CARMEN
(still singing)
Burn me! Torture me! I’m not talking! Tra la la, tra la la, tra la la la la la la la la!
ZUNIGA
José, handcuff her and take her in. We’ll show these people we’re not playing!
ZUNIGA and the other men start off. JOSÉ has handcuffed CARMEN, who looks over her shoulder at him.
CARMEN
The handcuffs are too tight!
JOSÉ
They’re not tight at all.
CARMEN
Not for you, of course. You’re a big, strong man, but I’m just a helpless woman. How tall are you, anyway? Seven feet? Look how strong your arms are, and how long. You can put one of your arms completely around my body!
She spins into his arms.
JOSÉ
Behave yourself! You brought this on yourself.
CARMEN
How can you do this to a fellow Italian?
JOSÉ
You’re not Italian, and neither am I.
CARMEN
How can you tell I’m not Italian?
JOSÉ
Your dark eyes tell me that you’re Latina. Your accent is Dominican, and your lips…
(stopping himself)
Well, you’re quite attractive.
CARMEN
Oh, Officer José, tell me what my lips say to you. Whisper it to me. But hold me close so I can hear you.
JOSÉ
Look, you’re going to jail! Don’t talk to me.
CARMEN
Oh, you’ve got me too excited. I need a drink. Something cool. I have a friend who owns a club.
JOSÉ
I told you to keep quiet.
CARMEN
Why are you so hard on me? Don’t you remember me? I’m the little gypsy girl who lifted her dress so you could see her legs, remember? I was in love with you, and you just glanced at me coldly because I was so ugly.
JOSÉ
(weakening)
You weren’t ugly.
CARMEN
And skinny.
JOSÉ
You were thin.
CARMEN
And now? Still too ugly? Still too thin? Wait-let me lift my skirt up…
CARMEN touches the hem of her skirt but doesn’t lift it.
JOSÉ
Carmen!
CARMEN
We can meet at my friend’s club. You’ll love him. It has lots of corners. We can sit and look into each other’s eyes.
JOSÉ
Don’t talk to me like that. I’m a police officer!
CARMEN
Okay, and I’m just a prisoner. And I’m afraid, so I’ll sing to myself. I always sing to myself when I’m afraid. As I am now.
She hums “La Seguidilla.”
JOSÉ
(weakening more)
This isn’t right.
CARMEN
We can make it right!
JOSÉ
You don’t mean what you say! You’re just…
CARMEN
A girl trapped by a huge man who has her in his power. Whose heart is beating wildly as he towers over her! But instead of just feeling fear, she is beginning to have deeper feelings for him. I’m that little girl again in the old neighborhood. Not knowing if I can even go there again. Not knowing if that place even exists anymore.
JOSÉ
(weakening further)
Do you want that place to exist again?
CARMEN
I’m too embarrassed to say what I really want, José.
CARMEN dances in front of JOSÉ, handcuffed hands behind her, pushing them toward him. Finally, he unlocks them. CARMEN turns and takes JOSÉ’s face in her hands as if to kiss him, then pushes him away and runs. She stops at the far end of the stage.
JOSÉ
Don’t make fun of me, Carmen.
CARMEN
No, it’s my heart that’s making fun of me. Leading me into love again when I’m so afraid of it. I’m not laughing at you, José. I would never do that.
JOSÉ
I came here a shell, wondering about my career, and my life. Now you’ve found all the empty spaces and filled them.
CARMEN
If I escape, will you be too angry to ever see me again? Or will you wonder how I would feel if I were in your arms, the way I am wondering how it would be?
JOSÉ
Carmen… Carmen… You make me think too much. I am drunk with thoughts of you.
CARMEN
Lillas Pastia’s club. I’ll be waiting for you.
CARMEN rushes to JOSÉ, kisses him passionately, then runs off. JOSÉ is standing forlornly in the middle of the stage, holding his empty handcuffs. ZUNIGA appears and looks around for CARMEN. He stares at JOSÉ, hands uplifted in question. He sees JOSÉ’s shoulders droop and understands what has happened. Then he crosses the stage and stares directly into the JOSÉ’s face. JOSÉ turns slowly away, cringing. ZUNIGA turns to SHEA and LANE and motions them over.
ZUNIGA
This is what happens to weak men. He’s let that girl get away. Write him up. I’ll do the rest. He doesn’t deserve to be in our unit.
Embarrassed, SHEA and LANE walk away after ZUNIGA.
For a moment the stage is empty except for JOSÉ and some neighborhood types, who are motionless. Then an old man enters from stage right, pushing a cart. Perched on the cart is a portable radio that plays the “Destiny Theme.”
We are at Lillas Pastia’s social club. It is modest, with a roped-off area and a small, slightly raised stage. CARMEN is sitting at a table with MERCEDES and FRASQUITA. Several people are standing at the bar, most sipping small cups of coffee or tea.
FRASQUITA
Carmen, look at you! You’re glowing! Are you sick?
MERCEDES
(feeling CARMEN’s forehead)
She’s got the flu!
CARMEN
I feel fine!
FRASQUITA
You’re depressed. Tell me what’s on your mind. It’s better to get it off your chest.
CARMEN
What’s on my mind? I’m thinking about a certain police officer. Six feet tall… dark eyes…
MERCEDES
(alarmed)
Oh, my God! She’s in love.
FRASQUITA
With a policeman? Not that José? I don’t believe it.
CARMEN
Little scraggly mustache…
MERCEDES
Carmen, please tell me you are not in love with any man. Then tell me two times that you are not even thinking of being in love with a cop!
FRASQUITA
She’s thinking of it. Even though she knows that love doesn’t work these streets. When love has to pass through el barrio, it takes a taxi.
MERCEDES
And keeps its head down so it won’t even see us.
FRASQUITA
Then sneaks away without paying! How do you know you’re in love? It could be swine flu.
CARMEN
I just keep thinking about him, Frasquita. He’s like a tune I can’t get out of my head.
MERCEDES
Carmen, you of all people. You know better. He’ll forget your face and your eyes and your heart. All he’ll see is another poor Latina longing for a life she can’t have. Love is for people with bank accounts. And besides, if he felt that much for you, he’d be around here looking for you. When did you see him last?
CARMEN
They put him on loan to the tunnel authority. All day long he has to breathe car exhaust. It’s only temporary.
FRASQUITA
Temporary? They’re going to move the tunnel?
CARMEN
No, the assignment. His sergeant is mad because I got away.
MERCEDES
Frasquita’s right. Love isn’t for poor people, honey. You show me a man without a job or a kicking hustle, and I’ll show you a dude that’s mad at the world. We’re just sweet meat if a man can’t afford to get married. For us it’s just a quick kiss, a quick hug-
FRASQUITA
A quick bam-bam-bam-
MERCEDES
And a long, sad time to think about it later. You know too much to believe in fairy tales, Carmen.
CARMEN
My head knows who I am, Frasquita. My head tells me, “¡Vamos, chica!” But my heart says, “Hey, Carmencita, maybe this time it’ll work out.”
MERCEDES
The last time he saw you he arrested you!
CARMEN
And let me go! This time he will come and maybe he’ll put me up against the wall.
FRASQUITA
That he might do.
CARMEN sits on a table, hands between her knees.
CARMEN
He’ll run his hands over my body, looking for weapons, and I’ll tell him all the places he’s missing. Then he’ll notice that my heart is beating fast, and he’ll ask me what I have to fear if I’m telling him the truth. I’ll tell him I think I’m having a heart attack, and he’ll have to put his ear to my chest to listen to the rhythm…
MERCEDES
She’s really in love.
CARMEN
Then he’ll see that I’m trembling and put his arms around me.
FRASQUITA
And suddenly all the streets with the empty food wrappers and the potholes and the garbage will disappear and you’ll be in a gleaming white castle on a hill far away…
CARMEN
It could happen. I feel it in my bones. There’s something about him, something that draws me to him. That excites me, too. You don’t like him?
MERCEDES
I guess he’s all right. I like men, too, but I only like them for a little while. Two weeks, three, unless there’s a holiday coming up. You have to stay with them through the holidays.
CARMEN
He makes me feel like a schoolgirl again.
MERCEDES
That’s good to you? Why? I don’t remember you doing any dancing on the way to school.
CARMEN
You’re getting to be too hard.
FRASQUITA
Or you’re getting to be too soft!
CARMEN
Maybe, Frasquita. Maybe I’m too soft and he’s too romantic. I know.
MERCEDES
Your head knows, but your heart is too crazy to listen.
FRASQUITA
You got to be careful, homegirl. You open your heart, and it’s more dangerous than opening your legs.
CARMEN
What don’t I know?
MERCEDES
(resigned)
It’s wonderful, Carmen. Good luck with this dude.
FRASQUITA
Yeah, it’s wonderful.
The three girls, knowing what a momentous decision CARMEN is making, embrace one another.
On the small stage, a guitarist picks up his instrument and slowly plucks the same “Destiny Theme” we heard earlier.
MERCEDES
Whoa! What is that tune? Is there a funeral? Play something with life to it!
The guitarist quickly switches to something much livelier. Several patrons enter, including GERALDO, OFFICER SHEA, and SERGEANT ZUNIGA.
GERALDO
Cold drinks for the ladies over there.
BARTENDER
Six dollars!
GERALDO
Six dollars? You selling blood? What do you mean, robbing people like that?
ZUNIGA
I can afford it. Three drinks for the lovely ladies.
FRASQUITA
Keep your drinks! I’m not thirsty.
ZUNIGA
They’ll keep you cool. You look like a hot mama to me.
FRASQUITA
And you look old and cold to me.
ZUNIGA
You’d be surprised, chica!
MERCEDES
Chica? Now you’re acting Latino? I don’t think so.
OFFICER SHEA
What would you like us to be?
CARMEN
Gone! That’s what we would like you to be.
OFFICER SHEA
She’s longing for José. He makes her blood boil. He’s good with these locals.
MERCEDES
Local? I don’t go local, but I will go loca on your skinny butt!
ZUNIGA
José’s a loser. We’ve got him sucking fumes on traffic duty.
OFFICER SHEA
He’s back on the beat today. Maybe he can find somebody else to turn loose.
CARMEN
(perking up)
He’s back? Today?
ZUNIGA
(edging closer to CARMEN)
Look, you can do better than that guy.
FRASQUITA
Man, you really think you’re hot stuff, don’t you?
ZUNIGA
I’ve been around. I know how to make a girl like Carmen happy. Maybe I’ll take her shopping. Bet you would like that, eh, Carmen?
CARMEN
Cierra el pico, man, because ain’t nothing coming out that I want to hear.
ZUNIGA
I know what I have to know. You’re straight street, and I know how to take care of you.
FRASQUITA
Go home and take care of your wife.
MERCEDES
(looking at her watch)
He can’t go home yet. His wife’s boyfriend is still there having dinner.
The girls all laugh.
Suddenly we hear a commotion. A PATRON gets off his stool, shrugs to the crowd, and goes to the door. He looks out.
PATRON
It’s Escamillo!
MERCEDES
Here?
FRASQUITA
He’s going to shoot a video in the neighborhood. It was in the papers.
ESCAMILLO enters. The one-time street rapper turned entrepreneur and film producer fits the description often ascribed to him as the richest man ever to come out of Spanish Harlem. Tall and broad-shouldered, he’s wearing a light-gray tailored Italian suit with a sky-blue shirt. Over his shoulders is a satin silver-gray cape that shimmers as he walks. As he enters, he hands his assistant, GORDITO, his walking stick and hesitates just inside the doorway as one of his bodyguards removes the cape.
GORDITO takes center stage and begins framing film shots with his hands as ESCAMILLO leans casually against the bar.
GORDITO
(raps)
Hey, Escamillo can lift this place from its obscurity
And bring it to a place of peace and security
With a slam bam jam that opens the dam of go and flow,
But he needs something real to express how he feels
As a master blaster lifting his fate above the disaster
Of free-floating hate, and if your brain has the uplift
To master the hard drift from grime to sublime,
He might give you some time and… who knows?
He puts his hand to his ear.
MERCEDES
Who knows?
GORDITO
Even a 3-D flick! Let me step aside for the pride of San Juan, Santo Domingo, México, Bogotá, and El Bronx Remembered! Escamillo!
ESCAMILLO
I said what? I said what? I said WHAT’S HAPPENING?
FRASQUITA
Yo, Escamillo! Put me in a movie. The world needs to see me.
In the background, we hear the strains of “The Toreador Song”, rhythmic and upbeat, which continue as Escamillo speaks.
ESCAMILLO
(begins rapping)
The world needs to see all of us, mis amigos. That’s what Escamillo is all about. Fighting against the invisibility of being poor, being a nobody. They don’t kill us! They don’t lynch us! They make us invisible, as if we don’t really exist! They take away our identity. At first we think it’s harmless; we just don’t see ourselves anywhere. We see shells where men should be standing; we see cartoons where our women should be. But then one day you wake up and look in the mirror, and there’s no one there looking back at you. All the dreams that held you together are gone, and all the hope you could feel is gone. You know your brain is fading fast and you feel a sense of panic.
Invisibility sees your panic, smells your despair as it paws the ground waiting to charge across the arena, waiting to destroy you. But now ESCAMILLO has given you the warning, and you are ready to fight back. The cold steel of truth is in your hand and you get ready. Across from you, invisibility trots proudly, snorting its contempt for you.
Okay, my people. Show me what you got!
The club suddenly comes alive as the patrons begin to dance. The dancing ranges from salsa to a kind of street flamenco. ESCAMILLO nods approvingly as he sees the vibrant life of the community. But throughout the dancing, CARMEN sits at the far end of the bar, looking on with apparent disinterest.
ESCAMILLO
Yo, I see the happenings! I feel the beat! I see the beauty and feel the heat! But where are the stars in this tiny universe? Where are the sisters and brothers gonna shoot across the sky? Who’s gonna light up the firmament? Where are the heart stoppers? The hammer droppers? Yo, mamacita, I see you glowing like you knowing something spelled truth. What’s the word, little bird?
CARMEN
I’m not interested in your moves or your movies, Escamillo. And Hollywood is not on my to-do list.
ESCAMILLO
I thought you were special, and I definitely got an eye for fly.
GORDITO
She fades into the woodwork like yesterday’s news.
ESCAMILLO
No, Gordito, she ain’t fading. She’s masquerading as ordinary, but she looks dangerous to me, and you know how I flirt with a danger high. It brings out the bullfighter-the toreador-in me.
CARMEN lifts her hands to her head, fingers pointed as if to represent horns, and struts sensuously toward ESCAMILLO, who instantly takes the challenge and goes into a bull-fighting pose. CARMEN makes three passes at ESCAMILLO, all of which he sidesteps deftly. Hands on hips, she throws her head back in laughter. Then she lifts her arms to the ceiling and swoops them down, jabbing her fingers into ESCAMILLO’s side. She and ESCAMILLO both laugh.
GORDITO
It’s time to go. We have to see the manager before the concert to iron out last-minute details. And there are a million dollars in these details. He wants to negotiate foreign rights and subsidiaries. We have to be there.
ESCAMILLO
Of course. Of course.
(He takes his cape.)
But I will be back for you. What is your name, angel?
CARMEN
Carmen. Or Carmencita. Your choice.
ESCAMILLO
Carmen. Carmencita. It’s all the same. You are too beautiful for words. My tongue gets excited just saying your name. I will be back for you. To everybody here: you are all invited to my concert this weekend. I’ll send fifty tickets over to
(looks around and sees the sign above the stage)
Lillas’s place.
FRASQUITA
This show is going to be good, right?
ESCAMILLO
The fire department is sending over a special truck, it’s going to be so hot.
FRASQUITA
Is it going to be on television? Because when concerts are on television, they’re usually pretty good.
ESCAMILLO
This won’t be good because of television, baby.
(turning to Carmen)
This is going to be good because of Carmen. Everything I think up I’m going to be asking myself what Carmencita’s going to be thinking about it, and then I’m going to make it even better. I’m good whenever I’m awake, but when I got somebody to inspire me, I’m knee-deep in fantastic!
CARMEN
You got game, and you’re running it!
ESCAMILLO
Your game is deeper, baby, but Escamillo’s steadily climbing on up. I think we just might reach the top together!
CARMEN
I’ll be there.
ESCAMILLO
All you need to bring is your heart and your dancing shoes. Leave the rest to Escamillo.
ESCAMILLO and his entourage leave.
MERCEDES
Carmen, he was digging on you something crazy. No tengas pena just because you’re in love.
FRASQUITA
He can take me to Hollywood anytime he wants to, but I’m not doing nothing nasty in front of a camera.
ZUNIGA
(after ESCAMILLO’s people leave)
That Escamillo’s all glitter. Nothing more. No substance. You can dress up street, but you can’t take away the stink. Let’s get out of here.
ZUNIGA and SHEA leave.
MERCEDES
He’s going to go look for somebody else to hate.
CARMEN
He probably hates himself.
The excitement of ESCAMILLO lingers for a while in the air, then slowly dies down as DANCAIRO and RAIMONDO enter. DANCAIRO is thin and nervous and has a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. RAIMONDO is short and heavy, with the nervous habit of hunching his shoulders as he speaks.
RAIMONDO
(to MERCEDES)
We got it going. Major-league stuff all the way.
DANCAIRO
We can score every credit card number in the city of Pittsburgh for three hours. That’s a hundred and fifty-nine thousand names.
RAIMONDO
And they’re rich in Pittsburgh.
DANCAIRO
In three hours, we can make a fortune.
RAIMONDO
And since it’s all electronic, there’s no evidence.
DANCAIRO
No fingerprints. No DNA. Just get in and boom, boom, boom! It’ll take them three hours to figure out what’s happening and another three hours to shut the system down, and we’ll be done by then.
RAIMONDO
We’ve got the log-in code. All we need is two smart kids who can hack into one lousy computer to get the master password. Then we’re in and gone without even a gun drawn. Thank God for technology.
DANCAIRO
(to CARMEN)
And we also need the charms of some beautiful women to keep a certain computer security chief-how do you say?-occupied!
MERCEDES
How much is in it for us?
FRASQUITA
We don’t work for nothing!
RAIMONDO
Fifty thousand-twenty-five thousand apiece-if the score is small.
DANCAIRO
I would tell you how much you would get if it is completely successful, but I can’t count that high.
FRASQUITA
You got us!
RAIMONDO
Carmen?
MERCEDES
She’s too much in love. With a cop!
RAIMONDO
No, I’m serious. Carmen, are you with us?
CARMEN
I’ve got stuff on my mind, Raimondo. Maybe some other time.
RAIMONDO
What some other time? This is once in a lifetime, sweet cheeks!
MERCEDES
Lighten up, Raimondo. She’s got a life, too.
FRASQUITA
(spots JOSÉ at the door)
And here he is.
JOSÉ enters. DANCAIRO and RAIMONDO back away quickly, DANCAIRO shielding his face with his hand. They both exit out of the rear door but not before RAIMONDO glances toward CARMEN and shakes his head in disbelief.
JOSÉ
Carmen, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I thought you were going to be home.
CARMEN
Too hot in there. I got home last night and a mouse was sitting in the refrigerator!
JOSÉ
A mouse? Oh, that’s a joke. Right. At first I couldn’t remember the name of this place. But then I did. You’ve been on my mind all day.
(looks around)
Can we go somewhere?
CARMEN
José, I want you to meet my friends. This is Frasquita.
FRASQUITA
Hey, guy.
CARMEN
And this is Mercedes. They’re my homegirls.
MERCEDES
What’s happening?
JOSÉ
Hello.
FRASQUITA and MERCEDES retreat to a table, and JOSÉ kisses CARMEN’s hand tenderly.
JOSÉ
Nice friends.
CARMEN
The kind that look out for you. You know what I mean?
JOSÉ
Yes, I do. I like loyalty in my friends.
CARMEN
Frasquita asked me why I’ve been talking about you so much.
JOSÉ
You’ve been talking about me? What did you say?
CARMEN
That you make me remember the girl I once was, the girl who believed in every dream that came her way, who used to roll the top of her skirts up outside of Saint Dominic’s, hoping the boys would notice her.
JOSÉ
You did go to Saint Dom’s.
CARMEN
In a way I did. I mean, it was me, but I wasn’t who I am now. I was just a little girl with wide eyes and teeny boobs. I was maybe softer inside than I am now.
JOSÉ
You are like a breath of fresh air to me, Carmen. My life has been just stupid for the last few months. First it was that kid-
CARMEN
I know about that, José. It was in La Prensa that you shot a boy who threatened you. But I know that’s not who you are. I know that.
JOSÉ
It really hurt to see the things they wrote about me in the papers.
CARMEN
Nobody wants to hurt another person.
JOSÉ
The thing with the boy-it happened so fast.
CARMEN
The thing?
JOSÉ
He came out of the shadows and…
CARMEN
(putting her fingers on his lips)
Don’t talk about it.
JOSÉ
I’ve been really depressed since it happened. I can’t sleep.
CARMEN
Let’s talk about us.
JOSÉ
Last night I tried to make my mind blank, just not think about anything. Then, in the morning, the air was all still and I reached over to get a glass of water and my hand touched the flower you gave me. You remember the flower?
CARMEN
You kept it? All this time?
JOSÉ
And suddenly the flower was more than just a flower. It was a promise that your soul had made to mine. I put the light on and took it in my hand, and the lightness of it just spoke of you. I put it to my lips and I could smell it, and it was as if you were near.
CARMEN
You speak very well, José. I’ve never been that good with words. They seem to only get in my way.
JOSÉ
Words are only tools, Carmen.
CARMEN, somewhat unsure of what JOSÉ is saying, stands and moves awkwardly away from him. He reaches for her and takes her wrist, and she turns to face him.
CARMEN
Dancing is a tool, too. Let me dance for you!
JOSÉ
Dance?
CARMEN
(brightly, changing the mood)
Yes, you’re the hero that kept me out of the slammer, and I’ll dance in your honor!
CARMEN begins to dance for JOSÉ. From time to time, he reaches for her swirling figure, but she moves away from him.
CARMEN
Look at me! Giddy as a schoolgirl. My body wants to move!
JOSÉ
You move your body, but you’ve captured my soul. We’ll be together from this moment on. From this very moment. Promise me. As the flower promised me.
CARMEN
(stops dancing and looks at JOSÉ)
José, my friends say that I’m taking a big risk.
JOSÉ
Take it, Carmen. I’m offering you my life.
CARMEN
(turning slightly away from JOSÉ)
José, why do you want me?
JOSÉ
Why? How can you ask a question like that? People look at you and they’re amazed. You’re the brightest star in their universe. People will look at us walking together and wonder what magic I performed to have you on my arm. They’ll know that together we’re somebody. That we’re special.
CARMEN
I don’t want to be that special. Just loved, José. I want to run and jump right into forever after. Does that make sense to you?
JOSÉ’s cell phone rings.
CARMEN goes over to him and puts her hand over the phone, which he now holds in his hand. JOSÉ turns as he answers the call.
JOSÉ
Yes?… Yes?… Of course! I’ll be there right away, sir.
CARMEN
What are you doing?
JOSÉ
They need me down at headquarters at once. It’s a big operation.
CARMEN
But I’m standing here promising you forever, and suddenly the phone rings and forever is put on hold.
JOSÉ
(checking his gun)
I have to go. I have no choice.
CARMEN
No choice? One minute you’re saying that you have no choice except to love me, and the next…
JOSÉ
This is my job.
CARMEN
(confused)
How can you-? Who are you? One minute you’re hopelessly in love, and… and the next minute you’re leaving?
JOSÉ
(roughly)
Be sensible! I have to go!
CARMEN
(emulating a ringing phone)
Brrring! Brrring! Calling all mice! Calling all mice!
Brrring! Brrring! There are crumbs on the carpet for you!
JOSÉ
You don’t understand, Carmen.
CARMEN
Yes, yes, you’re right. I don’t understand. And I don’t understand how I let myself fall in love again! What was I thinking?
JOSÉ
A man must do his duty, no matter what.
ZUNIGA enters. He is tipsy. His collar is unbuttoned, and he is carrying a brown paper bag that probably holds a bottle of liquor.
ZUNIGA
Carmen! I thought you might still be here. I was thinking about you all evening. Come sit with me. You old enough to drink wine? We could go someplace.
JOSÉ
Carmen doesn’t need a drink from you.
ZUNIGA turns slowly and eyes JOSÉ with contempt.
ZUNIGA
You still running around the city? When’s your hearing? Next week? Then you’ll be gone from the force forever, and maybe they can even give you some jail time for letting a prisoner escape. They’ll love you on the cell block. Now, get back to the precinct. They must have some wastebaskets that need to be emptied.
He puts his arm around CARMEN.
JOSÉ
(angrily)
Don’t tell me what to do! I am as much man as you are!
Curious about the shouting, DANCAIRO, RAIMONDO, and ANGEL enter from the back room.
ZUNIGA
(shouting)
You? A man? You’re a boy who occasionally dresses in the uniform of a man. Now, get out of here before I lose my temper!
JOSÉ
Go ahead: lose it!
ZUNIGA slaps JOSÉ, and for a minute the two men grapple. Then ZUNIGA throws JOSÉ to the ground.
ZUNIGA
Look at you! Lying on the floor like the child you are! See how all your friends stare at you-wondering if you have the nerve to stand up again.
CARMEN
(to both men)
Stop it! What are you doing?
JOSÉ
(pulls out his gun)
Watch your mouth, man!
ZUNIGA
Why, you going to mug me, lover boy?
JOSÉ fires, and ZUNIGA stiffens as he is grazed in the arm, then draws his own weapon.
CARMEN
(to JOSÉ)
Oh, my God! What have you done? We’re not murderers, you fool! Put that gun away!
RAIMONDO rushes over to ZUNIGA and gently pushes his gun down as DANCAIRO signals JOSÉ to calm down.
RAIMONDO
Sergeant, twenty thousand dollars! You forget this whole incident, and I’ll bring twenty thousand in small bills. I can have the money by noon tomorrow. Come on, man. You’ve taken money before. This is twenty thousand!
ZUNIGA
(angry but still greedy)
Twenty thousand dollars. Small bills. I’ll forget this incident but not this fool! No way I forget him.
DANCAIRO and RAIMONDO escort ZUNIGA out.
JOSÉ
(standing)
What have I done? My career is finished.
CARMEN
You shoot a man because he disses you? How stupid is that? I look at you and I don’t know who you are! When I saw your picture in the paper, I thought I recognized someone from when I was a girl. But now I don’t recognize you at all!
JOSÉ
Oh, God! Look, Carmen, I love you, but right now I have to think. I just know my career is wrecked.
CARMEN
What did the boy do? Did he look at you wrong, too?
JOSÉ
What boy? Look, I don’t have time to talk now. I have to go and pack some things.
(He looks around.)
I guess I’m one of you now. Carmen, wait here for me!
JOSÉ leaves, stopping for a moment to look at RAIMONDO as he returns.
RAIMONDO
We’re screwed if Zuniga changes his mind. He can arrest everybody here and make it stick if he wants to. Now we have to pull this job off. We better make it pay big-time or we’re all in trouble. How about you, Carmen? You down with us now?
CARMEN
Yeah, I’m down, Raimondo. I got nothing to lose.
RAIMONDO
Good. I need to hit the streets and get our lookouts on the corners in case Zuniga changes his mind and wants to hit us. You okay, Carmencita?
CARMEN
I’m okay, Raimondo.
RAIMONDO
Everybody out. I need you all on the corners looking out for the heat. Everybody out!
They all leave except for CARMEN, who stands alone, forlorn.
CARMEN sits and, for a long beat, thinks about what has happened. We hear the sound of a harp introducing her song.
CARMEN
(sings “Love Has Flown Away”)
Love came easy, but it just wasn’t for me.
It flew away like swallows on a summer evening.
Love sang softly, but it just wasn’t to me.
Was I a fool to give my love, to give my soul, and more away?
My heart aches with longing, cries each night,
As I just fall apart.
(clearly distressed)
What have I done? What have I done?
Am I so hungry for love that I can’t see
It’s not going to ever happen for me?
I saw the darkness in his eyes
And knew there was even more darkness behind those lovely eyes
And yet…
And yet I kept stumbling blindly
Like some silly schoolgirl from another place, another time.
I’ve got to be the old Carmen again.
Too hard to hurt, too hard to fall in love.
The music continues softly as CARMEN puts her head down on the table.