EUGENE: (THELMA) “I gave up my family to marry you. What more do you want? How long do I have to suffer because you’re dark–I don’t care about that–how long have I told you this–I CHOSE YOU–I LOVE YOU!”

ALMA: Odelia holds my head underwater. I’m gasping for air. She does this three times. She dries me off, combs and braids my hair then puts me to bed–

EUGENE: (ROBERT) “Baby I’m sorry I know you gave up everything for me–I know. Nobody ever loved me like that–Nobody never loved ME.” (EUGENE) He speaks softly to Momma but never to me.

ALMA: I dream of Odelia panting on the highway. Her tongue is long–like a dog’s. I get on my knees and look skyward. “Why God–how come You made me so dark and big? Please God, I wanna be light so Daddy can come back. I wanna be small and not take up a whole buncha space.”

EUGENE: Momma collapses and he–Daddy–leads her into their bedroom–

ALMA: “I don’t wanna be dark an big–make me pretty God-make me light and pretty!”–

EUGENE: I hear their voices–his voice low–from the belly–from the gut.

ALMA: “I don’t wanna be on a road breathing like a dog–if you can’t make me light and small, could you please come and take me?”–

EUGENE: Her voice is high–high and Momma-like–

ALMA: “I don’t want nobody to leave me on no road like a dog–if I can’t be light and small, I don’t wanna be here anymore.”

EUGENE: Momma moans/screams–and calls “Oh God–oh God!”–

ALMA: “Please God–come an take me wit you”–

EUGENE: Daddy’s voice rumbles “Goddamn–Goddamn!”–my daddy curses God–

ALMA: “God? Do you know that I’m here? Maybe you don’t know I’m here.”

EUGENE: They are hurting each other. Her high voice–his low voice–one is crying–the other grunting. I lie on my bed trying to sleep–it’s a summer day–I’m not supposed to be sleeping-it’s summer. I pretend Alton and Alma and I are in my room–

ALMA: (Singing) Here we come–

EUGENE: On your mark–get set–Go–

ALMA: (Still singing) Walking down the street–

EUGENE: Let’s put our arms to the side–

ALMA: (Singing) We get the funniest looks from everyone we meet–hey hey we’re the Monkees–

EUGENE: “Come on run, run fast, you can do it.”

BOTH: (Singing) People say we monkey around–we’re too busy singin’ to put anybody down.

PART II

ALMA: My body is changing–doing things I knew about/heard about but can’t understand–I’m fourteen–

EUGENE: I’m dreaming of wanting to touch and be touched–