Antigua (one-act play)

By Raanan Geberer

TIME: Present
SCENE: A hospital room. There are two beds (if this is un-economical, cots will do). The two main protagonists wear hospital gowns.
CHARACTERS:
MIGUEL, Young Hispanic man, could be anywhere from 25-45. Has a can of Nutrament in his bed and a magazine. Very thin.
STEVE: Young Jewish man, same age range. Has an asthma inhaler, also a magazine.
FEMALE NURSE
SCENE BEGINS as Steve is reading his magazine, Miguel is sleeping. Miguel wakes up, drinks a little from the Nutrament. Steve takes a puff from the asthma inhaler.
MIGUEL (staring at Steve): Hey! You're new! When did you get here, man?
STEVE: They just put me here an hour ago. I was in another room, but they switched me here because the other guy was elderly, they felt he needed his own room.
MIGUEL (sighing): Yeah, it's a bitch, man. My name's Miguel.
STEVE: Mine's Steve. This is like an introduction at a summer camp!
MIGUEL (laughs): You got that right! You have asthma?
STEVE: Yeah, I had an attack three days ago--I couldn't breathe. I feel better now, but the doctors wanna keep me another day. How did you know?
MIGUEL: I saw the inhaler. My brother takes it, too. Me, I got a leg infection.
STEVE: Really?
MIGUEL: Yeah, it's not healing, and I got a big cut in my leg. I first got the infection about a month ago, and they took me to the VA hospital. Don't ever go to a VA hospital--they're bullshit. They cut my leg open because they wanted to take out the infection, they said it would heal fast. They didn't listen when I said I was HIV-positive--I used to be an IV drug user, I started using when I was in the Army and I fell in the wrong people.
STEVE: Where were you? Iraq?
MIGUEL: No, man, I was in Germany, in the early '90s. I had it good there--I was living off the base, I had a roommate, this Black tech sergeant from Louisiana, we used to par-ty! Everyone knew our apartment because that's where the party was! But anyway, back to the infection, so it wasn't healing and the pus was dripping out. I was even at my part-time job at my uncle's, he's a travel agent, man, and the pus was dripping from my leg when I was walking around the office. So I went back to that VA hospital twice, and I said, hey, I want you to put some kind of flap on top of the cut so it would heal faster, but their doctors said no. Thank God, someone told me about this hospital. Seems OK. (Takes a swig of Nutrament).
STEVE: Hey, my wife's coming over with a basket of fruit in an hour. You want some?
MIGUEL: Yeah, man, that would be really nice.
STEVE: She's bringing some soda, too.
MIGUEL: Well, you know, man, all I've been drinking is this Nutrament. They're trying to get my weight back up. I'm only 96 pounds right now!
STEVE: Oh, God.
MIGUEL: Yeah, but, I'm gonna make it. Soon as my leg heals I'm gonna try to get my old job back with the State Insurance Fund, and maybe work for my uncle on the side. He can get me great deals on travel, man! I really wanna go to Antigua! You been to Antigua!
STEVE: No, I've never been to the Caribbean. Last summer, me and my wife went to Italy--to Rome, Milan, Venice...
MIGUEL: Yeah, one of these days, I'm gonna have to get over there too! But my dream, my dream has always been going to Antigua! The sand is pure white, the water is so blue...I was born in Cuba and I can't go back there, at least for now. But I'm definitely going to Antigua! Imagine, me, on the beach, with these beautiful chicks ... Wait a minute! I gotta go to the bathroom. (Gets up with great difficulty, hobbles over to the bathroom. STEVE takes his asthma inhaler, starts reading his magazine.)
From offstage you hear MIGUEL cry "Nurse, nurse!" and the sound of a bell or buzzer. Then, a minute or two later, you see the NURSE drag Miguel back to the bed with difficulty, Miguel can hardly walk.
NURSE: Okay, Mister Ramirez. From now on, maybe you should buzz us before you go to the bathroom, so we can get someone to help you! You really should save your strength!
MIGUEL: Thanks! (NURSE exits). (To Steve): Yeah, sometimes I don't even have the strength to walk to the bathroom. Hey, you live around here?
STEVE: Yeah, I live in the co-op on West 26th Street, near 8th Avenue.
MIGUEL: I live in Brooklyn.
STEVE (excited): Hey, I'm from Brooklyn, too. Matter of fact, just before I got married, I moved back to the Bronx for two years, I lived in a two-family house on Avenue K.
MIGUEL (more excited): I just moved around there myself! Got a new apartment, Ocean Parkway and Avenue M! You're Jewish, right?
STEVE (warily): Yeah. Why?
MIGUEL: Oh, just 'cause there's a lot of Jewish people around where I am. Hey, I studied Judaism. I took a course in the Talmud! I tried to investigate all the different religions, Buddhism too! Since I been HIV-positive, I've been on a spiritual path, man!
STEVE (impressed): That's great! I took a course in the Talmud myself. You know, some of my Jewish friends thought I was a weirdo for being interested in this stuff!
MIGUEL: Well, those people aren't cool! Anyway, the apartment! When I move into a new place, I don't mess around. I stripped the floors, put on wood panels, had them sanded and waxed, cost me six hundred dollars! Got these wicker chairs, then I got these huge plants, you call them ficus trees! And I got this great couch, from Jennifer Convertibles!
STEVE: I'm not into furniture myself. My wife's always trying to get me to buy new furniture. I'd rather spend what little money I have on stuff like a new CD player, computer.
MIGUEL: Hey, I love that stuff, too! Anyway, the place I lived in before, in East Flatbush, the neighborhood was getting bad! There was this kid, I saw him hanging out in front of this garage, trying to steal cars. So I told my friend not to park his car in that garage. So I guess my friend told the wrong person, 'cause this kid, you know, he started hassling me, he asks if I'm a cop or if I'm gonna tell the cops. So I finally convince him that I'm not a cop, but I know he and his crew are watching me, because they know my sister's a cop! Who needs that shit! I'm glad I'm outta there!
STEVE coughs, takes his inhaler.
MIGUEL: Hey, man, you gotta be careful!
STEVE: Oh, it's OK! You should have seen me when I came in here! (laughs to himself).
NURSE walks in, carrying paper cup, goes over to Miguel's bed.
NURSE: Mr. Ramirez, the doctors are very concerned that your leg isn't healing fast enough. They think the infection still hasn't gone away. Tomorrow morning, we're going to put you in your own special room, and you're gonna have to be in an oxygen tent. We'll come for you in the morning. Now I gotta talk to Mr. Rothstein. (goes over to STEVE's bed). Time for your asthma medication, Mr. Rothstein (hands Steve the paper cup, Steve drinks from it, or pretends to). Okay, I'll be back at 11 o'clock! (Leaves).
MIGUEL: Hey, ain't that a bitch! You mind if I turn off the light. I better get some sleep!
STEVE: OK, as long as I leave my light on. You know, my wife's coming every minute.
MIGUEL: Sure. That's cool! Hey, I was once engaged, but she broke it off after I became HIV-positive! Hey, what are you gonna do! Listen, I hope I run into you when I get better! After this leg heals, I'm gonna start working in my uncle's travel agency again, gonna go on that trip to Antigua! It's beautiful there, man, in Antigua...
THE END