A Swim in the Laughing Soup
MAGS
This was his. He wanted you to have it.
GENE AUTRY
But he… okay.
(GENE AUTRY examines the hat, puts it on.)
GENE AUTRY
Okay, the no-good bastard was my only friend.
(GENE AUTRY takes hat off, places it in the shopping cart and finds what he’s been looking for. HE pulls a telephone handset from shopping cart and speaks into it.)
GENE AUTRY
You promised me, Joey-oe. No, you did. You said you’d found it and you said you’d show me the way back and you promised, Jojoey.
MAGS
Back where?
GENE AUTRY
(Waves for her to be quiet; he’s listening.)
No, Joe.
(Beat.)
No, but Joe…
(Cups a hand over the speaker.)
Back to the world. He promised to show me how.
(THIRSTY is alarmed by this statement; HE jerks HUNGRY up and drags her toward the box. As they pass NOJO, THIRSTY tries to bring him along too. NOJO shakes him off.)
NOJO (to audience)
I don’t need to hide. I’ve been quiet so long, I can just disappear again. Watch.
(Puts hood up.)
MAGS
Give me that.
GENE AUTRY
Just a minute, Joey-oe. She wants to speak to you.
MAGS
(Takes handset, transfers whiskey to other hand.)
What?
(Listens.)
Hey man, that’s not my problem.
(Holds the receiver away from her ear.)
No. I said no.
(Shakes her head.)
You’re dead, Joe. We made a bargain, remember? Hang up.
(Tosses handset to GENE AUTRY.)
GENE AUTRY
Joe!
(Listens, jiggles handset, listens again.)
Joe.
(Pause. THIRSTY tries to get HUNGRY into the box.)
HUNGRY (mumbling)
Shi… Nmmm.
MAGS
You want to go back to the world? Here’s the deal. Climb up to the highway and head south into town.
(Grasps GENE AUTRY by the shoulders and aims him.)
When you come to Summer, take a left. Go through three lights and bear left again onto Gibson. The shelter is number twenty-four.
