The Magic Circus The Magic Circus - Scene 16
The Magic Circus - Scene 16
Monday, 08 December 2008 22:59
At the Valley Hunt Club; Bud, Clarice Kent and Bilge sit at an umbrella-ed table by the pool. Bud has a mint julep and a Chopped Cobb Salad. Clarice has the Shrimp Louie and a Diet Coke. Kent and Bilge have club sandwiches and two tall conical glasses of beer gathering condensation in the heat. Noise of talking, clatter from other tables, as camera moves by pool, zeroing in on Bilge.
Bilge – So he’s dead then.
Clarice – Yep.
Bilge – And your girl is?
Clarice – Eight. She’s with my mother-in-law. They’re good people.
Kent – It’s gotta be rough.
Clarice – Yeah, she’s been an egg, though, a real trooper.
Bud – Who’d a thought, huh? 15 years ago, and we end up here. You’re a soldier’s widow, Kent’s a rock star…
Bilge – You’re a successful penis handler…
Bud – And Bilge here is still a prick.
Bilge – Takes one to know one…
Clarice – Please. Must you…
Bilge – Oh, Clarice, it’s ugly seein’ him revel over there, you’re in trouble and he’s feckin’ printin’ tickets on himself.
Clarice – That’s sweet of you, Bilge, but I’m hardly in trouble, a girl in trouble is a temporary thing. Besides, I’m not here to be coddled, the time for that’s way past. I just wanted to see you, y’know, for old times sake…to remember what ass-holes y’all are.
Pause. Exchange looks.
Clarice – Too bad I missed Joe.
Bud – Yeah, he and Nel just popped out to do some shopping.
Bud’s phone rings, he looks at it.
Bud – (to table) Well, speak of the devil. (Speaks into phone) Howdy, Nelson. What shakes?
The others watch as he talks.
Bud – Uh, huh. Huh. Well, that was nice of you.
Kent and Bilge look at each other in surprise. Clarice looks at faces around table.
Bud – Bring it by here and let us have a look. Yeah, just tell Gloria, Valley Hunt Club on Orange grove. She’ll know how to find us.
Bud hangs up, chugs the rest of his mint julep and waves to a waiter for another.
Clarice – Who is Gloria?
Bilge – Our GPS.
Kent – What’s he bringin’ by, and, what in the ‘el did Nel do that was ‘nice’?!
Waiter hands Bud drink, Bud drinks drink.
Bud – He bought a bunch of art supplies for Monk, felt bad about last night, wanted to surprise him.
Clarice – I thought you said they went shoppin’ together?
Bud – Um.
End Scene