Uptown Boys: The Beginning Of A Dream Book 1

by KM Cory

  SCENE 8

  [LATER, OUTISDE YARONA CLUB]

  It is a cold night outside with a full moon staged proudly amid the clouds. The ground is quite wet and dump, a sign that it has been raining and now not. There is no home for walking alone since it might look risky now.

  The street is almost empty except for the party people who are either going back home or going over to the next happening night house to wait for the dawn of the new day already after the darkness. They are half-drunk already, and some are being helped to walk on their feet, or else they will fall hard onto the ground with their soft-plastic bottles filled with beer.

  [And now afterwards, our cohort is also out of the club, looking wasted by the previous performance]

  GIA [sad]

  I guess it is time to part.

  OBAN

  Yes, it is.

  GIA [to the girls]

  You are sleeping at mine.

  [KELLY and CHRISTIE accept without any compromise]

  GIA [to the boys]

  I hope you don’t get any trouble when heading back to school.

  BOYO

  I will lead them through the road safely.

  CASANOVA

  And also, into the school, I will.

  GIA [relieved]

  I think you are brighter than I expected.

  LIHANDA

  We have nice grades already!

  CHRISTIE

  But they don’t matter outside of school.

  KELLY

  Oh, so you’re going to speak ill again, yet we agreed not to talk about these boys’ academics again unless when we’re encouraging them?

  CHRISTIE

  I am sorry.

  OBAN

  It is alright, girls.

  KELLY

  No, it is not.

  GIA

  Enough of the talk. Boys, get going. You won’t really bare the nerve when these two begin to argue.

  CASANOVA

  Alright. See you next time!

  GIA

  Good.

  [She leads her band away from the club to an opposite direction, and so does BOYO, who cannot help it but to look back and say his final farewell to GIA, especially with a flying kiss and she rogers it too]

  As the four escapades are setting foot back to school through the noiseless street, they are engaged in a conversation to keep them alight through the dark and wet night that is fading to dawn from dusk as well as trying to keep up with the need not to be worried about facing any challenges

  OBAN

  That girl CHRISTIE wasn’t amazing at all!

  [His colleagues laugh at this]

  BOYO

  Why would you speak like that, nwa?

  OBAN [agitated]

  She couldn’t let us touch her like you were doing, or even get close to her body like it was with her buddies dancing with you.

  LIHANDA

  But I think she was into you, nwa. Only that she was afraid of being seen by her girlfriends who could make her the talk of the night until morning like we’re doing now.

  OBAN

  I cannot take that from you, nwa. How could it even be?

  LIHANDA

  I can only say that she kept eye contact all through the night and even told me nice things about you when you’d gone to buy us some liquor.

  CASANOVA

  Nice jazz. So, what were those nice things she talked about our boy, nwa?

  OBAN

  Oh yeah, what were they, nwa?

  LIHANDA [hostile]

  She told me not to tell anyone of you.

  BOYO

  I knew you’d be the secret box tonight, amongst us, nwa!

  LIHANDA [as his friends laugh]

  Does that make me an odd friend out?

  CASANOVA [clasping onto LIHANDA]

  Not at all, nwa. In fact, it means that amongst us all, you’re the worthy person to be trusted. Otherwise, why would she stop you from telling us your friends, nwa?

  BOYO

  And by the way, girls can only tell a secret, whether about admiration or something else, to a friend who is a boy when they do really see him trustworthy. Just trust me on this point, for I have seen it at school. Otherwise, if CHRISTIE had gossiped nice things about my homie, he would be the center of communication right now!

  OBAN [as the rest laugh]

  Well, so, let us gossip about the small talk you shared with the main girl GIA, nwa. And how you squeezed yourselves during the dance.

  BOYO

  Oh, really? That is how you twist it upon me, nwa?

  CASANOVA

  Yes, really.

  LIHANDA

  Without a query, nwa.

  OBAN [mimicking BOYO]

  Oh, really –Is that how you twist it upon me, nwa?

  [And the band falls into laughter]

  [However, the laughter is cut short and the movement brought to an unwanted halt when]

  LIHANDA

  I think we’re headed for the wrong route, nwa!

  Suddenly it hits all of them at once upon realizing that they are on a different path in the middle of nowhere which is almost bereft of any productive work despite being able to see a signpost showing nothing at all and a road that is continuing miles and miles ahead and then

  CASANOVA

  Oh, no!

  BOYO [frightened]

  What is it, nwa; are you okay?

  CASANOVA

  It is that girl, KELLY!

  OBAN [as BOYO and LIHANDA laugh]

  What about her, nwa?

  CASANOVA

  She had told me that –

  Okay, I had told her that I know the short-cut back to school, and after a few rounds of drinks and – I cannot say this to you, no!

  BOYO [as OBAN and LIHANDA tease CASANOVA]

  The devil is a great deal here now!

  [And they all laugh harder except CASANOVA who]

  CASANOVA [feeling defeated]

  Okay. Okay, nwa. I can tell you. But on condition –

  OBAN

  I didn’t expect that, did any of you, nwa?

  BOYO and LIHANDA [chorus]

  No!

  OBAN

  So, since it wasn’t expected and we’re wasting time, better speak the whole damn truth out, nwa.

  CASANOVA [staring at his colleagues]

  I think that girl must have been sent from Greece or Latin America, nwa.

  [This gives his peers more laughter]

  BOYO

  Stir it up, little darling!

  CASANOVA

  Okay, here is the real deal.

  [His colleagues gather around him]

  CASANOVA

  After telling her that I knew the way back, she made me into a promise.

  LIHANDA

  And what was that?

  CASANOVA

  What if I drink and touch her as we dance, without forgetting the way back home after it all, I should go back for sex at her house!

  [BOYO and LIHANDA suddenly burst into deep laughter]

  OBAN

  And so, what, nwa?

  CASANOVA [angry]

  And now I’ve lost that chance!

  [OBAN laughs out louder than before]

  CASANOVA

  I will never tell you my ordeals, nwa!

  From nowhere, they all fall into fright on hearing the sound of a police car siren approaching quite a distance, but they do not know from which direction as they decide to hide beneath a dilapidated metallic shop that has light neither any form of rescue to avoid being smoked out.

  BOYO

  I guess we’re under attack! Let us run!

  [CASANOVA leads the way as]

  OBAN [after him]

  You now remember the short-cut, nwa?

  CASANOVA

  I do now, nwa.

  BOYO [laughing]

  Good. Then lead us, nwa.

  [And the cabin is soon out of sight once and for all]

  ACT FOUR

  SCENE 1


  [THE NEXT DAY - THE PRACTICE ROOM]

  It is a bright hour inside this building, which is now gaining more entrants inside it.

  [The students, who are wearing their respective club uniforms ranging from blue, green, yellow to orange are in high moods for the music practice already]

  We get to see at this moment, LIHANDA is trying to deliver out a few papers to the students who are already organized, and he is enjoying this task as his colleagues keep up talking with the rest of the choir members.

  The choir MASTER is not yet inside the room, a reason to explain the high noise comprised of talking and laughing as well as playing around like there is no tomorrow and that academics are so forgotten that one cannot think about that sphere right now.

  Upon serving out the papers, LIHANDA requests the choir members who have received the same to team up with those who do not have any so that there can be enjoyment during the rehearsal that is likely to be kicked off in the next couple of minutes.

  STUDENT

  I guess the choir MASTER is trying to make sure that we get a copy all of us since the scripts were not enough. I would like to think and believe somehow that the rats ate the rest of the scripts!

  [The choir members who have heard the foregoing statement laugh out loud]

  LIHANDA

  Then we will need a volunteer to help us keep the scripts.

  The door is ajar, and the choir instructor, Mr. BHAVANA, walks in. He is wearing a sports jacket this time, and it has covered his inside garment accompanied with a black pair of jeans and locally made sandals. LIHANDA rushes to him and receives the scripts he has just come along with, and he begins serving them out to those students who didn’t get a copy upon raising their arms up in the thin air and

  Mr. BHAVANA [now facing the choir]

  I hope you are all aware by now.

  SOPRANO

  About what, teacher?

  Mr. BHAVANA [walking over to her]

  I can whisper it to you, and then you inform the rest.

  [SOPRANO agrees and shares a whisper to Mr. BHAVANA]

  SOPRANO [excited]

  We are going to curtain-raise at this year’s Heroes Day!

  [And no sooner does she mention this than the choir members get filled with excitement and even hug each other out of ardent joy. The choir INSTRUCTOR soon requests for silence and attention.]

  Mr. BHAVANA [all eyes on him]

  Well, I happened to get such good news on my way here, and it is the deputy principal who informed me.

  [He walks a few yards apart]

  Mr. BHAVANA

  We have been rehearsing a lot lately, and that was the reason for the good news, which I never saw coming until today. So, what does that mean since this is our last day of rehearsing? It means you’ll have to show me your best tonight, of your vocal ability.

  [A few murmurs readiness]

  Mr. BHAVANA

  You fail, to shine at this hour, I am excusing you from the choir’s performance at the event.

  [And this creates a fountain of silence]

  Mr. BHAVANA [emotional]

  I would want you all to perform at the gala and exhibit your passion, your love, and the theme of wanting to be self-ruled; to show how ready you’re to fight and cry for freedom since it is the theme of the celebrations.

  [A few murmurs of eagerness and readiness]

  Mr. BHAVANA

  I hereby, therefore, open the rehearsals!

  [As he retreats to the auditory, the lights falling over the stage are turned down]

  There is no noise being made in the darkness. But it does not last long, and there is a little light that shades out two male and two female students sharing a microphone. SOPRANO and one strange female senior student, together with LIHANDA and CASANOVA, are the first pair to pioneer the rehearsals, which are kicked-off with a pianist playing the introduction of the Various Artists’ song known as ‘Voices That Care.’

  The pair is a very strong combination that lays the foundation for the rest of the choir members to join in with a bright light revealing all of them at once to the spectacle of the audience. The ensemble is now duly composed, thereby creating a wonderful harmony for the song.

  The pianist soothes the voices perfectly without a failure in the musical notes, and the ballad is strongly rehearsed up-to-the climax when all the choir members shout out joyfully like they have made it to the summit of the highest mountain, hence, winding up in a frenzy handclap for themselves and even have a little hug amongst. CASANOVA and LIHANDA high-five and also hug themselves tightly. They are duly appreciated by their fellow choir members before the lights go off one at a time, and soon, we are left in darkness over the stage.

  [LATER ON - AFTER THE REHEARSAL]

  [The practice room is now silent like a grave like there has not been any activity inside it for a couple of days and nights. It is looking lonely in one’s perspective]

  The only individuals who are giving the company to this memorial room are CASANOVA and BOYO, and they have just entered after closing the door at their backs. They are both sitting close to each other like the breath is to life over the stage. They instantly become duly engaged over a duologue that must have begun from the exterior of the practice room before entering that

  BOYO

  And we cannot afford missing Avon tonight!

  CASANOVA

  I get it, nwa. I was told it is the best night club down south of the town.

  BOYO [glamorous]

  Imagine us gigging at that place and moreover inside! Imagine us performing before people of different colors, nwa!

  CASANOVA [excited]

  And what would be our performance song?

  [Before any reply is made, the entrance to the practice room is ajar and LIHANDA enters. He closes the door at his back and then]

  LIHANDA [approaching his comrades]

  You must be talking about Avon, right?

  BOYO

  Absolutely.

  CASANOVA

  And you can help us choose the song to be performed, nwa.

  LIHANDA [sitting next to his pals]

  OBAN is the best person to do that, nwa! CASANOVA, really?

  LIHANDA

  He is good at selecting music.

  BOYO [concerned]

  And where is he now?

  LIHANDA

  He has gone to find us what to wear tonight. You know he wants to lead us!

  CASANOVA

  I now know how good he is at fashion.

  LIHANDA

  Hope you’re aware that he is heading the school’s fashion night soon.

  [BOYO and CASANOVA get excited].

  BOYO

  I only knew him being good at dancing and singing. Now fashion. It is a big world for a small boy like him, nwa!

  CASANOVA

  I guess he will be big someday!

  BOYO

  With MODERN besides him.

  [And the trio laughs]

  CASANOVA

  MODERN asked me what we’re upto lately, nwa.

  [The statement shudders a moment of worry]

  BOYO

  You, told her?

  CASANOVA

  Not really.

  LIHANDA

  What did you tell her exactly, nwa?

  CASANOVA

  I’ve not told her what we’re up-to exactly. I only informed her that I found music as my passion. And that was it. Nothing more.

  BOYO

  Now that sounds august, nwa! I thought you told her what we’re up to.

  CASANOVA [confident]

  She cannot get on the right side of me anymore unless it is with OBAN, nwa. And I don’t think he can betray us.

  LIHANDA

  Better that way.

  [He rises to his feet]

  LIHANDA

  Are you ready for Avon tonight?

  CASANOVA

  Not until we find a song to perform from OBAN, nwa.

  LIHANDA

  And what if we
don’t find any?

  BOYO

  That is next to impossibility in the world of OBAN, nwa. There is a whole selection of music inside this place, well organized.

  CASANOVA [shooting up to his feet]

  To create something better, I think we should all engage in the search for the song to perform tonight.

  BOYO

  I think that will work.

  LIHANDA

  I don’t think it will.

  BOYO

  OBAN cannot be left to do everything alone. All I know is that he will get so much into finding for us what to wear tonight than a song itself, which we can help him with though he wanted to lead us.

  LIHANDA

  I am now persuaded to join you.

  CASANOVA

  I am hoping, by the time we converge in the dining hall, we would have got the song. Right?

  [BOYO and LIHANDA do accept]

  LIHANDA

  I am going to do the search on the song from the computer library now.

  BOYO

  I will do it from here.

  LIHANDA [looking at his watch]

  It is almost supper time, nwa!

  BOYO [retreating to the music room]

  It can wait, nwa!

  CASANOVA [upon BOYO entering the room]

  I am going to join him too.

  LIHANDA

  I wish I could join you!

  BOYO [off the stage]

  You can come if you don’t mind missing supper, nwa.

  [CASANOVA and LIHANDA laugh]

  LIHANDA

  I am not like you, who has girlfriends that can get you supper to class, nwa.

  BOYO [as CASANOVA laughs]

  I am now swearing not to tell you any of my secrets again, nwa!

  CASANOVA

  I think you two have a history!

  LIHANDA [as CASANOVA joins the music room]

  I guess I should also not speak about you and SOPRANO now!

  [As he gets to open the door]

  BOYO [now peeping out]

  I will make it up for you with her!

  LIHANDA [at the door already]

  I am celibate for now, nwa.

  [He and BOYO share laughter before LIHANDA exits the room]

  SCENE 2

  [OUTSIDE AVON NIGHT CLUB]

  [THE NIGHT HAS FALLEN]

  Avon nightclub is already entertaining outside like it is still daytime.

  There is huge bustle and hustle going on at the nearby streets.

  Roadside street vendors can be seen on the go already with their activities.