THE TIKI VILLAS, a ten minute play

Place: A bungalow in the Tiki Villas. Time: The Present

Characters: Coco, Muriel, Veronica (older women)

Opens with Coco and Muriel alone on stage

Coco: Is the world just a projection of us Muriel?

Muriel: I’d hate to think the world smelled like chicken soup and Lysol.

Coco: And urine.

Muriel: And urine.

Coco: That’s why we are staying here at the Villas. It’s so cheerful.

Muriel: Now, why are you crying?

Coco: I’m crying because…

Muriel: (Warning) we’ve talked about this, Coco.

Coco: Because…

Muriel: We made a bargain not to give in. We have a show of strength to put on here at The Villas.

Coco: O.K. I’m crying because I’m happy.

Muriel: That’s better. What shall we do today?

Coco: We could get started on this (Gets shoebox from table)

Muriel: On what.

Coco: Sorting through these words in the shoebox. Memorizing them.

Muriel: All the words people lose.

Coco: Yesterday I tripped on the...on the… and couldn’t remember the word for sidewalk So, I wrote it down and when it happens again I’ll just check in here (indicates box.)

Muriel: The shoebox is getting full.

Coco: Well people need choices.

Muriel: I tripped on the…

Coco: I’d wait 30 seconds, it’s only fair…. We may recall.

Muriel: I tripped on (picks out word from shoebox) FLORIDA.

Coco: Oh yes. Many proper nouns saved here. They’re the first to go.

Muriel: Tripped on Florida.

Coco: It may help people who come to visit us.

Muriel: Everyone loses words.

Coco: Everyone loses everything that ever lived.

Muriel: Stop it Coco.

Coco: I’m happy about it (crying). This is how I look when I’m happy.

(Doorbell)

Coco: I‘ll get it ((Enter Veronica with suitcase)) (Coco whispers) you weren’t to come downstairs yet (looks at watch) until next month.

Veronica: There’s no heat up there. (Veronica kisses her on the mouth).

Coco: (Brushes her away) I don’t care- this is not our plan.

Muriel: (Enter Muriel) Who is this?

Coco: Veronica, I’d like you to meet Muriel. Muriel, Veronica

Veronica: How do you do.

Coco: I was going to explain later, Veronica, but Muriel and I got into somewhat of a spat..and this is a surprise to me as well….

Veronica: Where do I put this? (Sets down suitcase)

Muriel: What do you mean?

Veronica: Where do I stash my clothes? The rest are coming.

Muriel: Well certainly not here! Coco?

Veronica: Ok, ok. Let’s all sit down. May I?

Muriel: I don’t want to sit down.

Coco: Well I think you need to Muriel. Veronica has come to stay.

Muriel: Stay?

Coco: With us.

Muriel: You and me. Where?

Coco: She can’t live upstairs forever.

Muriel: Upstairs!

Coco: She’s been here weeks already.

Muriel: Upstairs...our villa? And I didn’t know it? How could this be? What does this mean. Coco!

Veronica: She didn’t know how to break it to you.

Muriel: I guess not.

Coco: I let her.

Muriel: This isn’t your villa only.

Coco: I know I know I did it anyway

Muriel: You didn’t care what I thought? Felt? This is my home too.

Coco: There’s a part of me that does things like this.

Veronica: Alien love.

Muriel: Upstairs in our house? (to V) Why?

Veronica: I like people

Muriel: Yes?

Veronica: And I like being alone

Muriel: So?

Veronica: But I don’t like those two things at one time.

Muriel: How does that explain my house.

Veronica: I could be alone upstairs.

Muriel: That’s true.

Veronica: And you said you didn’t even know I was there so what’s the fuss.

Muriel: That’s because we’ve always had squirrels or raccoons.

Veronica: Well I would hear you down here-your coffee cups in the morning. The spoons on the table top...it was so quiet and I felt part of it. Family! But I didn’t have to face you to say Good Morning. I hate that.

Muriel: Well I’ll be damned.

Coco: Maybe I should explain she didn’t have a place to stay and there’s our empty attic and It has a toilet, when Aunt Edna lived here.

Veronica: The sound was nice and dry for my violin.

Muriel: You played a violin in my attic?

Veronica: When you went off to the dining hall or to your crafts and bazaars.

Muriel: (to C) You... You...You…

Coco: You always take the conventional view. That’s what's the matter with you. At painting class on Thursdays, everything is brown with you...never a smidgen of red.

Muriel: Someone lives upstairs in my attic without my knowing it-how long?

Veronica: Oh, six months or better. The palm tree outside was first put in, and now. look at the size.

Muriel: They are fake palms

Coco: One of the advantages here. Reason we bought here, remember Muriel.

Muriel: Quiet Coco. (To V) You played a violin for six months up there?

Veronica: Everyday. Oh not very well I’m afraid.

Muriel: Coco this is against the law!

Coco: What law. I’m like your sister.

Muriel: Breaking and entering.

Coco: I had a key.

Muriel: The law of civility.

Veronica: She didn’t hurt anyone. You didn’t even know I was here. What’s uncivil about that?

Coco: What’s the difference. Let her be. What harm can it do?

Veronica: I can give you money. You want money?

Muriel: I don’t think that’s the principle at stake here.

Veronica: I can play the violin for you. (Brings violin out of suitcase)

Muriel: Sit down both if you. I want you to understand. I am a woman. Not a man. If I want someone to like me I do not need to use money.

Coco: That’s for sure. She’s very cheap.

Veronica: So, you don’t want my money then?

Coco: She didn’t say that.

Muriel: I’m trying to tell you-you are corrupting my life here. You are making up rules I don’t believe in.

Coco: No one suffered here Muriel.No one suffered but Veronica. You were perfectly happy the whole time so what harm was done?