P O S I T I V E AN ORIGINAL PLAY BY LAWRENCE CARR, JR. THE PLAYERS ERIC: 18, a brash athlete, handsome, and well built. TATUM: Mid teens, a bratty, aspiring performance artist. MIA: Late teens, sassy and quick as a whip. SPAZ: Late teens, Tatum's moron boyfriend; a skater. BABY JAY: Early teens, Mia's virginal cousin and Eric's best friend; a singer. KIT: Early twenties, Eric's friend, an HIV+ nurse's assistant. NICK: 17, an HIV+ teenager who gives Eric a little knowledge. SCENE I AT RISE: The stage is dark. There's a moment of silence, and then the lights come up revealing three teenagers...Eric, Tatum, and Mia. Eric is 18, a muscular jock with a disarming smile, Tatum is in her mid teens, she's cute with a bratty charm, and Mia is in her late teens, a bold beauty with a dancer's build. They stand in a straight line, well spaced apart from each other; Mia on the left, Tatum on the right, and Eric in the middle. They speak to the audience: TATUM: Positive: Confidant in opinion or assertion; sure. MIA: Positive: Noting or pertaining to the electricity in a body or substance that is deficient in electrons. ERIC: (Slowly) Positive: Of a diagnostic test indicating the presence of a disease... (Music begins to play as the rest of the cast including Spaz and Baby Jay enter from either side of the stage [Mia, Kit, and Nick don't enter as their characters, but as party extras. They disguise themselves with sunglasses and hats]. Spaz is about 18, not too bright, a skater with a penchant for saying, "dude" and Baby Jay is in his mid teens, Eric's innocent, fragile best friend. He gets his name from his baby face and the pacifier he always has in his mouth. They begin to dance and make sounds evocative of an intense house party. Tatum crosses to Eric, dragging Spaz by the arm. Spaz holds a wrapped gift in his other hand.) TATUM: We're here. (Hugs Eric) Happy birthday, Eric. ERIC: Thanks, Tatum. (Spaz hands Eric the gift.) SPAZ: Happy birthday, dude. ERIC: Thanks, man. TATUM: Open it. I sent Spaz to the mall today to pick it up...(Eyes Spaz)...and I hope he got what I told him to get. SPAZ: I got him something better, megamuffin. (Eric opens the gift. It's a pair of colorful swimming trunks.) SPAZ: You like them? ERIC: They're...they're... TATUM: (Hits Spaz) Numbnut! I thought we agreed we were going to get him a watch. SPAZ: I know, megamuffin. But I thought to myself: Dude, if I was Eric and my birthday was coming up, what would I want my friend Spaz to get me for my birthday? And then it hit me: Hawaiian Day Glo Ultra Bright Flower Print Surfing Trunks. (Takes Tatum aside) Plus, they were on sale. TATUM: (Aside) Really, how much? SPAZ: Fifty percent. TATUM: Good looking out, honey. Now come on, let's dance. (Tatum leads Spaz into a dance, as Baby Jay pulls Eric Down Right. He produces a gift from behind his back, and hands it to Eric.) BABY JAY: Happy birthday, homie. ERIC: Thanks, Baby Jay. BABY JAY: Open it. (As Eric begins opening the present) So now that you're eighteen, gonna hit the strip clubs? ERIC: I won't have time. Between practice and school, I barely even have time to sleep. BABY JAY: Yeah, well, it's going to pay off when you get that football scholarship to Nebraska State. ERIC: It better. (Eric now has the gift open. It's a photo album. Eric begins to leaf through it.) ERIC: (Amazed) Jay... BABY JAY: You like it? I figured it would be something to show those steroid freaks at Nebraska State. ERIC: You have everything in here. The newspaper articles they wrote on me, my records on the junior high team. You even have pictures of us playing football when we were little kids. Where did you get all this? BABY JAY: I've been saving them up since junior high. ERIC: Why? BABY JAY: Because I knew you had talent back then, and I knew you would hit the big time one day. And cuz you're my hero. In a neighborhood like this, not too many people see eighteen. But you kept your head on straight, reached for your goal, and got it. That's not easy to do. I'm proud of you, man. Happy birthday. (Eric pulls Baby Jay into a brotherly hug.) ERIC: (Smiles) I got your back when you turn eighteen. (Eric and Baby Jay return to the party where the party extras are encouraging Spaz to stand on his head. Spaz tries twice, but falls each time. Tatum takes notice in what he's doing:) TATUM: Spaz, get up. Now. (Spaz obeys. As he does, he sways dizzily.) SPAZ: Whoa, megamuffin. Major head rush. TATUM: You've had too much to drink. SPAZ: Whoa--you can get drunk off of Gatorade? TATUM: Let's go. (Tatum starts off RIGHT, Spaz sways LEFT.) TATUM: Other way, doofus. SPAZ: Oh yeah. (Spaz and Tatum start off R.) SPAZ: Do you remember where we parked the car? TATUM: We walked here, remember? SPAZ: Oh yeah. (Spaz exits L.) TATUM: (To Eric) Take care, buddy. (Tatum looks off R where Spaz exited.) SPAZ: No, Spaz! That's not a toilet! (And she's gone. Eric and Baby Jay laugh, and begin dancing with the party extras as we...) END SCENE I SCENE II AT RISE: We're in a clinic. Three chairs are placed CS, spaced apart from each other. Tatum and Spaz sit in two of the chairs. Tatum busies herself in a magazine, while Spaz twirls his gum around his finger. Eric enters R. A couple of seconds later, Kit enters after him. Kit is college-aged, friendly, but stern we need be. KIT: Hey, Eric! Sorry I missed your birthday yesterday, but I had to work. ERIC: It's all good. KIT: What are you doing here at the clinic? ERIC: The coach told me to get another physical before finishing off the rest of the season. KIT: Really. How did it go? ERIC: (An easy smile) Passed like planned, baby girl. KIT: Glad to hear it. ERIC: (Pause) Kit, you know a little bit about medical stuff, right? KIT: (Chuckles) I should. I am a nurse's assistant. ERIC: Well, a couple of nights ago, I woke up sweating. And I mean "sweating". I almost thought I pissed in the bed. KIT: Was this the first time it happened? ERIC: No... KIT: Did you tell the doctor this? (Eric shakes his head) Why not? ERIC: Because I might have the flu or something, and I can't afford to have the coach pull me out of any games. KIT: Your health is more important than any football game. ERIC: Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You're not getting a scholarship to Nebraska State. I was just asking because I thought maybe you could tell me what it was. KIT: Only a doctor can tell you what it is. You said you had night sweats? ERIC: Yeah. KIT: Has your throat felt swollen? (Eric looks away.) KIT: (Groans) Eric... ERIC: Come on, Kit. It's not that serious. KIT: You don't know that. Have you at least taken an HIV test? ERIC: An HIV test? For what? KIT: Have you had unprotected sex? ERIC: I may have messed around a couple of times, but I don't like using condoms because it doesn't feel the same. KIT: I want you to stay and take an HIV test. ERIC: I don't have HIV. KIT: How do you know? ERIC: (Flexing his muscles) Look at me. Do I look like someone with HIV? KIT: Do I look like someone with HIV? ERIC: You mean you...? KIT: (Nods) Uh-huh. I've been living with the disease for four years now. I got it from unprotected sex. My ex-boyfriend had that stupid condom complex too. ERIC: B-But you don't look sick. KIT: That's right, I don't. You never know. Take a test, please. For me. ERIC: It's a waste of time. But if you really want me to... KIT: I do. Now, the test doesn't look for HIV, it looks for antibodies. When germs invade the body it produces special chemicals called antibodies to fight them. Different antibodies are made for each germ. If someone has antibodies to fight HIV in their blood, we know that they must have HIV. Has it been six months since you last had unprotected sex? ERIC: Does the orgy I had last night count? (Kit glares) Just kidding, just kidding. I've been a good boy. Football keeps me too busy to chase the females anyway. KIT: Good. Now, there's two ways you can take an HIV test. You can take it confidentially or anonymously. With a confidential test, you're known by name, and that same name is placed in your records. That's no good because if your insurance company thinks you're engaging in risky behavior, you can lose your insurance coverage. (Eric blinks, confused.) I know you're too young to think about it now, but trust me, hon, if you did have HIV, you'd need your insurance to help pay for medical expenses. Especially since you just turned eighteen. I recommend you take an anonymous test, because with an anonymous test, you're given a number, and your results are linked to that number. No names are given. ERIC: So what's going to happen when I go in there? KIT: They'll tell you what the procedure will be for the test, and then they'll ask you personal questions about your sex life. ERIC: Why do they need to know all my business? KIT: They're not being nosy. They need to know how high of a risk you might be. Next, they'll give you the blood test, and then you'll get a number code, which is the receipt. It's your identification that you need to bring when the result comes. Before you leave, you'll have a chance to ask any questions you might have. Then they'll give you a brochure about AIDS. It's really simple, and you shouldn't be in too long. Remember what I said. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. (Kit starts off R.) ERIC: (Mischevious grin) Hey, Kit! If I take this test, will you give me a private physical? KIT: (Sly smile) I'll think about it. ERIC: You're playing, right? Right? (Kit exits R, still smiling. Eric sighs and sits in the empty chair. As he does, Spaz and Tatum stand.) SPAZ: (Whining) But I don't wanna take an HIV test! Why do I have to? TATUM: Research, baby. If I'm going to do a performance on HIV, I have to practice what I preach. Every great actress researches her role. SPAZ: But needles are kinda scary. TATUM: You didn't think they were scary last week, when you were begging me to get your nipples pierced. SPAZ: I changed my mind. TATUM: The only thing that's changing is my tolerance level with you. Now come on, you're taking this test! (Tatum grabs Spaz by the collar, and they exit R. Mia enters L, reading a book. An impatient Eric stands, and begins exiting L. Neither are looking where they're going. They collide with each other. Mia's book falls to the ground.) ERIC: I'm sorry. MIA: (Grunts) You should be. ERIC: Let me pick your book up. MIA: I got it. (She picks the book up.) MIA: (With an attitude) From now on, watch where you're going. ERIC: What's your problem? I said I was sorry. MIA: My problem is I'm late for an appointment, and you're in my way. ERIC: Can I buy you lunch to make it up? MIA: (Rolls her eyes) Please. (Mia pushes past Eric, and exits R.) ERIC: Females. (And Eric exits L. Tatum and Spaz enter R. Spaz now has his mouth stuffed with two lollipops. Tatum leafs through a brochure.) TATUM: (Not looking at Spaz) There. That wasn't so bad, was it? SPAZ: (Shakes his head) Mmm-Mmm. TATUM: Actually, I'm glad I got the experience, aren't you? SPAZ: (Nods) Mmm-Hmm. (Tatum turns and looks at him.) TATUM: (Trying to control her temper) Spaz, where did you get those lollipops? SPAZ: (Mumbles) The Nurse. TATUM: (Frustrated) Must you always play the pig everywhere we go? (Spaz takes the lollipops out of his mouth and burps. Tatum grunts and storms off L.) SPAZ: Wait, Tatum. (Holds a lollipop out as a peace offering) Want a lollipop? (Spaz follows Tatum off L.) END SCENE II SCENE III AT RISE: Two of the three chairs remain in the middle of the stage. Mia enters R, and begins pacing back and forth, worried. MIA: (To herself) What am I going to do? (Baby Jay enters R, behind Mia, and approaches her.) BABY JAY: Mia? (Mia turns.) MIA: Jayson... (Mia bursts into tears as she grabs Baby Jay in a tight hug.) BABY JAY: (Surprised) Hey... Mia...what's wrong? Why are you crying? MIA: (Wiping tears away) I can't believe I let this happen. BABY JAY: Let what happen? MIA: I should have been more careful. I should have made Kevin be more careful... BABY JAY: Mia...Mia...it's me. Your cousin, Jayson. (Sits Mia down in one of the chairs) Tell me what's going on. MIA: (Tearfully soft) I got pregnant. (Baby Jay sits next to her.) BABY JAY: Oh, Mia. MIA: Jayson, what am I going to do? BABY JAY: Come here. (Baby Jay opens his arms and she leans on him again.) BABY JAY: Does Aunt Grace know? MIA: (Jumps up) No! I can't tell mama. You know what she'd do if she found out. BABY JAY: But... MIA: Please. Promise me, Jayson. Promise me you won't tell her. BABY JAY: I won't. But Mia, she's going to find out sooner or later. MIA: I know. BABY JAY: Who's the baby's daddy? MIA: (Hesitates) Kevin Grant. BABY JAY: Kevin who? MIA: You don't know him. I only went out with him for a couple of months. We messed around, but I didn't think it would be this serious. BABY JAY: Look, call Kevin up, and... MIA: I don't know where he is. Probably out messing around with another skeezer. That's why I broke up with him. He couldn't keep his pants up for two seconds. I should have dumped him when he gave me that disease. BABY JAY: Wait--you lost me somewhere. He gave you a disease? MIA: If you repeat this to anybody... BABY JAY: Mia, I'm your cousin. You know I wouldn't do that. MIA: A couple of months ago, I got Chlamydia from Kevin. He swore up and down that he was safe. He said he didn't need to use a condom. And I believed him. But I learned my lesson, and I let Kevin go...(breaks down in tears)...why does this happen to me? BABY JAY: It's going to be okay, Mia. MIA: You don't understand...I don't know how to take care of a baby. I don't even have a job. How am I going to feed it? My mama's not raising any more kids...(Stands; tries to get herself together) Okay...okay, I'm alright. I need to go down to the clinic and take another test. BABY JAY: I thought you knew for sure that you were pregnant-- MIA: No, I have to take an HIV test. Jayson, Kevin already gave me Chlamydia, and got me pregnant. I have to make sure he didn't give me HIV. Because now I'm looking out for two. Come with me...please. BABY JAY: Okay. Okay, I'll come. (Baby Jay stands and hugs Mia. He rocks her gently.) BABY JAY: It's going to be okay, Mia. I promise I'll be there to help you out. (Eric enters L, and spots Baby Jay.) ERIC: Baby Jay! (Baby Jay pulls away to reveal Mia.) ERIC: (To Mia) What are you doing here? MIA: What are you doing here? BABY JAY: You guys know each other? ERIC: Yeah, she was the girl I told you about in the park with the nasty attitude. MIA: I wouldn't have had a nasty attitude if you didn't try to run me over. ERIC: Maybe I wouldn't have bumped into you if you were watching where you were going. MIA: Whatever. ERIC: Whatever. BOTH: Come on, Jay. (Eric grabs Baby Jay's arm, and pulls L, Mia grabs the other arm and pulls R.) BABY JAY: (Freeing himself) Wait a minute...I don't know what happened at the park, but you're going to have to squash it. You both have better things to worry about. Okay? Now, Eric, this is my cousin, Mia. Mia, this is my homie, Eric. Kiss and make up. (Baby Jay steps out of the way, as Eric reluctantly extends his hand. Mia, equally reluctant, reaches out to take it when she loses her footing and falls against Eric. He catches her in his arms, putting them in a compromising position.) ERIC: Whoa...careful. (Eric and Mia pull away from each other.) MIA: Thank you. BABY JAY: See, that wasn't so bad. I'm hungry, are you guys hungry? ERIC: (Rubs stomach) Kind of. MIA: A little bit. BABY JAY: Why don't we go out and get something to eat? I'll pay. ERIC: Hey, I'm not going to argue with you. MIA: Me neither. (Eric, Mia, and Baby Jay start to exit R. Eric stops, allowing Mia to pass him.) ERIC: Ladies first. (Mia smiles at him, and exits. Eric and Baby Jay follow her. Tatum enters L, reading a script. Spaz skates in after her on a skateboard. He drinks a slurpee drink. They stop CENTER STAGE.) TATUM: (Reading from the script) ..."And that's why we have to band together and fight AIDS." (Turns to Spaz) What did you think? SPAZ: About what? TATUM: About my performance. SPAZ: Oh, it was killer! Two thumbs up, babe. You deserve an Oscar. Or at least a Grammy. TATUM: Spaz, what's the last thing I said? SPAZ: Uh...just say no? TATUM: (Hits him in the chest) You weren't even listening. SPAZ: Sorry, megamuffin. TATUM: Sorry megamuffin what? SPAZ: You're going to make me say the whole thing? TATUM: (Nods) Let me here it. (Spaz mouths his speech with a bored drawl, as if reciting from a script he's had to learn over and over again. Tatum mouths the words with him.) SPAZ: I'm sorry that my ignorance and utter stupidity ruined yet another great moment in the historical develoment of a performance artist in progress, such as yourself. O Queen Tatum, light of my life, shining star in my desolate abyss of madness, forgive me for thinking with my penis. TATUM: (Smugly) You are forgiven. SPAZ: (Begs) Can I go skate now? TATUM: (Ignoring him) Hey, I just thought up a great idea! To symbolize the need for safer sex, I can do my performance in a costume...something that has to do with safer sex...(snaps) I got it! A condom! SPAZ: You're going to dress up like a giant rubber? (Tatum nods, satisfied with her idea. Spaz thinks about it.) SPAZ: Will you be a Trojan, Sheik, or Lifestyle? TATUM: I don't know. Maybe a Sheik. SPAZ: Cool. (Pause) What color? TATUM: I don't know. Red I guess. SPAZ: Cool. (Tatum returns to her script.) SPAZ: (Interrupting) Is it true that flavored condoms taste like Starbursts? TATUM: (Annoyed) Spaz, I don't know. SPAZ: Cool. (Pause) Is it true-- TATUM: Spaz! No more questions, or you'll be on time out. SPAZ: Just one more, please? TATUM: (Sighs) Just one more. SPAZ: Tell me again why you're doing a performance on AIDS. TATUM: Because it's stuff people need to know. Especially people our age. They need to know how to protect themselves. And we need to start being careful too. I want us to start using condoms when we have sex. SPAZ: (Groans) Condoms? We've been with each other since we were in junior high. I haven't been with anybody else, have you? TATUM: No. SPAZ: Then there's nothing to worry about. You won't get pregnant as long as you keep taking your conception vitamins. TATUM: That's contraception, dork. And whether or not I'm taking birth control pills isn't the point. Condoms are a form of contraception too. We need to start playing it safe. Just in case. SPAZ: In case what? TATUM: In case we decide to see other people. SPAZ: Whoa--you want me to date other girls? TATUM: No, but I might want to see other guys...I'm not saying now, but maybe later. Look, relationships don't last forever. And if people keep sleeping with every person they go out with, they'll keep spreading this disease. I mean, you can only get HIV from four body fluids... SPAZ: Yeah...spit, snot, sweat, and piss. TATUM: (Makes buzzer sound) Wrong answer, scooby. You can't get HIV from saliva, or mucus, or urine, not even sweat. HIV can only be transmitted through blood...like when heroin addicts share their drug needles...breast milk, like from an infected mother to her baby, vaginal fluids...and semen. SPAZ: Sea men? Whoa, you can get it from sailors? (Thinks) Hey, what if Gilligan had it, and then slept with Ginger. Then if Ginger slept with the Professor, and he slept with Maryann-- TATUM: (Hits him upside the head) No, scoopball! Your cum and my fluids can carry HIV. That's why we have to be careful, and start using condoms. If we start practicing now, we'll get use to it by the time we meet other people... (While Tatum is talking, Spaz takes a large sip of his slurpee and suddenly grimaces. His eyes shut tightly.) TATUM:...Spaz...Spaz, what's wrong? SPAZ: (Coming to, and shaking his head) Whoa, major brain freeze. TATUM: Spaz, give me the slurpee. SPAZ: (Meekly) No. TATUM: Spaz, give me the slurpee. SPAZ: I don't wanna-- TATUM: Give me the slurpee...(looks at Spaz's crotch)...or I'll decapitate Mr. Sparky. (A defeated Spaz hands Tatum the slurpee. Tatum begins pulling Spaz off R.) TATUM: Come on...you're going to listen to me rehearse...line by line... SPAZ: (Pleading) Ah, come on! Can't we watch Gilligan's Island instead? Dude, I think it's Ginger week! (Tatum pulls a whining Spaz off R.) END SCENE III SCENE IV AT RISE: The stage is bare. Mia enters R, looking offstage. She backs up. ERIC'S VOICE: (Offstage R) Heads up! (A football is thrown from off R, and Mia catches it. Eric enters R, shirtless and sweaty, as Mia tries to make a touchdown behind him. She tries to go left, but he blocks her path, taunting her playfully. She tries to go right, but he moves in her way again. Finally, Mia just decides to go for it. She runs, but Eric catches her and holds her in a playful grip.) MIA: See, you're cheating! Just let me make the touchdown. ERIC: I'm not cheating. I'm blocking you. (Mia slams the ball in Eric's gut, hard. He releases her, kneeling over.) MIA: You should have been blocking your stomach. ERIC: (Out of breath) You should have told me you didn't like to lose. (Mia takes the football from Eric.) MIA: I don't mind when the game is played right. ERIC: (Taking the ball back) Since when did you become the expert on football? MIA: Since I won the last three games against you. ERIC: I let you win. MIA: I won on my own. You need to take lessons from me. ERIC: (Edging closer) Is that right? MIA: (Matter-of-factly) That's right. ERIC: How about tomorrow? You can give me football lessons, and afterwards, we can have a nice, romantic dinner at the mesa. MIA: Are you asking me out? ERIC: Sounds like it. MIA: Too bad. My cousin already filled me in on your little quest for the perfect hoochie. ERIC: I don't know what he's talking about. I treat all my female friends with respect. MIA: Female friends? Is that what you call them before or after you sleep with them? ERIC: Hey...I only slept with three of my girlfriends my whole life. MIA: I hope you used a condom. You don't know how many crazy diseases some of these stanks be carrying. ERIC: I don't have to worry about that because I don't mess around with nasty girls. MIA: How do you know if a girl has a disease or not? You can't tell by looking at them. ERIC: Next thing I know, you're going to be preaching to me about AIDS or something. MIA: Well, as a matter of fact... ERIC: (Groans) I knew it. MIA: Eric, I'm just telling you things you need to know. If you'd quit being so bull headed, it might save your life. I mean, do you even know what HIV stands for? ERIC: No, but I bet you're going to tell me. MIA: You're right. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It's a virus, a tiny germ. It attacks the body's immune system; your T cells, which are your defenses against disease, and breaks them down. If these defenses are really badly damaged the body can't fight off some infections and cancers. When this happens a person is said to have AIDS...Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. ERIC: Wait, AIDS and HIV are the same thing? MIA: They're both names for the same virus. It's only labeled AIDS when your T cell count is 200 or below. A healthy person would normally have thousands. ERIC: How do you know all this? MIA: I did my research. I wanted to know exactly what I was testing for. ERIC: You've taken an HIV test? MIA: Yeah. I'm still waiting for the results. Have you taken a test? ERIC: (Nods) I'm waiting for my results too. MIA: I thought you had nothing to worry about. ERIC: I don't. A friend of mine who works at the hospital thought I should take it. Just to be safe. MIA: (Smirks) Just to be safe. ERIC: So...you can get HIV from having sex without protection? MIA: Yeah. You can also get HIV from sharing drug needles, and a mother can give it to her baby through breast milk. ERIC: What about mosquitoes? I heard HIV can be spread by mosquitoes. MIA: Mosquitoes aren't flying hypodermic needles. They digest the virus that causes AIDS. They don't even digest enough of the virus to be able to infect someone. The saliva they spit into you that makes you swell up doesn't flush out the blood of the last person they fed off of. Think about it, if you could get HIV from mosquitoes, then everybody would have HIV. Mosquitoes don't discriminate, and neither does this virus. ERIC: So what can't give you HIV? MIA: Hugging someone, or eating and drinking after someone, or even touching someone... ERIC: What about kissing? Can you get it from kissing? MIA: (Smiles) No. You can't get HIV from kissing. ERIC: I didn't think so. (Eric pulls Mia into a soft, romantic kiss.) MIA: What was that for? ERIC: Think of it as a personal touchdown. MIA: I hope you're not planning on sex after this little dinner. I learned my lesson from my last boyfriend. ERIC: I can handle that. MIA: But can you handle me? ERIC: I don't know. We'll see, won't we? MIA: We'll see. (Mia takes the football from Eric and makes a sexy exit, R. Eric bites his fist, and exits after her.) END SCENE IV SCENE V AT RISE: Eric stands in the middle of the stage. He speaks his mind to the audience: ERIC: What if Mia was right? What if I did have HIV? I mean, I really didn't know too much about the girls I had sex with. I didn't know who they slept with before me. Maybe they did have HIV. Maybe they gave it to me. No! No, all this hype is just messing with my head. I don't have AIDS. I mean, look at me. I take good care of my body, I'm a football player...stuff like that doesn't happen to someone like me. Only drug addicts and gay people get AIDS. Mia did have a point, though. Maybe I should start using a condom from now on. (Kit and Nick enter R, and approach Eric. Nick is young, seventeen, handsome, but sickly.) KIT: Eric. I want you to meet somebody. This is my friend, Nick. (Nick and Eric shake hands.) NICK: Kit told me you're interested in learning a little bit about AIDS. ERIC: (Eyeing Kit) She did? KIT: There's some more about AIDS you have to know. ERIC: Like what? NICK: Like what you'll have to go through if you do get this disease. I don't have HIV anymore. I have full blown AIDS, and I'm only seventeen. I was ignorant, man. When I found out I had HIV, I didn't take care of myself. I didn't take any medication. Now, I'm on medication, but I'm really sick. (Nick moves towards Eric, he shrinks back slightly.) ERIC: How sick? NICK: Don't trip. You're more dangerous to me, than I am to you. ERIC: Why? NICK: Because you have your immune system. If you get a cold or something, your immune system can fight it off. Mine is weak...it takes longer for my illnesses to go away. If they go away at all. My brother just had a baby with his girlfriend, and I can't even see her for a month. KIT: Tell him why, Nick. NICK: You know how they give babies vaccinations? (Eric nods) Well, in some vaccinations, they give you small portions of the live virus, so your immune system will know what to fight off, and the disease won't catch you by surprise. So if my baby niece has a live infection in her body, it's easier for her to fight off. My immune system is almost gone, so I'd have trouble fighting it. That's why I can't be around her. ERIC: If your T cells drop below 200, you're diagnosed with AIDS, right? (Nick nods) But if you take a medicine, and your T cells go above 200, does that mean you have HIV again? NICK: No, once you're diagnosed with AIDS, you have AIDS. Period. ERIC: But everybody's immune system is different. What if someone has 200 T cells, but he's a virgin? Does that still mean he would have AIDS? NICK: No. It just means he has low T cells. You can only get HIV from... ERIC: Unprotected sex, sharing needles, and breast milk...I know. KIT: You did some research. ERIC: Baby Jay's cousin gave me the lowdown. She took a test too. NICK: Eric, you don't want this disease. Trust me. I don't do a lot of the things I want to do, and I might never do the things I dreamed of. I thought maybe one day I would start a family. You know have kids, a cute wife, a house, a dog...all of the above. But those dreams are gone. All I have now is myself. (Nick coughs.) KIT: Come on, Nick. It's time for you to go home. (Kit helps Nick off R.) ERIC: Wait! (Eric jogs over to them.) ERIC: Let me help. (Eric grabs Nick's other arm, and the three exit R. Mia enters L, and stands in the middle of the stage as she talks to the audience.) MIA: I finally told mama I was pregnant. At first she started yelling. I thought she was going to throw me out. But she didn't. After she calmed down, we had a long talk. She's going to help me out. Not because she approved of what I did...but because I'm her daughter. I stayed up all night last night thinking about my test results. I mean, what if I did have HIV? But I'm not too worried about myself. What about my baby? I don't know if I could live with myself if I gave my child HIV? How could I have let Kevin play me like that? He told me he loved me, he told me he wanted to be with me, he told me...he told me lies. Now I'm pregnant with his baby, and worried about testing positive for HIV. Sometimes, I look in the mirror and I ask myself...if it's worth it. (Kit and Nick enter R. Mia and Eric move Right and join them. Spaz enters L, and addresses the group.) SPAZ: Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for coming out...thanks Eric and Mia...oh, and thanks Kit...and... TATUM'S VOICE: (Offstage L) Just introduce us, monkey boy! SPAZ: (To Offstage L) I was getting there. (Announcing) Performing an original street production written by my megamuffin, I'm proud to present my buddy, Baby Jay and the always glamorous, always beautiful Tatum Monet Rosenblat!!! (Eric, Mia, Kit, and Nick clap. Spaz joins them R as Tatum and Baby Jay enter L. They remain Left, as they perform:) TATUM'S PERFORMANCE TATUM It all started at a party A party it all started at It was (slowly) live... Though I was tired My mind in a trance I got on the dance floor And started to dance. That's when I saw him. Beauty, style, body, and grace This boy had the perfect face. And so I walked up to him. I said, "My name is Melissa." And he looked at me with these soft baby brown eyes And spoke: BABY JAY (Sings) My name is Tony And I am new to this town I'm looking for the right woman, baby To show me around. TATUM "I'm your girl, baby." I said. So I put my arm in his And together we walked into the golden sunset. Three weeks passed by Passed by three weeks did And me and Tony shared more than I ever shared with anyone My whole life. Including our dreams, hopes, fears... And our bodies. One day, Tony came to me with some news: BABY JAY (Sings) Honey, I have something to say... TATUM He said. BABY JAY (Sings) I caught the bus to the lightrail, and went down to the 43rd and K street clinic today. TATUM My heart froze. And inside my womb twitched. I know we didn't use protection when we had sex. He continued with tears in his eyes: BABY JAY (Sings) Honey I'm afraid--a wild life I've lived (Places a red plus sign on his chest) Cuz the counselor told me I was HIV positive. TATUM I blinked. HIV positive? Tony told me he had many partners before me-- And he rarely used any kind of protection. BABY JAY (Sings) Now I know I was born to die! TATUM Tony screamed in agony. BABY JAY (Sings) You have to take a test. TATUM And so I did. Three weeks later I came back for my results. Alone I sat in that office staring at the yellowing walls The smell of medicine masked by Lysol burned my nostrils The words spoken from the mouth of death echoed in my ears. Positive...positive...positive. Afraid to cry infected tears Afraid to sweat infected sweat Memories of expired condoms Expired faces, expired lives floated in my mind. Ashes to ashes my world fell down I was angry at myself I was angry at my weak blood cells All my dreams...gone. One night of passion A lifetime of pain. I took love for granted. My life was in vain. Now I'm dying softly...softly...softly... Fading away... To nothing. (Places a red plus sign on her chest) Is it worth it? (An eerie pause) Thank you. (The "audience" claps, and Tatum takes vanity bows...upstaging Baby Jay. After a few seconds, Tatum motions for the audience to stop clapping.) TATUM: Thank you! Thank you all! I wrote this performance for a very special reason. Everyday young people like you and me are dying from HIV. It took a lot of time, and a lot of research. My message to you, my fans and friends, is live each day to the fullest...because you'll never know what tomorrow may bring. Thank you. (Tatum begins to blow kisses as the crowd claps again, then hugs Baby Jay. The crowd stands. Kit approaches Tatum and Baby Jay with a rose. Tatum immediately steps in the way to take the rose, but Kit passes her and hands it to Baby Jay. Kit, Mia, Spaz, and Tatum exit L, leaving Eric and Baby Jay alone.) ERIC: You sounded good up there, man. BABY JAY: Thanks, man. I saw you down here snuggling up with my cousin. Are you guys talking? ERIC: A little bit. It's kind of hard since you told her I was a dog. BABY JAY: Hey, I was only looking out for my cousin. She doesn't need her heart broken again. ERIC: What about you, Baby Jay? BABY JAY: Huh? ERIC: When are you going to break this chastity rule you got going? BABY JAY: When I find the perfect girl. ERIC: Yeah, but it might take you years to find the perfect girl. You plan to stay a virgin all that time? BABY JAY: Yeah...there's nothing wrong with staying abstinent. A lot of people my age are. Being abstinent doesn't make me any less of a person than somebody who has had sex. ERIC: Yeah, Baby Jay, but don't you wonder what you're missing? BABY JAY: Sometimes. But the peach is always sweeter when you give it time to grow. (A pause. Baby Jay's got him there.) BABY JAY: (Checks watch) I got some time to kill before I have to get home. You want to head over to the park and play some B ball? ERIC: Maybe later. BABY JAY: Alright, then. (Baby Jay exits L. Eric stands CS. He turns to the audience. Tatum and Mia enter, and stand in their places as well. They speak to the audience:) MIA: The clinic called me and told me the results were in. TATUM: So I went in... ERIC: As I sat in the clinic, I started to sweat. What if I was HIV positive? MIA: Everything would change. ERIC: My whole life...would change. TATUM: I barely heard the nurse call my name. I went into the office and met the counselor who was going to give me the test result. His name was Max. ERIC: Stan. MIA: Nadine. TATUM: He sat me down, tried to make me feel comfortable. ERIC: He asked me if I had any questions before he gave me my results. I told him no. TATUM: No. MIA: I asked him if babies can get HIV from their mother's amniotic fluid. He told me amniotic fluid did carry HIV, but there's medicine out there that lowers the risk of a baby having to live with the disease...if it was treated in time. ERIC: Then he gave me my results. MIA: Mia Chantay Greene. HIV negative. TATUM: Tatum Monet Rosenblat. HIV negative. ERIC: Eric Anthony Urbina. HIV positive. (On Eric's "positive", Tatum and Mia exit R, leaving Eric alone. Baby Jay enters L, carrying a football.) BABY JAY: Hey, Eric, you up for a little practice? You don't want to get rusty. ERIC: Not today, man. BABY JAY: Then when? Eric, you've been locked up in your room for a week. I'm your friend, Eric. Tell me what's wrong. You're acting like you just found out you were dying or something. (A pause, and then Eric puts his head in his hands, and begins to cry.) BABY JAY: (Comforting) Eric...I was just kidding. What's going on with you? (Eric struggles to speak, but is sobbing too hard to talk.) BABY JAY: Is this about your scholarship? ERIC: (Manages) I'm not going to Nebraska State. BABY JAY: What? But you have to go! You used to always dream about playing football for Nebraska State. ERIC: Sometimes you wake up from dreams. BABY JAY: But Eric... ERIC: It doesn't mean anything! Nothing I dreamt of means anything anymore! BABY JAY: Why? ERIC: Because I'm HIV positive. (An uneasy pause.) BABY JAY: Eric, that's not funny. ERIC: (Growing emotional) I was having night sweats, and my throat felt swollen. I told Kit and she thought I should take an HIV test. I went back today...and it was positive...I'm positive... BABY JAY: It's gotta be a mistake. You know what, we're gonna go down to the clinic and make another appointment. ERIC: I don't need another test. BABY JAY: But what about your scholarship? (Pause as it hits him) What about the things we were gonna do? When we were little...we were gonna get out of this neighborhood together, remember? ERIC: (Bitterly) We were just kids making stupid promises that we knew we wouldn't keep. BABY JAY: It was more than that. Remember when we were eight, and my mom's boyfriend beat me up. I had all those bruises on my face. And when you saw them, you gave me a skipping stone. Do you remember what you told me? ERIC: (Lying) No. BABY JAY: You told me it was a wishing stone, and if I held on to it tight, and wished hard enough, anything I ever wished for would come true. I remember wishing that he would never hurt me again. And he didn't. ERIC: It was just a rock, it didn't mean anything. BABY JAY: It meant something to me. Remember in the third grade when the kids were making fun of me at school because I was poor, and I had holes in my jeans? Then you cut holes in your jeans and told everybody we were twins. ERIC: (Simultaneously with Baby Jay)...we were twins. BABY JAY: (Tears in his eyes) Remember the fort we made, and playing GI Joes, and when I spilled the orange kool-aid on my church clothes, and you gave me your shirt to wear because you had a jacket. And remember this... (Baby Jay and Eric do their special handshake, slowly and sadly. Baby Jay turns away, trying to fight back tears.) BABY JAY: Now...If I have to watch you suffer from AIDS, I might as well die too. ERIC: Come on now, don't do that. (Eric moves towards Baby Jay, but Baby Jay suddenly moves away, frightened.) BABY JAY: I'm sorry. ERIC: This wasn't supposed to happen to me! I'm not supposed to get HIV! I'm supposed to play football! (Baby Jay goes to put his hand on Eric's shoulder. As he does, Eric swings around and pushes Baby Jay to the ground.) ERIC: Baby Jay...I didn't mean...I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... (Eric falls to his knees and cries softly to himself. Baby Jay moves to Eric, and takes his friend into his arms.) BABY JAY: I'm not going to let you go through this alone.You're still my hero, man. You're still my hero. (Baby Jay holds Eric as Tatum and Spaz enter R. Spaz isn't as lively as he was when we first met him. They remain R.) TATUM: (Excited) Guess what! I'm HIV negative! But I knew I was going to be. I haven't been with anybody but you. (Notices his face) What's wrong? SPAZ: I got my results back too...and I'm positive. (A pause as Tatum lets this sink in.) TATUM: (Quietly) You bastard. SPAZ: (Tries to touch her) Megamuffin. (Tatum hits Spaz in the chest.) TATUM: You bastard! You told me you haven't slept with anyone else. SPAZ: (Doesn't know what else to say) I'm sorry. TATUM: (Tears in her eyes) Me too. (Tatum walks DR.) SPAZ: (A plead) Tatum, please don't leave me. I'm scared. (Tatum's face twists in sadness as she tries to hold back tears. Defeated, Spaz exits R. Baby Jay and Eric stand. Baby Jay exits L, and Mia enters R. The three slowly move into their line.) MIA: I was happy to know that I wasn't HIV positive, and even happier to know that my baby was going to be healthy. I got a sonogram. I'm having a girl. (Smiles) A baby girl. I may not know much, but I know I'm going to give her my heart and my soul. Because she's mine. She's part of me, and I'm part of her. I'm going to teach her how to make the right decisions so she won't get HIV or get pregnant. Because, no matter what happens, my daughter will always be the light of my life... ERIC: The doctor has me taking all of these pills. Some of them have names I can't even pronounce. Some I take in the morning, some I take at night, some I take with milk, some I take with water, some make me sleepy, some won't let me sleep. Sometimes I wonder why I'm even taking the pills; why I'm wasting my time trying to preserve a life I've already destroyed. But when I look in the eyes of my family and friends...when I look at Baby Jay, I know why. He doesn't know it, but he's my hero. (Smiles) Maybe I will take that scholarship to Nebraska State... TATUM: Six months later, I took another test. It came out positive. Spaz had given me HIV. At first I was mad. I was mad at him for cheating on me, and I was mad at myself for trusting him. It was easy to play an HIV positive person when I was on stage, but now that it's happening to me in real life...(Her voice trails off) I ran into Spaz a couple of months later. He didn't look good. I could tell he needed someone. He needed a friend. And, even though I didn't want to, I couldn't help from forgiving him. Things will never be the same between us. I mean we were both kids trying to have a little fun in this crazy world. It's funny how fast learning you're HIV positive makes you grow up. Me and Spaz will be fighting for the rest of our lives...is it worth it? (Spaz, Baby Jay, Kit, and Nick enter from either side of the stage. They join the others as they gaze at the audience eerily. They speak the line one at a time, overlapping each other:) ALL: Is it worth it? (There's an eerie silence in the air, as the cast looks out at the audience. Slowly the lights fade to black.) END PLAY -Production Notes- CAST: 4 Males, 3 Females PROPS: Wrapped birthday gifts: colorful swimming trunks, pacifier (Baby Jay), photo album, chairs, magazine (Tatum), gum (Spaz), clipboard (Kit), book (Mia), lollipops (Spaz), brochure (Tatum), slurpee (Spaz) script (Tatum), skateboard [optional], cut-outs of red plus signs (Tatum's Performance), rose, watch (Baby Jay), football. COSTUMES: Everyone wears modern clothes for teenagers that match their characters. Eric might have on a tight tank top to reveal his jock's build and Tatum might have on something sexy, while Spaz should have a colorful style that's totally off the wall. His hair could be dyed. Baby Jay wears a watch, and sucks on a pacifier. Kit wears white. And in Scene I, Kit, Mia, and Nick wear hats and sunglasses as they double as party extras. NOTE: It is important to have the characters be multi-cultural. It adds variety, and lets people know that the situations the characters are in aren't restricted to any particular culture. TATUM'S PERFORMANCE: Should be a colorful performance pushing the actors who play Baby Jay and Tatum's abilities to the limit. One idea is to have Tatum dance around Baby Jay while she's reciting her poetry, another is to have Baby Jay and Tatum act out the story in the poem. The person who plays Baby Jay should be a singer. Whereas a gospel or contemporary R&B singer would create the desired mood, any style of singing will do. The actor simply develops his own tune and intonations with the lyrics. WRITER'S NOTE: It is important that all the pauses the characters make between speaking are followed as indicated in the script. Because not only will the characters be getting a big dose of reality, the audience will too.