La Negrita Chronicles
La Negrita and Her Kind and Gentle Saviours
Scene XI: Trust Issues
(“All Things Go” by Nicki Minaj is playing in the background. LUKE is pacing impatiently for LN to take her to the banquet. Fools (LN) rush in.)
LUKE
Nina, where the hell have you been?!
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LA NEGRITA |
LUKE |
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I-- |
--Hurry up, we’re late! |
LUKE
I still gotta put gas in the car, pick my parents up from the airport. Get the booze for the boys.
LA NEGRITA
(stalls him) Wait bae.
LUKE
What?
(long pause. LA NEGRITA Goes over to kiss him.)
LUKE
That was nice. (smiles. And kisses her back.) Okay, we can’t do this right now.
LA NEGRITA
(flirts with him.) Whyyyy?? (bats eyelashes.)
LUKE
(chuckles) Because we’re late.
LA NEGRITA
Wait!
LUKE
What now? (looks at her puzzled.)
LA NEGRITA
You look so handsome!
LUKE
Tha—
LA NEGRTIA
Let me take a picture!!! (rummages through purse to retrieve phone.) Instagram! (looks at pic she took.) My bae is so handsome!
LUKE
Okay, Nina, you look—
LA NEGRITA
This tie! (runs over to play with his tie.) This tie looks sooo good on you!
Beat.
It just really…you know? It really brings out the color of your eyes.
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LUKE |
LA NEGRITA |
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Nina-- |
Your hair, so handsome! (plays with hair.) |
LUKE
(grabs hands sternly, looks into her eyes.) Okay, I look real nice, but I will look so much better with you next to me. So let’s go.
LA NEGRITA
Like this? (says softly, points to hair.)
LUKE
(looks at her.) Yeah, you look beautiful, hurry up, let’s go!
LA NEGRITA
Ahh—
LUKE
(interrupts her excitedly) This is my big day Nina! I’m getting the Kim, Kanye, Kevin University Ranger award for most valuable playa!---
LA NEGRITA
---Luke---
LUKE
--my parents are gonna be there Nina! This is so exciting! I can’t wait for them to meet you! And ohhhhhhhh man, when the team sees how beautiful you look. (smiles.)
LA NEGRITA
Beautiful?! LUKE, do you see me?!
LUKE
(takes one look at her ratchet hair.) Yeah, you look BEAUTIFUL (says genuinely)
LA NEGRITA
How can you even say that?
LUKE
Nina, what are you talking about?
LA NEGRITA
I’m not going.
LUKE
What?
LN
I said I’m not going.
LUKE
What do you mean you’re not going?! (takes off glasses to look at her.)
LA NEGRITA
You heard me. Look.
Beat.
I saysssssssss. Iiiiiiiiiiiiii’m, nooooooooooot, going!!!
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LUKE |
LA NEGRITA |
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What the hale? |
LUKE--- |
LUKE
Nina, what the hale are you talking about? Let’s go. (pulls her hand to leave.)
LA NEGRITA
(Drops hand.) No LUKE, I’m not going anywhere.
LUKE
What, what is this?
LN
I’m not going anywhere with my hair looking like this. (says under breath.) It’s ratchet. My tracks are all hanging by the edge of glory and shit…
LUKE
I don’t even know what that means…
Beat.
I told you, you look fine. What are you---?
LA NEGRITA
I’m ugly LUKE! Look at me! Look at my weave! I look ratchet! Luke, I am UGLY. I’m not going.
LUKE
Nina, please (says softly) Don’t do this. (holds her hands.)
LA NEGRITA
(shouts.) Are you blind!? Look at my weave! The tracks are loose. My braids are showing. The tracks aren’t tight enough. She used hot pink thread! The textures don’t match. This is a 4 when I’m clearly a 1B. It’s too short. The lengths are not consistent. My edges aren’t smooth. It’s stiff. It’s stale. It smells bad. This weave is used hair! This isn’t even human hair… synthetic is pathetic! (snorts!) It doesn’t look natural… Some hair is sewed, some is glued, some is CLAMPED. It’s stringy. This is KINKY hair! Not Brazilian, not INDIAN, not Peruvian, not MALAYSIAN. I look like a motha fuckin AFRICANUS!!!! My weave is SHEDDING. My new growth is out of control. I look like a helmet head. I look like a freakin shaggy dog! This is the LAST time I let a white bitch do me up!
LUKE
(sits next to Negrita) Nina, what’s gotten into you? ‘White people do me up’, you never talk like that.
LA NEGRITA
Well, I was just with BOUKIE and KIKI, and they just made a lot of sense about a lot of things, that’s all. (crosses arms and looks away from him.)
LUKE
Well Nina, this isn’t about BOUKIE and KIKI right now. Its about you, its about me, its about us, its about the banquet, and about the fact that my parents flew all the way from Canada to see their son win this award…that he’s probably gonna miss because of you!
LA NEGRITA
Canada isn’t far.
LUKE
Nina—
LA NEGRITA
They didn’t have to take a plane.
LUKE
So are we leaving now?
LA NEGRITA
I can’t go.
LUKE
For the love of—
LN
I can’t!
LUKE
Nina, really? Are we REALLY doing this right now?
LA NEGRITA
(Takes heels off.)
LUKE
You will sabotage anything good that’s standing right in front of you.
Beat.
Nina, once I walk out that door. I’m gone, do you understand that?
LA NEGRITA
I’M UGLY!!!!!!!!
LUKE
You’re beautiful. It doesn’t matter what you wear, or how you do your stupid weaves, or the color of your skin, you’re beautiful.
Beat.
It doesn’t matter how you look, I just want you to be there on the most important day of my athletic career.
LA NEGRITA
(mumbles under breath.) You’re D3….
LUKE
(snaps.) My one. Button. You pushed it.
Beat.
I don’t have time for this Nina. I’m leaving. (heads towards door.)
LN
That’s the way it’s got to be? (these words stop him at doorway.)
LUKE
Please come with me Nina. I don’t care, we’re already late. I’ll wait for you…I just really want you to come with me.
LA NEGRITA
No, look! (point in mirror at her reflection.) I can’t do it.
LUKE
So what, you don’t love me?
LN
That’s not it.
LUKE
You don’t. You don’t love me, you don’t love yourself. And always hiding behind this damn race bullshit! If you can’t look into the mirror and say you love yourself, regardless of how bad you think you look, how can you possibly love me?
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LA NEGRITA |
LUKE |
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LUKE, what are you— |
You don’t love me— |
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LA NEGRITA |
LUKE |
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It has NOTHING--- |
Prove it. |
LA NEGRITA
Prove what?
LUKE
That you love me.
LA NEGRITA
How?
LUKE
I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you that. That is just something you should know for yourself. (LUKE grabs keys, heads towards door.)
LA NEGRITA
Most people—most people (she’s stuttering back tears.) Most people, I love out of obligation. But you..you.. I’m in love with you. (voice goes down to almost a whisper. “Grand Piano”, Nicki Minaj begins to play softly in background.) Luke, please…don’t go.
LUKE
(Does about face.) What do you want from me?
LN
I want you to stay…
LUKE
(faces her.) You want me to stay here…with you? You want me to not go to my award ceremony?
Beat. (she nods)
Everything is always about you Nina. No, I’m going.
LA NEGRITA
I don’t want to embarrass us.
LUKE
(grabs her shoulders.) There is absolutely nothing wrong with you! Okay? Why baby? Why can’t you see that? There is nothing wrong with you!
LA NEGRITA
YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, YOU’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND!!!!
LUKE
You’re right. I don’t understand. I thought I did.
LA NEGRITA
Another girl.
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LUKE |
LA NEGRITA |
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What? |
There’s another girl. |
LUKE
Nina, now what the fuck are you even talking about?!
LA NEGRITA
There’s always another girl.
LUKE
(calms himself) So no Nina, there’s no other girl. It’s you. It’s always been you. It will always be you. Even when I walk through that door , it will be you. (cups his hands around her.)
Beat.
But, I can’t be with you. (drops her hands.) But it will always be you. You are the reason that I smile. My favorite part of the week. (brushes her weave with his fingers.)
Beat.
You tripped me. It’s not my fault I fell for you.
(hands her gift wrapped present. Kisses forehead. leaves.)
LA NEGRITA
(unwraps it. It’s his Championship ring. Sobs.) It’s perfect.
(Lights off, lights on. “Asylum” by John Legend plays loudly in the background.)
LA NEGRITA
What do you see when you look at me? Do you see strong, do you see weak? (KIKI approaches stage with chair.) Women of color are supposed too overcome obstacles of any kind, no matter the circumstance. (BOUKIE approaches stage with chair.) And the fact of the matter is, women of color, are WOMEN, which means we are human. (VANE approaches stage with chair.) I’m human. (ESAU approaches stage with chair.) I do not possess any superhuman strength that makes us able to survive the impossible.
Beat.
Falling in love makes me afraid of ever falling in love again. What am I afraid of? Falling in love and not being loved back. Because, that’s what happened. It wasn’t a break-up. It was worse. He didn’t break my heart. What he did was far more detrimental. He said he didn’t.
Beat
Even.
Beat
Want it.
Beat
It was a test trial even before he gave me a chance. There was no warning. I simply just fell in love. And when I fell, I fell hard. And there wasn’t anyone there to pick me up. I was alone. I didn’t know that was love? Being alone? And no matter how hard I try, the tears just keep coming. They keep falling like I fell. And nobody is there to pick them up. The tears cloud my judgment and I continue to think of him. (BUDDY approaches stage.) He hurt me and disguised it as love.
Beat.
It feels like I will never smile again and mean it. I just feel numb. Numb and scared. And hesitant to be myself. Hesitant to ever let anybody enter my life again. People come and go so easily. I am nothing but disposable to them. Maybe I’m just unlovable. But I’m going to accept this fact now, and stay away from any poor imitation of love.
Beat.
I feel as though you can never mend a broken heart. Every time you get your heart broken, the person responsible keeps a little part. Well, I’ve had my heart broken so many times by so many different people, I think he took the last part. Now I have no heart. Loving him is by no means something I chose to do. I didn’t just wake up in the middle of the night and decide to love you. (LUKE approaches stage.)
Beat.
(FRANKIE approaches stage with stool. Seats LN.) Women of color usually have no happy ending. (NURSE RATCHET approaches stage and equips LN with straight jacket.) My grandmother did not, her mother did not, MY mother did not, I WILL not. I Will not. I will…not.
(Pause. Negrita looks at us. Not at all sure.)
Blackout
Frania G. Romulus was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As a child Romulus loved to create, perform and act. She began playwriting in elementary school. As the years passed she traveled and competed as a saxophonist in her high school music assembles. She was reminded of her gift of writing while an undergrad at Clark University. She matriculated with a degree in Psychology and Performing Arts.
Romulus’ work portrays her experiences as a woman of color at a predominantly white institution. Her raw emotional honesty, uncomfortable dialogue, and satirical style won the attention of Playfest then AS220, enabling her piece to be on production as well as earning her an artist residency.
