A short play.What do you do when you’re too old to fly? The circus is all Fred and Marilyn know. Maybe best to end it all. Who wants to flip burgers, or play sweet, perky little waitress, getting pinched on the tush for lousy tips.A dingy, cheap dressing room in a circus trailer. Marilyn is sitting on a bench center stage with her head back, looking up at the ceiling. She is in her late 20s and wearing leotards that are too tight because she has been gaining weight the last two years.MARILYNDamn! Damn! Damn!(She drops her head and begins to cry. After a short while, she wipes her eyes and takes a bottle of green liquid out of her purse. She holds it out in front of her for a few moments and then begins to unscrew the cap. She suddenly glances left center and quickly re-screws the cap and puts the bottle back in her purse as Fred enters. He is also wearing leotards. He puts his arms around her.)FREDHow you doin’ sweetie pie?MARILYNHow do you think I’m doing? I hit the net three times. Three times!(And begins to cry again. Fred hugs her. Anguish.)Did you hear the boos? Did you hear the hisses and the boos?FREDIt’s just a bad day, sweetie pie.MARILYNNo! It’ not just a bad day, sweetie pie. Remember Dorothy Hamill? She was a great skater, a beautiful skater, and she fell three times the last time she skated in public. I felt so sad watching her fall. And fall! And fall!! She waited too long to quit, and so did I. It’s over, Freddie. I’m not going back up there.FREDDon’t you remember the big cheer when we made the catch?MARILYNOh yeah, yeah, sure. They were God awful relieved I didn’t fall a fourth time. It’s over, Fred! It’s over. I’m not going back!FREDLook sweetie pie, we’ll practice more. It’s just a bad day. Come on, let’s go eat.MARILYN(She wails, as she gestures toward her leotards.)Like Hell it’s just a bad day. Open your eyes. I don’t fit these anymore. And quit calling me sweetie pie.(And begins to cry again. Fred tries to hug her closer, but she pushes him away and stands up, shaking her head. Angry anguish.)Now you can go fly away with lovely Lulu. Go tell her the good news. Go on! She’ll jump up and down, shaking everything she’s got for you.FRED(Getting frustrated.)I don’t want Lulu. I want you.MARILYNOh yeah, sure. I watch your eyes pop when she goes by, jiggling her boobs. You son of-a-bitch. How many times have you already had her?FRED(Gets angry.)Ok, and how many times have you had Billy? You think I don’t know. Everybody knows. This is a circus for Christ’s sake, everybody sleeps around. Big deal. Quit being so damn jealous.MARILYNJealous? Me? Jealous? Now why would I be jealous? Maybe, just maybe, because I’ll be stuck on the ground watching Lulu, the new star, shine in the sky. Oh yeah, and maybe I’ll be jealous afterward, when Freddie takes that pretty little slut to her trailer and shoves it in.FREDEnough Marilyn! Enough! How about the truth, eh? Come on, here it is, straight out. The truth! You’re too fat and my hands aren’t as strong as they used to be. That’s the truth!MARILYN(They become very quiet. She dries her eyes and looks up at him. A little girl’s voice.)Then it’s over, Freddie? It’s over?FREDYeah, it’s over. Happens you know. Remember Judy and Jim, the Flying Butterflies?MARILYNSure. We replaced them. What happened to them?FREDYou don’t know?MARILYNNo.FREDSix months after they left, he shot her and then blew his brains out. What’s the point of living when you can’t fly anymore?MARYLYNYou feel that way?FREDYou see me flipping burgers?MARYLYNOh yeah, and I can play sweet, perky little waitress, getting pinched on my tush for lousy tips.(She takes the bottle from her purse and holds it up.)There’s enough for both of us.
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