Characters
Quentin: early twenties, well dressed, handsome, con artist, pick-pocket, tall, well built, American, addicted to gambling
Nora: mid-twenties, upper class, shy, beautiful, European, speaks several languages, the “perfect child” growing up, plans ahead
National Police Officers-2
National Police Captain-1
Bus Driver-1
Bus Riders-3
Setting
A bus station in Asyut, Egypt
Middle of the desert on the road between Asyut and Al Kharga
Holding cells at National Police station
Interrogation room at National Police station
Boat on the Nile
Time
In the not too distant past
Act I Scene I
Lights up
Nora and two other bus riders are sitting on the bus, the station can be seen through the windows, and the sounds of a busy city can be heard off stage. Nora sits towards the middle of the bus all the other passengers sit towards the back. One of the passengers in the back holds up a newspaper, the headline can clearly be seen to read “Two Golden Isis Statutes Taken from Nat. History Museum in Cairo. National Police Still Baffled.”
Quentin enters the bus and scans the empty seats, he approaches Nora.
Quentin: You mind if I sit here? (pointing at the seat in front her)
Nora doesn’t respond Quentin clears his throat and taps her shoulder, Nora jumps
Nora: (startled) Yes?
Quentin: (smiling) I was wondering if you would mind me sitting here? (points to the seat again)
Nora: (blushing) Yes, of course. That would be fine, won’t bother me at all.
Quentin laughs a little and sits down putting his bag on the floor by his feet. There is silence for a few beats while Quentin looks around and Nora attempts to watch him without getting noticed.
Quentin: Name’s Quentin by the way. (they shake hands)
Nora: I’m Nora, nice to meet you.
Quentin: What brings you to the middle of the Egyptian desert by yourself?
Nora: (excited) This is my adventure! I am taking my first and last adventure before I begin my real life. I have it all planned out. (pulls out a bunch of papers) I have all my bus tickets for the trip down to Aswan bought and scheduled and the times for all the museums that I want to visit. (trails off as she notices Quentin is laughing at her)
Nora: Wh-wha-what? Why are you laughing?
Quentin: (still laughing) Because you think all this (gestures to the papers) is what makes an adventure. It is sad really, adventures come in the unexpected things in life, when the last thing you were expecting or the only thing you didn’t want is what happens. A true adventure is when you have no idea what is going on or where you are going but you are thrilled as hell about it. Life is an adventure and it is so much better without papers and planning.
Nora: Well this is my first adventure. I am only doing what I know. I know papers and planning.
Quentin: I must say that for your first adventure coming all the way to Egypt from, France?
Nora: (smiles) Italy actually
Quentin: (smiles) Italy. Coming to Egypt on your first adventure is a good start. Just toss out all this paper and your next adventure will be five times as grand.
Nora’s smile withers and she looks away. Quentin’s smile fades the longer she looks away.
Nora: (softly) There won’t be a next adventure. I have to grow up when I return home.
Quentin: Grow up? Aren’t you already grown up?
Nora: (laughing softly, small smile) One would think that but my father thinks otherwise. He has made….. an arrangement for me and I am expected to hold up my end of the arrangement when I return home.
Quentin: An arrangement? That sounds very……(makes a show of looking for the right word) father-ery of him and dreadfully boring.
Quentin and Nora look at each other for a few beats they break out laughing
Nora: I don’t think father-ery is a word
Quentin: What? Of course it is! You just heard me use it, why wouldn’t it be a word?
They break out in laugher again
Quentin: (out of breath ,smiling) What sort of arrangement has your father made for you?
Nora glances away
Nora: (still looking away) A marriage.
Quentin: (shocked) As in an arranged marriage? (Nora nods) You mean like the ones you hear about in stories and such? (Nora nods) I didn’t know people still did that. I didn’t know that was still legal.
Nora: It is still a fairly common practice in the area where I grew up. My neighbors are so far away that it’s common to go weeks or even months without ever seeing a person you aren’t related to.
Quentin: I’m sorry. That sounds horrid. I would feel, well it doesn’t really matter how I would feel. How do you feel about all this?
The driver begins speaking in Arabic on an overhead speaker, Quentin turns towards the front of the bus and leans to the side to search the crowded bus stop, Nora stacks her papers and returns them to her bag.
Lights out
End Scene
Scene II
Lights up
Nora, Quentin, and a new rider sleep towards the middle of the darkened bus, the same two riders from the bus stop sleep towards the back, most of the light filters in through the widows, sirens can be heard distantly off stage and are steadily growing louder.
Quentin stirs and sits up straighter, looking around
Quentin: (sleepily) What the devil is that noise? (yawns and stretches) Sirens. What are sirens doing in the middle of the desert?
The sirens get louder as more of the bus riders wake. The riders in the back turn to look out the window where colored lights can now be seen.
Quentin: (fully awake, eyes wide) The National Police. But, how?
The colored lights can be seen in all the windows and the sirens are deafening Nora is the last one to wake. She sits up and looks around just as the sirens cut off and two National Police officers enter the bus and begin talking to the driver in loud voices.
Nora leans into the isle to see the front.
Nora: What’s going on?
Quentin: No idea. I don’t speak the language.
Nora: (shocked) How did you make it this far into the country?
Quentin: (shrugs) Improvised sign language and pointing. Lots of pointing.
Nora laughs softly and leans further into the isle to see the front of the bus
Quentin: Why don’t you go up there and ask?
Nora: (taken back) And what makes you think I speak the language?
Quentin: (matter of fact) Your reaction to me when I said I didn’t, that and the Arabic phrase book in your bag, mostly the phrase book.
Nora: Who’s to say that I know any more than those few phrases? And how did you know--
Quentin: (interrupting and looking her in the eye) You planned your adventure down to the minute. You don’t strike me as the type to let a little thing like a language barrier hinder you. Now go ask.
Blushing and rolling her eyes Nora makes her way to the front of the bus and begins talking with one of the officers. While Nora is at the front Quentin checks to make sure nobody is paying attention to him and then he pulls a golden statue from his bag and slips it into Nora’s bag. With a guilty look over his shoulder at Nora, he repeats the process.
Quentin: (under his breath, just loud enough to hear) My mama wouldn’t be proud, but nothing pleased her.
Nora returns to her seat with the officers following.
Nora: They seem to think one of us is a master criminal and robbed the National History Museum in Cairo. They just need to search our bags and the bus to ensure that none of us are and then we can all be on our way.
Quentin: (laughing) I would love to assure them of my innocence myself, but I don’t speak the language. I shall have to let my bag do the talking for me.
Quentin hands his bag to one of the officers. Together the officers search the bag and the return it to him. Turning to Nora the one closest to her says something in Arabic and Nora wordlessly hands her bag to them with a slight look of confusion.
Nora: (under her breath) I didn’t pack anything that heavy.
The officers begin searching Nora’s bag and in no time they pull the two stolen statues from the bag. Nora’s face goes pale with shock as the officers begin yelling at her in rapid Arabic. The officer closest to Nora grips her arm and hauls her off. The second officer yells something in Arabic and the other riders and the driver exit. Quentin remains seated staring blindly ahead. The officer leans down in front of him.
Officer: (heavy accent) You come. (gestures to the front of the bus) questions.
Quentin: (in a daze) What? Me? (points at himself) Yes. Questions. Right coming.
Quentin rises and follows the officer off looking shocked the whole time.
Lights out.
End Scene
Act II Scene I
Lights up
Two holding cells sit side by side sharing one wall of bars, both have a bench running across the back. Quentin is alone in one cell near the wall it shares with the other cell. He stares ahead absently clenching and relaxing his hand.
Quentin: (slightly confused) I think….I think I feel guilty about what I did to her. (makes a face) Na, must be sorrow over losing those statues. (angrily) Damn those statues! They were my pay day, the money from that Russian fella was gonna get me out of this whole mess!
Quentin slaps the wall of bars to his side and it makes a ringing noise. He shakes his hand and makes a face, clearly in pain. As Quentin is nursing his hand the sound of footsteps and quiet sobbing can be heard off stage. The sound goes on for several beats before Quentin seems to notice, when he does he sit up straight and looks towards the noise.
Quentin: Oh, what did they do to her?
Sobbing grows louder and Nora, flanked by guards, enters and is locked in the empty cell. Guards leave Nora remains standing near the cell door.
Quentin: Nora? Nora? (reaches through the bars towards her) Shhhh shhhh it will be okay. Just….just…..um…just come sit and talk to me about it.
Nora: (sniffing, angrily) No! No, it will not be okay! No, I will not come and sit and talk about it! They think I stole those statues, Quentin! They think I am a criminal!
Quentin: Nora calm down, it--
Nora: (tad hysterical, yelling) ME! A CRIMINAL! LITTLE ME! Little me who can’t even take an adventure the right way, is a master criminal who is wanted worldwide! They have connected this with several other crimes across the world, say I made a few slip-ups in the past!
Quentin, who had been smirking mouthing master criminal, pales when Nora mentions slip-ups.
Nora: (calm, quiet) I am NOT a criminal. I am NOT. They can’t do this, can they? Not with so little evidence they can’t. Oh, who am I kidding? They found the statues in my bag! I am going to jail! I can’t go to jail!
Nora breaks down into tears and throws herself on to the bench. Quentin, still pale, stares at her for a few beats while she cries.
Quentin: (clears his throat, softly) Nora, it will be okay. I promise, okay? They will figure out that you didn’t do it. Something won’t add up, they don’t like loose ends and making you the bad guy will leave a lot of loose ends. And even if you have to spend a day or two in jail it won’t be too bad, trust me. Jail is a great place to learn about yourself, you never know what…..
Quentin trails off as Nora gasps.
Nora: (shocked) You have spent time in JAIL? Why?
Quentin: (forced laughter) Calm down! Yes, I have spent time in jail. It is like a rite of passage in the US. Everyone spends a little time in jail, a DUI or two, armed robbery, being framed for treason, assult—
Nora gasps.
Quentin: Nora! I was joking! (thoughtful) Well, except for the thing about treason, that actually did happen to my cousin. And in the end it turns out he was working for the Mob, so he kind of deserved it…..
Nora: (calm, thoughtful) I think, Quentin, that we have grown up in two very different worlds.
Quentin: (smiling) Nora, you couldn’t be more right in that regard. Now why don’t you lie down and try and get a little sleep. Things will seem better in the morning, I promise.
Nora yawns and lies down on the bench. The rest of this conversation takes place in soft quiet tones.
Nora: Quentin?
Quentin: Yes?
Nora: You promise things will be better tomorrow?
Quentin: (with a small smile) Yes, I promise.
Nora: Quentin?
Quentin: Nora?
Nora: ( shy) Would you…..well would you mind holding my hand? My mother always used to do that whenever I had a nightmare.
Quentin: I would call this a nightmare.
Quentin reaches through the bars and holds Nora’s hand. Everything is quiet for a while as Nora fall asleep. Quentin looks at Nora and then lets out a sigh.
Quentin: (deadpan) I am a horrible human being and I will be going to hell for what I have done to this woman. Straight. To. Hell.
Quentin sighs again and looks at Nora for a few beats. He sighs as he rises and walks to the front of the cell and grips the bars.
Quentin: (whisper yelling)Guard! Guard! Hello? Guard!
Lights out.
End Scene
Scene II
Lights up.
Interrogation room. A table with a chair on either side, dim lighting. Quentin sits on one side of the table across from a high ranking member of the National Police, two lower ranking members stand on either side of Quentin by the wall. Quentin is talking when the lights come up but we can’t hear him
Quentin: (quickly, almost rambling) ….and that’s how the statues ended up in Nora’s bag. She didn’t steal them. I did. I am the one who is all messed up with the Taliban and the Mob, not her. Please don’t put her in jail….she…..she is a really good person and she really just wants to have this trip before she has to go home and get married. Please, just don’t--
The officer raises his hand and Quentin stops talking. He is shaking and can’t keep his hands still. His leg is bouncing. The officer is still and almost looks bored.
Captain: (slight accent) I assume that you would like to trade information on the Taliban for a lighter punishment on yourself?
Quentin freezes and stares at the officer. He doesn’t move for several beats, neither does the officer.
Captain: Or you did not?
Quentin: (quickly) No! No! I really would like to do that! I would also be willing to work with the US and tell them things on the Mob. I know a lot about them, too!
The officer nods remaining silent.
Quentin: Um…just one more thing. Can I write a note to Nora? I want to tell her sorry for what I did.
The officer nods to one of the guards behind Quentin, who leaves the room.
Lights out.
End Scene
Scene III
Lights up.
Nora is sitting on a boat on the Nile reading a newspaper with a smile on her face. The headline reads Isis statues returned to Nat. History Museum in Cairo, Thief trades information for a lighter sentence.
Nora: (softly) The thief, who remains unnamed for his own protection, has been returned to his home country in to provide information on organized crime there. (looks up, laughs) Quentin what did you get yourself tangled up in?
Nora looks off to the side for a beat or two and then pulls a piece of paper from her pocket. She looks down at it and smiles broadly.
Nora: (looking down and reading) Nora, I hope my mess added a little bit of unexpected to your adventure. Quentin P.S. And now you have another paper!
Nora looks up with a thoughtful look on her face and then pulls a phone from her pocket and dials.
Nora: Hello? Yes I would like to exchange my return ticket to Italy for a one way ticket to China. Yes; China….
Lights out.
End Scene
The End
