Highway Star
Act 4 scene 1
This scene takes place at a gas station. Lori's car pulls in. All four doors open simultaneously and all four passengers get out. The car is off. Lori grabs the pump.
Tim:
You want ten in it?
Lori: Yeah.
Tim and Phill go into the stations convenience store. It is night, and a slight breeze blows Loris hair lightly back. It is cold this night, and their breath can be seen. A single overhead light shines on the area where the gas pump stands. There is silence for a long while aside from the occasional car which passes by. Lori places the pump nozzle into the tank. She squeezes the trigger. There is a click, but nothing happens. Eddy sighs.
Eddy:
So California?
Lori:
Yeah. (Silence.)
Eddy: Any reason?
Lori: Well... I don't know. Not really. (She hits the start button and tries pumping again. No luck. Just the click of failure again.) The damn pump won't start.
Eddy:
It's after eight. You have to pay first.
Lori:
Then why haven't they? (She pushes the start button again, and again, pushing harder each time as though attempting to tilt the machine.)
Eddy:
Maybe they're in line. (The two looks around. No other cars are in the lot.) But really, who knows.
Lori:
Come on guys, what the hell are you waiting for?
Eddy: Maybe they're getting grub. (Lori pounds the start button three or four times. Meanwhile Eddy looks towards the direction of the store. He leans upon the car.)
Lori:
What the fuck?!
Eddy: They're at the register now.
Lori:
It's about fucking time. (Pause. Pump beeps. Lori hits the start button and begins pumping. Tim and Phill exit the station and begin walking back to the car, they each carry bags of Doritos and 2-liters of pop. Eddy props himself up to sit on the hood. Something loud and metallic falls to the ground beneath the car the moment Eddy sits. It clanks when it hits the ground.)
Lori:
What was that? (Liquid can be seen spreading out beneath the car, unnoticed by anyone.)
Eddy: What was what?
Lori: What just fell?
Eddy: I don't know. I didn't hear anything fall. (Tim and Phill have reached them.)
Lori:
I was positive I heard something.
Eddy:
I didn't hear anything.
Tim:
Did something fall off the car?
Lori: I knew I heard something fall.
Eddy:
You're both hearing things.
Phill:
No. I heard it too. (Eddy swallows hard.)
Eddy:
No way.
Phill:
I'll put this stuff in the car and then I'll check it out. (Phill opens the back door and puts the drinks and chips he carries in the back. Tim gives what he carries to Phill, and Phill tosses it into the back. Phill closes the door and drops to the ground upon his belly. He looks beneath the car. Phill mumbles something to himself and then gets up and brushes himself off. The pump stops suddenly. Lori takes it out of the tank and hangs it back up.)
Lori:
Well what is it?
Phill: Your fuel tank.
Lori:
My what?! (Eddy gets to his feet real quick-like. He looks to the ground, all eyes following his. For the first time, for all but Phill, they notice the immense gasoline puddle beneath the car.)
Eddy:
No fucking way.
Tim:
The fuel tank?!
Lori: I heard it fall when he sat on it.
Tim:
You fat fuck, Eddy! I just put ten bucks in that tank.
Eddy:
It's not really that big of a deal, you know. (Everyone just stares at him.) I mean... We can still go on without it.
Lori:
Without the fuel tank?! Were you imbred?!
Eddy:
I'm telling you, I've driven in cars with no fuel tanks.
Phill:
Maybe down hill. But you need gas in order to move. That's why so many people spend so much money on it. It's also the reason that we have stores devoted to the specific task of filling up your fuel tank with gasoline.
Tim:
Basically I just wasted ten bucks!
Lori:
The fuel tank?
Eddy:
Damn.
Phill:
What are we going to do now?
Lori: The fuel tank...
Tim:
So I guess we should get our shit out of the car?
Phill:
Yeah, I guess so. (Phill and Tim grab the pops and chips from the back seat, leaving the doors open.)
Lori:
The fucking fuel tank?!
Phill:
Lori, could you open the trunk? Our duffel bags are in there.
Lori:
The fuel tank?!
Phill:
Lori... The trunk.
Lori:
The... fuel tank fell. (She gets her keys from her pocket and opens the trunk. Eddy, Tim, and Phill join Lori at the trunk. Each of them remove a duffel bag from the trunk.)
Phill:
Is that everything?
Lori:
I... Yeah, I think so.
Phill:
Are you sure?
Lori:
Yeah. Uh... Yeah I think that's it.
Phill:
All right. (Closes the trunk. We hear a loud crash from beneath the car. The four exchange glances. Eddy bursts into laughter, Lori hits him on the head. Phill sets his stuff down on the trunk and drops to the ground to peer beneath the vehicle. A moment later he is back on his feet and dusting himself off.)
Lori:
What the hell was that?
Phill: The engine. (Eddy again bursts into laughter as Phill grabs the stuff off the trunk and begins walking away.)
Tim:
Pull yourself together, Eddy.
Lori:
It is not funny! (Slaps Eddy in the back of the head. Phill turns and faces the group.)
Phill:
I think I saw a hotel up the road a ways. (Lori again slaps Eddy in the back of the head and walks on after Phill. The gas attendant runs out, calling after Lori and Phill. The gas attendant speaks with a heavy accent.)
Gas Attendant:
Hey, you can't leave your car here like that!
Lori:
Here! Move it! (Tosses the keys to the gas attendant.) Keep it. (Eddys laughing ensues, amplified by Lori's actions. Tim and Eddy still stand at the car.)
Tim:
Come on Eddy, we're leaving.
Eddy:
Her fucking car- (He is laughing again, unable to complete his statement.)
Tim:
Come on, Eddy. You shouldn't have ate all those mushrooms. (The two start walking after their companions, Eddy still trying to overcome his hysterics as he limps along. They walk past the gas attendant. Tim turns to speak with him as Eddy moves on.)
Gas Attendant:
You can't just leave this car here! (Tim shrugs as he speaks to the attendant.)
Tim:
Hey, it ain't my car. (Tim walk backwards, moving in the direction of his friends but facing the attendant.)
Gas Attendant:
Fuck you!
Tim:
Yeah? I just fucked your mother!
Gas Attendant:
You mother fucker!
Tim:
That's right, man. That's what I said!
Gas Attendant:
Fuck you, you fucking asshole!
Tim:
She's right around back here. You want me to tell her you said hello or anything?
Gas Attendant:
I will kick your ass!
Tim:
She says you should call her more. She misses you. (Tim laughs at the man who continues his cursing, transiting from his native tongue to English intermittently, and jogs to catch up to his companions who are making their way up the road beside the convenience store.)
END SCENE
This scene takes place at a gas station. Lori's car pulls in. All four doors open simultaneously and all four passengers get out. The car is off. Lori grabs the pump.
Tim:
You want ten in it?
Lori: Yeah.
Tim and Phill go into the stations convenience store. It is night, and a slight breeze blows Loris hair lightly back. It is cold this night, and their breath can be seen. A single overhead light shines on the area where the gas pump stands. There is silence for a long while aside from the occasional car which passes by. Lori places the pump nozzle into the tank. She squeezes the trigger. There is a click, but nothing happens. Eddy sighs.
Eddy:
So California?
Lori:
Yeah. (Silence.)
Eddy: Any reason?
Lori: Well... I don't know. Not really. (She hits the start button and tries pumping again. No luck. Just the click of failure again.) The damn pump won't start.
Eddy:
It's after eight. You have to pay first.
Lori:
Then why haven't they? (She pushes the start button again, and again, pushing harder each time as though attempting to tilt the machine.)
Eddy:
Maybe they're in line. (The two looks around. No other cars are in the lot.) But really, who knows.
Lori:
Come on guys, what the hell are you waiting for?
Eddy: Maybe they're getting grub. (Lori pounds the start button three or four times. Meanwhile Eddy looks towards the direction of the store. He leans upon the car.)
Lori:
What the fuck?!
Eddy: They're at the register now.
Lori:
It's about fucking time. (Pause. Pump beeps. Lori hits the start button and begins pumping. Tim and Phill exit the station and begin walking back to the car, they each carry bags of Doritos and 2-liters of pop. Eddy props himself up to sit on the hood. Something loud and metallic falls to the ground beneath the car the moment Eddy sits. It clanks when it hits the ground.)
Lori:
What was that? (Liquid can be seen spreading out beneath the car, unnoticed by anyone.)
Eddy: What was what?
Lori: What just fell?
Eddy: I don't know. I didn't hear anything fall. (Tim and Phill have reached them.)
Lori:
I was positive I heard something.
Eddy:
I didn't hear anything.
Tim:
Did something fall off the car?
Lori: I knew I heard something fall.
Eddy:
You're both hearing things.
Phill:
No. I heard it too. (Eddy swallows hard.)
Eddy:
No way.
Phill:
I'll put this stuff in the car and then I'll check it out. (Phill opens the back door and puts the drinks and chips he carries in the back. Tim gives what he carries to Phill, and Phill tosses it into the back. Phill closes the door and drops to the ground upon his belly. He looks beneath the car. Phill mumbles something to himself and then gets up and brushes himself off. The pump stops suddenly. Lori takes it out of the tank and hangs it back up.)
Lori:
Well what is it?
Phill: Your fuel tank.
Lori:
My what?! (Eddy gets to his feet real quick-like. He looks to the ground, all eyes following his. For the first time, for all but Phill, they notice the immense gasoline puddle beneath the car.)
Eddy:
No fucking way.
Tim:
The fuel tank?!
Lori: I heard it fall when he sat on it.
Tim:
You fat fuck, Eddy! I just put ten bucks in that tank.
Eddy:
It's not really that big of a deal, you know. (Everyone just stares at him.) I mean... We can still go on without it.
Lori:
Without the fuel tank?! Were you imbred?!
Eddy:
I'm telling you, I've driven in cars with no fuel tanks.
Phill:
Maybe down hill. But you need gas in order to move. That's why so many people spend so much money on it. It's also the reason that we have stores devoted to the specific task of filling up your fuel tank with gasoline.
Tim:
Basically I just wasted ten bucks!
Lori:
The fuel tank?
Eddy:
Damn.
Phill:
What are we going to do now?
Lori: The fuel tank...
Tim:
So I guess we should get our shit out of the car?
Phill:
Yeah, I guess so. (Phill and Tim grab the pops and chips from the back seat, leaving the doors open.)
Lori:
The fucking fuel tank?!
Phill:
Lori, could you open the trunk? Our duffel bags are in there.
Lori:
The fuel tank?!
Phill:
Lori... The trunk.
Lori:
The... fuel tank fell. (She gets her keys from her pocket and opens the trunk. Eddy, Tim, and Phill join Lori at the trunk. Each of them remove a duffel bag from the trunk.)
Phill:
Is that everything?
Lori:
I... Yeah, I think so.
Phill:
Are you sure?
Lori:
Yeah. Uh... Yeah I think that's it.
Phill:
All right. (Closes the trunk. We hear a loud crash from beneath the car. The four exchange glances. Eddy bursts into laughter, Lori hits him on the head. Phill sets his stuff down on the trunk and drops to the ground to peer beneath the vehicle. A moment later he is back on his feet and dusting himself off.)
Lori:
What the hell was that?
Phill: The engine. (Eddy again bursts into laughter as Phill grabs the stuff off the trunk and begins walking away.)
Tim:
Pull yourself together, Eddy.
Lori:
It is not funny! (Slaps Eddy in the back of the head. Phill turns and faces the group.)
Phill:
I think I saw a hotel up the road a ways. (Lori again slaps Eddy in the back of the head and walks on after Phill. The gas attendant runs out, calling after Lori and Phill. The gas attendant speaks with a heavy accent.)
Gas Attendant:
Hey, you can't leave your car here like that!
Lori:
Here! Move it! (Tosses the keys to the gas attendant.) Keep it. (Eddys laughing ensues, amplified by Lori's actions. Tim and Eddy still stand at the car.)
Tim:
Come on Eddy, we're leaving.
Eddy:
Her fucking car- (He is laughing again, unable to complete his statement.)
Tim:
Come on, Eddy. You shouldn't have ate all those mushrooms. (The two start walking after their companions, Eddy still trying to overcome his hysterics as he limps along. They walk past the gas attendant. Tim turns to speak with him as Eddy moves on.)
Gas Attendant:
You can't just leave this car here! (Tim shrugs as he speaks to the attendant.)
Tim:
Hey, it ain't my car. (Tim walk backwards, moving in the direction of his friends but facing the attendant.)
Gas Attendant:
Fuck you!
Tim:
Yeah? I just fucked your mother!
Gas Attendant:
You mother fucker!
Tim:
That's right, man. That's what I said!
Gas Attendant:
Fuck you, you fucking asshole!
Tim:
She's right around back here. You want me to tell her you said hello or anything?
Gas Attendant:
I will kick your ass!
Tim:
She says you should call her more. She misses you. (Tim laughs at the man who continues his cursing, transiting from his native tongue to English intermittently, and jogs to catch up to his companions who are making their way up the road beside the convenience store.)
END SCENE