Godiva Nun by Gary O. Bennett
INT. LOCKED CHAMBER
Rose sits opposite Tina. Tina is dressed formally. Rose is
in prison clothes. Rose is crying. Tina is going through
her bag. A few moments pass.
TINA
I’d appreciate it if you’d stop crying.
Rose continues to cry.
TINA (cont’d)
You have only thirty minutes, so let’s
spend it productively.
ROSE
Productively?
TINA
Yes. We should talk.
ROSE
What is talking going to do?
TINA
Look, I’ve done fifteen of these in the
last three years. It’s becoming a
regular thing. Flying back and forth
between Florida and Texas. It’s mostly
Florida and Texas. Florida and Texas.
It’s something about the warm weather
that gets these states to well, you know,
do what they’re doing to you. So,
anyway, I’m getting very good at this.
ROSE
Good at what?
TINA
Talking. Oh, by the way, I can’t stay
for the whole thirty minutes.
ROSE
You can’t stay?
TINA
Flight. Back to Florida. Pensacola,
mind you. It’s not even Miami or
Orlando, someplace with a little
entertainment. The panhandle. Dreadful.
Consider yourself lucky.
ROSE
Lucky?
TINA
A car service is coming is twenty
minutes. So we don’t have much time.
ROSE
WE don’t have much time!
TINA
The way this works is that you talk about
what you did, confess it all, get it off
your chest, clear the old conscience, ask
for forgiveness, cry a little…a little
more than you have been, that is, and
then go to the gas chamber. Now look,
we’ve wasted five minutes with all this
orientation stuff, so can we get started?
ROSE
Didn’t you read my case?
TINA
I have your file right here.
ROSE
I’m innocent. The file shows that I
claim to be innocent. So I have nothing
to confess. I have nothing to get off my
chest. I have a clear conscience.
TINA
Yes.
ROSE
So we have nothing to talk about.
TINA
Yes…well, usually this “I’m innocent”
thing gets dropped by now…I mean
really, they’re dropping that little
cyanide pill in a bucket of acid in 22
minutes. For chrissake, don’t you want
to go to your grave with a clear
conscience?
ROSE
I have 22 minutes, and I’d like to be
alone. I’d like to…I’d like to try not
to feel hate…I don’t want to feel hate
while they’re bringing me to the the…so
could you just leave and leave me alone.
TINA
Oh, I can’t do that. Alone is bad.
ROSE
I can’t believe this. Who picks the
people who do what you do?
TINA
I have a present for you.
ROSE
A present?
Tina pulls out a small box.
TINA
Chocolates. There from Godiva. Very
expensive. It’s there small box, only
four candies, which is usually sufficient
given the time constraints.
ROSE
You think I have an appetite?
TINA
I’m known as the Godiva Nun. Funny,
isn’t it? Would you like one?
ROSE
OK, so now I get it. Sitting in a room
with you is worse than sitting in a gas
chamber. That’s the service you perform.
Is that it? Is that your technique? You
make the inmate beg to be taken to the
gas chamber because they can’t stand
another second being alone with you.
TINA
You don’t have to get nasty.
ROSE
Do you have a degree? Do they require
some kind of training for what you do?
Does Pope John Paul know he has nuns like
you running around destroying the last
moments of someone’s life?
Tina looks at Rose’s file.
TINA
Listen, Gloria, I have never had to deal
with such an attitude.
ROSE
My name is not Gloria. My name is Rose.
TINA
Poor thing. You are in such deep denial
that you’ve changed your name from Gloria
Vinson to Rose.
ROSE
My name is Rose Mittleman. Gloria Vinson
is down the hall. She’s scheduled in two
weeks. Don’t tell me you’re supposed to
visit her too?
Tina looks in her bag and pulls out another file.
TINA
Oh. Oh jeez. I’ve never done that
before. Sorry. Jet lag. So you’re Rose
Mittleman. Yes. Yes. Oh well, you
won’t be needing me anymore.
ROSE
I never needed you.
TINA
Here’s your pardon letter. I forgot.
Silly me. I get things so confused
sometimes.
Rose takes the letter and reads it.
TINA (cont’d)
Running around from state to state.
Never getting any sleep. And you know
the food is just the pits on those big
jets. Just nuts and soda. Thank god you
can buy a gin and tonic.
ROSE
Is this a joke? I’ve been pardoned by
the Governor.
TINA
Yeah. One of those last minute things.
They just gave it to me before I came
in…
ROSE
How could you forget such a thing?
TINA
Well, you know, those gin and tonics can
really screw up your short term memory.
Rose hugs Tina.
TINA (cont’d)
OK. OK. It’s OK. So I brought you good
news. That’s my job. That’s my job.
ROSE
Thank you. Thank you God.
TINA
My name’s Tina. But it’s God’s will.
God’s will is what it is.
Rose releases Tina.
ROSE
Thank you Tina.
TINA
Listen, can I have those chocolates back.
They don’t have a Godiva store in
Pensacola and I didn’t plan ahead. So
this pardon thing really works out for
the best.
Rose laughs and hands Tina the box of chocolates.
THE END.
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