SETTING:

MR. BEAN'S trailer. Both interior and exterior are visible.

AT RISE:

MR. BEANS and TIM have just entered the trailer.

TIM

Is this where you live?

MR. BEANS

Every day.

TIM

You look different without your makeup.

MR. BEANS

I'm glad somebody thinks so. Is my nose really that big and red?

TIM

It's not red.

(MR. BEANS feels HIS nose.)

I thought you were the funniest clown in the circus.

MR. BEANS

I thought you were the funniest boy in the audience.

TIM

Can I go on the trapeze?

MR. BEANS

The trapeze? What's wrong with the good solid ground?

TIM

The Great Firenelli said I could be a flier. How did you get to be in the circus?

MR. BEANS

I was ten...

TIM

I'm almost ten.

MR. BEANS

I was ten years old when I saw my first circus. I didn't join the circus until I was seventeen.

TIM

I don't want to wait that long.

(There is a knock on the door.)

MR. BEANS

I wonder who that could be. Just a minute.

(MR. BEANS opens the door. A woman enters. It is LAURA. SHE is wearing a large floppy hat tied on with a scarf, and sunglasses. SHE sees TIM and enters the trailer.)

LAURA

Tim Smith, what do you think you're doing?

TIM

Mom!

(MR. BEANS looks at her, puzzled.)

LAURA

(rapidly) I've been worried out of my head. I called the police. They said call all your friends' houses. I called all your friends' houses before I called them. I don't know what made me think to come here. Don't you ever do that again. What in the world were you thinking of?

(MR. BEANS tries to peer under the hat.)

MR. BEANS

Laura?

(LAURA glances briefly at MR. BEANS. SHE tries to bluff HER way out of it.)

LAURA

Thankyou for taking care of my son. It was very nice of you. We've got to go now.

MR. BEANS

Laura?

TIM

How come Mr. Beans knows your name Mom?

MR. BEANS

Laura! I don't believe it. It's you! Take off that hat.

(HE tries to pull it off. SHE holds it down. There is a brief struggle over the hat before SHE lets HIM pull it off.)

MR. BEANS

Laura. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. It's you.

(HE hugs HER and hugs HER and won't let go. SHE finally gives in and hugs HIM back.)

LAURA

Daddy.

TIM

Daddy?

MR. BEANS

Yes "Daddy". It feels so good to hear you say that again.

TIM

Is he really your father, Mom?

LAURA

Yes, Tim.

MR. BEANS

Tim? Tim! This is Tim. Laura! This is Tim. Our Tim. Your's and Bobby's Tim. I'm a grandpa again!

TIM

Grandpa?

MR. BEANS

Yes, Grandpa. He looks just like Bobby.

TIM

Who's Bobby?

MR. BEANS

Your father.

TIM

My father? Where is he? Is he here?

MR. BEANS

No... He's not here.

TIM

Mom said my dad is dead.

MR. BEANS

Bobby died right after you were born.

TIM

How did he die? Was he in the circus?

LAURA

That's enough. We've got to go now.

TIM

I don't want to go. I met some chorus girls, and a lion tamer, and The Great Firenelli.

LAURA

He met Roberto?

TIM

He told me he could teach me how to fly.

MR. BEANS

It just happened Laura. Like two magnets.

TIM

I met his daughter Angela too. She let me hold a trapeze bar, only it wasn't tied on to anything.

LAURA

We have to go home.

MR. BEANS

Don't go Laura. Where do you live? You've got to let me come visit.

LAURA

We've got to go.

TIM

Why?

LAURA

We just do. We can't stay here.

TIM

I never even knew I had a grandpa.

MR. BEANS

You can't just go. It's been so long. It's not fair Laura.

TIM

Were you in the circus Mom?

(LAURA is silent.)

Were you?

MR. BEANS

Yes, Laura was in the circus. She grew up in the circus.

TIM

Why did she leave? Was my dad in the circus?

LAURA

No!

MR. BEANS

Laura!

(LAURA is unable to carry through the lie, under the eye of HER father.)

LAURA

Yes, he was in the circus.

TIM

What did he do? Was he a clown?

MR. BEANS

He...

LAURA

No! You don't have to know what he did.

TIM

Why not?

LAURA

Because I said so.

TIM

Mom! I want to know what my dad did.

LAURA

He died! That's what he did. He didn't have to but he did.

MR. BEANS

Laura!

LAURA

When you were born he had to do something special - "Never before attempted..." He had a family, a baby. It was time to think about that. But he was a F... It wasn't enough to have a son. He had to show off in front of the whole world.

(SHE is crying. MR. BEANS tries to hold HER and comfort HER.)

TIM

How did my dad die?

LAURA

I can't tell you. Don't ask me to tell you Tim.

(Tim starts to speak but LAURA interupts HIM.)

Don't.

MR. BEANS

You'll have to tell him someday.

LAURA

Not today. We have to go. We can't stay. You know we can't stay here Daddy.

(MIKLOS enters and crosses toward the trailer.)

TIM

I don't want to go.

LAURA

Come on Tim. It's time to go.

TIM

No!

LAURA

Tim!

(TIM runs off, out of the trailer. TIM almost runs into MIKLOS but MIKLOS steps aside, barely. TIM is gone. LAURA is about to follow TIM out when SHE sees MIKLOS. SHE ducks back into the trailer. MR. BEANS hurries out of the trailer.)

MIKLOS

Hah! Missed me!

MR. BEANS

Miklos!

MIKLOS

What have you done to the young cannon ball?

MR. BEANS

Nothing.

MIKLOS

His aim is not so good this time. Who else have you got in there George?

MR. BEANS

Nobody.

MIKLOS

You have something to tell me?

MR. BEANS

No.

MIKLOS

Hah! You think I am blind? But my eyes, they still can see. And my ears, they still can hear.

(MIKLOS pounds his cane on the side of the trailer.)

Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out! Come out!

(There is a long pause.)

You think you can hide from me? Come out here or I will come in there and drag you out by your pigtails.

(LAURA comes out of the trailer.)

LAURA

I haven't worn pigtails in twenty years.

MIKLOS

Then you should act like it. It is good to see you Laura. You see, I am still alive.

LAURA

I see.

MIKLOS

I am always certain I will see you again, but I do not think I would have to live so many years to do it. Tim has run away again.

LAURA

I can find him.

MIKLOS

No you can't. Do you want to be seen? You will go to my tent. You have seen the big cat trailers when you came in?

LAURA

Yes.

MIKLOS

My tent is there.

LAURA

You still have your tent?

MIKLOS

It is a good tent.

LAURA

Miklos...

(SHE touches HIS arm, but draws back.)

MIKLOS

I am not happy with you Laura. Ten years is not fair to any of us. I will find Tim.

(MIKLOS exits. There is a long silence. MR. BEANS looks intently at LAURA.)

LAURA

Please. Don't look at me that way.

MR. BEANS

You're my little girl.

(HIS eyes never leave HER.)

LAURA

DON'T LOOK SO HARD.

THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE.

JUST ME AND THE YEARS IT'S BEEN,

THE YEARS AND ME.

DON'T CALL UP MEMORIES

I'VE WASHED AWAY.

DON'T WONDER WHERE I'VE BEEN.

I'M HERE TODAY.

WHY SHOULD WE TRY

TO BRING BACK THE PAST?

REGRETS AND REMEMBRANCES

RETURN TOO FAST.

CAUGHT IN A HISTORY

WE CAN'T REARRANGE.

HAUNTED BY YESTERDAYS

NOTHING CAN CHANGE.

I KNOW IT'S WRONG,

BUT I WANT TO GO.

WATCHING YOU WATCHING ME,

I FINALLY KNOW

HOW MUCH I HURT YOU.

WHY CAN'T I EXPLAIN?

DEEP IN THE NIGHT I STILL

CALL OUT YOUR NAME.

DON'T LOOK SO HARD.

THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE.

JUST ME AND THE YEARS IT'S BEEN,

THE YEARS AND ME.

LAURA

I'm sorry Daddy. I have to go. I can't stay.

MR. BEANS

Don't you think it's been long enough?

LAURA

I can't forget Daddy. All this time and I can't forget. I hurts as much as it ever did.

MR. BEANS

You've got to let go of it Laura.

LAURA

I can't. You heard Tim. He had his hand on the bar. If anything happened to him I'd die all over again.

MR. BEANS

He's going to grow up Laura. Just like you did. You can't stop it. --- Come on, I'll take you to Miklos' tent.

LAURA

All right Daddy.

(THEY can't quite bring THEMSELVES to touch. MR. BEANS steps out of the trailer. The lights fade, leaving a pool of light on LAURA.)

SHAKE THE SAWDUST FROM MY SHOES,

SHAKE IT BACK ONTO THE GROUND,

LONG AGO I THOUGHT I'D FOUND

THE SECRET OF FORGETTING.

I DON'T WANT TO LOSE EVERYTHING ALL OVER AGAIN...

(SHE can't continue. SHE puts on HER hat and sunglasses then steps out of the trailer to join MR. BEANS. THEY exit.)

(BLACKOUT)

End of Scene 5