SETTING:

Outside MIKLOS' tent.

AT RISE:

FIRENELLI enters.

FIRENELLI

Miklos! Miklos! Come out!

(MIKLOS answers from inside the tent.)

MIKLOS

What is it?

FIRENELLI

Miklos!

MIKLOS

All right. I am coming. I am coming.

(MIKLOS enters from HIS tent.)

FIRENELLI

Have you seen her? Angela?

MIKLOS

What?

FIRENELLI

She is gone.

MIKLOS

Where?

FIRENELLI

Miklos, you must help me. I am a wild man. I found Angela with David.

MIKLOS

Good. She likes him.

FIRENELLI

He is a clown.

MIKLOS

It is steady work. Be happy.

FIRENELLI

I hit him.

MIKLOS

What? Why did you hit him?

FIRENELLI

He is a clown.

MIKLOS

That is a good reason.

FIRENELLI

He was kissing my Angela. She is all I have left. With her my name dies.

MIKLOS

There is another Firenelli.

FIRENELLI

Where is he? What does he know of Firenelli? He is as dead to me as my son. Now, when I should have a grandson to teach, I have nothing.

MIKLOS

Let Angela have her way. There will be another grandson.

FIRENELLI

A son of that clumsy clown? Talk with Angela. She will listen to you. She must forget this clown. The trapeze is her life. She must eat by it, breath by it, she must give her children to it, or it will take her as surely as it took my Bobby.

MIKLOS

For a metal bar hung by two ropes it asks a lot.

FIRENELLI

Talk with her.

(MIKLOS crosses to HIS tent. FIRENELLI starts to follow HIM.)

MIKLOS

Wait!

(MIKLOS stops HIM.)

I will settle it. I will talk to her and I will talk to you. I will talk to everybody. You wait here and we will all talk. We will have ourselves a little party. Stay here!

(MIKLOS exits into HIS tent. There is a short pause. HE reenters with MR. BEANS.)

Look who I found. Another clown. Don't hit him.

MR. BEANS

What?!

(MIKLOS exits into HIS tent once more. There is an uncomfortable silence. MIKLOS reenters, pulling LAURA behind HIM. SHE is still wearing HER hat and sunglasses.)

MIKLOS

Our party is getting better all the time. Take off that silly hat!

(LAURA takes off HER hat and sunglasses.)

What do you say Roberto?

FIRENELLI

Laura!

MIKLOS

Ah, I forget! You are old friends. Laura, where are your manners?

LAURA

Hello Roberto.

MIKLOS

Hello Roberto. Such eloquence. Don't worry Roberto, we are not done yet.

FIRENELLI

What...

MIKLOS

Quiet! This is my party.

(MIKLOS stands by the door to HIS tent and talks into it.)

Come now. There is no one here to hurt you.

(TIM enters from the tent. HE is confused and a little bit afraid of FIRENELLI.)

TIM

Mom?

(TIM goes to LAURA and puts HIS arms around HER. SHE puts a hand on HIS shoulder. FIRENELLI puts it all together.)

FIRENELLI

Him?

MIKLOS

Everybody knows but you. You are blind from spinning around and about that precious trapeze of yours. Roberto, may I present to you Tim Smith, or if you prefer, Roberto Timothy Firenelli.

FIRENELLI

Can I see him?

MIKLOS

I feel like Ellery Queen. Tell him yes Laura.

(LAURA hesitates.)

Laura!

LAURA

Tim, this is your grandfather Roberto.

(TIM takes a step away from HIS mother. HE is afraid to go to FIRENELLI.)

MIKLOS

Roberto, you are a fool. Finally, your grandson has come back and you have made him afraid of you.

(MIKLOS exits into HIS tent.)

TIM

Why did you hit David?

FIRENELLI

You have heard Miklos. I am a fool.

(FIRENELLI turns to MR. BEANS. MR. BEANS motions HIM to TIM. FIRENELLI and TIM cross to EACH OTHER. FIRENELLI hesitantly places HIS hands on TIM'S shoulders. HE then picks HIM up and embraces HIM tightly.)

You are too much for me now. A man almost. The last time I held you I could put you in one hand. Your mother was afraid I'd drop you. But a Firenelli never falls.

(HE thinks of Bobby. HE puts TIM down as MIKLOS enters, DAVID in one hand, ANGELA in the other. HE drops THEIR hands. ANGELA crosses to LAURA. DAVID crosses to be beside HER. LAURA puts HER arm around ANGELA'S shoulder. There is a moment of uneasy silence. DAVID and ANGELA are afraid of ROBERTO. HE looks at THEM, at LAURA, at TIM. There is a pause.)

FIRENELLI

(To MR. BEANS.) You have known all this time. I know you have known where she is but wouldn't tell me.

MR. BEANS

I didn't know. I swear, I didn't.

MIKLOS

He is telling the truth Roberto. George could never keep a secret. Because of that Laura ran away from even him. She has hidden from all of us.

FIRENELLI

Why Laura? He is my grandson.

MR. BEANS

And mine.

TIM

Will you teach me the trapeze?

LAURA

No! We have to go home.

(SHE crosses to TIM.)

TIM

I don't want to go home. I want to learn the trapeze.

LAURA

No.

FIRENELLI

Laura, this is my grandson. He is the next Firenelli.

MIKLOS

Stop Roberto. Be quiet.

FIRENELLI

I cannot stop. What is true ten years ago is true still today.

TIM

I won't go.

LAURA

Don't you remember Bobby?

FIRENELLI

(quietly) Bobby was my son.

LAURA

And you killed him.

MR. BEANS

Laura!

LAURA

You took him away from us forever!

MR. BEANS

That's not fair Laura.

FIRENELLI

A Firenelli must fly. If he doesn't fly he is dead already.

(LAURA takes TIM by the hand.)

LAURA

We have to go.

(LAURA starts to drag TIM off but FIRENELLI intercepts HER and puts HIS hand on HER shoulder to stop HER.)

ANGELA

Leave her alone Papa!

LAURA

Let go of me.

TIM

But Mom, I want to stay here!

LAURA

We're going.

MR. BEANS

We leave tomorrow. Laura!

(LAURA exits right with TIM. There is a pause as FIRENELLI looks out after THEM. HIS eyes harden.)

FIRENELLI

Angela! We have a show to do.

(At HER father's command ANGELA pulls reluctantly away from DAVID. FIRENELLI and ANGELA exit left. DAVID looks forlornly after ANGELA. MIKLOS and MR. BEANS stand together.)

MIKLOS

Well, that was a nice hello.

(BLACKOUT)

End of Scene 8