Come See the Paradise

SCENE 1

MINI:

Why are we so early?

LILY:

It's good to be early.

MINI:

Do you ever worry that you won't recognize him, Mama?

LILY:

You recognize me, don't you? Why shouldn't you recognize him?

MINI:

Well, he might have grown a beard or a mustache or something, and

I was so little...I only think I remember him. Do you think

he'll remember me?

LILY:

Well, he has all your photographs and all the letters that you

wrote him. And he has all your school reports and...

MINI:

You sent him my school reports?

LILY:

Well, of course I did. I wanted to let him know how well you're

doing. Come on, now. I've got some tea and some rice cakes

here. We'll have a nice talk while we're walking, okay? Let's

go.

MINI:

How far do we have to go?

LILY:

Not far.

MINI:

If we have so much time, why are you walking so fast? I

shouldn't have worn these new shoes. I think I have a blister.

LILY:

Try not to think about it. You want to look pretty now, don't

you?

MINI:

Can we talk about Papa?

LILY:

Okay.

SCENE 2Movie theater, Brooklyn, New York, 1936

SCENE 3

JACK:

It wasn't what was planned. It wasn't agreed in committee.

BRENNAN:

Smoke bomb. Fire bomb. What the f*ck's the difference, kid?

JACK:

A bunch of people could have gotten killed. That's the f*ckin'

difference!

BRENNAN:

Hey, look kid. You got the right interests but the wrong

attitude.

JACK:

It wasn't agreed in committee!

BRENNAN:

F*ck the committee! Hey, this is Brooklyn, not Petrograd! It's

just another way of negotiating. All these animals who own the

theaters...this is all they understand. Augie, talk to this guy

for Christ's sakes, will ya?

AUGIE:

It's just a different way of doing business, Jack.

JACK:

Business my ass!

AUGIE:

The result is the same. You want to unionize these morons you

gotta kick 'em in the crotch before you even get 'em to the

table. Now it's like Mr. Brennan says, whatever way you look at

it, it's negotiation.

JACK:

Oh Augie, don't let him give you that...

BRENNAN:

Here's three hundred. Take a vacation. Go read some more books,

sonny boy. You're outta here.

JACK:

What?

BRENNAN:

Out! Bye-bye! Adios!

AUGIE:

That pretty usherette with the doo-da hairdo got a pretty good

look at you, Jack. And there ain't too many good looking

Irishmen with burned hands in Brooklyn.

JACK:

Just spit it out, Augie.

AUGIE:

Things are different, Jack. To these guys you're trouble, okay?

You know every statute on the law books by heart. But you've got

principles. And you got politics. And that ain't how they want

to do things right now. This is a different union and they're

scared of you.

JACK:

What, of these?

AUGIE:

Of your mouth, Jack. Please, take the money. Else next time you

might get burned so bad, you won't need bandages.

SCENE 4

REIKO:

He says to thank your father for inviting them to perform in

America.

LILY:

Oh. Yes, Papa's crazy that way.

ACTOR:

Why doesn't she speak Japanese?

REIKO:

She only speaks Japanese at mealtimes.

ACTOR:

Then perhaps I could take her to dinner.

REIKO:

He says...

LILY:

I know what he said...Tell him it's unlucky to make a pass on the

stairs, okay?

REIKO:

It doesn't translate! (TO ACTOR): I guess she just blew you

away, buster.

PAPA K:

This is Harry. He's an actor in American movies...thinks he's

Sessue Hayakawa...but all he plays is Chinese houseboys, can you

imagine? We've come all this way to be Chinamen? May I

introduce my wife? This is Joyce.

MAN:

She's very pretty.

PAPA K:

This is Charlie...and this is LILY. Charlie is only interested

in baseball. LILY has every man in Little Tokyo chasing her.

But can she find a husband?

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