TRAIL
OF TEARS
WHY
IS THIS PLAY BEST FOR YOUR SCHOOL?
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(CHOSEN
turns upstage, SNOW runs in laughing. SHE carries 2 lacrosse sticks.
CHOSEN follows her in, bumping into BEAR, who is on his way out. BEAR
takes gun from him and exits.)
SNOW: (laughing)
You play like an old woman!
CHOSEN:
I play like an honest man!
SNOW:
Ha. Anyone can see you cheat!
CHOSEN:
Cheat! Me? You caught the ball in your hands!
SNOW:
I did not.
CHOSEN:
I saw you!
SNOW:
You're imagining things.
(SHE
starts to cross past HIM)
CHOSEN:
Imagining things?! Give me those sticks.
(HE
grabs sticks as SHE walks by. However, SHE doesn't let go of them
and allows herself to be pulled into CHOSEN. HE is visibly flustered
and turns away.)
CHOSEN:
Now I understand why girls can't play in the real game. You have no
respect for... for the rules!
SNOW:
Oh, for heaven's sake. Chosen One, calm down. You look all puffed up
like a big turkey. Bac - bac - bac!
(SNOW
imitates turkey.)
CHOSEN:
Now stop that. Stop!
SNOW:
Braach! Bracc! Brach!
CHOSEN:
I've had enough of this. I have work to do.
(Starts
to go, SNOW gets shoes, speaks over her shoulder.)
SNOW: (singing,
sweetly) Oh, Chosen One...
CHOSEN: (halts,
hesitates) Yes?
SNOW:
I found your shoes outside my house last night.
CHOSEN:
My shoes? Huh! They must have belonged to someone else.
SNOW:
They were your hunting shoes — the soft ones with the red beads.
I'm sure they belong to you.
(SHE
holds them up for him to see.)
CHOSEN:
Ah, well, yes. I must have dropped them...
(HE
goes to grab shoes. SNOW pulls them away and taunts HIM with them.)
CHOSEN:
Uh... dropped them by your...
(Again
SHE pulls away, laughing. After a few moments of this game CHOSEN is
quite agitated. SNOW suddenly drops the game and speaks directly to HIM.)
SNOW:
If you want to marry me you must ask me in plain terms. I've learned
a thing or two at the White Man's school. You can't just leave your
shoes outside a girl's door if you want her to marry you. (gives
him shoes) This is old fashioned.
CHOSEN:
Old fashioned?
SNOW:
An Indian tradition. It's very... backward, Chosen One. When a White
Man asks a woman to marry him, he goes down on one knee — like
this... (SHE demonstrates.) He takes off his hat, of course.
And he takes her hand like so. He says, "My lady, will you marry
me?" And he kisses her very lightly on the fingers.
(SHE
holds his hand, he is moved, lingers then draws his hand back and
moves away.)
CHOSEN:
I never heard of anything so... so...
SNOW:
Civilized. It's civilized, Chosen One. If any man ever wants to marry
me he must ask me in a civilized way. And, also, I expect presents.
CHOSEN: Presents?
SNOW:
Very nice presents.
CHOSEN:
But you are supposed to give me a deer skin coat and an ear of corn
and you are supposed to...
SNOW:
I want a gold ring.
CHOSEN: Gold!
SNOW:
Yes, and I'm supposed to wear it on this finger — like a lady.
CHOSEN:
You are not a white lady, you are a Cherokee woman. We have our own
way of doing things! For generations our people have been marrying in
the same way. The Cherokee way.
SNOW:
Very well, then. (turns away — then back) Don't forget
your shoes.
Note:
This is a sample from the actual script. To review the entire
play, order the PERUSAL SCRIPT (online instant download).
