Waiting for Redman
By Paul Clark
Summary
A modernised interpretation of Jacob's meeting with Esau. An event that
forced Jacob to face and wrestle with his demons before God and which I
think finally led him to faith in God. We too may need to wrestle with
God over those we need to be reconciled with and ask for forgiveness from.
Inspired from a sermon by Rev. Nerida Drake.
Scripture
Genesis 32 & 33.
Characters
Two-face
Jack
Steve
Redman
Script
(Scene: Two-face is sitting watching TV in his share house when his flat
mates come home with some disturbing news.)
Jack: (Enters, pleased with his news) Hey Two-face, guess who I just
saw in town? Red your brother.
Two-face: (A bit disturbed but hiding it) So?
Jack: Thought you'd like to know so you can run and hide like last
time.
Two-face: Hey I didn't run and hide. I just went away for a while,
that's all.
Jack: Like I said, run and hide! (Sitting down)
Steve: (Enters, to Two-face) Hey, you’ll never guess who I just ran
into down the pub. Your brother! I didn’t know you had a brother. (Sitting
down) Mate is he keen to see you. Is he a boxer of something? Pretty buff!
Jack: I’ve heard he’s been in training all these years to get back
at a bloke who double crossed him.
Steve: Wouldn’t like to be that poor sod.
Two-face: You didn’t tell him our phone number or anything.
Steve: What sort of friend do you take me for? I mean he’s your brother,
I invited him around!
Two-face: (Stands up, starting to worry, pacing the room) Oh no!
Steve: What did I do?
Jack: You just dobbed in the poor sod!
Steve: Don’t tell me. Two-face you idiot, double crossed your own brother!
Now don’t worry, I didn’t think you’d be in till morning. You’ve got plenty
of time to skip town.
Jack: Yeah, boork, boork (chicken noises)
Two-face: (Two-face has grabbed a cricket bat and is wringing the handle
with worry) I don’t know this time. I’ve been running for too long.
Steve: (To Jack) What did he do anyway?
Jack: This fool played favourites with his parents. Played his mother
against his father to get what he wanted. When his father finally carked
it, stole off with the stuff that should have been his brothers.
Steve: Corr!
Two-face: It wasn’t like that, I won it fair and square in a bet.
Jack: Yeah, the sort of bet you have when the other bloke thinks you’re
joking!
Steve: Mate, Two-face. I thought some of your business scams were a
bit oily, but that one takes the cake.
Jack: Where do you think he got his nick-name. It might as well be
his birth name, Two-faced!
Steve: No wonder his brother’s seeing red, he, he. Get it, red, his
brother's name.
Jack: Stay off the humour Steve, leave that to me.
Two-face: What am I gonna do?
Jack: Run like always. We’ll look after your stuff!
Two-face: I’m tired of running.
Jack: Should have thought about that before you started ripping people
off.
Two-face: (Looks at his bat, has an idea) Steve, can you do me a favour
mate?
Steve: Sure. I’ll look after you bat while you’re gone. (Stands up
and takes the bat)
Two-face: No, I want you to take it, take it back to the pub where
you saw my brother and give it to him as a gift, from me.
Jack: (Standing to his feet, grabbing the bat) Whoa, hold it, hold
it. Time out here. No way man. This is your ashes bat. Signed by both teams
after the 2003 ashes tour. You can’t give this away. You won this fair
and square at that cock fight, I was there. (Looking at the bat) Who would
have thought Phil Tuffnell would have captained England?
Two-face: I’m sorry Jack. (Takes the bat and gives it back to Steve)
This is the only way. Take it Steve.
Steve: If you say so. (Steve leaves)
Two-face: And Jack, take this to my brother (Hands him a war medal)
Jack: (Doesn’t take it, hands up defensively) No way man. This is what
started all this. I don’t want to get involved. Why did you steal your
old man’s war medals in the first place.
Two-face: You’re right. I stole them. I’ve been living a lie all these
years. These were my father’s prized possessions. They meant everything
to him. So much pain and suffering. They were who he was. He wanted his
name to live on through them, through his son. His perfect son. I never
matched up. Couldn’t hunt or dig. It wasn’t my fault I was better at business,
corporate work. But my old man was blue collar through and through.
I think it’s time I did the one thing that would make my father proud.
Get my life and his family back together.
Jack: You can’t buy your way out of this one.
Two-face: I just need to buy some time. Time to think. Think and pray.
Jack: Pray? You must be serious. Or going bonkers.
Two-face: I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious. But I’m new at
this; honesty.
Jack: (Taking the medal) Sure mate. I’ll do it. I’ll take this to him.
Don’t know what I’ll say, but I’ll think of something.
Two-face: Thanks mate (Jack leaves. Two-face falls to his knees.) Hey
God. If you’re up there. The one my father used to pray to. I can’t even
remember your name. Hey, I need you. I’m lost, broken. I don’t know what
to do. My life’s a mess. One scam after another. One broken deal after
another. Gee, I’ve hurt a lot of people along the way. What about
my family? My parents? I think they both died of broken hearts ‘cause of
me. I don’t know what to do. My brother’s going to kill me. My friend’s
right, I only know how to buy my way out, but not this time, not with Red.
I’ve heard that your way is forgiveness, but I can’t even forgive myself.
How would Red ever do it. I can’t even ask, don’t even know why you’re
listening. What was your name?
Sound effects: a storm with rain, wind, lightening and thunder.
Two-face: Take me, God. Kill me. Do it with Red. It doesn’t matter
any more. I deserve to die, the way I’ve lived, the way I’ve treated people.
But if you let me live I’ll change my ways. I’ll serve you always. Get
my life straightened out. Patch up things with all those people. All those
people! I’ll live like my old man, for the benefit of others, not for myself
any more. Either way I’m a dead man. Do you hear me God? Do you?
Ha! Listen to me. Trying to bargain with God. Take me God. I’m yours. Can
you hear me? Can you? Are you for real? Touch me. Send me a sign so I’ll
know. I’m not going away. I’m here God. Broken but willing. You better
take me Lord or you’re never going to get any peace. You think this storm
scares me! Arghhhh! (Falls to the ground) Oh my hip (Trying to get
up). What happened? It’s out of joint. (Jolts his body as if getting it
back in) Arghh. Man, when I asked for a touch Lord I didn’t mean that hard!
(The storm has gone and it’s morning.)
Steve: (Enters, sheepishly) Man, what a storm last night.
Two-face: I’ll say.
Steve: Urm, there’s someone here to see you. (In comes Red, looking
big and mean)
Two-face: Redman.
Redman: What’s the big idea behind this cricket bat, and Dad’s medals?
(Showing them).
Two-face: You can have the cricket bat. But you deserve the medal.
You are the one who has done dad proud.
Redman: Rubbish.
Two-face: Look I’m sorry Bro, for the mess I’ve made of things.
Redman: (Taking Two-face in his arms and giving him an affectionate
headlock.) Come here you big boof. I’ve forgiven you for all that. Wasn’t
going to let that spoil my life. I own half of South Australia. Since they
discovered the remedial benefits of rabbit meat I’ve become a multi millionaire.
Even have the original of that cricket bat, not a dodgy copy.
Two-face: It’s a copy?
Redman: Mark Waugh - W A R? Come on.
Two-face: Then you forgive me?
Redman: Yeah. Don’t you remember anything from those old Bible stories
Dad used to tell us? (Two-face shakes his head no) Always plotting, never
listening, Victor.
Steve: Victor?
Two-face: My real name.
Redman: Come on then Bro, let’s go have a beer together, for old times
sake.
Two-face: Sure thing (They start to leave).
Redman: You know, I think you’re starting to do Dad proud, all this
forgiveness.
Two-face: Maybe.
Redman: And I bet you’ve forgotten something else.
Two-face: What?
Redman: His name is Jesus. (They exit)
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© Paul Clark 2002. All rights reserved. For use at not for profit
events only. You can use the drama for free but please e-mail and let me
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