Keystone XL Monologue

Leave Me Be

(It opens to a police questioning room, he is sitting at the hard metal table as the officer walks in) God, why am I here? You interrupt me from my sleep for nothing, huh? I ain’t never do nothin’! All you do is arrest people for no reason? I want my lawyer, everyone has the right to a lawya! What?.. Who are you to ask me to my name? You should know that ya damn baboon. All right, all right, all right. My name is Hugh Callous, ya happy?...No? Ha that makes two of us.

You know I don’t have time for this. I have sleep to get, and the soup kitchen isn’t gonna be open forever. You’re men shouldn’t be worried so much about me, with all them damn people in front of the white house how the hell am I supposed to get any sleep? All I hear is “Pipeline, Pipeline, Pipeline!” Tell ‘em damned people to shut the hell up. I should I have to care about a pipeline? What? Why would I be involved in that? You think me of all people would be slumping it at a protest for some hippies. No...I do not know the frickn’ leader of the hippy hounds. Can I leave now? A mans gotta eat, and you police gotta eat your donuts.

I don’t care why ‘em people are out there. I don’t think I should have to, I just want some sleep. SLEEP! Yeah I get it, they don’t want you to build your dumb pipeline thats only gonna make people sick and I know a thing or two about being sick. Ya’ll just want some more money and don’t care about where it lands people. Jobs..? You wanna talk to me about jobs? Do I look like I have a job? I haven’t worked in 20 years because of this crap economy, my boy is in foster home because’a you people. Talk’n bout jobs.. ya’ll ever thought about who’s jobs you’ll be taken, did ya? 7 million bucks, for what? Some frick’n oil and this country can’t even give people a damn job at a grocery store. If ya would just give them what they want, they’d shut their snouts and people like me get some damn rest. Ain’t nobody asking for some 1,179 mile metal tube through the damn country. Now let me go, cans aint gonna collect themselves.

(The police officer turns to leave) Where in the hella ya goin’? I want my phone call fool. Aye, dontcha touch me I can walk my damn self. Wheres this phone of yours? ....Well, thank you I appreciate it, damn idiot..

(He picks up the phone and dials a number) Ahem...Hello.. May I speak to Raine? Who am I? I’m his daddy, now put him on the phone... Hey bud, how’s it goin’? Is everything all right? That’s good. Listen..Dad’s gone and got himself arrest for being at the wrong place at the wrong time...Why? Well theres a big protest against this big ugly pipelin--you know about it? Is that right? No I don’t think its right but you know how America is, son.. I’ll get to you soon, I promise..Happy 10th birthday Raine..I love ya too..I’ll see ya real soon and I’ll give ya your present. Bye bud..

Papa Come Back

(It opens to a farm house and a little girl is standing in the kitchen with her book bag.) Mommy! Mommy where are you? Are you home yet? Mommy! Mama you didn’t pick me up from school!

(She goes on to the living room.)

Pa wake up!.... Why are you yelling at me? Am I in trouble? No..but pa where were you all day..where’s mama? What’s a protest..? Daddy why is mama protesting your job. Don’t you need that? But..Why would she think its bad if its good for us?.. Environment? Daddy I wanna talks to mama.

(She takes the phone as it rings.) Mama! Come home! What’s the environment?...A pipeline? So the pipeline is bad for the pigs and people..the piggies will get hurt...NO! Mama I wanna help you! Mommy! Don’t hang up! Mama, please I wanna help! Pa why you takin’ the phone from me? But, what if the piggies die! Mama said that if they do the pipeline thingy that our water will be oily and the piggies and people will get sick. Pa please I wanna talk to Mama. (She sobs uncontrollably) What if you get sick, Pa! Stop yelling at me! You's a people aintcha Pa!? I’m a people right? I wanna go with mama! I don’t wanna get sick, Pa, I don’t want our family to die daddy... I gotta help ma, and you keep yelling at me!... It’s your job? But why you wanna work there, Pa?..Where are you goin’?

(Her father leaves and she goes to her room.) God, help me? Why is Pa so mean? Why does his job make him mean? I wish he was nice ‘gain, like he use be to me when he worked on the farm with us and Grandma...Now he’s just rude..He’s mean to Mama too and Grandma and even the piggies.. Mama says that he is just over worked and the chemicals are gettin’ to him..those oils and junk...Mama says a lot of people are workin’ on that big ugly black thang...Pa says we need money for nice things, but I don’t want nice things..I want my Pa back..he don’t even call me Tami no more..He calls me Tamila or girl now..please help me God.. He’ll end up sick if that oil spills. Let Pa find a different job..Mama said he wasn’t gon’ have it long, please get him another one thats happy and that makes Pa..Pa..

God Help Me

(He paces through his living room frustrated.) Oh lord, what have I done? I’ve hurt my baby. My wife is gonna hate me when she gets back. Oh Tami darlin’ don’t be upset with me. Why is my family bein’ so damn difficult? I need a job and everyone’s yellin’ at me, sayin’ that I need to quit. What am I gon’ do if I quit, lord?

The farm...the farms done.. We can barely keep our live stock up never mind them crops. What am I to do if we can’t pay this damn morage? We need some money. If this job is only short term, who cares...atleast we got some food on the table.

Michelle says that we don’t need no more oil in this country but I think it’ll be good for us. Nobody gotta worry ‘bout nothin’. Not worried about nobodies oil but our own. She sayin’ I’m losing it but I think I’m fine. I got a job and that’s all I need, don’t matter if I have a few drinks on the way ha. They ain’t got no right. Michelle is protestin’ against the line today and I don’t understand why. Its just a lil money that the countries gotta spend for somethin’ that’ll help us all. That woman always ‘bout the enviroment… now she’s digging ditches into our daughter’s head.

Everybody knows that oil can’t get in our water. I mean Nebraska can fix it with all the new taxes we gon’ get, right? $58.1 billion tax dollars they can fix a lil bit of water. I mean we’re gon’ be alright aren’t we, lord? Michelle is starting to say how I need to choose between the family and the job. How in the hell does she expect me to do that. I got one of the 20,000 jobs.. they should be proud of me.

Maybe...maybe it isn’t even worth it..my baby girls face when I yelled...it-it broke my heart.. I should listen to my family. I wouldn’t be nowhere without em, no matter how annoyin’ they can get. I’m gonna quit for my my family...for my baby.. for my wife.. f-for this damn farm even..it’s not worth given up. God you're always so helpful...