Color of Royalty

COLOR OF ROYALTY
by Claudia Acosta (currently in progess)

excerpt ACT ONE, SCENE ONE

Darkness. A door opens Light switches to illuminate the Reyes boxing gym. Freddy enters toting a pitiful Lucia holding her hand over a black eye.

FREDDY -Tu mama me va matar.
LUCIA - What was I going to do, Dad? They were snapping rubberbands in my hair! Those fucking cholas won't leave me alone.
FREDDY - Watch your mouth! You ignore them! YOU were not supposed to be a fighter, Lucia. Not you. What is the matter with you? You made me have to look at ese baboso, Jaime in the eye. That man can’t run a school to save his life!
LUCIA - He is such a jerk! Mr. Canales only likes the pretty girls. It's disgusting. He is always so mean to everyone else!
FREDDY - You got yourself suspended mija!
LUCIA - THEY WERE HARRASSING ME!
FREDDY - Calamate! And what about thirteen absences?
LUCIA - Whatever.
FREDDY - (firmly) Don't start with your mensadas! You can’t be skipping school!
LUCIA -Just…I don't know. I have them in three classes. It's a nightmare dad! They won't stop!
FREDDY - This is the first and last black eye you're going to get. Thought maybe my last princess would be the peaceful one.
LUCIA -Your going to teach me to fight?
FREDDY - My princess can't be getting black eyes. Your brothers can't be there. I can't be there. Diane won't be there. A Reyes doesn't get black eyes outside the ring-
LUCIA - But they can give them.
FREDDY - Exactly. So on your feet. Fists.

Lucia feebly puts her fists up. Freddy adjusts them and corrects her form. Freddy grabs the boxing pad and holds it up for her.

FREDDY - Jabs. Go. Keep your wrist flat. Knuckles straight ahead.
Lucia manages to get a good round of jabs.
FREDDY - Crosses. Go. Extend. Twist the foot. Push from the hip thru your shoulder.
LUCIA - You're my trainer, Dad?

She smiles

FREDDY - Just don't tell your mother

He smiles. She continues her crosses.

FREDDY -Push me back. More Power. Pull from your core. More shoulder.

Lucia throws one last punch with all effort.

LUCIA - I don't get how Rafa listens to Big Mike when he's in the corner. Big Mike is mean.
FREDDY -Trainer is the overseer, you see. The director.
LUCIA - Why does Big Mike get so mad all the time?
FREDDY - Rafa doesn't like to listen. Big Mike can see everything, like a director of a movie, but Rafa doesn't trust anybody. Ese Payaso seems to think it’s all him. He has always been a cocky motherfucker. Since he was baby. He knew what he had in him since the first time he was pushed down. He got back up and slammed your cousin Samuel with a right hook. I saw it. Pero Felipe, now that's another story all together. It just so happens he's got the solid talent. The quiet talent, the talent like lava ready to explode. But see, his power comes from the deepest place. His is rooted in the earth like a volcano. That one mija, is the greatest power. Fighters like Payaso, want to radiate, but they burn out. Lava though, see, is fire so concentrated it sticks to the earth and stays close. Rooted… and being rooted, mija, is all you need to win. Get up lets go. You want to do this. Lets go.
LUCIA -And what were you dad?
FREDDY -Lava. When it cools, it becomes rock, Lucia.
LUCIA -Yeah stone, dad. Like you are with Rafa. Why don't you talk to him? What is going to happen when he gets here?
FREDDY -It's between father and son, mija. Let’s go come on. I'm getting tired and your mother is going to kill me if she knows we are here.

cont'd