Day 92

Scene 14

The porch empty, clearly unused.A couple and Jaime show up. Jaime has a key and is touring them around the place.

Jaime: It's a nice place. Folks here before were getting ready to restart the orchard.

Woman: Really? Could you?

Jaime: Oh certainly. They had filed for the water rights and it was all set.

Man: Then why didn't they do it?

Jaime: They were from the east.

Woman: So are we. Does that stop someone?

Jaime: Pardon. No senora. I just meant they weren't from nearby and something happened back where they used to live. So, they couldn't stay.

Man: Ah. Well, I think were pretty safe from that. We don't have the “sandwich” problem. Our folks are gone and we didn't have children.

Woman: An orchard would be nice; it seems cozy somehow.

Jaime: They do require care.

Man: I'll bet you know someone who could do the work.

Jaime (a pause): Well, si, yes, of course. Though if you want to be profitable . . .

Man: Well, I don't want to pour money down the drain, but I've made my bundle. A little loss-leader might be just the thing for Uncle Sam anyway.

The 100th day

I hope to catch up with the last 8 or 9 posts so that I have my 100, but on this the 100th day, I wanted at least to acknowledge the moment. I had really wanted to cross the line on time having posted everyday.  Nevertheless it has been a great experience and I've gotten a lot written so the community has been a great thing. Congratulations to all who've been on the journey, and especially to those of you who really did it for all 100 days!

Day 91

Scene 13

Porch, May on phone, Jaime standing just off the porch

May: I don't know where he is. He hasn't called you has he? . . . I'll try Frank . . . our lawyer back in Connecticut. . . . I don't know, but if it has to do with the orchard, that's money and that's Frank. . . . Ok, love you. I'll let you know. (she dials) Hi It's May Callahan, is Frank available? . . . Has my husband called in the last day? . . . No? Ok. . . . No, no, that's fine. Thanks. (hangs up) Shit.

Jaime: Senora?

May: Yes?

Jaime: I need to go home, but I will check in town to see if anyone has word of him. I'll ask Pedro at the Conoco first. If he was leaving town, he probably would have filled up first.

May: Well, I would, but I don't know if Henry would. But it's a good plan. Thank you Jaime. Call if you have any news.

Jaime: Si. Yes, senora. Good night. (he exits)

(May gets up goes in carrying her phone, and comes out with a glass of water and stands sipping from it. Her phone rings from inside.)

May: Where? What the . . . crap. (She runs inside) Hello? Hello? . . . Jesse? . . . From where? Why didn't he call me? . . .

Day 90

May: What is the problem?

Henry: No idea? Seriously?

May: Seriously.

Henry: Ok. I'll get back to my book then. (he exits inside).

May: Henry? (she grabs duffel and heads inside) Henry. (Henry appears briefly at side of house heading off toward orchard. A few moments later May reappears on porch and calls out) Henry?

Fade to black.

Scene 12

later that day

(May is sitting on porch with an absent expression. Jaime approaches)

Jaime: Senora, you are back. I heard you were in town, so came out.

May: What's been going on?

Jaime: Going on?

May: What have you and Henry been up to?

Jaime: Senora, I came out right after you left. I told him how much it pleased me that you wanted to run the place, not just, just live here. He didn't seem to think much of that. But then a few days later I heard he was moving on the water rights.

May: And what did you do then?

Jaime: Nothing. He said you hadn't made a decision but you were leaning against it.

May: I was leaning against it?

Jaime: No. The two of you. He said, “We haven't made a decision.”

May: But then he did I guess.

Jaime (shaking his head): I don't think so. My friend is a friend of your lawyer's. He said he was like all gringos, pardon, just trying to get the water for himself.

May: No. Well, I don't think so. He said it wouldn't make any sense to be thinking about the orchard unlesss we knew for sure we could get the water.

Jaime: There are no guarantees on a farm. You can have all the paper and the plans in the world, and if the rains don't come, or the locusts do . . .

May: We would say all the more reason to have as much secured as you can.

Jaime: No guarantees, nothing is ever secured.

May: Well, I wouldn't use that argument on Henry or you'll never see us a pick an apple.

Jaime: Are you going to do it?

May: I . . . 30 minutes ago I would have said no. I don't know. I need to find Henry.

Black

Day 89

 Day 89

May: I only just go here. No problem. What were you doing at town hall?

Henry: Looking at property lines and the acequia.

May: I realize I was gone more than a week, but I thought the deal was to let the idea go for awhile.

Henry: For a week. Jaime came by and that got me thinking about the rights and it just made sense to get those taken care of if we could. Wouldn't make sense to say yes or no if it was going to be moot point anyway.

May: So do we have them?

Henry: Mel, the attorney, filed the paperwork, but lots of agencies look at it I guess and it can be challenged by other landholders—thus the trip to town hall.

May: County hall right?

Henry: Well yes, that's right. So what course did you take? Something on apples?

May: What? No! It was an overview of the latest research on the Mayan languages. An adavantage to having a daughter at a major university.

Henry: You stayed for 5 weeks to get caught up on Mayan not doing something that might make your project more feasible?

May: We agreed to let the idea just lie fallow.

Henry: For a week. But when you stayed, I assumed you . . . well I guess this proves the old adage.

May: What?

Henry: When we assume we make an ass of “u” and me.

Day 88

 (he goes back in and gets his laptop and starts to write. Stops. Starts. Stops. Phone rings—it's the climax of the 1812 Overture)

Henry: May! Hi, how are you? How's Jessie? . . . . Another week? . . . . Jaime stopped by . . . . I know . . . . I didn't tell him to . . . . well, actually I called the attorney and told him to go ahead with the work to get the water rights because it seemed we ought to at least be sure of that, it's important to know what our rights are regardless of what we decide . . . . I'm glad you're having a good time . . . . miss you . . . . I'm eating fine . . . . ok. Love you. Bye.

(Sips beer. Starts to write. Stops. Starts. Stops. Get's up and crosses to steps off porch)

Henry: Guess I should take a good look at what we're talking about. (crosses off in direction of orchard)

Scene 10

Henry: Jessie? Yes. How are you? School going alright? . . . Good. And Brian? . . . Oh. Well, sometimes a break is good. . . . Yeah, and sometimes not. Is your mom there? . . . Oh. . . . A class? She's signed up for a class? . . . . No, didn't say a thing to me. . . . I don't think so. Do you know something I don't? . . . . Sure, we didn't agree about the orchard, but we haven't agreed on lots of things over the years; we always work our way through. We'll find a middle ground. I'm actually getting intrigued by the orchard. . . . Ok, well ask her to call me when she's back.

Day 87

Henry: No.

Jaime: You do not think there is such a thing as different cultures? You do not think the ways did not change when the anglos came first, and then when they came again after the war to build missiles, and now to . . . retire?

Henry: I think blaming a race for something is a pretty dangerous concept.

Jaime (smiles): In my experience anglos only feel that way when someone refers to them as a race.

Henry: Look, I'd be the first to admit that whi . . . anglos have held racist attitudes but that doesn't mean that reversing the process is any better.

Jaime: Yes, you are always the first to admit that. I will be going señor. I hope you reconsider the orchard.

Henry: I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Jaime: No, I won't.

Scene 9

(Henry alone on the porch, talking on the phone)

Henry: Well, it seems worth it just to establish our rights to the water. . . . . Yes, I understand that the right only holds if we actually are operating the grove, but we can't proceed with that without being sure we have the water rights. . . . . Can't we get the rights before we incorporate? . . . . Ok. Well try, and if we have to do the incorporation we will. But there's a cap, ok. If the costs of this start to spiral we pull the plug. . . . Ok.

(sighs, goes in and gets a beer and returns)

Henry: What in hell am I doing?