LIFE AT 21 LANE

a play in one act by

Austin Mitchell

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3 AUDIOBOOK COLLECTIONS

6 BOOK COLLECTIONS
This play is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual events or locales or persons living
or dead are entirely coincidental.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS:

MAIN CHARACTERS:
DARLENE: Twenty-two-year-old basic school teacher

PRISCILLA: Twenty-five-year-old business woman

WELLER: Fifteen-year-old schoolboy, reputed gunman

BANJO: Fifty-three-year-old jack of all trades

TINY: Thirty-year-old barmaid

GWEN: Forty-five-year-old business woman

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

JUICY BARNES: Twenty-year-old reputed gunman

PABLO: Eighteen-year-old reputed gunman

JONATHAN: Thirty-year-old bus driver

SIDNEY: Removal van driver

SERGEANT BRENT WRIGHT: Forty-five-year-old

policeman

MEDA: Thirty-one-year-old factory worker

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CORPORAL SAM JEPSON: Thirty-six-year-old

policeman

CORPORAL JACK WINSTON: Thirty-three-year-old

policeman

CONSTABLE EVERALD NOTICE: Twenty-six-year-

old

policeman

TREVAN ‘DEUCE’ MC KOY: Seventeen-year-old

reputed gunman

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5
Table of Contents: Page:

Scene 1 7-16

Scene 2 17-28

Scene 3 29-36

Scene 4 37-42

Scene 5 43-47

Scene 6 48-57

Footnotes 58-58

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 SCENE ONE
(In Priscilla’s living room. There are some couches, whatnot,
entertainment center. A flat screen television set sits in the
middle of the entertainment center.)

DARLENE (Sitting on a couch): Where is Wella? How

come he hasn’t come home from school as yet? Today, big
Friday evening, that boy is joking. I can bet that all the
teachers and students have gone home.

PRISCILLA: Are you sure that he went to school?

DARLENE: From our mother died, he has gotten from bad

to worse. Mister Banjo never even came here one day to talk
to him. He is a real dead stock.

PRISCILLA: You can say that again. Anyway, they have

some new schools where bad boys like him can go.

DARLENE: Let us try to get him into one of them. I don’t

want him to go anywhere and get mixed up with bad company
again.(Enter Banjo. He is dressed in jeans, t’ shirt, a pair of
long boots and dark glasses. He is clean shaven and has a bald
head)

PRISCILLA: Mister Banjo, what are you doing here? You

never heard that mummy died, look how long now?

BANJO: How could I have heard? I was working down in St.

Elizabeth.

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DARLENE: She is dead and buried. We phoned you. We
sent messages. Lord Mister Banjo, you could have treated her
better than that.

PRISCILLA: It must have been Gwen, who stopped him

from coming. Look at what mummy did for you and you
treated her so bad.

BANJO: I lost my phone. That’s why you weren’t hearing

from me. (Bows his head, then covers it with his hands.)

DARLENE: We know that you and our mother broke up a

long time ago, but at least you could have phoned us to find
out about her. You must have known that she was sick and in
and out of the hospital.

BANJO: It’s just last week that I got back another phone and
I decided to come and find out if everybody was all right.
Everybody I talked to on my way up here said that she got a
good turning out.

DARLENE: Lots of people came and I never heard anybody

complaining that they never got enough to eat or drink.

BANJO: I’m glad to hear that. Where is Wella?

PRISCILLA: We were just talking about him. Look how long

school over and he hasn’t come home yet.

BANJO: Are you sure that he went to school? All he’s good
for is to keep bad company. Police will soon come for him.

BANJO: Anyway, that’s not what I came here to talk about.

Where is Roselyn’s bank book?

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PRISCILLA: What did you say, Mister Banjo? Repeat what
you just said. You are asking for our mother’s bank book?

BANJO: So, what’s wrong if I ask about it? It’s only the two
of us names were in it and now that she is dead, I want it.

DARLENE: (Laughs) So you never knew that she took out

your name and put Priscilla’s and my name in there. It’s the
money that she had in there we used to bury her. We are using
the balance to send Wella to school.

BANJO: (Stands up) Both of you are lying. The amount of

money that was in the account would bury Roselyn and still
leave money to educate Wella up to University level. I bet that
it will soon finish. I bet that both of you went in there and
used it off. When it finishes, don’t come to me for any money
for Wella. I’m going to the bank on Monday to find out about
it.

PRISCILLA: Mister Banjo, from our mother died, six months

now, this is the first time we are seeing you. Where were you
all this time? You claimed that you lost your phone. Look how
cheap phones are, you should be able to buy another one. I
know that you are lying.

BANJO: That’s none of your business, girl and I want both of

you off the place too. How soon can you come off? I
promised Gwen and my brother’s woman, Naomi, to move
them up here by next week. And remember that it’s only your
clothes you have here. I own all of the furniture and
everything else.

PRISCILLA: Darlene, it seems as if Mister Banjo is not in his

right mind. Go and call Aunt Ruby for me. Are you getting
mad, Mister Banjo? My mother’s will read and she left the
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place to me, Darlene and Wella. I never saw you bringing any
furniture here yet. And you took everything that you owned
with you when you were leaving the last time.(Exits Darlene)

BANJO: I am going down to Sammy’s bar. And you see, if by

the time I come back the two of you don’t take out your
belongings, I am going to throw them out onto the sidewalk
and I’m not responsible for what happens to them. (Exits
Banjo)

PRISCILLA: What a wicked man, Mister Banjo is turning out

to be. Look how our mother looked after that man and in her
hour of need he was nowhere to be found. God is going to
give him his reward though. (Enter Wella)

PRISCILLA: Look at the time you are coming home from

school, boy.

WELLA: What’s that to you? That’s none of your business.

PRISCILLA: Who are you being fresh with, boy? (Boxes

Wella’s face)

WELLA: What did you boxed me for? Is it you who is

sending me to school? From my mother died any of you
business with me?(Enter Gwen, she is Banjo’s woman. She
carries a broom and other implements, she is humming a tune)

PRISCILLA: Where are you going, Miss Gwen?

GWEN: What are you doing here, Priscilla? Banjo told me

that, you, Darlene and Wella moved up to Miss Ruby’s house.
He said that he ran you off the place because none of you have
any manners to him and it’s us he wants to live here. My sister,

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Naomi has gone to look for our mother. She isn’t coming here
until tomorrow evening.

WELLA: (Still has his hand over where Priscilla had boxed
him) What is she saying, Priscilla? Banjo doesn’t want us to
live here anymore?

PRISCILLA: Miss Gwen, I know that you have children for

Mister Banjo and Miss Naomi, is his brother, Scully’s woman.
Nothing what Mister Banjo told you is true. I am begging you
to just come out of my place. You know me already and know
that I’m a very serious woman. (Enter Darlene)

DARLENE: I don’t see Aunt Ruby, Priscilla, it looks like she

has gone to church. But wait, what is Miss Gwen doing here
with broom and brush?

PRISCILLA: It’s the same question I am asking her.

GWEN: I am not leaving here tonight until Banjo comes

back. Go and pack up your things and call Sidney’s van to
move them up to your aunt’s house, Priscilla, Darlene and
Wella. Banjo said that it’s only the clothes you are to move
with because he owns all the furniture and everything else.

PRISCILLA: You know what, let me go and find Mister

Banjo and try thrashing out this thing with him. I’ll soon be
back, Darlene and Wella. (Exits Priscilla)

GWEN: I am coming with you, Priscilla. Darlene, if Naomi’s

baby father, Scully, comes up here, tell him that I’ve gone
down to Sammy’s bar to look for Banjo. (Exits Miss Gwen)

WELLA (eating his dinner): Darlene, what’s going on? It

looks like Banjo wants to run us out of here, but how can he
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do that and he doesn’t own the place? (Enter two men. Both
are masked) (One is burly while the other is tall and thin)

BURLY GUNMAN: This is a stickup. I want all the money

that you have.

WELLA: I know that voice, it’s Juicy Barnes. I must tell

Dutch that you and Pablo came to my house and tried to rob
me and my sister.

PABLO: I told you that it’s here Killer lives and you didn’t
believe me.

JUICY BARNES: Killer, hold it down, no harm was done. I

will see you in the morning. (Exits both Juicy Barnes and
Pablo) (Wella continues eating his dinner. Finally, Darlene
finds her voice.)

DARLENE: Wella, you are a gunman? They call you Killer?

You are out there murdering people?

WELLA: So, what if they call me Killer? That doesn’t mean

that I have ever killed anybody yet. They only call me that
because they and I are friends.

DARLENE: They say to show me your company and I tell

you who you are. If you are keeping company with gunmen
then you must be a gunman too. (Enter Priscilla)

PRISCILLA: I don’t see Mister Banjo. He’s hiding from us.

(Looks at Darlene rather curiously)(Darlene still looks
frightened.)

PRISCILLA: Why are you looking so frightened, Darlene?

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DARLENE: Two of Wella’s friends just tried to hold me up.
(Priscilla’s hands fly to her mouth.)

WELLA (Has finished eating his dinner now): How do

you know that they and I are friends?

DARLENE: They said so, Wella and you said so too.

PRISCILLA: You gave them any money?

DARLENE: It looks as if they have the same boss. When he

said he was going to tell the boss on them, they left. They had
on masks, but from he heard their voices, he recognized them.

WELLA: Which boss are you talking about, Darlene? I am

not a member of any gang. Sometimes those guys ride past me
on their bikes and wave to me. What do you want me to do?

PRISCILLA: You don’t see that the boy is a gunman. Let us

call the police to come and lock him up. Where is his school
bag? I don’t want anybody to come and shoot up my house
looking for him. (Priscilla grabs up Wella’s school bag which
had been thrown into a corner of the room. She opens the bag.
Wella is still seated around the table.)

DARLENE: You find any gun, Priscilla? (Priscilla is searching

the bag)

PRISCILLA: No, it’s only his books I see.(Throws back the

bag in a corner of the room)(Enters Scully. He is carrying a
huge bag.)

WELLA: (Laughs) I’m sure that neither of you ever saw me

with a gun yet, so I don’t know what Priscilla was looking for.

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SCULLY: All of you are still here? But I heard that you had all
left. I came looking for Gwen and Banjo down here and now I
find the three of you. So tell me, Priscilla, Gwen and Banjo
didn’t come up here?

PRISCILLA: I don’t know where your brother and your sister-

in-law are, Scully. So, all you want to come up here to live too?

SCULLY: I would be living in my brother’s house. I wouldn’t

be living in anywhere belonging to you.

DARLENE: Scully, all you who don’t live anywhere getting

fresh with people too.

WELLA: Hey Scully, you and Banjo want to run me and my

sisters off this place?

SCULLY: (Ignores Wella) Banjo told me that he got the place

now and he is going to take the big house and my woman and
I can get the small one. I came to sleep here tonight because I
neither have taxi nor bus fare to go back to my yard.

DARLENE: Your sister-in-law came here and left. She was

looking for Mister Banjo and didn’t find him. He is hiding
from her. He said he was going down to Sammy’s bar, but
when Priscilla went down there she didn’t find him.

PRISCILLA: Scully, the best advice I would give you is to go

and look for your brother and find out what’s going on.

SCULLY: If I don’t find him it’s right back here I am coming

and you boy, Wella, watch what I’m going to do to you.

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WELLA: It’s you to watch what I’m going to do to you if you
put back your foot up here again, tonight. (Scully whips out a
knife)

SCULLY: Hey boy, do you think because your daddy is my

brother, I am going to be afraid to do you something?

WELLA: Hey, Scully, anyhow you cut me, I must go for my

gun and do you something. (Scully rushes at Wella with his
knife, but he runs into a room)

PRISCILLA: Scully, mind you mash up anything for me.

SCULLY: Both of you must talk to him. He’s talking to me

like he and I are the same age. Everybody knows that he is a
gunman, but that’s not going to make me be afraid of him. I’m
going to see if I find Banjo.(Exits Scully)(Enters Wella)

PRISCILLA: Wella, you must have some respect for your

uncle.

DARLENE: He might have to help you out one of these

days.

WELLA: (Hisses his teeth) Scully is worse than Banjo.

DARLENE: You threatened to shoot him. He can report you

to the police and make them arrest you.

WELLA: He drew his knife on me and I didn’t do him

anything.

DARLENE: Come, let us go down to the station to report

the robbery.

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WELLA: Both of you didn’t hear what I said. The men are
going to say that I’m an informer and come to look for me.

PRISCILLA: Let them come, who told you to take up with

gunmen?

DARLENE: Stay here and watch the place until we come

back.(Exit women)

WELLA: It’s my friends I am going to check right now. Both

of you can stay there, about me to watch the place. When the
two of you come back, Banjo might move in Miss Gwen and
Naomi. I can always go up to my aunt’s house to live.(The
lights fade.)

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 SCENE TWO
(This is at Sammy’s bar. Banjo and Scully are in the bar
drinking. The bartender is a woman, Tiny. Two men and a
woman are the only other customers. Music is playing in the
background)(Enter, Priscilla and Darlene)

BANJO: Where are both of you going?

PRISCILLA: Your woman came down here and didn’t find

you. Where were you, Mister Banjo?

BANJO: What do you want to know that for?

PRISCILLA: Because she came to put us out of our house

and it was you who put her up to it.

TINY: Order if you want anything. I don’t want any

quarrelling in my bar.

PRISCILLA: Tiny, I don’t go to bars to drink and you should

know that too. You ever see me in your bar yet? Then how
come you are being fresh with me like that?

DARLENE: I wonder if she knows who we are? Hey

bartender girl, you must have better manners than that.

BANJO: Don’t worry yourself, Tiny, it’s me they are arguing

with. They are in my place and don’t want to come out. I want
to get rid of them.

PRISCILLA: You heard this man, telling lies about us. Who
is in anywhere for you, Mister Banjo?

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TINY: If you stay in the bar quarrelling, I am going to lose my
customers. That’s what I’m talking about. (The two men and
the woman leave)Look there, see my customers leave there.

PRISCILLA: Run these two men out of your bar, Tiny.

BANJO: I am a paying customer. Tiny is not going to run me

out of her bar.

DARLENE: Mister Banjo, you’d better prepare to bail Wella.

He knows gunmen who came to our house and tried to hold
me up. I went to the station to report it and they want him to
come in for them to question him.

BANJO: What business is that of mine? It’s the two of you he

lives with. You and your sister must deal with it because it’s
you who made the report on him. (Several more customers
have made to enter the bar, but the entrance is blocked by the
two women) (People hiss their teeth and walk away)

TINY: Women, you don’t see that both of you are blocking
people from coming into the bar and you are not buying
anything.

BANJO: They are waiting on me to buy something for them,

Tiny.

DARLENE: I’m a big respectable woman. It’s me, you want

to go to bars to drink.

TINY: So leave my bar then.

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PRISCILLA: We are waiting on Mister Banjo. We want to
know what he’s up to.

BANJO: You want to know what I’m up to. It’s tomorrow we

are moving in so you had better move out from tonight.

DARLENE: So what are you going to do about Wella?

BANJO: (Finishes drinking his rum and milk and ignores

Darlene’s question about Wella) Give me another drink, Tiny
and give Scully one too. Give them a drink too. What do both
of you want?

PRISCILLA: We don’t want anything to drink, isn’t that true,

Darlene?(Darlene nods in agreement with her sister)

BANJO: These two girls are my step-daughters. The two of

them don’t have any manners to me and that’s why I ran them
out of my house. (Tiny serves Banjo and Scully their drinks.)

BANJO: (Drinks some of his rum and milk) From I know

them going on fifteen years now, their behavior hasn’t
changed. But I leave them up to those two men they’ve taken
up.

TINY: It’s so they are wicked to you. That’s why you ran
them out of your house, Banjo?

PRISCILLA: Tiny, if you want to listen to Mister Banjo and

his lies, you’re free so to do, but don’t pass any remarks about
me and my sister. And I would like to know how we were
feisty with you, Mister Banjo because it’s not us who told our
mother to run you? (Banjo gets into a temper, when suddenly
three men rush towards the bar. They are masked. One is a

19
burly man while another is tall and thin. The other is slim and
of medium height)

TINY: Gunmen!

BURLY GUNMAN: (Waving his gun at the customers and

motioning for Priscilla and Darlene to go inside the bar) This
is a stickup. We want all of your money. Put them in this bag
here. We want all of your cell phones too.

SLIM GUNMAN: (Trying to disguise his voice) (With bag)

Put all of your money in here. Come bartender, open the
till.(The till is opened and the money taken)

TALL GUNMAN: We want all of the liquor and cigarettes

too. (Takes liquor, cigarettes and other things and puts them
into another bag).(Cell phones are put on the bar counter).

BURLY GUNMAN: All of you empty out your pockets and

take off your rings and all of the men are to take off their
shoes and their hats.(Banjo and Scully comply)

TALL GUNMAN: Hey, what kind of cheap cell phone these

people have? None of them have any cameras on them. All of
you take them back.(Gives back phones)

SLIM GUNMAN: (Still trying to disguise his voice) I don’t

go anywhere and don’t kill somebody. I marked all of your
faces. If any of you report it at the police station I’m going to
shoot you. (Points his gun at Scully)

TINY: But what a way you’re bright, you robbed us of all our
money and don’t want us to report it. I don’t even have bus
fare to go to my yard; you’ve cleaned out my bar. As soon as
you leave here I’m going to report it at the station.
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SLIM GUNMAN: (Still disguising his voice) (Points gun at
Tiny) You want to die, woman. Give us back the cell
phones.(Takes back cell phones and put in bag.)

BURLY GUNMAN: Come my brethren, we have to leave

here because we aren’t sure if the police aren’t patrolling the
area. All of you go on your faces.(Everybody goes to the floor
and gunmen run out of the bar)(People rise from their
positions on the floor after making sure that the gunmen are
gone)

TINY: (Grabs a cell phone from out of a drawer and presses

the police emergency number) Officer they’ve just robbed
Sammy’s bar. Come quick. Murder! Murder!( Priscilla, Darlene,
Banjo and Scully still look dazed)

TINY: It’s a good thing that I have this phone hidden away
for any emergencies.

DARLENE: Mister Banjo, I could swear that the slim one

was Wella, even though he was trying to disguise his voice.
The other two are the ones who were trying to rob me. I want
back my phone from him. He is a murderer. You heard what
he said, that he doesn’t rob anywhere and don’t kill somebody.
My blood ran cold when I heard him say so.

BANJO: What a big liar and wicked girl. It’s your brother you
are calling a gunman and murderer.

TINY: They’ve gone with twenty thousand dollars in cash and

more than that in liquor and cigarettes.

BANJO: They took away more than that from me. And the
phone that they’ve gone with is worth more than fifteen
thousand dollars.
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SCULLY: It’s about ten thousand dollars the boys took from
me plus my phone, which is worth about the same amount of
money. The one who said that it was cheap phones we had
doesn’t know anything about phones. You saw the boy who
pointed the gun in my face. It’s Wella, I could swear that it
was him. He was feisty with me up at the house and I had to
draw my knife after him. He swears that he is going for his gun
to kill me.

BANJO: It’s not him that, Scully. None of those men have
the build like Wella. Wella’s shorter than that man.

SCULLY: All I know is that I want back my phone. Anytime

I see him, he’d better give it back to me or else I am going to
do him something.

PRISCILLA: The two of you never have money yet. Both of

you are two liars and the police should lock you up for public
mischief. About you lose expensive phone. The phone that
they took from me is a cheap phone. I don’t walk with
expensive phone to let them steal it.

TINY: I am going to tell the police that it’s those two women
and those two men who set up the robbery, because I heard
you whispering that you know one of the men.

BANJO: Tiny, it’s me you are calling a thief? Look how much
business I give you. Look how many times I’ve come here and
drank off my pay. Look how many times I’ve borrowed money
from you to buy more liquor and paid you back. (Pricilla and
Darlene are shaking their heads at Banjo’s revelations)

PRISCILLA: You are confessing what you used to do with

your money. You never spent any money on the place that you

22
are claiming. Look how many lies you used to tell our mother
when you came home with your pockets empty.

BANJO: I used to give her money though. Where were you

ten years ago when I was putting on those two rooms on the
big house and make Darlene’s house? You know how many
times your mother told me to run both of you off the place
when she dies and make you go live with your boyfriends.

PRISCILLA: It’s a lie you’re telling, Mister Banjo, so why did

she leave the place to us then? All I remember seeing you do is
mixing cement.

BANJO: It was just buying and selling goods your mother

used to do. Have you ever wondered where she got money
from to work on the house? My lawyer will talk to you.

DARLENE: Stop arguing with him,Priscilla. Those two

houses were there before Priscilla and I were born.

TINY: I don’t understand, how she would give you her place
over her own children, Banjo.

BANJO: They treated her the same way they did me. They
took up with two men. One of the men, all he can think about
is his expensive liquor and the other man is older than
Darlene. He is in America, working.

PRISCILLA: (Shouts) Come out of my business, Mister

Banjo, you are too inquisitive. Mr. Banjo you’re forgetting that
our father was a builder. He did a lot of improvements to
those two houses before he died.(Enter two policemen,
Sergeant Duke Wright and Corporal Hal Jepson)

23
SERGEANT WRIGHT: Who did they kill down here?
Anybody get shot? We heard that robbery and murder took
place down here.

TINY: It’s murder, yes, look how long you took to reach here.
The boys could have killed us off already.

SERGEANT WRIGHT: (Getting very flustered) Tiny, don’t

bother with that. All right, tell us what happened. How many
of them were there? Any of you recognize any of them?

TINY: It was three of them, but they had on masks covering

their faces. I heard those women there saying that they
recognized them.(Points to Darlene and Priscilla)

PRISCILLA: How could we recognize them and they never

took off their masks?

CORPORAL JEPSON: They got anything?

TINY: They emptied the bar of all the liquors and cigarettes
and they’ve gone with twenty thousand dollars and all of our
cell phones. Banjo and Scully said that they took money from
them too, plus their expensive cell phones.

SERGEANT WRIGHT: What did you say Tiny? Banjo and

Scully lost money and their cell phones too. Is that true Banjo?
Because from I know you, I’ve never seen you with a good cell
phone yet.

BANJO: It’s true, Sarge and they took money from Scully and
his cell phone too, sir. It’s only those women there they didn’t
rob. (Points to Priscilla and Darlene)

24
TINY: I feel that it was they who set up the robbery, Sarge.
They are just standing before the bar and not buying anything.

PRISCILLA: (Marches up to Tiny) Beg your pardon,

Corporal Jepson and Sergeant Wright but if you weren’t here I
would lean your face for you, Tiny.

TINY: (Runs into the bar and grabs up an empty rum bottle)
Sergeant Wright and Corporal Jepson, give me some way
there, let me burst this bottle in that woman’s head because
she threatened to lean my face.

SERGEANT WRIGHT: Don’t bother with that, Tiny.

TINY: How do you mean don’t bother with that, Sarge? You
know that I don’t back down from anybody. I have to do her
something tonight.

DARLENE: Tiny, do you think I was just going to sit down

and let you beat up my sister and don’t do you anything? I’ll
soon leave because you are encouraging Mister Banjo to fast in
my business and I don’t want to get myself into trouble for
you.

TINY: (Getting into a temper) Sergeant, you heard this other

one threatening me now. I am going to do them something.
(Tiny is twice the size of either Priscilla or Darkene both of
whom are tall, thin women.)

BANJO: Don’t bother with that, Tiny, I am going to take care

of them. Sergeant, I have a matter to put to you, sir. Those
two young women there live in my house. I gave them notice
and they don’t want to come out. And they also went into my
account and used off my money too, sir.

25
SERGEANT WRIGHT: What kind of notice did you give
them?

BANJO: How do you mean what kind of notice I gave them?

I told them to come out of my place. Isn’t that good enough?

DARLENE: Mister Banjo, are you mad? From I know you

it’s 21 Lane you’ve always lived, in a cardboard house. My
mother had little sympathy on you and took you in and you
gave her a boy child before you left her and went to live with
your sweetheart. You are accusing us of stealing your money,
but it was our mother who owned the account. She left it for
me and Priscilla.

SERGEANT WRIGHT: Banjo, tell you what you do. Let us

see your title for the place. The best thing I would advise you
to do is to take out a summons.

BANJO: That’s what I never wanted to do. Their aunt has a

big house renting out. She can find rooms up there to put
them up. Monday, I am going out to the bank and I’m sorry
for both of you.(Both Priscilla and Darlene burst out laughing)

TINY: Sarge, how are you making Banjo’s business take up so

much of your time? One of the robbers was disguising his
voice.

CORPORAL JEPSON: It’s the same boy these people came

to report. He’s Banjo’s son, it was he who robbed you, Tiny.
He changed his voice because he doesn’t want you to
recognize him.

SERGEANT WRIGHT: That boy is now a person of

interest to us. We are asking you to tell him to come down to
the station with his lawyer. We are going now. (Exits both
26
policemen)(Priscilla’s cell phone starts ringing. She takes a
phone from her back pocket.)

PRISCILLA: (Answering phone) What did you say, Wella?

Banjo’s woman moved in on us. They sent mine and Darlene’s
belongings up to Aunt Ruby’s house. (Exits Banjo and Scully).
They could be bright, you wait until we come up there.
(Presses button on the phone to finish the conversation)

DARLENE: Who was that, Priscilla? What are they saying?

PRISCILLA: It’s Wella, he said Mister Banjo’s woman move

in on us. I am wondering how Wella reached home so quickly
if he was really one of the robbers. Where are Mister Banjo
and Scully?

DARLENE: A car was waiting for Wella and his friends up

the road. I could swear that I heard it drive off after they left.
Mister Banjo and Scully are gone. It’s a call they got from
Gwen, that’s why they ran off so quickly. Where they got
phones from?

PRISCILLA: They must be mad. They can just move into

people’s place like that. They are going to find out something
tonight.

TINY: What happened?

DARLENE: Mister Banjo moved in his woman on us.

PRISCILLA: Come Darlene, we will see you, Tiny.(Exit

Priscilla and Darlene)

TINY: I am going to lock up the bar and go up there. I’m sure

that their brother is one of the robbers, that’s why he was
27
trying to disguise his voice. I am going to call the police and
tell them where to find him. I’m not sure that all of them
aren’t in league with him.(The light fades)

28
 SCENE THREE
(In the living room of the captured house of Priscilla. Some
couches and chairs are in the room. Music is playing softly in
the background. Gwen is sweeping the floor. (Enter Banjo and
Scully)

BANJO: So you moved in, Gwen. Where are the children?

GWEN: I left them up at my other sister, Imogene’s house. I

am going for them first thing tomorrow. Naomi’s children are
up there too. Where are Priscilla and Darlene?

BANJO: They have gone up to their aunt’s house.

SCULLY: I am going over to the other house to see how it

looks. I’m so tired that maybe it’s in the morning before both
of you see me again. (Exits Scully)

BANJO: (Sitting on a couch, his arms around Gwen’s waist)

This house is very nice and we’re on solid ground now.

GWEN: (Has a worried look) Banjo, are you sure you know
what you are doing when you made us put out Priscilla and
Darlene and take over their houses?

BANJO: I told you that it’s my house. We sent their

belongings up to Miss Ruby’s house, didn’t we? (Enters Tiny)

GWEN: Where are you going? How did you know that it’s up
here we live now?

TINY: Banjo told me.

29
BANJO: You saw Priscilla and Darlene?

TINY: I saw them moving their belongings into their aunt’s

house. They say they are going to court to get back their
houses from you.

BANJO: Let them try. I spent a lot of money on this place

here.

TINY: Banjo, it looks like a big house you have. Can you rent
me one of the rooms?

BANJO: It’s twenty thousand dollars I am renting one of the

rooms for plus three month’s deposit, plus recommendations.
You have to show me your last receipt from the last place you
lived plus your last two utility bills. But as it’s you, Tiny, if you
pay me now you can get it for fifteen thousand dollars plus
one months deposit.

TINY: I’ll soon come back, I am going for the money.(Exits

Tiny)

BANJO: It’s four bedrooms the house has, so we can rent out
two of the rooms.(Enters Janga, he’s Priscilla’s boyfriend)

JANGA: (Looks shocked) Where is Priscilla? How come you

and your woman look so comfortable, like it’s your house you
are in, Banjo?

BANJO: You’re damn right Janga, we’re in our own house.

You don’t live here again. You can go and join your woman up
at Miss Ruby’s house. I heard that it’s there they moved to.

30
JANGA: It’s a whole heap of things we have. If I never saw
you I would say that Priscilla moved out leaving me and took
my things too, but why would she leave all of the furniture?

BANJO: Are you sure that’s not what she has done? As for
the furniture, I bought every piece you see here. Next time you
make sure that you don’t go and live in a woman’s house.

GWEN: (Bursts out laughing) Banjo I don’t see any furniture,

I don’t know what Janga’s talking about. You and Priscilla are
so cheap, it’s a shame.

BANJO: I don’t know what they did with the furniture. They
must have sold them off or mashed them up.

JANGA: So where is Darlene? She’s gone up there too? I

don’t understand. You bought what, Banjo? You didn’t buy
anything in this house? Where are my expensive liquors?
Banjo, are you sure that you didn’t kill Priscilla and Darlene?

BANJO: I look like a murderer to you?(Janga takes out his cell

phone)

JANGA: Priscilla, where are you? I came home hungry like

hell to see Banjo and his woman take over your house and all
our things except the furniture is gone. And Banjo is claiming
the furniture too.

JANGA: What did you say? You are up at Miss Ruby’s house.
So where are our belongings? Where are my liquors?( Enter
Tiny)

TINY: Banjo, I brought the money to pay down on the room

and Meda is coming to look at the other room.

31
JANGA: Banjo, you all renting out rooms to Tiny too and
Miss Meda. You hear this Priscilla, Banjo is renting out your
house.(Ends the call)

BANJO: I am not renting out anywhere for you, Janga, nor

for Priscilla nor Darlene. I am renting out my house. You can’t
tell me what to do with my own property.

JANGA: I am going up to Miss Ruby’s house to find out

what’s really going on. But I am warning you not to get too
comfortable, Banjo.( Exits Janga)

GWEN: Banjo, I am going up to the wholesale to buy some

things. I’ll soon come back. (Exits Gwen)

BANJO: (Takes the money from Tiny and counts it) Tiny,
come and sit beside me. (Tiny sits beside him) After this you
don’t have to pay me anymore rent. I will take it out in liquor
and some good loving. (Tries to hug her up, but Tiny pushes
him away)

TINY: Banjo, you must be mad or something. I don’t even

move into your house yet and you want us to be lovers.

BANJO: Why don’t you move in from tonight? See back part
of the money here. You can pay the truck to move your things.

TINY: Banjo, are you sure you can handle me?

BANJO: Cho, Tiny, if that’s what you’re afraid of, let us have
a quickie. (Moves closer to Tiny)

TINY: Your woman will soon come back. You want her to
cut me up.(There is a knock on the door and Banjo and Tiny
pull apart)(Enter Gwen).
32
GWEN: It’s some things I went to buy to make breakfast in
the morning.

BANJO: The stove is working, I checked it already. I don’t

know what they did with the rest of the things. At least the
fridge looks like it is working. (Enter Meda)

MEDA: Evening, Miss Gwen, Tiny you reached up here

before me. Banjo, Tiny told me that you have rooms up here
to rent.

BANJO: I have one room left, but it’s expensive. You have
twenty thousand dollars plus one months deposit?

GWEN: I am not sharing any house with these two women,

Banjo. See Naomi there, she is my sister and as soon as she
comes tomorrow she is on her own.

MEDA: All you talking about not wanting to share house.

You forget that all of us used to live at 21 Lane.

GWEN: You still live there. I am not sharing any house with
you and Tiny. I don’t want men to over-run my house.

TINY: Miss Gwen, I have lots of men friends, but if I live up

here you don’t have to worry about Banjo.

MEDA: I don’t know why Gwen is behaving like that.

BANJO: Don’t pay her no mind, Meda. Go for the money

because if you wait until tomorrow somebody else might get it.

MEDA: I have the money with me. But I don’t like Gwen’s
attitude because all of us used to live at 21 Lane so I don’t
know why she is behaving like that.
33
GWEN: I can’t stop Banjo from renting you and Tiny the
rooms, but if it was me, I wouldn’t be renting either of you
anywhere.

TINY: What have I done to you, Miss Gwen? As I told you, I

don’t want Banjo so if that’s what you’re afraid of, don’t
bother.

MEDA: Who wants Banjo? All I wanted was the room to live
in. So she doesn’t have to worry that I am going to sneak
Banjo into my room when she is sleeping at nights. You don’t
have to lose any sleep that I am going to take Banjo away from
you.

GWEN: Banjo, I am warning you about these two women

here. I have young children. I don’t want them exposed to the
type of life they are going to live.

MEDA: It’s one man I have, so it couldn’t be me you are

talking about.

TINY: It’s me she is talking about. Yes, I have lots of men

friends. But if I live up here, it’s one man you are going to see
coming to me and it’s the one I’m along with. You know that
too, Miss Gwen but you are just worried that Banjo will want
to sleep with me. He asked me to sleep with him already. He
wanted me to pay him half of the rent and sleep with him for
the other half. I ran him away and told him to go and look his
age and I will pay my full rent.

BANJO: You are a big liar, Tiny. See back your money here.
I’m not renting you any room again.(Gives back Tiny her
money)

34
GWEN: (Rushes at Tiny) You are telling lies on Banjo.(The
two women start to wrestle)(Meda and Banjo try to part them)

MEDA: Don’t bother with her, Tiny.

BANJO: Gwen, stop the fighting.

GWEN: How do you mean stop the fighting? After she told
lies on you. So it’s true, she is talking, you wanted to sleep with
her. (The two women are pulled apart)

TINY: You see how she tore my blouse and scratched my

face. I am going to sue you.

GWEN: Then you didn’t tear my dress and scratched me too.

You’re lucky that it’s only that you got, after you told lies on a
respectable man like Banjo.

MEDA: Tiny, you know what I’m not renting any rooms from
Banjo again.

BANJO: But I wasn’t going to rent you anywhere.

TINY: Miss Gwen, any woman Banjo rents the house to, he’s
going to want to sleep with them. You see you, Banjo, I bet
you don’t come back to my bar and get anything more to trust.

BANJO: Get away from here, Tiny, after you told lies on me.
Is it your bar? As far as I know Sammy owns the bar.

TINY: It’s Sammy, who owns it, but I operate it for him.
Sammy can’t tell me how to run the bar.

MEDA: Tiny, you can go on wasting time with Banjo and

Gwen. You should be glad that you got back your money from
35
Banjo because I’m not sure that he owns anywhere. Priscilla
and Darlene will soon run him out. I’m leaving.(Exits Meda)

TINY: Wait for me, Meda, I am coming. I am going right up

to Miss Ruby’s house to encourage Priscilla and Darlene to run
you out of their house, Banjo.

BANJO: (Bursts out laughing) Go on, I have the law on my

side. It’s my place this and you are going to be frightened to
see it a couple of months from now.

TINY: I bet that you’ll soon have to come back to live at

21Lane in your cardboard house. (Exits)

BANJO: You’re just bad minded, Tiny. It’s because I don’t

want to rent you my house why you are behaving like that.
Telling lies about me wanting to sleep with you and I have my
nice wife.(Tries to hug up Gwen but she pushes him away)

GWEN: Cho, Banjo, I’m not in any of that because I don’t

know what to believe. I’m going into the children’s
room.(Exits)

BANJO: Gwen is a wicked woman. This is the first night we

are going to sleep together in anywhere on solid ground for a
long time and she deserted me and I was just joking with Tiny.
I am going to my bed too, I hope she changes her mind.(Exits
Banjo)(The lights fade)

Taken from the play, Life at 21 Lane by Austin Mitchell

36
Other Books by Austin Mitchell

Collection of Short Stories:

Bring Back the Good Old Days

Going to the Bushes to cut Firewood
Waiting to Cross the Bridge
Better Days are Coming
Going Into the Hills to Teach
I’m Back From the Hills Now
The Worst is Over Now
Taking a Short Cut Home

Novels:

Undercover Soldier-Part One

Undercover Soldier-Part Two
Uptown Lovers-Book One
Uptown Lovers-Book Two
No Tears for Sonya
Sleeping Love
The Downtown Massive-Book One
The Money Found in the Canvass Bag
The Hardest Way Out of Love
Hot Nights in the Hills
My blog: stredwick.blogspot.com

My email: glengoffe1@cwjamaica.com

If you enjoyed these scenes why not buy the book and please be kind enough
to leave a review at Amazon.

37
FOOTNOTES:

BROKEN ENGLISH-STANDARD ENGLISH

dash-throw away

fast-inqusitive (adj), inquire(v)

hold it down- take it easy

mash up-ruined, bankrupt

turning out-many people came to her funeral service and

turning out afterwards

trust-credit

I US$= 129.00 Jamaican Dollars at publication date

38
3 AUDIOBOOK COLLECTIONS

6 BOOK COLLECTIONS