ABSTRACT
MICHIGAN: (Addressing the right hand of DEELUXE.) I suppose you know what this will mean. There will be no show. She will be unable to do the show. You’re not going to like this. (MICHIGAN begins searching through the suit coats. She pulls out a phone receiver. Pink, plastic, sans cord-it should be as phony as possible.) Hello? Ninth precinct? Yes, I’ll hold. (To DEELUXE’s hand.) You’re asking for this. (To phone.) There’s a man in here. I can’t say if he’s dangerous or not. I don’t know any other men so I can’t compare. Through the door! He lives with us. More with her than with me. Me, this man, and the body. Yes there certainly is a body. Did I discover it? Many years ago. I first discovered the body in the Hotel Universal in Salamanca. A single light bulb. The light came in through the window. The streets were lit by little oranges. The oranges were perfect and bitter. In this light I lay down on the bed and discovered the body. Especially the legs. She’s part palomino. In the legs, pure palomino. Do you know what a palomino is? A race horse covered with Parmesan cheese, yes. That’s her. And after that first time I would discover the body again and again. And even when I hate her, I love the body. Who does the body belong to? Partly to me. It belongs to her. I usually say she’s my sister and most of the time we are sisters. Sometimes we’re even worse. I don’t know the address. I don’t go out much. I don’t go out at all, so I don’t need an address. I could describe the place. We live in a town. I’ve forgotten the name. In the bad part of town. We live in a rental clothing store. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. But we have too many clothes for our own good. Is that enough of an address? Could you find us based on what I’ve just said? You’re not there anymore, are you? She’s not
there anymore either. She’s dead. Do you understand? Never mind, I understand. She probably won’t be able to perform anymore. And I will never again lie down in the afternoon and discover the body. (MICHIGAN replaces the phone in the suit coat. She begins speaking to LINDA.) Is it cold in here or is it me? (To DEELUXE.) Oh, it’s you. You should relax. You know there are worse things in New York than being killed by someone who loves you. Like trying to cash a check! Are you mad at me because I said your body belongs to me? (MICHIGAN kneels down and opens DEELUXE’s robe.) Remember the night we became sisters? I looked out and there were no more stars. The sky was full of teeth. Blue and sharp and they were falling towards us. We were already in the wolf’s mouth and it was closing in around us. Our only chance was to become twins. To be swallowed whole. But being twins slowed us down. People don’t rent dress suits from twins. But then there was always the body to come back to. I’m not going to look at you any longer. I got to look where I’m going. I never thought I would have to go anywhere.
