Belarusian Dream Theater - See Him? lyrics

See Him? By Jacob Juntunen Characters: LYUBOV: A woman. MARINA: A woman. Setting: They sit onstage. (LYUBOV has a bottle of vodka. MARINA just sits.) LYUBOV See the way that guy gets the boat in the water? You can tell he'll get it off the dock quick. Some of these guys take forever getting their boats in the water. Vladya hated that. (LYUBOV takes a drink of the vodka.) MARINA You learned a lot about boats. LYUBOV He was out here every holiday, even in winter when it was frozen over so he couldn't fish. Vladislav wanted to at least see the lake. “How's Minsk?” I would ask. He just wanted to talk about the lake. About fishing. But in summers when it was crowded, I'd come out with him, and we had to wait for the other fishermen to get their boats in the water. You want a nip of this? MARINA The Interior Ministry just posted that presidential decree about drinking less. LYUBOV Why should I care what Lukashenko decrees? MARINA Please don't insult the president. Not with all these people around. LYUBOV The sun's starting to set already. Have a drink to warm you. Winter's coming. MARINA He still wanted to come out here, even in winter? LYUBOV Right up to the last Christmas he spent here. He was a country boy to the end. He never liked Minsk, but that doesn't mean he would commit such a horrible crime. Okay, once that guy gets his boat in the water, we should be able to see Vladya. (LYUBOV takes another drink) MARINA Maybe you should take it easy on that vodka. LYUBOV I'm not so drunk that I'm hallucinating. We'll just sit here in the gra**, the sun will hit its golden hour, and the rays will be this nice diffuse red… And we'll see him. MARINA It was nice of the Human Rights Alliance to pay for your trip to Minsk for the trial. LYUBOV (taking a swig) Yup. MARINA They risked a lot to do that. They did a lot to support your son. LYUBOV They brought the mourning mother to the trial. Even an a**hole like Lukashenko couldn't object— MARINA If you're going to risk us both by talking that way about the president— LYUBOV There was very little risk. For Human Rights Alliance. Everybody knew Vladya's trial was just for show. The New York Times even called me for an interview. For all the good it did. (LYUBOV drinks.) MARINA Well. I'm glad coming out here helps. LYUBOV You don't think we're going to see him, do you? MARINA Well, he's not here anymore. LYUBOV You'll see. Oh, sh**. There's Zaleski. This is always a busy hour. Hey, Zaleski. MARINA Do they know why you're out here? LYUBOV Would they want a woman out here otherwise? But once I explained that I see Vladya out here, they didn't mind me sitting here. MARINA Maybe we should go. LYUBOV Don't worry. Zaleski knows what he's doing; he'll get the boat right in there. Then you'll see Vladya fishing. He looks more like when he was a boy. Those chubby cheeks and worried eyebrows. And he always makes this grunting sound while he casts, especially when he's fly fishing from the shore. Casting it out, then reeling it in. Casting it out, then reeling it in. MARINA No, I mean, maybe we should go before you get drunker? I thought you were just going to tell me about him, that maybe it would be good for you to get it off your chest, not— LYUBOV Sure, I'll tell you about him while we're waiting for Zaleski to get his boat in— MARINA We're not going to see Vladya— LYUBOV (overlapping) He cried the first time he caught a fish. Did I tell you that? I don't think he ever completely got over k**ing those fish, you know? That's how I know Vladya didn't do what they accuse him of. He couldn't. When he fished, he'd put them in a bucket of water, still half alive, and carry it all the way home so I could k** and clean them for him. He'd put the bucket down outside the kitchen door, and I'd carry it out behind the barn, straining, as he went in to clean up. MARINA Come on, let's go— LYUBOV Even after he went to Minsk to be an electrician, he was gentle, like a boy. The city didn't make him hard. As soon as he made enough money, he'd come back home for Christmas, for summers, and he'd come out here, and bring home that bucket of fish. It became a joke, “I could have k**ed these, but I know how much you love it, Mama.” So I'd carry the bucket— MARINA Put that vodka down and get up— LYUBOV Hey, let go of me— MARINA Come on, we're getting out of here— LYUBOV What the f**'s wrong with you? MARINA We're not going to see him. He's gone. If he's lucky, they've already taken him somewhere behind the jail, knelt him down, and shot him in the head. That's better than him waiting in the cell, not knowing when the bullet will come. I'm sorry, but it's true, and coming out here, getting drunk, talking about him like he's still around— LYUBOV I know he's not around. f** you. I know that. I know the KGB will never tell me where his body is, that I can't clean his grave, that I won't know when they shot him, that I couldn't even comfort him in the end. This past summer was the first time I haven't had to carry a bucket of fish to k** everyday. I hate to say it, but it was exhausting doing that day after day. You think I don't know that's over? My whole body knows that's over: my cracking back, my burning shoulders, my bloody hands, covered in guts and viscera— MARINA Let's get you home. LYUBOV The sun sets, and I see him standing there on the shore, casting and reeling it in for hours, and still wanting more even as the sun set. Trying to get that last cast in as the sunlight died… When he was here, I could keep him safe. Before he left for Minsk and Lukashenko k**ed him— MARINA Quiet! LYUBOV Before he was the KGB's scapegoat for a crime he didn't commit. He never let me down. And I couldn't be there for him. I couldn't even hug him after the trial. They held me back while he screamed for me, as they dragged him away in cuffs. And you'll see him. Right now. Casting on the shore. You'll see how my trip to Minsk, how sitting through that horrible trial, was worth it. How it brought his soul back here. Just sit down. The sun is setting, and you'll see Vladya's soul standing right there, casting and reeling back in, casting and reeling back in. You'll see it's okay now. (They sit) LYUBOV (Cont) Want a swig of this? MARINA Do you ever think maybe he did it? LYUBOV He would never k** innocent people on a subway. MARINA But he was an electrician, he'd know how to make the detonator— LYUBOV Even the judge admitted they found no explosive residue on him, and why would all the human rights groups get involved if they thought he was guilty? MARINA I guess you're right. LYUBOV There Vladya is! Do you see him? MARINA Um… LYUBOV God. He's adorable. Seeing him like this, how happy he is— Well, it just makes the trip to the trial worth it. What if his soul had gotten trapped in Minsk? I brought him back with me. Look at him. Right there. See him? MARINA Um… Yeah. Sure I do. He's right there. LYUBOV Casting and reeling it back in. MARINA Casting and reeling it back in. Sure he is. And it makes it all worth it. Right? LYUBOV It sure does. MARINA Then yeah. I see him. He looks great. Pa** that vodka. (MARINA takes a drink. Blackout.)