Radically Happy

Continued from Hello, Dread (First Reconciled Part)

Scene 1: Castle

I am leading The Judge back to my home, when he suddenly pulls up short.

Kid: What is it?

Judge: This… place. [pointing to a Castle overlooking the street] It isn’t safe… for you.

Kid: What do you mean? I walk past here every day.

Judge: That’s just because… well… it isn’t safe for me. A very bad man lives there. He… hates me.

I start to giggle.

Kid: Ha ha ha… He said the same thing about you!

Judge: [spluttering] What! He… How dare he! I oughta give him a piece of my mind!

Kid: Great idea! [grab his hand and run to the doorbell before he realizes what is happening]

The doorbell lets out a long mournful sound. Judge just stands there in shock. The door opens to reveal a powerfully-built man with a big white skull on his black T-shirt.

Frank: Sorry, kid, I already have plenty of cook…

He freezes when he sees Judge. The two stand there, locked in tableau, afraid to make a move.

Kid: Hi Frank! This is my new friend Judge.

Frank: [glaring at him through gritted teeth] We’ve met.

I pat his hand reassuringly.

Kid: It’s okay, we’re friends now. I’m taking him to meet My Father. [a happy thought strikes me] You should come too! You two have so much in common…

Both: No, we don’t! [simultaneously]

They stop and glare at each other, a perfect mirror image.

Kid: [chortling] See what I mean! C’mon, let’s have some of those cookies… [and before either of them can stop me, I run inside]

Frank: Kid. Wait… [runs after me, neglecting to close the door]

Judge grimaces, grits his teeth and follows.

Scene 2: Kitchen

Somehow we all end seated around a dingy kitchen table, with glasses of milk and plates of cookies. Judge and Frank eye each other suspiciously as they simultaneously dunk a cookies in milk and eat it.

Judge: [surprised] Hey… this is amazing.

Kid: [pauses from blowing bubbles in his milk] I told you he wasn’t all bad. He’s a great baker!

Judge: You… you made these?

Frank: [softening a little] I used to make them all the time… [looks up at a picture] before…

Judge looks up and sees a smiling picture of a man, woman, and a little girl. With a start he realizes it is a younger, happier version of Frank.

Judge: [gently] I’m… sorry for your loss. What happened!

Frank snaps upright.

Frank: You happened! You Judges. So high and mighty, so self-righteous. If you were one tenth as pure as you claim to be, my family would still be alive.

Judge: [standing and shouting] If it wasn’t for us, nobody would be alive long enough to have a family!

Kid: [high-pitched yell] STOP IT!

They both cover their ears and pull back.

I step forward and take both their hands. They flinch, but they don’t pull away.

I turn to Judge.

Kid: Judge, his family was killed by a criminal who had been arrested, but a Judge let back onto the street.

Judge hangs his head in shame.

I turn to Frank.

Kid: Frank, I am sorry for your loss. And I understand why you hate Judges. But my friend here, he hates corrupt judges too. And he’s coming with me because he is trying to find a better way, besides killing everyone who does wrong.

Frank pats me on the shoulder.

Frank: You’re a good kid. But you just don’t understand how the real world works. Some people… [with a faraway look in his eyes] just need to be punished.

I drop Judge’s hand and take both of Frank’s in mine. I look into his eyes, and sees the guilt and self-loathing inside them.

Kid: Including you?

Frank: [whispering] Especially me.

Judge: [heavily] No!

Frank whirls on him. But the Judge doesn’t react. Instead, he spreads his hands in surrender and drops to his knees.

Judge: [with tears in his eyes] Frank, you and I have had our differences. I don’t deny I would have killed you if I thought it was my duty. And I’m sure you’d do same if you thought it necessary. But…. [looking down] I don’t want to live like that anymore. [looking up, and smiling through his tears] I don’t want YOU to have to live like that anymore.

Judge turns to gaze fondly at the Kid.

Judge: I have no idea who this child is, though you seem to know him better than I. But for some reason I can’t explain… I believe him. And because of that [deep breath] I believe in you.

Judge very slowly stands up. Then he carefully unlatches his belt, allowing his weapons to fall to the ground. Then he removes his helmet, and softly places it next to his cookies. Then he ungloves his right hand and holds it out to Frank.

Judge: Will you… join us?

Frank stares at the Judge for a long moment. A feral snarl seems to escape his lips. He pulls his hands away from the Kid, and slowly moves them towards the guns at his belt.

Judge tenses. The Kid’s lips compress into a hard smile.

Reluctantly, almost involuntarily, Frank draws his guns… and lays them on the table.

Everyone lets out the breaths they had been holding.

Frank reaches out and grips Judge in a firm handshake. To their mutual surprise, Judge pulls him in to a fierce hug. When they part, both men are misty-eyed.

Judge swallows.

Judge: I need to confess… I both envied and hated you. You seem so wild and reckless. And yet free of the burden of other people’s sins, and of holding society together.

Frank: [blurting] You made me ashamed of myself. I only knew how to hurt, and kill. I saw you risk your live over and over to serve and protect. I despised you for your complicity in all the injustice of the system… but I knew that I would never have the strength to do what you did.

Kid: [jumping up] I told you, you are just like each other!

He grabs handfuls of cookies and stuffs them in his pocket, then starts running out the door.

Judge watches the boy go, then raises an eyebrow at Frank, who shrugs.

Then the two of them walk out the door after the child….

Together.

To be continued