ACT II
SCENE I
Hidden Treasure
(Scene takes place in apple orchard. Jonah and Rueben are emptying their
apple picking bags into wooden crates. Eli is continuing to pick apples to
fill his bag. Rueben and Jonah go back to picking apples. Rueben's hat is
hanging from a chin strap around his neck. He puts his hat on his head
and hat music plays. After he puts it on, he turns and faces the audience
slowly with a dazed look as he begins to experience Jonah’s thoughts and
feelings since Jonah wore it the night before. They are joined by Caleb,
Farmer Fred's son, who enters from offstage and calls out his first line
from a distance. As he approaches the workers and calls out, volume of
hat music is faded out.)
CALEB
Hey, Don't bruise those apples!
ELI
Oh, mon, as if we don’t have enough! Now we havta put up wid you?
CALEB
Ahh, you love it here! I mean, look at you Eli! You said you weren’t coming
back last year, but at the last minute you realized how much you missed us and
came running back, didn’t you?
ELI
(laughs)
Ah nah mi! Ya know I’d be home if I could!
CALEB
What happened with the business you were going to start?
ELI
Oh, dat be a long story. I’ll tell you about it latter.
CALEB
What's the matter with Rueben? Hey, Rueben! Aren’t you happy to see me?
REUBEN
(Hat music stops and Rueben snaps out of a dazed look.)
What...?
CALEB
Ah never mind, he must be back in Jamaica too! So let’s get to work. What does
the old man want you to do?
ELI
Ahhh, mi tink he say ta pick sum of dem apples. Dis is de apple orchard, ain’t it,
boy?
CALEB
Sheesh, I mean where did he tell you to start picking?
ELI
Wherever de apples are, mon!
(laughs heartily)
CALEB
I see you’re full of it today! I bet I can get them apples down off
those trees quicker than you can!
(Points to a group of apples in the tree.)
ELI
You offerin’ ta work? Dis I gotta see, mon!
(laughs again)
CALEB
Stand back and let me show you how a man gets this job done. Watch and be
amazed.
(Caleb picks up a couple apples from the ground and tosses an
apple at the tree and misses. Eli doubles over laughing)
ELI
Ya, that's some way o'showin' me how a man does the job, boy!
(beat)
Watch this! I’ll show you how it’s done…
(Tosses an apple and knocks some down. This can be acted out or use
props to actually make apples drop.)
CALEB
Ahhh, beginner’s luck! I was just getting warmed up!
(Eli and Caleb continue a friendly competition, while Jonah and Reuben
pick fruit Reuben picks somewhat nervously, occasionally looking up
from his job and shaking his head. Although Jonah is also shaking his
head at Eli and Caleb, he sometimes looks up and chuckles.)
FARMER FRED
(offstage)
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!!
(Walks onto the stage)
CALEB
We’re just trying to have some fun, Dad...
FRED
DO I PAY YOU TO HAVE FUN? YOUR JUST DESTROYING THE FRUIT!
You know, I just put all that new stuff in the bunkhouse, even though we may end
up jobless next year, and here you are, my so-called helpers, destroying what
we’ve worked so hard for!
CALEB
Lighten up, Dad, it was just a joke...
FRED
I don’t give a damn! This isn't a joke, Caleb! This is our livelihood. You know
how hard running an orchard is! You, of all people!! I expect a whole lot more
from you than this! And YOU!
(points to Eli)
I didn’t have to take YOU back this year, on such a short notice, but I did! You
oughta be bustin’ your butt around here! For the next 4 months, I own you! And
when I say jump, you say how high, how fast, and say “Yes sir,” when you do it!
That is if you don’t want to get a one-way ticket back to Jamaica, where you
belong!!
ELI
YAH NAH OWN MI, FRED!
(Eli says “Farmer Fred” derisively).
AND YAH RIGHT! I DO BELONG IN JAMAICA, AN DAT’S WHERE I’LL
BE STAYIN’ NEXT YEAR!!
(Eli storms off stage. Fred starts after him, angry. Caleb stops his father by
stepping in front of him and putting up his arms)
CALEB
Dad! Stop!
FRED
(throws his hands up and back down while speaking)
Get out of my way!
CALEB
Dad...c’mon, have some respect.
FRED
(says sarcatically)
Respect? I’m docking his pay for today!
(beat)
Where's the respect I deserve? I'm not getting that from anyone around here
and what are you doing? Sticking up for them? Don't give me any of that
bleeding heart crap Caleb. You, of all people!
CALEB
What do you mean, me of all people? What's that supposed to mean?
FRED
I mean, forget about respecting the workers. You need to demand respect in order
to get it. That's what I'm talking about!
(intro to song starts)
You need to show the workers who's boss around here and how to get the job
done, unless you want to be picking all those apples yourself!! Hah! And I’d like
to see that! YOU know all the work that has to be done around here, and yet you
take precious time to GOOF off and destroy CROPS! You KNOW how hard I
have to work to grow these apples and to take care of this farm! This farm might
be yours someday, if you’d learn how to get the crops picked!!
(Breaks into “A Greater Burden”)
A GREATER BURDEN
(Farmer Fred Sings)
WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?
I WOULD GIVE YOU THE SUN AND MOON
EVEN THOUGH, I'M JUST ONE MAN
I WORK HARD FOR NO PAY, BUT I'M WORKING JUST FOR YOU
SWEAT AND TEARS PAY THE BILLS
WHEN THE MORTGAGE IS DUE
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
I PRUNE THE TREES, I PLANT THE SEEDS,
I MOW THE LAWN AND I PULL THE WEEDS
I FEED AND WATER THEN I WATCH THE CROPS GROW
AND PRAY EACH NIGHT WE REAP WHAT WE SOW
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
(BREAK, Fred picks up apples, shakes his head as he looks at them)
IN A FEW YEARS IT COULD ALL GO AWAY
OUR LAND AND THE LIFE THAT WE LEAD TODAY
I'M AFRAID FOR OUR FARMS AND I’M FURIOUS TOO
THE THINGS THAT I WORK SO HARD FOR
COULD BE TAKEN FROM YOU
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE
OHHH….A GREATER BURDEN IS MINE SON
CALEB
I don't want to follow in your footsteps if it means yelling at everybody all the
time. And I don't care how you justify the way you act, I think you need to give
respect to get it.
(Caleb storms off stage. Jonah and Rueben are standing frozen, shocked,
staring at Fred. Fred turns and looks at them)
FRED
(speaks sarcastically)
Well, what are you doing? Standing there staring? Do you think that maybe we
could pick some apples SOMETIME TODAY!!??
(Rueben and Jonah start picking apples quickly and nervously. Somehow
Jonah’s bag comes undone, and he loses a bunch of apples to the ground.)
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS! Why can’t I get competent help around here??!!
(Fred storms offstage in the opposite direction of Caleb. Rueben and
Jonah are alone as they continue to pick up apples onstage,
lighting dims. When the lighting dims, Jonah and Rueben exit stage. Eli
walks onto the stage alone from the other direction. Eli walks onto the
stage and over to a tree, he is obviously agitated, shaking his head.
He picks an apple and rubs it on his shirt as he sits under an old apple tree
with a rotten hole in the base. Out of the corner of his eye he sees
something in the hole of the tree.)
ELI
What is dis?
(He reaches in slowly and pulls out an old rusty tin and brushes off the
cobwebs, He shakes it, and he hears something in it! He then pries off the
lid. He looks in and he views some very old coins. He smiles a big grin.
Eli speaks in an excited tone of voice)
Ee-eee! Lot’s o’money! It look like ole money, mon!
Dere is silver and dere is gold! Dis would be jus what I need ta start mi bizz-ness
up again in Jamaica! Payback fe listenin’ ta Fred go on, dat’s what dis is! I could
lef dis place right now and start mi bizz-ness back home in Jamaica!
(Eli holds onto the tin of money and gets quite dramatic while
singing, holding the tin of money up over his head on the chorus line of
“UP UP”)
AINT NO TURNING BACK
(Eli Sings)
I AIN’T GOT NO FRIEND IN A HIGH SOCIETY
I GOTTA BUILD MY HOPES AND DREAM
JUST TO REACH MY DESTINY
CUZ WHAT IS TO BE MUST BE
IN A DIS HERE REVOLUTIONARY
I GOT TO DO WHAT A MAN GOT TO DO
TO REACH MY OWN DESTINY
IN A DIS HERE REVOLUTIONARY
UP UP WE GOT DE CITY LUCK
I NO WE CRUMBLE
AIN’T NO TURNING BACK
WE COMIN UP UP WE GOT DE CITY LUCK
I NO WE CRUMBLE
AIN’T NO TURNING BACK
WHEN I LOOK AROUND IN THE WORLD TODAY
I SEE DE FRUSTRATION OF SO MANY PEOPLE
TO VOICE DERE OPINION
IT HAVTA CAUSE A DEMONSTRATION
NOBODY WANT TO TAKE DE BLAME
AND IT’S A TRUE REALISTIC SHAME
SO AS DE KING MARTIN LUTHER WOULD SAY
I HAVE A DREAM UNTIL DIS DAY YEAH
UP UP WE GOT DE CITY LUCK
I NO WE CRUMBLE
AIN’T NO TURNING BACK
WE COMIN UP UP WE GOT DE CITY LUCK
I NO WE CRUMBLE
AIN’T NO TURNING BACK
SOMETIMES WHEN I SIT DOWN
I JUST CAN’T SETTLE DOWN
MY MIND IS SO CONFUSED
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO
MY HOPES IS ALMOST GONE
I STILL MUST CARRY ON
I GOT TO DO WHAT I GOT TO DO
IN A DIS SOCIETY
I GOT TO STAND UP FOR OUR RIGHTS
I GOT TO STAND UP FOR SOME RIGHTS
UP UP WE GOT DE CITY LUCK
I NO WE CRUMBLE
AIN’T NO TURNING BACK
WE COMIN UP UP WE GOT DE CITY LUCK
I NO WE CRUMBLE
AIN’T NO TURNING BACK
I AIN’T GOT NO FRIEND IN A HIGH SOCIETY
I GOT BUILD MY HOPES AND DREAM
JUST TO REACH MY DESTINY
CUZ WHAT IS TO BE MUST BE
IN A DIS HERE REVOLUTIONARY
I GOT TO DO WHAT A MAN GOT TO DO
TO REACH MY OWN DESTINY
IN A DIS HERE REVOLUTIONARY
(Eli walks back over to the tree and sits down beside it holding the tin)
But what if Fred put dis here? If I take it now, there will too much time for Fred to
notice it gone. If l leave now he'll get suspicious and know who took it. Maybe I
better stick around ta de end o’de season and see if it's still dere? Then I can take
it wid mi when I go.
(Eli looks into the open tin)
I’ll see you later, my friend, when it's time to be leavin’.
(He closes it, looks around to make sure no one is looking, puts it back
where he found it, and covers the hole over with some leaves. He stares at
the spot where it lies until the music ends lights fade just before the music
ends. Some intense drum beats during scene change.)
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