MERCEDES
(lightly)
The cards don’t lie.
FRASQUITA
They’ll tell us what the future holds.
CARMEN
They’ll speak our destinies.
TERESA places her hands over the cards, closes her eyes, nods, and then turns the first one over.
TERESA
You will meet a young man. He has a job in an office.
MERCEDES
Young. But old enough to drive?
TERESA
Old enough to drive, and he leads many men.
MERCEDES
He’s in the army. How much does a general make?
TERESA
Everybody looks up to him!
MERCEDES
Oh, my God, it’s that cute quarterback that won the Super Bowl!
TERESA
He loves you very much. He adores you!
MERCEDES
Do you have a name? Does he have a tattoo?
TERESA
You are lucky. The cards have spoken well of your future.
FRASQUITA
Do me!
TERESA gathers the cards and once again shuffles them and lays them out facedown. She then begins to turn them over.
TERESA
Hah! You will marry an old man. He has been married before, but still he wants you.
FRASQUITA
Mine’s old! Pooh. How old? But look, diamonds! He’s going to be rich. Old and rich. Not good, but I’ll take it.
MERCEDES
Look how much mine loves me! I’d better start taking vitamins.
FRASQUITA
Will we have a big house?
TERESA
In the Bronx.
FRASQUITA
An old man in a big house in the Bronx? That’s no fun.
TERESA
More bad news: he dies.
FRASQUITA
Oh, look—he’s going to die. Poor thing. But wait—he leaves me all his money. I’ll be a rich widow! Yes! Yes! I’ll wear my black toreador pants to the funeral, the ones with the sequins.
TERESA
He dies, but such things happen. We cannot put our hands up against the winds of fate.
CARMEN
Teresa, do my fortune.
TERESA looks up at CARMEN. She brings her hand to her forehead and closes her eyes for a moment. She exhales heavily.
TERESA
I am too tired.
CARMEN
No, Teresa. I need you to do mine.
TERESA hands the cards to CARMEN, who kisses them up to heaven and then hands them back. TERESA shuffles them, lays them out, and begins to turn them over.
CARMEN
Oh, no! Diamonds, then spades—death! I see it clearly. First him and then me. Here, give me the cards.
CARMEN gathers up the cards and takes the rest of the deck from TERESA as MERCEDES and FRASQUITA go off to one side, still talking about their good luck. CARMEN frantically shuffles the cards herself, then lays them out and begins to turn them over.
CARMEN
Again! Two deaths! Two destinies intertwined. The cards come up one by one to speak of my doom. Let me shuffle them again.
(She does so.)
Again and again I shuffle them, turn them up, but it’s always the same.…
CARMEN throws the cards down and staggers to a table.
CARMEN
Teresa, what’s wrong with these cards?
TERESA
They’re only cards, Carmen. They don’t know how to lie.
FRASQUITA and MERCEDES go to CARMEN.
FRASQUITA
Teresa, Carmen, come with us. We’ll go case out the company. It’ll be fun.
CARMEN
One minute.
CARMEN shuffles the cards again. Again she lays them out and turns them over one by one.
CARMEN
Muerte, siempre muerte.
FRASQUITA
(at the door)
Carmen?
CARMEN looks away for a moment, then forces a smile and follows her friends out.
JOSÉ has been sitting in the corner, facing away from the stage. TERESA walks over to him and touches his shoulder. JOSÉ brushes her hand roughly away and turns again toward the wall, lost in his own thoughts.
MICAELA enters from a side door. She looks around nervously and is clearly upset by the sinister look of the room. She spots JOSÉ in a corner, takes a tentative step toward him, then stops. She crosses herself and begins to pray aloud.
MICAELA
I pray that one day he will see me. I pray, O Lord, I have so much to give but nothing that pleases him. I have this heart he doesn’t want, these arms so ready for him. I’m so in need, and all he wants is her! O God, please give me this moment. Let him see me at last, O Lord.
MICAELA hears a commotion from the front of the club and steps into a darkened corner.
JOSÉ stands quickly and points his gun at the door as ESCAMILLO enters.
ESCAMILLO
Relax, cowboy! It’s only me. Drinks for everybody!
JOSÉ
They don’t serve drinks here. This is a social club. Only coffee and sodas. They don’t want the police raiding them on some phony liquor charge.
ESCAMILLO
Good thinking. You have to be focused. Give me an iced tea.
(gesturing to the gun)
You need to be careful with that thing.
JOSÉ
I don’t expect a big name like Escamillo to come rushing in here every day.
ESCAMILLO
You’re right. Usually, I’m in my corporate offices, taking care of serious business. If I pull off this concert this weekend—and I will—it’ll be the start of the greatest tour you’ve seen. Bigger than Lil Wayne, Shakira, and Beyoncé combined.
JOSÉ
So what are you doing here?
ESCAMILLO
I’m looking for a certain girl. I’ve only met her once, but somehow she stays in my head.
JOSÉ
With all the girls following you around the world, you actually remember one of them? She must be beautiful.
ESCAMILLO
Beautiful, but not available. That’s what I’ve been told. They say she leaves men lying in her wake the way a ship leaves dead fish in the water, gasping and confused.
JOSÉ
So why would you be interested in her?
ESCAMILLO
I don’t know. Maybe because I’ve always wanted what other men have said is not available. When I lived in the projects, I wanted to be rich. I used to look up into the sky and envy people flying high above me. Now when I look down from my private jet, I wonder if there’s some small boy looking up in envy of me as I soar overhead.
JOSÉ
Do you have her address?
ESCAMILLO
No, but I’ll give a reward to the one who leads me to her. She’s beautiful, as you said, and she used to be in love with a cop.
JOSÉ
A police officer?
ESCAMILLO
I say cop; you say police officer. Interesting. Yes, some poor fool who thought he could hold her because he’s had some experience with crackheads.
JOSÉ
I think you’d better watch your mouth, maricón.
ESCAMILLO
¿Maricón? Ah, I get it. You have a personal interest in this adventure, eh?
JOSÉ
Do I? Tell me, what’s this girl called?
ESCAMILLO
Carmen. Let me say the name slowly for you so you can enjoy the sound of it coming from my mouth. Caaarmen. Or shall I say, “Officer, her name is Carmen.”
JOSÉ
Yes, you’re right. I am the policeman she loves.
ESCAMILLO
Loved. Past tense. Once upon a time in a galaxy far away!
The two men cross the stage toward each other.
JOSÉ
As a policeman, I’ve handled plenty of fools like you.
&nb
sp; ESCAMILLO
Don’t let the thousand-dollar suit fool you, Tex, or whatever your name is. Under these fancy threads is a ghetto heart direct from the projects, and you have never dealt with someone like me before.
JOSÉ rushes across the stage and attempts to hit ESCAMILLO with his gun butt. ESCAMILLO sidesteps the blow and hits JOSÉ in the small of his back. The two men start tussling. Soon ESCAMILLO is on the ground. JOSÉ aims his gun at ESCAMILLO.
DANCAIRO, RAIMONDO, and CARMEN enter. CARMEN kneels over ESCAMILLO, shielding him from JOSÉ.
RAIMONDO
What’s going on?
DANCAIRO
They must be fighting over Carmen.
RAIMONDO
Look, we don’t want any fighting in here. We don’t need any weight on this place. We’ve got a good thing going, and we can’t mess it up because you guys are chasing the same skirt.
DANCAIRO
Have a drink. Relax.
RAIMONDO
Relax.
CARMEN, suddenly confident again, strides, with hands on hips, to center stage.
CARMEN
Men have to fight. It’s their nature. But Raimondo is trying to run a business here. You understand that, don’t you, Escamillo?
ESCAMILLO
Yes, yes, of course. But I’m glad it was you, Carmen, who saved me from this madman. I owe you.
JOSÉ
We have unsettled business!
ESCAMILLO
I’ll find a way to accommodate you, my friend. You won’t be hard to find. I have a dog trained to sniff out gutter rats.
DANCAIRO barely restrains JOSÉ, who lunges forward.
ESCAMILLO
But before I go, I want to invite you all to my big concert this weekend. Madison Square Garden. Just tell the ticket men that you are from
(looks around)
Lillas’s place. And a special invitation to you, Carmen.
He kisses her hand, then exits.
RAIMONDO
(relieved)
Everybody take it easy! Somebody go down to the pizza shop and bring back some pies. Put on some music. I need some noise up in here! Some noise!
We hear “El Ritmo del Barrio,” the bright, cheerful music heard earlier in the play. There is a general relaxation, but we also see CARMEN and JOSÉ looking at each other from across the stage. Slowly CARMEN starts toward JOSÉ. At first he turns away, but slowly, ever so slowly, he turns toward her.
JOSÉ
Carmen! I’ve… I’ve been a fool.…
He reaches out to her.
MICAELA suddenly runs toward them.
MICAELA
José!
JOSÉ turns and sees MICAELA, but then, love in his eyes, turns back to CARMEN.
JOSÉ
Carmen!
MICAELA
Your mother sent me. She needs to see you!
JOSÉ
What? Oh, tell her that I’ll be by this weekend.
MICAELA
She was coughing, and at first
(glances toward CARMEN)
they thought it was nothing.
JOSÉ
But now…?
MICAELA
I’ve always been brave, José. Throughout my life and no matter what I’ve faced. But seeing you here like this…
JOSÉ
Micaela, don’t worry about it. Tell my mother I’ll drop by Sunday, maybe Saturday night.
MICAELA
She might not live that long.
JOSÉ
What?
MICAELA
Your mother’s dying. She might not make it to the weekend.
JOSÉ
(to CARMEN)
I should go.
CARMEN
(dismissively)
Yes, yes, of course. You should go.
MICAELA
Please hurry.
JOSÉ
Carmen, I have to go.
CARMEN
I’m not stopping you, José. Go!
JOSÉ
I’ll be back, and then we’ll settle things!
JOSÉ leaves with MICAELA.
CARMEN stares down DANCAIRO and brushes off a friendly gesture from RAIMONDO. She is about to leave when the radio begins to play ESCAMILLO’s theme song, “The Toreador Song.” CARMEN, by herself and defiantly, dances across the stage. She stops and looks at herself in a mirror.
CARMEN
Oh, chicky, look at you. Your makeup is ruined. Your mascara runs down your face like black tears. Escamillo wants us to fight against being invisible. I welcome it. I don’t want to see this sad face anymore. Oh, chicky, how did you let your heart get broken again?
(she sings “Love Has Flown Away”)
Love came to me, but it
Just wasn’t for me.
It touched my heart and left it
Lying on the shore, and
Love smiled at me, but it
Just wasn’t for me.
It glanced my way with pity, but
I soon knew it had other plans.
Once again my heart was broken;
I was all alone to
Mourn.
Scene 2
We are outside Madison Square Garden. It is night, and the street is alive with young fans. A crowd is forming, and OFFICERS SHEA and LANE are putting barriers in place to hold people back.
OFFICER SHEA
Escamillo should be paying us overtime for this duty. You could get crushed in this crowd.
OFFICER LANE
I bet somebody is getting paid big bucks. The television cameras are being set up over on Seventh Avenue, and they have their own security.
OFFICER SHEA
I heard he’s got two wives. One in New York and one in the Dominican Republic.
OFFICER LANE
Bad business. Spanish girls will cut your throat when you’re sleeping!
OFFICER SHEA
You think Spanish girls are really all that hot in bed?
OFFICER LANE
I’ll settle for one who’s awake!
Sergeant ZUNIGA enters.
ZUNIGA
Okay, men, keep your eyes open. Look out for terrorists.
OFFICER LANE
Yes, sir.
ZUNIGA goes off left.
OFFICER SHEA
Who’s he kidding? Terrorists wouldn’t attack this crowd. They only want to kill white people. Look—here comes Escamillo’s entourage now.
The dimly lit stage grows brighter, and a sign comes down that reads MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. A parade of “beautiful people” makes its way to the concert. We hear music in the background, a combination of hip-hop and Bizet.
A small crowd enters, the imposing figure of ESCAMILLO, dressed in all of his finery, at its center. CARMEN is on his arm. Photographers hover all around them. ESCAMILLO is shaking hands and smiling. He stops his entourage (made up of music types and some business types in suits) and whispers into CARMEN’s ear. He takes CARMEN’s face between his hands and lifts it gently as he kisses her.
ESCAMILLO
I’ll be thinking of you while I’m in there. All these suits may have their degrees and old-boy networks, but I have my street smarts—and the most beautiful woman in New York waiting for me. It’s almost not fair.
CARMEN
Be careful. I feel danger in the air.
CARMEN and ESCAMILLO kiss again, and then he goes off with his entourage in tow.
CARMEN is standing alone at center stage; we still hear the background music.
MERCEDES and FRASQUITA enter.
MERCEDES
Girl, you are looking good!
CARMEN
Girl, I am feeling good.
FRASQUITA
Carmen, he’s here!
CARMEN
Who?
MERCEDES
José. I saw him on the avenue. I said hello, and he just mumbled at me. He doesn’t look good at all. He hasn’t shaved, and he’s… funky!
CARMEN
&nb
sp; I told him we were through, that I didn’t want to see him anymore.
FRASQUITA
(chewing her gum faster)
What did he say?
CARMEN
He didn’t… He didn’t seem to understand. It was as if I was just gaming him to pass the time of day. You ever tell somebody something and they act like you’re speaking another freaking language?
FRASQUITA
Baby, you need to be looking out for that man. José is not somebody I would turn my back on. Why don’t you come inside with us?
CARMEN
I’ll be okay. Right now I don’t think I can stand a crowd. I’m a little jumpy. I need to be alone with my thoughts for a bit. I told Escamillo I’d meet him outside so we can make a quick getaway when the show’s over.
MERCEDES
You falling for Escamillo now?
CARMEN
Escamillo and I understand each other. He lives for the minute, and I’m just one of those minutes. He’ll stop for a while and then move on. No big deal. No forever after, no por vida. I’m back to being Carmen again.
FRASQUITA
Okay, but watch your back, girlfriend. Remember, José’s a cop. You know how sneaky they can be.
CARMEN
Go on, guys. I’ll be okay.
FRASQUITA
Carmen, don’t forget us when you reach the top, baby. We don’t want anything, but just nod when you see us. We’ll understand.
MERCEDES
And be proud of you!
CARMEN
We’ll always be homegirls.
The three girls embrace, and then MERCEDES and FRASQUITA rush off to the concert.
We hear the music of the opening act begin. CARMEN, somewhat uncomfortable in her new role, moves to the beat and leans against a light pole. Then, from out of the shadows, comes JOSÉ. Unshaven, he is wearing a dark hoodie and sneakers. At first he appears drunk, but then we see that he’s distorted with rage.
JOSÉ
Carmen!
CARMEN
(shrinking away from him)
José! What…? What are you doing here?
JOSÉ
(his speech slow and hollow)
Carmen, I had to see you. I love you so.
CARMEN
(turning away)
No!
JOSÉ
Love doesn’t know such a word as no. Love can only know yes.
CARMEN
What do you want from my life, José? What do you want? I don’t have anything to give you. ¡No más! ¡No más! I need to be by myself.
JOSÉ
(taking something from his pocket)
Look, I’ve brought you something. A ring. It’s the symbol of my love for you. I give it to you, and my heart goes with it, as your heart came to me with the flower you gave me that sweet day.