THE SETUP
Cian has just asked Vincent for his advice on the possibility of a relationship with Andrew, who’s clean now, but used to be a street hustler after he ran away from home.
(The full scene which includes this monologue is also available for viewing: “Part of My Life that You Can’t Get At”)
“It’s a sick joke. God is sick. I’m the butt of his joke and Byron’s the punch line.”
VINCENT
Do you have a death wish? Are you so possessed by Byron you want to join him?
The guy was a prostitute. What if you get infected?
I didn’t sign on for this. Nobody warned me.
I wouldn’t have bothered.
I didn’t sign on for Byron dying at 32.
His mother and my mother happen to be neighbors whose husbands happen to impregnate them at the same time. They’re pregnant together, they raise us together. We go to the same school, the same bus, the same teachers, the same lunch period. Of course we’re going to be friends.
But it’s a set up. God’s up there pulling the strings and saying, “Oops, did I forget to mention, he comes with a limited warranty? You can’t keep him. Hope you didn’t get too attached.”
It’s a sick joke. God is sick. I’m the butt of his joke and Byron’s the punch line. That’s it. I quit. I refuse to believe in that.
And you. My little brother. He’s setting it up all over again, but I’m not falling for it. Go ahead, be gay. Date a prostitute for all I care. Just don’t expect me to stick around for the final chapter. I can’t do it. I’m not built for it.
(photo: 1996 production by The Early Stage (Minneapolis, MN); William Franke as Cian, Jim Lichtscheidl as Byron, and Eriq Nelson as Vincent)
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