Love and Marriage
All the city was illumined by early sunbeams of the rising sun. The figure of Jesus, dimmed in the pink light, looked above the now peaceful streets. Those were deserted, as no one was already up. Only one luxurious limousine sulked through the empty streets, and it belonged to the Montagues. Inside, the athmosphere was absolutely different than the idyllic mood outside. In the uncomfortable silence, no one wanted to start the conversation. Nor Ted, nor his wife Caroline, nor their nephew Benvolio.
Finally, Caroline angrily broke the silence. "Where is Romeo? Did you see him today?", she spat pointedly to Ted, "I'm glad he wasn't at that fight." Montague only snorted derisively, staring out of the window. After-wisdom, he thought. Embarassed Benvolio tried to be of assistance, turning the discussion from the subject of the brawl.
"Well, I saw Romeo early at the Sycamore Grove..", he told Caroline. "He can often be seen there walking alone piping his eyes.", Ted drawled with contempt. "He locks himself in his room, pulls down the blinds and sits there in the dark", Caroline said, struggling to control her emotions. Montague finished the talk, barking into the car intercom: "Westward from this city side.". The limousine U-turned at once, heading west.
On the empty beach a nineteen year old boy sat alone. He looked over the ocean, the water seemed fresh and brisk just as the cool air around him - but inside him there was nothing of the freshness and brisk. He sucked on the last of a cigarette and wrote intensely in his small worn notebook. "Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet." The driver parked Montague's limousine in a cross street that ran down to the beach. The car stood just on the opposite of dilapidated nightclub, "The Grove of Sick Amore", as a broken neon sign read.
Outside it, some young diehard clubbers, faded drag queens and street people hang around. Ted, Caroline and Benvolio sat in the limousine, watching the single silhouette of Romeo on the beach. "If we could find the cause of his sadness, we would be able to help him", Montague said.
They watched as Romeo rised and listessly made his way up the beach. When he saw his father's car, he turned and headed for the path that hug the beach front."So please, leave it for me. I'll solve that problem", Benvolio said, clambering out of the limo. He saw Montague's encouraging smile with the corner of his eye.
"Let's leave.", Montague said when Benvolio had gone out. The car pulled away and Benvolio headed after Romeo. He paused when he saw his friend squatting in discussion with an old drunk at the base of the deck that sprawled onto the beach. He tried to convince himself everything was okay, and approached them with a not very convincing casualness.
"Morning, cousin.", he said. Romeo turned to face him. A pair of sore, red eyes looked unfriendly at him. "It's still morning?", Romeo asked. "Yeah, it's nine o'clock you see", Benvolio replied, rising. Romeo stood up too.
"Time passes so slowly.", Romeo sighed. He stopped as if taking in Benvolio for the first time. "Was that my father that left so fast?", he asked.
"Yeah. It was.", Benvolio replied feeling guilty. He chased Romeo down the path that divided the beach from cheap souvenir shops and sleazy bars. "So, why does your time pass so slowly?", Benvolio asked, trying to make his voice sound casual.
"Because I don't have the thing that makes it go faster."
"You mean, love?"
"I mean no love."
"Then not having love?"
"Not having it from the person I'd like to."
"Yeah, why love that seems to make people happy in fact makes them sad?", Benvolio said in a tone full of sympathy.
"Why love...", Romeo repeated. His attention was then distracted by news about last night's brawl displayed on a small TV screen in an outdoor bar. "What's that fight?", he asked. Benvolio opened his mouth to reply, but Romeo cut in, "Don't tell me. I've already heard that. There's much to do with hate, but more with love.", he turned the corner away from the beach, "Love without love,dream without sleeping!", then he screamed at a huge bouncer that lounged in the doorway of a sex club: "This is love without loving!" The bouncer's hand moved to his gun, but Romeo ignored, turned on Benvolio who started to think Romeo went insane - first, depression, now, poetry!
"Don't you laugh at me?", Romeo asked with a mocking laughter through tears. Benvolio looked nervously at the bouncer, taking his cousin out of the trouble. "No, I'd rather cry.", he said. "Then, bye.", Romeo smiled and ran away, leaving Benvolio behind.
Mad guy, Benvolio thought, pursuing after him. When they stopped near Romeo's car, some children polished the already gleaming body. Sixteen-year-old Balthasar opened the door for Romeo. Benvolio intercepted Romeo at the car. "Tell me who do you love?", he insisted.
"A woman.", Romeo prevaricated.
"I thought so."
"Then, a beautiful woman", Romeo specified. He then pulled his shirt down to reveal a small shoulder tatoo. "Rosaline!", Benvolio read, truly impressed, "It isn't very difficult to fall in love with a pretty girl."
"But she doesn't want anyone to love her..."
"Really?", Benvolio couldn't believe it.
"Yeah... and that makes people suffer", Romeo sighed.
"So, forget about her!", Benvolio said, feeling it's a good idea.
"How?", Romeo asked the basic question.
"Look at that girl.", Benvolio indicated one of the girls walking on the footpath, "Isn't she better?" Romeo just laughed, threw a few coins for the kids that cleaned his car and slid into the driver's seat. Balthasar jumped in back. "Think of another plan.", he said.
"That was the best one.", Benvolio assured, leaping onto the passenger seat of the already moving car.
"Aye well, the good thing is that... Montague also has the ban." Fulgencio Capulet was turned his seat from the window where he was looking at the big sign on the Montagues' skyscraper. He was now facing Dave, a young square-jawed man who he invited to his office for a talk. "And it isn't very difficult to be calm in my age, isn't it?", he added.
"You are both good men, so being enemies is a bad thing.", Dave said, smiling obligingly. Then there was an awkward pause. Dave sipped some tea from a silver cup and continued with a deep breath, "What do you think of my proposition, sir?"
Capulet considered a framed photo on his desk. "Well, my daughter is still very young", he said, "Don't you think she should be a bit older to marry?"
"Many younger women are happy mothers.", Dave insisted politely.
"And young mothers fade earlier.", Capulet said, checking Dave hard, "She's my only living child, my only hope...", he rounded the desk to place a fatherly hand on Dave's shoulder, "But you may try. It would be her decision if she wants this marriage or not.", he leaned closer, "Today, I'm throwing a party. She'll be there, so you can talk with her."
He then gave encouraged Dave a hearty slap and ushered him out of the office.
Benvolio and Romeo were playing pool in a dim, smoke filled hall. Benvolio didn't give up helping Romeo, and he didn't really want to. "Find yourself a new lady.", Benvolio said, chalking his cue. He lined up six ball, top pocket, "And then you won't suffer from the unrequited love.", he shot hopelessly, slamming the eight ball towards the side pocket. Romeo stopped it with his hand and hurled it against other balls.
"You're mad...", Benvolio said more as a statement than a question. Romeo sank the other balls with his hands.
"I'm worse than mad.", Romeo stopped at the gun check, rummaging in his pocket, "I can't eat, I can't sleep..." A crusty old man looked up from a small TV, pointing to a sign; No Ticket, No Gun. It read. His entire face was tatooed as a shooting target, the bullseye between his eyes. Romeo found the ticket andthe manwent out back. Then Romeo's attention was caught by the TV. News about old Capulet throwing a party, many famous guests will appear... Placentio, Martino, Livia, Rosaline...
"Yeah, Rosaline.", Benvolio said, leaning into Romeo, "Let's go there. I'll show you prettier girls!"
"Prettier than Rosaline?", Romeo asked when Crusty handed them their guns, "There's no girl like that."
"If you aren't a Montague, come!", the lady on the TV screen said with a happy smile. Romeo considered goint to the party for a while, then decided, "I'll go there only to see Rosaline..."
"JULIET!", Gloria called, searching for her daughter. All the Capulet mansion was being prepared for tonight's feast, workers preparing decorations were everywhere. It was only Juliet who couldn't be found. Nor in the corridor, nor in the drawing room. And Juliet was in bathroom, trying to keep underwater as long as she could. Hearing someone calling her name, she sat up, but then she ignored it and slid unerwater once more. Her mother called maniacally for her a few more times, until she met her nurse. "Nurse, where's Juliet?", she asked, frantic.
"Well, I called for her. Can't find her though.", the nurse replied. She was a fat, grandmotherly Hispanic woman, "Oh, there she is!", she added, pointing to the top of the stairs. Juliet stood there in a bathrobe, hair wet.
"Yeah, I'm here. What do you want, mom?", Juliet asked and then Gloria sweeped up the stairs and shuffled her daughter towards a doorway. "I must have a word in secret, Juliet.", Gloria told the nurse when they rushed into her dressing room. Gloria circled for a while with nervous vexation, then opened the door and yelled to the nurse, "Come back, I changed my mind!", then she looked into the mirror and started brushing her hair, avoiding eye contact,
"Nurse, you know Juliet is a mature girl, don't you?", she asked, really nervous.
"Aye. She's the nicest girl I've ever looked after.", Nurse replied with bluff happiness. Gloria threw the hairbrush onto the dresser and poured herself a sherry. "I became a mother when I was of your age.", she said to Juliet, still turned back. A nembutal twisted like a pin in the corner of Gloria's mouth. She slugged it down with the sherry and turned abruptly to face Juliet, "Paris wants to marry you." Juliet stared at her uncomprehendly. The nurse tried to buoy the situation, "Ah, Paris! He's handsome! Good Lord, such a boy!", she giggled.
Gloria immediately cought the plot. "Oh, yes, he is the best candidate for husband!" "Good-looking and intelligent!" "He's going to be on the party. Talk with him, see if you like him. I think he is just brilliant", Gloria sang. Then she probed Juliet's thoughts, "You want him, don't you?"
"Well, I don't really know..", Juliet answered, choosing her words carefully, being an adept at negotiating her mother's strange moods, "I'll talk with him as you told me and... I'll see." Suddenly, Peter the chauffeur entered. "Madame, the guests arrived.", he announced. "I'm going then", Gloria said, checking her look in the mirror, and went out, the nurse followning her.
Juliet stared out the window, across the water. "You'll have happy days and even happier nights.", she heard her Nurse whispering