# Business Trip To Paris

Людмила Николаевна Ансельм

The play shows how in he mind of an old blind man who lived almost all his life in the Soviet Union and nine years in Amerika, all his memories are mi[ed up.

BUSINESS TRIP TO PARIS


Ludmila Anselm


Translated by Jim Clinton


CHARACTERS:


OLGA 65. Michael"s daughter.


MICHAEL 85 Olga"s blind father.


A hospital room. MICHAEL lies on a bed with an intravenous tree drip and oxygen tubes in his nose. He is barefoot.

OLGA walks in. She hugs and kisses MICHAEL, as best she can around his tubes.

OLGA

Papa! Oh, papa! I"m so relieved to see you!


MICHAEL

(speaking carefully and slowly)

Where am I?


OLGA

Memorial hospital...


MICHAEL

Why?


OLGA

You passed out. You fell, hit your head hard... We called the ambulance...How do you feel now, PAPA?


MICHAEL

You"ll not to believe me... I can see! I can see again!

OLGA

What do you see?


MICHAEL

Colors!

OLGA

Papa, you are in shock...


MICHAEL

I can see perfectly! No more white stick!


OLGA

The doctor told me that you have some problems with your mind and your heart

MICHAEL

Now I will be able to walk faster. I am normal! (pause) You don"t believe me?

OLGA

Papa, what you can see?,


MICHAEL

I can read the Leningrad sign. It"s on the station platform. The trains are waiting... On the wall is the portrait of Brezhnev. My colleagues from the institute are all over there... They"re here to see me off... I"m going to Paris...

OLGA

To Paris?

MICHAEL

I"m presenting my paper on drawbridge construction...

OLGA

Papa, you"re, hallucinating!


MICHAEL

No! I am not... It"s real The French invited me to talk. I've told you how famous our bridges are... What is strange is that the Party Committee let me go... But I have to

have a "Chaperone"... Dima... He is a Party Member


OLGA

Do you see me Papa?

MICHAEL

Well, how can I see you if you are standing in back me?


(Suddenly he raises up and extends his right hand)

Hello... hello! Vasiliy Ivanovich, I"m so pleased... Have you seen Dmitry my fellow traveler?

OLGA

Papa, the nurse told me, you shouldn"t sit up, even if you felt like it.. Just try to snooze a little...


MICHAE (excitedly)

I can"t sleep... I"m preparing for a business trip...

(He rocks back to sit up. He looks around the room)

Why isn"t she here? She said she"d come to say goodbye... We agreed...


OLGA

Who?


MICHAEL

Galya...


OLGA

Galya, who?

MICHAEL

Galya...You talked with her for a long time at our laboratory reception last spring...


OLGA

Oh, I remember her... She was so enthusiastic her work... Papa, the doctor said you

haven"t slept since you arrived here... You must lay back and sleep...


MICHAEL

I"ll rest when I find Galya... It"s really important, I have to talk. With her....


OLGA

And then you will rest?


MICHAEL

When she comes I"ll rest... This is my final dissuasionb...


OLGA

Do you promise me to rest then?


MICHAEL

Yes, I do...

OLGA

OK...

(Long Pause. OLGA starts gently talking as if she were Galya. She change her voice deeper and sexier)Michail Mironovich! Hello, hello!It's me... Galya. At last I found you! They changed your train track at the last minute. How are you?


MICHAEL

(Jumps to sitting and shakes Olga's hand)

Gallochka! Finally! (Pause) I have something very important to say to you. Listen carefully...

OLGA

(Galya's voice)

Mikhail Mironovich I understand, but first you must lie back.

MIKHAEL

(Mikhael lies back down)

Galochka! Finally! (Pause) Listen carefully... All right but listen, 1 am going to Paris... But... 1 have to tell you...


OLGA

(Galya's voice)

Michael Mironovich, I understand, but first you must lie back...


MICHAEL

(lies back down)

I"m going to Paris... But I have to tell you, I'll be back...


OLGA

I know, you will be back...


MICHAEL

But I have to tell you I won"t be coming back to you...


OLGA

(in her own voice shocked)

Papa! What are you saying?


MICHAEL

Olga! When did you come back? I was talking to Galya... Galochka! Galochka! Where are you?

(jumping up)

Where are my shoes? I have to find her... Please give me my shoes,


(The oxygen tubes fall from Michael"s nose. Olga tries to hold Michael on the bed)

OLGA

Papa, please, lie back... you don"t need shoes you"re in the hospital... Your oxygen has fallen out...

MICHAEL

(resisting)

I won"t lie down until I explain more to Galochka! Get out of my way! Call her back! I have more to explain... Where is she?

OLGA

(switching to Galya"s voice with an edge)

Michael Mironovich...

MICHAEL

Galochka, why are you so formal? You call me Misha...,

OLGA

Here are many strangers, your fellow workers...

MICHAEL

You"re right... No one need know... Let me have your hand...


(Olga extends her hand)

Your hands are always so warm so soft. I love to hold them and kiss them...

(He tries to kiss Olga"s hand)

OLGA

Misha, not now... not the right place...

MICHAEL

Galochka, try to understand... This paper is the biggest chance in my life... I have to grovel before... The Party Committee didn't want to give me permission to go to Paris. For a little professional recognition... I had to be stubborn humiliated and have Dima follow me all the time... But... They added a special condition about you and me... I can"t come to you after Paris (Pause) Please, forgive me ... Galochrka.. I hope you will understand... I don/t want to give up this chance... Do you understand? (Pause) Galochka! What do you say? Why are you silent? Say something... Galochka! Where are you?


OLGA

(own voice)Papa! What are you saying?

MICHAEL

Where is Galochka?

OLGA

She went away...

MICHAEL

Where? Why?

OLGA

To get your shoes...


MICHAEL

Call her back... I have to explain all and to ask her forgiveness....


OLGA

Why... do you have to ask Galya"s forgiveness?


MICHAEL

She and I had an agreement...

OLGA

Agreement? What about?

MICHAEL

I was to go to her with one suitcase... You and Mama would stay in the apartment with all the furniture the paintings, money, everything...

OLGA

How could you? Did Mama know anything about you and Galya?


MICHAEL

I think she knew something...

OLGA

But you never left us, Papa...

MICHAEL

The Party Committee said I could only go to Paris if I completely ended my relationship with Galya... Galya never forgave me my trip to Paris... Now I have missed another chance to ask her forgiveness...

(MICHAEL jumps up)

I have to try to find her...

(He puts feet on the floor. All the tubes have fallen off... He starts to walk gasps and falters... OLGA forces him back to bed)


OLGA

Papa, lie down again! I"ll call the nurse...

MICHAEL

(weakly)

You don't need to call anybody but Galochka

OLGA

Listen to me! You are now in... the hospital! Do you understand? You are in Memorial Hospital

MICHAEL

Where?

OLGA

In the hospital... Not Leningrad... Papa, you are in America... In Boston Ame-ri-ca!!

MICHAEL

How could I be in America?

OLGA

After Perestroika we came to Boston... Five years ago on your 80th birthday... Remember?

MICHAEL

Where is Mama?

OLGA

Mama died...

MICHAEL

She died? (Pause) When?

OLGA

We came to America after she died...


(Beat)MICHAEL

(suddenly jumping up again shouting)

Galochra! Galochka! Here I am!

OLGA

Papa, she isn"t here...

MICHAEL

I saw Galochka in the crowd...I'm calling to her,... There! She

has on her blue knitted cap... She knitted it during lunch breaks... Then she knitted my scarf...

OLGA

Papa, lie down. The nurse will fix your tubes...

MiICHAEL

(pushing the intravenous tree aside)

No tubes... I tear them out! I don"t want Galochka to see me helpless and weak with tubes all over me...


OLGA

(almost crying)

Papa! I don/t know what to do with you... You must lie still...

MICHAEL

I'll lie down when Galochka gets here.


OLGA

OK... Papa, she is coming... Here she is...

(Galya"s voice)

Misha, please lie back...

MICHAEL

Galochka! You brought my shoes?


OLGA

Yes, I have them...

MICHAEL

Put them on me, please...

OLGA

Misha, why do you want your shoes?,


MICHAEL

I can"t go to Paris like this barefoot... My feet are cold...


(OLGA finds his slippers and puts them on his feet)

Is Olga gone?

OLGA

Just for a minute...

MICHAEL

I have something very important to tell you... Listen carefully

(dreamily)

Galya! We are in America! We are in a free country! Now we can go to Paris together... We will go up the EIFFEL Tower and walk along the Elysian Fields... What more? The Louvre! We will stroll by the river at night... Oh, and the bridges... What is that river?


OLGA

The Seine...

MICHAEL

(weakly)

Yes, yes the Seine... Now we are as free as birds... No Communist Party to take you away from me and mess up our lives... Give me your hand... I want to feel beside me...


(OLGA gives him her hand)

Galochka, I"m so glad you forgave me... On the train I will lie on my bank and sleep... Just don"t go away, Galochka, and don"t take away your hand... We are going to Paris...

We"re together... Now we are together... Forever...


(Michael lies peacefully on his bed. Olga covers him with blanket)

Galochka, put your hand over my eyes... This bright light... It disturbs my sleep... Thank you, thank you... I love you....


(OLGA puts her hand over her father"s eyes as lights fade)

END OF PLAY