A Father's Daughter!

A Father's Daughter!

Opening Scene

Act 1!

(In the background all you hear is the sound of his old fashioned wall clock, ticking... ticking away....Tick,Tick,Tick,Tick.) He is sitting in his chair at the table reading the paper and drinking his coffee as he has done 100's of times before. But on this day everything was about to change his life forever, there came the sound of the doorbell and a strong knock at the door.

He put his coffee down in its usual place and folded the ear of the paper as IF to decide whether or not to answer the door! But for the life of order and solitude that he lived, answering the door was of no option, he must! Except for holidays & celebrations he never really had unexpected guests, he's lived in the same house in the country, following the same routine(s) for over 20 yrs.

Without another moment's thought about it, he put the newspaper down pushed his chair back from the table and got up and went to the door, there he put his hand out and grabbed the door handle and said....

Richard

“Just a minute!” He unlocked the door with his other hand and turned the knob and opened it....and there standing in front of him was a pretty young woman which gave him instant goosebumps, the hairs stood up on his body everywhere for she....she looked just like him, confused but with no time to ask the many questions that immediately started crossing his mind he looked at her politely and said....

Richard

“Can I help you?” When all he really wanted to do was ask her all the questions now flooding his mind!

Lisa

“Are you Richard Prior?” She was trying to remain serious as she asked him this, but it was a bit difficult of course for the obvious reasons. And it seems she gave it all away by her physical disposition and the look on her face. He was quick to answer....

Richard

“Richard Pryor is black and was one of the greatest actors and comedians to ever walk the face of the earth, I'm white and don't have a lick of humor in my funny bone that could stand up to anything that man did in his life! I recognize that look on your face; I've gotten it all of my life, you get used to it. But to clear up all the confusion please note that he spells his last name with a y and I spell mine with an i, just to clarify once and for all, that we are not related!”

Lisa

“Yes I know the last name is spelled differently, I apologize for how that might have sounded when it came out, it was not my intent to make a joke of it, but you must realize how cool it is for me to finally meet the man face to face who gave me (I think) one of the coolest last names on the face of the earth!” She broke out in a large smile as her eyes glowed and danced from the light shining in her face that was beaming out from the inside of the house behind Richard.

Richard

“Your last name?” Things were now beginning to get interesting!

Lisa

“May I come in? I think we need to sit down for this next part? Don't worry I don't bite and I'm not some kind of dangerous serial killer or axe murderer or something!”

Richard

“Oh yes, where are my manners, come in, and no of course I wasn't thinking anything like that.” He took a step towards the wall and opened the door wider to let her in.

Lisa

“Thank-you!” She took her shoes off while he closed and locked the door behind her, when he was done he stepped out in front of her and stretched his arm out pointing to the inside of his house; letting this pretty stranger step into his world he said...

Richard

“Right this way!” Lisa nodded her head and was quick to follow his steps into a large dining area, where his coffee still sat on the table and the paper still laid out on the tabletop. He was quick to return to his seat as he pointed at all the other chairs around the table saying..... “Sit anywhere you like. (He took a sip of his coffee...) “Rats! My coffee is cold now; I need to heat it up, please get comfortable, I will be right back. Shoot, where are my manners? Would you like a cup of coffee?” These words she heard as he was walking away into the kitchen.

Lisa

“Yes, please! I think this occasion is definitely a moment that calls for a cup of coffee, 2 1/2 sugar, 2 cream.” She told him, to save him from asking the obvious question. She touched the back of the chairs 1 by 1 as she moved down the length of the table until she found that sitting in the chair on the opposite end of the stunning classic dining room table, where she could see Richard in clear view straight ahead of her is what suited her feelings for what she was about to embark upon with him.

Lisa put her big purse up top on the table and opened it, she put a hand inside and retrieved a medium sized legal brown envelope. Pulling it out of her bag completely she laid the envelope down on the table and moved her big purse out of the way by sticking it on the seat of the empty chair to the left of her, she pulled her seat in a little closer to the table put her hands together in front of her on top of the envelope, remembering she needed to breathe so she took in some air and just waited for Richard's Return!

End of Act 1!

Richard Returns!

Scene 2: Act 1!

Richard returns with 2 hot mugs of coffee, made to order; he puts his mug in place and chuckles in acknowledgement of where Lisa chose to sit.

Richard

“You can sit closer if you like, I don’t bite, but I can relate! I too like to sit where I can see everyone and everything in clear view.” By the time he was done speaking he was standing next to her and put her coffee down in front of her.

Lisa

“No, I'm quite alright for today, right where I am!” She picked up her coffee in a sort of toast kind of manner and took a sip. When she finished she added “Very good coffee!”

Richard

“Thank-you! Now what brings you here; that my table is blessed with your visit today?” He tried smiling but it was a nervous smile, thinking of her words at the door telling him her last name is the same?

Lisa with her quick assessment of the man she was looking at and the environment felt it was safe to proceed with what brought her to his house on this day. She took another sip of that good cup of coffee, after which she took a breath; then put one of her hands on the envelope and pushed it across the table as she spoke.

“I was given this envelope just recently, my Mother passed-away and apparently this envelope had some kind of legal binding clause that was only to be lifted in 1 of 2 ways. 1. I turn a certain age and 2. That she passes-away. Evidently though I'm well above 21 yrs of age she managed to find a way to fight to keep this envelope from reaching me until the lawyers’ for her estate finally gave it to me just a few short weeks ago.” When Lisa stopped talking all you could hear between them was the sound of the envelope sliding across the table. Those few seconds for Richard felt like one of those slow-motion moments you see on TV or the movies where it seems like time is taking forever.

When the envelope reached him on his side of the table he put his hand out on the envelope and picked it up! He read where it came from in the left corner and saw who it was addressed to in the center, it was addressed sure enough to one Lisa Prior! Before opening it and removing the pages within, he took a sip of his coffee and caught a deep breath.

Lisa

“I'm sorry for this, but since this is all very new to me too, I just thought it might be easiest if you read what is there for yourself; easier to start off with less talking I think, for I'm sure we will be doing enough of that soon enough seeing as how there is so much time to catch up on ahead of us to do.

Richard pulled all the papers and the pictures that were in the envelope out. There he saw pictures, some of which he recognized and remembered immediately, others which he's never seen at all. He took the pictures and put them aside and picked up the legal documents and started to read. Lisa just sat there across from him on the other side of the table in silence, listening to the clock tick, drinking her coffee, and waited.

Richard after several moments of silence and flipping through papers finally puts them down on the table and moves his head and gaze towards this lovely young lady sitting there with him; being tongue tied himself, and not knowing where to start, stammers out the words a little loudly due to the anxiety....

Richard

“SOOO, YOU'RE MY DAUGHTER?”

Lisa

“According to those papers and the pictures of Mom holding me as a baby in the hospital I was born in! She raised me to believe that the other Richard in her life was actually my father. There were enough similarities in looks that it was quite believable to the untrained eye! But when you compare the picture of him to the ones’ of you, I could see… easily, that I was yours and not his. And then there was the tremendous difference of talents, intelligence, interests; that Richard and I were completely different personalities, like the distance of this table between us. Even if I was sitting next to him or across from him that's how far away it would always feel, anyway. In short, I have just basically spent the last 30 something yrs of my life living a life that was a complete lie!

Seeing you sitting here alive and well just carries with it all the yrs I have lived without knowing who I really am, it means I only know half of who I am, my Mother's half. It means I have no idea who I am supposed to be today and what I should be doing or where I should be doing it, it means everything I learned growing up knowing the other Richard, doesn't apply to me! So now I have to start all over again with you, with one great thing to our benefit… that SHE’S not IN the picture at all to get in the way!”

Richard picking up the pictures and looking through them while Lisa was talking, started shaking his head because he most certainly remembered that woman in the picture holding their daughter, and he started shaking his head in disbelief at what that woman did.

Richard

“No, No, No, No, No, No, she didn't, she didn't do what all this says she just did!? How could any woman with a heart and soul do such a thing? (It wasn't a question he was looking to have answered, because it clearly had already been) Do you think your Mother is going to go to HELL FOR THIS?” And then he went back to shaking his head and looking at the pictures some more.

Lisa

“Well, RICHARD, I believe that door to heaven literally slammed in her face many yrs ago,what she's done to my life, no amount of prayer or bible reading could ever turn the tides or damage back on. Right till her death bed, she just had to get that last kick in the teeth. She clearly wasn't the Mother or person I tried so hard to hold onto, wanting to believe she was, and she clearly hated you and everything I represented there, (whatever happened between you 2) that she was willing to do this to me too, not just you? I got used to her pathological lies and constant moving us around, and the way she couldn't keep a good man in her life, but THIS, NEVER… could I have imagined or guessed that all that she did was BECAUSE of THE SECRET she was keeping from everyone, not just you and me!”

Richard

“Well, that's just it, let me start right there clearing a few things up for you about whatever happened between your Mother and me. You're old enough I believe to handle the truth and based on the life you've just lived with her I'm thinking you might find what I say a bit of a relief instead of raising more complications. But as for your Mama and me, well darling there was NOTHING between her and me... well that's not to say we didn't wind up in bed together I take on all full responsibility for that, for we most certainly did. But it wasn't anything serious or ridiculously romantic like meeting on a vacation in Paris standing in front of the Eiffel tower... sorry to burst your Mama's bubble but her & I we were just a drunk'n stupor.

Back in the days when I still had a fools dream of making it in the music business I was touring any of the bars or dive holes I could get booked in, and your Mama and I met in one of those dive holes and we got to talking and drinking and she was more like one of them girl groupies, who follows certain bands around and my band was one of them, it was my autograph she wanted and well honey back then she was cute enough for girls who hang out in bars like those and wanting my autograph was cool enough for me that it lead to a few drinks to many which lead to obviously making how do you say it... (A LOVE CHILD) is what babies like you are called!

Because Lisa you are most certainly one lovely young woman and have carried the light and love of my soul in you, all the days of your life. In short I am glad you are here, trying to straighten out your truth and who you are and who you want to be. You are one of those good mistakes many a man has made before me that live(d) without ever knowing, we'd done such a thing, as make a life. And I am willing to answer all your questions and help you in whatever way you need me too until you are satisfied.

I have no idea why Helen would do such a thing to either of us, it's not like we ended on bad terms, but my life in music just carried on and she... well, she was a groupie who lived a free lifestyle and came and went as she pleased too. This, eventually, led to her complete disappearance from my life. I most certainly did wonder what happened to Helen, I did after all fall into bed with the girl, I wasn't void of any feelings. Helen most certainly could have come to me and asked me for help whatever her decision! But as I think back on it, I'm guessing I can pinpoint what led to her making up her mind to drive a wedge between all of us, so big, that you and I could not & now never will, forget it! Oh… I guess I should ask, what did she die from?”

Lisa (with a winced look on her face of an obvious understanding of why he was asking answered only with 1 word!)

“Cancer!” Well... what is it, what do you think, the reason is for all this? As far as learning my Mama was a groupie when she was young, yes… that is very believable because she loved to date them musician type, unless those kind of men are rich and hugely successful (though they may be good between the sheets) they are not so good as reliable men or father's, they are so poor they have to come live at Mama's house because they can't afford their own.”

Richard

“IS THAT WHAT SHE TOLD YOU? My word child, the world you had to grow up in... for that I am so sorry. After your Mama and me had been together that last time, she got a little weird and all girl like on me and she started in on me asking those questions about LOVE & MARRIAGE and whether I'd ever be willing to settle down with one girl, I said yes; eventually, but that I wasn't ready right then at that time in my life, I was only a man of 21, just legal around the world but she never acted like she was expecting me to pop the question or anything like that, I never could have guessed where she was in her head, but I'm thinking she was smart enough to have realized that those feelings and thoughts she was having, were not there, for me, towards her.

I'm also thinking she might have already known she was pregnant and might have been aiming to tell me, but because I failed to answer her questions and behave the way she wanted me too, she chose to not mention it and when she started to show, she just chose to never return to our regular watering hole? But remember Lisa this is all purely speculation, now that she's gone from both our lives forever, we never will, really know? So, we are just going to have to learn how to make the best of it, between us on our own.”

Lisa

“I like your answer, it is sound and logical and resembles girls who lived lives like that in those times. I'm thinking I can accept, and live with your conclusion, so Richard I say, let's you and me agree to agree on this one?”

Richard

“Done, Agreed! (he said smiling, by this point in the conversation, newly fathered for the 8th time his face was glowing and looked much like a light bright, as it were!) Now aren't we supposed to shake hands on things like this or something? it's not like this sort of thing is a habit of mine or yours, obviously?”

Lisa

“I guess a good hand-shake is in order, since we've not formally introduced ourselves since the moment you opened the door.”

Richard pushed his chair away from the table and got up and walked over to the other side. Lisa, looking up at him smiling back, got up from her seat and took the hand he put out toward her into hers and like thunder clapping when their hands finally met for the first time, something electrical, something magical, started to happen between them. While they were still shaking hands, Lisa said....

Lisa

“Hi, My name is Lisa, Lisa Prior...I'm YOUR DAUGHTER....(a slight pause for a breath) and I'm glad to FINALLY MEET YOU.... DAD!

Richard, no longer alone in his big house since all his other children grew up and left home, was happily sinking in the change that's about to happen in both their lives, all those yrs of stories and pictures to have someone NEW, someone so perfect, to share it all with, said back to her...

Richard

Hi, Lisa, I'm Richard, I'm glad to finally meet you too, I look forward to getting to know you as your Dad (just like a line out of the movie Annie he says,) I think I'm gonna like you here!” Lisa looking around at the house she was now embraced in stammered out a few more words while smiling back at him...“I...I think I'm gonna like it here too!” Then, like at the beginning, when Richard sat alone, there was once again nothing but silence, only now, between 2 people, instead of just him and THAT, that's when you could hear it ONCE AGAIN; the sound of that old fashioned clock on the wall behind them ticking...ticking away....Tick,Tick,Tick,Tick!

End of Scene 2! Act 1!

Act 2! Scene 3!

The Adolphus!

Richard was up all night; couldn't sleep right, he tossed and turned and thought about Lisa and what this all meant, and where things were going to go from here, and where to start from? And then he looked over at the clock, and saw that it was time for the rooster to crow, and shook off the night, threw the sheets back and jumped out of bed like he had just slept a good 9 hrs! He didn't feel tired at all, but he had definitely made up his mind about 1 thing for sure! Speaking out loud to himself he said....

Richard

“Well I might not be able to do anything about the past 38 yrs of my life and her life, but I can most certainly do 1 thing right, right now, today! And that's, not let her waste all her savings staying in that ridiculously expensive Dallas Hotel, NOPE that's it, she can and will stay right here with me at the house; I at least won't have ‘THAT GUILT’ on me!”

He went straight to the shower to get his wits about him, rehearsing what he was going to say to her, it occurred to him for all the yrs he's lived in Dallas that he himself had never stayed at the famous....Adolphus Hotel which has been standing in its place since 1912 (or something like that?, he thought to himself) as he turned the water off and grabbed for a towel and got out of the shower and dried off!

A short time later, there he was, driving up to his turn into the parking lot shaking his head about what Lisa might have to say about the obvious thought that crossed his mind as he parked the car and shut it off. True the building was a beauty, but on account of knowing the story about the suicide of the jilted bride whose ghost haunts the halls of the 19th floor, Richard never had the courage to do it… and now here he is finding himself walking through the ‘front doors’ to go see HIS daughter, Lisa (God he wasn't sure he was ever going to get used to saying that to himself again and again, for the crazy adventure that stood before them both) to try and convince her that the hotel was not worth spending anywhere between $265-$300 a night in, if she only knew the story he was now there to tell!

Standing at the guest counter he smiled at the nice staff looking back at him with politeness and kindness as (he thought to himself )with that smile on ‘his face’ HOW can you guys WORK HERE, how could these nice people come in here day after day?

Richard

“Hi, Lisa Prior's room please!” And then he added, to make it feel, just a little more special than it already did for him, “SHE'S MY DAUGHTER!”

Counter staff

“How nice sir, just a moment please, (counter staff typing her name in on the computer screen) she is a lovely young lady, a great conversationalist” and then the lady behind the counter said it… (out of 428 rooms with the mathematical odds, the one thing he most dreaded, happened) and she told him, “Lisa is in room 1930!”

Richard

“So I'm guessing this means that the rooms don't start at number 100 and go up from there?” Counter staff “No sir, the way it's numbered now has something to do with the size of the hotel previously; there were over 1200 rooms, it's something the renovators chose to do! Is this your first time visiting the Hotel?” As he began to walk away he answered....

Richard

“Yes, well at least the inside anyway, thank-you for your help!” He then found his way to the elevators and dreaded the thought of this next move. On the elevator alone he muttered to himself, shaking his head...”The 19th floor!” which instantly gave him goosebumps and was determined to get in and out as quickly as he could! 2 minutes later he found himself in front of the hotel room door and he wasted no time, took a deep breath and knocked on the door!

Lisa

“Just a minute!” She said from the other side, the volume on the TV went down, and that's all he heard, until she opened the door and there she was (HIS DAUGHTER) facing him again, only 1 day after learning the ‘Big news!’ “What are you doing here? It's still pretty early, I thought because of a long first day you might want to sleep in a bit and get a good nights’ rest, so I wasn't going to call until later today!”

Richard

“Good nights’ rest? HA, with knowing you are here at The Adolphus Hotel spending your life savings on enormous $300 a night rooms, while I sit at home in a beautiful BIG & VERY EMPTY house all alone? Not a chance, I didn't sleep a wink last night, can I come in?”

Lisa

“Oh yes, yes of course, where are ‘my’ manners, (stepping aside and pointing into her room with her other arm,) right this way!” As the door closed behind him, he continued....

Richard

“But not just the guilt of the money you're spending here, there is something else about this place you obviously do not know based on where I am now standing getting the chills as I think about it!” He then told her about the jilted bride in the 1930's and the story of her haunting the very floor they were now standing in together! After that he said.... “You're coming to stay with me, I'm not having any child of mine feeling like she has to keep her distance and act like she's a stranger, we're family and darned if I couldn't stand to have a visitor with whom sharing my house would feel good! Then Lisa watched him get bossy and couldn't help but break out in a smile at him…

Richard

“Where's your suitcases, open your dresser drawers, get your things!” he said, as he found his way to the hotel closet and pulled her bags from it dead serious on the intent of getting (at the very least) off the 19th floor of this hotel.

“That's not the only haunting story that comes with the reputation of this Hotel, there have even been pictures and videos taken and put up on the internet, I myself saw a picture once, but could never get the nerve to watch any of the videos, oh, but how one thing was certain, I had made up my mind many yrs ago, that as long I could help it, I would never stay here!” Too serious for her she says,

Lisa

“Well thanks for answering why I was thinking you were a bit of a cheap skate for having had such a successful music career in your early yrs, and all the yrs you've lived here with your family, and having never stayed in what is considered 1 of the top 10 nicest Hotels in America, from the long conversation we had yesterday!”

Richard,

“I didn't say I've NEVER stayed in Hotels, just that I'm not much of a Hotel kind of guy, I'm a musician I much prefer motels, where you can make a bit of noise playing music and sit outside the room with the door open in nice weather drinking beer and playing the guitar. Can't do that in a place like this at all!”

Lisa

“Yes O.K you got me there, too many floors, ground level motel life is definitely unique to tall Hotel living!” By the time the chit chat was over, the packing was done, and he didn't waste a moment's time and headed to the door and turned back at her and said....

Richard

“Are you coming?”

Lisa

“Yes DAD, just taking one last look around to be sure I didn't miss anything!” In Saying that, she meant to say… that he was beginning to make her feel how she thinks it would have felt to be his kid, when she was still a kid!” Looking at the expression on his face when she said it holding back her desire to laugh, she could see Richard took it pretty-well!

Downstairs at the check-out counter he insisted on paying her bill as he explained to the lady behind the counter, that it made much more sense for her to visit with him at the house since it was big and empty with only him in it, now that his other children have all grown and left home and was recently divorced from wife number 3! The counter staff nodded her head in understanding the whole family matter thing, and with that Richard moved forward with the suitcases. Once the suitcases made their way into the trunk and he slammed the lid shut glad that part of the mission was over, he opened the doors and pressed unlock and as they were getting in Lisa turned to him while getting comfortable and looking for the seat belt with her hands, and said....

Lisa

“You know, you didn't have to tell her your life story back there at the counter! It's their job to not be too curious, into the lives of the guests who come and go!” Poking fun at him again, regarding his friendliness and talkativeness.

Richard

“What? Is there something wrong with being a little old fashioned and thinking it's better manners to give them some understanding for the change of plans? And besides they said pretty much the same about you, being a good conversationalist, so now we've just proven on separate occasions to the staff at the Adolphus Hotel that we are obviously… family!” After putting it right back at her with a smile, she shut up and clicked her seat belt into place as he put the keys in the ignition and did the same! And then the music started to play as he started driving and he said...

Richard

“Oh, sorry about that, I don't get many guests in my car these days, and sometimes I like to reminisce about the good old days and be a fan of my own music, and he reached out to turn off the cd...when Lisa reached out and touched his hand and said...

Lisa

“NO!!!! Don't… Leave it! It's’ Nice, I like it! I mean it's clear I've got A LOT of catching up to do and listening to you and your music is clearly going to be one of those important missions on the road between us starting now and leading to some unknown destiny or future between us! I want to hear what you have to say!”

Richard let his hand drop from the CD player, and went back to driving. And all the way back to his place they both sat in silence, and listened to the stories that his songs told, the silence, an obvious acknowledgement of a beautiful beginning to a great bond between them!

End of Act 2: Scene 3!

The End! :-)