they blockaded this town—I watched it on TV at our base in Germany. This soldier—some stupid private—standing at the barricade while this Indian’s calling him the worst kind of shit. Guy’s spit landing right in his face—soldier didn’t move a muscle, not even a twitch. Two inches away, injun’s screaming, calling him goof, fuck-wad, cocksucker—
But nothing could touch that guy. That’s why I joined.
SADIQ:
Why Indian so for angry?
MERCER:
Oh, fuck, I don’t know. It was some fucking golf course they wanted or something.
SADIQ:
And mother? She afraid you go to war—be shoot and killed?
MERCER:
Fuck off.
SADIQ:
Why you anger Vancouver? The heat not good to you. You should go slow. Rest. Stay in base.
MERCER:
You should fuck off.
SADIQ:
I go. You want more picture. I come back three days.
MERCER:
I won’t be here so don’t fucking bother.
Scene Three
SADIQ:
You say you will not come back.
MERCER:
Changed my mind. OK?
SADIQ:
OK.
MERCER:
Look, I’m sorry I weirded out on you last time.
SADIQ:
I have pictures. I have made selection.
MERCER:
Oh yeah?
SADIQ:
Yes. (shows MERCER pictures)
MERCER:
Fuck.
SADIQ:
You soldiers stay here a while, I make it to Kansas City no time. Flash. 6 months.
MERCER:
Must be your personal stash.
SADIQ:
I do not understand.
MERCER:
Ah, c’mon, don’t tell me you don’t sneak a quick pull over these in the back of your boss’ tent.
SADIQ:
I not look at picture. They are not for me.
MERCER:
I can’t get ’em out of my head. During exercises, on watch—I get up in the middle of the night, sneak ’em out of my tent in my shirt. I go to the fucking latrine for Christ’s sake.
I haven’t seen my girlfriend in a long fucking time. Based in Germany. But these pictures, they’re something else.
SADIQ:
Top quality.
MERCER:
How much for these?
SADIQ:
Today, for you—fifty purple fish.
MERCER:
Deal.
SADIQ:
Deal.
MERCER:
Listen, these are way better than what we can get on the base. It’s all Playboy and lacy shit. I’ll meet you here once a week and buy the hardest stuff you can get your hands on.
SADIQ:
You buy every week?
MERCER:
Yeah.
SADIQ:
Yes, this is good, Mercer.
MERCER:
Good. It’s a deal then.
SADIQ:
Deal.
MERCER:
Great.
SADIQ:
Very good.
You are not so white today. Gold, like the sun. Look. I am so brown. Your nose straight. And your hair. Harrison Ford.
One time I go to the hair cutter in my neighborhood, in Doha. Stupid ass. Say I want him to make my hair straight. Like movie star I tell him. I have money. I will pay you to do it. I know it is possible. I read about it in magazines. But he laugh at me, says, Sadiq, you always want to be somebody else. You should know, he says, all the other boys, they laugh at you, so worried about how you look, talking about America and movie stars. I do that to your hair, your father, he would kill me. He will say I am traitor to the Arabs, to Palestine, make people not go to my store.
MERCER:
Here.
Hands SADIQ money.
SADIQ:
More purple fish?
MERCER:
Don’t tell anyone. Other soldiers.
SADIQ:
What?
MERCER:
About this. What I told you before. Everything.
SADIQ:
Yes. (he pockets money) We have secret.
Scene Four
SADIQ:
My Uncle and his wife, when they get to America, right away, they change their names. Here, they Souad and Maher Moussa, but there, no, they Sue and Mike Marshall. He play baseball. In big league.
MERCER:
Your uncle plays pro ball?
SADIQ:
Yes?
MERCER:
Your uncle—he plays professional baseball?
SADIQ:
Oh, no. Mike Marshall play baseball. Pitcher for twins of Min-e-soda. My uncle, Maher, he name himself for Mike Marshall. And Souad, she wanted to name Talullah, like Tallulah Bankhead, star from movie. But Maher is big guy, say to Souad—Mike Marshall wife name Sue Marshall, good for her, good for you, too.
Many years Uncle Mike work very hard for rich American serving dinner in hotel restaurant. Souad clean room. They save all their money, buy house in bad part of city. Then they rent to black people. Make more money and buy more house. Keep going until Maher, he is Mike, rich guy in Kansas. Salim, he promise I make enough selling to soldiers during the war, he will send me to Uncle in America. He will make sure.
MERCER:
Sadiq.
SADIQ’s turns to face MERCER. MERCER takes photograph.
SADIQ:
You have camera.
MERCER:
I do.
SADIQ:
Why?
MERCER:
To take pictures. You know.
SADIQ:
Of?
MERCER:
Everything. The desert.
SADIQ:
You