BUS STOP

                                                          by

                                                     Gao Xingjian

 
Author's Suggestions
Footnotes

 

PLACE:  A bus stop in the suburb of a city.

 

CHARACTERS:

          SILENT MAN: A middle-aged man. 

          OLD MAN: In his sixties. 

          GIRL: Twenty-eight years old. 

          HOTHEAD: Nineteen years old. 

          GLASSES: Thirty years old.  

          MOTHER: Forty years old. 

          CARPENTER: Forty-five years old.  

          DIRECTOR MA: Fifty years old.

          (The ages listed represent each character's age at his or her first appearance.)

(A bus-stop sign stands in the middle of the stage. The words on the sign are no longer legible due to years of exposure to the elements. Beside the stop sign are two rows of iron railings where the passengers line up. The railings are shaped like a cross, with each of the four posts a different length. This shape is symbolic of a crossroads, or a fork in the road on the journey of life, or a way station in the lives of the characters. The actors can come onto the stage from all directions. The SILENT MAN comes onto the stage carrying a bag. He halts to wait for the bus. The OLD MAN comes on empty-handed.)

 

OLD MAN:  Did the bus just pass?

          (The SILENT MAN nods.) 

OLD MAN:  Are you going to town?

          (The SILENT MAN nods.)

OLD MAN:  When you go to town on Saturday afternoon, you have to start out

                   early.  If you wait till you get off work to catch the bus, you won't

                   make it.

          (The SILENT MAN smiles.)

OLD MAN: (Turning his head to look.) Not a bus in sight. Wouldn't you know

there would be fewer buses on a Saturday afternoon when everybody wants to go to town? If you leave one minute too late, you'll hit the "rush hour"--what a weird expression! The moment everybody gets off work, the rush begins. They all hurry to squeeze in, but it takes energy to push your way through the crowd. At my age I just can't do it. It's a good thing I got an early start, before those who knock off early even get started on their way.  I didn't even dare to take a nap. (Feels relieved and yawns.) If I didn't have important business in town, I wouldn't come now. (Taking out a cigarette.) Do you smoke? (The SILENT MAN shakes his head.) It's better not to smoke. Why waste your money to get bronchitis? Besides, it's hard to get good cigarettes. The minute the "Big Front Door" cigarettes[1] arrive in the stores, people start lining up in the street; the line goes all the way around the corner. Each customer is limited to two packs. When your turn finally comes, the sales clerk turns his head and walks away. If you ask him a question, he doesn't bother answering you. Is this "serving the customers"?  It's only lip-service! All those "Big Front Door" cigarettes have gone out the back door! It's just like waiting for the bus. When you stand in line according to the rules, there are always some who don't go by the rules. They push to the front, wave to the driver, and the door opens for them.  They're the "preferred passengers with connections." God! How I hate that term! By the time you try to get on, the door is slammed shut again. That's how they "serve the passengers"! What can you do but stare at them in frustration?  Everybody knows this happens, but nothing is ever done about it. (Looking at the side of the stage.) Hey, someone is coming. You stand at the head of the line, and I'll stand behind you. In a little while when the bus comes, all hell will break loose. Whoever is strongest will get a seat. That's how people behave nowadays.

(The SILENT MAN smiles. The GIRL comes on stage holding a small handbag. She stops at a little distance from them. HOTHEAD enters, and with one leap sits down on the iron railing. He then takes out a cigarette with a filter tip and lights it with a lighter.)

OLD MAN: (To the SILENT MAN.) See, what I just told you.

          (The SILENT MAN taps the iron railing to show his agreement.)

HOTHEAD:  How long have you been waiting?

          (The OLD MAN pretends not to hear.)

HOTHEAD:  How long does it take for a bus to come?

OLD MAN:  (Peevishly.) Go ask the bus company.

HOTHEAD:  That's a funny answer. I'm asking you.

          (The SILENT MAN takes out a book from his bag and starts to read.)

OLD MAN:  Asking me? I'm not the dispatcher.

HOTHEAD:  I'm asking you how long you've been waiting.

OLD MAN:  Young man, that's not how you ask a question.

HOTHEAD:  (Realizing his mistake.) Grandpa.

OLD MAN:  I'm not your grandpa.

HOTHEAD:  (Sarcastically.) Then Your Honor . . .

OLD MAN:  There's no need for that.

(HOTHEAD, feeling rejected, starts to whistle while glancing at the OLD MAN and swinging his legs.)

OLD MAN:  This railing is for people to rest their hands on while standing in line. It

                    is not a seat.

HOTHEAD:  You can't hurt it by sitting on it. It's not made of straw.

OLD MAN:  Don't you see it is tilted?

HOTHEAD:  Did I make it tilt?

OLD MAN:  If everybody sits on it and rocks it, how can it not tilt?

HOTHEAD:  Is it your private property?

OLD MAN:  I make it my business to protect public property.

HOTHEAD:  Don't argue with me! Why don't you go home and argue with your old

                   woman?  (He shakes the railing even more.)  

OLD MAN:  (Trying his best to control his anger, turns to the SILENT MAN.)

                   You see . . .

(The SILENT MAN has been reading; he has paid no attention to the conversation.  GLASSES comes running.)  

OLD MAN:  (To the GIRL.) Get in line. In a little while there'll be total chaos.

(HOTHEAD jumps down from the railing and pushes forward. He stands in front of the GIRL. The MOTHER arrives, hurriedly lugging a big bag.)

OLD MAN:  Let's observe the rule of first come, first served.

GIRL:  (To the OLD MAN in an almost inaudible voice.) It doesn't matter. I'll just

                   stand here.

(The sound of a bus is heard. The CARPENTER arrives with big, vigorous strides, carrying a tool bag. He stands at the end of the line. The sound of the bus gets nearer; everyone looks in the direction of the bus. The SILENT MAN puts his book away. The line slowly moves forward.)

GIRL:  (Turning back to look at GLASSES.) Don't push.

OLD MAN:  Get in line, everybody get in line.

(The sound of the bus moves past them. HOTHEAD suddenly gets in front of the OLD MAN and the SILENT MAN, and runs to the head of the line.)

OTHERS:  (To HOTHEAD.) Hey!  Hey . . . hey . . .

          (The bus does not stop.)

ALL:  Stop! Why didn't it stop?  Hello . . .

(HOTHEAD runs a few steps after the bus. The sound of the bus fades away.)

HOTHEAD:  Damn it!

OLD MAN:  (Angrily.) The bus is not going to stop if we all act like this.

MOTHER:  Hey, you people in front--please get in line!

GLASSES:  (To HOTHEAD.)  Get in line, get in line! Can't you hear? 

HOTHEAD:  What's the matter with you? After all, I'm in front of you.

MOTHER:  There are not that many of us. Wouldn't it be better if we got on the bus

                   in an orderly fashion?

GLASSES:  (To HOTHEAD.) You were behind her.  

OLD MAN:  (To the SILENT MAN.) Ill-bred.

HOTHEAD:  You're well-bred?

MOTHER:  Do you think you don't have to stand in line?

OLD MAN:  (Enunciating every syllable very slowly.) You jump the queue when

                   you're supposed to stand in line. That's what I call ill-bred.

HOTHEAD:  If your feet itch, tell your old woman to scratch them for you. Why are

                   you taking it out on me?

MOTHER:  We all tell you to line up. Why are you so insensitive?

HOTHEAD:  Who says I didn't line up? The bus didn't stop. Why are you all yelling

                   at me?

GLASSES:  You were behind someone else.

HOTHEAD:  I'm in front of you anyway.

OLD MAN:  (Trembling with rage.) Get in line!

HOTHEAD:  Why do you keep stirring up trouble? You think I'm afraid of you?

OLD MAN:  Are you looking for a fight?

(The SILENT MAN walks over to them. Seeing that he is quite strong, HOTHEAD backs up a step, but continues leaning against the railing so as not to appear weak.)  

HOTHEAD:  If you're so powerful, why didn't you make the bus stop? (Leaning

                    against the railing and shaking it some more.)

OLD MAN:  Young man, didn't you learn anything in school?

HOTHEAD:  If you're so learned, why aren't you riding in a limousine?

OLD MAN:  Waiting for a bus is nothing to be ashamed of; it's social morality.

                   Didn't your teachers teach you that? 

HOTHEAD:  We never had such a lesson.

OLD MAN:  Your parents didn't teach you either?

HOTHEAD:  Your mother taught you, how come you didn't get on the bus either? 

(The OLD MAN falls silent, not knowing what to say. He glances at the SILENT MAN, who has resumed reading.)

HOTHEAD:  (Smugly.) If you've never gotten on a bus before, you've lived all these

                   years in vain.  

GLASSES:  We're all waiting for the bus, please be a little considerate of the others.  HOTHEAD:  Am I not standing line? I'm right in front of you.

GLASSES:  You were behind her. (Pointing at the GIRL.)

HOTHEAD:  She can get on ahead of me. But when the bus comes, she must be

                   able to squeeze in.

GIRL:  (Turning her back to him.) How disgusting!

HOTHEAD:  (To the OLD MAN.) If you can get on, just go ahead. If you can't,

don't blame me. And don't block the way either. If you're such an educated and sensible person, you must know how to get on a bus. I haven't had much schooling, but I sure can get on a bus.  

          (The sound of a bus is heard.)

MOTHER:  The bus is coming. Everybody get in line.

HOTHEAD:  (Still leaning on the railing, to the GIRL.) I'm after you. If you can't

                   get on later, don't blame me for pushing you.

GIRL:  (Frowning.) You go ahead.

(The sound of the bus is getting closer. The SILENT MAN puts his book away. The CARPENTER, who has been squatting all this time, stands up. Everybody pushes forward along the railing.)

GLASSES:  (To the GIRL.) Try to get on the bus from the side. Hold on to the door

                   handle.

(The GIRL looks at GLASSES but says nothing. Everybody moves forward in the direction of the bus. HOTHEAD stands outside of the railing, following right behind the GIRL.)

OLD MAN:  Stop! Stop!

GLASSES:  Hello . . . stop!

MOTHER:  We've been waiting a long time!

GIRL:  The one before this one didn't stop.

HOTHEAD:  That son of a bitch . . .

CARPENTER:  Hey!

(They all run after the bus and crowd to one corner of the stage. HOTHEAD suddenly dashes forward; GLASSES grabs him. HOTHEAD swings his arm; GLASSES seizes him by his sleeve. HOTHEAD turns around and slaps GLASSES. The sound of the bus becomes faint.)

GLASSES:  How dare you hit me?

HOTHEAD:  So what if I hit you?

(The two fight.)

OLD MAN:  They're fighting! They're fighting!

MOTHER:  Young people nowadays.

GIRL:  (To GLASSES.) Why don't you get out of his way?

GLASSES:  That troublemaker!

HOTHEAD:  (Rushing forward.) I'll slap you again!

(The SILENT MAN and the CARPENTER separate them.) 

CARPENTER:  You both stop! Stop! You guys have nothing better to do?

GLASSES:  Stinking asshole!

HOTHEAD:  You son of a bitch!

MOTHER:  Oh, how awful. Don't you people have any shame?

HOTHEAD:  Why did he pull my sleeve?

GLASSES:  All I did was give him a little tug. Why didn't you stay in line?

HOTHEAD:  Don't try to be a hero in front of the women folks. If you're really

                   somebody, let's take a little walk.

GLASSES:  Do you think I'm scared of you? You idiot!

(HOTHEAD lunges at GLASSES again, but the CARPENTER grabs his wrist, making him unable to move.)  

CARPENTER:  Don't make any trouble. Go stand in the back.

HOTHEAD:  It's none of your business.

CARPENTER:  Go to the back!  (Grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to

          the rear of the line.)

OLD MAN:  That's right. Don't let him create any more trouble. Then none of us

                   can get on the bus. (To the SILENT MAN.) He has it coming. 

(The SILENT MAN did not hear what was said. He has started reading again.)

HOTHEAD:  I was at the front of the line. Do you think only you people can go to

                   town, but I can't?  

MOTHER:  Nobody said you can't go.

OLD MAN:  (To the MOTHER.) We all go to town for some purpose, but he only

                   wants to make trouble. There are those "three-handed" people[2] on the

                   bus; we'd better watch out for them. 

(Everyone feels his wallet except the SILENT MAN and the CARPENTER.)

HOTHEAD:  What makes you think you're so important? Old turtle!

(The GIRL and the MOTHER smile at each other. The OLD MAN glances at them disapprovingly.)

MOTHER:  (Quickly changing the subject, to GLASSES.) There's no need for you

                   to get into a fight with him. You're no match for him.

GLASSES:  (Heroically.)  Has anyone seen such a troublemaker? No one will be

                   able to get on the bus because of him. Are you going to town?

MOTHER:  My husband and child live in the city. It's such a headache trying to catch a bus on Saturdays. You have to fight your way on.

GLASSES:  Why don't you ask to be transferred to the city?

MOTHER:  Who doesn't want to be transferred to the city? But you've got to have

                   connections. What can we do?

GIRL:  Two buses have passed without stopping.

GLASSES:  They're already full. Are you going to town for some business?

(The GIRL nods.)

GLASSES:  You'd do better to get on at the starting point. Where do you live?

(The GIRL looks at him with a guarded expression, and does not answer his question.  GLASSES, feeling put out, adjusts his glasses. The SILENT MAN closes his book and turns to look in the direction from which the bus had come. He appears a little anxious and buries himself in his book again.)

OLD MAN:  I'm really worried. I have to be at the Cultural Palace in the city by seven o'clock.

MOTHER:  You really have a zest for life. Going to town to watch a show?

OLD MAN:  No such luck. Let the townspeople watch the shows; I'm going to a

                   chess game.

MOTHER:  What?

OLD MAN: A chess game. Chariot, horse, cannon, do you understand? Checkmate!

GIRL:  Oh, to play chess. You must be crazy about it.

OLD MAN:  My young lady, I've played chess all my life! 

GLASSES:  Everyone has his interest. If people didn't have a passion for something,

                   life would be very dull.

OLD MAN: Well said! I've studied all kinds of chess manuals. From Patriarch

                   Zhang's Secret Methods for Chess Playing to the recently published

                   Solutions to One Hundred Unfinished Chess Games, I can show you

                   all the moves without missing a single one!  Do you play chess too?   

GLASSES:  I play occasionally.

OLD MAN:  Of course it's all right to play it occasionally, but there's a lot to chess.

                   It's a specialized learning.

GLASSES:  Yes, it's not easy to play it well.

OLD MAN:  Have you heard of Li Mosheng? 

MOTHER:  (Seeing that the CARPENTER's bag is next to hers, she moves her bag

          closer to herself.) Do you do carpentry work?

CARPENTER:  Mmm--

GLASSES:  Which Li Mosheng?

MOTHER:  You work on Saturdays?

CARPENTER:  (Too lazy to respond.) Uh.

OLD MAN:  You say you play chess but you don't even know Li Mosheng?

GLASSES:  (Apologetically.) I have no recollection . . .

MOTHER:  Do you fix chair legs? Our . . .

CARPENTER:  (Interrupting her.) I make fine furniture.

OLD MAN:  Don't you read the evening news?

GLASSES:  I've been busy preparing for the college entrance exam.

OLD MAN:  (Losing interest.) Then you don't even know the ABCs of chess.

MOTHER:  (Turning to the GIRL.) Does your family also live in the city?

GIRL:  No, I have to do something there.

MOTHER:  (Looking her up and down.) To meet a friend?

(The GIRL nods with embarrassment.)

MOTHER:  He must be a good young man. What work does he do?

(The GIRL shuffles her foot, her head bent.)

MOTHER:  Is the wedding date near?

GIRL:  What are you saying! (Taking a handkerchief from her handbag and

          fanning herself.)  How come the bus isn't here yet? 

GLASSES:  The dispatcher must be chatting with someone and has forgotten the

                   time.

MOTHER:  Is this how they "serve the passengers"?

OLD MAN:  It's the passengers who serve them. If there are no people waiting at

the bus stop, how can they prove their importance?  You might as well be patient and wait.

MOTHER:  In the time we've been waiting here I could have washed a big tub of

                   dirty clothes.

GIRL:  You rush home on Saturday to wash clothes?

MOTHER:  This is what married life is like: that husband of mine only reads his

books; he doesn't know how to do anything else--can't even wash a small handkerchief! When you look for a husband, don't get a bookworm like that. A more resourceful person would have moved his family to the city long ago.

OLD MAN:  But you asked for it. Why don't you have him transferred to the

country?  Every week you wait for the bus, push and shove to get on the bus. How can you stand it?

MOTHER:  I have a child and I must think about his future. As you well know, rural

schools are not up to standard. How many of their graduates get into college? (Nodding toward HOTHEAD.) I wouldn't want my Peipei to end up like that and ruin his future. 

(The sound of a bus is heard.)

GIRL:  The bus is coming!

GLASSES:  It's really coming. It's empty too.

MOTHER:  (Lifting her big bag.) Don't push. We can all get on and everybody will

                   have a seat.

HOTHEAD:  (To the OLD MAN.) You'd better watch your step. If you trip and

                   lose your wallet and can't pay for your ticket, you'll really make a fool

                   of yourself.

OLD MAN:  Young man, don't be so sure of yourself. Sooner or later it will be your

turn to weep. (To the others.) No need to rush. Everybody line up to get on the bus. 

(They pull themselves together and form a neat line. The sound of the bus gets closer.  DIRECTOR MA arrives just in time, his jacket unbuttoned, his hands swinging. He walks straight toward the bus.)

OTHERS:  Hey, get in line! What's the matter? Don't you know the rules? Go stand

                   in the back!

DIRECTOR MA:  (Disagreeably.) I just want to take a look. You people line up all

                   you want.

GLASSES:  Have you never seen a bus before?

DIRECTOR MA:  I've never seen anyone like you before. (Staring at him.) I'm

                   looking for someone.

(The sound of a bus passes by them; again the bus does not stop. DIRECTOR MA anxiously runs to the front of the bus stop.)

DIRECTOR MA:  (Waving repeatedly.) Hey! Hey! Old Wang! Driver Wang! I'm

                   Old Ma of the general supplies store! 

(The group breaks up and they all run after the bus.)

GLASSES:  Why didn't it stop?

GIRL:  Several buses have come and gone. Stop this one quickly!

MOTHER:  There are only a few passengers in the bus. Why didn't it stop?

DIRECTOR MA:  (Pointing at the front, running and shouting.) Let me on! Open

your front door! I'm Old Ma of the general supplies store! Just take me along...

OLD MAN:  (Cursing at the driver.) How can you act like this? Don't you have any

                   concern for the passengers?

CARPENTER:  That son of a bitch!

HOTHEAD:  (Picking up a stone and throwing it at the bus.) I'm going to smash

                   you to pieces!

(The sound of the bus becomes fainter and fainter. The SILENT MAN gazes in the direction of the bus.)

DIRECTOR MA:  O.K. From now on don't you bus companies expect any favors

                   from me.

OLD MAN:  Are you Director Ma of the general supplies store?

DIRECTOR MA:  (Putting on airs.) What about it?

OLD MAN:  You know the driver?

DIRECTOR MA:  They've changed drivers. Those goddamned ingrates!