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 Swagger

By
ERIC COBLE

Dramatic Publishing Company

Woodstock, Illinois • Australia • New Zealand • South Africa

FOR AUTHORIZED DIGITAL USE ONLY

 *** NOTICE ***
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©MMXVIII by
ERIC COBLE

Printed in the United States of America

All Rights Reserved
(SWAGGER)

For inquiries concerning all other rights, contact:

The Gersh Agency
41 Madison Ave., 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10010 • Phone: (212) 634-8153

ISBN: 978-1-61959-202-5

FOR AUTHORIZED DIGITAL USE ONLY

 IMPORTANT BILLING AND CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
All producers of the play must give credit to the author of the play in all
programs distributed in connection with performances of the play and in all
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immediately following the title, and must appear in size of type not less than
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author, if included in the playbook, may be used in all programs. In all programs
this notice must appear:

“Produced by special arrangement with

THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC., of Woodstock, Illinois.”

In addition, all producers of the play must include the following acknowledgment
on the title page of all programs distributed in connection with performances of
the play and on all advertising and promotional materials:

“Originally commissioned and produced by Palm Beach Dramaworks.”

FOR AUTHORIZED DIGITAL USE ONLY

Swagger was produced by Palm Beach Dramaworks (William
Hayes, Producing Artistic Director) in September 2018.

CAST:
Jordan..............................................................Stephan Pineda
Leela.................................................................... Ariana Lobo
Daniel.......................................................Robert Richards, Jr.

PRODUCTION:
Director...................................................... Gary Cadwallader
Scenic Design..................................................Michael Amico
Costume Design.......................................... Leslye Menhouse
Sound Design......................................................Brad Pawlak

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 Swagger
CHARACTERS
JORDAN: A kid on the edge of becoming, 15.
LEELA: A woman on the edge of success, 30s.
DANIEL: A man on the edge of confidence, 30s.

PLACE: In and around Leela’s shop.

TIME: Now.

PRODUCTION NOTES
All roles can be played by actors of any ethnicity or gender (with
minor dialogue changes). Set and props are to be suggested and
kept to a minimum for maximum flow between scenes. Update
technology references as needed to keep the play current.

5
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FOR AUTHORIZED DIGITAL USE ONLY
 Swagger
AT RISE: JORDAN, LEELA and DANIEL stand facing the
audience in simple T-shirts and jeans. We can’t tell anything
about their personalities or professions by their clothing.

JORDAN, LEELA & DANIEL (to the audience). So you

must have seen the video.
LEELA (to the audience). If you can even call it a video.
DANIEL (to the audience). It’s so jerky—and all the shadows.
JORDAN (to the audience). You can see the movement—the
arms raising—the bodies—
LEELA. You can tell there’s violence, the figures are clearly
attacking.
DANIEL. You can’t tell who’s attacking who.
JORDAN. I’ve only seen it twice.
DANIEL. I must have watched it, like, twenty times.
LEELA. There were—there was a few weeks there where I
couldn’t stop watching it.
DANIEL. You can’t tell what’s really happening.
JORDAN. It’s pretty blurry. And loud. And I just—I’ve only
seen it twice.
LEELA. What you can see is the blood. The blood all over
the ground is clear.
DANIEL. The blood at the end. And the body. That’s what
everyone remembers.
LEELA. That’s what they keep showing on TV. With a warning
about “viewers should be warned of disturbing images.”

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8 Swagger

JORDAN. And just to say it again, I don’t know the girl who
recorded it.
DANIEL. What are the chances, right, the girl with the phone
just happened to be walking by—
LEELA. I don’t know the girl with the phone. Never seen her
before.
DANIEL. Just happened to be on her phone and recorded the
whole thing.
LEELA. It’s almost funny—one minute you’re nobody and
the next people are outside your house screaming and
carrying signs and laying flowers—
DANIEL. And everyone thinks they know what happened.
JORDAN. Now everyone’s talking all the time, on TV, on the
street, they’re all sure they know just how it went down.
DANIEL. You know, I wish she’d actually shot the video
better—so you really could tell how it went down.
JORDAN, LEELA & DANIEL. ’Cause what you’ve seen?
That’s not the truth.

(Pause. They all stand there watching the audience …

They collect themselves. Music?)

JORDAN (pulling on a light jacket and sneakers, a backpack,

getting ready for school). I’ve seen blood before—serious
blood—back in sixth grade, at the zoo when they were
feeding the tigers raw meat, and their lips and paws were
just red. I was there with Tyler and Z; and Z was all like—
(Does a voice.) “I’ll give you a dollar if you hop in the cage
with them for a minute”
And I’m like—“A dollar? Man, you gotta right-size your
dare ratio, man.”

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 Swagger 9

And he’s like—“OK, a thousand dollars.”

And I’m like—“See, now you gotta take your reality pills,
’cause I know you don’t have a thousand dollars.”
DANIEL (pulling on a police shirt and equipment). It’s not
the paycheck, man, what I like about my job is the balance
between the routine and the weird. Most of my day is just
walking or driving, talking to my partner and keeping an
eye out. Talking to a guy about someone broke into his car
last night, talking to a lady about the neighbors playing
their drums too loud at midnight, just kind of regular—I
don’t wanta say “ho-hum,” but regular stuff.
And then you get the call.
“There’s an alligator in my kitchen—should I hit it with a
broom?”
And then it’s like, “HELLO! This is why I wear the badge!”
My mom and dad and aunts and uncles, they got jobs in
bakeries and offices and construction, and I’m like, “I bet
you didn’t have to face off with an alligator this morning!”
LEELA (pulling on a nice, not expensive, stylish jacket and
skirt and bracelets). I’ve always had two things since I was
little: A sense of style and sense for business.
I was two and my mom put me in this one dress with a belt
and matching shoes, and I said, “NO.”
I looked at my sister’s clothes in the closet, she was one year
older, I said, (Pointing.) “That belt, those shoes, that dress.”
And I looked fabulous.
That, and when I was four I figured out I could do my
brother’s and sister’s chores quicker than them and get
them to pay me part of their allowance. So by the time I was
five, I was the richest, sharpest-dressed kid in kindergarten.

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10 Swagger

(She snaps her fingers.)

JORDAN (pulls on sneakers). One thing I have learned

from Z and Tyler and some other kids is: it matters how
you carry yourself. You want people to think you belong in
this world, you gotta act like you belong in this world. And
I don’t mean be all … (Does a hyper-exaggerated cocky
walk.) Right? But you gotta present. You gotta walk in like,
“I belong here.” Even when you’re not sure you do.
DANIEL (puts on his badge). I think about it sometimes, you
know? How people look at me when I’m wearing street
clothes—jeans, shirt, whatever, and they don’t know what
I do—and then those same people look at me when I’m in
uniform—I go into the hardware store close to my house, I
buy some pieces for my bathroom sink, I’m in a sweatshirt
and shorts—they just treat me like some regular schmo, and
that’s cool. I come in there on the way home from work,
still in uniform, they all perk up and pay attention—they’re
trying to act casual, but it’s different, they’re watching me
and themselves a little closer—all because of my clothes!
(Touches his chest.) In here I feel exactly the same, but out
there, I’m a whole new person.
JORDAN. There are times—I’m never gonna say this to
Tyler or Z, but times when I get, like, shy. Like super self-
conscious. Like meeting new people, ’specially adults who
wanta have a conversation, like my Uncle Lee, I met him
for the first time a year ago and he was all like, (In Lee’s
voice.) “Tell me about yourself, young man. Where do you
see yourself in ten years? What’s your passion?”
And I’m like, man, I just met you, I’m not talking about my
passion.
So I just get all quiet. But then sometimes I feel dumb just

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 Swagger 11

sittin’ there all quiet, but then that makes me not want to
talk even more, and then I feel dumber and … Those are
not my favorite times.
LEELA (finishes getting dressed). It matters, you know, not
what style you have, but that you have a style, that you feel
good going out in the world, looking however you look.
Whether it’s a T-shirt and shorts or a tuxedo, you wanta feel
like you belong at the party, right? The party of life.
JORDAN. So some time back, maybe in seventh grade or
something, I figured out even if I’m not feeling out-there,
like confident, I can look like I know what I’m doing. I can
let my clothes do some of the work for me, you know? So
I started trying to figure out what I wanted my clothes to be
saying when I wasn’t talking …
LEELA. When I figured out that was my gift—to make other
people feel good on the outside and the inside—and that I
could make some money doing it … I knew a clothing store
was where I was meant to be. My own clothing store—
DANIEL. Part of why I started thinking about clothes and
what they say was because a new little store opened up
on my beat—this store was this cool mix of the humdrum
routine and the weird—
JORDAN. And a few months ago this new store opened up
about a block from my school—
DANIEL. It kind of changed everything—
JORDAN, LEELA & DANIEL. Leela’s Swagger.

(LEELA turns to face DANIEL in his uniform as he steps

toward her. They are now in her store.
She folds and preps clothes putting them on shelves.)

LEELA. Hey, welcome to the Swagger!

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12 Swagger

DANIEL. Thanks.
LEELA. Looking to spice up your uniform? Or for off-duty?
DANIEL. No. Thank you. I just. This is on my beat. Wanted
to stop in and say hello.

(Beat. LEELA watches him.)

LEELA (holds out her hand). Well. I’m Leela. This is my

store.
DANIEL (shakes her hand). Officer Ford. Or Daniel. Yeah.

(Pause.)

DANIEL (cont’d). It’s a nice store.

LEELA. I’m still settling in.
DANIEL. Used to be a pizza place.
LEELA. I know. We had to redo the kitchen in back, add shelf
space.
DANIEL. It looks good.
LEELA. Thank you.
DANIEL. You can hardly smell the pepperoni anymore at all.
LEELA (grins). Yeah, that was gonna be our slogan.
DANIEL. Seriously?
LEELA. No.
DANIEL. Right, no, of course.

(Pause. They wait. Awkward.)

LEELA. Anytime you want a whiff of pepperoni, you come

on in.
DANIEL. It doesn’t really smell like pepperoni.
LEELA. It’s OK.

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 Swagger 13

DANIEL. I was just—

LEELA. It’s cool. It’s funny.

(DANIEL nods, uncomfortable. Gestures that he has to go.

Nods. Hesitates. Leaves.
And in walks JORDAN from the other direction, nervously
looking around.)

LEELA (cont’d). Hey, welcome to Swagger. “Style so sweet

it’ll make you stagger!” … Which are words that will never
ever come out of my mouth again.

(JORDAN grins. Slowly starts looking around.)

LEELA (cont’d). Mens’ stuff over here, women’s stuff over

there.

(JORDAN nods.)

LEELA (cont’d, holds out her hand). I’m Leela.

(JORDAN shakes her hand, barely making eye contact.)

LEELA (cont’d). You go to school over there?

(JORDAN nods.)

LEELA (cont’d). Tell your friends if they want to look sharp

to drop in after class.

(JORDAN nods.)

LEELA (cont’d). They teach public speaking over in that

school?

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14 Swagger

(JORDAN shakes his head no.)

LEELA (cont’d). You’re just quiet. Like my youngest

daughter.

(JORDAN shrugs. Nods.)

LEELA (cont’d). Well, let me know if I can help you with

anything.

(JORDAN steps away.

They all face the audience.)

ALL (to the audience). I swear I had no idea what would happen.
LEELA (to the audience). See, here’s the thing: when I was
little we moved around. A lot. Like so much that when I
started at this one school—maybe fourth grade, I was
like— (Crosses arms, pouts.) “I am not even gonna learn
anyone’s names, ’cause I know I’m gonna move in a few
weeks and what’s the point? I’m not even gonna learn
where the bathrooms are.”
And of course that’s where we stayed for two years and I
made my best friends, and I knew those bathrooms very
well. And mostly it was a money thing for my mom and
dad, but there were a bunch of reasons we just kept packin’
up and next apartment, next apartment—so when my girls
were born, I said, “Uh-uh. We’re puttin’ down roots and
we’re staying.” Except my landlord raised the rent and we
had to move. And that’s when I knew—I knew—we had to
have our own house. And the way to save up enough for
that was for me to run my own business, and I went to the
bank and I got the loans and I signed the papers and ordered
the clothes and redid the old pizza store and this shop is

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 Swagger 15

mine. And me and my girls are still livin’ in an apartment.

But I worked it out—two more years running the Swagger
and I’ll have enough saved up for a down payment on a
decent place in a decent part of town. All I gotta do is keep
my store running.
DANIEL (to the audience). All I gotta do is keep this
neighborhood running. But there’s been more robberies
lately, so we gotta keep a closer eye—we’re thinking it’s
a gang of kids stealing stuff—and I’m not having that on
my watch. But every day when school lets out, there’s just
this flood of kids all pouring out—and most of ’em are
great kids, but there’s just so many—and I feel like I gotta
keep an eye on them all, memorize every face and name
I can—it gets a little tense sometimes, you know? But I
like walking the beat, going shop to shop, talking to people.
My partner, Patrice, she likes the car—cruising around on
patrol. Actually what she likes is, I gotta say this, is when
we get a 10-33—an emergency call, a robbery or someone
in a fight—and she’s driving, and she gets to crank up the
siren and floor it. She’s a good driver, but when I’m in the
passenger seat—I got this inner ear thing I think, like high
speeds make me want to throw up?
So she’s like, (Does her voice.) “WHOOOO! Gonna get a
bad guy!!”
And I’m like, (Nauseous, white knuckling.) “Ooooo we
don’t—we don’t have to go this fast—watch it watch it
watch it!!”
And Patrice just laughs at me.
JORDAN. Z just laughs at me. He’s like, “Why don’t you
just talk to people, man? You gotta go for what you want,
be bold!” And so like this one time, him and Tyler and me,
we all went into Swagger after school—

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16 Swagger

(JORDAN steps over to LEELA in the store.)

LEELA (to JORDAN, Z and Tyler). Gentlemen, how can we

make you spectacular today?

(JORDAN looks back, clearly his friends expect him to

speak up.)

JORDAN. We’re just looking.

LEELA. You’ve come in here before, right?

(JORDAN nods.)

LEELA (cont’d). Thanks for bringing your friends.

JORDAN. I like your clothes.
I mean, not your clothes.
I mean, not not your clothes, I like your clothes, the clothes
you wear—but not like—
(Turns to his friends.) Shut up.
LEELA. You wanted to share The Swagger with your friends.
JORDAN. Yeah. Exactly. Right.
LEELA. Feel free to look around.

(JORDAN nods, turns away, mentally kicking himself.

LEELA turns away.
JORDAN steps away from the shop.)

JORDAN (to the audience). And when we get outside, Z’s

like, “I like that place. They got good stuff … ” And he
pulls out these new red and black shoelaces—
(As himself.) “Dude. Did you pay for those?”
(As Z.) “Did you see me pay for these?”

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 Swagger 17

(Himself.) “When did you take those??”

(As Z.) “When you were all ‘I like your clothes, not your
clothes, these clothes, your clothes.’”
(Himself.) “You can’t just steal stuff from her!”
But he just laughs and keeps walking.
(As Z.) “I told you, you gotta take what you want in this
world. The world owes me and I’m gonna collect.”
(Himself.) “But if a cop stops you—”
(As Z.) “Man, my brother’s friend got arrested. He said
every cop is ‘Arrest First, Ask Questions Later.’ That’s not
gonna happen to me.”

(DANIEL steps into the store as LEELA turns to face him,

she’s a little concerned.)

DANIEL. Hey.
LEELA. Hey, Officer Pepperoni.
DANIEL. It doesn’t—there’s no smell, I didn’t—
LEELA. I’m jokin’ you.
DANIEL. How’s it going?
LEELA. Could be better. I’ve had some little bits of
shoplifting, you know, stuff walks out.
DANIEL. Did you report it?
LEELA. No, it’s been just little stuff.
DANIEL. You gotta report it—you got theft insurance, right?

(LEELA hesitates … )

DANIEL (cont’d). Tell me you got insurance on this place.

LEELA. I got fire insurance, the big stuff—but see I’m trying
to save money up pretty fast, so I don’t buy any insurance
I don’t have to—

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18 Swagger

DANIEL. But you’re losing your money everytime someone

takes something—
LEELA. I know.
DANIEL. You’re never gonna get ahead if—
LEELA. I know! And I put up a sign on the door—No more
than three kids in here at a time, so I can keep a better eye
on them—I want them in my store—
DANIEL. You catch anyone in the act?
LEELA. No.
DANIEL. You call 911 the minute you see something. I’ll
get here. I will not have this kind of stuff goin’ on in my
neighborhood.
LEELA (smiles). You gonna be my hero?
DANIEL (taken aback). No. I’m just gonna … I do my job.
You do your job, the kids do their job—they learn stuff,
figure out what they want to be—we all do our job, the
whole thing keeps moving like a smooth machine, you
know? Someone messing with someone else’s job, make
it so they can’t do their job—the whole machine breaks
down. (She’s watching him.) So. Someone messes with you
or your shop, you call for help. We all gotta look out for
each other.

(He steps away as JORDAN turns to the audience.)

JORDAN. Me and Tyler and Z, we keep having this argument

with each other about heroes, or superheroes—’cause both
of them have the Joker on their shirts, and I’m like, “Why
do you make a hero out of the villain, man? Why not put the
people on your shirt you want to be?”
And they’re like, “Why, do you wanta be Batman?”
And I’m like— (Shrugs.) “I don’t know. Better than the Joker.”

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 Swagger 19

And Z goes, “But to be a superhero you gotta have a weird

chemical in your body—like Spiderman, X-Men, Captain
America—or be from another planet like Superman or
Thor, or you gotta be heavy heavy rich like Bruce Wayne
or Iron Man. And I’m not any of those. But to be the Joker
you just gotta be smart and crazy.”
And Tyler’s like, “Well, you got the crazy, where you gonna
get the smart?”
And they punch each other, and I’m thinking … he’s kind
of right. But I still wanta be the good guy, you know? My
little brother and parents already think I’m the good guy—
shoot, my little brother probably thinks I am Batman … and
I can’t let ’im down.
But it got me thinking, about what I said: If you want the
world to respect you, you gotta look like you belong there.

(He turns to LEELA, who faces him, in the store.)

LEELA. Hey, big man, what you in the mood for today?
JORDAN. I think I need something to make me—like …
(Looking around.) like a … I don’t know— (Mumbles.)
superhero.
LEELA. What?
JORDAN. I don’t know.
LEELA. Did you say superhero?
JORDAN. Yeah, but not like a—a—
LEELA. ’Cause you could just wear your underwear on the
outside of your pants and be half-way there.
JORDAN (laughing). No.
LEELA. Get a ski mask somewhere—you’ll be all Lucha
Libre—El Santo!

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20 Swagger

JORDAN. No, like …

LEELA. I don’t got any capes. Sorry.
JORDAN. I just want to look good, you know? Important.
LEELA. No, I get you, I get you. You want your threads to
be as handsome as you. You should. (He shrugs.) I got
something I think you’ll like …
JORDAN (to the audience). And she shows me … The Jacket.

(LEELA either holds up an incredibly cool jacket, or mimes

it, letting the audience’s imagination do the work.)

LEELA. What do you think?

JORDAN. Whoa. That’s …
LEELA. It’s pretty great, right?
JORDAN. That’s awesome.
LEELA. Try it on.
JORDAN. I don’t know.
LEELA. Come on. Put it on. Try it on, it’s why I’m here.

(JORDAN puts it on, looks in a “mirror.”)

JORDAN (to the audience). And it is. I mean, it’s not like
Doctor Strange’s cape, but that would look stupid at school
anyway.
But this jacket.
I just look like me in it. A better me. The best me. Like—
JORDAN & LEELA. People are gonna notice me/you in this
jacket.
JORDAN (filling out the coat, more and more confident, to
the audience). It’s like—dark blue. But when you move in
the light it goes black and other shades of blue—and it just,
like—fits. It’s like another layer of skin and muscle …

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 Swagger 21

Yeah.
Yeah.
(Looks at the corner of the jacket.) But then I look at the
price tag—
Oh.
LEELA. It’s expensive, it’s true, but do you have a job?
JORDAN. Yeah—
LEELA. So we can do a layaway and you can pay for it a little
at a time—
JORDAN (taking it off quickly). No, it’s OK.
LEELA. And I got other jackets that look hot, less expensive—
this one just seemed to be calling out—
JORDAN. It’s a good jacket. It’s good.

(And he heads out quickly, almost running into DANIEL as

he enters the store.)

DANIEL. Whoa, man, where you goin’ so fast?

JORDAN. Home. ’Scuse me.

(And he’s gone.

DANIEL looks at LEELA who nods “It’s OK.” LEELA
starts putting away the jacket.)

DANIEL. What was that about?

LEELA. Well, the good news is I showed a kid the power of
looking good. The bad news is I showed him something he
might not ever be able to afford.
DANIEL. You never know. I got a job in high school and
college—cook in a Dairy Queen—saved up all my money.
LEELA. To buy … ?

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22 Swagger

DANIEL. Oh. Nothing.

LEELA. You had something.
DANIEL. Naw.
LEELA. The dream something. I can see it.
DANIEL. It was, ah … There was a … I kind of always
wanted a capuchin monkey.
LEELA. A what?
DANIEL. A capuchin. A monkey. Like the ones that hop
around organ grinders, in the little hats and vests?
LEELA. You wanted a monkey?
DANIEL. This friend of my uncle had one as part of a carnival
show.
LEELA. And you wanted one.
DANIEL. Ever since I was little, I don’t know why. But they
cost thousands of dollars.
LEELA. So all your friends are saving up for a car or a trip
or college, and you’re like, “Naw, I’m holdin’ out for the
monkey.”
DANIEL (grins). Kind of.
LEELA. And did you get it??
DANIEL. I did.
LEELA. You did??
DANIEL. I did.
LEELA. Do you still have it? Is it in the car—oh my god,
is—what’s your partner’s name—
DANIEL. Patrice—
LEELA. Is Patrice the monkey?? No wonder you’re terrified
when she drives!
DANIEL. No!
LEELA (yelling, warning). Get out of the way! Out of the
way! Monkey in a car!!

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 Swagger 23

DANIEL. NO!
LEELA. Do you live in a TV show? ’Cause I can totally see
Deputy Dan and Major Monkey on Cartoon Network.
DANIEL. I only had him a few years. When I went to the
Police Academy I was gone all day—they need company,
they get lonely and start tearing up the place—
LEELA. I can imagine.
DANIEL. So I had to sell him.
LEELA. My girls want a cat and I’ve been saying no, but now
that I know a monkey’s an option, I better say yes while I
still can—
DANIEL. How many girls you got?
LEELA. Two. Seven and five. You got any kids?
DANIEL. No. No kids, no girlfriend—
LEELA. No monkey.
DANIEL. No monkey.
LEELA. Us either. And no Dad. I’m doing the single-mom
thing.
DANIEL. That’s cool.

(Beat.)

LEELA. So it’s just you and the TV.

DANIEL. I got a fish.
LEELA. You can’t cuddle with a fish.
DANIEL. But she’s beautiful. She’s a Blue Diamond Discus,
so depending on how she moves and where the sun is in
the window, she turns all these different shades of blue,
like a dozen colors, all on one tiny body, changing every
second—it’s like watching a waterfall of jewels moving
inside the water—part of the water—it’s … It’s beautiful.

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24 Swagger

LEELA. Sounds beautiful.

(Pause. They stand, getting more awkward.)

DANIEL. I got pictures! (Pulls out his phone.) They don’t do

her justice, but just so you know.

(He shows the photos—they hold in place as JORDAN

faces the audience.)

JORDAN (to the audience). Just so you know how this all
went down: I’m about to graduate to high school, right? You
can feel the slingshot just pulling back and back and back,
ready to shoot us all up into the next level—and I wanta mark
that, put an exclamation point on it, you know? And my mom
and dad are all happy and planning a party for eighth-grade
graduation, but I’m like—I wanta do something. I want to
show how there was the “kid” me, and now the “adult” me,
you know? And I know it’s stupid, but I keep coming back
to that jacket at Swagger. That’s not a boy’s jacket. That’s a
man’s jacket. A man you gotta pay attention to. But I don’t
have the money to be that man, and my folks don’t got that
money. And I do work part-time at my uncle’s cigar store, but
I gotta save up that money for college, even though that’s so
far away. And I know that jacket’ll be gone any minute, and
I can’t find it online and—

(He steps to LEELA in the store as DANIEL steps away.)

LEELA (to JORDAN). Ah, here to visit your friend again,

huh? Don’t worry, he’s still back there waiting for you. You
want to try it on again?
JORDAN. I just wanted to see it again.

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 Swagger 25

(He stares at the coat … nods … and leaves. LEELA smiles.)

DANIEL (to the audience). So just so you know how this

all went down: We were all on edge—this was right when
those police shootings happened upstate. I mean, everything
else going on all over the country—innocent people getting
shot, police getting shot, and these two officers pulled over
a guy speeding and …

(DANIEL stops. Turns and steps into LEELA’s store,

distracted, uneasy.)

LEELA. Hey, Pepperoni.

DANIEL. Hey.
LEELA. I heard about the thing upstate. The dude who
snapped. I’m sorry.
DANIEL. He just went off. He had a gun. They weren’t ready.

(Pause. DANIEL looks around, trying to be casual. Neither

sure what to say … )

LEELA. You ever had to use your gun?

DANIEL. No.
I’ve pulled it before. It’s been close.
I don’t want to be that guy.
You know.
LEELA. Yeah.
DANIEL. We’re trained not to think about it—you see
something, you act—there’s no time to think. You know?
LEELA. But you gotta take a second to figure out what’s
really going on—
DANIEL. You do that, someone might get killed.

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26 Swagger

LEELA. But you don’t do that, someone might get killed.

JORDAN (to the audience). So I keep thinking about
superheroes—a lot of ’em, they do some pretty not-great
stuff before they become heroes—Tony Stark, Doctor
Strange, Wolverine, Deadpool, man they did some awful
stuff, but it doesn’t stop’em from doing great stuff later. And
I keep thinking about that, ’cause I keep thinking about the
jacket—like it’s becoming an obsession. And I can’t think
of any way to get it in time without doing something bad.
But then if I use the jacket to be the kind of guy I want to be
in the world, the kind of guy who does good …

(He gestures, “What do I do?” Making a sound of

questioning exasperation.)

LEELA (to the audience). Just so you know how this all went
down: The shop was—it wasn’t doing great. I was hanging
in there, but the whole dream was no closer than on day
one. And I’m working these long hours at Swagger and then
back home running the numbers, and my kids, they’re like,
“Mommy, how come you don’t play with us any more?”
Or “I need some help on my math,” or “Can we go to such-
and-such movie?” and I’m always saying “No.”
And sometimes I’m way harder than I need to be, and one
time I even—I made Alecia cry and it’s just ’cause I’m so
tired all the time and I don’t—I don’t see the way forward.
And I’m not having that much fun running a store. And on
the days when I do have a good day and it looks like I’m
gonna make some good money—it turns out someone stole
something and that puts me and my girls that much more
behind and … I’m just like … my rubber band is pulled so
tight all the time now, you know?

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 Swagger 27

DANIEL (to the audience). So I’m tense, I know I’m tense—

The robberies keep happening—the chief’s on us to find
these kids and stop ’em—and an old guy got beat up pretty
bad last night—we’re on the lookout for a young male on
that, likely suspect—
JORDAN. And I’m more and more like, “I deserve that
jacket.” I’m goin’ to high school, I’ve got a future, the
universe can give me this one thing, right?
And it’s not like I’m gonna be walking past the store
anymore after the last day of middle school, she’s never
gonna see me again—
JORDAN, LEELA & DANIEL. And that’s when it happened.
JORDAN. The last day of classes—parties and “See you next
year!”
LEELA. I go into the shop that day—
DANIEL. I’m gonna go out on patrol that day—
JORDAN. After today I’ll never see Swagger again, I can
start my new life, start being the hero—
LEELA. And for whatever reason, the store’s pretty busy
today—people coming, going—I’m like, “Please let this be
a good day, let me come home happy and be happy and see
my girls and just … Let this be a good day.”
JORDAN. I bring my duffel bag to school to clean out my
locker—got my gym clothes, books, magazines, notebooks
… and some extra room.
DANIEL. At the station I stand there at my locker—there’s
my bulletproof vest waiting for me …
LEELA (to customers). Thank you, have a great day, tell your
friends about us!
JORDAN. After algebra, I empty my locker into my bag and
slam the door shut for the last time.

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28 Swagger

DANIEL. I put on my vest and say a quick prayer like I do

everyday—that I won’t need it. And I shut my locker.
LEELA. I forgot to pack a lunch today—I’m gonna be so
hungry by closing …
JORDAN. And I start walking down the street with my duffel
bag—
DANIEL. I’m walking my beat—feels good to be outside, to
breathe the air—
JORDAN. And I’m breathing the air—the air of freedom. I’m
done, I’m flying, I’m Superman, I’m …

(He steps into LEELA’s store.)

LEELA (to JORDAN). Hey, Jacket Man.

JORDAN. Hey. (To the audience.) There’s three or four
people in the store. She’s totally busy.
LEELA (to the audience). I’m helping Sandy Gutierez pick
out the best necklace to go with her eyes—
JORDAN (stops. To the audience). And there’s my jacket.
LEELA. She likes the sapphire, but I’m thinking jade—
JORDAN. Just waiting for me. Calling me.
LEELA. And there’s a guy needs to check out—he’s picked
out some pants—
JORDAN. I can do this. I can do this.
LEELA (to man). These are great—very dashing.
JORDAN. It’s now or never.
DANIEL. I’m coming up the block on Swagger—
LEELA (to man). That’s $45.37—
DANIEL. I’ll get to see Leela—
JORDAN. Her back’s turned—
LEELA (to man). Out of fifty—

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 Swagger 29

JORDAN. And something clicks.

I’m not even thinking, my hands move to the jacket,
grabbing it, moving it—
DANIEL. Maybe today’s not so bad after all—
JORDAN. And I turn around, bag in my hands, but she’s
walking toward me—
LEELA (smiling, to JORDAN). Hey, hero, what’s up?
JORDAN (to himself). Be cool. Be cool.
LEELA. He doesn’t meet my eye—
JORDAN. Keep breathing, start to walk past her, keep
breathing—
LEELA. I glance at the jackets—can’t see the blue/black
one—
JORDAN. This looks bad, she sees the bag—
LEELA. Maybe he just moved it?
JORDAN. Just get past her—

(LEELA puts a hand on JORDAN’s arm, stopping him.)

LEELA. Honey, where’s the jacket?

(STOP.
They all FREEZE a moment … )

JORDAN. My mouth’s dry, I can’t talk, I can’t—

DANIEL. And I step into the store.
JORDAN. There’s a cop!
LEELA (holding JORDAN’s arm). Sweetheart, what’s with
the duffel bag?
JORDAN. “Arrest First, Ask Questions Later.”

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30 Swagger

(JORDAN pulls away.)

JORDAN (cont’d). I’m out the door—

DANIEL. HEY!
JORDAN. There’s no time—RUN.
LEELA. No time—Daniel! Stop him!
DANIEL. There’s no time—my body’s moving—
JORDAN. RUN.
LEELA. STOP HIM!
JORDAN. Turn the corner, down the alley—
DANIEL. Hold it!
LEELA. And I’m running—
DANIEL. ’Round the corner into the alley—
JORDAN. He’s behind me—footsteps—
LEELA. Still running—
JORDAN. And there’s a garbage truck—
DANIEL. He stops—
JORDAN. Truck and dumpsters blocking the whole alley—
JORDAN, DANIEL & LEELA. No way around it.
JORDAN. I can’t go to jail—my mom and dad—
DANIEL. He turns—
JORDAN. I can’t go to jail!
DANIEL. Got a bag, something in his hand maybe—
LEELA. Daniel!
DANIEL. I WON’T draw my gun, I’m not that guy I’m not
that guy I’m not that guy—
JORDAN (overlapping). RUN—
DANIEL. Coming straight at me—
LEELA. No!

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 Swagger 31

DANIEL. Is he attacking me??

JORDAN. And—

(JORDAN tries to run past him. DANIEL pushes him back.)

DANIEL. Stop!

(JORDAN tries again.)

JORDAN. Dodge around him—

(Action may move into slow motion.)

DANIEL (police move, pulling JORDAN’s arm). Arm bar—

JORDAN (twists the other way). Gotta get—
LEELA. Don’t hurt him!
DANIEL (police move, grabs JORDAN around the chest).
Resisting—
LEELA. Just a kid!

(JORDAN and DANIEL go down.)

JORDAN. He takes me down—

DANIEL. Kicks my legs out from under me—
LEELA. I can’t move my feet—

(DANIEL gets half-way up, keeping JORDAN down with

his knees.)

JORDAN. He’s on me—

DANIEL & LEELA. Stop fighting—
JORDAN (trying to break free). Pushing, kicking—
LEELA. No!

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32 Swagger

DANIEL. STAY DOWN!!

(DANIEL grabs for JORDAN’s flailing arm—elbows

JORDAN’s chin—
Crack. JORDAN’s head SNAPS to the side.
JORDAN hesitates … and sinks down. Limp.
DANIEL flips him over, gets JORDAN’s arms behind his
back, cuffs him.
DANIEL staggers up.
JORDAN is unmoving.
We hear only heartbeats …
DANIEL and LEELA stand gasping …
Long pause …
LEELA and DANIEL step away from JORDAN’s body … )

DANIEL. I called it in. Ambulance came, back-up patrol car.

LEELA. They were taking statements, photos of the scene.
DANIEL. The boy was taken to the hospital, sirens blaring,
lights flashing.
LEELA. I went back to the store.
The jacket was still there.
Behind other coats.
He’d covered it up for some reason.
Like he didn’t want to see it anymore.
Nothing was stolen.
I didn’t take the time to look.
DANIEL (going back to his position at the top of the show).
It wasn’t till a few hours later—

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 Swagger 33

LEELA (moving to her original position). We found out the

girl was passing by—
DANIEL & LEELA. And recorded the whole thing.

(JORDAN slowly, painfully gets to his feet and moves to his

original position from the top of the show.)

JORDAN. I missed graduation day. I was still in the hospital.

Concussion, dislocated my shoulder …
DANIEL. I’m not allowed to talk about it. Not until the
investigation is complete.
LEELA. I haven’t seen Daniel since that day.
JORDAN. The whole thing’s in court. Lawyers and TV
people and … too many people … Too loud.
DANIEL. It’s all gotten even more complicated because of
the video.
JORDAN. Everyone’s sure they know what went down: “It’s
the cop’s fault,” “It’s the kid’s fault.”
LEELA. It’s been two months now.
JORDAN. I still get dizzy sometimes. The headaches are pretty
bad. They’re not sure I can start high school in the fall.
DANIEL. They’re not sure I’ll be able to go back out on
patrol. Or if I’ll keep my badge.
LEELA. I still have the store. Still barely making it. Saving
up a few dollars here and there. That house is a long, long
way off.
DANIEL. Everything I did before that day, before those
moments—seems so far away now.
JORDAN. It’s like my life got divided into “before the alley”
and “after the alley.”
DANIEL. His name’s Jordan. I learned that after.

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34 Swagger

LEELA. I learned a lot about him after—his school life,

family life …
DANIEL. If I’d known all that before the alley, would it have
made a difference? If he’d known me?
JORDAN. I haven’t gotten any superpowers from my injuries
yet. Z and Tyler keep asking, trying to make me laugh.
But it hurts when I smile.So I don’t smile anymore.
LEELA. I saw him once. Jordan. Before the lawyers said I
shouldn’t. It was in the hospital. He was asleep. I went in
early in the morning and stood outside his room looking
in. Everything was quiet, just the hiss and click of the
machines.
And our breathing.
I didn’t wake him. Just … stood there …
And looked at his sleeping, swollen, bandaged face.
And cried.

(Silence.
They all stand facing the audience …
Watching the audience … )

JORDAN, LEELA & DANIEL. Just so you know how this

all went down.

(Lights fade on them, or they walk offstage.)

END OF PLAY

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 NOTES

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Also available by Eric Coble

Ghosts in the Machine

Comedy/Drama | Cast: 8 either gender.
Audience: Middle/High School, College/Adult
Performing group: High School, College, Community, Professional

It begins after lunch on Melissa’s phone. Someone

she doesn’t know is texting her looking for a drug
hook-up. Soon, eight very different high-school
kids are getting bizarre texts from numbers they
don’t recognize—budding romances, bitter rivalries,
even violent threats. What’s going on? And what
if it’s not people connecting with other people via
their phones … but phones trying to connect with
other phones via their people? A digital mystery for
the mind and heart of the savvy texter.

Unit set. | Run time: 70 min. | Code: GD8000.

One-Act Version also available. Code: GD9000.

Visit our website to read an excerpt, order scripts,

apply for rights and more.
www.DramaticPublishing.com
STAY CONNECTED

@DRAMATICPUBLISHING

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 NOTES

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