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JOSÉ

Do you have her address?

ESCAMILLO

No, but I’ll give a reward to the one who leads me to her. She’s beautiful, as you said, and she used to be in love with a cop.

JOSÉ

A police officer?

ESCAMILLO

I say cop; you say police officer. Interesting. Yes, some poor fool who thought he could hold her because he’s had some experience with crackheads.

JOSÉ

I think you’d better watch your mouth, maricón.

ESCAMILLO

¿Maricón? Ah, I get it. You have a personal interest in this adventure, eh?

JOSÉ

Do I? Tell me, what’s this girl called?

ESCAMILLO

Carmen. Let me say the name slowly for you so you can enjoy the sound of it coming from my mouth. Caaarmen. Or shall I say, “Officer, her name is Carmen.”

JOSÉ

Yes, you’re right. I am the policeman she loves.

ESCAMILLO

Loved. Past tense. Once upon a time in a galaxy far away!

The two men cross the stage toward each other.

JOSÉ

As a policeman, I’ve handled plenty of fools like you.

ESCAMILLO

Don’t let the thousand-dollar suit fool you, Tex, or whatever your name is. Under these fancy threads is a ghetto heart direct from the projects, and you have never dealt with someone like me before.

JOSÉ rushes across the stage and attempts to hit ESCAMILLO with his gun butt. ESCAMILLO sidesteps the blow and hits JOSÉ in the small of his back. The two men start tussling. Soon ESCAMILLO is on the ground. JOSÉ aims his gun at ESCAMILLO.

DANCAIRO, RAIMONDO, and CARMEN enter. CARMEN kneels over ESCAMILLO, shielding him from JOSÉ.

RAIMONDO

What’s going on?

DANCAIRO

They must be fighting over Carmen.

RAIMONDO

Look, we don’t want any fighting in here. We don’t need any weight on this place. We’ve got a good thing going, and we can’t mess it up because you guys are chasing the same skirt.

DANCAIRO

Have a drink. Relax.

RAIMONDO

Relax.

CARMEN, suddenly confident again, strides, with hands on hips, to center stage.

CARMEN

Men have to fight. It’s their nature. But Raimondo is trying to run a business here. You understand that, don’t you, Escamillo?

ESCAMILLO

Yes, yes, of course. But I’m glad it was you, Carmen, who saved me from this madman. I owe you.

JOSÉ

We have unsettled business!

ESCAMILLO

I’ll find a way to accommodate you, my friend. You won’t be hard to find. I have a dog trained to sniff out gutter rats.

DANCAIRO barely restrains JOSÉ, who lunges forward.

ESCAMILLO

But before I go, I want to invite you all to my big concert this weekend. Madison Square Garden. Just tell the ticket men that you are from

(looks around)

Lillas’s place. And a special invitation to you, Carmen.

He kisses her hand, then exits.

RAIMONDO

(relieved)

Everybody take it easy! Somebody go down to the pizza shop and bring back some pies. Put on some music. I need some noise up in here! Some noise!

We hear “El Ritmo del Barrio,” the bright, cheerful music heard earlier in the play. There is a general relaxation, but we also see CARMEN and JOSÉ looking at each other from across the stage. Slowly CARMEN starts toward JOSÉ. At first he turns away, but slowly, ever so slowly, he turns toward her.

JOSÉ

Carmen! I’ve… I’ve been a fool…

He reaches out to her.

MICAELA suddenly runs toward them.

MICAELA

José!

JOSÉ turns and sees MICAELA, but then, love in his eyes, turns back to CARMEN.

JOSÉ

Carmen!

MICAELA

Your mother sent me. She needs to see you!

JOSÉ

What? Oh, tell her that I’ll be by this weekend.

MICAELA

She was coughing, and at first

(glances toward CARMEN)

they thought it was nothing.

JOSÉ

But now…?

MICAELA

I’ve always been brave, José. Throughout my life and no matter what I’ve faced. But seeing you here like this…

JOSÉ

Micaela, don’t worry about it. Tell my mother I’ll drop by Sunday, maybe Saturday night.

MICAELA

She might not live that long.

JOSÉ

What?

MICAELA

Your mother’s dying. She might not make it to the weekend.

JOSÉ

(to CARMEN)

I should go.

CARMEN

(dismissively)

Yes, yes, of course. You should go.

MICAELA

Please hurry.

JOSÉ

Carmen, I have to go.

CARMEN

I’m not stopping you, José. Go!

JOSÉ

I’ll be back, and then we’ll settle things!

JOSÉ leaves with MICAELA.

CARMEN stares down DANCAIRO and brushes off a friendly gesture from RAIMONDO. She is about to leave when the radio begins to play ESCAMILLO’s theme song, “The Toreador Song.” CARMEN, by herself and defiantly, dances across the stage. She stops and looks at herself in a mirror.

CARMEN

Oh, chicky, look at you. Your makeup is ruined. Your mascara runs down your face like black tears. Escamillo wants us to fight against being invisible. I welcome it. I don’t want to see this sad face anymore. Oh, chicky, how did you let your heart get broken again?

(she sings “Love Has Flown Away”)

Love came to me, but it

Just wasn’t for me.

It touched my heart and left it

Lying on the shore, and

Love smiled at me, but it

Just wasn’t for me.

It glanced my way with pity, but

I soon knew it had other plans.

Once again my heart was broken;

I was all alone to

Mourn.

Scene 2

We are outside Madison Square Garden. It is night, and the street is alive with young fans. A crowd is forming, and OFFICERS SHEA and LANE are putting barriers in place to hold people back.

OFFICER SHEA

Escamillo should be paying us overtime for this duty. You could get crushed in this crowd.

OFFICER LANE

I bet somebody is getting paid big bucks. The television cameras are being set up over on Seventh Avenue, and they have their own security.

OFFICER SHEA

I heard he’s got two wives. One in New York and one in the Dominican Republic.

OFFICER LANE

Bad business. Spanish girls will cut your throat when you’re sleeping!

OFFICER SHEA

You think Spanish girls are really all that hot in bed?