THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
GOES WEST
The Breaking
By Bob Allen
“The fruit of the
Spirit is…meekness.” (Galatians 5:22)
“…restore such a
one in the spirit of meekness” (Galatians 6:1)
Rocky Rhodes – A true-blue, rootin’-tootin’
Western cowboy.
Hal
Anger -
A ranch hand.
Lane
Back -
Another ranch hand.
SCENE
The men
lean over the top of a rail fence, looking into a corral. They seem to be staring at a horse, or
something, that refuses to be broken.
LANE: Well,
I guess that’s just about all we can do today.
You can lead a horse
to water, but you can’t make him…
ROCKY: I’m
not ready to quit yet.
HAL: I
was ready hours ago. We’re wasting our
time on this one.
LANE: He’s
not wantin’ to be tamed, that’s for blamed sure.
HAL: Time
for a fence post right between the eyes if you ask me. That would
get his attention.
LANE: Nah,
just turn him loose and let him run wild.
You’ll never get any work
out of him.
ROCKY: I
don’t know. I think there’s some
potential there.
HAL: After
the way he bucked you off? You gotta’ be
kiddin’.
LANE: He’ll
never be corralled. Might as well send
him off on his own.
HAL: I’d
send him off—off to the glue factory.
ROCKY: I know
he’s spirited. But that’s something you
like in a horse, isn’t it?
HAL: Yeah,
sure. But not in him. Besides, it ain’t spirit—it’s devilment.
LANE: Give
him his walking papers. What will the
neighbors think if you’ve got
a wild one running around?
HAL: (Starting
to climb over the fence.) If he tries to
kick me again, I’ll break
his leg.
ROCKY: Let me
have a go at it.
HAL: What? Do ya’ think he needs love or something?
ROCKY: Might
be a good place to start.
HAL: (Jumps
back down from the fence and prepares for a fist fight.) You accusin’ me of not lovin’ him?
ROCKY: I
ain’t accusing you of nothin’, just askin’ you to give me a go at him.
LANE: No,
he ain’t accusin’. But if you do love
him, you sure got a strange way
of showin’ it. Why not let him go? At least you’ll get the problem
off your hands.
HAL: I’ve
half a mind to go get a rifle and plug him.
(Starts to leave.)
ROCKY: (Stopping
him.) You can’t do that.
HAL: I
most certainly can. He belongs to me.
LANE: He’s
got a point there.
ROCKY: But
yours to train, not to destroy.
LANE: He’s
got a point there.
HAL: Shut
your mouth. Or I’ll shut it for you.
LANE: (Pretends
to zip his lip.) Anything you say, boss.
HAL: I’ve
given him shelter, all he can eat, paid all his expenses and this is what I get for
it? He grows up and runs wild.
ROCKY: Let me
take him over to my place and work with him for a few weeks.
HAL: Might
as well. If he stays here any longer,
I’ll probably kill him.
ROCKY: (Leaves
the platform and walks through the audience toward the back.) Come with me, son. Your Dad says you can come home with me.
LANE: (Unzipping
his lip.) How old is your boy anyway?
HAL: Thirteen.
ROCKY: (From
back.) Restore such a one, in the spirit
of meekness.
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