Grab Hold of the Wind

By Emory B. Tinley

I am currently retired from full-time work, but I am a freelance musician at this time. My early involvement into the art and culture groomed me for the involvement in writing this playbook.
I have been a singer, actor, musician, songwriter, etc.
I am an active senior citizen and the playbook has been my personal project.
I wrote this playbook while I was working two jobs6 days and 5 nights weekly.
Believe it or not, I wrote this back in 1972 and today it is very much still going on.
I knew people involved whether young and old alike. I have seen the good and the bad. What I have written are the things that have gone on and still going on today, even more people involved from top to bottom.
Parts of the playbook are realistic today because of others like me who are trying to reach out to save as many of our young people as possible.
We are involved in youth programs so we have an edge in talking to them and to keep them aware of all the pitfalls.
I hope to produce the play in our community with the youth group and others who may be interested.
We want to let them know there is still hope and the younger people will have a big part to play while others like oversee their efforts. It wont be easy but we have to try to Grab Hold of the Wind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 29, 2009
• ISBN: 9781477160381

Emory B. Tinley

I am currently retired from full-time work, but I am a freelance musician at this time. My early involvement into the art and culture groomed me for the involvement in writing this playbook. I have been a singer, actor, musician, songwriter, etc. I am an active senior citizen and the playbook has been my personal project. I wrote this playbook while I was working two jobs…6 days and 5 nights weekly. Believe it or not, I wrote this back in 1972 and today it is very much still going on. I knew people involved whether young and old alike. I have seen the good and the bad. What I have written are the things that have gone on and still going on today, even more people involved from top to bottom. Parts of the playbook are realistic today because of others like me who are trying to reach out to save as many of our young people as possible. We are involved in youth programs so we have an edge in talking to them and to keep them aware of all the pitfalls. I hope to produce the play in our community with the youth group and others who may be interested. We want to let them know there is still hope and the younger people will have a big part to play while others like you oversee their efforts. It won’t be easy but we have to try to “Grab Hold of the Wind”.

Book preview

Grab Hold of the Wind

___________________________________________

A Three Act Play

Emory B. Tinley

Copyright © 2009 by Emory B. Tinley.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4415-8322-2

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4771-6038-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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CONTENTS

—ABOUT THE PLAY—

CAST OF CHARACTERS

ACT I—SCENE 1

ACT I—SCENE 2

ACT I—SCENE 3

ACT I—SCENE 4

ACT II—SCENE 1

ACT II—SCENE 2

ACT II—SCENE 3

ACT III—SCENE 1

ACT III—SCENE 2

ACT III—SCENE 3

—ABOUT THE PLAY—

This play is one of hundreds revolving around the drug scene of today. And the message is the same, maybe said in a different way. But its important to everyone of us. Man, woman, and teenagers and pre-teens. It is important because all that we have seen concerning drugs and read about could very easily happen to one of our own relatives.

There is no special color you have to be to become a dope addict, and there is no special age for qualification. The sad part of it all is that so many of our young people are being caught up in it. Why? Well, for many reasons. It could be the home life in some cases, environments, the bad housing, the wrong kind of friends, and with so many of our teenagers today, they are just so disillusioned with the adults. Because all of us are not setting any kind of example for them to follow. This goes for white or black. And it only applies to those who are guilty.

We, as a proud black people, are blaming the white man for a lot of things as you will hear and see in the play, but we also are selling out ourselves to get the almighty green dollar. Sure, the white man has been responsible for a lot of things that have happened to us, but now that we know, we can only climb up on top by being together. And before we do that we have to get rid of our worst enemy, that is ourselves.

We are our worst enemy, when we sell dope to our uninformed young people, and when we sell it at all. We are our worst enemy when we turn our backs on our poorer black brothers and sisters, just because we are doing better than they are. We are our worst enemy when we envy each other for the progress we may be making in whatever our profession is. We are our worst enemy as long as we stand around and keep saying everything is the white man’s fault. When we stop talking and doing and helping one another and stop, I mean really stop looking down on those not as fortunate as the rest to have decent housing, decent clothes and decent jobs, and when we reach out with our strong hands to help them to become stronger, then . . . . then we will begin to win all battles that surround our people and all minority people.

This play is one where two groups of blacks—one that is trying to uplift our people, and one trying to downgrade them come together. You will not see a dope addict in this play, mainly because we see them almost everyday, on the streets, in bars, in stores and wherever. Anyone of us can have this happen to one of our relatives, but if we do all we can, then it is up to the individual to walk away from temptation. If more of us will care just a little more then it will be a better place for all people. What this play is saying is that the battle can be won, if we all try just a little harder. Remember that all the powerful people in the world, white or black or whatever, even they were made by SOMEONE far bigger than you and I.

PEACE AND LOVE

TOGETHER

CAST OF CHARACTERS

VANCE LAWRENCE: Leader of an instrumental group and also head of a youth group designed to keep the teenagers off the streets and orientate them to the dangers of the drug scene and to inspire them to develop their talents for a better life.

APRIL: Vance’s girl friend, singer with the band who has hopes of marrying Vance some day.

DALE GRAY: Arch enemy of Vance, who knows Vance’s plans with the youth and has the opposite ideas that Vance has concerning the young people, and all people. Dale is involved with the drug scene and is trying to lead the teenagers his way.

SGT. SANFORD: Police sergeant who is on both sides of the fence.

BATTLE—ROCK—SANDY—LONNIE: All members of Vance’s band and youth project.

STAN—B.B.—SPORTY—: All members of Dale’s hoods.

TINA—MARIA—ERNIE—SPARROW—ROBBY: Members of the teen group

NEWTON: (NEWT): One time member with Dale’s group, later switches over to Vance’s group.

ALLAN: Brother of Newton and also Tina’s heart.

MRS. BOLLIN—MRS. LYONS—POP BOYER—:

POLICEMAN NO. 1 AND POLICEMAN NO. 2:

ACT I—SCENE 1

(THE TIME OF ACTION IS YOUR TIME, YOUR PLACE, YOUR CITY, YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS)

(IN THE OPENING SCENE, A FIGHT IS IN PROGRESS BETWEEN ONE OF VANCE’S BOYS, ROCK, AND ONE OF DALE’S BOYS, B.B.)

(SOUNDS OF POLICE SIREN FROM DISTANCE, WHICH EVENTUALLY GETS CLOSER)

BATTLE: Hey you guys, cool it, break it up! The cops are coming!

Stan and Battle and Lonnie and Sandy, start to pull B.B. and Rock apart)

LONNIE: Man, that’s all we need is for them guys to catch us fighting, just so they can say we are setting a bad example for the teenagers.

ROCK: That’s a lot of jive, the only ones setting bad examples are guys like them (points to Stan and B.B.), trying to talk the kids into taking dope.

B.B.: You’re full of crap, baby, you ain’t seen me doing nothin’.

ROCK: You call me baby, again, and I’ll break your

. . . . (INTERRUPTED BY POLICE)

(ENTER SGT SANFORD AND POLICEMAN NO. 1 AND NO. 2)

SGT. SANFORD: You’ll break what, Rock?

ROCK: I wasn’t talking to you.

SGT. SANFORD: Well, I’m talking to you. What’s going on here? (Looks around at everybody)

STAN: These guys trying to make some trouble with B.B. here.

B.B.: Yeah, Sgt., Rock here trying to say I’m pushing dope to the kids.

SGT’ SANFORD: Is that true? (looks at Rock)

BATTLE: Is what true, Sgt.? That we are starting trouble, or that B.B. has been trying to push dope on the kids?

SGT. SANFORD: I’ll ask the questions, wise guys. Just because you have that recreation center going for you, don’t get any ideas that you are going to run everybody else.

LONNIE: We’re not running anybody, just trying to help the teenagers and trying to stop these jive cats from ruining them.

POLICEMAN NO 1: You better stop accusing people and, calling names if you can’t prove it, buddy.

SGT. SANFORD: That’s right, don’t be pointing fingers if you don’t know what you are pointing for.

SANDY: Well, we know what we are talking about so we don’t have to point fingers. You guys ought to be glad that we are trying to give you some help with the teenagers.

SGT. SANFORD: Ain’t that nice, they are giving us help. Vance and the rest of you crusaders aren’t doing us any favors, so just leave the law to the law.

LONNIE: Sometimes you can’t always do that so easy.

POLICEMAN NO 2: What’s that suppose to mean?

BATTLE: It means that we don’t know who to trust, that’s all.

SGT. SANFORD: Well, I don’t want to hear or find anymore of a ruckus going on here or the next time I’ll lock you guys up. (points to Rock and the boys, leaving out Stan and B.B.)

ROCK: Well, I’ll be damned, what about them? (points to Stan and B.B.)

SGT. SANFORD: I said leave the law to us. Stan, you and B.B. go on about your business.

STAN: Thanks, Sgt., we’ll tell Dale about your help.

Rock and the rest of the boys all look around at each other surprised.

POLICEMAN NO 1: What do we do with these troublemakers.

POLICEMAN NO 2: They oughta be run in.

BATTLE: For what? You let them go and have been giving us all the hell. Why are they so special.

SGT. SANFORD: You know you shouldn’t have so much to say, just do as you are told.

BATTLE: How can you do as you’re told, when what you are told isn’t right, man.

SGT. SANFORD: What are you guys doing around here anyway?

SANDY: It just so happens that we live around here. That’s what you should have asked the other fellows. They don’t live around here.

POLICEMAN NO 1: You mean to say that those two fellas would come around here and start something knowing they are not in their own territory, c’mon, what do you take us for?

ROCK AND ALL THE