Brian Friel Plays 1 (10 page)

PRIVATE
:
Don’t man, don’t.

CON
:
Your gloves, honey. It’s been a heavy day.

LIZZY
:
(
To
PUBLIC
,
with
uncertain
dignity
) Tell your father that we regret we did not have the opportunity for to make his acquaintance again after all these –

PUBLIC
:
(
Impetuously
) I want to go to America – if you’ll have me –

PRIVATE
:
Laddy!

CON
:
Sure. You think about it, son. You think about it.

PUBLIC
:
Now – as soon as I can, Aunt Lizzy – I mean it –

LIZZY
:
Gar? (
To
CON
,
as
if
far
confirmation
)
Honey?

CON
:
Look son –

LIZZY
:
To us, Gar? To come to us? To our home?

CON
:
Ben’s waiting, Elise.

PUBLIC
:
If you’ll have me …

LIZZY
:
If we’ll have him, he says; he says if we’ll have him! That’s why I’m here! That’s why I’m half-shot-up!

(
She
opens
her
arms
and
approaches
him.
)

Oh Gar, my son –

PRIVATE
:
Not yet! Don’t touch me yet!

(
LIZZY
throws
her
arms
around
him
and
cries
happily
.)

LIZZY
:
My son, Gar, Gar, Gar …

PRIVATE
:
(
Softly,
with
happy
anguish
) God … my God … Oh, my God …

(
Black-out
)

(
When
the
bedroom
light
goes
up
PUBLIC
and
PRIVATE
are there.
The
kitchen
is
empty.
PUBLIC
bangs
the
lid
of
his
case
shut
and
PRIVATE
stands
beside
him
Jeering
at
him.
While
this
taunting
goes
on
PUBLIC
tries
to
escape
by
fussing
about
the room
.)

PRIVATE
:
September 8th, the sun shining, not a breath of wind – and this was your mother’s sister – remember? And that’s how you were got! Right, honey? Silly and impetuous like a Gallagher! Regrets?

PUBLIC
:
None.

PRIVATE
:
Uncertainties?

PUBLIC
:
None.

PRIVATE
:
Little tiny niggling reservations?

PUBLIC
:
None.

PRIVATE
:
Her grammar?

PUBLIC
:
Shut up!

PRIVATE
:
But, honey, wasn’t it something?

PUBLIC
:
Go to hell.

PRIVATE
:
Her vulgarity?

PUBLIC
:
Bugger off.

PRIVATE
:
She’ll tuck you into your air-conditioned cot every night.

(
PUBLIC
,
so
that
he
won
’
t
hear
,
begins
to
whistle
‘
Philadelphia,
Here
I
Came!
’)

PRIVATE
:
And croon, ‘Sleep well, my li’l honey child.’

(
PUBLIC
whistles
determinedly.
)

She got you soft on account of the day it was, didn’t she?

(
PUBLIC
whistles
louder
.)

And because she said you were an O’Donnell – ‘cold like’.

PUBLIC
:
It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the Queen of France –

PRIVATE
:
But of course when she threw her arms around you – well, well, well!

PUBLIC
:
– then the Dauphiness, at Versailles –

PRIVATE
:
Poor little orphan boy!

PUBLIC
:
Shut up! Shut up!

PRIVATE
:
(
In
child’s
voice
)
Ma-ma … Ma-ma.

(
PUBLIC
flings
open
the
bedroom
door
and
dashes
into
the
kitchen.
PRIVATE
follows
behind
.)

PUBLIC
:
Madge!

PRIVATE
:
(
Quietly,
deliberately
) You don’t want to go, laddybuck. Admit it. You don’t want to go.

(
MADGE
enters
from
the
scullery.
)

PUBLIC
:
(
Searching
for
an
excuse
) I can’t find my coat. I left it in my room.

(
MADGE
gives
him
a
long,
patient
look,
goes
to
the
nail
below
the
school
clock,
lifts
down
the
coat,
and
hands
it
to
him.
He
takes
it
from
her
and
goes
towards
the
scullery
door
.)

PUBLIC
:
If you would only learn to leave things where you find them you wouldn’t be such a bad aul nuisance.

(
PUBLIC
and
PRIVATE
go
off
.)

MADGE
:
(Calls) Don’t you dare come home drunk!

(
PUBLIC
’
s
head
appears
round
the
door
.)

PUBLIC
:
(
Softly
) I’m going to say good-bye to the boys over a quiet drink or two. And how I spend my nights is a matter entirely for myself.

MADGE
:
‘The Boys!’ Couldn’t even come here to say good-bye to you on your last night.

PRIVATE
:
Straight to the bone!

PUBLIC
:
Just you mind your business and I’ll mind mine.

MADGE
:
How many of them are getting the pension now?

PUBLIC
:
And in case you’re in bed when I get back I want a call at half-six.

MADGE
:
The clock’ll be set. If you hear it well and good.

(
PUBLIC
disappears.
MADGE
fusses
about
the
kitchen
until
S.B
enters
from
the
shop.
He
has
a
newspaper
in
his
hand
and
sits
at
the
top
of
the
table.
She
watches
him
as
he
reads.
She
adjusts
a
few
things.
She
looks
back
at
him,
then
suddenly
,
on
the
point
of
tears,
she
accuses
him
.)

MADGE
:
You sit there, night after night, year after year, reading that aul paper, and not a tooth in your head! If you had any decency in you at all, you would keep them plates in while there’s a lady in your presence!

S.B
.:
(
Puzzled
) Eh?

MADGE
:
I mean it. It – it – it – it just drives me mad, the sight of you! (
The
tears
begin
to
come
.) And I have that much work to do: the stairs have to be washed down, and the store’s to be swept, and your room has to be done out – and – and – I’m telling you I’ll be that busy for the next couple of weeks that I won’t have time to lift my head!

(
She
dashes
off.
S.B
.
stares
after
her,
then
out
at
the
audience.
Then,
very
slowly,
he
looks
down
at
the
paper
again
–
it
has
been
upside
down
–
and
turns
it
right
side
up.
But
he
can
’
t
read.
He
looks
across
at
GAR
’
s
bedroom,
sighs,
rises,
and
exits
very
slowly
to
the
shop.
Silence
for
a
second
after
S.B
.
leaves.
The
silence
is
suddenly
shattered
by
the
boisterous
arrival
of
the
boys
and
GAR
.
We
hear
their
exaggerated
laughter
and
talk
outside
before
they
burst
in.
When
they
enter
they
take
over
the
kitchen,
sprawling
on
chairs,
hunting
for
tumblers
for
the
stout
they
produce
from
their
pockets,
taking
long,
deep
pulls
on
their
cigarettes,
giving
the
impression
that
they
are
busy,
purposeful,
randy
gents
about
to
embark
on
some
exciting
adventure.
But
their
bluster
is
not
altogether
convincing.
There
is
something
false
about
it.
Tranquillity
is
their
enemy
:
they
fight
it
valiantly.
At
the
beginning
of
this
scene
GAR
is
flattered
that
the
boys
have
come
to
him.
When
they
consistently
refuse
to
acknowledge
his
leaving
–
or
perhaps
because
he
is
already
spiritually
gone
from
them
–
his
good
humour
deserts
him.
He
becomes
apart
from
the
others.
NED
is
the
leader
of
the
group.
TOM
is
his
feed-man,
subserviently
watching
for
every
cue.
JOE
,
the
youngest
of
the
trio,
and
not
yet
fully
committed
to
the
boys
’
way
of
life,
is
torn
between
fealty
to
NED
and
TOM
and
a
spontaneous
and
simple
loneliness
over
GAR
’
s
departure.
Nothing
would
suit
him
better
than
a
grand
loud
send-off
party.
But
he
cannot
manage
this,
and
his
loyalty
is
divided.
He
is
patently
gauche,
innocent,
obvious
.)

NED
:
There’s only one way to put the fear of God up them bastards – (
Points
to
his
boot
.) – every time – you know where.

JOE
:
Who’s the ref, Ned?

TOM
:
Jimmy Pat Barney from Bunmornan. (
Guardedly
to
PUBLIC
) Where’s the aul fella?