Brian Friel Plays 1 (45 page)

(
ALICE
now
opens
her
eyes
and
sits
forward.
)

ALICE:
Good ole Willie! (
Sings
)
‘Drink to me only with thine eyes –’

(
Immediately
EAMON
begins
singing.
)

EAMON:
‘Boo-ba-de-boo-ba-ba’

ALICE:
‘And I will pledge with mine’.

(
CASIMIR
,
without
interrupting
his
search,
joins
ALICE
.)

(
ALICE
sits
back,
closes
her
eyes
and
continues
humming.
)

EAMON:
(
To
TOM
) Recognize it?

TOM:
Elizabethan. Is it Ben Jonson?

EAMON:
The very buck. Used to nip into the scullery and recite it to granny.

TOM:
I think perhaps I should check that.

EAMON:
Would I tell you a lie?

FATHER:
I have considered very carefully everything I have heard and I must now ask you to – I must request – I must – I – I …

(
The
suddenness
and
authority
of
father’s
voice
create
a
stillness,
almost
an
unease.
Nobody
speaks
for
a
few
seconds
.)

JUDITH:
He’s very restless today.

CASIMIR:
I wasn’t caught that time – no, no! I wasn’t caught that time – ha-ha!

FATHER:
Judith!

(
CASIMIR
stiffens.
)

FATHER:
Judith? Judith? Where’s Judith? Jud-ith!

ALICE:
Stay where you are. I’ll go.

(
She
rises
.)

JUDITH:
It’s all right. He probably wants nothing at all.

(
JUDITH
goes
off
quickly.
ALICE
walks
about.
She
is
slightly
unsteady.
)

ALICE:
But I would like to go – I would like to help. Why won’t she let me help? When I went up to see him last night just after I arrived, I got such a shock – he’s so altered. Isn’t he altered? I mean he was always such a big strong man with such power, such authority; and then to see him lying there, so flat under the clothes, with his mouth open –

(
CASIMIR
stands
up.
He
has
been
listening
to
ALICE
and
the
vigour
of
his
announcement
this
time
is
forced
.)

CASIMIR:
The third! There you are! Number three! (
He
marks
it
as
before
.)
Only one more to get.

(
He
crosses
the
lawn
to
the
fourth
corner
but
does
not
go
down
on
his
hands
and
knees.
He
stands
listening
to
ALICE.
)

ALICE:
I caught his face between my hands – isn’t that right, Casimir? You were there beside me – and I held it like that. And it was such a strange sensation – I must never have touched his face before – is that possible never to have
touched my father’s face? And it seemed so small between my hands; and it was so cool and his beard so rough and I felt so – so equal to him. (
She
begins
to
cry.
)
And then he opened his eyes. And he didn’t recognize me – isn’t that right, Casimir? And that’s when I began to cry. He didn’t know me. He didn’t know you either, Casimir, did he?

CASIMIR:
No.

ALICE:
He didn’t know me either. It was so strange – your own father not knowing you. He didn’t know you either, Casimir, did he?

CASIMIR:
No.

ALICE:
His own flesh and blood. Did he know you, Willie?

WILLIE:
Well, you see like, Alice, I’m not his son.

ALICE:
That’s true. And that’s when I began to cry. I’m sorry – I’m sorry – I know I’m slightly drunk but I’m still capable of – of – of –

(
EAMON
offers
her
Judith’s
coffee
– she
brushes
past
him.
)

ALICE:
I want a drink. Who’s hidden the drink? Where’s the drink all hidden? (
She
finds
it
and
helps
herself
.)
Oh dear, dear God.

EAMON:
‘Boo-ba-de-ba-ba-ba-ba; boom-boom-boom’ …

(
EAMON
moves
over
beside
CLAIRE.
CASIMIR
gets
down
on
his
hands
and
knees
again.
ALICE
drops
into
a
seat
and
closes
her
eyes.
)

EAMON:
Whatever he’s looking for, he deserves to find it.

CLAIRE:
The remains of an old croquet court.

EAMON:
Ah. Before my time.

(
A
new
tape
begins:
Nocturne
in
F
sharp
major,
Op.
15
,
No.
2.
CLAIRE
is
fingering
a
gold
watch
.)

EAMON:
Present from Jerry?

CLAIRE:
For my last birthday.

EAMON:
Very handsome, isn’t it?

JUDITH:
Is something wrong?

CLAIRE:
Yes.

FATHER:
Judith?

JUDITH:
I’m
here beside you.

CLAIRE:
And I told you, didn’t I – he’s getting me a car for Christmas.

JUDITH:
What’s the matter?

EAMON:
Lucky you.

FATHER:
Judith?

JUDITH:
What is it?

CLAIRE:
And he’s had the whole house done up from top to bottom. New carpets everywhere – even in the kitchen. I helped Ellen choose them.

JUDITH:
Are you cold? Do you want the quilt on again?

(
Without
any
change
in
her
tone,
and
smiling
as
if
she
were
chatting
casually,
CLAIRE
continues
.)

CLAIRE:
I’m in a mess, Eamon.

JUDITH:
You’re upset today.

CLAIRE:
I don’t know if I can go on with it.

JUDITH:
You got your pills, didn’t you?

FATHER:
Judith betrayed the family – did you know that?

JUDITH:
Yes. Now – that’s better.

FATHER:
Great betrayal; enormous betrayal.

JUDITH:
Let me feel those tops.

FATHER:
But Anna’s praying for her. Did you know that?

JUDITH:
Yes, I know that, Father.

CLAIRE:
Listen to them! (
Short
laugh.
)
It goes on like that all the time, all the time. I don’t know how Judith stands it. She’s lucky to be so … so strong-minded. Sometimes I think it’s driving me mad. Mustn’t it have been something trivial like that that finally drove mother to despair? And then sometimes I think: I’m going to miss it so much. I’m so confused, Eamon.

EAMON:
Aren’t we all confused.

CLAIRE:
But if you really loved someone the way you’re supposed to love someone you’re about to marry, you shouldn’t be confused, should you? Everything should be absorbed in that love, shouldn’t it? There’d be no reservations, would there? I’d love his children and his sister and his lorry and his vegetables and his carpets and everything, wouldn’t I? And I’d love all of him, too, wouldn’t I?

(
EAMON
puts
his
arm
round
her.
)

CLAIRE:
That’s one of the last nocturnes he wrote.

EAMON:
Is it?

CLAIRE:
Why does he not see that I’m in a mess, Eamon?

EAMON:
You don’t have to go on with it, you know.

(
CASIMIR
is
suddenly
and
triumphantly
on
his
feet
again.
)

CASIMIR:
Number four! There you are! The complete croquet court! See, Eamon? Look, Claire! I remember! I knew!

(
CLAIRE
jumps
up.
She
is
suddenly
vigorous,
buoyant,
excited.
Her
speech
is
rapid
.)

CLAIRE:
Come on – who’s for a game?

CASIMIR:
Me-me-me!

CLAIRE:
Give me a mallet.

(
CASIMIR
mimes
giving
her
one.
)

CASIMIR:
There you are.

CLAIRE:
Is this the best you have?

CASIMIR:
It’s brand new – never been used.

CLAIRE:
Where are the hoops?

CASIMIR:
All in position. Just a second. (
He
drops
three
more
napkins
in
the
centre
of
the
court.
)
That’s it. This one (
centre
napkin
)
is the peg.

CLAIRE:
And the balls?

CASIMIR:
At your feet.

CLAIRE:
Right.

CASIMIR:
Who goes first?

CLAIRE:
The bride-to-be – who else?

CASIMIR:
Wonderful! Off you go. Ladies and gentlemen – please – give the players room. Thank you. Thank you.

CLAIRE:
First shot of the game.

CASIMIR:
And a beautiful, beautiful shot it is. Now for the champion.

(
This
imaginary
game
and
their
exchanges
about
it
continue
during
the
following
sequences,
EAMON
rises;
switches
off
the
cassette;
picks
up
a
bottle
of
wine
and
a
glass;
drifts
across
the
lawn.
As
he
passes
WILLIE:
)

EAMON:
‘Ba-ba-de-boo-ba-ba’. Many hedgehogs about now?

WILLIE:
What?

EAMON:
Hedgehogs – you know – (
He
mimes
one
) – many of them about?

WILLIE:
How the hell would I know about hedgehogs?

EAMON:
‘Ba-ba-de-boo-ba-ba – Ba-ba-boo …’

WILLIE:
Hedgehogs! Jaysus!

(
WILLIE
goes
to
the
croquet
court
and
watches
the
game.
)

CASIMIR:
That was good – that was very good.

CLAIRE:
That was brilliant.

CASIMIR:
But watch this. This is how it’s really done. Aaaaaah!

(
ALICE
opens
her
eyes,
sits
forward,
and
watches
CLAIRE
and
CASIMIR
in
bewilderment.
)

CLAIRE:
That ball hit your leg.

CASIMIR:
It did not.

CLAIRE:
I saw it – you winced.

CASIMIR:
(
To
ALICE
) Did the ball hit my leg?