The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form (8 page)

BOOK: The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form

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Black		You want some more coffee?
White		Yes. That would be great.
He brings the pot to the table and pours his cup and sets the pot on the table and takes his seat and they continue to eat.

White		You dont think a glass of wine would have been good with this?
Black		Oh no. I think it might of been good.
White		But you wouldnt drink it.
Black		Oh I might. One glass.
White		Jesus drank wine. He and his disciples.
Black		Yes he did. Accordin to the bible. Of course it dont say nothin about him hidin it in the toilet.
White		Is that really a favorite hiding place?
Black		Oh yes. I’ve knowed drunks to lift the tops off of toilet tanks in strange places just on the off chance.
White		Is that true?
Black		Naw. It could be, though. Wouldnt surprise me none.
White		What is the worst thing you ever did.
Black		More jailhouse stories.
White		Why not?
Black		Which why not you want to hear?
White		Is bludgeoning the man in the prison cafeteria the worst thing you ever did?
Black		No. It aint.
White		Really? What’s the worst?
Black		Aint goin tell you.
White		Why not?
Black		Cause you’d jump up and run out the door hollerin.
White		It must be pretty bad.
Black		It is pretty bad. That’s why I aint tellin you.
White		Now I’m afraid to ask.
Black		No you aint.
White		Have you ever told anyone?
Black		Oh yeah. It wouldnt leave me alone. The soul might be silent but the servant of the soul has always got a voice and it has got one for a reason. The life of the master depends on the servant and this is one master that has got to be sustained. Got to be sustained.
White		Who did you tell it to?
Black		I told it to a man of God who was my friend.
White		What did he say?
Black		He didnt say a word.
White		But you’re not curious about the worst thing I ever did.
Black		Yeah I am.
White		But you wont ask me what it is.
Black		Dont have to.
White		Why is that?
Black		Cause I was there and I seen it.
White		Well, I might have a different view.
Black		Yeah. You might. You want some more?
White		No. I’m stuffed.
Black		Hungrier than you thought.
White		Yes. I was.
Black		Good.
White		Is this some kind of a test of your faith?
Black		What, you?
White		Me. Yes.
Black		Naw, Professor. It aint my faith you testin.
White		You see everything in black and white.
Black		It is black and white.
White		I suppose that makes the world easier to understand.
Black		You might be surprised about how little time I spend trying to understand the world.
White		You try to understand God.
Black		No I dont. I just try and understand what he wants from me.
White		And that is everything you need.
Black		If God aint everthing you need you in a world of trouble. And if what you sayin is that my view of the world is a narrow one I dont disagree with that. Of course I could point out that I aint down on the platform in my leapin costume.
White		You could.
Black		A lot of things is beyond my understandin. I know that. I say it again. If it aint in this book then they’s a good chance that I dont know it. Before I started readin the bible I was pretty much in that primacy thing myself.
White		Primacy thing.
Black		Yeah. Not as bad as you. But pretty bad. I was pretty dumb, but I wasnt dumb enough to believe that what had got me nowheres in forty years was all of a sudden goin to get me somewheres. I was dumb, but I wasnt that dumb. I seen what was there for the askin, and I decided to ask. And that’s all I done. And it was hard. I’ll tell you right now, Professor, it was hard. I was layin there all cut up and chained to that hospital bed and I was cryin I hurt so bad and I thought they’d kill me if I did live and I tried to say it and tried to say it and after a while I just quit. I put all of that away from me. And I just said it. I said: Please help me. And he did.
They sit.

Black		Long silence.
White		It’s just a silence.
Black		Well. That’s my story, Professor. It’s easy told. I dont make a move without Jesus. When I get up in the mornin I just try to get ahold of his belt. Oh, ever once in a while I’ll catch myself slippin into manual override. But I catch myself. I catch myself.
White		Manual overrider.
Black		You like that?
White		It’s okay.
Black		I thought it was pretty good.
White		So you come to the end of your rope and you admit defeat and you are in despair and in this state you seize upon this whatever it is that has neither substance nor sense and you grab hold of it and hang on for dear life. Is that a fair portrayal?
Black		Well, that could be one way to say it.
White		It doesnt make any sense.
Black		Well, I thought when we was talkin earlier I heard you to say they wasnt none of it made no sense. Talkin bout the history of the world and all such as that.
White		It doesnt. On a larger scale. But what you’re telling me isnt a view of things. It’s a view of one thing. And I find it nonsensical.
Black		What would you do if Jesus was to speak to you?
White		Why? Do you imagine that he might?
Black		No. I dont. But I dont know.
White		I’m not virtuous enough.
Black		No, Professor, it aint nothin like that. You dont have to be virtuous. You just has to be quiet. I cant speak for the Lord but the experience I’ve had leads me to believe that he’ll speak to anybody that’ll listen. You damn sure aint got to be virtuous.
White		Well if I heard God talking to me, then I’d be ready for you to take me up to Bellevue. As you suggested.
Black		What if what he said made sense?
White		It wouldnt make any difference. Craziness is craziness.
Black		Dont make no difference if it makes sense.
White		No.
Black		Mm. Well, that’s about as bad a case of the primacy as I ever heard.
White		Well. I’ve always gone my own way. Ich kann nicht anders.
Black		What is that you talkin?
White		It’s german.
Black		You talk german?
White		Not really. A little. It’s a quotation.
Black		Didnt do them Germans much good though, did it?
White		I dont know. The Germans contributed a great deal to civilization. (Pause) Before Hitler.
Black		And then they contributed Hitler.
White		If you like.
Black		Wasnt none of my doin.
White		I gather it to be your belief that culture tends to contribute to human misery. That the more one knows the more unhappy one is likely to be.
Black		As in the case of certain parties known to us.
White		As in the case.
Black		I dont believe I said that. In fact, I think maybe you said it.
White		I never said it.
Black		Mm. But do you believe it?
White		No.
Black		No?
White		I dont know. It could be true.
Black		Well why is that? It dont seem right, does it?
White		It’s the first thing in that book there. The Garden of Eden. Knowledge as destructive to the spirit. Destructive to goodness.
Black		I thought you aint read this book?
White		Everyone knows that story. It’s probably the most famous story in there.
Black		So why do you think that is?
White		I suppose from the God point of view all knowledge is vanity. Or maybe it gives people the unhealthy illusion that they can outwit the devil.
Black		Damn, Professor. Where was you when I needed you?
White		You’d better be careful. You see where it’s gotten me.
Black		I do see. It’s the subject at hand.
White		The darker picture is always the correct one. When you read the history of the world you are reading a saga of bloodshed and greed and folly the import of which is impossible to ignore. And yet we imagine that the future will somehow be different. I’ve no idea why we are even still here but in all probability we will not be here much longer.
Black		Them is some pretty powerful words, Professor. That’s what’s in your heart, aint it?
White		Yes.
Black		Well I can relate to them thoughts.
White		You can?
Black		Yes I can.
White		That surprises me. What, you’re going to think about them?
Black		I done have thought about em. I’ve thought about em for a long time. Not as good as you said it. But pretty close.
White		Well you surprise me. And you’ve come to what conclusions?
Black		I aint. I’m still thinkin.
White		Yes. Well, I’m not.
Black		Things can change.
White		No they cant.
Black		You could be wrong.
White		I dont think so.
Black		But that aint somethin you have a lot of in your life.
White		What isnt?
Black		Bein wrong.
White		I admit it when I’m wrong.
Black		I dont think so.
White		Well, you’re entitled to your opinion.

BOOK: The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form

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