Three Plays (31 page)

LAURA
: Yes!
[She rises and crosses to the table.]

JIM
: It said I was bound to succeed in anything I went into!

[Laura returns with the high school yearbook.]

Holy Jeez!
The Torch!

[He accepts it reverently. They smile across it with mutual wonder. Laura crouches beside him and they begin to turn through it. Laura's shyness is dissolving in his warmth.]

LAURA
: Here you are in
The Pirates of Penzance
!

JIM
[wistfully]
: I sang the baritone lead in that operetta.

LAURA
[raptly]
: So—
beautifully
!

JIM
[protesting]
: Aw—

LAURA
: Yes, yes—beautifully—beautifully!

JIM
: You heard me?

LAURA
: All three times!

JIM
: No!

LAURA
: Yes!

JIM
: All three performances?

LAURA
[looking down]
: Yes.

JIM
: Why?

LAURA
: I—wanted to ask you to—autograph my program.

[She takes the program from the back of the yearbook and shows it to him.]

JIM
: Why didn't you ask me to?

LAURA
: You were always surrounded by your own friends so much that I never had a chance to.

JIM
: You should have just—

LAURA
: Well, I—thought you might think I was—

JIM
: Thought I might think you was—what?

LAURA
: Oh—

JIM
[with reflective relish]
: I was beleaguered by females—In those days.

LAURA
: You were terribly popular!

JIM
: Yeah.

LAURA
: You had such a—friendly way

JIM
: I was spoiled in high school.

LAURA
: Everybody—liked you!

JIM
: Including you?

LAURA
: I—yes, I—I did, too—
[She gently closes the book in her lap.]

JIM
: Well, well, well!—Give me that program, Laura.
[She hands it to him. He signs it with a flourish.]
There you are—better late than never!

LAURA
: Oh, I—what a—surprise!

JIM
: My signature isn't worth very much tight now. But some day—maybe—it will increase in value! Being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is something else. I am disappointed but I am not discouraged. I'm twenty-three years old. How old are you?

LAURA
: I'll be twenty-four in June.

JIM
: That's not old age!

LAURA
: No, but—

JIM
: You finished high school?

LAURA
[with difficulty]
: I didn't go back.

JIM
: You mean you dropped out?

LAURA
: I made bad grades in my final examinations.
[She rises and replaces the book and the program. Her voice strained.]
How is—Emily Meisenbach getting along?

JIM
: Oh, that kraut-head!

LAURA
: Why do you call her that?

JIM
: That's what she was.

LAURA
: You're not still—going with her?

JIM
: I never see her.

LAURA
: It said in the Personal Section that you were engaged!

JIM
: I know, but I wasn't impressed by that—propaganda!

LAURA
: It wasn't—the truth?

JIM
: Only in Emily's optimistic opinion!

LAURA
: Oh—

[Jim lights a cigarette and leans indolently back on his elbows smiling at Laura with a warmth and charm which lights her inwardly. She remains by the table and turns in her hands a piece of glass to cover her tumult.]

JIM
:
[after several reflective puffs on a cigarette]
: What have you done since high school?
[She seems not to hear him.]
Huh?
[Laura looks up.]
I said what have you done since high school, Laura?

LAURA
: Nothing much.

JIM
: You must have been doing something these six long years.

LAURA
: Yes.

JIM
: Well, then, such as what?

LAURA
: I took a business course at business college—

JIM
: How did that work out?

LAURA
: Well, not very—well—I had to drop out, it gave me—indigestion—

JIM
[laughs gently]
: What are you doing now?

LAURA
: I don't do anything—much. Oh, please don't think I sit around doing nothing! My glass collection takes up a good deal of time. Glass is something you have to take good care of.

JIM
: What did you say—about glass?

LAURA
: Collection I said—I have one—
[she clears her throat and turns away, acutely shy.]

JIM
[abruptly]
: You know what I judge to be the trouble with you? Inferiority complex! Know what that is? That's what they call it when someone low-rates himself! I understand it because I had it, too. Although my case was not so aggravated as yours seems to be. I had it until I took up public speaking, developed my voice, and learned that I had an aptitude for science. Before that time I never thought of myself as being outstanding in any way whatsoever!

Now I've never made a regular study of it, but I have a friend who says I can analyze people better than doctors that make a profession of it. I don't claim that to be necessarily true, but I can sure guess a person's psychology, Laura…
[Takes out his gum]
Excuse me, Laura. I always take it out when the flavour is gone. I'll use this scrap of paper to wrap it in. I know how it is to get it stuck on a shoe.

Yep—that's what I judge to be your principal trouble. A lack of amount of faith in yourself as a person. You don't have the proper amount of faith in yourself. I'm basing that fact on a number of your remarks and also on certain observations I've made. For instance that clumping you thought was so awful in high school. You say that you even dreaded to walk into class. You see what you did? You dropped out of school, you gave up an education because of a clump, which as far as I know was practically non-existent! A little physical defect is what you have. Hardly noticeable even! Magnified thousands of times by imagination!

You know what my strong advice to you is? Think of yourself as
superior
in some way!

LAURA
: In what way would I think?

JIM
: Why, man alive, Laura! Just look about you a little. What do you see? A world full of common people! All of 'em born and all of 'em going to die!

Which of them has one-tenth of your good points? Or mine! Or anyone else's, as far as that goes—Gosh!

Everybody excels in some one thing. Some in many!

[Unconsciously glances at himself in the mirror.]

All you've got to do is discover in
what!
Take me, for instance.

[He adjusts his tie at the mirror.]

My interest happens to lie in electro-dynamics. I'm taking a course in radio engineering at night school, Laura, on top of a fairly responsible job at the warehouse. I'm taking that course and studying public speaking.

LAURA
: Ohhhh.

JIM
: Because I believe in the future of television!

[Turning back to her.]

I wish to be ready to go up right along with it. Therefore I'm planning to get in on the ground floor. In fact I've already made the right connections and all that remains is for the industry itself to get under way! Full steam—
[His eyes are starry.]
Knowledge
—Zzzzzp!
Money
– Zzzzzzp!—
Power!
That's the cycle democracy is built on!

[His attitude is convincingly dynamic. Laura stares at him, even her shyness eclipsed in her absolute wonder. He suddenly grins.]

I guess you think I think a lot of myself!

LAURA
: No—o-o-o, I—

JIM
: Now how about you? Isn't there something you take more interest in than anything else?

LAURA
: Well, I do—as I said—have my—glass collection—

[A peal of girlish laughter from the kitchenette.]

JIM
: I'm not right sure I know what you're talking about—What kind of glass is it?

LAURA
: Little articles of it, they're ornaments mostly! Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie! Here's an example of one, if you'd like to see it! This one is one of the oldest. It's nearly thirteen.

[
MUSIC
: 'THE GLASS MENAGERIE'

He stretches out his hand.]

Oh, be careful—if you breathe, it breaks!

JIM
: I'd better not take it. I'm pretty clumsy with things.

LAURA
: Go on, I trust you with him!

[She places the piece in his palm.]

There now—you're holding him gently!

Hold him over the light, he loves the light! You see how the light shines through him?

JIM
: It sure does shine!

LAURA
: I shouldn't be partial, but he is my favourite one.

JIM
: What kind of a thing is this one supposed to be?

LAURA
: Haven't you noticed the single horn on his forehead head?

JIM
: A unicorn, huh?

LAURA
: Mmmm-hmmm!

JIM
: Unicorns—aren't they extinct in the modern world?

LAURA
: I know!

JIM
: Poor little fellow, he must feel sort of lonesome.

LAURA
[smiling]
: Well, if he does he doesn't complain about it. He stays on a shelf with some horses that don't have horns and all of them seem to get along nicely together.

JIM
: How do you know?

LAURA
[lightly]
: I haven't heard any arguments among them!

JIM
[grinning]
: No arguments, huh? Well, that's a pretty good sign! Where shall I set him?

LAURA
: Put him on the table. They all like a change of scenery once in a while!

JIM
: Well, well, well, well—
[He places the glass piece on the table, then raises his arms and stretches.]
Look how big my shadow is when I stretch!

LAURA
: Oh, oh, yes—it stretches across the ceiling!

JIM
[crossing to door]
: I think it's stopped raining.
[He opens the fire-escape door and the background music changes to dance music.]
Where does the music come from?

LAURA
: From the Paradise Dance Hall across the alley.

JIM
: How about cutting the rug a little, Miss Wingfield?

LAURA
: Oh, I—

JIM
: Or is your program filled up? Let me have a look at it.
[He grasps an imaginary card.]
Why, every dance is taken! I'll just have to scratch some out.

[
WALTZ MUSIC
: 'LA GOLONDRINA'.]

Ahhh, a waltz!

[He executes some sweeping turns by himself then holds his arms toward Laura.]

LAURA
[breathlessly]
: I—can't dance!

JIM
: There you go, that inferiority stuff!

LAURA
: I’ve never danced in my life!

JIM
: Come on, try!

LAURA
: Oh, but I'd step on you!

JIM
: I'm not made out of glass.

LAURA
: How—how—how do we start?

JIM
: Just leave it to me. You hold your arms out a little.

LAURA
: Like this?

JIM
[taking her in his arms]
: A little bit higher. Right. Now don't tighten up, that's the main thing about it—relax.