Brian Friel Plays 2 (8 page)

Chris
Working at those kites, isn’t he?

Maggie
He’s not there. He’s gone.

Chris
He won’t go far.

Maggie
He was there ten minutes ago.

Chris
He’ll be all right.

Maggie
But if he goes down to the old well –

Chris
Just leave him alone for once, will you, please?

Maggie
shrugs
and
goes
out
the
back
door.
Pause.

Kate
Who’s making the tea this evening?

Agnes
Who makes the tea every evening?

Chris
(
at
radio
)
The connections seem to be all right.

Kate
Please take that surplice off, Christina.

Chris
Maybe a valve has gone – if I knew what a valve looked like.

Kate
Have you no sense of propriety?

Chris
If you ask me we should throw it out.

Agnes
I’d be all for that. It’s junk, that set.

Rose
Goddamn bloody useless.

Kate
(
to
Agnes
) And you’ll buy a new one, will you?

Agnes
It was never any good.

Kate
You’ll buy it out of your glove money, will you? I thought what you and Rose earned knitting gloves was barely sufficient to clothe the pair of you.

Agnes
This isn’t your classroom, Kate.

Kate
Because I certainly don’t see any of it being offered for the upkeep of the house.

Agnes
Please, Kate –

Kate
But now it stretches to buying a new wireless. Wonderful!

Agnes
I make every meal you sit down to every day of the week –

Kate
Maybe I should start knitting gloves?

Agnes
I wash every stitch of clothes you wear. I polish your shoes. I make your bed. We both do – Rose and I. Paint the house. Sweep the chimney. Cut the grass. Save the turf. What you have here, Kate, are two unpaid servants.

Rose
And d’you know what your nickname at school is? The Gander! Everybody calls you the Gander!

Maggie
runs
on
and
goes
straight
to
the
window.

Maggie
Come here till you see! Look who’s coming up the lane!

Agnes
Who’s coming?

Maggie
I only got a glimpse of him – but I’m almost certain it’s –

Agnes
Who? Who is it?

Maggie
(
to
Chris
)
It’s Gerry Evans, Chrissie.

Chris
Christ Almighty.

Maggie
He’s at the bend in the lane.

Chris
Oh, Jesus Christ Almighty.

The
news
throws
the
sisters
into
chaos.
Only
Chris
stands
absolutely
still,
too
shocked
to
move.
Agnes
picks
up
her
knitting
and
works
with
excessive
concentration.
Rose
and
Maggie
change
their
footwear.
Everybody
dashes
about
in
confusion
–
peering
into
the
tiny
mirror,
bumping
into
one
another,
peeping
out
the
window,
combing
hair.
During
all
this
hectic
activity
they
talk
over
each
other
and
weave
around
the
immobile
Chris.
The
lines
overlap:

Kate
How dare Mr Evans show his face here.

Maggie
He wants to see his son, doesn’t he?

Kate
There’s no welcome for that creature here.

Rose
Who hid my Sunday shoes?

Maggie
We’ll have to give him his tea.

Kate
I don’t see why we should.

Maggie
And there’s nothing in the house.

Kate
No business at all coming here and upsetting everybody.

Rose
You’re right, Kate. I hate him!

Maggie
Has anybody got spare shoelaces?

Kate
Look at the state of that floor.

Maggie
Maybe he just wants to meet Father Jack.

Kate
Father Jack may have something to say to Mr Evans. (
of
the
ironing
)
Agnes, put those clothes away.

Agnes
does
not
hear
her,
so
apparently
engrossed
is
she
in
her
knitting.

Maggie
My Woodbine! Where’s my Woodbine?

Rose
He won’t stay the night, Kate, will he?

Kate
He most certainly won’t stay the night in this house!

Maggie
Have you a piece of cord, Aggie? Anybody got a bit of twine?

Kate
Behave quite normally. Be very calm and very dignified. Stop peeping out, Rose!

Rose
(
at
window
)
There’s nobody coming at all.

Silence.
Then
Agnes
puts
down
her
knitting,
rushes
to
the
window,
pushes
Rose
aside
and
looks
out.

Agnes
Let me see.

Rose
You imagined it, Maggie.

Chris
Oh God.

Rose
He’s not there at all.

Agnes
(
softly
)
Yes, he is. Maggie’s right. There he is.

Rose
Show me.

Kate
Has he a walking stick?

Rose
Yes.

Kate
And a straw hat?

Rose
Yes.

Kate
It’s Mr Evans all right.

Agnes
Yes. There he is.

Chris
Oh sweet God – look at the state of me – what’ll I say to him? – how close is he?

Rose
I couldn’t look that man in the face. I just hate him – hate him!

Kate
That’s a very unchristian thing to say, Rose. (
as
Rose
rushes
off
)
There’s no luck in talk like that!

Chris
Look at my hands, Kate – I’m shaking.

Kate
catches
her
shoulders.

Kate
You are not shaking. You are perfectly calm and you are looking beautiful and what you are going to do is this. You’ll meet him outside. You’ll tell him his son is healthy and happy. And then you’ll send him packing – yourself and Michael are managing quite well without him – as you always have.

Chris
does
not
move.
She
is
about
to
cry.
Kate
now
takes
her
in
her
arms.

Of course ask him in. And give the creature his tea. And stay the night if he wants to. (
firm
again
)
But in the outside loft. And alone. Now. I brought a newspaper home with me. Did anybody see where I left it?

Chris
now
rushes
to
the
mirror
and
adroitly
adjusts
her
hair
and
her
clothes.

Agnes
Where is he, Maggie?

Maggie
In the garden.

Kate
Agnes, did you see where I left the paper?

Maggie
It’s on the turf box, Kate.

Kate
reads
the
paper
–
or
pretends
to.
Agnes
sits
beside
the
radio
and
knits
with
total
concentration.
Maggie
stands
at
the
side
of
the
garden
window.
Gerry
Evans
enters
left,
his
step
jaunty,
swinging
his
cane,
his
straw
hat
well
back
on
his
head.
He
knows
he
is
being
watched.
Although
he
is
very
ill
at
ease
the
smile
never
leaves
his
face.
Chris
goes
out
to
the
garden
where
they
meet.
Gerry
has
an
English
accent.

Gerry
How are you, Chrissie? Great to see you.

Chris
Hello, Gerry.

Gerry
And how have you been for the past six months?

Chris
Thirteen months.

Gerry
Thirteen? Never!

Chris
July last year; July the seventh.

Gerry
Wow-wow-wow-wow. Where does the time go? Thirteen months? Phew! A dozen times – two dozen times I planned a visit and then something turned up and I couldn’t get away.

Chris
Well, you’re here now.

Gerry
Certainly am. And that was a bit of good fortune. Last night in a bar in Sligo. Bump into this chappie with a brand new Morris Cowley who lets slip that he’s heading for Ballybeg in the morning. Ballybeg? Something familiar about that name! So. Here I am. In the flesh. As a matter of interest. Bit of good luck that, wasn’t it?

Chris
Yes.

Gerry
He just let it slip. And here I am. Oh, yes, wonderful luck.

Chris
Yes.

Pause.

Maggie
Looks terrified, the poor fella.

Kate
Terrified, my foot.

Maggie
Come here till you see him. Aggie.

Agnes
Not just now.

Maggie
I’m sure he could do with a good meal.

Kate
I’ll give him three minutes. Then if she doesn’t hunt him, I will.

Gerry
You’re looking wonderful, Chrissie. Really great. Terrific.

Chris
My hair’s like a whin-bush.

Gerry
Looks lovely to me.

Chris
Maggie’s going to wash it tonight.

Gerry
And how’s Maggie?

Chris
Fine.

Gerry
And Rose and Kate?

Chris
Grand.

Gerry
And Agnes?

Chris
Everybody’s well, thanks.

Gerry
Tell her I was asking for her – Agnes.

Chris
I would ask you in but the place is –

Gerry
No, no, some other time; thanks all the same. The
old schedule’s a bit tight today. And the chappie who gave me the lift tells me Father Jack’s home.

Chris
Just a few weeks ago.

Gerry
All the way from Africa.

Chris
Yes.

Gerry
Safe and sound.

Chris
Yes.

Gerry
Terrific.