Complete Works, Volume III (13 page)

JOHN
. If you put some lead in there you could make a pencil out of it.

DISSON
. They think you're very witty at your school, do they?

JOHN
. Well, some do and some don't, actually, Dad.

DISSON
. You. Take the saw.

TOM.
Me?

DISSON
. I want you to saw it off . . . from here.

DISSON
makes a line with his finger on the wood
.

TOM.
But I can't saw.

JOHN
. What about our homework, Dad? We've got to write an essay about the Middle Ages.

DISSON
. Never mind the Middle Ages.

JOHN
. Never mind the
Middle Ages
?

TOM.
Can't you demonstrate how to do it, Dad? Then we could watch.

DISSON
. Oh, give me it.

DISSON
takes the saw and points to a mark on the wood
.

Now . . . from here.

TOM
(
pointing
). You said from here.

DISSON
. No, no, from here.

JOHN
(
pointing to the other end
). I could have sworn you said from there.

Pause.

DISSON
. Go to your room.

Pause.

Get out.

JOHN
goes out
.
DISSON
looks at
TOM.

Do you want to learn anything?

TOM.
Yes.

DISSON
. Where did I say I was going to saw it?

He stares at the wood
.
TOM
holds it still
.

Hold it still. Hold it. Don't let it move.

DISSON
saws. The saw is very near
TOM’S
fingers
.
TOM
looks down tensely
.
DISSON
saws through
.

TOM.
You nearly cut my fingers off.

DISSON
. No, I didn't . . . I didn't . . .

He glares suddenly at
TOM.

You didn't hold the wood still!

Disson’s office.

The curtains are drawn.

DISSON
. Come here. Put your chiffon round my eyes. My eyes hurt.

WENDY
ties a chiffon scarf round his eyes
.

I want you to make a call to Newcastle, to Mr Martin. We're still waiting for delivery of goods on Invoice No. 634729. What is the cause for delay?

WENDY
picks up the telephone, dials, waits
.

WENDY
. Could I have Newcastle 77254, please. Thank you.

She waits. He touches her body
.

Yes, I'm holding.

He touches her. She moves under his touch.

Hullo, Mr Martin, please. Mr Disson's office.

Camera on him. His arm stretching
.

Mr Martin? Mr Disson's office. Mr Disson . . . Ah, you know what it's about. (
She laughs
.) Yes . . . Yes.

Camera on him. He leans forward, his arm stretching
.

Oh, it's been dispatched? Oh good. Mr Disson will be glad.

She moves under his touch.

Oh, I will. Of course I will.

She puts the phone down. He withdraws his hand
.

Mr Martin sends his apologies. The order has been dispatched.

The intercom buzzes. She switches through.
WILLY’S
voice
.

Yes?

WILLY
. Oh, Wendy, is Mr Disson there?

WENDY
. Did you want to speak to him, Mr Torrance?

WILLY
. No. Just ask him if I might borrow your services for five minutes.

WENDY
. Mr Torrance wants to know if he might borrow my services for five minutes.

DISSON
. What's happened to his own secretary?

WENDY
. Mr Disson would like to know what has happened to your own secretary.

WILLY
. She's unwell. Gone home. Just five minutes, that's all.

DISSON
gestures towards the door
.

WENDY
. Be with you in a minute, Mr Torrance.

WILLY
. Please thank Mr Disson for me.

The intercom switches off
.

WENDY
. Mr Torrance would like me to thank you for him.

DISSON
. I heard.

WENDY
goes through the inner door into
WILLY’S
office, shuts it.

Silence.

DISSON
sits still, the chiffon round his eyes. He looks towards the door.

He hears giggles, hissing, gurgles, squeals.

He goes to the door, squats by the handle, raises the chiffon, tries to look through the keyhole. Can see nothing through the keyhole. He drops the chiffon, puts his ear to the door.

The handle presses into his skull. The sounds continue.

Sudden silence.

The door has opened.

A pair of woman's legs stand by his squatting body. He freezes, slowly puts forward a hand, touches a leg. He tears the chiffon from his eyes. It hangs from his neck. He looks up.

DIANA
looks down at him.

Behind her, in the other room,
WENDY
is sitting, taking dictation from
WILLY
,
who is standing
.

DIANA
. What game is this?

He remains.

Get up. What are you doing? What are you doing with that scarf? Get up from the floor. What are you doing?

DISSON
. Looking for something.

DIANA
. What?

WILLY
walks to the door, smiles, closes the door.

What were you looking for? Get up.

DISSON
(
standing
). Don't speak to me like that. How dare you speak to me like that? I'll knock your teeth out.

She covers her face.

What were you doing in there? I thought you'd gone home.

What were you doing in there?

DIANA
. I came back.

DISSON
. You mean you were in there with both of them? In there with both of them?

DIANA
. Yes! So what?

Pause.

DISSON
(
calmly
). I was looking for my pencil, which had rolled off my desk. Here it is. I found it, just before you came in, and put it in my pocket. My eyes hurt. I borrowed Wendy’s scarf, to calm my eyes. Why are you getting so excited?

Disson's office. Day.

DISSON
at his desk, writing
.
WENDY
walks to the cabinet, examines a file
.
Silence.

DISSON
. What kind of flat do you have, Wendy?

WENDY
. Quite a small one, Mr Disson. Quite pleasant.

DISSON
. Not too big for you, then? Too lonely?

WENDY
. Oh no, it's quite small. Quite cosy.

DISSON
. Bathroom fittings any good?

WENDY
. Adequate, Mr Disson. Not up to our standard.

Pause.

DISSON
. Live there alone, do you?

WENDY
. No, I share it with a girl friend. But she's away quite a lot of the time. She's an air hostess. She wants me to become one, as a matter of fact.

DISSON
. Listen to me, Wendy. Don't ever . . . dream of becoming an air hostess. Never. The glamour may dazzle from afar, but, believe you me, it's a mess of a life . . . a mess of a life . . .

He watches
WENDY
walk to her desk with a file and then back to the cabinet
.

Were you lonely as a child?

WENDY
. No.

DISSON
. Nor was I. I had quite a lot of friends. True friends. Most of them live abroad now, of course – banana planters, oil engineers, Jamaica, the Persian Gulf . . . but if I were to meet them tomorrow, you know . . . just like that . . . there'd be no strangeness, no awkwardness at all. We'd continue where we left off, quite naturally.

WENDY
bends low at the cabinet.

He stares at her buttocks.

It's a matter of a core of affection, you see . . . a core of undying affection . . .

Suddenly
WENDY’S
body appears in enormous close-up. Her buttocks fill the screen.

His hands go up to keep them at bay.

His elbow knocks a round table lighter from his desk.

Picture normal
.

WENDY
turns from the cabinet, stands upright
.

WENDY
. What was that?

DISSON
. My lighter.

She goes to his desk
.

WENDY
. Where is it?

She kneels, looks under the desk. The lighter is at his feet. She reaches for it. He kicks it across the room
.

(
Laughing
.) Oh, Mr Disson, why did you do that?

She stands. He stands. She goes towards the lighter. He gets to it before her, stands with it at his feet. He looks at her. She stops
.

What's this?

DISSON
feints his body, left to right
.

DISSON
. Come on.

WENDY
. What?

DISSON
. Tackle me. Get the ball.

WENDY
. What do I tackle with?

DISSON
. Your feet.

She moves forward deliberately
.

He dribbles away, turns, kicks the lighter along the carpet towards her. Her foot stops the lighter. She turns with it at her foot
.

Ah!

She stands, legs apart, the lighter between them, staring at him.

She taps her foot.

WENDY
. Come on, then!

He goes towards her. She eludes him. He grasps her arm.

That's a foul!

He drops her arm.

DISSON
. Sorry.

She stands with the lighter between her feet
.

WENDY
. Come on, come on. Tackle me, tackle me. Come on, tackle me! Get the ball! Fight for the ball!

He begins to move, stops, sinks to the floor. She goes to him.

What's the matter?

DISSON
. Nothing. All right. Nothing.

WENDY
. Let me help you up.

DISSON
. No. Stay. You're very valuable in this office. Good worker. Excellent. If you have any complaints, just tell me. I'll soon put them right. You're a very efficient secretary. Something I've always needed. Have you everything you want? Are your working conditions satisfactory?

WENDY
. Perfectly.

DISSON
. Oh good. Good . . . Good.

Disson’s house. Bedroom. Night
.

DISSON
and
DIANA
in bed, reading. She looks at him
.

DIANA
. You seem a little subdued . . . lately.

DISSON
. Me? Not at all. I'm reading the Life of Napoleon, that's all.

DIANA
. No, I don't mean now, I mean generally. Is there –?

DISSON
. I'm not at all subdued. Really.

Pause.

DIANA
. It's our first anniversary next Wednesday, did you know that?

DISSON
. Of course I did. How could I forget? Well go out together in the evening. Just you and I. Alone.

DIANA
. Oh. Good.

DISSON
. I'm also giving a little tea party in the office, in the afternoon. My mother and father'll be up.

DIANA
. Oh good

Pause.

DISSON
. How have you enjoyed our first year?

DIANA
. It's been wonderful. It's been a very exciting year.

Pause.

DISSON
. You've been marvellous with the boys.

DIANA
. They like me.

DISSON
. Yes, they do. They do.

Pause.

It's been a great boon, to have you work for the firm.

DIANA
. Oh, I'm glad. I am glad.

Pause.

Be nice to get away to Spain.

Pause.

DISSON
. You've got enough money, haven't you? I mean, you have sufficient money to see you through, for all you want?

DIANA
. Oh yes. I have, thank you.

Pause.

DISSON
. I'm very proud of you, you know.

DIANA
. I'm proud of you.

Silence.

Disson’s office.

DISSON
. Have you written to Corley?

WENDY
. Yes, Mr Disson.

DISSON
. And Turnbull?

WENDY
. Yes, Mr Disson.

DISSON
. And Erverley?

WENDY
. Yes, Mr Disson.

DISSON
. Carbon of the Erverley letter, please.

WENDY
. Here you are, Mr Disson.

DISSON
. Ah. I see you've spelt Erverley right.