Complete Works, Volume III (7 page)

LENNY.
Want a light?

TEDDY
. No. No.

Pause.

So has yours.

LENNY
. Oh, yes.

Pause.

Eh, Teddy, you haven't told us much about your Doctorship of Philosophy. What do you teach?

TEDDY
. Philosophy.

LENNY
. Well, I want to ask you something. Do you detect a certain logical incoherence in the central affirmations of Christian theism?

TEDDY
. That question doesn't fall within my province.

LENNY
. Well, look at it this way . . . you don't mind my asking you some questions, do you?

TEDDY
. If they're within my province.

LENNY
. Well, look at it this way, How can the unknown merit reverence? In other words, how can you revere that of which you're ignorant? At the same time, it would be ridiculous to propose that what we
know
merits reverence. What we know merits any one of a number of things, but it stands to reason reverence isn't one of them. In other words, apart from the known and the unknown, what else is there?

Pause.

TEDDY
. I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to ask.

LENNY
. But you're a philosopher. Come on, be frank. What do you make of all this business of being and not-being?

TEDDY
. What do you make of it?

LENNY
. Well, for instance, take a table. Philosophically speaking. What is it?

TEDDY
. A table.

LENNY
. Ah. You mean it's nothing else but a table. Well, some people would envy your certainty, wouldn't they, Joey? For instance, I've got a couple of friends of mine, we often sit round the Ritz Bar having a few liqueurs, and they're always saying things like that, you know, things like: Take a table, take it. All right, I say,
take
it, take a table, but once you've taken it, what you going to do with it? Once you've got hold of it, where you going to take it?

MAX
. You'd probably sell it.

LENNY
. You wouldn't get much for it.

JOEY
. Chop it up for firewood.

LENNY
looks at him and laughs.

RUTH
. Don't be too sure though. You've forgotten something. Look at me. I . . . move my leg. That's all it is. But I wear . . . underwear . . . which moves with me . . . it . . . captures your attention. Perhaps you misinterpret. The action is simple. It's a leg . . . moving. My lips move. Why don't you restrict . . . your observations to that? Perhaps the fact that they move is more significant . . . than the words which come through them. You must bear that . . . possibility . . . in mind.

Silence

TEDDY
stands.

I was born quite near here.

Pause.

Then . . . six years ago, I went to America.

Pause.

It's all rock. And sand. It stretches . . . so far . . . everywhere you look. And there's lots of insects there.

Pause.

And there's lots of insects there.

Silence.

She is still.

MAX
stands.

MAX
. Well, it's time to go to the gym. Time for your workout, Joey.

LENNY
(
standing
). I'll come with you.

JOEY
sits looking at
RUTH.

MAX
. Joe.

JOEY
stands. The three go out.

TEDDY
sits by
RUTH,
holds her hand.

She smiles at him
.

Pause.

TEDDY
. I think we'll go back. Mmnn?

Pause.

Shall we go home?

RUTH
. Why?

TEDDY
. Well, we were only here for a few days, weren't we? We might as well . . . cut it short, I think.

RUTH
. Why? Don't you like it here?

TEDDY
. Of course I do. But I'd like to go back and see the boys now.

Pause.

RUTH
. Don't you like your family?

TEDDY
. Which family?

RUTH
. Your family here.

TEDDY
. Of course I like them. What are you talking about?

Pause.

RUTH
. You don't like them as much as you thought you did?

TEDDY
. Of course I do. Of course I . . . like them. I don't know what you're talking about.

Pause.

Listen. You know what time of the day it is there now, do you?

RUTH
. What?

TEDDY
. It's morning. It's about eleven o'clock.

RUTH
. Is it?

TEDDY
. Yes, they're about six hours behind us . . . I mean . . . behind the time here. The boys'll be at the pool . . . now . . . swimming. Think of it. Morning over there. Sun. We'll go anyway, mmnn? It's so clean there.

RUTH
. Clean.

TEDDY
. Yes.

RUTH
. Is it dirty here?

TEDDY
. No, of course not. But it's cleaner there.

Pause.

Look, I just brought you back to meet the family, didn't I? You've met them, we can go. The fall semester will be starting soon.

RUTH
. You find it dirty here?

TEDDY
. I didn't say I found it dirty here.

Pause.

I didn't say that.

Pause.

Look. I'll go and pack. You rest for a while. Will you? They won't be back for at least an hour. You can sleep. Rest. Please.

She looks at him.

You can help me with my lectures when we get back. I'd love that. I'd be so grateful for it, really. We can bathe till October. You know that. Here, there's nowhere to bathe, except the swimming bath down the road. You know what it's like? It's like a urinal. A filthy urinal!

Pause.

You liked Venice, didn't you? It was lovely, wasn't it? You had a good week. I mean . . . I took you there. I can speak Italian.

RUTH
. But if I'd been a nurse in the Italian campaign I would have been there before.

Pause.

TEDDY
. You just rest. I’ll go and pack.

TEDDY
goes out and up the stairs.

She closes her eyes.

LENNY
appears from
U.L.

He walks into the room and sits near her.

She opens her eyes.

Silence.

LENNY
. Well, the evenings are drawing in.

RUTH.
Yes, it's getting dark.

Pause.

LENNY.
Winter'll soon be upon us. Time to renew one's wardrobe.

Pause.

RUTH
. That's a good thing to do.

LENNY.
What?

Pause.

RUTH
. I always . . .

Pause.

Do you like clothes?

LENNY
. Oh, yes. Very fond of clothes.

Pause.

RUTH
. I'm fond . . .

Pause.

What do you think of my shoes?

LENNY
. They're very nice.

RUTH
. No, I can't get the ones I want over there.

LENNY
. Can't get them over there, eh?

RUTH
. No . . . you don't get them there.

Pause.

I was a model before I went away.

LENNY
. Hats?

Pause.

I bought a girl a hat once. We saw it in a glass case, in a shop. I tell you what it had. It had a bunch of daffodils on it, tied with a black satin bow, and then it was covered with a cloche of black veiling. A cloche. I'm telling you. She was made for it.

RUTH
. No . . . I was a model for the body. A photographic model for the body.

LENNY
. Indoor work?

RUTH
. That was before
I
had . . . all my children.

Pause.

No, not always indoors.

Pause.

Once or twice we went to a place in the country, by train. Oh, six or seven times. We used to pass a . . . a large white water tower. This place . . . this house . . . was very big . . . the trees . . . there was a lake, you see . . . we used to change and walk down towards the lake . . . we went down a path . . . on stones . . . there were . . . on this path. Oh, just . . . wait . . . yes . . . when we changed in the house we had a drink. There was a cold buffet.

Pause.

Sometimes we stayed in the house but . . . most often . . . we walked down to the lake . . . and did our modelling there.

Pause.

Just before we went to America I went down there. I walked from the station to the gate and then I walked up the drive. There were lights on . . . I stood in the drive . . . the house was very light.

TEDDY
comes down the stairs with the cases
.
He puts them down
,
looks at
LENNY.

TEDDY
. What have you been saying to her?

He goes to
RUTH.

Here's your coat.

LENNY
goes to the radiogram and puts on a record of slow jazz
.

Ruth. Come on. Put it on.

LENNY
(
to
RUTH
). What about one dance before you go?

TEDDY.
We're going.

LENNY
. Just one.

TEDDY
. No. We're going.

LENNY
. Just one dance, with her brother-in-law, before she goes.

LENNY
bends to her.

Madam?

RUTH
stands. They dance, slowly
.

TEDDY
stands, with
RUTH’S
coat.

MAX
and
JOEY
come in the front door and into the room.

They stand.

LENNY
kisses
RUTH.
They stand, kissing
.

JOEY
. Christ, she's wide open.

Pause.

She's a tart.

Pause.

Old Lenny's got a tart in here.

JOEY
goes to them. He takes
RUTH’S
arm. He smiles at
LENNY.
He sits with RUTH
on the sofa, embraces and kisses her.

He looks up at
LENNY.

Just up my street.

He leans her back until she lies beneath him. He kisses her.

He looks up at
TEDDY
and
MAX.

It's better than a rubdown, this.

LENNY
sits on the arm of the sofa. He caresses
RUTH’S
hair as
JOEY
embraces her.

MAX
comes forward, looks at the cases.

MAX
. You going. Teddy? Already?

Pause.

Well, when you coming over again, eh? Look, next time you come over, don't forget to let us know beforehand whether you're married or not. I'll always be glad to meet the wife. Honest. I'm telling you.

JOEY
lies heavily on
RUTH.

They are almost still
.

LENNY
caresses her hair.

Listen, you think I don't know why you didn't tell me you were married? I know why. You were ashamed. You thought I'd be annoyed because you married a woman beneath you. You should have known me better. I'm broadminded. I'm a broadminded man.

He peers to see
RUTH’S
face under
JOEY,
turns back to
TEDDY.

Mind you, she's a lovely girl. A beautiful woman. And a mother too. A mother of three. You've made a happy woman out of her. It's something to be proud of. I mean, we're talking about a woman of quality. We’re talking about a woman of feeling.

JOEY
and
RUTH
roll off the sofa on to the floor.

JOEY
clasps her.
LENNY
moves to stand above them. He looks down on them. He touches
RUTH
gently with his foot.

RUTH
suddenly pushes
JOEY
away.

She stands up.

JOEY
gets to his feet, stares at her.

RUTH
. I'd like something to eat. (
To
LENNY
.) I'd like a drink. Did you get any drink?

LENNY
. We've got drink.

RUTH
. I'd like one, please.

LENNY
. What drink?

RUTH
. Whisky.

LENNY
. I've got it

Pause.

RUTH
. Well, get it.

LENNY
goes to the sideboard, takes out bottle and glasses.

JOEY
moves towards her.

Put the record off.