Fosse: Plays Six (4 page)

Say it

Say it at once

Say it

Loudly

Say it

say yes

HE

Yes

Long pause

SHE

Yes

Pause. She lets go of his chin, walks out on the floor, turns suddenly to him

But why isn’t Rambuku coming

pause

for something is going to happen

quite short pause, a little angrily

and you’re

quite different

my dear

quite short pause

it’s only here

you’re like this

in Rambuku you’re not like this

I know that

for there you are the most beautiful

of them all

not so big and strong

but with a few tosses

of your thoughts

of your soul

a few tosses

radiant in their movements

quite short pause

yes like Rambuku

short pause

but you just stand there

just stand there

quite short pause

and look and look

and we’re not going to be here

we’re going to Rambuku

quite short pause

come on walk

walk a little

Walk

I’m telling you

Walk

He begins to walk slowly

You

short pause

yes you

quite short pause

you rotten man

very sad

that’s right

you rotten man

quite short pause

for I suppose you’ve always been rotten

quite short pause

always

short pause

always other women

always that

quite short pause

and how could I stand being

with you

but I

quite short pause

yes indeed I took what was mine

I want you to know that

and you do know that

quite short pause

yes of course

quite short pause

you know that

quite short pause

or

quite short pause

do you

answer

answer now

short pause

and you don’t answer

quite short pause

why don’t you answer

quite short pause

why don’t you speak

say something

quite short pause

you don’t say anything

you don’t answer

quite short pause

I tell you to answer

and you don’t answer

quite short pause

answer

say something

quite short pause

and don’t just walk around

answer

say something

don’t walk

don’t walk anymore

stop

he stops

answer

say something

pause

No

Short pause

No alright

Short pause

Do you want to go to Rambuku

quite short pause

or don’t you

quite short pause

I know you want to

so don’t just stand there

and look and look

quite short pause

Walk

Walk

 
He begins to walks slowly. Short pause

For now it’s finished

now

quite short pause

now Rambuku shall open up

now

today

quite short pause

finally

quite short pause

do you understand

say something

do you understand

that Rambuku shall open up

quite short pause

and don’t just walk around

stop that

can’t you

stop walking

stop

he stops

and say say that you understand it

Say

I understand it

HE

I understand it

SHE

Good

Say

Now we’re going to Rambuku

HE

Now we’re going to Rambuku

SHE

Thank you

Thank you so much

Thank you

Short pause. She takes his hand

It felt so good

to hear you say it

She shakes his hand

to hear your voice say it

so thank you

thank you so much

thank you

She lets go of his hand. Quite short pause

Would you like to read for me

Short pause

No I don’t suppose you do

Almost threateningly

You must answer me when I speak to you

say something

you used to do that

to talk to me

you were always doing it

you answered

talked

said things to me

quite short pause

called me whore

quite short pause

but now

short pause

now you just stand there

and look and look

quite short pause

you don’t exist

aren’t here

you just stand there

quite short pause

And I have lived my life with you

Pause

But you were

yes

She smiles

you were beautiful

yes beautiful

like Rambuku

quite short pause

but if only I could’ve given you back

to the woman you left

laughs a little to herself

I could’ve married

anyone

and then

and then I married you

quite short pause

who just stand there

and look and look

I married you

quite short pause

I don’t understand myself

I don’t understand what I was thinking

what made me do it

short pause

yes I understand it

Do you understand

that I understand it

quite short pause

no of course you don’t

but I

quite short pause

I understand it

because

quite short pause

you were such a beautiful man

there were so many nuances

in you

quite short pause

Rambuku

was in you

quite short pause

and married

yes you were married

and to a beautiful woman

and I

breaks off

yes

quite short pause

yes you were

quite short pause

and she was a

breaks off. She takes the pad and the pencil from her bag, writes
,
tears off the sheet, hands it to him, he stands and fumbles with the sheet

Look

And read

Read loudly and clearly

Read

Pause

HE

reads

Whore

SHE

Yes exactly

see

you could do it

you were married to

yes

yes read it one more time

loudly and clearly

yes

yes read it

He stands and fumbles with the note, looks at it

Read it one more time

You were married to a

Pause

HE

reads

Whore

SHE

Good

That’s a good boy

And then

then you must say

yes what was her name

yes her

that

that whore

yes

yes say it

why don’t you say it to me

say it

quite short pause

no

no don’t say it

quite short pause

let it be gone

let’s leave it behind

her name shall not exist

in Rambuku

of course not

short pause

for there

finally

she is gone

finally she no longer exists

quite short pause

there’s no room for her

in Rambuku

very sad

and soon everything’s gone

do you understand that

don’t just stand there

look around

can’t you see Rambuku is coming

but look

come look

Look

He looks around

yes

yes finally the day has come

when you shall see Rambuku

you see that

don’t you

of course you see that

I know that you

can see that

I know that

quite short pause

so don’t

quite short pause

don’t

She writes, tears off the note, hands it to him

don’t look around

quite short pause

look at the note

He looks at the note

But read it then

Read

Pause

HE

reads

I’ve lived here

But soon I’ll live in Rambuku

SHE

nods

That was good

so good to hear

Short pause

Read it one more time

please

let me hear you read it again

yes

Pause

HE

reads

I’ve lived here

But soon I’ll live in Rambuku

SHE

Thank you

Thank you that was beautiful

quite short pause, she puts the pad and the pencil in her bag. She walks over to him and strokes his hair

But you

my

quite short pause

my good boy

my good old boy

She puts her arm under his arm, they stand like that, arm in arm, long pause

yes

quite short pause

yes that’s how we stood

do you remember

we stood like this

quite short pause

and then we walked inside

quite short pause

into the church

She smiles a little to herself and leads him slowly forwards

do you remember

this is how we walked

they stop, stand still. Long pause. She lets go of his arm, walks a little away from him

No

quite short pause

no perhaps you don’t remember

quite short pause

no of course you don’t

quite short pause

But no one can remember here

quite short pause

no one can be here

quite short pause

and we have been here

always been

always here

quite short pause

year in and year out

have we been here

Pause

But read what I wrote in the note

Pause. He fumbles with the note

HE

reads

Whore

SHE

And the other note

Pause

HE

reads

I’ve lived here

But soon I’ll live in Rambuku

SHE

Read what the first note says

Pause

HE

Whore

SHE

Read it one more time

Pause

HE

reads

Whore

SHE

Read it yet one more time

Pause

HE

reads

Whore

Pause

SHE

Now read what the other note says

Pause

HE

reads

I’ve lived here

But soon I’ll live in Rambuku

SHE

Yes

Short pause

It makes me

quite short pause

yes happy

when I hear you say

that you’ll soon live

in Rambuku

Short pause, she takes a pile of sheets from her bag, leafs through them, hands him one

Read

Pause

HE

reads

And when she came towards me

I saw that she was the most beautiful woman

I’d ever seen

the way she moved

her eyes

the enormous song welling up in her

SHE

Yes

Pause

Keep reading

HE

reads

I could not imagine being with

any other woman

quite short pause

she was the most beautiful

Pause

SHE

Keep reading

Pause

HE

reads

To him there would never

be anyone else

He was sure of that

Pause

SHE

No

She goes and takes the sheet of paper from him. She looks at him, reads

She was such a beautiful woman

She looks at him

She is such a beautiful woman

Pause

Yes

Pause. She puts the sheet back in the pile, finds another sheet, puts the pile back in her bag and hands him the sheet she has selected and He looks at the sheet, stands and looks at it

Read

quite short pause

why do you just stand there

and look and look

Read

Long pause

HE

reads

I see that the mountain opens up

and out of the mountain comes a man

a young beautiful man

and he walks quietly forwards

he is beautiful

dressed in a black suit