Harold Pinter Plays 2 (26 page)

She
takes
his
hands.
He
sinks
to
his
knees,
with
her.
They
are
kneeling
together,
close.
She
strokes
his
face.

It’s a very late tea. Isn’t it? But I think I like it. Aren’t you sweet? I’ve never seen you before after sunset. My husband’s at a late-night conference. Yes, you look different. Why are you wearing this strange suit, and this tie? You usually wear something else, don’t you? Take off your
jacket. Mmmnn? Would you like me to change? Would you like me to change my clothes? I’ll change for you, darling. Shall I? Would you like that?

Silence.
She
is
very
close
to
him.

RICHARD.
Yes.

Pause.

Change.

Pause.

Change.

Pause.

Change your clothes.

Pause.

You lovely whore.

They
are
still,
kneeling,
she
leaning
over
him.

THE END

Living-room.

ANNIE.
Look at your raincoat. It’s on the floor.

WALTER.
I’ll hang it up. I’ll take the case upstairs, eh?

ANNIE.
Have your tea. Go on, have your tea. Don’t worry about taking the case upstairs.

Pause.

WALTER.
Lovely cake.

ANNIE.
Do you like it? I’ve had to lay off cake. They was’ giving me heartburn. Go on, have another piece.

WALTER.
Ah well, the place looks marvellous.

ANNIE.
I gave it a nice clean out before you came.

Pause.

Well, Wally, how did they treat you this time, eh?

WALTER.
Marvellous.

ANNIE.
I didn’t expect you back so soon. I thought you was staying longer this time.

WALTER.
No, I wasn’t staying longer.

ANNIE.
Milly’s not been well.

WALTER.
Oh? What’s the matter with her?

ANNIE.
She’ll be down in a minute, she heard you come.

WALTER.
I brought some chocolates for her.

ANNIE.
I can’t stand chocolates.

WALTER.
I know that. That’s why I didn’t bring any for you.

ANNIE.
You remembered, eh?

WALTER.
Oh, yes.

ANNIE.
Yes, she’s been having a rest upstairs. All I do, I run up and down them stairs all day long. What about the other day? I was up doing those curtains, I came over terrible. Then she says I shouldn’t have done them that way. I should have done them the other way.

WALTER.
What’s the matter with the curtains?

ANNIE.
She says they’re not hanging properly. She says I should have done them the other way. She likes them the
other way. She lies up there upstairs. I’m older than she is.

Annie
pours
herself
and
Walter
more
tea.

I went out and got that cake the minute we got your letter.

WALTER
(
sighing
).
Ah, you know, I’ve been thinking for months … you know that? … months … I’ll come back here … I’ll lie on my bed … I’ll see the curtains blowing by the window … I’ll have a good rest, eh?

ANNIE.
There she is, she’s moving herself. You got a bit of the sun.

WALTER.
I’m going to take it easy for a few weeks.

ANNIE.
You should. It’s silly. You should have a rest for a few weeks.

Pause.

WALTER.
How’s Mr Solto?

ANNIE.
He’s still the best landlord in the district You wouldn’t get a better landlord in any district.

WALTER.
You’re good tenants to him.

ANNIE.
He’s so kind. He’s almost one of the family. Except he doesn’t live here. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t been to tea for months.

WALTER.
I’m going to ask him to lend me some money.

ANNIE.
She’s coming down.

WALTER.
What’s a couple of hundred to him? Nothing.

ANNIE
(
whispering
).
Don’t say a word about the curtains.

WALTER.
Eh?

ANNIE.
Don’t mention about the curtains. About the hanging. About what I told you about what she said about the way I hung the curtains. Don’t say a word. Here she comes.

Milly
enters.

WALTER
(
kissing her
).
Aunty Milly.

MILLY.
Did she give you a bit of cake?

WALTER.
Marvellous cake.

MILLY.
I told her to go and get it.

WALTER.
I haven’t had a bit of cake like that for nine solid months.

MILLY.
It comes from down the road.

WALTER.
Here you are, Aunty, here’s some chocolates.

MILLY.
He didn’t forget that I like chocolates.

ANNIE.
He didn’t forget that I don’t like chocolates.

MILLY.
Nutty? Are they nutty?

WALTER.
I picked them specially for the nuts. They were the nuttiest ones they had there.

ANNIE.
Sit down, Milly. Don’t stand up.

MILLY.
I’ve been sitting down, I’ve been lying down. I got to stand up now and again.

WALTER.
You haven’t been so well, eh?

MILLY.
Middling. Only middling.

ANNIE.
I’m only middling as well.

MILLY.
Yes, Annie’s only been middling.

WALTER.
Well, I’m back now, eh?

MILLY.
How did they treat you this time?

WALTER.
Very well. Very well.

MILLY.
When you going back?

WALTER.
I’m not going back.

MILLY.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Walter, spending half your life in prison. Where do you think that’s going to get you?

WALTER.
Half my life? What do you mean? Twice, that’s all.

ANNIE.
What about Borstal?

WALTER.
That doesn’t count.

MILLY.
I wouldn’t mind if you ever had a bit of luck, but what happens? Every time you move yourself they take you inside.

WALTER.
I’ve finished with all that, anyway.

MILLY.
Listen, I’ve told you before, if you’re not clever in that way you should try something else, you should open up a little business – you could get the capital from Solto, he’ll lend you some money. I mean, every time you put a foot outside the door they pick you up, they put you inside. What’s the good of it?

ANNIE.
You going to have a jam tart, Wally?

WALTER.
Sure.

MILLY
(
eats
).
Where’d you get the jam tarts?

ANNIE.
Round the comer.

MILLY.
Round the corner? I thought I told you to get them down the road.

ANNIE.
He didn’t have any down the road.

MILLY.
Why, he’d run out?

ANNIE.
I don’t know if he’d made any today.

MILLY.
What are they like?

WALTER.
Lovely. (
He
takes
another.
Eats.
Pause.
)

MILLY.
I’ve had to lay off tarts, haven’t I, Annie?

ANNIE.
They was giving her heartburn.

MILLY.
I had to lay off. I had to lay right off tarts, since just after Easter.

ANNIE.
I bet you never had a tart in prison, Wally.

WALTER.
No, I couldn’t lay my hands on one.

Pause.

MILLY.
Well? Have you told him?

ANNIE.
Told him what?

MILLY.
You haven’t told him?

WALTER.
Told me what?

MILLY.
Eh?

ANNIE.
No, I haven’t.

MILLY.
Why not?

ANNIE.
I wasn’t going to tell him.

WALTER.
Tell me what?

MILLY.
You said you was going to tell him.

ANNIE.
I didn’t have the pluck.

WALTER.
What’s going on here? What’s all this?

Pause.

ANNIE.
Have a rock cake, Wally.

WALTER.
No, thanks. I’m full up.

ANNIE.
Go on, have a rode cake.

WALTER.
No, I’ve had enough. Honest.

MILLY.
Have a rock cake, come on.

WALTER.
I can’t, I’m full up!

ANNIE.
I’ll go and fill the pot.

MILLY.
I’ll go.

ANNIE.
You can’t go, come on, give me the pot. You can’t go, you’re not well.

MILLY.
I’ll go, come on, give me the pot.

ANNIE.
I made the tea, why shouldn’t I fill the pot?

MILLY.
Can’t I fill the pot for my own nephew!

WALTER.
Now listen, what have you got to tell me – what’s the matter? I come home from prison, I been away nine months, I come home for a bit of peace and quiet to recuperate. What’s going on here?

MILLY.
Well … we’ve let your room.

WALTER.
You’ve what?

ANNIE.
We’ve let your room.

Pause.

MILLY.
Look, Wally, don’t start making faces. How could we help ourselves?

Pause.

WALTER.
You’ve done what?

ANNIE.
We missed you.

MILLY.
It gave us a bit of company.

ANNIE.
Of course it did …

MILLY.
It gave us a helping hand …

ANNIE.
You spend half your time inside, we don’t know when you’re coming out …

MILLY.
We only get the pension.

ANNIE.
That’s all we got, we only got the pension.

MILLY.
She pays good money, she pays thirty-five and six a week …

ANNIE.
She’s down here every Friday morning with the rent.

MILLY.
And she looks after her room, she’s always dusting her room.

ANNIE.
She helps me give a bit of a dust round the house.

MILLY.
On the week-ends …

ANNIE.
She leaves the bath as good as new …

MILLY.
And you should see what she’s done to her room.

ANNIE.
Oh, you should see how she’s made the room.

MILLY.
She’s made it beautiful, she’s made it really pretty …

ANNIE.
She’s fitted up a bedside table lamp in there, hasn’t she?

MILLY.
She’s always studying books …

ANNIE.
She goes out to night school three nights a week.

MILLY.
She’s a young girl.

ANNIE.
She’s a very clean girl.

MILLY.
She’s quiet …

ANNIE.
She’s a homely girl …

Pause.

WALTER.
What’s her name?

ANNIE.
Sally …

WALTER.
Sally what?

MILLY.
Sally Gibbs.

WALTER.
How long has she been here?

MILLY.
She’s been here about – when did she come?

ANNIE.
She came about …

MILLY.
Four months about … she’s been here …

WALTER.
What does she do, for a living?

MILLY.
She teaches at a school.

WALTER.
A school teacher!

MILLY.
Yes.

WALTER.
A school teacher! In my room.

Pause.

ANNIE.
Wally, you’ll like her.

WALTER.
She’s sleeping in my room!

MILLY.
What’s the matter with the put-u-up? You can have the put-u-up in here.

WALTER.
The put-u-up? She’s sleeping in my bed.

ANNIE.
She’s bought a lovely coverlet, she’s put it on.

WALTER.
A coverlet? I could go out now, I could pick up a coverlet as good as hers. What are you talking about coverlets for?

MILLY.
Walter, don’t shout at your aunt, she’s deaf.

WALTER.
I can’t believe it. I come home after nine months in a dungeon.

ANNIE.
The money’s been a great help.

WALTER.
Have I ever left you short of money?